Denzel Washington is so insightful in August Wilson’s bitingly authentic play about black life that it is downright surprising, though quite fitting, that the actor won a Tony for his performance. Authenticity usually gets the black artist nowhere with top awards judges soaked in what passes for white culture. Such shameless self-absorption leaves little room…

Bill Withers is an American original. His voice is as clear as the wind and just as carefree. Withers has that gift from the gods so overlooked in popular songwriters: a well-tuned ear. Ringtones of his “Lovely Day” and “Just the Two of Us” summon Generation X to their cell phones. Not bad for a…

The Negro invasion must be vigilantly fought, fought until it is permanently checked, or the invaders will slowly but surely drive the whites out of Harlem. Harlem Home News, July 1911 Along the boulevards of Harlem these days, hands are wringing over the shifting demographics of the two races that still matter in this republic.  …