Category: OPINION

Miami Dolphins players Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin have dominated sports news in recent weeks, but for all the wrong reasons. Supposedly, Martin was “bullied” by Incognito to the point that Martin left the team indefinitely. Each plays on the offensive line, stands more than 6 feet, and weighs more than 300 pounds. Incognito has […]

Christmas is without a doubt one of my favorite seasons of the year. I am always blessed with an abundance of family, friends, and yes, food. There is no reason to cut back on family and friends, but we can’t let the holidays be an excuse to lose our minds and over indulge in food. […]

Two decades ago, as a young organizer in Mississippi, I learned that there are only two types of temporal power: organized people and organized money. I also learned that in a democracy, the people can win every time—but only if we are organized. Today, when I reflect back on my half-decade at the helm of […]

The reason students are encouraged to avoid CliffsNotes is because in their haste to report the summary of assigned readings they may miss important themes, nuanced characters, and layers of meaning that are typically understood only with a full reading of the entire text. This caution is equally apropos about the rulings of federal courts. […]

(Updated 11/15/2013) Never before has there been a more important conversation about Maryland higher education than the conversation surrounding the recent ruling of Federal District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake against unnecessary academic program duplication. In her ruling, the judge identifies the harm Maryland has done to its Historically Black Institutions (HBIs) by its unlawful practice […]

The Republican push to reduce the federal deficit solely through spending cuts is based on mythology rather than fact. That was clearly demonstrated by a series of reports issued recently by the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). In a report issued Oct. 28, CBPP stated, “As a new budget conference committee seeks agreement on […]

Before assuming the presidency in 1960, John F. Kennedy barely paid attention to any Black American beyond his valet, and he intended to follow that approach during the first four of what he expected would be his eight years in office. As the Civil Rights Movement exploded across the land, he tried mightily to keep […]

It seems like yesterday I was boarding a bus with several classmates at New York City Technical College in Brooklyn. Our destination: The Million Man March in Washington, D.C. I had no idea what I would encounter. However, there was a feeling deep inside of me compelling me to go. I knew history was going […]

The recent Federal District Court ruling blames the State of Maryland for the difficulty Historically Black Institutions have in competing with Traditionally White Institutions. State officials contend, however, that any difficulties at the HBIs are of the HBIs’ own making and they are proposing to conduct another one of their predetermined studies to prove it. […]

Public education reform is under attack in a new book from Diane Ravitch. Her book, Reign of Error, is hitting bookstores nationwide. Ravitch attacks chartered public schools, which are run independently of the traditional public school system and educate 44 percent of all public school children here in the nation’s capital, as part of a […]

During the recent government shutdown many numbers were thrown around. But there is one number that stands out and it has nothing to do with the debate over the federal budget. More than one a day. That is how many members of our active-duty military, National Guard and Reserve forces have committed suicide over the […]