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America's Immigration Lesson to Europe
The United States and Europe face a host of common economic and security challenges that are well-known and well-debated: The risk of future terrorist attacks, the effects of global warming, exorbitant gas and food prices and the global credit crunch are recognized as transnational threats for which transatlantic cooperation will be critical. A recent article…
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Global Waiting
Last year, Congress passed a measure calling for better gas mileage by the year 2020. Last week, the G-8 proposed reducing global gas emissions by the year 2050. I’m making some major announcements, too. I will be coming to work on time (starting in 2010). I will clean up my garage (by 2015). I will…
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Will Work for Gas!
My first taste of freedom came in the form of an ’87 Buick Century—Ol’ Bessy, my older brother called her. I just called her an escape. Back then, all it took was a few dollars to keep her gassed. Skim a little from my lunch money, charge a few kids for rides home after practice,…
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The Gangs of L.A.
Los Angeles’ gang problem has many intricate and labyrinthine causes, all of which have been deconstructed and debated for literally decades. The gang culture in Los Angeles is a well-oiled and self-perpetuating institution with a remarkable capacity for self-renewal that probably best explains the durability of gangs in Los Angeles. The recent debate about whether…
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It's the Sexism, Stupid!
Amy Alexander’s essay dismissing the bereavement faced by Hillary supporters prompted me to make a few conclusions of my own from my vantage point as an Obama supporter working as a political organizer with Clintonites over the past two years. All I can say is: Wow! This piece is intense. What immediately came to mind…
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A Forever Family
I was born a ward of the state in Maine, and I grew up in the foster care system. I was blessed to have been placed with families who cared for, supported and guided me, and to have been loved by incredible women who gave me the discipline and confidence to develop a successful career…
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Straight Outta Kyiv
When I first moved to the U.S. in August 1992 at age 11, I had no idea what hip-hop was other than the caricature playing on the TV set in my grandparents’ living room in Kyiv, Ukraine. Come to think of it, what I knew probably amounted to neither hip nor hop, much less hip-hop.…
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Tammi and Me
My cousin Stephanie gave me a picture of Tammi and me at about ages 4 and 5. In this tiny, black-and-white photo, our hands are clasped as we stand on the sidewalk in front of our home, smiling. We are two sisters in matching denim overalls; we look very “country” because we were! In the…
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‘Thurgood’ Hits Broadway
Like actor Laurence Fishburne, I was in elementary school when the Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court. Today, the Tony Award-winning actor is breathing new life into the late Justice’s words and his struggles in “Thurgood,” an inspirational one-man play in that has begun a limited 16-week run on Broadway. July will mark…
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We Voted Today, Finally. Guess for Whom?
It’s been a long six weeks since Clinton and Obama set their sights on Pennsylvania and finally, today is the day we can put all the speculation to rest and cast our votes. My husband and I, along with our two young children, Yannick and Olivia, arrived at the polls at 8:00 am this morning.…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
