Sanford needs cooler heads to prevail
June 9, 2013
Today marks the start of the George Zimmerman trial — and the beginning of the end for Sanford.
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A cautionary tale for impending dinosaurs
June 2, 2013
Cancer has a way of tilting perspective.
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Taps for man's lost WWII cousin brings closure
May 27, 2013
Today at Arlington National Cemetery, wreaths will be laid, soaring words will be spoken and taps will sound. Its plaintive strains will honor the ranks laid to rest in numbered graves — brave souls such as Arthur D. Somes Jr. — or whoever lies in Grave 2784.
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Wayne Brady takes on Bill Maher's definition of blackness
May 19, 2013
Comedy — as Steve Martin once observed — is not pretty. Nor are racial stereotypes.
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Cleveland tragedy reminds us of importance of knowing neighbors
May 12, 2013
Americans were at once thrilled and horrified with the news this week out of Cleveland. Three long-missing women ... found alive after all these years.
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'Tent to Tent': Homeless veterans' stories may play out on stage
May 6, 2013
About one in five homeless Central Floridians once wore our country's colors.
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Orlando marketer works to bring recognition to slain civil-rights icon Medgar Evers
April 29, 2013
"Man has not until this day, done what God would have us do. That is, love our neighbor as ourselves, especially if one neighbor happens to be black, and the other neighbor white." —
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Seniors say they suffer after Florida closes Internet cafes
April 21, 2013
Amanda Geter sits on her red sofa, fumbling through her purse. She thumbs through a fistful of credit cards until she locates what had proved so elusive.
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'42' reminds us Sanford, U.S. haven't crossed home on race
April 14, 2013
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson — No. 42 stitched on his back — trotted out of the Brooklyn Dodgers dugout and broke baseball's color barrier.
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Ousted politician's bid for benefits insults the real jobless
April 7, 2013
When I think of folks who desperately need and deserve unemployment benefits even to approach the mirage of scratching by, I think of people such as Alina Puerta.
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On this Easter, let's renew the American spirit of optimism
March 31, 2013
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
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Force of King legacy strong in these youths
March 24, 2013
"An individual has not started living," the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once declared, "until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
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Rollins enters theater of the absurd in InterVarsity ruling
March 17, 2013
With political correctness reigning, it's not difficult to find a cast of players fretting upon the stage of the theater of the absurd.
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Teen's battle with cancer becomes a fight to help others
March 8, 2013
In life, you never know what the next moment might bring.
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Onion comment about Oscar nominee shows how low we've sunk when it comes to kids
March 1, 2013
Quvenzhané Wallis arrived at the Academy Awards on Sunday to learn whether the youngest starlet to earn a best actress nod would become the youngest to win Oscar.
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Group tracking down fallen veterans for Central Florida war memorial
February 22, 2013
There's an old army barracks ballad, "Old Soldiers Never Die." Likely you're familiar with it thanks to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. The old war horse famously quoted it in his farewell speech: Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
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Comments about Michelle Obama's rear end are a throwback
February 15, 2013
During the '60s civil rights juggernaut, the "black is beautiful" movement flowered.
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10 years seems like only yesterday
February 9, 2013
When the going's good, America often kicks God to the curb. But, "Let things come undone, and God gets the call. As if God were some celestial Saint Bernard that arrives not with a barrel of schnapps strapped beneath his neck but an abundant supply of consolation."
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Amid the Ray Lewis hoopla, remember athletes like Vince Carter who never needed an image makeover
February 1, 2013
Sunday night, the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers square off in Super Bowl XLVII.
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Roe v. Wade: Abortion anniversary is especially painful for black community
January 25, 2013
Roe v. Wade — the U.S. Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion and sparked America's unending second Civil War — hit the big 4-0 this week.
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After a fall from grace, time to consider Lance's rise
January 19, 2013
At long last, we know what we thought we knew is true.
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Obama should be channeling Bill Cosby
January 11, 2013
At the risk of being branded a one-trick pony, I launch into this week's column.
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150 years after emancipation, blacks are bound by their own chains
January 4, 2013
Last Monday night, blacks around the United States flocked to church. They waited on their knees. Their eyes were watching God — and the clock. Awaiting the stroke of midnight.
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Teen's death over loud music one more reason to change gun laws
December 7, 2012
Freedom.
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How to simplify your Christmas season, and be happier for it
November 23, 2012
Days before Americans carved up their turkeys (or tofurky, as the case may be), the media was brimming with reports of bargain-hunters looking to get a jump on Black Friday shopping.
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Quilt stitches together a long military history
November 9, 2012
Gabrielle Cutting doesn't need to sound reveille to commence roll call.
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For this weekend warrior, it's time to surrender
October 26, 2012
For me, the war's finally over.
