OP-ED

On Earth Day 1993, I delivered the first major speech of my life. It was in New York City’s Bryant Park, kicking off a nationwide tour to rally opposition to the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

In a country growing more diverse by the day, we have the power to stop book bans and other attempts to erase Black history.

Despite the wide-ranging opinions and perspectives held by individuals representing different cultures and political persuasions, there is one common dominator that should always connect people of goodwill. Facts are a common dominator that should easily be accepted by everyone, regardless of their backgrounds.

When we see a 75-year-old white man out in the woods with a group of Black and brown kids from lowincome neighborhoods, teaching them about nature, few of us assume he is there because that is where he feels most comfortable. Probably even fewer of us assume many of those kids look just like the ones he grew up with in public housing projects more than 60 years ago.

Almost everybody who delivers a speech, anywhere we go, somebody seems to be quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Obviously, somebody is not hearing what he said or doesn’t understand what he meant. For starters, let’s go back to his speech on America’s war against the Vietnam War.

It's a familiar pattern in right-wing political manipulation:  Sabotage an institution. Point to the resulting damage as evidence of the institution’s ineffectiveness. Use the manufactured evidence to subvert the institution.

The most effective way for African Americans to build wealth is through homeownership. But so many families ask, where do you start when you want to buy a home?

Black individuals and families often face barriers to equal justice in court due to limited access, racial bias, and difficulties representing themselves when legal representation is unavailable or unaffordable.

Jerry Curran has been organizing to retire the Merrimack Station coal power plant in Bow, New Hampshire for 17 years. He is one of many local activists who have brought inspiring tenacity and creativity to the fight to make New England coal-free.

One of the things I’ve noticed is the great effort to insult, discourage, even destroy Black women who’ve been most successful among us at doing their jobs!