Opinion RSS Feed

Obama's trump card: The black vote

Earl Ofari Hutchinson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:51:00 EST

That black voters will again give President Obama a sky-high percentage of their vote in 2012 was never in doubt. What is in doubt is how many will make up that percentage. It is the number, not percentage of black voters that turn out that will again ease the President�s path back to the White House or, make that path rocky. The 2008 election decisively proved that the presidential re-election bid is a pure numbers game.

Yayne Abeba reflects on September 11 aftermath

New America Media — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:22:00 EST

Yayne Abeba is an Ethiopian American commentator and comedian.

Obama's Freedom Riders

Henry Fernandez — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:01:00 EST

Fifty years ago this summer, hundreds of young people organized, rode buses into the deep South and got arrested for challenging Jim Crow segregation in inter-state transit. They were beaten, firebombed and imprisoned. The Freedom Riders knew full well they would not convince segregationist Southern politicians like Alabama�s Sheriff Bull Connor or Governor John Patterson to embrace integration.

DREAM Act a win-win: Good for immigrant Women and the economy

No Author — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:05:00 EST

�Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.�

U.S. Women�s Soccer: Not quite America�s team

Andrés Tapia — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:52:00 EST

What a thrill. What pride. What a show of skill and prowess by the U.S. women's national soccer team in the 2011 Women�s World Cup even as they lost in penalty shots to Japan on Sunday.

The Serengeti under threat

Wilson Kipkore — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:15:00 EST

The name Serengeti is a corruption by English and Swahili of the Maasai word Siringet. Siringet means a vast land that runs forever. Our modern understanding of Serengeti is that it is a straight and elongated grassland ecosystem, which is interspersed with wooded savanna and shrublands.

2010 election dubbed most racist in decades

New America Media — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:58:00 EST

If the election of 2008 was a referendum on race, the midterms are feeling like a recount. The dominant political discourse of 2008 centered on an improbable question: Could a black man overcome decades� worth of conservative fear mongering about scary, criminal, lazy black people and win a majority of voters? Today, things have changed

A phenomenal African Awards Gala

Sahra Mohamud — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:49:00 EST

This year�s 2nd African Awards Gala presented by Mshale was absolutely phenomenal. The special event honored members of the African community in Minnesota who have and continue to make an impact through leadership and volunteerism. As a young African, I found the achievements of the honorees and guests remarkably inspiring.

Gun Violence and Children

New America Media — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 07:10:00 EST

Recently, the United Nations expressed new concern about a crisis many Americans know little about: The use of child soldiers in global conflicts, especially in Somalia. Somalia, whose government collapsed in 1991, has been in a constant state of conflict and tension for years and still has no legally recognized government.

Ramadan: An American-Egyptian Perspective

Mustafa Abdullah — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:47:00 EST

Across cultures and peoples, the principles of Ramadan are the same: self control and the cleansing of the body and mind. However, my celebration of Ramadan varies, depending upon where I am and the existing culture there.

The form makes no Census

Eric Rozenman — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:43:00 EST

Like President Obama, I completed my 2010 U.S. Census form. Unlike the president, I did not answer �Question 5 - Race,� by checking �Black, African American, or Negro,� even though, like the chief executive�s, my mother was �White.�

Healthcare Reform: Costly Exclusion of Undocumented Immigrants

Sonal Ambegaokar — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:58:00 EST

This week, President Obama signed into law legislation that will bring a sea change to the American health care system. This legislation, known as the Patient Protection and Affordability Act, will stop insurance companies from harmful practices, make health insurance more affordable for low- and middle-income families and small businesses, and will begin to control the skyrocketing costs of the U.S. health care system.

Welcome back, you are in America now

Ahmed Tharwat — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:45:00 EST

I visited Egypt last month and spent a week covering a story with PBS News Hour crew. On my last day in Egypt, my family, who complained that I hadn�t spent much time with them, always working and running around, put together a farewell party for me. At my sister�s house, more than 25 of them started trickling in, family by family, kid by kid. We talked, laughed and cried; there was plenty of food and plenty of emotions.

Health Insurance and Immigration Reform - Separate but Inter-Related

New America Media — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:49:00 EST

The Senate Finance Committee has begun marking-up health care reform legislation introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), a process that could take several days. Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington, says now immigration politics have become part of the health care debate.

Why I Don�t Want to Go to Heaven

Edwin O. Okong'o — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:35:00 EST

When I was a child, I wanted to go to heaven. But today, after nearly 15 years in the United States, I�m absolutely sure that heaven is not for me. Before I explain my decision, let me tell you a little bit about my upbringing.

�African Blood� Saved Obama From Scrutiny in Ghana

Edwin O. Okong'o — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:54:00 EST

During his visit to Ghana, President Barack Obama laid out a U.S. policy that wasn�t any different from that of his predecessors. But because Obama�s father hailed from my home country of Kenya, and because blood � African blood, especially - is thicker than water, Africans exempted their son�s plan for the continent from the tough questions it warranted.

Time for immigration Reform is Now

New America Media — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:25:00 EST

Editor�s Note: This editorial was produced in association with New America Media (www.newamericamedia.org), a national association of ethnic media, and was published by ethnic media across the country this week to bring attention to the urgency of immigration reform.

The White House and members of Congress must move quickly on enacting a just and humane immigration reform package that will reunite families, reinvigorate the economy, and remove the term �illegal or undocumented immigrants� from the dialogue in this country. Ethnic media, which reaches over 60 million adults in the United States, calls on Congress to move decisively on immigration reform because there are few issues as important to the nation's well-being as an overhaul of the inefficient, inhumane and economically debilitating immigration system.

Educational Equity Feeds Economic Growth

Michael Wotorson — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:35:00 EST

A momentous election and a huge stimulus check for school improvement must mean that things are looking pretty good for high school students of color these days.

With Pres. Barack Obama in place as role-model-in-chief, African-American parents now have another shining example to which they can point when they tell their children about the possibilities this nation has to offer. And Congress has made billions available for states to address the distribution of effective teachers, educational data systems, and other sorely needed reforms.

A Liberian Plea: Do Not Deport Us

Father James Wilson — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:57:00 EST

A passionate plea to the people of United States,

Liberians on DED (Deferred Enforcement Departure) in United States could face deportation come March 31, 2009 which is the expiration date of their Immigration status.

Are African Leaders Anti-Unity?

Swallehe Msuya — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:46:00 EST

The dream of Africa�s 53 sovereign states to form a United States of Africa as conceived by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana more than fifty years ago has received less than enthusiastic support at a recent African Union summit held in Addis Ababa.