book

Sep 2 2010

Harriet Wilson

On September 5, 1859, Harriet Adams Wilson became the first African American woman to publish a novel in English. Her only published work, “Our Nig; Or  Sketches From the Life of A Free Black,” is an autobiographical sketch based on her life as a Black indentured servant in New England.

Terri Schichenmeyer  |   OW Contributor
Feb 18 2010

Author: Michelle Alexander

Bang. Click.
Those are the sounds you’d hear. The first, a judge’s gavel coming down, sealing your fate for life. The second, the sound of handcuffs going around your wrists, leading to a chain around your waist.
That’s what you’d hear if you were convicted of a felony. Maybe you’d be guilty. Maybe you’d be innocent. For sure, you’d be scared.

Jul 24 2009

Dante Moore

So you say you’ve dated plenty of losers. You’ve done everything right, but these days, television is your Friday night date and Mom sets a place for you at the table on Saturdays.

Since the beginning of time, women have turned to their sisters and wailed, “There aren’t any good men out there!”

Jul 17 2009

Hundreds of College Students Who Did

For 13 years, you’ve worked and waited for this time to come.

You’ve endured lectures and practices, written hundreds of essays, and passed thousands of papers forward. You’ve slept through more classes than you’d ever admit to your parents. You’ve gotten energized by teachers you’ll never forget.

Now you’re ready for the next step: college. You leave soon and while you’re excited, you’re also scared to your bones.

Jul 10 2009

Eric Jerome Dickey

“I’ll wash out your mouth with soap if you say that word again!”

Remember hearing that from your Mama or Grandma? Back in the day, nasty words weren’t for polite company or any company at all, really. Dirty words had to be scrubbed from your tongue with a wet washrag and a rub of soap. After that, only the bravest (or the dumbest) kids ever said “those words” in Mama or Grandma’s presence again.

How times have changed.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.