Politics

President Barack Obama kicks off the Father’s Day weekend with a string of events designed to “begin a national conversation on responsible fatherhood and healthy families,” according to the White House.  Much like first lady Michelle Obama’s March celebration of women’s empowerment, the day of bro-mance hits eight Washington-area nonprofits that mentor young men, and…

At age 93, John Hope Franklin remains a formidable force in the world of African-American history and scholarship. He wrote what is considered a core text in the field of African-American studies. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans, first published in 1947 and now in itseighth edition, is still considered the definitive…

At two minutes before noon on Thursday, June 18, 2009, 146 years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and 150 days after a black man took the presidential oath of office, the United States Senate, in a unanimous voice vote, apologized to African Americans for slavery and the racial discrimination during the Jim Crow era. It’s…

Since the race for the Democratic nomination has drawn to the end, many pundits have begun to ask how the choice of a vice president might help to repair the damage inflicted on the party as a result of the long contest. The Clinton camp has promoted the idea of an Obama/Clinton ticket that can…

Here is something important you need to know about Tim Russert: On the night Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, even a casual viewer could tell Tim was beside himself with the joy of watching history unfold before his eyes. In that slightly over the top, nearly hokey way that characterized his love of…

Barack Obama’s selection of a vice-presidential running mate is an easy and obvious thing in the minds of many. To wit, he can do nothing but bring Hillary Rodham Clinton onto the ticket. He simply must do so, the logic goes, if he hopes to have a chance of winning the general election. It is…

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…

As the country braces for a bruising general election fight between John McCain and Barack Obama, I can’t help but wonder whether young black voters are going to matter at all. Four years ago, you couldn’t even think about the presidential election without having someone toss you a “VOTE OR DIE” T-shirt or tell you…

The Democrats appear to be quickly moving to unity after a delayed but, in the end, very powerful concession speech from Senator Hillary Clinton. She endorsed Obama with stentorian clarity. She also pledged a committed fight to secure victory for the Democratic ticket in the fall. Bravo! One cannot have watched this prolonged primary season…

One day, one hour and 47 minutes after three bullets struck him down in a Los Angeles hotel kitchen, Robert Francis Kennedy, the junior senator from New York and likely Democratic presidential nominee, died at 1:44 a.m., June 6, 1968. It would take years, decades even, for historians to make sense of that single event.…