Category: OPINION

As the nation celebrates the long awaited approval of funds to settle Pigford II, we have to stop and ask, what happens next? Does this truly make an impact on the state of Black agriculture and Black farmers in the present and future? I find that in my day to day activities and talking to […]

(NNPA) – Although the Republican Party appears to have gotten as much use as they wanted out of Michael Steele, the embattled chairman of the Republican National Committee told supporters Monday night he will seek re-election next month. “Yes, I have stumbled along the way, but have always accounted to you for such shortcomings,” he […]

Tyler Perry’s movie For Colored Girls, based on Ntozake Shange’s Tony Award-winning Broadway play, was lambasted by movie reviewers across the country. Critics called the movie “a plain disaster,” and naysayers claim he “over-extended his bounds.” The story of strong, intelligent, versatile and beautiful African American women on the big screen triumphing over their tragedy […]

Americans are today encouraged to be color-blind. The gist is that all, regardless of race, should enjoy the same opportunities and privileges. I completely understand and agree with that premise. However, I prefer and choose not to be completely color-blind. Here is why. In college, I roomed with a Chinese student from Hong Kong. She […]

Much more interesting than Marion Barry and Yvette Alexander’s bill that would impose a five-year time limit on the receipt of public assistance for District residents is a statement that Barry made recently on Fox News. He said White advocates oppose this bill because they want to keep Blacks “enslaved” and “oppressed” by the welfare […]

In the midst of our holiday season, we must not lose sight of the harsh reality that far too many of our neighbors continue to lose their homes through foreclosure – a challenge that we all have a personal stake in overcoming. The foreclosure crisis still gripping our nation is a formidable obstacle to our […]

‘Tis the holiday season – a time to reflect on all that we have been blessed with here in America. And with those blessings, also come the great responsibilities bestowed upon us, each according to the role our creator has endowed. Last week, that paragon of virtues, the U.S. House of Representatives returned to complete its […]

All our lives we’ve heard stories about The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Now we can add to that two grinches – Rush Limbaugh and Mike Huckabee – who stole the Obama family’s Thanksgiving. Or, at least tried. While the rest of us were preparing last week to express gratitude for our blessings, those two spent […]

“Sounds like voodoo economics.”  — George H.W. Bush in 1980 commenting on Reaganomic tax cuts for the rich. It comes as no surprise to most of us that 2+2 does not equal 22. But the current debate over Bush-era tax cuts is based on an illogical equation. The goal of any tax plan should be to […]

Dear Member of Congress: You’ve got a lot to consider in this month. You’re scheduled to debate international treaties and Internet censorship. There’s talk of military affairs and revamping federal agencies. But this should be at the top of your agenda: extending benefits for unemployed workers and making sure struggling parents can continue to make ends meet. You […]

We, the American public, hold it as an article of faith that those responsible for devising and implementing public policy have our best interests at heart. Our best minds are hard at work, striving to make the world a better place. Our elected officials are dedicated to protecting our freedoms, increasing our prosperity, and securing justice for […]

As a senior member of the Joint Economic Committee, I have been giving close attention to the work of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform – and, especially, to recent suggestions made by the Commission’s co-chairs, former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, former chief of staff to President Clinton. Needless to […]