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As we cry on the heels of another police shooting of an unarmed African-American, Indiana and Arkansas show the way for a necessary change Every time there is a critique of young Black activists raising the issue of #BlackLivesMatter, there seems to come another example of what the fuss is all about. America: meet the […]

There is a story that Elijah Muhammad would often tell about a mule that was chained to a tree for many, many years. Finally, when the mule was unchained, he still didn’t leave the tree’s side. You may already know where I’m going with this… when I was a young record guy, I would go […]

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In honor of Martin Luther King Day, activist artist Michael D’Antuono is releasing “The Talk,” his painting highlighting the inconsistent progress America has made concerning racial justice since Dr. King’s historic Selma to Montgomery marches. Here, he writes about the inspiration behind the powerful painting. Martin Luther King made great strides for racial equality, and […]

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Dear Chief McLay, Belated congratulations on your new role here in our community. As you will quickly find out, Pittsburgh, PA is a very unique place, full of both wonderful characteristics and noteworthy challenges. It is truly a place worth living in, working for, and improving upon as we head into 2015 and beyond together. […]

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President Warren. It’s every liberal’s fantasy, especially among those who view Hillary as a tad too hawkish on foreign policy or too cozy with Wall Street. Hillary Clinton is the current front-runner, but this lacks the enthusiasm found during President Obama’s first bid for office. Despite numerous assertions that she will not run for President, […]

Let me begin with a very clear message: I am not anti-police, never  have been, never will be. In fact, I think for many people who come from communities like the one I grew up in, Hollis, Queens, becoming a police officer is a great ambition that leads to a steady, well-paying job with great benefits. […]

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Ava DuVernay’s masterful storytelling in the upcoming film Selma transports audiences back to the Civil Rights era, a period of political unrest and progress that resonates now more than ever. Since early August, when Michael Brown Jr., a black unarmed 18-year-old, was killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in Ferguson, youth in St. Louis […]

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“I’m afraid to have a son.” As I stood at the place where 18-year-old Michael Brown took his last breath, shot six times by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, despite being unarmed, these were the words said by a young African-American woman. “I’m afraid to birth a son who could possibly be a victim […]

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Since the smoke and tear gas have cleared from Ferguson skies, the world’s eyes may have turned their gaze elsewhere, perhaps to coverage of other conflicts. However, Patrisse Marie Cullors-Brignac along with other organizers of the Black Lives Matters (BLM) and leaders across the country continue to seek justice for Mike Brown and resist injustice […]

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Now that the smoke has settled and the cameras have left, we must keep our attention fixated upon progress and results. One year after the controversial non-guilty verdict freeing George Zimmerman despite the unnecessary murder of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, Ferguson exploded. Many Americans hit the streets to protest the latest controversial death, […]

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On Aug. 9, 2014, an 18-year-old teenager, Michael Brown, was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. In the wake of his death America grapples with the problems and promise of an unfulfilled democracy. On Aug. 24, 2014, John Eligon wrote an article in the New York Times about Michael Brown’s grappling with problems […]

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When the city of Ferguson exploded into protest over the brutal killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown, it hit close to home. As a native of St. Louis, I returned this year to spend time as a Visiting Scholar at Washington University—after roughly a 20-year hiatus. During my childhood years, my uncle briefly lived in […]