When Andrew Smith said, “People fear what they don’t understand and hate what they can’t conquer,” he was laying out the blueprint for the modern conservative movement, especially the Trumpist Republican Party. There is plenty of information available that could provide understanding and clarity, but then where would they get fuel for the lies they… Keep Reading
To be a small state, and not heavily populated, South Carolina’s influence stretches farther than I ever expected when I moved away from my home state. When I was growing up, Sen. Strom Thurmond was a towering figure, and along with “junior” senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, the state’s political leaders enjoyed prominent positions at the… Keep Reading
When the Senate voted last week to recognize June 19 as a federal holiday, the reaction among many of my friends and me was, “Watch out, they’re up to something.” The “they” in question are lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who specialize in pandering to their constituents, making empty gestures while refusing to… Keep Reading
My elementary school principal, Hal Howington, called me into his office. I’d written a “love letter” of the typical grade-school variety (“I like you. Do you like me, yes or no?”) and responded to my beloved’s rejection by re-sending my note with a not-very-nice pejorative scrawled across the bottom of the page. “You can’t do… Keep Reading
Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1 here.When a friend posted on Facebook that young Black men might need to be “reminded” of the value of Black women as potential life partners, my thoughts were more complex than the simple “I agree” I posted in response. I promised her… Keep Reading
Social media usually is such a proliferation of nonsense that I’m surprised when I read something that really makes me stop and think. This happened recently when a friend posted: “Seems to me that it’s time to remind our young Black men that young Black women are suitable life partners.” The post was not inflammatory,… Keep Reading