Big Sole Blog (BSB)

Melissa Harris-Perry delivered one of the best quotes I've seen for addressing accusations from conservatives that black people are playing the race card when they point out racist rhetoric and policy proposals this campaign season.Harris-Perry made her statement when she was a guest on Politics Nation on MSNBC with Al Sharpton, January 11, in response to a video clip of Newt Gingrich making one

I am a fan of both Justified on FX and its star Timothy Olyphant. Here is his interview with Ellen. I really enjoyed it. He's not just sexy; he's also a family man and funny, too.

English Translation of "Nessun Dorma"Nobody shall sleep!... Nobody shall sleep! Even you, o Princess, in your cold room, watch the stars, that tremble with love and with hope.But my secret is hidden within me,my name no one shall know... No!...No!... On your mouth I will tell it when the light shines.And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!...(No one will know his name and we

I don't have time to write much about Arizona Governor Jan Brewer wagging her finger in President Barack Obama's face immediately after Air Force One landed on the tarmac in Arizona recently and the POTUS disembarked, so I'll direct traffic to Field Negro's post on the topic, "The Negro Threat." Also, over at the Huffington Post, a reader commenting on the same topic and quoting Brewer made the

Written in 2005, the poem "Silk and Flour" was originally entitled "Silk and Flowers," but while creating the video, I changed the title to one I had considered nearly seven years ago. I don't remember what incident inspired the poem. It may have been nothing but a muse in my head, but I feel like I had seen something in the news that caused me to think about the dark side of ego that reveals

And now we know that Michelle Obama had yet another reason to fall in love with President Barack Obama: The man can croon. In the video above he charms the crowd at a fundraiser in New York City on January 19, 2012, singing a line from Al Green's classic "Let's Stay Together." Al Green was in the audience, too, and so was Spike Lee and Mariah Carey.

This poem is cross-posted at the Urban Mother's Book of Prayers. I have been experimenting with a graphics software program.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. He was born January 15, 1929, and tomorrow the nation celebrates. President Ronald Reagan signed the order for the holiday on November 2, 1983, and Coretta Scott King, according to Time.com, said then "This is not a black holiday; it is a people's holiday."I remember when whether or not to make his birthday a national holiday was bitterly debated in the

I remember hearing the news in November 2008 that someone had burned down Macedonia Church of God in Christ in Massachusetts in backlash for President Barack Obama's historic win, and I thought then, "And so it begins." With Obama's election it seemed there would be a rise in white supremacist violence, and there was for a while. That's the bad news.The good news is that the church has been

I can only work through the misery via creativity. The post on this piece is at the Urban Mother's Book of Prayers.

In the above video, Nordette Adams recites Aberjhani's poem "And Then the Rain God Screamed for Love" with original music composed by Mark "Rahkyt" Rockeymoore.Kathleen Thomas is the photographer who took the picture of Aberjhani you see in this post.

Here is video of Donny Osmond introducing Janet and Michael Jackson at the American Music Awards, 1975, followed by a video of Michael Jackson with Donny Osmond presenting an award in 1974. 1975 Presenting AMA for Favorite Soul GroupDonny Osmond: And now to present the award for the favorite soul group, here's a singer that I used to idolize when I was a kid. Ladies and gentlemen, Michael

As I listened to the Republican presidential candidates tonight give their speeches following the Iowa Caucus vote, I heard the usual propaganda: windy invocations of fear regarding American debt and declarations that President Barack Obama wants America to become a socialist state. I then recalled Paul Krugman's recent editorial in the New York Times, "Nobody Understands Debt." Fellow writer

Hasn't she exceeded her 15 minutes of fame yet?Yes, I laughed when I heard about Questlove's stunt—playing the lying a** bitch song for Bachmann's entrance on the Jimmy Fallon show—but that doesn't mean I approved. Laughter can be involuntary in certain circumstances. Nonetheless, why should I shed a tear for Bachmann and blast Questlove? If you look up nutty as a fruitcake in the dictionary, you

"Don't Let Me Be Understood" by Nina SimoneA little Nina Simone for the new year, 2012. I cannot resolve that we shall overcome all strife, racism, and injustice because no one person can resolve for the whole, but I can pray that we shall overcome.