Picture it: elementary school, sixth grade homeroom, sometime during the 1980’s. I say something to friends that a white male classmate (I’ll call him Tim) disagrees with. The context of the conversation escapes me now, but I will always remember his loud and hostile response: “Well why don’t you move back to Africa then?” Gasps… Continue reading Forward Movement Means Never Going ‘Back’
Tag: Jim Crow
Conquering Color Lines In Silicon Valley: The Rev. Jesse Jackson Briefing Interview
The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presence is both fascinating and formidable, and his civil rights work is far from over. As the founder of the social justice nonprofit organization Rainbow/PUSH (a combination of the Rainbow Coalition and Operation PUSH), Jackson’s recent visit to Dallas’ Paul Quinn College was to draw attention to the underwhelming numbers of… Continue reading Conquering Color Lines In Silicon Valley: The Rev. Jesse Jackson Briefing Interview
“Malcolm Little”: Facts Over Fallacies, The Ilyasah Shabazz DMN Interview
Oatmeal cookies, a rocking chair, a treasured baby doll and the smiling gentle giant with a commanding voice calling her name. To Ilyasah Shabazz, he was simply Daddy, but to the rest of the world, he was known as Malcolm X, the former felon turned Muslim Minister and human rights activist. In the years following… Continue reading “Malcolm Little”: Facts Over Fallacies, The Ilyasah Shabazz DMN Interview
Nina Simone: Biopic’s Tone-Deaf Casting Choice Belittles Her Blackness
Although she’s been gone now for nearly a decade, the legend and the legacy of entertainer Nina Simone remains alive and well, thanks to that hypnotic and velvety alto, her ability to transcend musical boundaries and the way she used her lyrics and celebrity status to denounce racism at the height of the Civil Rights… Continue reading Nina Simone: Biopic’s Tone-Deaf Casting Choice Belittles Her Blackness