Rather than tear down statues, some argue that the past should not be obliterated, but remembered and explained. By Norimitsu Onishi, The New York Times — BORDEAUX, France — At a bend in the river, a succession of stately stone buildings, each more imposing than the last, stretches along the left bank. Their elegant 18th-century facades had helped Bordeaux, already famous for its wineries, become a UNESCO World Heritage site.…
More than a third of black Americans say there was an occasion when they feared being hurt by a police officer. By Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Scott Clement and Emily Guskin, The Washington Post — Jackie Beckley believes the video of the final moments of George Floyd’s life may finally help white friends and colleagues understand what she has labored to tell them about her experience as a black woman:…
By Lilian Bobea — The massive protests that erupted across the United States – and beyond – after the police killing of George Floyd are billed as anti-racist mobilizations, and that they are. Demonstrators are denouncing police violence in minority communities and demanding that officers who abuse their power be held accountable. But I see something more in this wave of American protests, too. As a sociologist specializing in Latin America’s human rights movements and…
What’s ahead for the movement, the election, and the protesters? By David Remnick, The New Yorker — Tennille Newbold is a twenty-six-year-old medical assistant at a community health center in…
By Jim Winston — The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) shares the anguish, frustration, and anger in our Black communities across the country. The disproportionate impact of the…
By Rev. Dennis Dillon, NY Christian Times — There is a man in Washington who behaves just like a troubled kid with a mild mental disability – a brash, bombastic…
By Bashir Muhammad Akinyele — “The making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged.” (American dictionary on…
By The Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines The government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines rejoice, in solidarity, with the people…
By David Comissiong — The peculiar race-based history of the Western Hemisphere has bequeathed to all the people and nations of our region of the “Caribbean and the Americas” the…
By Bashir Muhammad Akinyele — “In order for us to move forward, we must look back.” -Sankofa proverb (A saying from the Akan people of Ghana) “Black Lives Matter” -The…
While not at the same scale as in other countries, some street protests against police brutality in the US have also emerged across Africa. By Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa — In Africa, the protests of George Floyd’s murder have gone beyond US embassies and the African Union. For its part, Africa’s literary community is lending its voice to amplify the calls for justice after Floyd’s killing in the hands of a…
Global outrage at the killing of George Floyd expresses the abiding international conviction that the U.S.’ self-promoted image is at odds with its reality. By Akbar Shahid Ahmed, HuffPost —…