1014 Search results for "the government"

Today I heard an advertisement on a Chicago radio station. It started off with a heavy bass rhythm in the background, and continued into a full beat that sounded oddly familiar—like it was the new Lil Wayne track of the week. (It seem like he comes out with a new song every other day.) But […]

In 1964 at the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Convention, Fannie Lou Hamer said, “All my life I’ve been sick and tired . . . Now, I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Even though these words were distinctively about Southern racism, I find myself unconsciously gravitating to these words to talk about the […]

“And the crowd goes wild! Sort of.  It looks like the Donkeys have taken the lead. However, you can never underestimate those scrappy Elephants. If the Democrats can just hold the lead through the fourth quarter they may be the victors in this match.” If politics was a game (which it is), and Congress had […]

A few years ago, I took on the unbelievably complex and daunting task of constructing the maternal branches of my family tree. My first step was to sit down with my grandmother and listen as she recounted the names of her grandparents and their parents. Granny relayed some wonderful, albeit slightly inaccurate information. Beyond my […]

There are certain things in life I just can’t explain: Jermaine Jackson’s haircut, Mike Tyson’s face tattoo, and John Mayer’s racist phallus. While I admit to not understanding every enigma, I can usually sense a farce. I wasn’t alive when Milli Vanilli’s track skipped, but let’s be honest, who didn’t see that coming? Although I […]

Can’t no one know at sunrise how this day is going to end. Cant’ no one know at sunset if the next day will be here. In this world of trouble and wars a member must be ready to go. We look forward to things to save us but in a twinkling of an eye […]

This past week the president of Uganda gave a statement that made many happy, but didn’t bring much gratification to my life. I’m not one that likes to accept the lesser of two evils. When people ask me if I would prefer to be hot or cold, I tell them neither, I want to be […]

They said it would make my life better. They said I would find my “purpose.” It was my 8th grade school year. My pastor said I should read this book that would change my life. The name of the book was A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It’s always interesting to reflect back to […]

For many Christians around the world, the Christmas season signals a time to remember the Immaculate Conception of Mary of Nazareth and the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time to remember when hope in the form of a baby boy came into the world. You see, when I was a little Pentecostal black […]

    I read the New York Times article titled “Food Stamps Usage Soars, Stigma Fades.” The article is about the lessening of  stigma regarding the use of food stamps. What comes to mind when you think of the U.S. welfare system, specifically food stamps or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)?  For me, I remember seeing black single mothers with multiple […]

Politicians say the “darndest” things. No, seriously they do.  Last week it was White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs patronizing American Urban Radio Network’s April Ryan by condescendingly comparing her tough interrogation to his son’s temper tantrums. Don’t believe me, ask Summer. Yesterday it was Harry Reid, tomorrow it will be someone else. Can I […]

Ladies and gentlemen I want a clean fight with nothing below the belt. Maybe boxers heed this message but in the world of politics there is no such thing as a clean fight. With the passage of Senator Max Baucus’ health care reform bill in the Senate Finance committee, Democrats are gearing up for a […]