Jesse, Obama and the Politics of Race Part I

“So, who do you think’s going to get the nod?”
“I like Edwards but I don’t know if he can win it all. He’s missing something.”
“What about Hillary?”
“She rubs me the wrong the way. There’s something about her I just don’t like.” 
A week ago yesterday I overheard this conversation. It was between two middle-aged white men. [...]

Underdog Reviews!!!

Most of you who read this blog from time to time know that I’m the author of a few books, three of which have been indepdently published in recent months. Well, the reviews are starting to trickle in and they ain’t bad. Check ‘em out, and if you like what you read, don’t be afraid [...]

The Twilight of the Gods?

 Jesse Jackson’s rise, Sharpe James’s fall and the end of the black folk hero
According to biographer Marshall Frady, Jesse Jackson’s rise to preeminence following the assassination of Dr. King didn’t just happen. It was set into motion even before King’s death when Jackson attached himself to King and the SCLC while he was still [...]

7/16 Newsweek Article

After the Trailblazers
They represent a ’sea change’ in black politics: leaders who appeal to all races by stressing consensus over conflict.
A friend linked me this piece about the new generation of black politicians. It doesn’t offer anything new or insightful. But you may want to check it out for yourself: newsweek

More Booker Bashing

Newark should be officially deemed a part of the Third World. From former Mayor Sharpe James’s shenanigans while in office to the current movement to skewer Cory Booker before he even finishes the first half of his first term, Newark politics  is as seedy (and utterly fascinating in a backwards sort of way) as anything Chinua Achebe wrote [...]

Where are all the Black Novelists?

A friend sent me this essay from the New York Times the other day. She’d just finished reading my latest book of essays, A Staircase of Words, and she figured it would be of interest to me. It speaks to the challenges writers like myself face on a daily basis. Check it out.
By MARTHA SOUTHGATE

I am a 46-year-old writer [...]

Africa: A Creation of the United States of Africa – is It People-Driven?

A Creation of the United States of Africa – Is It
People-Driven?
The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
OPINION
By Hicks Sikazwe
“LADIES and gentlemen welcome to Libya. Kindly adjust
your seat belts we are about to land at Tripoli
International airport”, announces an airhostess on a
KLM 14.50 flight from Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
“Taking pictures is not allowed at the airport.
Alcoholic beverages are [...]