Category Archives: Education

A Constantly Evolving Lifespan: A Review of “This Life” by Quntos KunQuest

A life sentence in prison is life, that is, there is living to do in prison, even under a life sentence.  Quntos KunQuest, in his novel, This Life, demonstrates that life goes on inside of prison.  Since 1996, KunQuest has … Continue reading

Posted in crime, Education, Growing Up, Justice Chronicles, Life Sentences, race, raising black boys | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance of Things Past and Present

This Black History Month, read by award-winning book. It’s available on Amazon.

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She Invited Me into the Red Tent

Shawnee Benton Gibson has a special place in my Hall of Heroines, for two reasons.  First, we share the same Born Day, different years.  I can always expect a call or a text from her on our special day!  How … Continue reading

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Let There Be Light!

Prison is a place where there is an absence of light.  The little bit of light that exists is generated from and emanates from the people imprisoned there. There is a strange architecture around the design of prisons, beginning with … Continue reading

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Masquerading as White

Given my book recommendation yesterday, that is, Black Robes, White Justice, by Judge Bruce Wright, it seems natural to recommend this book by Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks.  In many respects, this book explains Black jurists’ administering “white justice,” … Continue reading

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A Brief History of How “Black History” is Seen

What is called “Black History” in the United States of America is American history.  In categorizing and cataloging “Black History” as such, and relegating it not only to one month of the year, February, but also the shortest month of … Continue reading

Posted in Black patriotism, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Education, Lest We Forget, Patriotism, race, Revolution, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dear Daddy: A Love Letter to Your Beloved South

July 15, 2020 Dear Daddy, Last night I dreamt of you for the first time since your death. I woke up with tears in my eyes. Although you have been dead for a little more than 38 years, in the … Continue reading

Posted in being a teenager, Education, Family, Fatherhood, Fathers, Growing Up, Lest We Forget | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This day in history — April 21, 2007 — Turner County High School in Ashburn, Georgia, Holds First Racially Integrated Prom

On April 21, 2007, Turner County High School students attended the school’s first racially integrated prom. Located in Ashburn, Georgia, a small, rural, peanut-farming town of 4400 residents, the school’s racial demographics reflected those of the local community: 55% black … Continue reading

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Willie Lynch, On Language

I am a self-styled language cop, especially as it relates to criminal justice language, how it has been used not only to dehumanize and stigmatize people with criminal justice involvement, but also to control the narrative, how such people with … Continue reading

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Words Matter: Another Look at the Question of Language, by Eddie Ellis, President, Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions

We need to be constantly reminded about this language: Words matter.  They shape perceptions and understanding, both of past and present events and of future possibilities and, therefore, future events.  Semantic and public acceptance of terms like “formerly incarcerated” or … Continue reading

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