Author: Michael Way
“…Politicians tend to be more of a mirror and more of a reflection of forces in the society.” – former President Barack Obama. What a month. In the last several weeks, we’ve seen Federal workers get taken hostage over a wall, a gay black actor get assaulted in a lynching attack, and a swing state’s Democratic Governor find himself embroiled in a blackface scandal for the ages and then confound fellow partisans by refusing to resign. The State of our Union is “yeesh”. Perhaps we should take some time and walk through the implications of these events, so we can…
Once upon a time yours truly was obsessed with the movie “Blade Runner”. Still love the film to this day. But in graduate school, I was absolutely fixated. At some points I’d watch it several times a month. Perhaps that was back when the poor college kid in me only had a dozen DVDs to my name. Whatever the case, the idea of the perilous tension between new replicant android beings seeking more life and the old guard humans taking extreme measures to respond to what they saw as a threat was viscerally compelling. One of the more fascinating conversations…
“When they go low, we go high.” – Former First Lady Michelle Obama, July 25, 2016 at the Democratic National Convention “No, no. When they go low, we kick ‘em.” – Former Attorney General Eric Holder, October 7, 2018 at a McDonough, Georgia campaign event for Stacey Abrams. When Eric Holder made his remarks in October, it was initially surprising to see someone so close to the Obamas so stridently rebut such a consequential bit of their ideology. A closer look at the arc of his career suggests surprise may be entirely out of order. First black U.S. Attorney for…
Prologue On September 15, 2016, the now-President made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where the host playfully tussled his hair. In the midst of one of the most racially problematic and culturally divisive campaigns in United States’ history, many Americans were morally turned off by the warm and fuzzy treatment of such an unapologetically antagonistic figure. Fallon was rightly accused of helping to “normalize” the now-President, by making him appear harmless and welcome in the social mainstream. Many moral and marginalized Americans spiritually changed the channel, and, much to Jimmy’s and NBC’s dismay, they’ve still yet to…
My mother Jameya has long lived by a brief but compelling personal mantra: “That’s O.K.”. Coming from my mother, I often have and still do consider the mantra one of the most fearsome pairings of words in the English language. My mother is a certified public accountant. She has specialized in non-profit accounting for the better part of three decades. It’s not easy being a black, female accountant. However much shady financial behavior and professional backstabbing one imagines accountants having to guard against, female accountants have to deal with all the drama of trying to keep the books clean WHILE…
For some reason, when I think of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, I think of the late Dale Earnhardt. Once upon a time, I nursed a more than passing interest in NASCAR. NASCAR is more complex and strategic than it looks at first glance. So was Dale Earnhardt. Nicknamed “The Intimidator”, Earnhardt’s aggressive driving style was the stuff of legend in the NASCAR world. He made other drivers feel uncomfortable. He made them feel unsafe. The most dangerous part of a driver’s racing day was often when Earnhardt appeared in the rear view. People usually decided it wasn’t worth it to try…
Martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee used to say one of the most powerful weapons one can have is to be underestimated by one’s opponents. By that measure, Simone Biles has a nuclear arsenal. When her four foot eight inch frame first stepped into a gym as a misplaced seeming newbie, who really saw her coming? If any of us passed her anonymously in a crowd or overheard her talking at a bar, would we sense the immeasurable power within? Do not let the bubbly, carefree presentation fool you. Behind the chipper demeanor lies one of the most inspiringly ruthless…
