Threescore years
September 15, 1963 was another grim and bloody Sunday in these United States, when six black children were murdered and dozens of church goers were injured at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lift Every Chair and Swing
No historian or forecaster could have seen the storm brewing earlier this month in Montgomery, Alabama. Many Americans had their Sunday afternoon social media scrolling disrupted with what initially seemed like a race-based brawl on the Montgomery, Alabama riverfront on August 5, 2023. The final victory blows were executed with a single folding chair.
Not so long ago – Remembering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
America has lost two of its most endeared trailblazers over the last few weeks, Betty White and Sidney Poitier. At ages 99 and 94, respectively, we weren’t ready for their […]
Juneteenth Conversations
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, is celebrated throughout the nation and as a state holiday in Michigan. This uniquely American holiday commemorates […]
Reenvisioning Justice
Today was a historic moment for our nation. Garry Brown, Tennessee District Attorney, announced that he has re-opened the investigation into the 1940 murder of whom some have identified as […]
Gratitude Leftovers – Part II
A Belated Happy Birthday to Elbert Williams
Gratitude Leftovers Part I
Leslie had the seminal experience of testifying to the Tennessee Legislature on the lynching of her great grand uncle and voting rights activist Elbert Williams and its effect on subsequent generations of her family.
What Peace Looks Like on a Thursday
The last time I opened this blog up was to post a blog entry on inequality for Blog Action Day. I wanted to write about how inequality always adds this […]
Trayvon: Social Injustice or Racial Injustice?
Clipped from: news.gather.com (share this clip) Social injustice versus Racial injustice? That’s the question that I keep trying to answer in my head. In fact, as more and more evidence, […]
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Storytelling, Reading, and Entrepreneurs Celebrated at the Ypsi Library Read-In
By Leslie McGraw, A2 Journal, Heritage News Feb.10, [email protected]: @LesGo4It Each year, upwards of a million people participate in the National African American Read-In during the month of February to […]