When New York Destroyed a Black Community to Build a Park — In 1825, a free Black man named Andrew Williams bought land in the middle of Manhattan. His purchase was followed up by additional purchases by the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) for the purpose of developing the land. Most of the inhabitants were free Black people, and over 50% of…

How Much Do You Think They Deserve? — I grew up in Minneapolis, MN, a little more than three blocks from where Cup Foods now stands on the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. For five years, I took the city bus to my school across town (Grades 7–12). I mostly took the 9B, which came nearest…

It Wasn't a Coincidence, it Was Municipal Planning — If you live in even a mid-sized US city, chances are a Black side of town exists. There may be exceptions in the whitest places in West Virginia, Wyoming, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Iowa, which the census says are the whitest states in America. But even their cities have…

The Whole State Has Gone Mad — I've lived in Florida for the past 46 years, having previously lived in Minnesota and Tennessee. When I arrived, I found the people friendly and easy to interact with, but things have changed. There's tension in the air. People don't talk about politics, and even a discussion of the weather…

No Amount of Evidence Led to an Arrest — On July 25, 1946, a white mob lynched two married Black couples near the Moore’s Ford Bridge in rural Georgia, sixty miles east of Atlanta. Two weeks earlier, Roger Malcolm stabbed white farmer Barnette Hester for sexually assaulting his wife Dorothy, who was seven months pregnant. Hester was hospitalized and…

Education and Revolution Central — I originally published this story 18 months ago and almost nobody read it. It received a total of 53 views, 29 claps, and 2 responses. Because I think this story is important, I’ll give it one more try; this history matters. On June 17, 2015, 21-year-old Dylann Roof joined Black…

He Could’ve Been a Ladies Man and Not Needed To Rape a Little Girl — By all rights, Thomas Jefferson could have been a true player. He was tall, allegedly 6' 2" and a half. You have to take that with a grain of salt because that number comes from his grandson’s description. The Jefferson family has been known to exaggerate slightly in favor of…

He’s Not Going Down Without a Fight — George Santos (R-NY) is about to be expelled from the House of Representatives. He knows it, as do the other members of his caucus who have finally gotten the nerve up to kick him out. Santos lied his way into Congress and is currently facing 23 federal criminal charges for…

George Floyd's Killer Faces the Same Reality as Many Others — When I heard the news of Derek Chauvin being stabbed in an Arizona federal prison, I wasn't sure how I felt. I'm still not. Chauvin was serving a 21-year sentence for his role in the murder of George Floyd. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office convicted Chauvin, had…