Dr. Pamela D. ReedDr. Pamela D. Reed navigates the often treacherous white waters of America's ever-changing cultural landscape. Come what may, she keeps it moving-the dialogue, that is.OpinionMississippi Goddam: Free the Scott SistersNina Simone called it in 1964 with her civil rights anthem. Apparently, not much has changed since. Today, Jamie and Gladys Scott sit in a Mississippi prison, sentenced to double consecutive life sentences for a crime they have denied committing. Neither had a previous criminal record. And what was the alleged crime? Robbery. Was it a violent offense? No. […]November 13, 2010OpinionAct Da Fool: Strange Fruit Meet High FashionI have just finished watching, for the umpteenth time, the short film Act Da Fool, by critically acclaimed independent filmmaker Harmony Korine. With each viewing, I am more flabbergasted. Set in a Nashville housing project, as well as a school for the blind—and “a school for kleptomaniacs”—the film is apparently the centerpiece for Proenza Schouler’s […]September 14, 2010OpinionOf Ebonics, the DEA, and the Department of EducationApparently, the federal government is finally recognizing Ebonics as a viable language. Indeed, the Justice Department’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has put out a call for Ebonics interpreters to work in its Southeastern regional office in Atlanta. Specifically, the DEA is seeking the assistance of nine linguists fluent in Ebonics to “monitor, translate and transcribe” […]August 24, 2010OpinionSportsman’s Paradise Lost?Trees and plants always look like the people they live with, somehow. -Zora Neale Hurston in Seraph on the Sewanee (1948) If someone told me that there could be any ecological disaster that could dwarf Hurricane Katrina—and the gross presidential mismanagement in its wake — I would have been highly skeptical. Of course, that was […]May 31, 2010OpinionOn Elena Kagan: Is the Supreme Court Not a Civil Rights Issue?President Obama is reportedly going to nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS), without even interviewing a single Black jurist. For many in his largely progressive base, Kagan’s appointment would be an unforgiveable betrayal—yet another by this president. For some, the most troublesome thing about Ms. Kagan is her sparse publication record. […]May 9, 2010OpinionI’m All for Black/Brown Coalitions … But What About the Supreme Court?Joel Dreyfuss, editor at The Root.com recently penned the article, “Why Blacks Should Be Outraged at Arizona’s Immigration Law.” Mr. Dreyfuss observes that “Black Americans have not turned out in large numbers at immigration rallies, despite the fact that many African-American politicians talk of the need for coalitions with Hispanics.” And his is only […]May 6, 2010OpinionIt is High Time for a Black Woman on the High Court: Part IIAm I the only one who finds it troublesome that of the three people widely reported as likely finalists for Justice John Paul Stevens’ soon-to-be vacant seat on the Supreme Court — all White, two of whom are women — there is not one African-American among the trio? This is hard to understand, particularly since, […]April 19, 2010OpinionNo (Black) Justice, No Peace?Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation…want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters…. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” –Frederick Douglass, 1857 This weekend, […]April 15, 2010OpinionTiger by the Tail?I never thought I’d find myself defending Tiger Woods. But, alas, I am here. By now, we all know the details of Tiger Woods’ storied career. He has re-written the PGA record book and is the world’s highest-paid athlete. And he is Black. I mean, Cablinasian. But, I digress. Legend has it that Tiger’s black […]December 1, 2009OpinionSelf-Hatred on Steroids: Sammy Sosa’s Extreme MakeoverNot since Michael Jackson’s de-pigmentation have we witnessed the likes of Sammy Sosa’s shocking skin lightening. Have you seen him? Since the pictures surfaced last weekend, there has been much speculation about the former slugger’s strange metamorphosis. People wondered: Is he ill? Has he lost his mind? Is he trying to be white? […]November 11, 2009Previous PagePage 2 of 4Next Page