Your Take
Your Take
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Joe Biden Doesnāt Deserve Black People
My fiancĆ©e and I have developed somewhat of a routine for the Democratic presidential debates. We make dinner, mix a drink, sit in the living room, and she falls asleep as we watch the candidates try to sell us. When she wakes up, she asks me to give her a synopsis of what she missed…
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Our Democracy Is at Stake in 2020 and Young People of Color Are Paying Attention
Congress held public impeachment hearings last week on whether President Trump abused his power to enlist a foreign government in smearing his political opponent. While some may see this process as far removed from their day-to-day livesāa parade of old white men being accused of crimes, defending other old white men who may have committed…
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Aināt Too Proud to Sing: Claiming Black Space on the Great White Way
Two days ago, the Broadway show Aināt Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations was nominated for 12 Tony Awards. For those who donāt follow the Great White Way, this is big. Big! For those of you who do, you know that this grand spotlight means industry insiders, Tony voters and wealthy retirees…
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Black People Are Fighting Against Gentrification and for the Heart and Soul of Their Cities
Last week at the corner of 14 and U, a throng of mostly black people swayed in unison to the beat of a live go-go band. The drums and horns blasted as people walked from near and far to not only hear their indigenous music but also to join the resistance. The band and its…
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On the Anniversary of MLK Jr.ās Assassination, We Should Heed Kingās Economic Roadmap to Reparations
In a 1968 speech just prior to his death on April 4, Martin Luther King Jr. appeared to articulate the next phase of the fight for equality in America. It wasnāt focused on equal rights or the plight of African Americans in education in the wake of Brown v. Board of Educationāit focused on black…
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Locking Up Black People Is Big Business
Last week, I got to participate in American Injustice: A BET Town Hall. Itās a series of live conversations with leaders from Cory Booker to Kamala Harris about how we got into this crisis of mass incarceration. Itāll air this Sunday. If thereās one thing I want people to take away from it, itās that…
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Is Felony Murder the Next Chapter in the Anti-Protest Movement?
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, āriots are the language of the unheard,ā but legislators across the country seem to be rushing to silence those cries. While protests are commonplace in a healthy democracy, the movement to silence dissent is picking up steam. Over the past several years, there has been a…
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Black Women Deserve the Truth From Their Doctors. Trump Is Trying to Keep Us in the Dark
When I was 19 years old, I walked into a health center in Michigan knowing I was pregnant but uncertain of my future. To this day, I remember the compassion and grace of the nurse who helped me, who saw me scared and crying but calmly let me know that I had options. I could…
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To Be Black And Beautiful And Queer at an HBCU… And After Graduation
āNobody will love you the way an HBCU will love you,ā my grandmother insisted as I was drowning in college applications during my senior year at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Before that, I had only been thinking of applying to conservatoriesāacting programs deemed the best by reviewers and the like. To quell my…
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You Can Be Pro-Black and aĀ Prosecutor
Since announcing her intention to run for president this past Martin Luther King Day, a firestorm has swirled around Sen. Kamala Harris. Some attack her for her personal life; others attack her based on her record as a prosecutor in California. Kamala served as San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2011 and as California…