Andrew Wilkes

Governor Cuomo has an opportunity to exercise economic leadership on behalf of the Empire State's most vulnerable families. Despite his characterizations, raising the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 can and should be done. According to a recent Siena College poll, 79 percent of New York State...

Last week, I had to the pleasure to interview Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, a candidate for New York's 8th Congressional District, which covers neighborhoods in Central Brooklyn, South Brooklyn, and Southeast Queens. Our conversation explored what Jeffries' election would mean for residents of the district, particularly on the issues of education,...

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act should be a local law in New York City. The policy objective is straightforward: ensure that large-scale commercial developments receiving city subsidies -- I have in mind projects like the Gateway Shopping Center, which will receive approximately $140 million over the...

On August 28th, the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King memorial was to be dedicated at the National Mall. Due to Hurricane Irene, the dedication has been postponed. Nevertheless, King's presence marks the first non-presidential, private citizen and clergyperson...

I tip, tip, tip on the tightrope everyday of the week. Seriously. I'm a huge Janelle Monae supporter. For the unfamiliar, Monae is a 25-year-old singer, songwriter and entrepreneur. Through Wondaland Arts Society, her record label, she negotiated a deal that allowed her to retain creative control and leverage a...

Marriage can be a beautiful thing. Due to a unique Protestant upbringing I regard it as a sacrament. That is to say, God's grace pivots the heart toward one's beloved in appreciation and respect. In that pivoting, in the daily rhythms of loving and being loved by one's closest companion,...

Social criticism is as common as a conversation in the church vestibule after service concludes. After a pastor questions a particular public policy, many parishioners linger around to discuss what Michael Walzer calls the "conditions of common life." Publicly reflecting on social issues, then, is not the exclusive province of...

In a market downturn where 9.5 percent of people are unemployed, the coverage surrounding LeBron James can serve us a pie slice or three of that ol' religious virtue: humility. Most of the press is characterizing LeBron James as a primadonna, a sellout to the city of Cleveland,...

Millennials want to be drum majors--highly visible leaders whose gait ripples throughout every sector of society. Our ambition is stoked by the ubiquitous success stories of millennials like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (26 yrs. old), the uber-talented Lebron James (25), and the darling of popular music, Beyonce Knowles (28). To...

Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan unveiled the $10 million Promise Neighborhoods initiative -- an effort that distributes up to $500,000 dollars in competitive grants for communities implementing cradle-to-career services. The career-to-cradle model is based on Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children Zone (HCZ) model and is the...