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Section: Opinion

The Perils of a “post-racial” Presidency

A recent New York Times/CBS poll concluded that race relations are improving in the wake of the election of President Obama. According to the survey, about 66 percent of Americans said that race relations are generally good compared with 53 percent in July of last year. Fifty-nine percent of African-Americans – along with 65 percent […]

May 10, 2009

Mentoring is Absolutely Essential for the Future of the Professoriate

Yesterday as I was chatting on Facebook (yes, I do that) with a faculty member at a different institution than my own. He’s brand new on the tenure-track at a research university. In addition, he is African American at a traditionally White institution and as such, most likely has to contend with additional pressures. I don’t […]

May 5, 2009

Predicting Academic Success Using Shoe Size: Affirming the Action in College Admissions

Many higher educational institutions no longer rely exclusively on standardized tests as a primary indicator of future academic success. However, the courts continue to be bombarded by numerous allegations of rampant reverse discrimination, and public outrage that stems from students’ performances on standardized tests. In light of the insurmountable testimony from students and subsequently courts […]

May 4, 2009

Racial Intolerance, Historical Streotypes and Paranoia on the Rerun

Racial Intolerance, Historical Stereotypes and Paranoia on the Rerun While many Americans of all races celebrated the election of our first Black president, there were others who did not. These are the men and women who have been seething in resentment and rage at the fact that a person of non-Eurocentric origin is occupying the […]

May 4, 2009

Shaping the Court: Race, Gender and Ideology

2009 seems to be the year that the American electorate is turning left of center. Evidence of this include the election of President Obama, the election of a Democratic controlled Congress, the Supreme Court of Iowa sanctioned same sex marriage, Vermont allows same sex marriage and several other states are soon to follow. Is this […]

May 3, 2009

Can Michael Vick Take the Steps to Rebuild His Life?

It was only a few years ago that Michael Vick was playing quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and riding high. He was slashing and dashing through National Football League lines, and it was a joy to watch him. Now, he is without a ride and grounded. Much was made a while back about Michael Vick, […]

April 22, 2009

Obama Decision to Boycott World Racism Conference is Regrettable

Change has come to America. Doubters of this undeniable truth need only look to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for confirmation. Or to the international stage, where President Barack Obama — along with first lady Michelle Obama — has taken the world by storm. Let’s face it. It was nothing short of amazing to witness the Obamas […]

April 19, 2009

Court of the Conqueror Writes Another Legal Fiction

On March 31, 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States (S.C.O.T.U.S.) issued its ruling in the case of State of Hawaii v. Office of Hawaiian Affairs, et al. The state of Hawai‘i asked the high court whether or not the state has the authority to sell, exchange, or transfer 1.2 million acres of land […]

April 19, 2009

Michelle Obama: One Classy, Resilient, Intelligent First Lady

From the moment her husband became a serious contender for the Democratic nomination, Michelle Obama has been a perennial figure in the media spotlight. With this level of exposure has also come a significant amount of controversy. Unlike previous first ladies such as Rosalyn Carter, the late former first lady, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, Pat […]

April 6, 2009

The Case Against Cultural Standardization in Tenure Decisions

There has been a cacophony of voices calling for the elimination of tenure in higher education. Many of those voices are ultra conservative ideologues who are using the tenure debate to excoriate what they see as a liberal-leaning academy. There is a more vexing question that is conveniently absent from the tenure reform debate. That […]

April 5, 2009

The Hip-Hop Archive and its Tensions

Last month the Hip-Hop Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute co-hosted Hiphop Worldwide: More Than a Nation. This three-day conference focused on both the ongoing local expressions of hip-hop and their expansions into Cuba, Morocco, Japan, Tanzania, and other countries around the world. The gathering featured documentaries, lectures, and demonstrations from independent filmmakers, […]

April 4, 2009

African American boys can learn something from President Obama

President Barack Obama’s victory is meaningful to a cross-section of Americans. His candidacy resulted in more new registered voters than at any other time in American history. As we reflect now on his journey, especially his Democratic primary battle with then-Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, it is safe to say that this country was energized by […]

March 31, 2009

Remembering a Legend: John Hope Franklin

In 1997, while I was doing my dissertation research, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview historian John Hope Franklin. As a doctoral student, I was nervous about the interview and lacked confidence in my knowledge of American history. Here I was about to interview one of the nation’s great historians. Within minutes, my nervousness […]

March 31, 2009

A Time for Change? President Obama on Indian Country and Native Nations

U.S. President Barack Obama has been heralded for taking more actions in the first 30 days of his administration than some presidents have done in their entire service as president.In his first few days in office, Obama issued executive orders and presidential memoranda to direct the U.S. military to develop plans to withdraw troops from […]

March 26, 2009

‘His Genius Could Not Be Denied’

In Memoriam: Dr. John Hope Franklin (1915-2009) ‘His Genius Could Not Be Denied’ By Hilary Hurd Anyaso “Warm, generous, compassionate, a giant among American historians,” is how one University of Chicago colleague of Dr. John Hope Franklin remembers him. Dr. Neil Harris, the Preston and Sterling Morton Professor Emeritus at UChicago, where […]

March 25, 2009

Changing the Conversation About HBCUs: YES WE CAN!

Over the past month, I have been to three meetings in which the leaders of HBCUs have come together to talk about these venerable institutions during this time of economic crisis. I have come away from each of these meetings thinking, “There has got to be a way to change the discourse around these institutions […]

March 21, 2009

The Perils of being young, African American and Male

There is an unhealthy generational gap within the African American male community. It is acute and now more serious than ever. There are some stark differences to what was and what is. Black men my age grew up respecting social customs. For example, we loved our parents and honored our teachers. Our neighborhoods looked out […]

March 18, 2009

The Beleagured Michael Steele

Several weeks ago, the Republican National Committee elected Michael Steele as its first Black party chairman. What was seen at the time as an excellent move on the part of the GOP by some (even some Black columnists such as Earl Ofari Hutchinson and USA Today columnist DeWayne Wickham) has devolved into feelings of disillusionment, […]

March 15, 2009