As young as 5 years old, Twan Woods would wake up at night and hear his mother having a seizure. He would know exactly what to do. He would run into her bedroom, hold her, put a cold rag in her mouth, comfort her and keep her from falling until it was over, he recalls. “My Mom, she’s a sick lady. She’s like, handicapped, she’s been like that all her life,” said the 37-year-old. Woods says, his mother, Franc ...

Do you love your mother? Really? Truly? If you answered yes, you’re either a feminist or a damned liar. The word “love” evades easy definition. It is nuanced and ever evolving. It is easier to feel than to define. That’s why every pop song we sing is about feeling it, losing it or making it. America’s most popular religion even describes itself as a “gospel of love.” But regardless of how you define your be ...

When Nelson Mandela and his African National Congress comrades were plotting to overthrow the white minority-rule apartheid regime in South Africa, Lilies Farm in Rivonia, just north of Johannesburg, served as their secret hideout. Today, 19 years after South Africa made a bloodless transition to a democracy with the election of Mandela as its first Black president, the picturesque land, now called Liliesle ...

(GIN) — Africa’s acclaimed man of letters Chinua Achebe  will be laid to rest this month in his hometown of Ogidi, Anambra state, in eastern Nigeria, surrounded by friends, Nobel laureates and other luminaries. Among those who have reserved their place at the memorial are Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nadine Gordimer, author Toni Morrison, Ruth Simmons and Johnetta B. Cole. Achebe, the author of “Things Fall Apa ...

Across the country, cities and states are operating under deficit. Public debt is spiraling out of control — millions and billions of dollars owed. Public officials are responding by cutting city services, closing schools or making cuts that negatively impact our schools. All over, police officers, firemen, and the men and women that make our country work are being laid off and long-term benefits are being ...

I learned about economics and politics the hard way. In 1983, at 26 years old, I had the opportunity to travel to London and meet with a gentleman who had set up a deal to place a RC Cola factory in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He had done everything in his power to make this happen and had most of what he needed to close the deal. However, two key pieces were missing: the blessing of then President Siake Ste ...

Last week, the Detroit Democratic Caucus announced its united opposition to HB 4612, an insurance industry-backed measure forwarded by Gov. Rick Snyder, which eliminates the life-saving health care coverage currently provided under Michigan’s auto no-fault law, without addressing the unaffordable premiums motorists in the state’s urban areas are forced to pay. ...

“A different system for a different outcome” is the motto of the experimental state-run Education Achievement Authority (EAA) schools. Created by Gov. Rick Snyder using Detroit students, buildings and resources, including a $12 million loan, the EAA is now in its first year. Detroit parents, education professors and advocates have questioned the quality of the program since its beginning. Now, it seems, eve ...

Old school hip hop fans are in for a treat as Slick Rick (left) and Doug E Fresh (right), along with Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, Sugarhill Gang, Rob Base and Whodini, take the stage for a one night only performance May 18 at the Fox Theatre. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices. Also at all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com. For more ...

“We can find one banker and put that banker in jail!” With those comments, Rev. Ed Rowe, pastor at Central United Methodist Church, directed the focus of the May 4 People’s Assembly to Make Banks Pay Detroit for the Destruction They’ve Caused. Over 250 people heard Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures, Evictions and Utility Shutoffs explain the banks’ criminal activity and how Detroit’s emergency ...