‘Bloody Sunday’… an ignominious title that no town in America would ever wish to have. On March 7, 1965, Selma, a small town in Dallas County, Alabama went from being a quiet rather unknown place to a community splashed all over the news and front pages of the papers. The town was the site of […]
The month of February is a designated time where schools and organizations make concerted efforts to acknowledge and celebrate the lives and contributions of black persons, both past and present. Certainly it is important to recognize and consider the accomplishments of so many historical figures of color on a year-round basis. However, February marks the […]
Pop quiz: True or false, security around the President of the United States is the tightest security in the world. If you answered true, you are wrong. If that surprises you, you are not alone. Last Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee called Julia Pierson, director of the Secret Service, to testify following a number of […]
Whiz. Bang! Ahh! On the Fourth of July, fireworks displays will amaze Americans from sea to shining sea. It is just as John Adams, the first Vice President and second President of the United States, imagined when he wrote to his wife Abigail: I am apt to believe that [Independence Day] will be celebrated, by […]
Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor American servicemen and women, to remember servicemen and women who have lost their lives, and to appreciate the sacrifices of both those who serve and their families. This year, the message of Memorial Day shares headlines with an ironic partner: officials working at several Veteran’s […]
Freedom, prosperity, and equality shape Americans’ national ideals and identity. America’s lineage is full of people who have worked hard and prospered. But, strife, inequality, and brutality are also a part of America’s bloodline. Thankfully, America’s story includes men and women who faced intimidating foes and overwhelming opposition yet asked a bold question: Why not […]
On Monday, January 27, American folksinger, songwriter, and life-long advocate Pete Seeger died at the age of 94. Pete Seeger believed deeply in the founding vision of America: justice and equality for all. Throughout his life he revived and used American folk music to unite people, and to work toward a more perfect world. For […]
In 1776, Abigail Adams wrote an interesting letter to her husband. As a member of the Continental Congress, John Adams had been working with colleagues to craft a declaration of independence for the newly ‘united’ states. Abigail reminded John to remember the ladies in this new democracy. In an attempt to placate his wife, John […]
What do the following events have in common: Irish Civil War, Teapot Dome Scandal, the abolishment of the Ottoman Empire, and the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb? The common thread is that all of the mentioned events took place during 1922. Season 4 of the popular PBS series Downton Abbey began airing last month. This […]
What makes a movie award-worthy? Is it movies that make you laugh out loud? (Not a little computer LOL but snorting, belly-laughing, for real out loud.) Is it movies that make you say, “Whoa!”? Is it movies that make you smile all day, or movies that make you think? Is it movies that most effectively […]