This is the grave of Robert and Mabel Williams. Born in 1925 in Monroe, North Carolina, Robert Williams grew up as part of the black working class. His father was the washer of a railroad boiler. He c
This is the grave of Julian Bond. Born in 1940 in Nashville to Horace Mann Bond and Julia Bond, Julian grew up in a household where education mattered more than anything. His father was a college pres
In part because of our 24-hour media culture, every political act is defined in terms of winners and losers, with each loss seemingly devastating. There is good reason for that–many of the losse
The historian Thomas Sugrue notes how “civility” has long been used by conservative forces against people of color and bemoans how even Democratic Party leaders fall into the trap of promo
I suppose nostalgia is part of the human condition. But if so, then the human condition serves a distinctly politically conservative agenda because nostalgia is a no good horrible thing that makes us
This is the grave of James Baldwin. Baldwin was born in 1924 and was raised by his mother and an awful stepfather. Avoiding his enormous, poor, and abusive family, Baldwin spent as much time in librar
The great Dick Gregory, one of the most amazing living Americans, has died. Gregory was both a pioneering comedian who influenced people such as Richard Pryor and someone who was at the front lines of
If you are the Secretary of State for Alabama, well…. After Alabama’s Secretary of State John Merrill promoted the state’s voter ID law at a church service held Sunday to commemorate the