Category: The African World

It is one thing to notice that a house under construction has been abandoned by the contractor who was to be building it. That happened in my neighborhood (and actually many other neighborhoods) more than a year ago, making it very clear that something was going wrong in the economy. It is another thing to…

No, it was not on the scale of President Sadat’s surprise visit to Jerusalem or President Nixon’s visit to Maoist China, but President Obama’s greeting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas was certainly noteworthy. First, contrary to the arrogance often associated with the US elite, President Obama did not wait for…

With all of the discussion about the pirating of a US ship off the coast of Somalia, it is possible to overlook a far more important discussion concerning the Horn of Africa. According to the Saturday, April 11th issue of the Washington Post the Obama administration is discussing whether military action should be taken against…

So, the battle has been joined. The announcement of efforts to pass the Employee Free Choice Act—legislation to make it easier for workers to join or form unions—was accompanied by the announcement of efforts on the part of corporate America to derail it even before it entered Congress. Now that the legislation is in Congress,…

Sometimes I feel like I am reliving the era of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The era of “guns and butter,” as they called it. At the same time that Johnson was launching his “War on Poverty” he was escalating the US war against the people of Vietnam and Laos, as well as carrying out the…

One of the oddest “espionage” cases on record is that of the so-called “Cuban 5.” The US Supreme Court is presently being petitioned to hear this case, a petition that has been accompanied by twelve amicus briefs from significant individuals and organizations. The essence of this case is in some respects quite straight forward. Terrorist…

On March 18, 2009 my first born, Bianca Cason Fletcher, would have been 23. Instead, on March 21, 1986 she became a statistic, falling into the category of infant mortality among African Americans. My wife’s pregnancy had been proceeding along very well. Then one weekend she came down with the flu. Whether this triggered the…

International Women’s Day (March 8th) just passed. Introducing “Women’s History Month”, IWD came into being in the early 20th century as a result of the struggles of women workers in New York. Women around the world commemorate that day as a day of struggle and recognition of women’s on-going efforts toward achieving freedom and dignity.…

The revelation of alleged steroid abuse by Alex Rodriguez has further demoralized many athletes and sports enthusiasts. After repeated denials, Rodriguez held a press conference announcing that he and his cousin had used some substance in the past; that he was ashamed; and that he had been young and stupid. While I take as a…

Last week’s comments by Attorney General Eric Holder to the effect that when it comes to race, the USA is a nation of cowards brought forth immediate condemnation by right-wing talk radio. This was to be expected. The more mainstream media also reacted, albeit more mildly. Nevertheless, they have tended to focus on Holder’s wording,…