Category: OPINION

The most conservative Supreme Court in the past four decades is poised to overturn the already limited affirmative action provisions in the next term, which begins in October, unless good sense visits one or two of them and they vote in favor of student body diversity. Since Bush-appointed justices John Robert and Samuel Alito have […]

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Highly-respected media and entertainment executive William G. Tompkins, Jr. has been name president and chief executive officer of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a federation of more than 200 Black-owned publications. NNPA Chairman Cloves Campbell, publisher of the Arizona Informant, said Tompkins was selected from an impressive field of candidates screened by […]

Rodney King would be the first to tell you that he was no Martin Luther King, Jr. or Malcolm X. His lifelong bout with alcohol and drugs – battles that he always seemed to lose – and frequent run-ins with police did not qualify him for icon status. Yet, that’s what he achieved in 1991 […]

Do you believe Black people should work together in support of one another? Do you believe that Black people should better utilize more of our $900 billion-plus annual aggregate income to start and grow businesses? Do you believe Black people should share our information and experience with one another to build a brighter future for […]

I am often honored during June of each year by the opportunity to speak at graduation ceremonies. These remarks are among my favorite duties for I know just how much many of these graduates have been forced to overcome. There are lessons for all of us in these annual rites of passage – the commendations […]

(June 14, 2012) I am not a friend of Julius Henson. Most often, Mr. Henson and I have been political enemies. I have not seen him or spoken with him for several years. But today, I wish to express my view that what is happening to him is unjust and a threat to democracy. I […]

When it comes to national elections, no state makes a bigger fool of itself than Florida. The Sunshine state was at the center of an 1876 controversy over the presidential election between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel L. Tilden. By throwing out many votes cast by Blacks, Florida was able to give Hayes […]

My home state of South Carolina has imposed a tough new law to address “illegal” immigration. Like many recently enacted state immigration laws – which bear a curious similarity from state to state – South Carolina now requires law enforcement officers to check the backgrounds of those they suspect may be in the country illegally, […]

On Memorial Day, as Americans remembered those of our countrymen and women who have risked life and limb for the rest of us, I was considering the next step in my ongoing effort to help many of those same brave neighbors and their families win their fight on the home front. Our troops fighting in […]

Much has been said about Maryland State Delegate Pat McDonough’s inflammatory statements about Black youth in Baltimore. Last month, he characterized African American youth at the Inner Harbor as “Black Youth Mobs.” He cited an alleged incident where he and his wife were driving in downtown Baltimore and supposedly 50 to 100 Black youth began […]

Becoming a member of a fraternity or sorority can be one of the most meaningful aspects of college life. However, it can also be one of the most deadly when it comes to hazing. Since the death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion in 2011, many educators and lawmakers have began to examine […]