Selma, The Film

I saw the movie and love it and I’m thrilled that a black woman, Ava DuVernay, directed. This is the story of  a seminal moment in American history: the 1965 Selma to Montgomery, Alabama marches for the rights of blacks to vote. It was a horrific time in the story of our nation. This film gets… Continue reading Selma, The Film

Education Under Arrest

I agree with Marian Wright Edelmen, who spoke recently with Tavis Smiley about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, beyond the 60s: “We love our prophets, we love the dream, but we don’t love the bounced promissory note.” On a personal level, I look at how far we have not come since the… Continue reading Education Under Arrest

Harlem Barbershop ~ Tells Its Own Stories

June 2011 ~ ALBANY, GA Nope. Not talking about the infamous Harlem in New York City, but rather its namesake 1000 miles south in Albany, GA. It’s hot as the dickens that day, but nice and comfortable inside the barbershop on the corner of W. Highland and S. Jackson Streets in this historic district. When… Continue reading Harlem Barbershop ~ Tells Its Own Stories

Poor People’s Campaign ~ Lessons from the Streets of 1968

My family was living on Hazard Drive in Albany, Georgia when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968—my late mother’s 42nd birthday.  I was two months shy of 14 and felt doubly sad—that King’s life had been snuffed out and my mother would cry for him on her birthday. Five weeks later, on… Continue reading Poor People’s Campaign ~ Lessons from the Streets of 1968