Like many people, I’ve been following the coverage of the explosions at the Boston Marathon. I keep hearing the word “terrorist” and I cringe because despite the fact that the term could apply to anyone, Americans often associate it with “foreign” people. Since 9/11, our response to “terrorism” targeting us has been one of blood …
Boston Marathon Tragedy: When Explosions Hit Our TV Screens Read More »
Awhile back, while attending a lecture by Immortal Technique, someone in the audience asked him about the Seattle WTO protests and what his thoughts were on the necessity of violent tactics in demonstrations. I’ll never forget his response. To paraphrase, he said that anyone can go out in a blaze of glory. What is truly …
No week goes by without someone talking about how negative rap music is destroying the Black community. Apparently, not just are these ignorant rappers not “real,” but they are killing our children’s minds. This line of thought always bothered me. I’d be lying if I said emcees don’t have an influence, especially on impressionable young …
Believe it or Not, Your Least Favorite Artist Really Isn’t Destroying the Community Read More »
As a concerned citizen, I’m calling for a moratorium on people of color snitching on ourselves. If social media has done anything, it has revolutionized the art of snitching. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc., people have found new and creative ways to save police and employers hours of detective work. Perhaps the most concentrated …
While the world, or at least the social media universe, was fixated on Coachella and the Tupac hologram, I spent the early hours glued to the Anders Breivik trial. If there is anything that represents the “Face of evil”, it’s Breivik. Last year he went on a shooting spree in Norway, killing 77 people and …
By now you’ve probably seen the Trayvon Martin killing analyzed from every possible angle. Instead of offering up another piece comparing my own experiences in a gated community or stating the all too obvious reasons why George Zimmerman should be arrested and Chief Bill Lee should be fired, here are a series of raw, frustrated …
Check out my speech for Ainsworth United Church of Christ’s Black History Celebration this past Sunday. Topics include the importance of using Black History as a roadmap for current political issues, the legacies of people like my cousin Septima Poinsette Clark, the counter story to Ronald Reagan worship, gentrification in Portland and more. Watch the …
Author’s note: I originally wrote this following the killing of Osama bin Laden. Since, we’ve seen the assassinations of many others, including Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16 year old son and most recently Muammar Gaddafi. I find it interesting that so many in the US cheered on the images of Gaddafi’s bloody corpse not even a …
I like to think I started putting limitations on my dreams when I quit playing basketball before my senior year of high school. Truth be told, I built a ceiling for myself months earlier when I got Ds in both Physics and Pre-Calculus. I wasn’t necessarily a superstar in math and science but I was …
Even though I often don’t agree with President Obama, there was something comforting about him delivering an uninterrupted speech as John Boenher could only look on, glowing and angry. For a brief moment, the symbol of white (even though he looks more Oompa-Loompa orange) establishment interests was put on mute. If only we could do …