Barack Obama
-
Dear Mr. President: Black America Deserves Better
Dear President Obama: As a black man, I have cried more times than I care to admit in the past week, particularly after hearing the audiotape of Diamond Reynolds’ live Facebook video following the killing of her fiance, Philando Castile, in Falcon Heights, Minn. My heart wept as she showed profound resilience and calm in the face…
Published
-
Obama Pays Tribute to Officers Killed in Dallas Shooting: 'The Deepest Fault Lines of Our Democracy Have Suddenly Been Exposed'
Speaking at a memorial for five police officers killed in the Dallas shooting, President Barack Obama called upon the nation to “reject [the] despair” that may be felt as a result of the recent bouts of violence seen across the country, and carve a way forward. “All of it left us wounded and angry. And…
Published
-
President Obama to Deliver Remarks at Interfaith Memorial Service for Slain Cops in Dallas
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will travel to Dallas on Tuesday to attend an interfaith memorial service held in memory of the five police officers who were killed Friday during an attack at what had been a peaceful protest, the White House reports. Alongside the Obamas, Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden,…
Published
-
Remember Health Care? No One Else Does
I am feeling really nostalgic for the good old days of 2009. Remember when Ashton Kutcher and Snooki were the biggest names on Twitter? Before Kanye was Yeezy and LeBron was a pre-“decision” Cavalier? In those good old days of yore, the United States was engulfed in a serious conversation about the future of health…
Published
-
President Obama on #Dallas Sniper Shooting: 'Vicious, Calculated, Despicable Attacks on Law Enforcement'
Just one day after President Barack Obama addressed the police killings of Alton Sterling, 37, in Baton Rouge, La., and Philando Castile, 32, in Falcon Heights, Minn., he once again took to the podium, this time to address the sniper shooting in Dallas that claimed the lives of five police officers and injured six more.…
Published
-
Stop Punishing Black Children Just Because They’re Black
Editor’s note: Once a month, this column will tackle broader questions about what the country should do about gaps in achievement and opportunity, especially for boys of color. Schools should be held to higher standards than students. If schools irresponsibly impose discipline practices, then those rules (or leaders) should be expelled. However, when it comes to…
By
Published
-
Politricks: Hillary Clinton Leans Into Her White Womanhood; Obama Had to Transcend Race
Hillary Clinton has officially secured enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Many celebrated this as proof of progress in a society that has made violence against women and their exclusion from any important decision-making processes defining features. Following in the footsteps of President Barack Obama, America’s first black commander in chief, would be…
Published
-
It’s Not Now, nor Was It Ever, President Obama’s Job to Cure Racism
In the coming weeks and months and, surely, the years after President Barack Obama actually leaves office, much time will be spent examining his political legacy from all angles. Already, writers like me are examining the Obama record on LGBT issues, while others concentrate on his record on the economy, foreign policy and the environment.…
Published
-
2 Dozen Letters Written by President Obama’s Father Found in Harlem
How apropos for Father’s Day. A rare collection of letters written by President Barack Obama’s Kenyan father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., have been discovered by an archivist in Harlem, reports the New York Times. The letters begin with a 22-year-old in Kenya, who could translate Swahili to English, asking for financial help to come study…
Published
-
The #Pulse Shooting: Can Educating the Public Keep LGBTQ Youths Safe?
It is eerily prescient that just two days before Sunday’s terror attack at Pulse nightclub—a popular spot for the LGBTQ community in Orlando, Fla.—black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, sexually questioning and queer young adults gathered in Washington, D.C., for the first Summit on African American LGBTQ Youth. In light of the horrifying attack, the urgency…
By
Published