U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney's much belated-apology for punching a U.S. Capitol patrol officer didn't answer a burning question — was she the victim of racial profiling, or "legislating while Black," as she claimed? Or was it a hotheaded overreaction to a patrol officer simply doing his duty?

Last week, the New York Times reported on the deepening plight of African American men, detailing a list of afflictions including lack of employment, education and high incarceration rates.

Late last month, the National Urban League released its annual research publication, the State of…

Society has taught us to be consumers. One can get credit without having a job. One can buy a car, furniture or clothes with no money down. But none of these items has lasting value.

In the past few months, I have had the honor of hearing Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — who has just become the first woman elected head of state of an African country — three times. In March, Sirleaf was in Washington, D.C., to address a special joint session of Congress.

Thousands of New Orleans residents marched on April to demand the right to vote. They marched across the Mississippi River Bridge where Gretna police had repelled residents as they tried to escape the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. Forty years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, African Americans once more must march to gain the right to vote.

The young Black man hesitated as he stood outside the small furniture manufacturing shop in South Los Angeles. He was well-groomed and dressed neatly. The sign on the narrow glass door read, in English and Spanish, "help wanted" and "trabajo aqui."

Democracy isn't freeAs President George Bush starts yet another PR campaign for…

This month we mark the beginning of spring and the beginning of the fourth year of the war in Iraq. The president, vice president and assorted generals are out peddling success. But on the ground, sectarian violence is spreading. The Iraqi police are less a national force than separate sectarian forces with divided loyalties.

The parents sat quietly listening as the third-grade teacher explained in detail the coursework our children would be assigned and how it complied with state and federal regulations. A mother raised her hand and asked what the teacher was doing outside of the government curriculum to reach the children.