Salim Muwakkil
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An Exemplar of Reconciliation
Almost unnoticed, Imam W.D. Mohammed died of heart disease and diabetes on Sept. 9 in his modest home… more
vol. 32, iss. 11 african american muslims, imam w.d. mohammed, nation of islam
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The War We Won’t Talk About
The war on drugs has gotten little traction during this presidential campaign. The last time it was even… more
vol. 32, iss. 10 drugs, election 2008, race
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Getting Messy With Jesse Helps Obama
I find it hard to believe that the Rev. Jesse Jackson was unaware the Fox News mic was… more
vol. 32, iss. 09
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Chicago’s Olympic Dreams Undeserved
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has set his sights on winning the gold for his city. The International… more
vol. 32, iss. 08
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Israel’s Openly Secret Nukes
Foes of nuclear proliferation got two disturbing bits of news last month. One was the May 26 report… more
vol. 32, iss. 07
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The Vendetta Against Black Men
Despite the rise of Sen. Barack Obama, black men remain in the bull's-eye of governmental repression and police… more
vol. 32, iss. 06
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A Speech Even Condi Could Love
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently called race-based slavery a "birth defect" that still troubles our nation. Her… more
vol. 32, iss. 05
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The Man or the Movement
In writing a book about Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, I wondered whether it was the people… more
vol. 32, iss. 04
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How Black is Obama?
How can racism still be a problem if so many white Americans are willing to support a black… more
vol. 32, iss. 03
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Nas: Whose Word Is This?
The rapper Nas has thrust the word "nigger" back into the limelight by making it the title of… more
vol. 32, iss. 02
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Come on Cosby, Stop Hatin’
Cosby makes blanket indictments of an entire class of black people and offers only exhortations from the sidelines
vol. 32, iss. 01 race
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Harold Washington Remembered
Washington's candidacy forged political unity among Chicago's notoriously fractious black community and helped bring the city's feuding Latino groups (including Mexicans and Puerto Ricans) together
vol. 31, iss. 12 race
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Jena and the Post-Civil Rights Fallacy
Around the country, black males face a criminal justice system that incarcerates them more than eight times the rate of whites
vol. 31, iss. 11 civil rights, race, social justice
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Smearing Israel’s Critics
Former DePaul professor Finkelstein joins a growing list of academics censored for criticizing the Holy Land's foreign policy
vol. 31, iss. 10 censorship, middle east
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The Counterproductive War on Gangs
The conclusion of the report, "Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Safety Strategies," persuasively argues that punitive policies of policing that specifically target gangs increase rather than decrease gang violence
vol. 31, iss. 09 prison, race
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The Squandering of Obama
Political masterminds have transformed the candidate from a political visionary into an electoral product like every other presidential aspirant
vol. 31, iss. 08 election 2008, race
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Entrapping Inflated Threats
Terrorist "plots" exposed by the administration have been notable for their lack of credible threat and the whiff of political opportunism
vol. 31, iss. 07 intelligence, national security, terrorism
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Entrapping Inflated Threats
Was the terrorist plot to blow up JFK Airport a threat or a joke?
vol. 31, iss. 07 conspiracies, government agencies, national security
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Blaming Hip-Hop for Imus
Instead of blaming rappers for vulgarity, social resources should be channeled to combat the conditions that create those lyrics
vol. 31, iss. 01 hip hop, media, race
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Globalism with Combat Boots
The United States launched a deadly air attack against Somalia last February, using the war on terror as… more
vol. 31, iss. 05 africa, military, military, military
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Slavery and the State of Denial
On Feb. 24, Virginia's state assembly voted unanimously to express "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery.… more
vol. 31, iss. 04 race
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For Israel’s Sake
The more we examine the disaster that is the Bush administration's Middle East policy, the more apparent becomes… more
vol. 31, iss. 03 middle east, war on terror, weapons
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Baracks Black Dilemma
The day after the national celebration of King Day, Sen. Barack Hussein Obama (D-Ill.) announced he was forming… more
vol. 31, iss. 02 elections, race
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The Caracas Consensus
Hugo Chávez's landslide reelection on December 3 reinforced Latin America's status as the primary outpost of opposition to… more
vol. 31, iss. 01 elections, south america
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The CBC and Speaker Pelosi
Progressive members of the Congresssional Black Caucus poised to chair committees, meanwhile "Blue Dog" and "New" Democrats pulling the party to the center.
