Spare Change News

Category: Race

  • Racism: A Personal Meditation

    Racism has been a constant companion all of my life. I, first, met him in the first grade in Richmond, Kentucky. During this tender time, I had developed a crush—or whatever 6 and 7 year olds call it—on a girl in my class who happened white. Somehow, my teacher, who was white as well, caught…

  • Echoes of racist Boston

    Last week, the Boston Bruins lost game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the Washington Capitals.

  • Beyond race in the Trayvon Martin case

    Anthony Thames Spare Change News On April 11, 2012, George Zimmerman was arrested and formally charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin in Seminole County, Florida. Special Prosecutor Angela Corey gave a courageous and moving press conference in which she detailed the state of Florida’s intentions to prosecute Zimmerman for second degree murder. What was…

  • Why is this Anything Other Than Just Murder?

    Once in a while there is just that story that, for many, just doesn’t sit right. If the story sparks up enough controversy, this could not only cause large groups who are concerned to link arms, but create a political divide amongst an entire nation. The Trayvon Martin story has done just that; a boy…

  • Trayvon Martin and the Failure to See Past Race

    Anthony Thames Spare Change News On February 26, 2012, 17-yearold Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed Neighborhood Watch captain in Sanford, Florida. News reports have somewhat described the encounter between these two individuals primarily through live audio with Mr. Zimmerman calling 911 after seeing a “suspicious person” (Martin) roaming the…

  • A Dialogue on Race Relations in America

    Jacques Fleury Spare Change News I recently joined a writer’s group from the website meetup.com. The first day I attended the group, I was considerably late. Upon entering, a la true Jacques fashion with my cyborg glasses, looking like the black guy from Star Trek, the members (who happened to be all white) looked up…

  • The Legacy of the Black Soldiers of the Civil War

    In honor of Black History Month Jacques Fleury Spare Change News “Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.” — Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (II, ii, 32-37) The contributions and achievements of black people throughout American History have often been overlooked in traditional history textbooks. Although I was educated…

  • How Haiti Earned Its Place in Black History

    The first independent nation in Latin America and the first Black-led republic in the world shaped the African-American identity Jacques Fleury Spare Change News “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” -Martin Luther King Jr. In the two years since the earthquake that devastated Haiti, a country already marred by political depravity and economic…

  • An Appreciation Deferred

    Anthony Thames Spare Change News On April 4, 1968, the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, I was a five-year-old boy, unable to fully grasp the enormity of the situation. I do remember the somber mood both in school as well as at my home. I distinctly recall my mom…

  • ‘Unarmed truth … will have the final word’

    Chris Mesfin Spare Change News Let us mark the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest Americans who ever lived. The 1960s saw a few great men hard at work in America, trying to end the injustices that infected America. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and John F. Kennedy knew…