Dr. E. Faye Williams
Stories this photo appears in:
King’s dream lives, but we need more soldiers in the fight, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
For those who rejoiced when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, they must be disappointed to know that we still celebrate the work Dr. King did to make this a better world.
Herstory once again, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
By now, everyone understands that the month of March has been designated as Women’s History Month.
Fighting injustice in Ukraine and at home, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Before going to bed on Feb. 22, we knew that Ukraine and its citizens had been brutally attacked. In our hearts, we also knew that this was only the beginning of their terror.
‘We call him Mr. Poitier’
Actors, poets and graphic/ visual artists are engaged in a continual quest to touch the hearts, minds and souls of their audiences. It’s a daunting challenge and, if successful, leads to respect, admiration and adoration.
What will 2022 bring?, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Far too many in our community fail to look to the future seriously. My greatest disappointment is in those who have so very much to lose and who demonstrate so little concern about the futures they must face.
Wishing for governance ‘devoid of biases’, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
When you read this, we will be in the year 2022 or almost there. I hope the new year will hold the realization of your most cherished hopes and dreams.
‘No time to waste!’, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
There’s an obvious scheme afoot to return the United States to a period in time where we lived with a completely different social construct and contract.
Republicans of the past, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
As I write, the nation is preparing to lay to rest former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, one of the “old breed” of Republican politicians.
No respect for Black people, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
I read as much as I can from as wide a variety of sources available to me. An important email from the National Trust for Historic Preservation crossed my desk regarding the encroachment of a public highway upon an historic African-American settlement and cemetery.
A return to the regrettable past, by E. Faye Williams
Unquestionably, Maya Angelou’s most famous quote is: “If someone tells you who they are, believe them the first time.”
‘We have no time to waste’, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
When presented without context, the name Roger Brooke Taney means little to most contemporary Americans. Justice Taney was born in Calvert County, Md., very close to Washington, D.C. He was an attorney, served in the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government, was a member of the Democratic Party and is infamous as the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for authoring the equally infamous Dred Scott decision.
Rebirth of a nation, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Some of my “vintage” or “experienced” readers may remember or actually saw the movie, “Birth of a Nation.” Not the 2016 Nate Parker version, I refer to the 1915 silent film, originally called “The Clansman” by D.W. Griffith. In short, it glorified the Ku Klux Klan and denigrated civil and human rights for formerly enslaved people using the “Black man, white woman” paradigm.
Truth and guilt, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
I’ve always enjoyed observing the unique behaviors of children. With youngsters, what you see is what you get. They present an unvarnished, no-excuse look at human behavior and become genuinely interesting when they are old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong.
The ‘Groundhog Day’ effect, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
I have always been amazed by the immediate, long-lasting impact of the media on cultural/ current events.
Survival, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
My focus has been the achievement of social and economic justice for those who’ve been historically or systematically disadvantaged by the imposition of impediments to their progress — typically, women and people of color.
Nothing Nobel about Trump, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Albert Einstein is attributed with saying, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”
One more reason to vote, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
By the time you read this, it no longer will be breaking news that one of the cancers that has plagued U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has returned.
There’s no question, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Jane Elliott said, “If we didn’t have all those years when Black lives didn’t matter, we wouldn’t have to have a Black Lives Matter movement now.”
What about our children? by E. Faye Williams
Like many who’ve had to shelter in place, I’ve had time for introspection and reflection. I’ve had to limit contact with family members, but I’ve had the opportunity to share memories and plan for future engagements with them.
All Americans deserve better, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
If we didn’t know before, we now know that we have a failed federal government. The man in the White House is so bad that we don’t really need to look for failures down the line.
Honoring mothers during Women's History Month by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Just like Black History Month, Women’s History Month started out only as a week.Along the way, we were ultimately honored with an International Women’s Day. Women around the world are celebrated that day.
Ditch the fear by Dr. E. Faye Williams
With all the fear-mongering, the unjust firings, transfers, name-calling, the profanity-laced rantings, the lying, the mean-spirited actions, the early negative predictions about the Democratic Party and its candidates, one could just give up and ask, “What’s the use of trying to make a difference about anything?”
