Mobs I and II
This piece is pregnant with a lot of stuff. I am exploring how attitudes and belief systems have crystallized a mindset that leads to sickness, that is, mental illness. Though we have been focused on the January 6 insurrection and the George Floyd lynching, lynching in America has been woven in the patriotic fabric of […]
Overcoming Blues Hell Hounds
Fighting for the people is a BLUES job. Martin and Coretta were pursued by “blues hellhounds” nipping at their heels. On the night of their wedding, they had to spend the night at a Black-owned mortuary because of segregation in public accommodations. The Bill Claire Mortuary on Sophomore Street in the re-emerging Silk Stocking of […]
Gun violence: An American Dilemma
It is useless to quote Shakespeare from his play The Tempest. “The past is prologue” is an overused cliche but useful for my rant on the runaway gun violence in certain areas of the country and our great city. Moaning about Chicago styled weekends in this southern Mecca does not move us to a different and […]
It’s too early to unconditionally forgive
Did you pay attention to the supremacy sneer of the face of Derrick Chauvin as he suffocated the life out of George Floyd? It was a domination mug shot. It was a mug shot of resident evil where evil powers and principalities dwelled, rather a body that had been possessed and evil powers found a […]
We are better than this
Isabelle Allende tells the story of the fight against dehumanization and enslavement in one of the greatest books of our time, “Island beneath the Sea.” The setting is Saint Domingue-18th century, now known as Haiti. At one time Haiti was the richest colony on the planet, primarily because of the brutal theft of the labor […]
Fight the Power
Last week, I was shopping for essentials at the local grocery store and the clerk gives me a receipt for $6.66. At jet-like speed, I told her to void this transaction as I was only mildly superstitious. Biblically, threescore, three hundred and six represents the number of the beast in the last days. Some scholars […]
Bigger investments needed to build young lives
Houston is not Chicago or New Orleans. Houston in not Los Angeles or Oakland. One of the reasons that Houston will not become Fort Apache is the swift work of the Houston Police Department and the partnership that exists between the police and community. Almost before we could blink, suspects in the murder of New […]
Mortified beyond expression
Before we go full bore on President Joe Biden, let’s consider the impact of receiving soldiers remains in flag draped caskets and consoling the bereaved families. Going to D.C. for the majesty and splendor of the African American Museum or the Smithsonian is a lot different from viewing the graves at Arlington cemetery of thousands […]
The Last Measure of Devotion
On June 12, Texas Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke made the case for his candidacy and saving the fragile democracy following the insurrectionist attempt to overturn a legitimate presidential election on January 6.
Alarm. Don’t Panic. OVERPERFORM!
We are stronger today than we were in the 1890’s. Rights that we possessed in 1890 were chopped up and cancelled during the first Reconstruction. Guest what, it took decades of sustained struggle to recover basic democratic rights such as full voter registration and participation. Prepare for a marathon, an Usain Bolt sprinter will peter out.
