Dr. Boyce Watkins

I have a confession to make:  I've never understood the vehement opposition that the black church has to gay marriage.  Don't get me wrong, I understand what the bible has to say on the matter, but since when did every Christian live according to the bible?  I mean, seriously, would...

What do you do when your municipality is holding arguably the most-hated and notorious killer on earth?  You grant him bail. That's exactly what Judge Kenneth Lester did for George Zimmerman, the man who killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

As a condition of his bail, Zimmerman is not...

I haven't spoken with Al Sharpton in a few months.  But if we were still speaking and he were to ask me what to do with the mother of Trayvon Martin, my answer would be very simple:  Get her off the stage right now.

Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, appeared on...

George Zimmerman, the man who instantly turned himself into public enemy number one, is an intriguing character for a multitude of reasons.  When I read Zimmerman's story, he reminds me of one of my more "interesting" friends who had a similar story in his life.  This person was also a...

The always interesting and entirely lovable Demetria Lucas wrote a very nice article on TheRoot.com asking whether or not men avoid successful women. I had to chime in on this one. For the busy and successful women who are reading this, I will try to save your valuable time...

I watched in shock as a young black woman at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) became violent in class during a discussion on the death of the late Trayvon Martin. The student cursed at her classmates and eventually attacked people in the room. Jonatha Carr, a 24-year-old student who...

News that the Obama Administration is going to step in to investigate the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was music to the ears of millions of concerned citizens around the world.  Martin, who was killed under peculiar circumstances by a self-appointed night watchman (George Zimmerman),...

Like any other black man who doesn't walk around with a gun on his waist, I found myself confused and disturbed by the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.  Martin, who was unarmed, was shot by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman last week after an altercation.

As the son of...

Janelle Harris wrote an interesting article at Essence.com, discussing stereotypes of black mothers in America. The title of the article was quite compelling, "Black Moms Do More Than Cook, Cuss and Beat Their Kids."

Like everyone else, I thought back to the women who've influenced me in my life,...

When I recently debated Michael Eric Dyson at Brown University on the problems with mass promotion of violent and misogynist hip-hop music through BET and other media, the response from the public was... well... interesting.  

On one hand, there were those who've been waiting for someone to speak openly...

The tragic death of Whitney Houston has officially made this one of the most depressing black history months in recent memory. The deaths of Don Cornelius, Whitney Houston and Etta James last month have simply been too much for us to bear. But life must go on and when...

In a recent article in Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Professor Cornel West "went H.A.M." on Tulane University Professor Melissa Harris-Perry.

In what might be his strongest public comments yet, West referred to Harris-Perry as a "fake" and a "fraud" for allowing herself to be used by the liberal...

My daughters all like Nicki Minaj.  I don't necessarily like the fact that they like her, but I figure that an appreciation of Nicki Minaj is not as bad as other habits they could have developed, like smoking crack or voting Republican.  Nicki might be a bit strange and...

Like the rest of America, I was distraught over the death of the great Don Cornelius, creator of the legendary show, Soul Train.  There will never be another one like him, for he truly changed the black entertainment landscape for all eternity.   I thought about Cornelius for a...

I've heard people say that the expectations on Barack Obama are greater from our community than they have been for any other president.  When someone highlights the fact that black unemployment has actually worsened under the Obama Administration while improving within the white community, the quickest reaction I...

There's nothing more awkward than to be the one southern black man in the room who says that he's not quite sure about Christianity. No one attacks you for asking questions, they just "pray" for you. Some will talk to you like a mentally disabled 2-year-old who has never been taught to...

I was born to a 17-year old single mother in a housing project in Louisville, Ky. I struggled through elementary, middle and high school. In fact, I rarely met a school book that I didn't hate. I was, in the words of Forbes Magazine columnist Gene Marks, a "poor...

Bishop Eddie Long and former Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain were once considered to be pillars of their community. Long was the lead pastor at one of the largest churches in the south (the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where he remarkably maintained power), and Cain was on his way...

Comedian Chris Rock made some interesting comments this week about President Barack Obama. Rock, who is a strong supporter of the president, felt compelled to argue that none of us should be fooled by the relatively passive, less-than-impressive first term of Obama. Instead, Rock says that we should look forward...

I find myself consistently fascinated at how angry and ugly women can be on Vh-1 reality shows. Rather than attempting to understand the inner beauty that makes a human being lovable, too many seem to think that attraction comes down to long hair, a short dress and a shapely backside.

The...