Category: OPINION

The recent ruling by Federal District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake declaring the Maryland practice of unnecessary academic program duplication between Historical Black Institutions (HBIs) and Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs) to be unconstitutional is a true vindication of Baltimore State Senator Joan Carter Conway and Eastern Shore Delegate Rudolf Cane in their efforts to protect […]

It’s hard to know whether to feel pity or disgust for you as we watch you whine, bellow, threaten and renege your way through a government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis that you easily could end by behaving like the Speaker of the House, not the spokesman for the Tea Party Caucus. Your inability and/or […]

During a recent call-in radio talk show about the funding challenges facing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), an irritated listener demanded to know why HBCUs receive a disproportionately larger share of higher education dollars than other colleges and universities. Aside from the factual inaccuracy of his statement- public HBCUs, in some cases, receive only […]

In the interest of full disclosure, I work for the largest labor union in the federal sector: the American Federation of Government Employees. But I am not writing on their behalf or because I was told to do so. This is personal. Federal employees are largely invisible. Actually, we take them for granted. With certain […]

If ever the American people needed a strong president willing to stand for what is reasonable and right, that time is now. In 2008 and 2012, our rallying cry was “Barack Obama, we have your back.” Today, at this moment of truth for our country, we can thank God that President Obama has the strong […]

Sports is one of the most race-neutral meritocracies in America. From the record-shattering feats of Jesse Owens to the transcendent accomplishments of Serena and Venus Williams, there is no doubt that African Americans can excel at the highest levels in any sport if given a chance. Historically, that chance has rarely been given to aspiring […]

Almost 131 years ago, Steward Wylie, a member of Atlanta’s Big Bethel AME Church, made a courageous plea to his church members that if they could furnish a room at Clark College, they could build a school of their own. Armed with faith and belief in his mission, Morris Brown College, one of Georgia’s most […]

Last week I proposed common-sense legislation to ensure a real living wage for every worker in D.C. Our social justice advocates have led a contagious battle, and just this week California caught the bug and became the first state in the nation to commit to raising the minimum wage to $10 per hour. Now it […]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the recent newspaper document called Civil Rights – Why We March. I learned so much about the who, what and why of my history. There was so much that I had forgotten, or indeed, never heard before. The documentation of the first period, 1901-1919, stirred me so that I have […]

I’m a college sports fan who thinks that major universities are bullying small colleges and HBCUs who are also NCAA members. Each weekend during the football and basketball seasons we have to watch the horrendous scores of major NCAA powerhouses crushing small colleges and universities on the football fields and basketball arenas. This weekend, Sept. […]

I cringed as the scores came in over the weekend. Ohio State 76, Florida A&M 0. Florida State 54, Bethune-Cookman 6. Miami 77, Savannah State 7. Our HBCUs have traded their proud, rich football heritage for money. And I don’t think it’s worth it. There’s only one reason our HBCUs schedule games against schools whose […]