Uptown Notes

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 [...]

A look at what happens when race and gender are uncorked in a chicago eatery

Do you know some Black birthers? I bet you do!

Guest on Addicted to Race podcast 112 on Gates, Obama, and deeper racial dialogue.

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

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

We remain in a moment where people are beginning to realize that the election of Barack Obama does not mean a Black political agenda, one in which race is central, will continue to be pushed into the public sphere. So the question becomes, who advances the concerns of the faces at the bottom of the well?

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

I spend most days in the classroom teaching on issues of race, social class, mobility and opportunity. The discussions I have always intrigue me, particularly because most of my students are people of color from working class backgrounds. After listening and reading, I’m beginning to think the belief that anything is possible, clouds us from seeing what is probable. I say this not to be a pessimist, rather because I wonder what the line between naivete and willful denial of reality is. And if there are or what are the consequences for this thinning line for our people.