Michael Cottman
Tavis Smiley, a persistent critic of President Barack Obama, now claims that the White House is quietly and systematically wrecking his initiatives by pressuring corporate sponsors to drop their support for Smiley’s projects. Smiley told the Associated Press that members of the Obama administration, whom he didn’t identify, have successfully convinced sponsors to stop funding […]
President Barack Obama is squarely in the epicenter of a political storm – a mounting controversy that Republicans hope will tarnish Obama’s legacy as America’s first black commander-in-chief. As I was walking along Capitol Hill last week, a place where Republicans have never been particularly respectful of Obama, I overheard conservatives whispering gleefully about Obama’s […]
Would you really want your pastor – and your congregation – to star in a reality television show? I’m not knocking the six black pastors who have signed on for a new reality show on Oxygen called “Pastors of L.A.” — a detailed look at the lives of men of God in Los Angeles. But […]
I tend to believe Eric Holder, the embattled U.S. Attorney General, when he says he played no direct role in the Justice Department’s secret probe of the Associated Press’ telephone records. Still, the clandestine infringement of one of the nation’s largest news gathering organizations is a serious violation of civil liberties that Holder must own, […]
Tiki Barber, the former NFL running back who dumped his pregnant wife for a 23-year-old intern, wants us to believe that he’s doing some serious soul searching by asking this bizarre question of his twin brother, Ronde: “Why do so many people like you, but don’t like me?” Tiki asked during his new CBS Sports […]
Charles Ramsey is a legitimate American hero. He doesn’t want fame. He doesn’t want money. He’s an unassuming, raspy-voiced dishwasher with a refreshing desire to help people in crisis. He’s a brave black man who deserves recognition for his unselfish efforts and I hope police acknowledge his courage. Ramsey was responsible for freeing Amanda Berry […]
Deion Sanders Jr. is just a freshman at Southern Methodist University but he’s already living large by sleeping on gold satin Versace sheets in his college dorm room. Junior’s father, former NFL star Deion Sanders, widely known as “Prime Time,” tweeted a picture of his son chilling on the glitzy Versace sheets. As a parent, […]
Tension is mounting at Morehouse College. As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver a commencement address at Morehouse, a prominent Philadelphia minister who wrote a scathing critique of Obama now says he’s been disinvited to speak at Morehouse one day before Obama is scheduled to speak on May 18. Rev. Kevin Johnson, senior pastor of […]
The ever-widening wealth gap between African Americans and whites just got wider. According to a new study by the Urban Institute’s Opportunity and Ownership Project, white families averaged six times the wealth of black and Hispanic households ($632,000 versus $98,000 and $110,000, respectively) The income gap, by comparison, is much smaller, according to the study. […]
If all goes well for President Barack Obama, there will be three African Americans in the president’s White House Cabinet. Obama will have three black Cabinet members if Congress confirms the nomination of Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as the next Secretary of Transportation. Foxx will be the first black nominee among Obama’s selections for open […]
I once admired Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, the former U.S. Rep. from Detroit, but now I’m questioning her reasoning. In Washington, D.C. this week, Cheeks, who is no stranger to Capitol Hill hearings, will preside over a week of testimony about the existence of extraterrestrials, aliens from space, and unidentified flying objects. Really? What is Cheeks […]
Who killed Kendrick Johnson? Nobody knows. Or at least nobody is talking. And police investigators are no closer to solving Johnson’s death today. Johnson, a popular high school football player, was found dead on January 11. Johnson’s family deserves answers – and right now. It’s unconscionable that after three months, police have no suspects, have […]
