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Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Gift that Keeps On Giving
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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Tagged #BlackHistoryMonth, Africa's Gift to America, J.A. Rogers, W.E.B. DuBois
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Reconstruction Revisited
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
A Good Black Man is Hard to Find: The Pathological World of Alice Walker
Dear God! Once upon a time – it seems that long ago – I was working on a Master of Fine Arts (MFA). I was reading Alice Walker. She had accused Black men, specifically Black male authors, of not reading … Continue reading
A Funeral, Two Graduations, and a Milestone Birthday Celebration
In a six-day span, I attended my baby brother’s funeral, our two daughters’ graduations, from middle school and high school, and my sister Cheryl’s milestone (60th) birthday celebration. At Whitney’s funeral, I spoke on behalf of our family. Here, I … Continue reading
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Prosecuting Murder Most Foul!
In 1976, a childhood friend, at age 16, was charged, tried and convicted of felony-murder as an unarmed nonkilling accomplice, where robbery was the underlying felony, in which an individual was killed by one of my friend’s codefendants, with a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Daunte Wright, Kimberly Potter, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats
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Palm Sunday, the Crucifixion, and the Criminal Justice System
Today is Palm Sunday. All lectionary churches read from The Passion of Christ from the Gospel According to Mark, believed to be, according to Biblical scholars, the first written account of the four Gospels. (It’s actually one Gospel, with four … Continue reading
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A Good White Woman is Hard to Find
I recently met some amazing people, one a Flannery O’Connor Scholar, which had me revisit O’Connor’s works. Granted, I hadn’t read her since college, a very long time ago, where almost all literature courses had you reading dead white men … Continue reading
“Don’t Drop the Soap!”
“Don’t drop the soap!” That phrase, with its origins in prison, has made its way into popular culture. Comedians invoke it, and even spin it. Chris Rock, for example, in one of his skits, talks about the “tossed salad” in … Continue reading
Fifty Shades of Green
The title of this blog may have led you to it, perhaps thinking that it was going to be something freaky about the Irish on this St. Patrick’s Day. Granted, today I’ve seen sexy pictures of women in green on … Continue reading
“Sound of da Police”
In his 2000 album, his first solo album, “Return of the Boom Bap,” KRS-One has a classic rap about da police, entitled, “Sound of da Police.” The chorus begins: Woop-woop! That’s the sound of da police Woop-woop! that’s the sound … Continue reading