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The Race Police Need to Lay Off Imus
Although I didn’t think it was possible, the latest Don Imus controversy is almost as ridiculous as the first one. Imus recently made an off-hand remark on his radio show about Adam “Pacman” Jones’ string of arrests, noting that “Pacman” was black. “There you go,” he said. “Now we know.” Some people chose to infer…
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Pro’s Choice
It looks like Barack needs our help. The Obama VP search team lost senior Democratic strategist Jim Johnson after revelations that he received favorable lending terms from Countrywide. Since neither of us are getting any special rates on credit and lending, we can weigh in on the running-mate choice with clear consciences. Here’s our analysis…
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Is Obama Ready (for the GOP Smear Machine)?
If you want clues to how this year’s presidential election will be fought, look no further than this past week’s Meet the Press on NBC, where the GOP telegraphed its aggressive messaging offensive and Democrats, as usual, sought to play at the smug intersection of fairness and above-the-fray. The entire show, like most political reporting…
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Barack, Here's How to Get the White People
Is America ready to elect a black president? We’ll find out in November. Barack Obama’s candidacy poses an unprecedented sociological experiment. Everything about us, including how far we’ve come toward the creation of the more perfect union in which people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin,…
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When Fresh Food is a Luxury
East Cleveland, Ohio—Barack Obama got an ovation when he recently stood in a Chicago pulpit and scolded parents for giving their children cold Popeye’s chicken for breakfast, according to The New York Times. But a short drive around Euclid and Superior Avenues, a major intersection in this Cleveland area suburb, would reveal why fast-food leftovers…
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Saving the Summer, One Hero at a Time
Last spring I taught an English course called Black Heroes that explored how black heroes have emerged and are depicted in the public sphere. The course moved from the 19th century (Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and Nat Turner), through the 20th (Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Angela Davis and Assata Shakur). One…
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Black Skin, Blue Passport: Recession Travel
You might be wondering what business I have recommending any kind of travel when a recession is looming. With fuel costs rising daily, even a weekend road trip is starting to look like a relic of summers past. Not to mention the fact that many airlines are beginning to tack checked baggage fees onto already…
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Summer Cheese Done Right, Please!
It may seem counterintuitive, but cheese is the perfect summer food. This information goes against the grain because of the way Americans typically employ cheese in our cuisine. All too often we relegate it to a supporting role. We slap it on burgers, put it on pizza, melt it over corn chips and of course,…
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Summer Groovin'
Damn the iPod. It will not now and nor will it ever be the cassette tape. Sure, it’s fancy and plays music with a clarity that has yet to be surpassed. But a pod-mix just doesn’t sound right. There is an art to making a mixtape, an ebb and flow. The beauty of it is…
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Summer Sippin'–Harlem Style
In celebration of summer, we at the DEN want to share some love with you…Harlem style. That Fourth of July BBQ is just around the corner and some of your esteemed guests may be tired of the same old, same old. So here’s a chance to show ’em the new hotness for this year. Or,…