Category: OPINION

This month, as America celebrates African Americans who most influenced our nation’s history, it is worth remembering that our “history” as a people has a very personal aspect. For the young people of our community, the adults who help them to learn and grow as human beings are the leaders they will most remember. An […]

With the release of “Red Tails,” the nation’s attention has focused once again on the courageous African American pilots of World War II who battled German aces while enduring countless racial indignities in the U.S. military. But as the Tuskegee Airmen have finally begun to receive long-overdue recognition and honor, it is equally important for […]

As we observe Martin Luther King Day, one in three children in the nation’s capital lives in poverty, according to U.S. Census figures—up from about one in four two years ago. This makes the District of Columbia one of just 73 jurisdictions to exceed the 30 percent child poverty mark. Obviously, these figures are flattered […]

This year, on the day our nation celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I proudly stood alongside NAACP State Conference presidents on the steps of the capitol building in Columbia, S.C. for the annual King Day at the Dome March and Rally. The event has grown into a massive commemoration over the years, but this […]

This month, as we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also should be asking ourselves this question: “What message does Dr. King’s legacy have for the leaders of our time?” I suspect that he would be talking about the economy — and here is why. Nearly 50 years after Dr. King […]

For more than 20 years the University System of Maryland (USM) and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) have treated the underperformance of Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as near normal. During those 20 years none of the state’s Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs) have recorded a graduation rate of less than 50 percent, […]

The unemployment rate is falling for the third month in a row, and in December about 200,000 private sector jobs were created. The monthly unemployment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that unemployment has declined by six tenths of a percentage point since August. Already, some economists are saying we can expect another […]

The race for the United States presidency is on. As of Jan. 4, the results of the Republican presidential primary are in. The Iowa Caucus has concluded and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney edged out Sen. Rick Santorum by eight votes. According to Iowa poll data, Romney got 30,015 (24.6 percent) votes and Santorum received […]

Each morning, when I watch the neighborhood children on their way to school, I am re-inspired to do everything within my power to keep our nation’s promise to them. “Develop your talents and work hard,” we counsel our young, “and you can create a better life than the one to which you were born.” This […]

Around this time every year, shortly before I leave to visit my mother in Augusta, Ga. for Christmas, I attend a party at the home of Pat and Ron Walters in Silver Spring, Md. I attended the annual party Saturday night with one noticeable difference – it was held without Ron, an enormously talented strategist […]

Most parents of college students look forward to December, when their students come home for the holidays. Some are so excited to see their offspring home that they actually come to their colleges to pick them up. Others prepare special treats and goodies as an antidote to the oft complained about cafeteria food. Robert and […]