A very special conversation took place eight years ago between Maya Angelou and Dave Chappelle after his unexpected departure from his show on Comedy Central. I would’ve never expected this union, but the message still resonates today that Maya Angelou was a woman of words who could and would appease the soul of anyone in her presence, including a “funny man” comedian.
Category Archives: Current and Historical Events
Poetry and Politics: Remembering Maya Angelou
In so many ways, African-American art and culture has influenced politics in this country. Think back to early spirituals that printed the lives of Africans under the torment of chattel slavery. Remember the sounds of the Harlem Renaissance as those like Langston Hughes and Billie Holiday began to free themselves from the fears of a horrific past to imagine possibilities for the future, giving us figures like Malcolm X and Paul Robeson – fueling what would later become the Civil Rights Movement. From Bill Withers to Rashid “Common” Lynn, artists have continued a tradition of giving critical gaze to the varied experiences of people of color in the United States and abroad, spreading love anyhow.
A Letter to Nigeria: An Apology, Lamentation, Reassurance
My Dear Nigerian Sisters:
Let me begin with my deepest apologies for not having written to you sooner. Until this moment, I did not know what to do, what to say, nor how to say it. Yet on this day, May 29, 2014 almost 8 weeks after your abduction, I have done away with my uncertainty and have concluded that regardless of what I do, I must to do something. Even if to just simply convey my sentiments to you. It is my hope that the energy of my heart will be carried by the winds of this world, ushered in by the Holy Spirit who governs all things and delivered to your very own.
Social Media: The New Revolutionary Forefront
My friends and I have long joked about how social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have become our go-to “news sources.” It was through social media that we learned about and grieved the loss of black music icons—Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Heavy D. It was my through my timeline on Facebook, that I gained more information about the details surrounding tragedies like the murder of Trayvon Martin, the search for Relisha Rudd and the recent abduction of over 200 Nigerian school girls. Like it or not, the emergence of online news has revolutionized the way information is disseminated. While most print newspapers and magazines struggle for subscriptions, online media stories are posted and shared countless times over social media platforms.
60 Years After Brown v. Board of Education: The Resegregation of Public Education
On May 17, 1954, the US Supreme Court offered a decision on the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. What you may not know, however, is that the case known as Brown v. Board of Education actually encompassed five cases that were to be argued before the US Supreme Court concerning the idea of ‘separate but equal’ in U.S. public schools. These cases were noted as follows: Gebhart v. Belton (Delaware); Bolling v. Sharpe (Washington, DC); Davis, et. al. v. Board of Education of Prince Edward County (Virginia); Briggs v. Elliot (South Carolina) and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Kansas). Given that each of these cases raised concerns with the constitutionality of state-sponsored segregation in public schools, the US Supreme Court consolidated the five noted cases under one name — Brown v. Board of Education.
Brown 60 Years Later: Segregation Academies in the Deep South
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas that segregated schools were unconstitutional. This ruling overturned the long held standard of “separate but equal” that was established by the Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). In theory, the Brown ruling also eliminated segregated educational facilities. Sixty years after the Brown decision, the issue of racial segregation in public schools is still an area of concern for parents, students and policymakers. There are growing suspicions on the part of many observers that, although the United States is definitely becoming more diverse in general, an interesting pattern is unfolding in our public schools that is giving way to what some are referring to as school resegregation. However, for me and many others who were educated in public schools in the Deep South, the idea of resegregation seems somewhat foreign because our schools never integrated.
In Lieu of Gifts: What Many Mothers Really Need This Mother’s Day
As Mother’s Day approaches, I cannot help but think of two women, Mildred and Claudine. Mildred, of course, is my mother. Claudine is Diahann Carroll’s character from the 1974 movie “Claudine”, and she is the fictional depiction of my mother and so many other mothers in the U.S. today. Claudine is a single mother of six who works as a maid, albeit secretly so that she can still qualify for welfare. She falls in love with a garbage man, Rupert (James Earl Jones). However, as Claudine and Rupert’s relationship grows, they quickly realize that they live and operate in a socio-political system that is rigged against them.
Teacher Appreciation Week: Thank You For Lighting The Way
In a time when talk of education often elicits dispassionate commentary about state and federal government agencies, or contrarily, full-throated displays seen on big city streets – what is often lost in much of the media stir in political discourse, is the fact that teachers and local education professionals still serve as the back bone of our communities. Many of a child’s earliest memories are set in the classroom, under the consistent, caring, and watchful eye of teachers – shaping worlds as our first intellectual giants – slayers of dragons and stewards of possibility.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
Recently, I attended an open school night event at a public school in Brooklyn, NY as a favor to a friend who is a single mother. I can remember back when open school night was the moment of dread; my parents would meet with our teachers to discuss me – and oh boy, would they talk about me! They discussed my academic performance, social skills development, and whatever else was relevant to my human success – all in 15 minutes or less. But, when I attended public school, the fact that parents would attend these events was a given. My friends and I knew that our parents were coming.
African American Children and Obesity: 4 Steps to Break the Obesity Cycle
This weekend, it was a warm 60 degrees outside, so I laced up my sneakers and took to the neighborhood trail for a workout. I jogged pass the playground and was surprised by the additional weight most children carried. Let’s Move, a national initiative started by First Lady Michelle Obama, to address childhood obesity reports that our society is now eating 31 percent more calories than we were forty years ago–including 56 percent more fats and oils and 14 percent more sugars and sweeteners. The average American now eats fifteen more pounds of sugar a year than in 1970. Since spring is a time for new beginnings, now seems as good a time as any to talk about our children’s health.