Apology Unnecessary

There's a bit of a tempest in a teapot happening over at Montclair State University thanks to a "controversial" episode of the Keith Knight comic strip, The K Chronicles, that was published last week in the student newspaper, the Montclarion, and included the word "nigger". Twice! Well, kind of... Seemingly lost on most of those … Continue reading Apology Unnecessary

The Most Fantastic Genre

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZGqSRtDbEw] PopCultureShock posted this great little clip about the new Blue Beetle -- Mexican-American Jaime Reyes -- and Junot Diaz' Oscar Wao, wherein Diaz notes: "The most fantastic genre can't keep up, or refuses to keep up, with how much our country has changed. And so people can dream about aliens, and they can dream … Continue reading The Most Fantastic Genre

Go see Liberty City

I went to see Liberty City last night, April Yvette Thompson's multi-layered, one-person account of her upbringing in the infamous Miami neighborhood during the chaotic 70s, told against a backdrop of the rise and fall of the Black Power movement, the Crack epidemic and the Liberty City Riots that led to Miami being declared a disaster area, literally and figuratively. Co-written … Continue reading Go see Liberty City

About the Farrakhan moment

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=nJkU1e-_r3w]  The lowlight of tonight's debate was, without question I think, when Tim Russert referenced Louis Farrakhan's "endorsement" of Barack Obama this past weekend, asking if he accepted his support, and after Obama clearly and completely denounced Farrakhan's past statements about Jews and Judaism as "unacceptable and reprehensible" and defended his own record on Jewish issues and U.S.-Israel relations, … Continue reading About the Farrakhan moment

When politics gets personal for Latinos

In reality, politics are without question a very personal matter but, partly due to the media's focus on the horserace aspect of elections and partly due to the candidates often allowing themselves to be defined by labels (or at the least, trying to marginalize their opponents with them), most political debate occurs from a safe, impersonal distance. … Continue reading When politics gets personal for Latinos