Category Archives: race

A Farewell to Black History Month, 2022

Posted on February 28, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Black History Month is in the shortest month of the year.  Caesar Augustus, thinking that the month in honor of his name was too short, took days from February, short changing what would become Black History Month.  In fact, when … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Lest We Forget, race, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Wanna Go to Bailey’s Cafe

Posted on February 26, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Gloria Naylor is another Scheherazade.  She was a consummate storyteller, wrote beautifully, created engaging stories and characters we could judge if so inclined by the content of their character, not their race.  Unlike Alice Walker, Naylor’s male characters have more … Continue reading →

Posted in Lest We Forget, race, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More Than One Thousand and One American Nights

Posted on February 24, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Imagine if your very life depended on telling a story.  Imagine telling a story for one thousand and one nights.  Imagine this storyteller as a woman.  In One Thousand and One Nights, also known as Tales from the Arabian Nights, … Continue reading →

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Son of a Native Southern Son

Posted on February 23, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On this day in American history, in 1982, my father passed away, at the age of 56, a week and a day after he reached that age.  I always think of my father as a Native Southern Son.  When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Fathers, James Baldwin, Lest We Forget, race, raising black boys, Sonny's Blues | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Bigger By Any Other Name

Posted on February 22, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Bigger Thomas, although a fictional character, haunts the imagination of white folk.  Richard Wright’s Native Son, where we meet Bigger Thomas, was published in 1940.  Benjamin Mays, in eulogizing the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 28 years later after … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, crime, ezwwaters, James Baldwin, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Murder, race, raising black boys, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Me and Malcolm X’s Murderer

Posted on February 21, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On this day in American history, Malcolm X was murdered.  I was four years of age.  Fourteen years later, I would meet Malcolm X’s killer.  The first thought that crossed my mind: He, Thomas Hagan, is unremarkable.  And then: What … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, crime, Growing Up, Lest We Forget, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Murder, Nation of Islam, race, raising black boys, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Sheets Under Black Robes

Posted on February 19, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Black Robes, White Justice, by Judge Bruce Wright, is one of my favorite titles touching on the criminal legal system!  The title itself speaks volumes.  Bruce Wright was a distinguished New York City Judge and, in light of the current … Continue reading →

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The Weary Blues Redux

Posted on February 15, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1926 Langston Hughes published his collection of poetry, The Weary Blues.  That same year my father was born in the segregated South.  Carl Van Vechten’s book, Nigger Heaven, was also published that year. My father was born on this … Continue reading →

Posted in James Baldwin, Lest We Forget, Poetry, race, Sonny's Blues | Tagged | Leave a comment

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Posted on January 27, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today, January 27th, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. A Time magazine article, “‘Hate Never Disappears. It Just Takes a Break for a While.’ Why the U.S. Capitol Attack Makes Holocaust Remembrance Day More Important Than Ever,” reveals why we should … Continue reading →

Posted in crime, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Murder, Patriotism, Politics, race, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Brief History of How “Black History” is Seen

Posted on September 6, 2020 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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