Tag Archives: Michael Brown

All the Devils of Hell Unleashed by Katrina

By Robin Bates | Published: August 28, 2015

The panic of New Orleans 9th Ward residents ten years ago is reminiscent of the passengers on board the ship in Shakespeare’s “Tempest”: “Hell is empty and all the devils are here!”

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Top Post of 2014: Black Lives Matter

By Robin Bates | Published: December 31, 2014

I repost a Toni Morrison essay on the importance of black men asserting their worth.

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Toni Morrison: Stand Up & Breathe

By Robin Bates | Published: December 10, 2014

“I can’t breathe” has become a rallying cry for Black protesters. Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon” shows powerfully what it feels like to breathe again.

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Open Season on Young Black Men

By Robin Bates | Published: December 2, 2014

Hilaire Belloc satirically advocates dire punishment for childish misbehavior except when it comes to guns. The NRA would approve.

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Banishing Fear by Standing Tall

By Robin Bates | Published: December 1, 2014

Police officer Darren Wilson, whom a Ferguson Grand Jury refused to indict last week for shooting Michael Brown, is the latest in a long line of police and vigilantes who have gone free after killing unarmed black men. Upon hearing the decision, one National Public Radio columnist turned to an Audre Lorde poem for comfort. […]

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What Frightens the Ferguson Police

By Robin Bates | Published: August 18, 2014

A James Baldwin short story helps explain some of the fears that led to police overreaction in Ferguson, Missouri.

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