Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t leave
How much harm do gays and lesbians really cause in the ranks of the military? Not much, it turns out. Judging by the latest discharge figures, the military's policy is...
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Black immigrants collect most degrees
Do African immigrants make the smartest Americans? The question may sound outlandish, but if you were judging by statistics alone, you could find plenty of evidence to back it up....
Dueling stories define today’s politics
Conservative icon Newt Gingrich has wiped away whatever doubts I had that he might be planning to run for president. The former House speaker recently revealed on national television that...
Thomas colorblind in his own mind
The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously declared that he could not define pornography but he knew it when he saw it. Justice Clarence Thomas does not define...
A dream dies at the NAACP
Bruce Gordon's abrupt departure from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, after only 19 months as its president, marks the end of a marriage between old-time movement...
The perils of polls and politics
Presidential campaigns are educational. The 2008 primaries are a year away, but we're already seeing the conventional wisdom flipped on its head, teaching us Americans new lessons about ourselves. Who,...
Farrakhan’s apparent farewell
His speech in Detroit last weekend was billed as his last major public address, but associates of Minister Louis Farrakhan won't say the ailing Nation of Islam leader is retiring....
Clinton vs. Obama: An Oscar-worthy campaign drama
How appropriate that the presidential campaign drama that some already are calling "Geffengate" and "Hilla-Bama," among other nicknames happened to break during Oscar week. Nothing puts a smile on the...
Tavis Smiley’s fortes go beyond his gift of gab
What makes Tavis Smiley run? That question has intrigued me ever since I met him 11 years ago in Los Angeles. He was 31 and a failed City Council candidate,...
Race remains the focus as Obama hits the trail
Sen. Barack Obama's presidential quest has launched some revealing conversations, particularly about what makes a black person "black." Even for those who think as I do that the answer is...