In life, often times we say the wrong things. We are usually judged by the words that we deliver, not the intention that is behind them. When Senator Harry Reid was quoted in the new book, Game Change, saying that the President is “light skinned” with “no negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,” […]
I remember the first time I met Jinx The Juvy. He was a young kid with a record deal at Def Jam, he had a lot of promise as a rapper but very little as a human being. He was a kid (not unlike many I know) who grew up with a tough attitude in […]
I am amazed at the hypocrisy of the international media’s attack on Beyonce for her performance at Nikki Beach in St. Barts over the holidays. While I personally do not have any business dealings with Libya, Muammar al-Qaddafi or his family, Libya is a state recognized by the current and previous US administrations and is […]
At the dawn of a new decade, we have arrived at a moment unlike any other in the history of our beautiful nation. We have endured the brutality of slavery, we have survived the pain of Jim Crow and we have overcome segregation to declare our dignity and equal rights. We witnessed and participated in […]
As many of you prepare for the holidays and some of you may have already celebrated your holiday, tomorrow morning at 8AM, one of the most important votes in our history will be cast on the United States Senate floor. For many months, we have debated, argued and at times, conversed politely about how we […]
One of the great challenges of our nation has been and will be to reconcile the racial tension of our past. The historical ramifications of slavery are still felt in the streets of West Baltimore, the country roads of the Mississippi Delta and corridors of the United States Congress. When our nation gathered up enough […]
As this Tiger Woods story grows, race is becoming and will become a bigger issue. For Tiger and Elin, race has nothing to do with it. But, for many, many onlookers, race is becoming the central theme for discussion. Proof that we are not in a post racial society is hearing a lot of people […]
Today is World AIDS Day. HIV/AIDS has become the #3 killer in the African-American community of people from the ages of 25-34. Please get tested, your life depends on it. I remember growing up in Queens, and we were always worried about if we were going to live past 21 years old. There were drugs, […]
Today is World AIDS Day. HIV/AIDS has become the #3 killer in the African-American community of people from the ages of 25-34. Please get tested, your life depends on it. I remember growing up in Queens, and we were always worried about if we were going to live past 21 years old. There were drugs, […]
True patriots are not silent. They speak out. When I wrote the first ‘The Indictment of America‘ blog, I felt that the call for greater compassion for our planet, the animals and our poor, in addition to open dialogue around the world, equaled a call to humanity for peace, freedom and equality for everyone. One […]
My brother Danny Simmons is the cultural king of Brooklyn, an artist/activitist/cultural czar and friend to more people than anyone I have ever met. He’s also presently a patient at St. Vincent’s hospital, recovering from an unexpectedly serious illness that has included several operations. To steal a metaphor from his painting, “Things Have Changed”, things […]
There are a lot of great entertainers who do great things. Bill Cosby is one of them. He has always used his voice to right what he thought was wrong. However, I believe that too often Mr. Cosby has wrongly placed the blame. Bill Cosby is an example of someone from the older generation who […]
