Uncategorized
-
The Incredibly White College World Series
Every June I find myself watching the College World Series, but never for long. Collegiate baseball isn’t something I follow in the regular season, mostly because it’s rarely televised before tournament time. I almost never pay attention to the score. For me, the CWS is more of a TV spectacle out of which I make…
-
Tough Love From the Father-in-Chief
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…
-
Smells Like 'Teenth Spirit
When I was a kid, my brother and I could look forward to waking up early, putting on a Juneteenth T-shirt and heading to my grandma’s house. She lived in Hamilton Park, a black neighborhood in north Dallas, and every year on the Saturday closest to Juneteenth, churches, community clubs and local businesses paraded down…
-
A Primer on Black Independence Day
So, you’ve heard about the celebration called Juneteenth. You may have bought a T-shirt at some point to signal your historical street cred. You may even have attended a Juneteenth picnic or paused to recognize it in some way. But, admit it, you don’t really know all that much about the day. And you may…
-
John Hope Franklin on an Obama Presidency
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…
-
Why Juneteenth's Not My Thing
I am John Hamilton McWhorter, the fifth. The first John Hamilton McWhorter was a slave. This Thursday is Juneteenth, when I might be inclined to celebrate the emancipation of John Hamilton McWhorter, the first. Or not. Truth to tell, I have never quite gotten the hang of Juneteenth. I suppose I should. What could be…
-
Senate Apologizes for Slavery
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…
-
Let Me Upgrade You?
Kyle had just purchased a fresh pearl white Lexus coupe for his birthday. He said he’d rock it for a year or two, then trade it in. “Oh, it’s a lease,” I assumed.”No,” Kyle replied.”Two years…you’re not going to have it paid off by then, will you?””I’ll probably never pay off a car. If I’ve…
-
My Career: The Remix
The other day I decided to update my resume. First, I changed my title from journalist to content producer. Next, I went through and carefully deleted some entries then updated others. That December 1988 Providence Journal Bulletin Sunday Magazine cover story on heroin addicts in Gloucester, Mass.? Buh-bye. That 1988 summer internship on the features…
-
R. Kelly Gets Schooled
R. Kelly has lost his mojo. He’s old, and he’s tired, and the sound and style he perfected are now flowing through the veins of more capable artists like The-Dream, Trey Songz and Usher. There’s nothing wrong with growing old, of course. Except when you think you’re still young. With his first-ever mixtape, The Demo…