I have a post at Religion Dispatches on the perverse ironies of the unspoken complacency with which the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is often celebrated. Here's the final paragraph. Religion Dispatches - MLK's 'Dream' Unrealized and UndigestedIt seems to me that given America's glaring gaps today in economic justice at home and principled, constructive involvement in the outside world, King's "Dream" speech should if anything play as a stinging reminder of how little of his … [Read more...]
The Zeleza Post on today’s “sanitation” of Martin Luther King
January 24, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Do read this bracing and lyrical meditation on the misappropriation of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in American popular culture and politics. Remembering Martin Luther King: Beyond the Sanitization of a Dreamer | The Zeleza Post Powered by ScribeFire. … [Read more...]
When outsiders forget their place
January 15, 2007 By
I expect the occasional troll to drop by, especially given how I openly mock some of the Beltway's most sacred cows (e.g., the so-called War on Terror). But even the most obnoxious trolls generally pick fights over substantive issues. So you can imagine my surprise when I found myself in a spat with somebody over my use of Arabic words in my posts. Yes, someone--and a blogger who evidently fancies himself an informed firsthand observer of the Middle East and Islam--was outraged at my … [Read more...]
Shades of racism
December 16, 2006 By 4 Comments
I'd call this "disturbing news", but it's actually barely newsworthy to those who pay attention to such matters. A depressing recent study put out by my school, the University of Georgia, reminds us of the many sinister permutations racism and racial preferences continue to take in the real world. The preference for lighter skin tone runs so deep, it appears, that lightskinned Blacks without qualifications are more likely to get hired than far more qualified Black men with dark … [Read more...]
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