Thursday, January 18, 2024


The Most Worshipful Michelle Obama Review Ever?

When Barack Obama’s memoir, “A Promised Land,” came out right after the 2020 election, their New York Times book review also was destined to become a sales pitch. The publisher happily and repeatedly regurgitated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: “Barack Obama is as fine a writer as they come … (A Promised Land) is nearly always pleasurable to read, sentence by sentence, the prose gorgeous in places, the detail granular and vivid.”

Broadway Veteran Fearlessly Confronts Music Industry Exploiters.

Tweet (Akiit.com) Let’s begin by introducing Chapman Roberts. In a biographical sketch distributed in a Carnegie Hall celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy, he is described as a “Singer-actor–composer-vocal/choral arranger-conductor-musical supervisor-concert producer.” He is also a four-time Grammy Award recipient who has been successful in show business for over 50 years. During that time, […]

The (Crappy) Year We Just Lived Through.

Tweet (Akiit.com) As this is my last column of 2021, I thought it would be worthwhile to review some of the most important observations I made over the course of an awful year. I hope you agree, and wish you — and our country — a happier New Year. JAN. 5: These past few years […]

Books Like Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’ Reveal the Ugly Truth About America — And the Truth Will Set Us Free.

November 3, 2021 by  
Filed under Arts/Literature, Education, News, Politics, Weekly Columns

Tweet (Akiit.com) During my matriculation as a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary, one of the most provocative conversations I would ever have occurred during a forum of interdisciplinary doctoral students with a guest lecturer — one of my favorite authors, Toni Morrison. Morrison had recently received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “Beloved” — […]

Black Films and Artists Thrive at The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.

Tweet (Akiit.com) The 18th annual Tribeca Film Festival featured films, docs, shorts, TV, tech seminars and immersive experiences. It was a 21stcentury gathering place for filmmakers, artists and fans. Black films, directors, actors and artists shared the glory and attention with other contemporaries who were proud to have TFF as an international venue. As the festival inches towards […]

Book Review; Discrimination and Disparities.

Tweet (Akiit.com) My longtime friend and colleague Dr. Thomas Sowell has just published a revised and enlarged edition of “Discrimination and Disparities.” It lays waste to myth after myth about the causes of human differences not only in the United States but around the globe. Throughout the book, Sowell shows that socioeconomic outcomes differ vastly […]

Shame and Shade In Birmingham: In Praise Of Black Panther Party/Civil Rights Activist Angela Davis.

January 18, 2019 by  
Filed under Arts/Literature, News, Politics, Weekly Columns

Tweet (Akiit.com) If anyone deserves a civil rights award, Angela Davis certainly does. The activist and scholar has been on the front lines of the civil rights movement all of her life. She has been especially active in prison reform matters, but she has also been involved in other civil and human rights issues. When I […]

Chris Abele Issues A $100,000 Personal Challenge Grant On Behalf Of America’s Black Holocaust Museum.

January 10, 2019 by  
Filed under Arts/Literature, Money/Business, News, Weekly Columns

Tweet (Akiit.com) Chris Abele, Milwaukee philanthropist and County Executive of Milwaukee County, has personally issued a $100,000 challenge grant to support the reopening of America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) at 401 W. North Avenue in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville African American Cultural and Entertainment District. Abele’s grant will match dollar-for-dollar all donations and pledges made by February 25, […]

2018: Black Films and Artists Highlight the Tribeca Film Festival.

Tweet (Akiit.com) The 17thannual Tribeca Film Festival provided an urban showcase for 96 feature films. The fest’s documentaries outshined the narrative and international features, while a host of TV shows, shorts, tech seminars, immersive experiences and special events also filled out the programming. Black films, filmmakers, actors and artists basked in the glow of a festival […]

Dr. Thomas Sowell’s Latest Myth-Buster.

Tweet (Akiit.com) I don’t mind saying that this column represents a grossly understated review of “Discrimination and Disparities,” just published by my longtime friend and colleague Dr. Thomas Sowell. In less than 200 pages, Sowell lays waste to myth after myth not only in the United States but around the globe. One of those myths is […]

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