Are you safer today? by Dr. E. Faye Williams
We have an impeached president in our country because he has done so much destruction to our country. He has even destroyed who others believe we are.
Our stories are part of history by Dr. E. Faye Williams
Columnists
All of my life I had seen a white woman, fist up, a red bandana around her head, determination on her face and words above her saying “We Can Do It!” I never thought much about it until I attended a program this past summer where there were no women other than white women celebrating Rosie the Riverter, the cultural icon representing women who worked in factories and plants to support the war effort during World War II.
'Show me the Tubmans'
Columnists
When President Obama left the White House, he left a very positive image of what a president should be.
Making mental health no longer stealth
Columnists
We’ve seen Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James and others draw attention to challenges in our community. At the recent hearing on reparations, we heard from Danny Glover. We’ve also just heard from Taraji P. Henson on the subject of mental health.
A moral demand
I had the opportunity recently to participate in the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Along with Jerry Paris, general manager of WPFW-FM 89.3, and the Rev. Graylan Hagler, I was invited to co-anchor the program carried by WPFW-FM radio.
Who represents black women?
Columnists
I can’t remember a time in my adult life when I wasn’t working on justice issues on behalf of people in my community. I’ve worked for the benefit of women who shared my views and some who don’t. But it’s rare that I’m embarrassed about something women are doing.
Ignorance, racism and a good book
Columnists
Ignorance breeds racism. By ignorance, I don’t mean the lack of college or other educational degrees. I’m really talking about how some families teach their children to hate certain people based upon lies.
Pass Equal Rights Amendment
Columnists
We get so consumed with stuff about the train wreck in the White House that we forget or miss important things going on in the nation and the world.
Eliminate demeanment
Black women in Houston and across the nation began preparing to use our political power during a recent event held at Texas Southern University. Presidential candidates attended to begin a conversation with black women regarding what’s important to us and what we’re looking for from candidates in 2020.
Barr, truth and the Mueller report
The much-anticipated and long-awaited Mueller report has been handled in an unbelievable way. We first received four pages about a 22-month study that told us nothing truthfully. U.S. Attorney General William Barr led us to believe everybody had been “picking on the poor innocent president.”
Standing up for a sister
My good friend Dick Gregory often talked about the power of the black woman. He said the two strongest forces in the nation are the black church and the black woman. Despite all of our hardships, discrimination and disrespect by gangsta rappers and others, black women have shown the strength and the know-how to overcome whatever gets in our way.
Who really won the Super Bowl?
As far as I’m concerned, neither of the teams on the field won the Super Bowl. Something wonderful happened along the way, and we had a consciousness-raising event.
Top 10 stories of 2018
At the end of each year, people begin writing New Year’s resolutions that they pretty much know they will not be keeping. Yet, it’s a popular ritual.
Hope and change
Do you remember how much we looked forward to hope and change when President Obama was running for office? As I talk with people daily, they long for those days and wish the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, could return to the White House. Some even wish they could return with Mrs. Obama as president.
Trump and scandal
For several years, many of us were consumed by the night on which the popular television show “Scandal,” starring Kerry Washington, was broadcast. Well, it seems that the program was our preparation for what’s going on in our country today.
America: Is it what we say we are?
Recently we learned of boys in Baraboo, Wis., throwing Nazi salutes and flashing white power signs. This is disturbing. Who taught them to do this? Did they learn it at home or school? Did they pick it up from the chaos in our nation?
Demanding respect
A few years before Aretha Franklin sang “Respect,” Otis Redding’s version had a laudable meaning, too. When Aretha sang “Respect” in 1967, she turned the song into something women have never let go.
Supporting Serena
Two very talented African-American women — Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka — went out to play a game of tennis in the recent U.S. Open final. I’m sure each of them looked forward to a great game.
Sister power making a difference
I cannot count the times I have heard that black women don’t support each other. ... Black women know that all anybody has to do is tell us what we can’t do and the game is on!