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Lance Armstrong case shows saints and sinners aren't mutually exclusive
October 19, 2012
Earlier this week, we watched the latest sorry chapter of Lance Armstrong's never-ending "did he or didn't he?" story unfold.
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Jesse Jackson Jr.'s bipolar diagnosis could help others who suffer
August 18, 2012
At first, there were whispers.
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FAMU is another case of circling the wagons
June 1, 2012
On Nov. 5, former Penn State University defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts of molesting eight boys over a 15-year span. That included an alleged rape in a campus shower.
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A rare respite for region that has lost many to wars
May 25, 2012
If all goes as planned, Army veteran Frank Schmidgall will amble across the manicured grounds at Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home in Orlando on Monday morning, toward Section F.
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How can we achieve racial harmony? One friendship at a time
May 18, 2012
After Barack Obama rode a wave of hope into the White House, many saw a real hope for a "post-racial America."
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Racial hatred is alive and well, symbolized by the American Front
May 11, 2012
It's tough for a columnist to bring home the bacon for very long without the requisite thick skin. Walk your opinions out into the public square and dissenters invariably rise up and claw at your hide.
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When too thin is unhealthy: Vogue takes a stand
May 4, 2012
Hardly a week goes by that America's obsession with thinness doesn't play out on supermarket magazine racks.
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Attacking whites in Trayvon's name a dangerous, stupid game
April 27, 2012
In the two months since Trayvon Martin died, plenty of salt's been dumped into the nation's never-healed racial wounds.
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's off the shelf
April 20, 2012
It didn't grab front-page headlines last month, this sad, sad news. It should have.
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FAMU hazing victim as deserving of justice as Trayvon Martin
April 13, 2012
In the weeks after a 17-year-old black boy was found dead in a gated Sanford neighborhood, outraged blacks took to the streets, insisting police arrest the Hispanic shooter, George Zimmerman.
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'Ragtime' performance at UCF offers a glimpse into Trayvon Martin case
March 30, 2012
Ever since my daughter announced she'd been cast in her first Theatre UCF production, we'd counted down the days until Kelli was on stage.
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Trayvon Martin: Revisiting 'The Talk' that black parents give to keep their children safe
March 23, 2012
Advice to my 11-year-old son, in the wake of Trayvon Martin's death.
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Here's why people are so angry over Trayvon Martin's death
March 17, 2012
On Sept. 23, 1955, Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam fired up stogies and smooched their wives. About an hour earlier, a Mississippi jury had mulled their fates.
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Fix schools? Get parents more involved
March 2, 2012
To the surprise of few, the state House Thursday passed the Parent Empowerment Act. By an 80-34 spread, lawmakers voted up the so-called "parent trigger' bill. The scornful proposal would arm parents with more firepower to put underperforming public schools out of their misery.
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Homes for heroes: A way to recognize our veterans' sacrifices
February 24, 2012
Pick up a newspaper these days and you'll find something missing.
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Darryl E. Owens: As bar is raised, more students need boost
February 17, 2012
Four nights a week, after posing as a mild-mannered journalist during daylight hours, I duck into a phone booth (exceedingly difficult to find these days) and emerge as … SuperTutor.
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Darryl E. Owens: Filling minds first requires filling stomachs
February 10, 2012
School Principal Letecia Foster long knew many of her students at Killarney Elementary were hurting.
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So many families need help to make ends meet
January 6, 2012
Inside her van, Nelda Evans gathered her four children. She scanned their faces and the remnants of their belongings sardined beside them.
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Sex-abuse cases also do harm to mentoring
November 18, 2011
Sordid allegations of child sexual abuse at Penn State University in recent days rocked America like a blindside blitz.
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Take our quiz and test your knowledge of Florida veterans
November 10, 2011
November 11, 2011.
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Uneasy bond between cops, inner-city kids bridged by dragon-boating
October 14, 2011
In some corners, police are seen as the bad guys.
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We ought to be sure before taking a life with death penalty
September 23, 2011
On Thursday, Robert Wilcoxson and Kenneth Kagonyera walked out of a North Carolina jail as free men.
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Clermont father will read son's name in 9-11 Memorial roll call
September 9, 2011
Sunday, as Bob Peraza stands near ground zero, I suspect he'll have a momentary but overpowering sense of déjà vu.
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Clothing giant shows hip-hugging hypocrisy
August 19, 2011
I've never sipped the Kool-Aid when it comes to reality shows.
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Thou shalt not post God's Law at courthouses
July 22, 2011
Up north in Dixie County, a local businessman made the county a gracious offer: a $20,000 monument of the Ten Commandments.
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Change agents: Slam poets take life by the throat
July 15, 2011
Robert Frost once declared "poetry is a way of taking life by the throat."
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Shuttle program opened doors for minorities, women
July 8, 2011
In 1972, President Nixon gave his blessing to ramp up Apollo's successor, the Space Transportation System (STS). Two years later, work began on the first space shuttle, a test vehicle that NASA planned to christen Constitution.
