OP-ED

Toxic waste from coal and industrial plants has been a plague for many American communities like Waukegan. One of my mentors, a legendary community organizer in Pittsburgh, once showed me an uncovered coal ash pit there. I asked him where all that waste went when there was a heavy rain. I still remember his response: “nowhere good.” 

The initiative to combat poverty emphasizes a comprehensive strategy centered on increasing access and equity across several critical areas, recognizing poverty as a significant national issue that jeopardizes the future prosperity of the United States. 

The idea to create a new Buckhead City finally died in the Georgia state legislature. And rightfully so. Democratic members of Atlanta’s state delegation never favored allowing the affluent, majority-white neighborhood of Buckhead to secede from the city of Atlanta.

Arguably, had Marilyn Mosby not had the courage to indict officers in the death of Freddy Gray, there would have been no precedent in indicting Derek Chauvin and his gang of thugs for killing Freddy Gray. Mosby, in other words, is a trailblazer.

Life in Chicago comes with exposure to an extraordinary number of asthma’s causes and triggers. Like in other large cities, emissions from gas-powered vehicles contribute heavily to overall air pollution. 

Black people have always known about selective prosecution, but lately, it has been more blatant than any we’ve seen in recent years.  Many people think things have gotten better, but in many areas, nothing could be a longer way from the truth.

Politicians might pay more attention to their issues if more poor folks voted. Instead, many Republicans consider poverty some kind of a moral failure. And while Democrats tend to promulgate policies that provide some assistance at the bottom, they often couch them in terms that do not appeal to people experiencing poverty.

The good news: Black-owned businesses are more likely than other businesses to have a low level of debt, or no debt at all. The bad news: that’s because Black-owned businesses are far less likely to be approved for loans in the first place, and Black business owners are more likely to pull from their personal savings for business expenses.

As we witness and experience what is happening today on the continents of North America and Africa, it’s absolutely important to study and act on the serious guidance for unity left to us by Brother Malcolm X. That’s the important way to celebrate what would have been his 99th birthday on May 19, 2024.

America is a nation of symbols. The bald eagle was designated the national emblem because of its strength and determination. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom.