There is an old African proverb that says, "When the elephants are at war, it is the grass that suffers." Unfortunately, politics have trumped people and posturing has overtaken progress as it pertains to many critical issues facing the nation. The result has been that much of the citizenry has...

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke at length on Friday, June 14 about the need to break down the financial barriers to college. Duncan praised the United Negro College Fund's (UNCF) history of helping students of color to finance their higher education and asserted that now is the...

The life of Aaron Willis was forever changed on the night of December 19, 2012. The ninth grader at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida was shot while riding his bike in the Wynwood section of the city when shots rang out. One of the bullets...

The front page of Sunday's New York Times featured a story entitled "Better Colleges Fail to Lure Talented Poor: Qualified But Unaware." The article centered on a new analysis by Caroline Hoxby of Stanford and Christine Avery of Harvard that found that the majority of low-income...

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan forcefully reiterated President Obama's challenge for the U.S. to lead the World in college graduation rates by 2020 at a Martin Luther King Day Luncheon in Washington D.C. hosted by Education for a Better America (EBA) and the National...

The health disparities in New York State are staggering according to the 2012 New York State Minority Health Surveillance Report. Hispanics in New York State had the highest percentage of poor or fair health when compared with other ethnic groups. African-Americans had the highest rates of prostate cancer...

When it comes to models of excellence in the area of urban education; Frazier International Magnet School (FIMS) on Chicago's West Side stands at the forefront. The school, which serves grades K-8, opened in September of 2007 after an intense recruiting effort in West Side neighborhoods for students. In 2010,...

The 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams followed the journeys of two Chicago teenagers in their attempt to fulfill professional basketball aspirations. Arthur Agee from the West Garfield Park section of Chicago's Westside and William Gates from the Cabrini Green Housing Project exhibited talent, perseverance, and drive ultimately parlaying their...

Innovation and improvement characterize the partnership at Miami Northwestern Senior High School between Florida International University (FIU) and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Northwestern, located in Liberty City, an economically disadvantaged section of Miami, received a school grade of "D" or "F" every year between 2000 and 2010....

The most powerful black person in the state of Florida is arguably the Senior Pastor of New Birth Baptist Church in Miami, Bishop Victor T. Curry. Curry, who also serves as the National Action Network Miami Chapter President, was the driving force behind the non-partisan get out the...

One of the most striking aspects of many urban communities is the vast amount of talent that is wasted. Many of the young people that reside in these areas are immensely talented and gifted but do not receive the appropriate encouragement, direction, or guidance to realize the full extent of...

The selection of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate has ignited an intense debate over his proposed budget with the lion share of the spotlight focusing on the future of the Medicare program. The future of Medicare is a very critical issue and the attention that...

When Homan Street on the Westside of Chicago, Illinois is changed to Mary Thomas Way on Saturday, August 4 it will be a salute to every mother who is a "drum major" for sacrifice and service in their family. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech The...

There is no doubt that there are many great things about major college athletics. It gives students, alumni, and in some instances entire states a sense of pride and togetherness. It provides thousands of young people with scholarships and helps to fund institutions of higher learning. These and other benefits...

The impact of stigmas and stereotypes can be observed and analyzed as it pertains to the appalling violence that took place in the movie theater on July 20 in Aurora, Colorado. First, there is the issue of mental health and the stigma associated with it. The shooter was clearly in...

The tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado clearly displayed that violence can affect every demographic segment of the United States. Every race, gender, and socioeconomic category has its own particular set of challenges and obstacles. The precarious predicament of the black male in America has been especially concerning. The well documented...

In 1969, 14-year-old Vanessa Simmons was a part of the first class to integrate Alamo High School in the rural West Tennessee town of Alamo. It took 15 years for the public policy set forward by the Brown vs. Board of Education case of 1954 to reach the cotton fields...

The rise of the basketball, football, hip hop, and "real" housewives phenomenon on various television programs has been simultaneous accompanied by articles, television specials, and books relentlessly touting the mantra of there being a shortage of "good black men". Statistics such as nearly 40 percent of black women have never...

The recent spike in homicides among young people in the city of Chicago has sparked the resurgence of a national discussion on preventing youth violence. Politicians, law enforcement personal, national civil rights leaders, scholars, and others are often called upon to formulate and solve the perplexing program of...

Ralph Ellison wrote in his seminal classic of American literature, The Invisible Man, that "I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." The recent prison hunger strike in the state of Georgia over the treatment of Miguel Jackson has highlighted the plight of a segment of the...