Rev. Jesse Jackson Says Reparations Should Be Paid for 1963 Church Bombing
BY JESSE JACKSON April 15, 2013 It was terror that shook the nation. On Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963, a bomb exploded in the basement of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Four little girls, all dressed in white — 14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, and 11-year-old Denise McNair — [...]
Why immigration matters to black America
Immigration reform, and the politics surrounding it, have become synonymous with Hispanic-Americans. Never mind the fact that the vast majority of Latinos in America are already citizens, born in the United States, and that not every immigrant — documented or otherwise — is Hispanic. The easy stereotypes make for simplified storytelling. But the [...]
Do We Hate Our Children?
Great societies value their children. They implement as a matter of course policies and practices that support each child’s healthy development, guarantee the fulfillment of a basic level of need, and in the best of all worlds, provide the tools with which talents can be developed, dreams can be nurtured and potential has, [...]
For the Four Little Girls
Nearly 50 years ago, a bomb planted by white supremacists killed four little girls in Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church. Twenty-two others, mostly children, were injured in the blast just weeks after the historic “March on Washington” where Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There is [...]
A Mandatory Draft Bill to Promote Peace
While a mandatory military draft doesn’t conjure the concept of peace for some, New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel and hip-hop activist Russell Simmons disagree. In fact, the two write on the Huffington Postthat a draft, through the Universal National Service Act and the All American Selective Service Act, would encourage the U.S. [...]
Their Legacy Paved the Way
One hundred and four years ago, on February 12th, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, and a handful of dedicated rights activists joined together to form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Their mission: to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons. From ending [...]
Black History Month: The Women Who Made a Difference
That we even have a Black History Month is something of a feat, given the long and complicated path of racial justice in America. The idea was first proposed as “Negro History Week” by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926 to celebrate the February births of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. But it [...]
Dr. Julianne Malveaux Discusses Civil Rights and How Much We’ve Forgotten
by Dr. Julianne Malveaux One hundred and fifty years ago, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It was a flawed document that freed enslaved people in Confederate areas that he did not control. At the same time, it was a progressive document because it initiated discussion about the “freedom” Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteen [...]
Danger Zone: US To Reach Debt Ceiling Monday, Warns Geithner
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has warned Congress that if they fail to act, the federal government is going to reach the debt ceiling by Monday. At that point, the government will be unable to pay its bills, putting the financial stability of the government and the entire economy in jeopardy. Geithner says that the Treasury [...]
Professors Prescribe “Baby Bonds” To Deal with the Racial Wealth Gap
Cutting social security benefits is under consideration once again as the US Congress and the White House hurtle toward a full embrace of austerity. The rationale they offer is the professed bankruptcy of the social security system. Undoubtedly, reducing benefits from a program that keeps an estimated 40 percent of elderly Americans out of poverty [...]
April 29, 2013No CommentRead More