Charleston Chronicle Exclusives
What’s Good For The Goose Is Good For The Gander… Unless You’re The Mayor’s Son
By Barney Blakeney Isis Frasier says she hasn’t taught her 14-year daughter to be racist, so when a white schoolmate called the girl a “coon”, the girl had no idea what the term meant. Unfamiliar with the term used generations ago to denigrate Black people, the girl used her cell phone to Google the term.…
Read MoreTwo Local Legislators to Call It Quits
By Barney Blakeney Two long serving Charleston County state legislators have announced they will retire upon completion of the current legislative session. Hollywood Rep. Robert Brown and North Charleston Rep. David Mack say they will not seek re-election in November. At the end of the session Brown will have served House Dist. 116 20 years.…
Read MoreWashington Sees Election As County Republican Chair An Opportunity To Join Hands
By Barney Blakeney Charleston County Republicans last month conducted a historic election by voting Maurice Washington the county’s first African American chairman since Reconstruction. In an era of extreme political and racial polarization, the election could provide a threshold into a new political awakening. Washington, a Charleston native, has worked both sides of the political…
Read More“Ukweli: Searching for Healing Truth” Program Series Begins
By Imam Hakim Abdul-Ali There’s a very powerful and meaningful African word in the Swahili language that symbolizes “truth” in all of its natural and righteous essences. That word is “ukweli.” Author and poet Horace Mungin came up with an idea to develop a thought provoking program featuring and utilizing segments from his various heralded…
Read MoreSEWE: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same, Unless…
By Barney Blakeney Unless someone takes the initiative, Black business will continually be left out of economic opportunities such as the recent Southeastern Wildlife Exposition as well as the annual Cooper River Bridge Run. Last month, the annual three-day Southeastern Wildlife Expo was held in Charleston creating an estimated $50 million economic impact. I asked…
Read MoreCharleston area girls basketball teams celebrate championship seasons
Chronicle staff reports Local girls high school basketball teams North Charleston, Goose Creek, and Military Magnet Academy celebrated highly prosperous 2019-2020 campaigns. Each claimed Lower State regional titles, with North Charleston and Goose Creek going on to win State Championships as well. The three clubs featured S.C. Basketball Association All State players Aniyah Oliver (Goose…
Read MoreBudget Surplus Alone Won’t Dispel Disparities In State’s Black Communities
By Barney Blakeney South Carolina state legislators reportedly are sitting on a substantial budget surplus. Given the disparities that exist in the state’s Black communities, I asked some local legislators how that surplus might impact those disadvantaged communities. Here’s what they had to say. Hollywood Rep. Robert Brown said the budgeting process is a complicated…
Read MoreBlack Vote Valued By All But Black Voters
By Barney Blakeney While media manipulators proclaim South Carolina Sixth District Cong. James E. Clyburn as our state’s Democratic ‘King Maker’, the reality is African American voters in the state are the power behind the Democratic throne. In a recent broadcast morning radio talk show, host Steve Harvey said African Americans should take as seriously…
Read MoreLocal Group Calls For More Frequency Along CARTA Bus Routes
By Barney Blakeney Last week, the Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM) along with the ACLU of South Carolina, Citizens Climate Lobby, Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit, Charleston Climate Coalition, and the Center for the Study of Slavery Social Justice Working Group held a press conference at the Cherokee United Methodist Church to show support for increased bus frequency. The average bus…
Read MoreB. Smith: The Chronicle Remembers a Legendary Icon
By Hakim Abdul-Ali Famed television host, restaurateur and lifestyle authority B. Smith died Sunday, February 23, 2020, after a long time battle struggling with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. This truly talented and skilled businesswoman was seventy-years-old when she passed away at her home in Long Island, New York. Being the cultural critic for this newspaper…
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