“Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, Thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free.” Bertrand Russell Ellen is a passionate activist for a large disenfranchised demographic being discriminated by those in power. The Wall Street bubble bust created a financial tsunami that was felt [...]
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The fight against health care reform is in full force. Two polar opposites are generating surges of electricity in the media and the masses, so it seems. On one end of the spectrum are powerful special interests and uninformed people fighting for profits and the status quo. The other side has President Obama, health care reformers and [...]
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Posted in Racism, Struggles on Jul 2nd, 2009
This fourth of July flags will wave across the land, families will enjoy outdoor picnics, and an African American President will celebrate the birth of our country in the White House. It’s a day to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy. As a people, African Americans have come a long way from their initial [...]
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Meandering through the World Wide Web, a headline – “A Child’s Questionable Arrest” caught my attention. Written by Marian Wright Edelman in 2007, the story of a 7-year-old black child unfolds. The young man was arrested (7 year old) for riding a dirt bike on the sidewalk. He (a 7 year old) was taken into [...]
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Young Franklin, eyeing the perfect opportunity for his daily good deed as a newly-minted Boy Scout, politely asks the woman waiting to cross the road if he can be of assistance. She is clearly blind, and he is only too eager to help. The woman graciously accepts his offer. Halfway across the street, she asks [...]
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Posted in Racism, Relationships, Struggles on Mar 19th, 2009
Dave Chappelle’s video spewed the N-word like Dillinger’s machine gun.
I armoured up by recalling Richard. He nailed it.
Thought about George. He missed it. By many a mile.
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Posted in Racism, Relationships, Struggles on Mar 13th, 2009
Ours was not a harmonious relationship. The few adult conversations we managed only cemented our divide with righteous opinons, thrown from both sides of the tent. He died unexpectedly in 2006. A year or so before, he made a rare appearance at my home. The time of his arrival signaled this was not just a [...]
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Luís Argueta, director of the award-winning film “The Silence of Neto,” (Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival; Best Movie, New York Latino Film Festival), along with co-producer Vivian Rivas, are now in the post-production phase of their new full-length documentary “abUSed – The Postville Raid,” about the arrest of nearly 400 immigrant workers in a single [...]
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One of the realities of racial prejudice is that it inflicts real pain on real people—often people who are hiding the pain: the woman who cares for your kids or cleans your house, or the man or woman who cooks the food you eat in a restaurant or who processes the food you eat in a processing plant nearby.
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Posted in Education, Socioeconomic, Struggles on Mar 2nd, 2009
Black Prisoners Caucus Summit 2006 Monroe, Washington You are cordially invited to click on the link to hear Kimonti Carter speak at the Black Prisoners Caucus Summit 2006. Pretty powerful. Fourteen and fifteen year olds sentenced to prison for life because they committed a heinous crime. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning nor [...]
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