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Tag Archives: John F. Kennedy
Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday: A Reflection
On July 4, 2026, America marks its 250th birthday, reflecting on its Declaration of Independence and the historical complexities surrounding its authors, notably Thomas Jefferson’s legacy as a slave owner. The piece underscores the contributions of Black Americans throughout history and critiques the current leadership dynamic, advocating for new, younger voices in governance. Continue reading
Posted in Education & Teaching, Politics & Public Affairs
Tagged america, America's Birthday, American Revolution, Black History Month, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Decisive Decade, Declaration of Independence, Fred Hampton, George Washington, history, Independence Day, John F. Kennedy, Korean War, Leadership, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., patriotism, politics, Samuel Yette, Segregation, Slavery, The Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson, Vietnam War, World War I, World War II
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For the Love of Poetry
I love poetry. It is only fitting that my fourth book of poetry, The Black Blood of Poetry, will be released this Valentine’s Day. Although this forthcoming selection, on its face, may not seem like “love poetry,” it is, because … Continue reading
Posted in Politics & Public Affairs, Streets of Rage
Tagged 1960s, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Countee Cullen, Decisive Decade, Growing Up, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Poetry, Robert F. Kennedy, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, The Black Blood of Poetry, William Blake, William Carlos Williams, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth
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Cancel Culture Redux
Revisiting “The Cancel-Culture Conundrum.” Continue reading
Posted in Politics & Public Affairs
Tagged cancel culture, Charlie Kirk, Elijah Muhammad, faith, history, Jimmy Kimmel, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Nation of Islam, news, politics
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The Assassination of Dr. King – My first “political memory”
My first political memory, at age 7, is the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was too young to remember the assassinations of JFK and Malcolm X, and although RFK would be assassinated later in the … Continue reading
Posted in Growing Up, Politics & Public Affairs, Race, History & American Society, raising black boys, Revolution, urban decay, Urban Impact
Tagged Andrew Goodman, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Decisive Decade, Growing Up, James Chaney, Jim Crow, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Schwerner, Mississippi Burning, murder, Poetry, raising black boys, Robert F. Kennedy, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, The Black Blood of Poetry, urban decay
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From the American Revolution to the Black Arts Cultural Revolution
After the American Revolution, most of the defining moments in American history involve or revolve around Black people. Black folk were even involved in the American Revolution, fighting on both sides – the British promised Africans and the descendants of … Continue reading
Posted in Politics & Public Affairs, Streets of Rage
Tagged 1619, 1619 Project, American Revolution, Black Arts Era, Black Patriotism, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Boston Massacre, Camelot, Crispus Attucks, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Growing Up, John F. Kennedy, Larry Neal, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Nation of Islam, patriotism, Poetry, Robert F. Kennedy, Slavery, urban decay
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The Black Arts Movement
The theme for this Black History Month is African Americans and the Arts. For purposes of this blog, I’ll highlight the “Black Arts Era” (1960-1975). The Black Arts Era began at the very beginning of what Samuel F. Yette, influential … Continue reading
Posted in Education & Teaching, Politics & Public Affairs
Tagged Black Arts Era, Black History Month, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Decisive Decade, democracy, John F. Kennedy, Larry Neal, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, murder, Nation of Islam, Robert F. Kennedy, Samuel Yette
2 Comments
James Baldwin’s Journey Through Politics
Thirty years ago I wrote an essay, “The Election Time Blues.” It spoke about how political discourse in America was depressing; at least, it depressed me, and it continues to do so. When crime is on the platform, it becomes … Continue reading
Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism, Politics & Public Affairs
Tagged "Journey to Atlanta", Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Donald Trump, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, Harriet Tubman, Isabel Wilkerson, James Baldwin, Joe Biden, John F. Kennedy, Nelson Rockefeller, patriotism, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Slavery, The Best and the Brightest, Willie Horton
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The Pledge of Allegiance, Little White Lies, and All that Jazz!
It has been more than 50 years since I was in elementary school in the New York City public school system, yet I remember, word for word, the “Pledge of Allegiance.” At this time, I thought nothing of it, but … Continue reading
Posted in Justice Chronicles, Politics & Public Affairs, Race, History & American Society, Streets of Rage
Tagged 13th Amendment, Atomic Bomb, Black Codes, Black Power, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Camelot, Confederate States of America, Critical Race Theory, Culture Wars, Great Society, Growing Up, Hiroshima, internment of Japanese Americans, James Brown, John F. Kennedy, Little White Lies, Lyndon B. Johnson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Nagasaki, patriotism, Pledge of Allegiance, raising black boys, Richard Nixon, Robert F. Kennedy, Segregation, Slave Codes, Slavery, urban decay, war on crime, World War II
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If I Were President
My first political lesson came, about fifty years ago, via television. As any other kid during that time, the Decisive Decade (the 1960s), while political assassinations, JFK, Malcolm X, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., RFK, and a host of … Continue reading
Posted in Politics & Public Affairs
Tagged "If I Were President", 2016 Election, classical democracy, Decisive Decade, democracy, Donald Trump, electoral college, Federal Republic, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., patriotism, political assassinations, Robert F. Kennedy, the 1960s, United States, United States politics, United States President, Voting
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Excerpt from my book, “Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembering Things Past and Present”
From George Washington to George Bush. From the birth of a nation to a kinder, gentler nation. From Thomas Jefferson to William Jefferson Clinton. From Democratic Republicanism to the New Democrats. From honest Abe to tricky Dick to Slick Willie. … Continue reading
Posted in Politics & Public Affairs
Tagged Bill Clinton, Black Patriotism, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Democratic Republicanism, dialogue on race, Dixiecrats, Do Nothing Party, Freedom Now Party, George H.W. Bush, George Washington, Grand Old Party, Great Society, Honest Abe, Jim Crow, John F. Kennedy, melting pot, multiculturalism, New Covenant, New Deal Democrats, New Democrats, Police State, public works, Radical Republicanism, Rainbow Coalition, Reaganism, Reconstruction, Roosevelt, Slavery, Slick Willie, Thomas Jefferson, trickle-down economics, Tricky Dick, Welfare state
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William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters 