Black immigrants’ lives matter, too
We are long overdue for a discussion about immigration as it relates to black immigrants, particularly at this moment as the current presidential administration clamors to end legal protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA recipients. Congressional leaders …
‘We need climate action, environmental justice’
As Americans came together in February to recognize the immense contributions made by African-Americans during Black History Month, it is important to talk about environmental justice because if we can’t breathe free, we can’t be free.
Courage, political will and gun control
“This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly …
Where does it end?
Here we go again with this gun violence. Another 17 young lives lost and 15 injured in the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla. There were 26 people killed in the church in Texas, nine people in the church in …
Passing along history
February is Black History Month, with plays, programs and famous songs sung like “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” As black Americans, we are free to do wonderful things to make contributions to our community and our world.
U.S. lawmakers part of dream or nightmare?
I, too, am a dreamer. I dream of a time when we have a government that works for the average American — and not just for corporate America — without working at the expense of the average American. Most of …
New idea for old schools problem
Re “Feeding schools’ budget: City Council approves 1.5% meals tax hike for schools construction,” Free Press Feb. 15-17 edition:
Gun tragedies and inaction
We woke up the morning after the Florida high school tragedy hearing that 95 percent of the American people support stronger background checks before someone can buy a gun. That sounds like a no-brainer because only 4 percent of the …
‘Black Panther’ claws away racism
“The film serves as a breath of fresh intellectual air, especially amid today’s sociopolitical climate.
Dr. King’s legacy exploited
It is incredibly sad to watch how the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose life and legacy inspired and changed the lives of millions, is being used to hawk trucks. The ad during the recent Super Bowl for …
Hustling backward in Richmond
Richmond City Council voted 7-2 on Monday night to increase the meals tax 1.5 percent, expecting annual revenue of $9 million. This will be leveraged to borrow $150 million over five years and earmarked for renovating and building new schools …
Unemployment and wage gap
President Trump keeps boasting about the low black unemployment rate, although African-Americans still suffer nearly twice the unemployment rate as white people do. What the president never mentions is the growing racial wealth gap — the economic disparity between white …
Meals tax increase is ‘a critical start’
I am a single man with no children. I strongly support Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s proposal to add a cent and a half increase to Richmond’s meals tax to fund the construction of new schools for our city’s children.
Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union address
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It is a privilege to join you tonight. We are here in Fall River, Mass., a proud American city built by immigrants.
New commission to investigate threats to voting rights
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s first speech at the Lincoln Memorial was not his celebrated 1963 address at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
