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Has hip hop lost its soul?

A lyrical revolution - Interview with Immortal Technique (FCN, 08-08-2006)'It’s bigger than hip hop' - Interview with Stic.Man of dead prez -Pt. 1 'It’s bigger than hip hop' - Interview with Stic.Man of dead prez -Pt. 2 I always find it kind of funny that when accepting an award for his hit “Kill em all; Till they Fall,” MC...

Our debt to society

Now that Black voters have exercised their electoral franchises, isn't it time they demand that the people they elected correct America's system of racially selective policing, prosecution and mass imprisonment? The operation of the crime control industry continues to devastate lives of millions of Black families and the economic and social fabric of their communities. The "law and order" priorities...

Black voters made the difference in 2006 election

By Ron Walters-Guest Columnist- I have to begin this brief review of the 2006 elections with something of a requiem for the fact that the so-called Michigan Civil Rights Initiative passed 56/43 in that state and, as a result, affirmative action will be eliminated for higher education, government contracting and other purposes. It was a heroic fight waged by the...

Beyond the Mask – The ADL Spy Scandal

The ADL, was exposed in media reports across America for heading an international network of spies which — through clandestine operations — amassed files on over 1,000 civic, service, religious and political organizations and over 10,000 private individuals, including many Jewish leaders and members of Congress. What appears the most troubling is the fact that the ADL collaborated with state,...

Notes from a hip hop refugee in exile: Have we lost the Black Cultural Wars?

Flippin' through the channels the other day, I came across that episode of "Gilligan's Island" where the band of stranded castaways rolled up on that Japanese soldier who was still fighting WWII 20 years after it was over. I guess homie didn't get the memo. As I sat down to write my 50-something-ish essay on the war to...

Haiti represents more than chronic poverty

By George Curry-Guest Columnist- MILOT, Haiti - When Ron Daniels invited me to join his recent Haiti Support Project's pilgrimage to the cities of Milot, Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince, I had mixed feelings. I have traveled around the world, but my trips to the Pyramids in Egypt and the Door of No Return on Goree Island in Senegal were the most...

Consider the possibility

In the eyes of many people, Minister Farrakhan staked his reputation and risked being thought of as insane. He opened himself to public mockery by announcing that he had come to believe that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was alive, even though he believed that he had seen his teacher's body in a coffin at the end of February 1975. Nevertheless,...

Everyday obstacles must be removed in AIDS war

By George Curry-Guest Columnist- Black groups band together to fight AIDS (FCN, 08-29-2006) For the moment, set aside the talk about microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, combination therapy and HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment). Throw out all of the acronyms associated with the deadly alphabets of HIV and AIDS. Once one moves pass all medical jargon, the realization sets in that,...

Israel mimics failed U.S. militarism

By Ron Walters-Guest Columnist- The myth is that the U.S. is the most powerful nation in the world, and that Israelis are some of the smartest people in the world. Well, why are they both bogged down in the Middle East, utilizing military approaches to problems that, in the end, will not yield to successful solutions? Surely, Israel must have...

Aids remains a ‘super’ problem

By George Curry-Guest Columnist- You know an event is important when it takes on Roman numerals. It instantly achieves Super Bowl status. This year's International AIDS Conference is number XVI. The one two years ago in Bangkok was XV. And the one two years from now, in Mexico City, will be XVII. This is the real Super Bowl. It's not...