Hoax Versus Reality: The Epstein Case and the Cost of Indifference

Examining the Impact of Real-World Consequences in the Face of Political Evasion

Introduction

In a world awash with information, the line between hoax and reality is often blurred. Rumors, conspiracies, and fabrications coexist alongside genuine tragedies and historic events, sometimes clouding our collective understanding and undermining the gravity of real suffering. This dynamic is particularly evident in the ongoing controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, whose life and crimes have become the focal point of both fevered speculation and undeniable trauma. read more

The Case for Permanent Copyrights

Protecting Creators for Eternity

Copyright law was initially designed to strike a balance between rewarding creators for their work and allowing the public to use those works in the long term freely. However, in an age where creative output is more valuable than ever—both culturally and economically—the expiration of copyrights can undermine the very people who brought these works into existence. Making copyrights permanent for creators would ensure that their intellectual property remains theirs forever, safeguarding both their legacy and their livelihood. read more

The Work Beneath the Work

Labor Day 2025

Before the cookouts and campaign slogans, there was labor. Not just the kind that builds bridges and balances budgets—but the type that stitches memory into the seams of our society. This Labor Day, I’m reflecting on the work beneath the work. The kind done in silence, in archives, in ancestral whispers. The kind that doesn’t clock out. read more

Safe at Home

A Game That Refuses to Forget

C. J. Stewart, former Chicago Cub Outfielder and founder of L.E.A.D.

“In the age of erasure, Safe at Home is a refusal.”

On a cloudy August morning at Georgia Tech’s Russ Chandler Stadium, the 11th Annual Safe at Home baseball game unfolded—not just as a sporting event, but as a living metaphor for what it means to hold space for Black youth in a nation increasingly hostile to their futures. read more

The Whitewashing of American History

From Policy to Pancakes

Photo from the internet

In the age of algorithmic memory and curated nostalgia, the battle over American history is no longer confined to textbooks or monuments. It’s playing out in policy briefs, restaurant logos, and the very language of civic belonging. The Trump administration’s recent maneuvers—paired with the cultural firestorm surrounding Cracker Barrel’s rebranding—reveal a coordinated effort to sanitize the past, suppress dissent, and recast American identity in sepia tones. read more

The Macon Legacy

A National Call to Action

Fifty-one years ago, in 1974, the city of Macon, Georgia, redrew its district lines—not to suppress, but to uplift. That redistricting made way for the election, a year later, of the “Macon Fantasy Five,” the first five Black members of the Macon City Council. They were Willie C. Hill, Vernon Colbert, Julius Vinson, Delores Brooks, and Rev. Eddie D. Smith, Sr. It was a moment of strategic clarity and democratic courage, a local triumph with national resonance. read more

The Scholar My Mother Never Forgot

A Tribute to Dr. Osiefield Anderson

Dr. Osiefield Anderson, photo Alice Devine, Tallahassee Democrat, 2021

I knew of Dr. Osiefield Anderson long before I ever met him. He was my mother’s best friend in college, and her admiration for him was unwavering. She spoke of his brilliance often—how he could make numbers sing, how his mind moved with precision and grace. I heard Anderson’s name in my household so much that I thought he was a member of the family. Mom constantly would say, “Anderson did this, and Anderson said that.” read more

When the Barrel Is on Trial

Supporting Uncle Nearest Through the Storm

Photo from the internet.

In the world of spirits, few brands have carried the weight of history quite like Uncle Nearest. Born from the legacy of Nathan “Nearest” Green—the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to distill whiskey—the brand has become a beacon of Black excellence, cultural reclamation, and entrepreneurial vision. So when news broke of a $100 million lawsuit filed against Uncle Nearest by its primary lender, Farm Credit Mid-America, the headlines hit harder than most. read more

Promises, Pivots, and Power Play: Unpacking Trump’s Russia-Ukraine War Rhetoric

From “Day One” Resolution to Listening Tours with Putin—What Changed?

In the fraught theater of international relations, words are weapons, and presidential promises are often the first shots fired. Nowhere has this been more evident than in former President Donald Trump’s approach to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war—a conflict that has reshaped Europe’s borders, tested the mettle of NATO, and exposed the fragility of the global order. From bold declarations on the campaign trail to recent statements signaling a more reserved approach, Trump’s rhetoric has shifted in ways that invite scrutiny, skepticism, and, above all, questions about what lies beneath the surface. read more

We the People, Stolen in Plain Sight

An essay in Curtis Mayfield’s time

Curtis Mayfield didn’t write anthems—he wrote indictments, love letters, cautionary tales. He summoned brass and bass to sketch the contours of a democracy that refused to hear its drumline. This essay riffs off Mayfield’s enduring question—“We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue”—to argue that the republic is not merely in peril, but being quietly repossessed by those who mistake governance for grift. “Are we going to stand around this town,” as Mayfield intoned, “and let what others say come true, … pardon me, brother, as I tell the whole story.” read more

Introduction

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!