Memorials and remembrances are important. We remember the past not just to remind us of where we’ve been but also to help us move forward in the right direction. And every February, Black History Month gives us a chance to do just that. Commemorations of Black history dates to “Negro History Week,” which was created by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926—100 years ago this year. Woodson chose February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Black communities were already celebrating both men, and Woodson thought the weeklong event could be a way for teachers to review all the Black history they had taught students within the previous year.

I am not a huge fan of comic books and superheroes, but I appreciate the storytelling. In comics, the origin story is just as important as the hero saving the day. The same is true for Black History Month, which originated as Negro History Week.Negro History Week was created by Carter G. Woodson, the child of two formerly enslaved parents. According to Harvard historian Jarvis R. Givens, Woodson was taught by his two uncles, John and James Riddle, his mother Anne Riddle’s brothers, who had also...

Camden operates the largest drone program in South Jersey with little regulation. But whose safety does it really serve?Years ago, I created and taught a high school course in Camden City, New Jersey. We discussed the city’s history and the factors that shaped its circumstances, including the events that led to the takeovers of its government, schools, and police. I gave equal time to discussing the takeover of each entity. What the students found most fascinating was the police department’s tak...

I saw the fallout from Michael B. Jordan’s snub for best actor at the Critics’ Choice Awards. One social media post in particular caught my attention. That stuck with me because I remember being told as a kid and young adult that I had to be twice as good as white kids to get the opportunities and accolades that white kids got. I know many Black folks were told this growing up, only to realize that the reality is you push yourself to be twice as good, only to get half as much.

It’s widely assumed there is a segment of Black America that is either ignorant or chooses to ignore foreign affairs. The common argument is that Black people have enough problems of their own in the U.S. without being preoccupied with global issues that have nothing to do with them. The ongoing crisis in Venezuela — in which President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to sweep in, seize President Nicholas Maduro and send him to stand trial in New York — would seem to qualify.

For many folks, the holidays mark a great time of year for relaxation, celebration, and spending time with family. For others, the holidays are a time of sadness and quiet reflection, thinking on life changes, some for the better and others for the worse. Also reflecting on loved ones who are absent or worse, those who’ve transitioned from this life. All of that makes the new year beginning even more meaningful. Whether coming off a year of triumph, challenges, or a mixed bag, the new year offers everyone an opportunity for renewal and even redemption. Thus, there are many ways to turn over a new leaf, whether by quitting a bad habit, reducing it, or creating new healthy habits.

My Grandmom, “Sissy” (God rest her soul) used to have a saying for people who said something stupid—your grandmother probably said something similar also. When a person said something stupid she would say that they “don’t know their a** from a hole in the ground.” I chuckled every time she said it. She would laugh when she saw me laughing, and then we’d laugh hysterically together. Those were good times. In the words of my late grandmother, Elon Musk does not know his a** from a hole in the ground. He recently tweeted a video saying schools should teach about the role of Great Britain and the U.S. in ending enslavement saying, “Children should be proud that Whites in the West ended slavery worldwide, which had existed for thousands of years. Again, this man doesn’t know his a** from a hole in the ground.

Maybe Donald Trump wants to make it harder for white men to get into college. Perhaps it is not an accident that affirmative action has come to an end in higher education institutions. Maybe none of this is the irony some people think it is. The Trump Administration’s rollback of DEI policies has an unintended consequence: white men, the Trump Administration’s core demographic, are being excluded from college admissions.

State-led “reforms” in Camden are threatening the survival of public education in the city—and stripping residents of democratic control over their schools.On October 28, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education, Kevin Dehmer, announced the department’s undertaking to assess how resources should be allocated to city schools moving forward. The district, through the state (Camden’s school district is under state control), has retained the services of FLO Analytics, a national data analysis firm, to...

Janet Jackson’s discography spans from 1982. But for most Janet Jackson fans, her run of albums begins in 1986. It’s not because her first two albums weren’t any good. But her third album, and every album since, was markedly different. The difference: she took control of her artistry and the music it produced...She aptly titled her 1986 album, Control. Last month, Camden parents made their public declaration for control. Camden City parents, frustrated with the current situation in the school district, have urged the state board of education to restore control of the district’s schools to residents.

I’ve been called an old soul. It’s likely due to my musical tastes. I love R&B, Funk, Jazz, and Fusion. That music was in my spirit and began to flourish as a teenager. But make no mistake, I am a child of hip hop. I am an ’80s baby, but most certainly a ’90s kid. The 90s were when I came of age. At the turn of the millennium, my Hip Hop consumption was defined to a tee. I loved extravagant, complex, and soulful beats. I loved beats fueled by samples, with clever, insightful lyrical content. As a result, one of my favorites was the Diplomats, aka Dipset. Cam’ron, Jim Jones, and Juelz Santana.

