WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 6, 2024) – Looking historically at demographics, Black men in America have for centuries been singled out for the most vicious and dehumanizing attacks on their personhood and their manhood. Without delving too deeply into America’s dark past, one need only read the Autobiography of Frederick Douglas to capture a glimpse of the atrocious acts perpetrated against Black men that began during slavery and continued unabated with the murders of George Floyd, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and others to understand that the institutional animosity, the stereotyping, and the marginalizing is an everyday phenomenon that still defines…

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 5, 2024) – As we approach this critical election season, a remarkable story unfolds across America. Young Black women are not just registering to vote at unprecedented rates—they’re poised to make their voices heard at the ballot box like never before. According to recent data from TargetSmart, voter registration increased by a staggering 175%. This surge is not just a statistic; it’s a powerful statement about the future of our democracy and a continuation of Black women’s longstanding commitment to civic engagement. Higher Heights has been at the forefront of empowering Black women politically for nearly fifteen years. We’ve…

(OAKLAND – September 15, 2024) – The African American journey from slavery to the present has been one of both remarkable progress and continuous struggle. The complexities of freedom and liberation within this experience highlight not only the political and social battles fought but also the profound spiritual and psychological transformations that have occurred over centuries. While freedom may have been granted in a legal sense at various points in American history, liberation is a more holistic and ongoing process that touches on the soul, consciousness, and collective identity of African Americans. The Chains of Slavery The Absence of Both…

By Naba’a Richard Muhammad (CHICAGO – September 9, 2024) – In the old 1990s Nike commercials, Mars Blackmon, played by Spike Lee, asks basketball great Michael Jordan, “Is it the shoes?” In a much more serious, disturbing incident, Tyreek Hill, star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, was taken down, handcuffed, kneed in the back, and manhandled by Miami Dade police not far from the stadium where he plays. I can guarantee you it wasn’t the shoes that got the attention of officers in a potentially deadly encounter. It was the car, the constant criminalization of Black men, and a…

(BALTIMORE – July 18, 2024) – In an age where technology evolves at lightning speed, preparing our youth for the demands of tomorrow has never been more critical. The initiatives spearheaded by Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen to support “STEM City Baltimore” at the Thurgood Marshall Amenity Center are not just commendable—they are revolutionary. As we look to the future, artificial intelligence (AI) and Metaverse technologies will clearly dominate the landscape of innovation and employment. However, our educational systems have lagged in integrating these critical fields into the K-12 curriculum. This gap presents a missed opportunity to equip…

(WASHINGTON, DC – July 16, 2024) – Can you imagine what would have happened to a Black man who showed up at a Donald Trump rally acting “suspiciously” around the metal detectors?  It is no secret to any conscious American why the 20-year-old shooter of former President Trump was not stopped. However, police and security deemed him to be acting “suspiciously” around the metal detectors at the entrance of the July 13 Trump event in Butler, Pennsylvania. There is a reason that the 20-year-old Crooks was reportedly not interrogated for identification. He was not chased, not followed, not heavily surveilled…

In Memory of our Fallen Brother (BALTIMORE – 2011) – In the wee hours of Saturday, May 29, 2010, Michael Vernon Dobson, Sr. traded his earthly battle with cancer for an eternal peace with God. I have chosen to remember and honor my good friend and brother with the following words that are born from discussions in which we would become engaged. Hard to believe it’s been a year already. I was almost a teenager before I realized who Mike was, and with fourteen years between his birth and mine, it would be hard to expect much more. Over the…

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 28, 2024) – As the 2024 presidential race heats up, it’s clear that the Democratic Party faces a unique challenge. The recent CNN debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump highlighted Biden’s growing age-related concerns, and many within the party are questioning whether he is the right candidate to secure a victory in the upcoming election. In this critical moment, the Democratic Party needs a fresh, dynamic, and unifying figure who can galvanize voters and present a hopeful vision for the future. That person is Michelle Obama. A Proven Leader with a Vision…

(CHICAGO – June 28, 2024) – “I’ve only been called the N-word to my face by a white man once in my life, and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team. Today, he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world.” With that tweet on June 25, Halleemah Nash, a Duke alum, author, speaker, and founder of startup Rosecrans Ventures, put the spotlight squarely on JJ Redick, the underqualified, never-coached-anywhere new head coach of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Her tweet got over 30.2…

(PHILADELPHIA – June 23, 2024) – Are you one of the more than 100 million Americans who live somewhere that was (or still is) under a heat advisory? As I write these words, the mercury is soaring. The world is reeling from the deadly impact of extreme heat and weather events. This is climate change in action. We are living it. And the thermometer-busting temperatures are just the tip of the (melting) iceberg. Jocelyn Richards of Manassas, Virginia, is staying in Maine to escape the summer heat in the South. She suffers from Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) from past exposure to mold. Heat…