Category: OPINION

Last week, President Obama delivered an address, starting a dialogue on how the long path to America’s current level of inequality has led us to the wrong place. The president said that Americans’ frustration with Washington is “rooted in the nagging sense that no matter how hard they work, the deck is stacked against them.” […]

Some of the responses by the Republicans and their friends to the Iran nuclear deal have been nothing short of amazing. The deal includes greater and closer inspections of Iranian sites, some relief from the sanctions, and the delay in certain steps that the Iranians had been contemplating. After six months this is to be […]

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years back, I reacted like most who receive a cancer diagnosis. The first thing that came to mind was that it was a death sentence. However, I found out later that it was truly “an awakening” for me. I questioned God, but instead of bemoaning my […]

Pope Francis is displaying an extraordinary style and passion that demands our attention. He addresses the needs of the poor, embraces the outcasts, and loves those on the margins of society. In this recent “apostolic exhortation,” The Joy of the Gospel, he raises a moral challenge to both his church and his world. Like Dr. […]

According to the 13th Amendment, slavery in this country has not been fully abolished; there is an exception that says if one is duly convicted of a crime he or she can be enslaved. Read it for yourself; don’t take my word for it. So, if you have been enslaved by either doing a crime […]

Washington, DC–(Updated 12/10/2013) — Graciousness. Kindness. Forgiveness. Commentators have heaped these adjectives on Nelson Mandela as they reflect on his passing. Most emphasize Mandela’s role as a kind and generous conciliator, comparing him to Gandhi, King and other larger-than-life figures of our times. Pacifist he was not. Canonized for his magnanimous spirit, Mandela was more than […]

Many ardent conservatives are critical of the Affordable Care Act or what they derisively call “Obamacare.” But what are they proposing that proves that they care about uninsured Americans? The Tampa Bay Times’ “Pundit Fact” team discovered some interesting findings when they approached that question indirectly. Specifically, the newspaper looked at the main Republican alternatives […]

The American Dream lives! It’s the current American reality that’s become a nightmare for millions upon millions whose lives, occupations and economic stability once seemed to embody it. A new survey released Thanksgiving week by the Washington Post and the Miller Center, a nonpartisan, public policy-focused affiliate of the University of Virginia, offers fresh evidence […]

“In America today, college is available to everyone prepared to move forward in life,” Dr. Claudio Prieto, then Assistant U.S. Education Secretary, once observed. “For minorities like us, there are still barriers to obtaining an education, but with hard work, those barriers are manageable….” Most of us would agree. Yet, for Americans of color, acknowledging […]

Today’s politicians and many economists seldom, if ever, discuss the concept of full employment. It appears that capitalist economies promoted by these politicians and economists are incompatible with full employment. However, full employment is necessary for improving standards of living in capitalist economies. Full employment is where everyone or nearly everyone wanting to work at […]

The Christmas season provides an excellent opportunity for Africans in America to engage in a season of resistance. The corporate retail establishment in this country is heavily dependent upon this season for consumers to participate in a frenzy of buying to buttress their bottom line. The unofficial kick-off of the “shop until you drop” season […]

“Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions.”  American Psychological Association When 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick jumped to her death from an abandoned concrete plant tower on Sept. 9 because of bullying […]