The Body Cam Trade-Off
Challenging police violence shouldn’t require black Americans to sacrifice their privacy. Read my piece on this topic at Jacobin.
Blacked Out: Black Marginality and American Politics
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases that could have major ramifications for black and brown Americans. One, Fisher vs. University of Texas, is a more-or-less standard “affirmative action is reverse racism” case that could potentially bar or severely restrict colleges and universities from considering race in the application process. The…
My Cousin Was Shot Dead by a Police Officer. Here’s What It Means for the New Economy Movement
Many opportunities exist for collaboration between the movements for racial justice and for an economy that works for everyone. Read my piece for YES! Magazine here.
The Media’s Silence on Institutional Racism
Racially charged controversies have dominated mainstream media for the last two weeks. First was the Paula Deen fiasco in which the cooking show host has been exposed as being a good ol’ fashioned racist. I don’t know exactly when that story broke because I don’t really care about it (I’ll explain why later in this…
Welcome to the Promised Land: Obama, the Voting Rights Act, and the Death of Racial Justice in America
Yesterday, in a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Back in the day, before racism was over, certain states and municipalities adopted various strategies which prevented blacks from voting. The Voting Rights Act sought to rectify that by first establishing a formula to determine if a given jurisdiction had discriminated…
When the Ordinary is Horrible: Confronting an Oppressive Society
Two recent news stories, and some sharp analysis of them, have shed some light on both the nature of oppression in 21st Century America and also on the shortsighted ways that are often taken in addressing it. The first is that of two teenage boys who were recently found guilty of raping a female classmate…
Education and the Economy (Part 2)
“Under corporate capitalism, the objectives of liberal educational reform are contradictory: It is precisely because of its role as producer of an alienated and stratified labor force that the educational system has developed its repressive and unequal structure. In the history of U.S. education, it is the integrative function which has dominated the purpose of…
Education and the Economy (Part 1)
A recent Associated Press analysis of government data revealed that about half of young college grads are unemployed or underemployed. According to AP, “about 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed.” As disheartening as these numbers are, they’re not that surprising. The recession…
Vernon, California and the Global Elite (Part 2)
In my last post I wrote about Council elections in the City of Vernon, California. While the council elections seem to be particularly tame, Vernon found itself in the middle of an intense political battle last year which threatened its ability to maintain the business-friendly practices which have made it such a noteworthy city.
The Black President
“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want…
