Vantage Point Articles

As the “Gang of Eight” Senators in the U.S. Congress prepare to outline their proposals for comprehensive immigration reform, there is alarm in some quarters of the Black Diaspora that the legislation they put forth may harm the interests of people of African descent.

A few weeks ago I made my annual Pilgrimage to Selma, Alabama for the Bridge Crossing Jubilee which commemorates “Bloody Sunday,” the occasion when civil rights activists and concerned citizens first attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery in March of 1965 to demand the restoration of the right to vote.

First, to the Honorable Pedro Pires, former distinguished President of Cape Verde and President of the Amilcar Cabral Foundation, Officials of Government, Officials of the Foundation and assembled Speakers and Panelists, I consider it a great honor and privilege to be afforded an opportunity to share a few ideas on the relevance of the thought and theory of Amilcar Cabral in the contemporary context on the occasion of the Commemoration of his 90th Birthday.

On New Year’s Eve, African Americans from around the country gathered in Black churches for “Watch Night” Services, the tradition of reenacting the watch of enslaved Africans December 31, 1862, as our ancestors eagerly awaited the day that the Emancipation Proclamation would officially become law…

Africans in America should be aware that 2013 is a year of great significance. It will mark the 150^th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln, the 50^th Anniversary of the Assassination of Medgar Evers and the 50^th Anniversary of the historic March on Washington.

As some of my followers are aware, I am an occasional Guest Radio Talk Show Host, periodically sitting in for Warren Ballentine, Mark Thompson and Rev. Al Sharpton on Radio-One, SIRIUS/XM networks as well as WWRL AM in New York.

The Republican and Democratic Conventions are history, and the campaign for the presidency will shift into high gear.  Viewing the two conventions should have given African Americans a glimpse of the difference in composition and direction of the two major parties.  As a friend of mine, who is White, remarked, “Ron, the Republican Convention was White, but the Democratic Convention looked like America.”

I recently had the privilege of participating in George Fraser’s Power Networking Conference (PNC) in Dallas.  Sponsored by FraserNet, the Conference is one of the most amazing gatherings of Black people that occurs in Black America — annually attracting thousands of Black professionals eager to embrace George’s vision/mission of “creating wealth that can be passed on inter-generationally and making Black people the number one employers of Black people in the 21^st Century.” Once again this year I had the honor of conducting the Libation Ceremony along with Kwa David Whitaker, a longtime friend and mentor of George. I was also a Panelist for the Town Hall Meeting.