Category: OPINION

The Republican Party’s inability to prevent some of its elected officials and party operatives from making racist and sexist remarks and tamp down others’ penchant for cringe-worthy gaffes along those lines necessitates a slight revising of that old saying: It’s always like déjà vu all over again. Last week, it was – actually for just […]

When the tax man cometh, Black dollars “goeth.” Where will they goeth? Down a myriad of paths in pursuit of new items such as furniture, cars, clothing, and other niceties. But first, unless you do your own tax return or get it done for free by someone, Black dollars goeth to tax preparation firms, the […]

Last week, I was privileged to be included in a U.S. congressional delegation that attended President Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in South Africa. The experience was an inspiring one, just as Nelson Mandela’s life uplifted so many of us in decades past. I readily acknowledge that I was in need of the inspiration I received […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]