Tag Archives: racism

How can I protect my son from becoming another Trayvon Martin?

Posted on by July 16, 2013

Trayvon Martin. A name forever etched in the annals of America’s complex relationship with race.

We all know the story. A 17-year-old armed with only a bag of Skittles, a hoodie and mocha skin is followed by a neighborhood watch man. At this moment, neither are breaking the law. Then there’s a confrontation. A few minutes later, Trayvon Martin is dead and George Zimmerman is accused in his death.

trayvon-martin

Fast forward to Saturday, when Zimmerman is acquitted of all charges. Many people are thunderstruck and … Read more ...

The Jackie Robinson movie and a case of deja vu when it comes to change in America

Posted on by May 1, 2013

Sitting there with fingers buttery from the popcorn, I watched the new Jackie Robinson movie, “42,” and it struck me how many parallels his rise to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers mirrored Barack Obama’s rise to the White House.

We all know their stories: A black man works hard, fights the racism monster and breaks the color barrier to arrive at the major leagues.

That was not the part of “42” that resonated with me. It was the whispers in the subplots showing us the … Read more ...

Now That’s A First ….

Posted on by January 20, 2013

*Since some of my readers had a hard time accessing my first storytelling piece. Here it is in its entirety.

Everyone remembers where they were that day. You know the day. THAT day. People were at work, getting ready for work, getting the kids ready for school. All in our usual morning routines on that particular September 11th.

At the time, I was a journalist for The Associated Press and hours after the towers fell, I was one of the four … Read more ...

Race 2012: The documentary gave me a different view of my America

Posted on by November 14, 2012

  • Racial debate in this country is a convenient excuse to not talk about class.
  • The Republican Party is currently white and the power-holders are white, but they need to reach out to the future voters, who increasingly are brown.
  • The Democratic Party only talks about race in terms or racial conservatism or racial moderation. It’s never about racial liberalism, because that means an assault on white priviledge

 

Powerful statements, right? Those and more were made during a recently aired documentary on PBS, called: Race … Read more ...

Race 2012: A Conversation About Race & Politics in America

Posted on by October 9, 2012

Ya’ll know I’m not a political blogger. Of course I’ve got my opinion and all, and I even delve into race issues every so often. But I was given the opportunity to be one of the bloggers for an upcoming PBS documentary called Race 2012: A Conversation About Race & Politics in America .

And I thought, meh, why not?

The Politics

There’s plenty out in the blogosphere about Barack Obama not doing anything during his four years, and there’s also tons of chatter about … Read more ...