Slavery

Barack Obama and the American Dream

Lauri Lyons | Posted 03.01.2009 | Politics


Lauri Lyons

The past four decades have been a mixture of social growing pains and progress. Even with that said, most people never believed that a Black man would become the President.

America's Islamic Slave Roots

Frankie Martin | Posted 02.27.2009 | World


Frankie Martin

My team and I were on Sapelo Island, off the coast of Georgia, to investigate links between the US and Islam going back centuries to the Africans brought to this country as slaves.

In Senegal too, a Day of Change

Marcia DeSanctis | Posted 02.20.2009 | Politics


Marcia DeSanctis

There was no dancing in the street, but there was rapt attention, and high-fives with big grins for me, one of the few Americans on Gorée Island toda...

Amaze Us

Michael Carmichael | Posted 02.19.2009 | Politics


Michael Carmichael

As Barack Obama approaches the dais to take his oath of office, he is focused on delivering FDR's four freedoms to all Americans, each of which is in danger in America today.

Slaves: Silent Heroes Who Laid the Foundation for Inauguration Day

Lisa Earle McLeod | Posted 02.12.2009 | Living


Lisa Earle McLeod

In a grand full circle moment, America's first black president will walk up steps that were built by slaves.

An Open Letter to Frederick Douglass, Upon the Inauguration of President Obama

Frank Schaeffer | Posted 02.12.2009 | Politics


Frank Schaeffer

Like millions of white Americans, I voted for our new black President, and I did so with confidence and enthusiasm, as I would have voted for a savior come to rescue our nation.

Not a Woman in the Picture

Paul Jenkins | Posted 02.10.2009 | Politics


Paul Jenkins

Is it a coincidence that in the world's largest economy, whose military expenditure accounts for half the global total, the most senior posts dealing with money and war are still reserved for men?

A World Enslaved: Currently More Slaves On The Planet Than Any Time In History

Foreign Policy | E. Benjamin Skinner | Posted 01.20.2009 | World


There are now more slaves on the planet than at any time in human history. True abolition will elude us until we admit the massive scope of the proble...

Break the Chains of Modern Slavery: End Demand

Amb. Swanee Hunt and Lina Sidrys Nealon | Posted 01.02.2009 | Politics


Amb. Swanee Hunt and Lina Sidrys Nealon

Slavery is more prevalent today than at any point in history. Free the Slaves estimates that 27 million people are trapped in debt bondage, domestic servitude, hard labor, or the sex trade.

Five Former Slaves Who Are Changing the World

razoo.com | Kathryn Hawkins | Posted 01.01.2009 | Living


We've all learned about the courageous acts of former slaves in American history like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman--but while the Emancipatio...

Trade Cards, Not People

Cathleen Falsani | Posted 12.22.2008 | Politics


Cathleen Falsani

Call Response weaves raw footage shot undercover in brothels and sweatshops in the developing world with talking heads such as Cornel West.

It's Time for a War on the War on the "War on Christmas"

Mitchell Bard | Posted 12.22.2008 | Politics


Mitchell Bard

I would like to see a country where we don't seek to make non-Christian citizens feel like they are not part of the national fabric by pointing out to them, again and again, that they are different than a majority.

Barack and the Prize

Doon Baqi | Posted 12.11.2008 | Politics


Doon Baqi

Let's make this an American celebration, and not a black or white one. Let us remember that the other half of "united we stand" is "divided we fall."

Best Movies By Farr: Obama's Glorious Leap, and Key Films About The African-American Experience

John Farr | Posted 12.11.2008 | Entertainment


John Farr

Prior to the 1960s, race portrayals in movies were mostly confined to servants and railroad porters. Only with the advent of the Civil Rights movement did the film industry dare address the authentic black experience.

First President of the World

Bob Ostertag | Posted 12.08.2008 | Politics


Bob Ostertag

OK, I know I am way late for the party here. Everyone has already made their comments about Obama's victory and the smart money has gone home, leaving...

A Dream Fulfilled

Aram Khayatpour | Posted 12.07.2008 | Politics


Aram Khayatpour

We see history often, but sadly that history is usually tragic: 9/11, Katrina, the war in Iraq, this is the history of my generation, but Tuesday we had a different kind of history being made.

Pray for America on Tuesday: A Picture Worth 158 years

Peter Samuelson | Posted 12.05.2008 | Politics


Peter Samuelson

Today at least, in St. Louis, America looked back on one of the darkest moments in its history, and resoundingly told Judge Taney to go to hell.

The Race Factor: How Far We've Come

David S. Reynolds | Posted 12.01.2008 | Politics


David S. Reynolds

If the polls are accurate, for the first time an African American is poised to take the nation's highest political office. We can appreciate just how momentous this is by looking back in history.

How We Will Feel if Obama Wins

Lanny Davis | Posted 11.27.2008 | Politics


Lanny Davis

On Nov. 5, if Obama is the president-elect, I think most people -- regardless of their party or ideology -- will take pride in the fact that America is a purple nation, not a red vs. blue one.

Unbuckling the Bible Belt from the Legacy of Slavery

Robert S. McElvaine | Posted 11.25.2008 | Living


Robert S. McElvaine

Hardly anyone mentions that the "the Bible Belt" and "the Black Belt" refer to essentially the same part of the country. That easily overlooked fact is of enormous significance.

Does it Matter That McCain's Family Owned Slaves?

Abby L. Ferber | Posted 11.22.2008 | Politics


Abby L. Ferber

The stories of both the Dewolfs and the McCains are significant for what they can teach us about the ongoing legacy of slavery and racism in the U.S.

The Rights of Marriage, California Style

Tom Gregory | Posted 07.05.2008 | Living


Tom Gregory

Love, West Hollywood highlights the human side of an inequality that is finally unraveling. We'll see what happens in California in the next six months -- the whole world is watching us.

Uncle Barack's Cabin

Sara Davidson | Posted 06.19.2008 | Politics


Sara Davidson

The day after Obama claimed the nomination, a German newspaper ran a picture of the White House on its front page with the headline, "Uncle Barack's Cabin."

Barack Obama, Race, and the Message of Change

Martin Carnoy | Posted 06.12.2008 | Politics


Martin Carnoy

Anyone who is the least bit candid on this issue knows that race permeates many aspects of American society. Why wouldn't the race issue pervade the election of a black presidential nominee?

Florida Sorry For Slavery...Sorry It Got Caught

236.com | Posted 03.28.2008 | Politics


This week, the Florida Legislature formally apologized for the state's involvement in slavery. The two-page resolution passed both houses overwhelming...