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The End of a Bizarre Tenure for Nigeria's Yar'Adua
The death of Umaru Yar’Adua, at age 58, may have been the most anticlimactic moment in his short and chaotic time as president of Africa’s most populous country. Just two years after he won a much-disputed election in 2007, Yar’Adua, who was known to suffer from kidney problems, flew to Saudi Arabia last November for…
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Why Blacks Should Be Outraged at Arizona's Immigration Law
A law that makes people suspects on the basis of their looks should outrage African Americans, even if they are worried about illegal immigration. The immigration law passed in Arizona last week is the kind of reckless act that keeps us minorities paranoid in America. The new law compels local law enforcers to verify immigration…
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Warming Up to Treme
I finally got hooked on Treme last night; so far for me, the show about New Orleans’ recovery process has moved slower than molasses in a cold cup of chicory. Maybe it’s the expectation and the adrenalin level of David Simon’s last series, The Wire. I was a latecomer to that show and then watched…
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Can a Powell Oust a Rangel who Ousted a Powell?
The news that a son of the late Adam Clayton Powell Jr. will challenge Harlem Congressman Charlie Rangel in the Democratic primary is the kind of sweet irony that reporters love. If the younger Powell were to oust Rangel, who has been under fire for ethical reasons lately, he would be replacing the man who…
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Michelle's Lightning Trip to Haiti
First lady Michelle Obama made a surprise visit to Haiti Tuesday, on her way to Mexico. Mrs. Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, landed in Port-au-Prince shortly before 11 a.m. and were met by Haitian President René Préval and his wife. The two women took a helicopter tour of the devastated…
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Celebrating Confederate History Month
Sometimes, black folks underestimate the amount of envy they create among some white people. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s decision to celebrate Confederate History Month for the first time in eight years is likely a response to Black History Month. “They” had a month to highlight their achievements; we’re entitled to a month to celebrate “ours.”…
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Does Obama Have Less Room for Error?
It’s too bad Michael Steele is so obsessed with equating himself to President Barack Obama. The chairman of the Republican National Committee tried to put his troubles on the same plane as the president’s on Monday when he was getting heat about his management of the GOP’s fundraising arm. Steele was accused of playing the…
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Haiti in U.S. History: A Timeline
The United States is playing a leading role in the meeting at the United Nations this week, where countries will announce their commitment to help rebuild Haiti. The involvement of the United States with Haiti is not new, and it has not always been benign. The two countries have had consistent interactions since the mid-18th…
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Haiti's Private Sector Proposes a New Social Contract
Often reviled as “Diaspo,” the 2 million Haitians living abroad find themselves suddenly welcome to help in the reconstruction. The Haitian private sector presentation admits past failures and suggests a shining path. The business sector proposes expanding the middle class. The business sector proposes some principles to guide reconstruction. Haiti’s business community proposes to create…
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A Life in Paris
Jake Lamar decided he wanted to live in Paris after reading James Baldwin’s Go Tell It On a Mountain. Lamar, who grew up in a troubled family in the Bronx, identified strongly with Baldwin’s retelling of his difficult early life in Harlem. When Lamar asked a teacher about Baldwin, he learned that the writer lived…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
