Affirmative Action – Part 2
James Farmer, a co-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), claims that he proposed the idea of Affirmative Action to Lyndon Johnson when Johnson was Vice-President. When he reported that fact to the Council on United Civil Rights Leadership, which the media dubbed the “Big Four” or the “Big Six,” Whitney Young, Executive Director … [Read more…]
Affirmative Action – Part 1
Affirmative Action is on its last legs. By the end of this term, the U.S. Supreme Court will almost certainly declare it unconstitutional. In October, the Supreme Court heard arguments on Affirmative Action in two cases, one concerning Harvard University and the other involving the University of North Carolina. At the hearing, the conservative super … [Read more…]
Why Brittany Griner Played in Russia
Everyone knows that Brittany Griner is a superstar WNBA basketball player who played in Russia. And many know that she made a lot of money there. But why was this the case? NBA superstars do not play abroad. One reason WNBA stars’ treatment differs from the treatment of NBA stars is the rampant sexism that … [Read more…]
Influencing Public Opinion on Guns
Mass shootings are occurring with increasing frequency, as are gun homicides. Among the reasons for this horrific trend are “too many guns.” Another reason, of course, is the problematic lax rules about the sales and purchasing of these weapons.” But there is another significant factor. Gun control advocates have lost the contest to control guns … [Read more…]
Whitewashing History
Virginia Republican Governor Youngkin is using ham-handed sleight-of-hand methods to return the State to the Byrd machine days of the 1950s and 1960s massive resistance to integration. And he is doing so by using Byrd’s way of manipulating the education curriculum. During Governor Northam’s administration, many leaders admitted that the miseducation of Virginians needed to … [Read more…]
Democratic Messaging
Democrats did better than expected in the past election, but they could have done better. On Wednesday, November 9, the day after the elections, I listened to many post-mortem commentaries and analyses. I was struck by the comments of a Black caller from Georgia who had volunteered for Senator Warnock’s campaign. He had volunteered to … [Read more…]
Youngkin’s Problematic Education Plan
Governor Youngkin is pushing to institute the MAGA-Republican doctrine in Virginia. Last week the Montgomery County Dialogue on Race held a community briefing on our response to the Governor’s problematic education plan. In May 2022, the Youngkin administration released a report, “Our Commitment to Virginians: High Expectations and Excellence for All Students.” And on August … [Read more…]
Problematic Mainstream Media
As American democracy teeters on the brink, the mainstream media is faltering in its role as a protector of democracy. I am a longtime critic of President Joe Biden. Throughout his political career, he has been my example of a person who “goes along to get along.” I blame him for Clarence Thomas—how as chairperson … [Read more…]
The College Football Business – Part 2
The business nature of big-time college football is evident in the furious realignment of college athletic conferences. This realignment, as Deepthroat and the boys on the corner inform us, is “all about the money.” “Big-time” means the five so-called power conferences—the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big 10 Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the PAC-12 … [Read more…]