Tag Archives: John F. Kennedy

Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday: A Reflection

Posted on July 4, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | Leave a comment

For the Love of Poetry

Posted on January 13, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | Leave a comment

Cancel Culture Redux

Posted on September 20, 2025 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | Leave a comment

The Assassination of Dr. King – My first “political memory”

Posted on April 4, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | 1 Comment

From the American Revolution to the Black Arts Cultural Revolution

Posted on February 21, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | Leave a comment

The Black Arts Movement

Posted on February 8, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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

Posted on May 6, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | 1 Comment

The Pledge of Allegiance, Little White Lies, and All that Jazz!

Posted on March 7, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | Leave a comment

If I Were President

Posted on November 19, 2016 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | Leave a comment

Excerpt from my book, “Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembering Things Past and Present”

Posted on November 4, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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 | Leave a comment

	briefpostb0979fe240 on The Power of a Name: When Bein…
	Dr. Michael Pass on A Change Agent for a Just…
	Sammykins ( 💜ω 💜 ) on How Learning to Type Prepared…
	Dawn Ravella on How Learning to Type Prepared…
	THE CONUNDRUMS QUOTA… on Short Stories that Challenge t…