Uptown Notes

For the past few weeks I’ve remained unsettled by the videotape of Derrion Albert’s death at the hands of Black youth in Chicago. Like many, I avoided the tape for days on end, only to finally watch it in horror, with pain, and without direct recourse. This feeling of paralysis that many of us have felt is not one that is new to our community, whether it was the viewing of Emmett Till’s body in Jet or the railroading of the Central Park Five, the loss and defilement of Black male life at the hands of those Black, White or other remains sickening.

We, the concerned, the tired, and the committed have a rare opportunity to join not just in frustration, but in production. This week, at the Think Tank for African American Progress' meeting in Memphis, Tennessee entitled: "What is the future of Black Boys?" While the media, and by admission in many of our community, suggest there is little being done to combat the conditions that black male youth face, there is work, there is opportunity, and there is the need for your voice and energy.

Hip-Hop has been political, you just haven’t been paying it attention. My reflection on the Black August Hip-Hop Project.

The month of August has been the seat of many important events in the history of African people, particularly people [...]

Why I didn’t jump up and talk about swimming pools or Skip Gates … and maybe why you may not as well.

One of my favorite portions of Assata are the verses interspersed. In honor of our great freedom fighter Assata Shakur [...]

Cornel West and Carl Dix tangle at CCNY on Tuesday night.

This Monday July 13th I will be speaking at the NAACP Centennial Convention on Educational Advocacy.

A brief round-up of the best pieces on Sotomayor’s nomination by Barack Obama for the Supreme Court.

This Sunday, in Harlem, find out and discuss the direction for the new Black Left.

This post will not be a lofty tribute to Brother Malcolm, if you would like to see one like that, check it out here. This will be a call to action, because that is one of the things El Hajj Malik El Shabazz was about. Today is a National Day of Action to Stop the Execution of Troy Davis and today I saw a heinous video of a young teenager brutalized by the Police of Toledo. I do not doubt that Malcolm would have been disturbed to action by both. Let’s honor him by doing the work!