Black to Black

By Barney Blakeney My Aunt Sarah used to say getting old is a blessing, but it’s sometimes inconvenient. For two weeks I had planned the late Friday afternoon meeting with the folks from the Charleston Rhizome Collective. The Charleston Rhizome Collective last year received a grant from ArtPlace America which will be used to provide…

By Barney Blakeney Ever had something that just sticks in your craw, a bad vibe that just won’t go away? For the past week I’ve been battling this bad feeling I got after a confrontation that’s left me re-evaluating a lot of stuff which has to do with civility, courtesy and tolerance. Last week I…

By Barney Blakeney  I’ve been trying to write this story for the past couple of years – something that tells the inspiring tale of two very energetic women who have had profound impacts in our community – a story about media journalists Joan Mack and Tessa Spencer Adams. Joan is Tessa’s aunt. I’ve always been…

By Barney Blakeney It’s a subject I’ve tried to avoid – the 2019 North Charleston mayoral election. Right now we know at least three people will compete for the seat – incumbent Mayor Keith Summey, community activist Pastor Thomas Dixon and businessman John Singletary. Dixon and Singletary are African Americans in the city where almost…

By Barney Blakeney    I tell people I don’t bad days anymore. No matter how tough things get, there’s always more for which to be thankful. There’s always some good in the bad and when I compare the good against the bad, I always come out ahead. I was coming out from under a particularly…

By Barney Blakeney   I got the chance to attend the March 11 inaugural Homeless to Hope Fund Benefit concert. Didn’t go to church, but went to the concert. And wouldn’t you know it, my preacher saw me there! I got busted, but it was worth it. The concert was off the chain. I don’t…

By Barney Blakeney   The Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida has reinvigorated the conversation about gun violence on a national scale. Students are raising their voices in the discussion. Rightfully so, they must live in the aftermath of the violent society we’ve created. Seventeen students and teachers were killed…

By Barney Blakeney   A friend called me a few months ago about a lady in his community who is trying to bring some focus on the issue of human sex trafficking. It’s an issue that got my attention some time ago. Among the police reports I receive have been several in the past couple…

By Barney Blakeney   How did we get here? That was the question my new friend asked as we discussed several issues on the subject of political corruption and social violence. I met with Vince Matthews to talk about his new role as Lowcountry coordinator for the S.C. Progressive Network. A few days earlier I…

By Barney Blakeney  February 8 marked the 50th anniversary of the Orangeburg Massacre. It slipped past me – not the annual observance, but the recognition that this year was the 50th anniversary. Like so many observances, somethings become automatic. Feb. 7 was my father’s birthday. I went through the day without a thought about it.…