vol. 30, iss. 12 election 2006, elections, politics, race
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Farrakhan Steps Back
Farrakhan's failing health causes the Nation of Islam to look to the future.
vol. 30, iss. 11 activism, race, social justice
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The Neocons Lexicon
Republican term "Islamofacism" conflates the war on terro as a battle between the Enlightenment and Theocracy.
vol. 30, iss. 10 iraq war, politics, religion, war on terror
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Corporal Punishments Hidden Costs
Corporal punishment of children linked to later interpersonal violence.
web only civil rights, medical health, race
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The Reparations Bandwagon
Hurricane Katrina opens eyes to the need for reparations to repair the race/class divide.
vol. 30, iss. 09 politics, race
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Police Torture and the Need for Repair
Special prosecutors Edward Egan and Robert Boyle report that Chicago Police led by Commander Jon Burge likely tortured dozens.
web only corruption, criminal justice, government agencies, race
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A Terrifying Distraction
Government entrapment leads to the unlawful arrest of seven Hatian men falsely accused of terrorist actvity.
vol. 30, iss. 08 civil liberties, government agencies, race, terrorism
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The Persecution of the American Taliban?
John Walker Lindh was misunderstood and mislabeled as an "American Taliban."
web only civil liberties, race, religion, war on terror
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Black Politics Paradigm Paradox
The recent elections of Cory Booker and Ron Dellums display two divergent philosophies of progressive government
web only elections, politics, race
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Diplomatic Hypocrisy in the Middle East
In May, President George W. Bush and an adoring Congress offered lavish support for a unilateral plan by… more
vol. 30, iss. 07 elections, international, middle east, politics
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Science: The Drug Wars Latest Victim
The war on drugs is an attack on rationality. Reason lost yet another skirmish recently when the Food… more
vol. 30, iss. 06 criminal justice
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Black Men: The Crisis Continues
Why Salim Muwakkil just can’t stop writing about black men’s plight
vol. 30, iss. 05 race
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The Israel Lobby and its Discontents
A working paper by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard University, titled… more
web only international
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The Battle for Fred Hampton Way
In early February, Chicago Ald. Madeline Haithcock proposed to name one city block in honor of Fred Hampton,… more
vol. 30, iss. 04 race
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The Kanye West Effect
Unlike many in my demographic cohort, I don't hate rap. In fact, I consider hip-hop the most important… more
web only
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Islam vs. the West: Clashing Sensibilities
Were it plausible, I would suggest that al Qaeda and American neo-conservatives planted the cartoons published last fall… more
vol. 30, iss. 03 religion
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Black History Month Matters
While reading an interesting story in the New York Observer about the overwhelming whiteness of the magazine industry,… more
vol. 30, iss. 02 race
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Reflections on Tookie’s Execution
Last month's execution of Stanley Tookie Williams is part of a grotesque revenge ritual that likely will deepen… more
web only criminal justice
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What’s the 411 on 9/11?
