Category: OPINION

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – After laying out a progressive agenda for his second term in his inaugural address, President Obama followed up Tuesday night with a series of specific proposals in his State of the Union address that include increasing and indexing the minimum wage, repairing deteriorated infrastructure, and investing in education and clean energy. “It […]

People die, but the truth lives and breathes freely on its own. We now mourn the passing of 87-year old Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who, in December 2003, confirmed one of the oldest rumors of Southern political folklore: that she was the mixed-race daughter of former US Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC). Washington-Williams, whose mother worked as […]

As Mayor Gray highlighted the importance of continuing to improve public education here in the nation’s capital in his State of the District address, my thoughts turned to recent controversies surrounding our public schools. First came proposals from D.C.’s Board of Education to increase the graduation requirements for high school students enrolled in public school. […]

In my community, it seems as if almost every day is a gun murder day. The grieving families and the funeral processions run like clockwork on their journeys to our cemeteries. My own family has been forced to endure this suffering. In America’s inner cities, suburbs and small towns, gun murders take more than 11,000 […]

What better place to talk about emancipation and freedom than at church? Of course, it’s freedom from a different oppressor, but that’s exactly where I was on Saturday, Feb. 2, discussing the national Black History Month theme, “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington.” The reason for even having the discussion […]

We’re thankful for President Obama’s leadership during the Great Recession, and we appreciate what he’s done to make America a better place. Here’s just some of his best work: His first achievement was to sign the Lily Ledbetter Act that guarantees equal pay for women. He moved to stop anti-gay discrimination in the military by […]

African Americans have been part of the American story from the founding of our nation. Men and women of African ancestry have been instrumental in forging the great nation we have today. For too long, racism and prejudice obscured the rich history of African Americans. Since 1926, February has been Black History Month, a time […]

So many in my parents’ generation – and our own – never thought we’d see an African-American elected president of this country. Now, we have not only been blessed to see that day, but, on Jan.21 – the same day that our nation paused to acknowledge the contributions of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, […]

I was part of the Jan. 26 March on Washington for Gun Control. We called on members of Congress and state legislators to pass common sense gun safety laws to stop the epidemic of preventable child and adult gun deaths. Others were marching in Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, San Antonio, Jersey City and in communities […]

In American society, there is a commonly held belief that learning the lessons of history will prevent past mistakes from repeating. Likewise, an adage that defines insanity as continuing a given behavior, while expecting an altogether different result, gives credence to those advocating alternative solutions beyond the narrative of outmoded ideas and obsolete action plans. […]