Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Annette John-Hall examines the debate surrounding the push by a small group of artists who want to change the name of jazz to Black American Music, or BAM. Their reason? The genre died in 1959 and needs to be revitalized. It’s lunchtime in East Mount Airy, and pianist Orrin Evans is working…

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Annette John-Hall re-examines the role of African-American actors as domestics on the eve of possible Oscar wins for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for their parts in The Help. While praising both performances, she said Hollywood is quick to reward mammy roles. The Associated Press predicts Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are…

In her Philadelphia Inquirer column, Annette John-Hall explores the use of video games to help recondition the thinking of some of today’s youths at a time when crime is skyrocketing in her city. She cites a gamer who wants to help stem the tide. … Conventional wisdom says, if you want to understand the not-so-subliminal…

In her Philadelphia Inquirer column, Annette John-Hall takes the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare to task for being closed on the Martin Luther King holiday. At a time when food stamp recipients are having their benefits cut, the agency does not deserve a day off in recognition of a man who worked to lift up…

It will take a multipronged effort to tackle the rising rate of black-on-black killings among males in large cities across the nation, Annette John-Hall writes in her Philadelphia Inquirer column. The killings are tearing at the social fabric of African-American communities around the country. Those gunshots that had you dropping to the floor on New…

From the galvanizing forces of the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street; from visionaries like Steve Jobs to apparent fiends like Jerry Sandusky and Bill Conlin, Annette John-Hall writes in her Philadelphia Inquirer column that there were plenty of lessons to take from news stories in 2011 into the new year. … The biggest takeaway?…

Occupy Wall Street protesters in Philadelphia have managed to avoid violent clashes with city police, Annette John-Hall writes in her Philadelphia Inquirer column, because they have “kept their vow to exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully and orderly.” Give yourselves a hand, Occupy Philly.  Or better yet, flash the world a peace sign.  Because if…

If you want to raise the ire of white voters, all you have to do is tell your 8 million African-American listeners that they need to re-elect President Barack Obama because he’s black, Annette John-Hall writes in her Philadelphia Inquirer column. The influential “fly jock” and creator of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a syndicated…

Despite rampant criticism about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial during and after its construction, Annette John-Hall writes in her Philadelphia Inquirer column that all animus seemed to be set aside during its dedication on Sunday. It was as if no one wanted to ruin the day, she says. You’d have been hard-pressed…

In her Philadelphia Inquirer column, Annette John-Hall takes an anecdotal look at men who work hard every day, husbands who adore their wives, and fathers who raise their children as she reflects on the Million Man March, which celebrates an anniversary this month. She also castigates those who have fallen down on the job. I’ve…