By Barney Blakeney I received a telephone message the other day that’s been bothering me ever since. There must have been a bad connection because I could understand very little of what the caller said except that he was ticked off at me about something. I have no idea what he was saying otherwise. The…

By Hakim Abdul-Ali    Sometimes, in the parlance of day-to-communications, I find myself encountering many different types of  “colored” souls of all ethnicities. These are fascinating experiences because I learn so much about others and myself. Take for an example, last week when I met and became engaged in a brief conversation with a young…

By Hakim Abdul-Ali      Today, I’m going to talk about a very personal and close subject to my heart, and that’s the aspect of collecting, specially collecting Afro-related items. This reviving topic has been on my mind since I had a very rewarding talk via telephone with a fellow collector and writer from Chicago…

By Beverly Gadson-Birch Every now and then, a friend will inbox me something that is nonsense or makes a lot of sense.  So, follow this condensed version of a recent e-mail I received regarding a little boy that needed help.  I am sure some of you have received the same e-mail. Here goes! A little boy…

By Barney Blakeney   Something came across my desk the other day. The South Carolina state board, which oversees the Criminal Justice Academy, voted unanimously to require mental health screening for all aspiring officers. According to information from The Clyde Group, a D.C.-based communications and public affairs firm, the University of Phoenix conducted a national…

By Beverly Gadson-Birch Boy have I got a story for you today. Have y’all been keeping up with the news?  I am sure some of y’all old schoolers are familiar with the phrase, “you have to laugh to keep from crying”.  That’s what I find myself doing with President #45, Donald Trump.  Every night I…