theblackbottom

I was happy to attend the opening of a new gallery here in Grand Rapids last week. Epic Emporium was started by follow artist Errick Picardo and his wife after years of trying. I’ve known Errick for some years and he was my connection to the Latino community as he edited a local Hispanic newspaper. [...]

Once You Learn How To Read, You Will Be Forever Free~Frederick Douglass
REVIEW JUAN GONZÁLEZ is a two-time winner of the George Polk Award for commentary, is a former president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. He is a columnist for New York’s Daily News, and co-host of the nationally syndicated TV and radio [...]

Source: Colorlines
You can see similarly dramatic numbers for Latino populations in several metro areas. There are Depression-level jobless rates among Latinos in the Providence, R.I., area; the Hartford, Conn., area; Frenso, Calif.; and Las Vegas. As with African Americans, you have to get to the 35th metro area on EPI’s list [...]

Faye Anderson is a public policy and social media consultant, and public speaker.

Source: Anderson@Large

As day follows night, black voters are blamed when Democrats lose an election. The 2010 midterm election was no exception.
Election after election, reports show African Americans turn out on Election Day. Democrats’ problem is with white Democrats who don’t show up or [...]

Source: Jim Newton, LA Times
There were 11 gang shootings in Los Angeles over this year’s Father’s Day weekend, a holiday that can be bittersweet for young men alienated from their fathers. Deputy Mayor Guillermo Cespedes, who heads Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s anti-gang efforts, was so distraught over the carnage that he dragged himself home at [...]

Hapless Alonso Quixano is an aging man, obsessed with books on chivalry. As he delves further into them, losing sleep and his sanity, he embarks on his own quests as a knight. A title that frequently tops list of best novels ever written, it’s a must-read for any college student.

Written in 1942 by Nobel Laureate [...]

Gustavo Adolfo Aybar is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he received his MA in Romance Languages & Literature. He plans to pursue his Ph.D. in Caribbean Studies with an emphasis in the African Diaspora. As a scholar he has presented at the University of Florida, and has upcoming publications by ABC-CLIO [...]

Ama Codjoe is originally from Youngstown, Ohio with roots in Memphis, and Accra, Ghana. She received her BA in English from Brown University, and was a Presidential Fellow at Ohio State University where she received her M.F.A. in Dance Performance. She has performed works by contemporary choreographers such as Rennie Harris and classic modern dance [...]

Once You Learn How to Read, You Will Be Forever Free!~Frederick Douglass
REVIEW T.J. English is a noted journalist, screenwriter, and author of the New York Times bestsellers Havana Nocturne and Paddy Whacked, as well as The Westies, a national bestseller, and Born to Kill, which was nominated for an Edgar Award. He has written [...]

Hip-Hop Grows Up: Rhymefest, Gonzalez, Vargas And Sleet Run For Alderman With Hip-Hop Background
Chicago’s hip-hop scene has always had a social conscience. Rappers like Common, Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco emerged to national prominence in part on their themes of community empowerment and the inner-city struggle, and plenty of lesser-known artists continue to preach that [...]