Black youth are presumed guilty
I live in Philadelphia in Center City, ground zero for a series of attacks dubbed “flash mobs” by the media. Since 2009, small groups of black teens and young adults have committed 11 such attacks at random times and on random days of the week. In a fiery speech before Mount Carmel Baptist Church, [...]
This week the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is meeting in Paris and is again considering the implementation of a highly controversial international prize that would lend credibility to one of the world’s most ruthless leaders. The controversy began in 2008, when UNESCO quietly accepted $3 million from [...]
Continue reading …
A version of this paper was first published in Pambazuka News and forms the basis of the introductory chapter to a forthcoming book from Pambazuka Press African Awakening: the emerging revolutions edited by Sokari Ekine and Firoze Manji We are living today in what is probably one of the most inspiring times in our recent history, reminiscent of [...]
Continue reading …Inside a classroom at the Emily Griffith school in downtown Denver, Twenty-Seven year old Daoud Ali Muhammad is trying to improve his English. The class gives Daoud a chance to talk about the challenges he is facing in the US: “Daoud Is your apartment hot or cold?” asks the ESL instructor. “Cold,” said Daoud. “I [...]
Continue reading …African human rights defenders or colonialists? Seeking justice in Equatorial Guinea
June 14, 2010 Comments OffA few years ago I had the privilege of visiting Equatorial Guinea, a small country on the Central West African coast. In the capital city of Malabo I met incredible women and men persevering to feed, clothe, and educate their children on less than on dollar per day. Most suffered from malaria and typhoid fever, [...]
Continue reading …Originally published on Project Syndicate In a better world, my nieces and nephews in Equatorial Guinea would respect our country’s president for overseeing the careful management of revenues pouring in from oil, and for using these funds for development. In a better world, my nieces and nephews would honor the United Nations’ main cultural institution, [...]
Continue reading …By Muriam Haleh Davis Africa, as Friedrich Hegel and Nicolas Sarkozy have lamented, never managed to enter the march of history. Regardless, in the next month, it will play a staring role in the World Cup. Not quite a free pass through the pearly gates of universal subjecthood, but close. Undoubtedly, soccer has always been [...]
Continue reading …