What Donald Trump Can Learn from Spike Lee

“I pledge that I will be the president for all Americans… Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation.” —President-elect Donald Trump, November 9, 2016 This fall semester I am teaching a new course called HIST 289: Spike Lee’s America. The course uses Spike Lee’s filmography to engage students in discussion… Continue reading What Donald Trump Can Learn from Spike Lee

Vol 9: Digital Overload; Why Streaming Alone Will Kill Music

Peace. Art, more so than any other discipline, captures the emotion of what it means to be human. And of all the art disciplines, music is the most powerful. And of all the music genres, Hip Hop, with its soul stirring beats and rhymes, is second to none. But we’re now faced with a dilemma—especially… Continue reading Vol 9: Digital Overload; Why Streaming Alone Will Kill Music

Turning Mistakes into Mastery

Expect to make some mistakes. Nothing important will be accomplished if you only make ‘safe’ decisions. — Warren G. Buffett The late Gen. Bernard Adolph Schriever, widely regarded as the father and architect of the Air Force space and ballistic missile programs, was a big proponent of failure. I’m not saying that he enjoyed failing—no… Continue reading Turning Mistakes into Mastery

Tears and Black Masculinity

“Crying is cleansing. There’s a reason for tears, happiness or sadness.” —Dionne Warwick Get over it. Suck it up. I don’t want to hear it. Dry em up. What are you crying for? As an African American male I’ve heard all of these. Whether from my own family, friends, television or movies, it always struck… Continue reading Tears and Black Masculinity

Close-Up on the Background: A Conversation with Sergio Giral, The Father of Afro-Cuban Cinema

The concept of “Afro-Cuban” art has always garnered a great deal of attention from enthusiasts of the African Diaspora. Although it is ubiquitous and synonymous with most Cuban art on the island, drawing no particular distinction, this hyphenated genre among a more global audience is defined more by the subject of Black culture in Cuba… Continue reading Close-Up on the Background: A Conversation with Sergio Giral, The Father of Afro-Cuban Cinema

The Future of Work

Once upon a time, I made a living as an IT consultant for a company called Accenture. For most people, Accenture is the company that has huge, strange ads in airports across the nation. For their 375,000 employees, it’s a way of life. My life was interesting and fast-paced—I was on an airplane twice a… Continue reading The Future of Work

Earning the Black Vote

Realistically, the African American community contributes in the neighborhood of only ten million votes in a national election. It takes sixty million to win. The assumed novelty of the African American vote is that African Americans vote in a condensed group. This is what the Democratic party has been exploiting since the 1960s. Again, don’t… Continue reading Earning the Black Vote

madness and mindfulness

One of my favorite pastimes is walking Marcus Garvey Park, a twenty acre square in Harlem that forces Fifth Avenue traffic to slow down and behold its gated splendor. By day, the park plays host to pickup basketball games, boisterous children, and an endless parade of pooping dogs. By night, it’s largely deserted. Last week,… Continue reading madness and mindfulness