Just a week ago, newspapers all across our country listed the names on their front pages of thousands of Americans killed by COVID-19. More than 100,000 Americans have perished from the coronavirus. And, as I have repeatedly pointed out, nearly 23 percent of these deaths are African-Americans, even though we black people make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population. WHEN […]

President Trump recently concocted a new phrase to continue his absurd attacks and insults against President Barack Obama. I’m not even going to dignify the phrase by including it in this column. Suffice to say, without providing any facts (his usual method of operation), Trump accused his predecessor in the White House of “the greatest political scandal in […]

Earlier this week we celebrated Mother’s Day. As someone who has fought for the rights of women, especially women of color, throughout my life, we have rejoiced with family and friends over how far women, including mothers, have come in our professional and personal lives, and also agonized over how far we still have to go. This […]

Diseases don’t discriminate. Societies do. We need to keep that in mind when fighting the coronavirus. And while each infectious disease is different, there’s one constant: It’s the poor who suffer the most.  This pandemic is showing us what we must do — not just now, but going forward — by magnifying the inequities of our […]

Candidly, I’m shocked that I even have to write this. And I’m horrified that the current administration and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are putting American lives at risk by forcing them to vote in-person during a pandemic involving a highly communicable virus. But just this week, we learned from the Wisconsin Department of Health that 52 people who reported that they […]

We all know the old saying that tough times bring out both the best in people and the worst in people. And right now, the coronavirus pandemic has brought tough times to literally billions of us all around the world. For a vivid illustration of both the best and worst response to the pandemic, you have to […]

The more things fall apart, the more they come together. Even now, as so much about our society seems to be unraveling, hope for deliverance is taking shape. Everything is coming together on the Democratic side of the 2020 presidential race. That’s good news, not just for Democrats, but for independents, and even for disaffected Republicans who […]

Pandemics are filled with paradoxes. Paradoxes such as we need to come together – while remaining six feet apart. I have nothing but confidence in the American people. But we have to be constantly informed about what we must do together to properly mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. We crave answers and reassurances, not excuses and accusations. This sort of event should bring out the best in us. And it most certainly […]

I don’t wish hell on anybody. Right now, I’m doing my darnedest to avoid it for all of us. But I recently garnered media attention for saying during an appearance on Fox News Channel that Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel could “go to hell.” No, that’s not how my mother raised me, but I was deeply […]

Election Day for millions of American voters has already started with early voting from Nevada to California to Texas and North Carolina. The excitement is brewing and the race for the Democratic nomination remains fluid. The ninth debate is crucial and I believe every American will be in for a treat. When this race started, Democrats were looking at […]