Back in high school, one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs was “Ten Years Gone” from the Physical Graffiti album. It was a melancholy sort of song, and I did melancholy really well as a teenager. With Robert Plant’s pensive lyrics about days gone by and Jimmy Page’s layer upon layer of forlorn guitar, it was a [...]
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You’ve got to think that Ben Stiller and the studio behind his new movie about a movie, Tropic Thunder, are overjoyed about all the controversy the film is stirring up. After all, when you’re trying to promote a movie, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?
This article from the Chicago Tribune explores the reactions [...]
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National Anthem-gate is causing quite a stir in Denver. Has anyone caught drift of this controversy yet? It seems jazz singer Rene Marie really pushed the limits during a civic event in the Mile High City. My old friend Steve Chavis offers some great thoughts about it over at his excellent blog, The Old School (and I’m not [...]
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Have any of you seen RiseUp in your local newspaper yet? This groundbreaking weekly newspaper insert and online magazine is designed to stir our thinking on issues of race, ethnicity, and culture. It launches this weekend with a circulation of more than 4 million. In her note to readers, the publication’s founder and publisher, Janice [...]
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Two interesting articles from the Associated Press on Barack Obama and identity politics appeared this weekend. Of course, it’s become pretty difficult to find an article about Obama that isn’t also about identity politics.
Anyhow, the first is a piece about the dilemma Obama’s presidential bid presents for black Republicans (including J.C. Watts, Colin Powell, and [...]
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Today, June 12, is celebrated by many interracial couples and families as “Loving Day.” I must confess I was not aware of this special day until I read reports last month about Mildred Loving’s death.
On this day in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the laws banning interracial marriage. (Think about that—1967!) Richard and Mildred Loving were the interracial couple whose [...]
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Last month, a few dozen Christian leaders gathered at Duke University to discuss issues of racial and ethnic reconciliation. The meeting was called by Chris Rice, coauthor of the landmark book More Than Equals and director of Duke Divinity’s Center for Reconciliation. I was invited to attend the event, but unfortunately I could not (I [...]
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As you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t been blogging that much lately—too busy! And I probably shouldn’t be blogging now, but I wanted to call your attention to a few items of interest I’ve run across recently. Some of them are slightly aged but still worthwhile.
“Racial Shift in a Progressive City Spurs Talks.” A case study of [...]
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Anyone watch the NBC reality show Last Comic Standing? I don’t, but I was checking out the blog Racialicious yesterday and ran across this post about a Chicago comedian named Esther Ku who recently appeared on the show. The post’s headline suggests that Ku is the Korean-American Sarah Silverman. (Silverman, for those who don’t know, is a white [...]
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Thanks to my friend P.E.W. for calling my attention to an excellent article in today’s Chicago Tribune about a new report from the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute that says minority children in foster care are being ill-served by a federal law that plays down race and culture in adoptions.
“The law muzzled any agency that [...]
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