Eric Wattree

The United States of America has honored only four men in history by declaring the day of their birth a national day of celebration – Jesus Christ of Nazareth, widely accepted as the father of all mankind; President George Washington, the father of this nation; Christopher Columbus, the man credited with discovering the Americas; and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man whose forebears were brought to these shores in chains.

First of two parts. I absolutely LOVE being black , and I am not just saying that because it's expected of me. While I have the ultimate respect for the unique character of every race and ethnicity, if I am reincarnated a thousand times, I want to come back black every time.

The sentiments expressed here and in my essay for tomorrow (“Why I Love Being Black”) have a lot to do with my recent aggressive criticism of Tavis Smiley and Cornel West. They and their critics insist that anyone who objects to their behavior is merely upset because they are criticizing President Barack Obama. But when my son and daughter were teenagers, they had a phrase that sums up the allegations of these people...

Second of two parts

I am not here to defend President Obama.

Dr. Cornel West seems to have gone on a shameless mission to disparage anyone in the black community who tends to overshadow him.

Second of two parts

First of two parts

From reader D. Monroe:

During this deep recession, and true to 400 years of black history, we have a group of black, black haters and poverty pimps running all over the country selling their books, promoting their television and radio shows, elevating their speaking fees, and playing crabs-in-a-barrel by blaming President Obama for the high unemployment in the black community.