Thirty years of police excess
by Fred McKissack On May 13, it will be 30 years since a Pennsylvania state police helicopter dropped explosives on the house of MOVE, an anarchist, black liberation group. This killed 11 people...
View ArticlePeople are tired of empty promises on immigration
by Angie Trudell Vasquez During election campaigns, politicians toss around empty promises about immigration reform like candy. President Obama garnered support for his reformist approach on...
View ArticleDo black presidents matter?
by Clarence Lusane How did it happen that the most significant black protest movement in decades, #blacklivesmatter, erupted during the tenure of the first black president? Civil rights organizer...
View ArticleHow things have remarkably changed between U.S. and Cuba
by Louis A. Perez Jr. U.S. and Cuban diplomats are meeting this week to re-establish diplomatic relations, and Presidents Obama and Raul Castro chatted amiably in Panama last month. It’s a remarkable...
View ArticleStates humiliate poor with crackdown
By David A. Love Legislators across the country are launching a mean-spirited campaign to block poor people from purchasing certain kinds of foods, products or services. Missouri state Rep. Rick...
View ArticleEncouraging signs for American Muslims
by Moustafa Bayoumi Times are tough for American Muslims, but there are also plenty of reasons to be optimistic. First, the bad news. Organized bigotry against Muslims continues to thrive. In Arizona,...
View ArticleWe don't need armed students on campus
By Starita Smith A new Texas law allowing college students to carry concealed guns is part of a dangerous national trend. Texas has just joined Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and...
View ArticleRick Perry has no place for Latinos
By Jose Miguel Leyva Rick Perry’s aspiration to rule the United States as he ruled Texas would be terrible for all of us — especially minorities and the poor. Perry, who just stepped into the GOP...
View ArticleMedicaid refusals create new Mason-Dixon Line
by Glenn Harris and LeeAnn Hall Historically, the Mason-Dixon Line divided states that embraced slavery and those that rejected it. Today, there is a new Mason-Dixon Line in America. This time, it’s a...
View ArticleTrump's anti-immigrant comments help Democrats
by Alvaro Huerta As a scholar and proud Latino of Mexican descent, I’m appalled, but not surprised, by Donald Trump’s disparagement of Mexican immigrants. In announcing his bid for the White House,...
View ArticleObama’s prison focus demonstrates need for juvenile justice reform
by Jody Kent Lavy and James Ross President Obama’s call for criminal justice reform, especially for young offenders, is a historic breakthrough.“We’ve got to make sure the juvenile justice system...
View ArticlePuerto Rico’s economic disaster has political roots
by Carmelo Ruiz The roots of Puerto Rico’s economic disaster lie in its political status. Puerto Rico cannot declare bankruptcy. Unlike the municipality of Detroit and the sovereign nation of Greece,...
View ArticleWhat Obama needs to do for Africa
by Clarence Lusane President Obama’s recent Africa tour could be of great significance. Much of the media focus was on the “family reunion” dimension of Obama’s journey to his father’s country, and...
View ArticleRepublican anti-immigrant agenda will backfire
by Alvaro Huerta Congressional Republicans are exploiting a senseless crime to try to push through anti-immigrant legislation. In the wake of the tragic murder of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco by...
View ArticleJulian Bond, colleague and inspiration
by Clarence Lusane I had the great fortune to have had Julian Bond as a colleague at American University. On a number of occasions, I sat in on his lectures or talks. These were mostly small, intimate...
View ArticleU.S.-Cuba relations still far from normal
by Louis A. Perez Jr. U.S.-Cuba relations are still far from normal — and may never be. Secretary of State John Kerry has heralded the renewal of diplomatic ties, symbolized by the formal reopening of...
View ArticleTen years after Katrina, New Orleans is failing its kids
by Ashana Bigard I am a parent of three, a black New Orleanian with roots going back at least five generations. I’m usually happy and optimistic, but when I talk about what has happened to my city,...
View ArticleSchool testing opting out about broader issues
by Tim Slekar The school testing opt-out movement is not an anti-testing phenomenon. It has nothing to do with being for or against testing. Opting out is simply an act of civil disobedience that...
View Article#LaughingWhileBlack another burden for people of color
by Elizabeth Ann Thompson The phenomenon of #DrivingWhileBlack has long been documented. The latest social media firestorm chronicles #LaughingWhileBlack.read more
View ArticleA new retail trend this Labor Day
by Gloria Ortiz This Labor Day, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret are setting a trend that other retailers need to follow — and it isn’t crop tops or bright floral prints.read more
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