It may come as a surprise to hear that I actually agree with Donald Trump on something: America does have a two-tiered system of justice. In fact, you could say I beat him to it since I reached that conclusion long before the former president adopted it as his mantra. I was not even in […]
A two-tiered justice system is nothing new — and certainly not what Trump says it is Read More »
Who would have thought so many of those competing to be president of the United States would have slept through American History 101? And I wonder why, if a working-class student at a modest Catholic school in Baltimore managed bus trips to museums in that city and neighboring Washington, D.C., folks who grew up with
For history-challenged candidates, Civil War source material is nearby Read More »
It is a striking image, a fearless visage staring at the camera while holding a sign with booking number “7053” chest high. “Beautiful rebel” are the words used to describe Rosa Parks on the coaster that I’ve decided will never cushion a bottle or glass. Another mugshot has made the news this summer though I
A summer of reflection — and fears of history repeating itself Read More »
Executive Order 9981. President Harry Truman signed it on July 26, 1948, mandating the desegregation of the U.S. military. As the Truman Library Institute in Washington hosts a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the landmark decision with a civil rights symposium, there are questions, as well. Some of today’s elected officials have even derided
Can the U.S. military still lead the way on civil rights? Read More »
March 7, 1965, is a day to remember. That was never a problem for 90-year-old Ora Bell Shannon of Selma, Ala., then a young mother who ran with her children from the Edmund Pettus Bridge, or for Betty Boynton, who could see the tear gas rising and baton-wielding state troopers beating peaceful marchers. Civil rights activists — among
Yesterday’s march, with lessons for today Read More »
She has been endorsed by many law enforcement agencies, including the National Association of Police Organizations, yet she was accused of being anti-police. Baseless innuendo thrown her way has been refuted by support from the National Council of Jewish Women, the Anti-Defamation League and dozens of other local, state and national Jewish organizations. She’s been tagged as “extreme,” which
When eminently qualified Black women get smeared (or every day that ends in ‘y’) Read More »
Many Americans, when they remember the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, reflexively turn to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, quoting selective passages about content of character. But my sister Joan, who stood under a shaded tent that day, making signs with freedom slogans for out-of-towners to raise
To remember John Lewis, remember the real John Lewis — and his righteous fight Read More »
Coping with COVID-19, Sree Sreenivasan’s call-in show on WBAI in New York City: featuring a tribute to civil rights icon John Lewis
Tribute to John Lewis on Sree Sreenivasan’s call-in show Read More »
CHARLOTTE, NC — Over the last few weeks we’ve seen the removal of confederate monuments across the United States. Here in North Carolina, the controversial “fame’ statue was removed from downtown Salisbury. In Gaston county, a panel is having talks this week to decide the future of a confederate statue outside the courthouse. Here’s WCCB Political
Mary C. Curtis: Confederate Monument Controversy Read More »
In forward-looking America, history is sometimes regarded as a roadblock to progress, a nuisance. And that, as has been repeatedly proven, is a mistake. Why look back when the future is so important? Well, because failure to do exactly that has consequences. The latest to get caught up in “he must have dozed through class
Opinion: Did Everyone in the White House Take a Nap During History Class? Read More »