Popular culture mainstays like television commercials or your favorite advertising jingles never made it around to rendering the label of “patriot” to African Americans. The same is true for grade-school textbooks, small-town Independence Day celebrations, and propaganda seeking America’s “best and brightest.” When I was growing up, the terms “patriot” and “patriotic” were hardly, if ever, used to name or describe Black people. My children and my students likely share this experience. As a student and teacher of history, I’m saddened by this because Black people are indeed patriots. Acclaimed artist Amy Sherald believes this, too. In an interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS News’ 60 Minutes, she explained why: “I don’t think there’s anybody more patriotic than a Black person,” she said. “We’ve been here since the inception of this idea of what ‘American’ is. We are deeply ingrained in the fabric of this country. This country would not be if it was not for us . . . . I’m the definition of an American.”

As a teenager, I had a few jobs—under-the-table jobs, stipend jobs, and regular jobs. But when I turned 16, I got my first real summer job. I participated in a career exploration program with Respond Inc. in Camden. Respond was a social service agency known for early childhood development, but they also worked with school-aged students. Their program placed Camden students at various businesses around the city—accounting firms, law firms, architects, restaurants—we were placed all over. As for my three other colleagues and me, we were assigned to what was considered the top work site: the Campbell Soup Company.

In my younger days, I enjoyed sports talk radio.A favorite of mine was ESPN’s Mike and Mike. I remember during the height of the Colin Kaepernick protest, Mike Golic commended Kaepernick for his attention-grabbing display and the reasons behind it.But Golic turned the tables on Kaepernick and asked what the quarterback planned to do to achieve the goals he sought through his protest.I would love to ask white people who were part of the “No Kings” rally recently the same question, but I am unsure...

2025 marks the anniversaries of some of our most empowering moments as a people. It is the 160th anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment, which only partially abolished enslavement. Freedom fighters today continue to work to abolish prisons so that enslavement can truly be eradicated. 2025 also marks the 65th anniversary of the Greensboro, NC, student sit-ins and Ruby Bridges’ attendance at an all-white elementary school, and the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. 2025 also marks the anniversaries of some of the most challenging moments in our history. 70 years since the murder of Emmitt Till, and 60 years since the assassination of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and Bloody Sunday. There’s another difficult moment in our collective history that “celebrates” an anniversary that we often fail to consider. That is the Berlin Conference held on November 11, 1884, better known as the “Scramble for Africa.”

What lessons has Election Night taught us? First, it should teach us that New Jersey is redder than we believed it to be. As I have said previously, New Jersey is actually a red state, no matter what establishment Democrats would have you believe. The color of the election map should make that clear. Nevertheless, Mikie Sherrill came out on top Tuesday night, relatively easily in fact. So, what did we learn? Quite a few things.

Schools are more than just a place where students go to learn. They’re community anchors. Of course, their primary functions revolve around educational activities. Still, school buildings also house community gatherings of various sorts, community-wide celebrations, food pantries, after-school programs, community fundraisers, and open-gym nights to keep young people out of trouble.

New Jersey is widely considered a solidly blue state, but there’s real fear of it becoming red. Since 1992, New Jersey has elected the Democratic candidate for president and, since 2002, elected three Democratic governors to one Republican. Both houses of the state legislature have been under Democratic control since 2004. Democrats have a firm hold of political power in the state, and yet, many people are worried that the Republican, Jack Ciattarelli, will win the gubernatorial election in November and begin New Jersey’s turn to a red state. It’s easy to blame Mikie Sherrill’s campaign for its milquetoast approach to this election season, which follows the playbook of Democrats...

Are we not allowed to speak the truth? Not our truth as we see the world, but rather, the truth. Are we no longer allowed to speak honestly about public figures because it offends white people? Whether it is Charlie Kirk or Martin Luther King Jr., are we not allowed to speak honestly of their message to the masses of people, because the truth makes white people — particularly white nationalists — uncomfortable? Are we not allowed to speak the truth about genocide in Gaza, because people are uncomfortable with the irony of it all, or because politicians are paid too much by AIPAC to allow the truth to be spoken? Does never again only apply to the Jewish community? Are we not allowed to criticize the President in places where the world can hear it, or is it something we must do in the privacy of our own homes? How about white supremacy, white nationalism, or white privilege? Are those words we can no longer utter, explain their origins, and speak out against? Are we no longer allowed to speak the truth?

Earlier this year, Malcolm Jamal Warner became an ancestor. While we’ll miss his brilliance and brightness, his art remains, particularly that of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show.  One of my favorite episodes was when he had the Huxtable brownstone to himself for a weekend; he and his friends had the bright idea to host a colloquy of six individuals for the evening. That colloquy turned into a full-blown party. Theo made allowances for people to stop by, and it snowballed into folks all over the...