Category Archives: Article

Amelia: Defender of the Vote

Amelia Boynton Robinson, “Queen Mother” to those close to her, was the perpetual defender of the Negro vote. She transitioned on August 26, 2015, eight days after her 111th birthday.

Amelia learned the importance of voting from her parents George and Annie Platts. Her father was a businessman in Savannah, Georgia. He owned a lumber company, built an eleven room house for his family – which still stands today – and owned one of the few automobiles on the Savannah roadway in the early 1900’s. He would have owned two automobiles, but Amelia’s mother did not want to learn to drive a car, so he bought her a horse and buggy to get around Savannah. read more

Set The Captives Free, Hillary

Set the captives free, Hillary. If you sincerely get what the #BlackLivesMatter group from Massachusetts  had to say about the original American sin transitioning black Americans from chattel slavery on a plantation to penal slavery in federal and state penitentiaries; then set the captives free.

Set the captives free on day one of your administration. Just like your husband wasted no time in fulfilling a pledge to the LGBT community and issued an executive order, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” on day one of his administration; you can with one stroke of your pen, set the captives free. read more

Sanders and #BlackLivesMatter

Bernie Sanders (I-VT)  and #BlackLivesMatter, what is the point? I am just wondering, what is the point?

Sanders is perhaps the most progressive candidate for the Democratic nomination since Bobby Kennedy’s quest for the nomination in 1968, ended when Kennedy was assassinated.

Sanders has been hounded by the #BlackLivesMatter Movement. On Saturday, two members of the #BlackLivesMatter group shut-down a Sanders’ campaign rally in Seattle, Washington. read more

Donald Trump:Obnoxious Nuisance?

To say that Donald Trump is an obnoxious nuisance is a trite and perhaps a politically incorrect thing to say. Nevertheless, it is probably true. Donald Trump, in the words of my eighth grade civic teacher Rev. Wilson, is” an obnoxious nuisance.”

Although, Rev. Wilson was referring to an avid young reader who asked probing questions that went beyond the best organized lesson plan, (as they say, it takes one to know one) the term obnoxious nuisance aptly applies to Trump’s bullying persona in a crowded Republican field; a field of contenders jockeying for elbow room in the Republican presidential preseason. read more

Little Anger Over Sam Dubose Killing

CINCINNATI (CASCADE PRESS) There is little anger felt in the streets of Cincinnati over the killing of Sam Dubose. I came to this conclusion after spending two days on the banks of this riverfront town as the “dog days” of 2015 draw to a close.

Several weeks ago the national news media speculated that Cincinnati was on the verge of exploding. The tipping point, the media reports said,  could be the release of the video showing the shooting death of Samuel Dubose, a black motorist stopped by a white University of Cincinnati police officer for violations of a state law that requires motorists to display a license plate on the front of their automobiles. The national headlines even prompted me to write a column (https://haroldmichaelharvey.com/2015/07/30/a-powder-keg-in-cincinnati/) speculating that Cincinnati was a powder keg waiting to explode once the public saw this video. read more

A Powder Keg In Cincinnati

One year after Ferguson, Missouri there is a powder keg in Cincinnati, Ohio waiting to explode.  This powder keg does not have anything to do with the “Big Red Machine.” The iconic 1970s baseball team that was showcased during Major League Baseball’s All Star game held in Cincinnati two weeks ago. read more

So What If Sandra Bland Did It?

So what if Sandra Bland did it? So what if she hanged herself? What in the world was she doing in a jail cell in the first place?

I am not saying Sandra Bland took her own life. I do not have enough information to make that determination. On the surface it appears to me that she was not in sufficient trouble to be concerned about getting out of jail. read more

Did Sandra Bland Die In Vain?

Did Sandra Bland die in vain?

Did she?

On first blush this may appear to be a rhetorical question. It is not.

This question after careful thought and contemplation about the brief life and times of 28 year-old Sandra Bland demands a retort.

While you are thinking, put this one in your pipe and smoke it too: Black men in America, when will we stop white boys from abusing our women? read more

Dear Bill Cosby

Dear Bill Cosby:

I trust this letter finds you in good health and in the best of spirits. I know that things are very difficult for you these days. I am not certain if this letter will find its way to you or if it will be read by anyone, but I felt you could probably use an encouraging word. How could I not offer Bill Cosby an encouraging word after all of the inspiration that you have given me over the years. read more

It Won’t Stop Racists From Hating

It won’t stop racists from hating. I am sure we all can agree the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol in South Carolina will not, as Nikki Giovanni rapped in the 1960s, “stop chickens from laying eggs or Crackers from hating.”

However, it will usher in a new day in 20 years, when babies born today, will have reached adulthood, without a daily reminder of a painful period in southern history. read more