Is It Positive Action Or Distraction? — Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, was a long time in the making. Actually becoming one came in an instant. Legislation to recognize Juneteenth was first introduced in 1997 by Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI). A resolution was passed in the House and the Senate, and a piece of paper was issued. Satisfied…

Her Unexplained Death That None Of Her “Friends” Have Knowledge Of — "It's impossible to get the injuries that she had from one fall," — Michelle Graves. Tamla Horsford was a 40-year-old married mother of five. We don't usually speak of 40-year-olds in the past tense, but here we are. Tamla attended a "Football Moms" adult sleepover with seven other women. Some attendees described it as "female only," yet three men were present, including the boyfriend of…

A Double-Edged Example Of Florida Justice — While flipping through cable channels searching for something to watch, I settled on Rosewood (1997), featuring Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, and Elise Neal. I was generally aware of what happened there and that I was watching a fictionalized account of the events. I compartmentalized my anger while watching, angry about…

They Aren't Mutually Exclusive; Sometimes, There's No Difference At All — Racism: the unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race; violent behavior towards them. Heritage: something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor: legacy, inheritance. Some people try to differentiate between racism and heritage, implying that if something can be claimed as heritage, it isn't racist. That can be true, but in almost every case where heritage is used as an excuse that a thing isn't racist, and it's damn sure racist.

So Much Beer, So Little Time — I don't mean to suggest that Florida has a limited number of things for rednecks to do. Despite whatever claims Alabama and Mississippi think they have, Florida is the redneck capital of the world. You don't have to worry about being shamed for your accent or attire. Come as you…

Are There Any Humans Left? — I never really appreciated Instagram, sometimes, I'd see a picture I might have missed from a friend or family mother, but I never found any value in Instagram. I do Twitter, mostly copying stories I've written on other forums and retweeting the identical posts. I'm sending things out into the…

What We Should Expect From Ron DeSantis In Response — There will be some sarcasm in this story and pointed criticism of Ron DeSantis for things he has not actually done but are consistent with his response to COVID-19. Until I get to the clearly-labeled sarcasm, everything I will write about the flesh-eating Vibrio bacteria currently present in Florida ocean…

How I Maintain My Sanity While Writing About Things Crazy — I write extensively about Black History, politics, education, and race-related issues. Many of my stories require quite a bit of research. I typically read 5–10 related articles (if they exist) and go down various rabbit holes to answer lingering questions until I come out on the other side. Sometimes the…

The History Of The First Debt Ceiling Crisis — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden have agreed in principle on passing a new debt ceiling and avoiding a federal default on paying America’s bills. The proposed legislation is to pay for items Congress already authorized. …