Michael Scott was a political operative wonder.

The ultimate dealmaker. He was everybody's friend, well liked, connected and committed. He negotiated, and he was solution-oriented. He was the essence of a homegrown Chicago guy. He never held elected office but was the consummate politician. He was an empowerer. Mike was...

This is It, the documentary that records the last days of Michael Jackson, proves that he was brilliant. The show was just two weeks from taking stage in Europe in front of sold-out audiences. The movie captures a genius at work. Michael was at home on stage.

He commanded...

The recent official White House visit to Chicago by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder weighed in on a scale somewhere between a joke and an insult. Everything about the visit was wrong. And unless there were unreported back room meetings, the question is...

Mayor Daley, Pat Ryan and the entire Olympic 2016 Bid team did a superb job in bidding for the games. Chicago was well represented. The presentation was well prepared and well thought out. All should be proud.

It was wonderful that Chicago megastars like Oprah Winfrey, President Barack Obama and...

"I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man -- that he's African American." --Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter, America's 39th president, made this statement publicly, and his comments have been subject to much criticism...

The news media has provided intense coverage to the University of Illinois lately, including front-page headlines, editorials and pundit commentaries. And many discussions have focused on the board of trustees and their suggested wrongdoing in the clout-based admission of some students to the university.

A blue ribbon committee was...

Much has been said about Ted Kennedy, and there is still much to say. He grew into greatness as a statesman, overcoming many of life's obstacles.

His greatness was shaped by his life's experience. He is the greatest senator in our time because of his political passion, family sensibility...

Democrat Representative Thad McClammy of Montgomery, Ala., sponsored the Rosa Parks Act, which passed the legislature in 2006. Governor Bob Riley has signed the bill into law.

The bill admits the wrongdoing of the government and allows legal pardon to the thousands of people who were arrested and convicted of...

If you asked the slave master what he thought about corporal punishment, his response might have been, "It is necessary to whip the slaves and treat them with brutal force because it teaches discipline and ensures productivity." Conversely, if you asked the slave about corporal punishment, the slave's response might...

With the recent, (accidental or homicidal) mysterious death of Michael Jackson, his life is being analyzed from top to bottom. Who will parent the children? Will the mother of the children come forth? Is Michael's biological mother, Katherine, too old to rear the young children? Will Joe Jackson have input...

Awesome.

In a single word, he was truly awesome. It still has to settle in for me that Michael Jackson is dead. He is a true American icon. The words awesome and icon are used so loosely these days, but these are the perfect words to describe him. He was...

Warner Saunders is a Renaissance Man. His news coverage life has been full, exciting and varied. He's taught public school; he drove a bus; he was the executive director of the Boys Club on the West Side, and he played professional basketball. All of that was before he launched a...

The face of local politics is changing.

Barack Obama's election as president of the United States will prove to be a curse or a blessing for black politicians. He has established a new standard. The jargon of diversity takes on a whole new meaning. There are no excuses or...

The most important person in just about anyone's life is Mother.

A mother shapes life habits and gives a foundation for living. When you're fortunate, she teaches you how to live and instills virtues and values beyond what you know and appreciate at the time. Her love is strong...

In this day of age where looks, style and image are everything that equals up to success, every now and then, someone with real talent, raw talent comes along.

This talent is plump and rather plain. She hails from a small Scottish village, Blackburn, and is an unemployed spinster. Had...

The presidency of Chicago State University is currently under consideration.

The university, which began in 1867 as a teacher training school housed inside a railroad freight car in Blue Island, has a long history of change. Regrettably, even with more than 140 years of change to its credit, the...

There is a saying: "Watch what you pray for, you may just get it." Then there are those who teach that you should watch what you say because the spoken word is powerful. Well, in 2008, "change" was the buzzword, and here we are. We all thought we wanted change....

America celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth this year. Some people believe him to have been the nation's greatest president. Lincoln lived from l809 to l865, when the 16th president of the United States was assassinated. Indeed, he is among the beloved, but it seems that with a...

"I want to be out there on the firing line, helping, directing or doing something to try to make this a better world--a better place to live."
--John Hope Franklin

We lost a giant of a man March 25th in John Hope Franklin.

He was brilliant,...

All is not well in River City. In the black community, there is much discussion about President Obama's performance and commitment. It is an honest discussion. On his campaign trail, we saw the civil rights people ignored; we saw ministers disregarded; and we saw Tavis Smiley exiled for raising the...