In early December, the 9/11 Public Discourse Project--a private group formed by 9/11 Commission members after their official… more
vol. 30, iss. 01
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Torture in the Homeland
Torture is much in the news these days. "We do not torture," President George Bush declared last month,… more
web only civil liberties
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Jump-Starting a Movement
Many participants returned from the Millions More Movement event in Washington D.C. convinced that the October 15 rally… more
vol. 29, iss. 26 race
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Give Me Cognitive Liberty
Psychoactive drugs offer access to varied states of consciousness; restriction of this access is a fundamental form of… more
vol. 29, iss. 04 criminal justice
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Katrina, Cosby and Class Divisions
Hurricane Katrina made clear that poverty and blackness remain too intertwined to be coincidental. But while too many… more
web only economy, race
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Accepting the Slurs
How do black players on the NFL's Washington Redskins reconcile their team spirit with the racial slur that… more
vol. 29, iss. 22 race
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Katrinas Racial Wake
Hurricane Katrina and its disastrous aftermath have stripped away the Mardi Gras veneer and casino gloss of the… more
web only administration, environment, race
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Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive
Extraordinary remedies are still required to protect minority enfranchisement
web only congress, race
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So Very Sorry
Occasionally I speak publicly about the racial disparities that afflict the prison-industrial complex. I often end my talks… more
vol. 29, iss. 18 criminal justice, race
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Black Men: Missing
The overwhelming absence of Black men has always been one of the most distressing facts about life in… more
vol. 29, iss. 16 race
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Millions More Amassing
The Republican Party's "full spectrum dominance" of the national government and most of the corporate media has produced… more
vol. 29, iss. 14 activism, race
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Black Clergy Rebuff Bush
During the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Rev. Al Sampson helped to organize Chicago’s Black… more
vol. 29, iss. 13 administration, race
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The GOPs Quest for Color
Insistent complaints from right-wing pundits about the media’s liberal bias have been effective. Now even the most extreme… more
vol. 29, iss. 12 politics, race
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The Clash of the Cults
The war on terrorism declared by the United States on radical Islamists is little more than a proxy… more
vol. 29, iss. 09
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The Persistent Taint
This is the time of year when the subject of race is almost mandatory for a black commentator.… more
vol. 29, iss. 07
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Gary Webb, Word Warrior
In September 1998, Esquire ran an article chronicling the sad saga of investigative journalist Gary Webb, who had… more
vol. 29, iss. 04
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A Unified Front
Three days after the reelection of President George W. Bush further marginalized the African-American community, two of black… more
vol. 29, iss. 01 politics, race, social justice
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Cornel West: Public Intellectual
Cornel West may be America’s best-known public intellectual. He’s a professor of religion at Princeton University, where he… more
vol. 28, iss. 25 education, politics
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The Right Choice for Terror
President George Bush is “the best recruiting sergeant ever for al Qaeda,” said Sir Ivor Roberts, the British… more
vol. 28, iss. 24
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Black Muslims and the Sudan
It has taken a genocide in Darfur, where hundreds of thousands have been killed in a brutal campaign… more
vol. 28, iss. 23
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Keyes’ Ideological Quest
Alan Keyes, the conservatives’ black attack dog, has been dispatched to Illinois to sully the image of Barack… more
vol. 28, iss. 21
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The Best and Worst of Times
Barack Obama wowed them with his speech during the Democratic National Convention. Not only is he likely to… more
vol. 28, iss. 20
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Prioritize Civil Rights
Democrats need to redress the social and economic inequalities expressed in the United States’ foreign and domestic policies
vol. 28, iss. 18
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Hip-Hop Cops
“Police Secretly Watching Hip-Hop Artists” read the headline of the Miami Herald article that put the spotlight on… more
vol. 28, iss. 17 race, social justice
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Black Journalisms Bright Light
Vernon Jarrett, who died on May 23, was a black journalist who covered the African-American story so doggedly… more
vol. 28, iss. 16 media, race, social justice
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Dungeons and Demons
Among the questions raised by the spiraling scandal of U.S. abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison is this… more
vol. 28, iss. 15 civil liberties, war in iraq
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McKinney Rises Again
Cynthia McKinney’s March 29 announcement that she would run for her old congressional seat gave a shot of… more
vol. 28, iss. 14 election 2004, politics, race, social justice
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The Blame Game
Heightened public interest in the workings of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, better… more
vol. 28, iss. 12 administration, international, middle east
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Shades of 1983
As I surveyed the throng gathered March 16 in Chicago’s Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the primary victory of… more
vol. 28, iss. 11 election 2004, politics
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The International Wrong
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) seems to be the only governmental body concerned about the Bush administration’s controversial… more
vol. 28, iss. 10 administration, elections, international, politics, race, social justice, south america
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The End of Third World Solidarity?