Trump and chaos
Comedian and activist Dick Gregory left us last August. At least a year before passing away, he told me we’d soon be facing chaos.
The new Poor People’s Campaign
Recently, comedian Chris Rock made a good point when he said that U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has represented the state of Kentucky for more than 30 years and he’s one of the nation’s most powerful and richest senators.
Obama leadership still matters
Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama did not go into seclusion and act like the rest of the world did not exist or impact them. They have made very important appearances on issues and on occasions that really matter.
Infidelity at its worst
Not surprisingly, one of the latest revelations about 45 is the report that, in 2016, his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid adult film star Stephanie Clifford (aka “Stormy Daniels”) $130,000 to secure an agreement preventing her from disclosing the details of a 2006 sexual liaison with the reality star now politician.
Ebenezer Scrooge and the ‘tax scam’
One of my favorite Christmas pastimes is looking through my television content guide, finding a scheduled airing of “A Christmas Carol” and tuning in to watch. I don’t know how many iterations of this movie classic have been made, but I’ve viewed multiple versions made from the 1930s to the recent past. It seems like each generation produces a film with a modern twist designed to keep the message of the movie fresh for new viewers.
No blind eye
The 2016 film “Birth of a Nation” was released in a storm of controversy unrelated to the film itself. Whatever your opinion of the film or its maker, one cannot deny the relevance of the film as a medium of historical instruction and a study of human behavior.
Good news for a change
By now, you know I look forward to the opportunity of sharing my opinions with readers. I pray that the columns offer helpful, thought-provoking and uplifting ideas.
Dick Gregory predicted chaos
For those who knew comedian-activist Dick Gregory, it’s no secret that we were best friends for a very long time. More than a year before he died, he told me — as I am sure he told many others — that the 2016 election wasn’t going to go the way I thought it would.
‘Racism and hatred are not good for business’
In 2015, CNN reported that 49 percent of Americans thought that racism was a big problem in the United States. Not surprisingly, people of color and white people had significantly differing views regarding the subject. Sixty-six percent of black people and 64 percent of Hispanics thought that racism was a big problem, while only 43 percent of white people saw it that way.
Trumpcare: A pig in a poke
I’ve always heard the expression, “What goes on in the dark comes out in the light.”
Reinstate Cornell Brooks
Black people have fared best when our collective interests and goals are held paramount. We’ve made the greatest headway when our assumed leaders are guided by principles of self-sacrifice above self-aggrandizement. I pray that we have the wisdom to remember and embrace these lessons learned “over a way that with tears has been watered ... through the blood of the slaughtered.” Since 1909, the NAACP has been the most recognized and venerated civil rights organization in the United States. Most Americans respect and admire the NAACP. Those of us 50 years old and older remember that, when intervening in civil rights matters, the NAACP often mitigated outcomes of interracial conflict to the benefit of often maligned African-American victims. It’s said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” A lapse of time often adds to that contempt. Outside of “the faithful,” the NAACP’s reputation as a relevant player in the civil rights arena had diminished. This perception was especially true among youths who were more likely to ask the question, “What have you done for me lately?” While I am an NAACP life member and I’ve always seen its relevance, many people thought the organization had moved close to being irrelevant. Several episodes of questionable leadership did little to rehabilitate its reputation. For many, that changed in May 2014 with the selection of the Rev. Cornell William Brooks as national NAACP president and CEO. Lacking the bravado and ostentatiousness of many leaders of our community, Rev. Brooks came to the job as an experienced civil rights professional. A fourth generation A.M.E. minister and Yale-trained civil rights lawyer, Rev. Brooks was eminently qualified and well focused on directing the activities of the NAACP to meet contemporary imperatives. Three years ago, he inherited a staff demoralized by layoffs and uncertain funding. Now, fundraising is up and he had begun hiring additional staff to conduct the organization’s business. In nearly three years, Rev. Brooks has led the NAACP with purpose, dignity and skillful determination. His “hands-on, lead by example” approach to activism has inspired a new generation of youths to pick up the mantle of the NAACP. We have seen substantial participation and the increased membership of young people. Young people were constantly seen with Rev. Brooks demonstrating consistent, targeted action and participation in activities that gave renewed meaning to the concept of peaceful and intelligent resistance to injustice. Rev. Brooks is not a lip service leader. With the exception of being called away for related obligations, he walked every step of the two marches he organized between Ferguson and Jefferson City, Mo., and Selma, Ala., and Washington. The marchers and he became targets of racist snipers in Missouri and he remains under threat by domestic terrorists who would love nothing more than to stop his work. Rev. Brooks’ testimony against the confirmation of Sen. Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general was topped only by his sit-in and arrest in the Birmingham offices of Mr. Sessions. He gave national attention to the fact that the NAACP was once again a genuine player in the fight against injustice. This revitalized NAACP attracted a new following and, accordingly, online memberships increased significantly. For individuals and institutions alike, longevity can mistakenly be assumed to be the same as indispensability. Logic should inform that the only foundation of indispensability is in the sustainment of relevance. Under Rev. Brooks, the NAACP escaped the image of doing little and existing in outdated ineptitude to a state of true relevance. Sadly, the NAACP executive board has chosen to take a step backward by not renewing Rev. Brooks’ contract. I pray that decision will be reversed. Rev. Brooks was the right leader when he was chosen and remains the right leader for our challenging times. The board should reverse its ill-advised decision. The writer is president of the National Congress of Black Women.
Trump’s choices portend disaster
Jane Elliott is not commonly known in American households. She holds no fame among the elites, nor does she command any known political clout. She doesn’t boast of great wealth. Seeing her, one probably would think of her as being non-threatening, even grandmotherly.
Standing with Native Americans
When my brothers were younger, a common playtime activity was the game of “Cowboys and Indians.” Fueled by the Hollywood theatrical Western genre, it was played in fields and playgrounds all across the nation. No one wanted to be the Indian and suffer the routine fate of dying under brutal circumstance.
Lethal disregard for black lives continues
Protestations regarding the value of black lives have become increasingly common in the public dialogue. The simple phrase “Black Lives Matter” has generated praise from that segment of society that has suffered countless race-based indignities and been condemned by those who, in my opinion, are too blind or obstinate to see the realities of the black experience in the United States.
We’ve got the power
It has been said that if a lie is told loudly and often enough, it will stand as the truth. Just as many people believe that no lie can stand the test of time and that truth will ultimately prevail. Recent decisions from several courts in different locations have confirmed my belief that no lie can live forever.
Don’t swallow the lies
Last week, I spent my evening hours viewing television and looking at the circus that formally was labeled by the networks as the Republican National Convention.
The status quo
Like millions, I am shocked and appalled by the needless killing of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, five Dallas police officers, and three Baton Rouge police officers. Respect for humanity requires that we reject, in the strongest terms, the unwarranted and unjustified taking of life. I search earnestly for answers to the “why?” of their executions and the reason that, after 240 years, our nation still sustains a level of racial hatred and intolerance that fuels these acts of violence. Anyone giving an honest look at our national tragedy of racial violence, especially the epidemic of cop-on-citizen homicide, will agree that we, as a nation, have a conflict of major proportion that must be addressed and resolved if any of us are to live with the assurance of even a modicum of peace. The back and forth response of violence and retaliation can only lead to our mutual destruction.
Unwelcomed promises
It’s human nature to develop methods of personal survival or providing for self-protection. They’re not the same for everyone, but many are common. One predictable survival standard is that one should believe that a person will attempt to do that which she or he promises to do.
High court needs a black woman
Scholars often opine that women in decision-making positions of authority would make more positive change in the future of the nation than men. With complete optimism, I believe that a genuine black woman in a decision-making position of authority would bring even more positive outcomes to our future.
Historical stereotypes feed unequal treatment
In 2011, Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, executive director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, published his book, “The Condemnation of Blackness.” I would suggest it as required reading for anyone interested in historical dynamics that have led to our contemporary position of asserting that Black Lives Matter.
