Category: Commentary

The Bush Administration is directly funding a media campaign by the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), the school vouchers propaganda outfit created by the far-right Bradley Foundation. The blatant political nature of the gift could not be plainer. “We want to change the conversation about parental choice by positively influencing individuals who are resisting…

The Black Commentator has called on the NAACP to dismiss the editor of its publication, THE CRISIS. In our November 4 issue, we published our brief against Victoria Valentine, along with an Open Letter to the magazine and its parent organization from Harvard political scientist Dr. Martin Kilson. Journalist Dr. Todd Burroughs, who writes frequently…

Sisters and Brothers: Wish I could send more than praise for the work you have done. The Belafonte interview is a jewel and most commentary on our corrupt racist politics is on the money. Stay the course in these stormy seas. We may get the shit knocked out of us for now, but once the…

“Black candidates depend on ’cause’ organizations – people like me – to get out the Black vote. Republicans develop ‘get out the vote’ organizations.” – Julian Bond, NAACP chairman “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, free at last.” – Georgia Republican Governor-elect Sonny Perdue Somewhere in the yawning political chasm between the…

This article was prepared by the Environmental Justice Resource Center, Clark Atlanta University After several false starts and two years of planning, environmental justice leaders convened the Second National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit (Summit II) in Washington, DC. Summit II organizers planned the four-day meeting for 500 participants. Over 1,200 delegates from grassroots…

The arrest of John Allen Muhammad (he legally changed his name from Williams in 2001) and John Malvo for the terrifying sniper murders in and around Washington, DC, has given the forces of racial bigotry an opportunity to air their twisted agendas. Every true Muslim joined the Hon. Minister Louis Farrakhan in his revulsion at…

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s accounts of the Cynthia McKinney – Denise Majette congressional primary race, which have served as the basis for widespread claims that Black voters are becoming more conservative, are bogus inventions, indefensible by any demographic and statistical standards. Denise Majette’s claims to substantial African American support in the August election, as well as…

From the Publishers of The Black Commentator: The NAACP has placed a weak and confused guardian at the gates of its venerable publication, THE CRISIS. Founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1910, the magazine is edited by Victoria Valentine, who answers to publisher and magazine board chairman Roger Wilkins. In an editorial remarkable for its…

Framing the land issue in Zimbabwe as “white farmers vs. black peasants” buys into a racial smokescreen about what is at stake. In the U.S., that smokescreen is promoted by white-owned media, acting in ironic alliance with Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe. In both cases, though from opposite sides, obscuring the nature of real democratic land…

This re-print is from Racewire, published by Color Lines magazine MILWAUKEE, WI – Easter Dethrow is a substance abuse counselor who works the streets of Milwaukee rather than the halls of Washington, D.C. Around town, he’s known as the man closest to the reality of those struggling to overcome their addictions. Dethrow, a former abuser…