I was still reeling from the news that one of Detroit’s most remarkable freedom fighters, General Baker had joined the ancestors when in rapid succession like a machine gun of sorrow word came that the author Sam Greenlee had expired…

I like the Colorlines “Racial Justice Bucket List for 2014.” The activists and organizers included provide a good mix of the concrete/practical and more abstract/idealistic steps we should take toward achieving true racial justice. It’s obviously not an exhaustive list, as you’d need books upon books upon books in order to properly lay out a comprehensive plan for eliminating racism in the United States. Put frankly, this shit is complicated. But having goals helps, even if their only real achievement is keeping you sane in the midst of the chaos. I have a few things I’m working toward this year:

The English-speaking Caribbean has created a culture of governance in which democratic elections are held free of violence and voters cast their ballots and the transfer of power is orderly and gracious.

In March of 1863, a fugitive slave named Gordon found his way to the Union Army lines in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The use of the phrase “white supremacy” is ubiquitous in American political discourse. This is a result of many factors. Primarily, the election of Barack Obama and the United States’ changing racial demographics have created a reactionary backlash from white conservatives.

Only people who closely follow international news were aware of this situation until last week. It is right that so many people are concerned for the girls’ safety. Unfortunately, the effort to draw attention to this horror is of little use without a deeper understanding of Africa’s political situation.

Those who seek and are satisfied with simply the minimum get just that and often less. These are those who “negotiate” or rather petition from positions without power and often depend in undignified ways…
The heinous abduction of 276 girls from a boarding school in the village of Chibok in the north eastern part of Nigeria on the 14th of April 2014 falls into a pattern of hideous terror unleashed by the Boko Haram in Nigeria, north Cameroon and Niger for a few years now.

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) warned that Democrats are likely to lose ground to Republicans this November if they continue to emphasize fundraising over organizing.
Late last month, US attorney general Eric Holder announced [3] that the Obama administration would release new guidelines for clemency petitions, opening up the possibility that thousands of people serving long prison sentences for non-violent drug offenses might be released. The guidelines require [4] that applicants have served at least 10 years on a charge that would be prosecuted differently today – a standard which mostly applies to drug charges – and that they have a good prison record, a limited prior arrest record and no ties to organized crime. The author of this op-ed has served 14 years and nine months of her sentence and hopes that she might qualify for clemency.

In this Budget Debate 2014-2015, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller gave a marathon address to Parliament. Fidel Castro in his heyday was famous for giving speeches that went on ad infinitum.

I recently attended the release of the National Urban League’s Annual State of Black America Report at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The Report is an extremely important document because it provides key indicators of Black progress in a number of social and economic areas in relationship to White Americans.