Community Op-Eds

Death raises many disturbing questions and provides a crucial opportunity for Seattle police accountability system The following statement is from ACLU of Washington Executive Director Kathleen Taylor.  “The ACLU of Washington is dismayed and heartsick at the killing of Charleena Lyles, a mother of four and longtime Seattle resident, after she called to ask the…

By Hanna Kozlowska US attorney general Jeff Sessions may not be part of the biggest investigation in the Department of Justice, but as he reaches 100 days in office, there’s little doubt that he’s had an important impact on the American criminal-justice system-potentially for years to come. Despite the political turmoil of the Trump administration,…

By Kimberly Hall and Michael Hilton The American public education system should provide an equal opportunity for all students to receive a quality rigorous education – regardless of class, race or ethnicity. In direct opposition to this goal, the Fiscal Year 2018 education budget recommendations from the Trump Administration show an effort to limit opportunities,…

By Ade Ofunniyin, PhD It has been nearly five years since I began my work with Gullah Society and African Burial Grounds. My interest was spurred by a visit to the gravesite of my ancestor William Simmons Senior. The late Mr. Simmons is the grandfather of my grandfather Philip Simmons. William Simmons Sr., his son…

By Dr. William Small, Jr. The American political landscape currently seems to be in a state of disarray. The confusion that now seems to abound serves to create the impression, in the minds of some, that the nation is experiencing some transition in its national values. It is true that we have a President who…

By James Johnson    One of the worst tragedies within the African-American community is our failure to properly educate our youth in regards to sex and instill in them a strong sense of sexual responsibility. Even within many of our churches, the topic of sex is all too often “swept under a rug” and danced…

Booker T. Washington, educator, author and leader in the African-American community, once said, “At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion itself, there must be, for our race, as for all races, an economic foundation, economic prosperity, economic independence.” Uttered more than 100 years ago, the words…

By Jordan Cooper University of South Carolina Graduate Class of 2015         The Clemson Area African-American Museum is the only government-funded black museum that covers the entire timeline of history of African-Americans in South Carolina and surrounding areas in the State of South Carolina. I have recently been appointed Publicity Manager of the CAAAM…

By Dr. William Small, Jr.     Black History Month is or should be a season for the recognition and celebration of the gains and accomplishments of African descendant peoples throughout the Diaspora. The times dictate that we cannot continue to be primarily concerned with the culture and contribution of Black people in America. In…