The Bush administration has been a disaster for America’s global image. Its cavalier dismissal of international treaties and… more
vol. 28, iss. 09 activism, international, politics, race, social justice
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Homegrown Terrorists
When the deadly toxin ricin was found February 3 in the mailroom of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist… more
vol. 28, iss. 08 technology
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Reparations Suit Leaves Opening
Chicago has become the de facto center of the slavery reparations movement. Alderman Dorothy Tillman organized the first… more
vol. 28, iss. 07
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Racist Slurs Taint U.S. Sports
The sports media spoke in a unified voice of praise in January when Joe Gibbs was named new… more
vol. 28, iss. 06
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Assessing Sharpton
The Rev. Al Sharpton already has won his race. The New York-based activist ostensibly is one of the… more
vol. 28, iss. 04
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Farrakhan and the Beefs of Rap
Television viewers could be forgiven for rubbing their eyes in dismay when they happened upon a conversation between… more
vol. 28, iss. 03
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Worthy of the Land of Lincoln
Barack Obama has emerged out of Chicago’s boisterous mix of black and progressive politics as a candidate who… more
vol. 28, iss. 01
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Racial Bias Still Haunts Media
The fight to contain the monopolistic impulses of the corporate media has galvanized media activists. Their efforts have… more
vol. 27, iss. 26
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The Bushite Strategy …
A September report by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that more than 1.3 million additional Americans fell into… more
vol. 27, iss. 24
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The GOP’s Texas Power Grab
One of the major goals of the “southern strategy” pioneered by the Republican Party during the 1968 presidential… more
vol. 27, iss. 23
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The Devil and Daniel Pipes
The Bush administration’s war on terrorism has done little so far but increase the ranks of potential terrorists.… more
vol. 27, iss. 22
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The Summer of Civil Rights
The four major civil rights organizations—the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Urban… more
vol. 27, iss. 21 civil liberties, race, social justice
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When Warriors Dissent
Soldiers of the first U.S. invasion force to enter Iraq have expressed widespread resentment for Bush administration officials.… more
vol. 27, iss. 20 military, politics, war in iraq
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Intelligence Report
One of the most under-reported findings of the joint congressional inquiry into the suicide hijackings of 9/11, published… more
vol. 27, iss. 20 administration, congress, war in iraq
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Affirmative Denial
One of the primary reasons I support the congressional bill to study the feasibility of reparations for the… more
vol. 27, iss. 18 civil liberties, congress, judiciary, race, social justice
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The End of Race?
I’m not sure if many Americans have noticed, but the concept of race has taken some devastating hits… more
vol. 27, iss. 17 media, race, social justice
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Neocon Convergences
A funny thing happened while following the money trail of the neoconservatives who have hijacked U.S. foreign policy.… more
vol. 27, iss. 16 politics, race, social justice
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Biowar and the Apartheid Legacy
Just as the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction now seems a neocon-concocted mirage, word has begun… more
vol. 27, iss. 15 africa, technology
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The Progressive War
Among the many effects of the terrorism attacks of September 11, 2001, was the ideological shift they provoked… more
vol. 27, iss. 14 international, politics
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Throwing Away the Key
The Department of Homeland Security, the new cabinet post with the Teutonic inflection, was created last January to… more
vol. 27, iss. 13 civil liberties, judiciary, race, social justice
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Fear of a Black Candidate
Aaron McGruder, the radical cartoonist, insists that the Rev. Al Sharpton’s “perm” prevents him from being taken seriously… more
vol. 27, iss. 09
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Hip Hop Hysteria
Serious social critics could once dismiss hip hop’s purveyors as a bunch of crude vulgarians extolling ghetto-centric lifestyles.… more
vol. 27, iss. 04
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Rebel Yell
Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott’s retroactive endorsement of Jim Crow apartheid, at Sen. Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party on… more
vol. 27, iss. 04 politics, race, social justice
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Blacks on the Ballot
More African-Americans are running for governor than ever before.
vol. 26, iss. 09 elections, politics
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Forgotten Freedoms
Citizens of the United States, be advised that the federal government can now examine your medical, educational and… more
vol. 26, iss. 03 civil liberties
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