By Herb Boyd — When Africans were forcibly brought to America, they worked at the points of production. And whether as a multitude of enslaved workers on small farms, large plantations, in mines or elsewhere, black laborers were vital cogs in creating wealth for their owners. On a national scale, enslaved black laborers provided a workforce vital for the development of the American republic by bringing wage-free economic success and…
By Herb Boyd — An ensemble of luminaries, mainly writers and musicians, shared their memories and reflections of the esteemed author Toni Morrison on Thursday at the Cathedral Church of…
Congressman John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929 – October 27, 2019) By Herb Boyd — Unlike his often convulsive, tumultuous political career, former Congressman John Conyers, Jr. died peacefully…
Toni Morrison (February 18, 1931 — August 5, 2019) By Herb Boyd — “We die,” Toni Morrison said at the conclusion of her Nobel Prize address in 1993. “That may…
By Herb Boyd — From far and wide, comrades of Don Rojas came with passages of praise for the ailing journalist, who was defined by many as a freedom fighter. Rojas, diagnosed with bone cancer and undergoing debilitating treatment, must have felt some comfort with the outpouring of love and genuine respect from a coterie of renowned speakers last Saturday evening at the House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn.
By Herb Boyd — In this digital age of social media, when in a nanosecond you have the news, we are just learning of the death of noted scholar and esteemed intellectual Dr. Martin Kilson who made his transition on April 24. His passing, no matter when it occurs, is a considerable loss to the world of African and African American studies. Dr. Kilson, 88, a Government Professor Emeritus from…
By Herb Boyd and Autodidact 17 — There was an overflow crowd of supporters Saturday afternoon at the People’s Forum near Penn Station to hear a panel of speakers on…
Focus: A Tribute to Don Rojas. Guests: Herb Boyd (Author, Columnist, Amsterdam News, Harlem, NY), Atty. Nkechi Taifa (Consultant, Human Rights Advocate, Washington, D.C.), Carlotta Scott (Former Legislative Assistant, Cong.Ronald V. Dellums, Washington, D.C.) and Rick Adams (Chair., Board of Directors, Institute of the Black World, Pittsburgh, PA)
By Herb Boyd, New York Amsterdam News — Back in September of last year, noted scholar and activist Angela Davis was to receive the prestigious Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights award…
By Herb Boyd — “First you say you do/ Then you don’t. Then you say you will/Then you won’t/ You’re undecided now/ So what are you gonna do.” This indecision may work well in a popular song of yore, but it does little to end the 35 years former Black Panther and radio commentator Mumia Abu-Jamal has spent behind bars. On Thursday a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge ruled that Abu-Jamal who…
Topics: The Case of the Cherokee Black Freedman • Perspectives of Aretha’s Legacy and Spike Lee’s Black Klansman • The State of Black Labor in the Age of Trump. Guests: Marilyn K. Vann (President, Descendants of Freedmen, Five Civilized Tribes Association, Oklahoma City, OK), Herb Boyd (Author, Commentator, Columnist, Harlem, NY) and Bill Fletcher (Labor and Social Justice Activist, Commentator, Washington, D.C.)
Topics: The Legacy of Elombe Brath • Fighting for Justice in the Case of Anton Rose, Jr. • Impact of the the “Trump” Supreme Court. Guests: Herb Boyd (Editor, Elombe Brath, Selected Writings and Essays, New York, NY), Bernard White (The Forward, Elombe Brath, Selected Writings and Essays, New York, NY), Jasiri X (Founder/Creative Director, One Hood Media Center, Pittsburgh, PA), Dr. Julianne Malveaux (Author, Political Economist, Educator, Washington, D.C.)