African Americans

Congresswoman Barbara Lee on Why Shirley Chisholm Was Right

Congresswoman Barbara Lee on Why Shirley Chisholm Was Right Congresswoman Barbara Lee on Why Shirley Chisholm Was Right

The California Democrat explains why, during her 25 years in Congress, it was important for her “to disrupt and dismantle and build something that’s equitable and just and right.”...

Dec 9, 2024 / Q&A / John Nichols

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo: a white guy.

Andrew Cuomo Is Not Black Andrew Cuomo Is Not Black

But he’s hoping no one notices as he tries to crowbar his way back into power.

Oct 30, 2024 / Column / Alexis Grenell

After discovering Jane in 1971, Shannon joined Chicago’s famous abortion underground.

The Story of Sakinah Ahad Shannon, an Early Hero of Abortion Liberation The Story of Sakinah Ahad Shannon, an Early Hero of Abortion Liberation

Sakinah discovered Chicago’s Abortion Counseling Service, better known as Jane, because she wanted to help a friend. Then she became an essential part of it.

Oct 1, 2024 / Feature / Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone

House And Senate Democrats Unveil Policing Reform And Equal Justice Legislation

The Mass Movement That Never Came The Mass Movement That Never Came

Four years after the “Summer of George Floyd,” the political climate has cooled.

Aug 27, 2024 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

Marchers at a racial justice protest, with several holding up portraits of George Floyd.

We’re Caught in Another Cycle of Racial Progress and Retrenchment We’re Caught in Another Cycle of Racial Progress and Retrenchment

The racial justice uprisings in 2020 led to some minor achievements—and a major backlash.

Jul 16, 2024 / Column / Kali Holloway

Black MAGA Is Still MAGA to the Core

Black MAGA Is Still MAGA to the Core Black MAGA Is Still MAGA to the Core

Trump’s strategy for the Black vote has been high on empty symbolism and low on specific policy benefits for the Black community.

May 22, 2024 / Clarence Lusane

Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington

Martin Luther King’s Dream at 60 Martin Luther King’s Dream at 60

King offered Americans the choice between acting in accordance with the constitution and resistance—often violent—to change.  In many ways, we face the same choice today.

Aug 28, 2023 / Eric Foner

A History of the Crack Epidemic From Below

A History of the Crack Epidemic From Below A History of the Crack Epidemic From Below

Donovan X. Ramsey explains how documenting the history of the drug war is a “community project” and looks back on 1990s rap music's anti-crack hits.

Aug 4, 2023 / Q&A / Naomi Elias

Alison Mills Newman

The Strange Legacy of “Francisco,” a Novel of Black Bohemianism The Strange Legacy of “Francisco,” a Novel of Black Bohemianism

Over the years, Alison Mills Newman has become disillusioned with her work of experimental fiction. Its story is now caught between radical aesthetics and conservative politics.

Jul 12, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Kennedy Welcoming The Leaders Of The 1963 Civil Rights March On Washington

From Full Employment to Racial Democracy From Full Employment to Racial Democracy

In the second half of the 20th century, Black politics began to shift away from its focus on economic inequality.

Jun 29, 2023 / Column / Adolph Reed Jr.

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