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Lives depend on more blacks becoming bone marrow donors
June 24, 2011
That day when Yvonne Lawrence glanced into the crib she immediately knew something was wrong.
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Can boy's 2nd wish upon a star come true?
June 10, 2011
Kyle Rodas isn't a star quarterback who might one day toss a game-winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, or even a high-school game.
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Rapture or not, there's still work to do
May 21, 2011
We were waiting for the end of the world/Waiting for the end of the world/ Waiting for the end of the world/Dear Lord I sincerely hope you're coming/Cause you really started something.
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50 years ago, a local man rode into history as a Freedom Rider in the Jim Crow South
May 13, 2011
Sometimes I'll tackle a white-hot topic in this space that inspires readers to become writers.
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Weekends were made for these weary warriors
April 29, 2011
Long before the growl of lawn mowers and the whir of weed trimmers cut through the Saturday morning silence, cars and trucks sputter into a certain Orlando park.
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Don't trash historic Puerto Rican regiment
April 23, 2011
Despite the sultry temperature, Jacqueline Centeno refused to yield. She knew her grandpa never would. Or her father.
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Thanks: Abortion bills speak for those who can't
April 15, 2011
Dear Florida Legislature,
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What if 1 million families enjoyed meals together?
April 1, 2011
Dinner. Supper. Getting your grub on.
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Scott's 'homeboy' stereotypes stun black lawmakers
February 18, 2011
First, America got a brother in the White House.
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Doctor's orders: Step up to mentor boys
January 21, 2011
It probably wasn't the warm and fuzzy message I suspect most of the full-house crowd at this year's 20th annual Arthur "Pappy" Kennedy Prayer Breakfast expected. But given the urgency, Benjamin Carson Sr. hadn't come all the way from Baltimore to pull punches on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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It's hard to accept that our parents are aging
January 14, 2011
As has become our recent habit, my family spent this past Christmas with my wife's kin in Atlanta.
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Injured warriors face a different fight today
January 7, 2011
Three years ago, after losing his legs to a roadside blast in Iraq, Mike Fradera lay in a Texas Army hospital bed, going stir-crazy.
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Dancing teaches kids life lessons
November 5, 2010
Robin Green was tired of cooling his heels. Six weeks of practicing his moves was enough. Robin was ready to strut his stuff.
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ADHD is more struggle than it is 'gift'
October 22, 2010
The beautiful thing about the Internet is this:
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Glenn Beck: Right message, wrong messenger
September 3, 2010
Even the Rev. Billy Graham might have been a tad emerald with envy — if it wasn't a sin.
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Is instant fame path to delayed regret?
August 13, 2010
Man, you really have to feel for Laurence Fishburne.
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Lying about rape is as hurtful as the crime itself
July 30, 2010
Samaria Renford was tooling along Rosamond Drive when a black Ford Taurus forced her off the road.
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We mustn't forget Haiti as we recall Live Aid
July 16, 2010
Every generation has at least one "where were you when …" moment — a defining snapshot that, from time to time, we rescue from the mental mothballs, dust off and admire anew.
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Little girl is a memory as young woman heads to college
June 26, 2010
The other day, I found myself shaking my head as I passed my daughter's room.
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Edward Bryant Jr. took his own giant leap in 1969
June 19, 2010
Five months before Neil Armstrong took that famous giant step, Edward Bryant Jr. made an impressive leap of his own.
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In search of an angel for Gabriella
June 11, 2010
Four years ago, Anthony and Kristen Bencomo learned they were expecting.
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To honor his Marine son, a father creates a community center for at-risk kids
May 31, 2010
His daughter's words roared in his head.
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Challenged young adults are footloose and free for a chance to dance
May 21, 2010
Everything hung in the balance. Whatever he decided in that moment could have far-reaching consequences. But time had run out.
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Negro League’s pride, passion on exhibit
March 13, 2010
As a baseball junkie coming of age during desegregation, I was blown away when I first saw The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.
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He won’t quit shooting for his hoops dream
February 27, 2010
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."
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Warmth toward homeless good only in cold?
January 23, 2010
What a difference a couple of weeks make.
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Census race wording fuss? Please!
January 8, 2010
In comedy circles, black comics now commonly dismiss brethren who commit acts of headlining stupidity with the expression, "Negro, please!"
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Still locked into 'good hair' image?
October 31, 2009
I can't recall exactly when I first heard the phrase, though I'm sure I was still among the OshKosh set.
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Sept. 12: Reminder 'healing is possible'
September 12, 2009
It wasn't much of a conversation when Danielle Morris answered the telephone on Sept. 12, 2001. The caller, a New York cleric, could barely speak through his weeping. Morris, too, was overcome.