Opinions & Editorials
WAKE UP, VOTERS!
By Beverly Gadson-Birch Wake up, voters! “No more sleeping in bed, we have important elections ahead!” Will these elections improve your living conditions, or will it be more of the same? Only you can answer that question by voting for the best candidate. As quiet as it is kept, there is a new voting machine. Don’t let…
Read MoreThe Other Side of Political Imagination
By Hakim Abdul-Ali Today’s message is inspired by a marvelous time I had with a very politically connected brother of color last week. We broke bread together at new local eatery and shared an enlightening evening rapping about everything from systematic “poly tricks” to ethnic pride to, well, you name it. One thing we most…
Read More“Today Was A Good Day”
By Barney Blakeney I tend to relate memories to music. Songs trigger memories for me – where I was, what I was doing, how I felt. Last Saturday made me think of Ice Cube’s “Today Was A Good Day”. The lyrics, which I sometimes think are stupid, are set to the tune of The Isley…
Read MoreKnow Thyself and Be Proud
By Hakim Abdul-Ali I had a very interesting rap with a dark complexioned local young person of color last week who told me that she was not Black at all. She initially claimed to be of no specific ethnic lineage whatsoever and that, quite frankly, floored me. Unfortunately, that sentiment seems to be spreading among many…
Read MoreTurning The Ship
By Barney Blakeney I attended the 102th Annual NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet Sept. 21. A friend made it possible. The tickets were $150 bucks. That’s another story. The house was packed – for those who could afford it, the event was well worth the price of the ticket. I left having learned a couple of…
Read MoreVote: Time For Major Changes
By Beverly Gadson-Birch I founded a program back in the early 80’s, along with six volunteers, called Scholars for Excellence. It was a motivational program for students in grades 1-6. The impetus really came from working with Operation Push and the Push Excel Program out of Chicago under Rev. Jesse Jackson. I often reflect on our…
Read MoreFrom The Storm Rises Winds Of Opportunity
By Barney Blakeney As Charleston ramps up efforts to assist in the recovery of the Bahama Islands after their recent devastation by Hurricane Dorian, in a Monday conversation about relief efforts John Wright president of the African American Settlement Communities Historic Commission, Inc. outlined an unprecedented proposal that would move assistance to the Bahamas beyond…
Read MoreThe Importance of Today’s Black Press
By Hakim Abdul-Ali I want to openly thank all of you who support the nation’s Black Press, especially the loyal supporters of The Charleston Chronicle, an Afro-American weekly news organ that I’ve had the pleasure of writing for, covering many different areas over a long journalistic career. It’s been an enhancing and rewarding labor of…
Read MoreElections: Good vs. No Good
By Beverly Gadson-Birch There are some really good folks running in both the City of Charleston and North Charleston elections; but, it’s going to take more than just “good”. Well, what is “good”. Can you be good and no-good at the same time? You can be from a good home and folks may think you are…
Read MoreRiders Of The Storm
By Barney Blakeney This week has been difficult. My aunt Sarah Lees Cooper, a former Williamsburg County teacher ,used to say “Getting old is a blessing. But it’s so inconvenient.” My personal recovery from Hurricane Dorian again proves how true her assessment is. I’ve in the past prided myself on riding out hurricanes. Though neither…
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