Category Archives: Uncategorized

My Friend Kathy Boudin

Posted on May 3, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

News of Kathy Boudin’s demise quickly spread, as quickly as news spreads through the prison grapevine, and I had hoped that it was greatly exaggerated!  When I Googled “death of Kathy Boudin,” many articles popped up on my screen, far … Continue reading →

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Spirit-Busting Patriarchy

Posted on March 6, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Have you ever read the translation of an author’s work and had a strong desire to read it in the original?  One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez, for me, was that book.  During a three-year period I … Continue reading →

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Derrick Albert Bell Jr. — The Godfather of Critical Race Theory

Posted on February 18, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Derrick Albert Bell Jr. should be as well-known as Thurgood Marshall.  He was a lawyer, civil rights activist, and professor.  In 1971, he became the first tenured Black professor of Law at Harvard Law School.  From his reputation alone, Professor … Continue reading →

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Maya Angelou, A Muse for All Ages

Posted on February 14, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On this Day of Love, also known as Valentine’s Day, I want to uplift an author and one of her books, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  I love Maya and this book! Maya Angelou was challenged by none … Continue reading →

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The Work of Reconstruction Continues. . .

Posted on February 13, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880, by W.E.B. DuBois, is a must read.  One Amazon reviewer wrote, “This book is a great clue to the puzzle of how we got where we are today.”  Indeed, this period would inform the next … Continue reading →

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Octavia E. Butler — Amen I Say to You! Amen!

Posted on February 12, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Octavia E. Butler went where no Black women writers had gone before – her writing is out of but of this world!  Butler was the first science fiction writer to ever receive the MacArthur Fellowship.  And though Butler can be … Continue reading →

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A Love Letter to George Jackson

Posted on February 11, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

“When was the last time you hand wrote a personal letter?” Twice a year, in the fall and spring semesters, for a number of years, Lawrence Mamiya, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Africana Studies at Vassar College, who passed away … Continue reading →

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Almost Sonnets

Posted on February 9, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today I have a bonus book recommendation.  I confess it’s a bit of self-promotion, since it is my book.  In fact, I began Black History Month by recommending my award-winning book, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance … Continue reading →

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The Gift that Keeps On Giving

Posted on February 9, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

J.A. Rogers is probably the greatest autodidact in the history of the world!  Not only was Rogers self-taught, but he was also self-financed and self-published.  Talk about self-determination and controlling the narrative! I would recommend any book by Rogers.  Among … Continue reading →

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Reconstruction Revisited

Posted on February 8, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

This book is, for the most part, unknown, even among history buffs, as I am.  (I actually stumbled upon it more than 30 years ago. Someone had placed it among the trash!)  This book though covers one of the most … Continue reading →

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