Melvin Van Peebles, praised as the godfather of modern Black cinema and a trailblazer in American independent movies, died last week at his home in Manhattan. He was 89. His son, the actor, Mario Van Peebles, announced his death. Van Peebles was multi-talented to the extreme. In addition to writing novels and musicals and directing … [Read more…]
In January 2020, I glimpsed a possible American future, and it was ominous. The winter months of 2020-2021 saw the so-called Second Amendment sanctuary movement sweep across the country. Then, in January, this movement came to Montgomery County, Virginia, and I witnessed it up-close and uncomfortably. They had come to try and persuade the County … [Read more…]
George Wein, the ultimate music promoter, died Monday. He lived a long and productive life—95 years–leaving the music world much better off because of his work. Modern jazz was born in the early 1940s in a movement led by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. But it took George Wein to bring jazz to the multitudes. … [Read more…]
Football season is here, professional football is back, and multitudes feel all is right with the world. You may ask, “What about college football?” But first, please realize that college football is professional football also. In 2017-2018 the Wall Street Journal estimated the value of several top college football teams and found four—Ohio State, Texas, … [Read more…]
Congressional Democrats seem to have realized that the main opposition to voting rights is the U.S. Supreme Court. Yes, Republican state legislators are returning us to the early Jim Crow era with overt voter suppression. Unfortunately, however, the Supreme Court is facilitating those efforts. Objecting to the country’s direction in seemingly moving toward racial and … [Read more…]