The morning bell rang at Republican High (”Home of the Fightin’ Pachyderms”) as students shuffled in. Gretchen Niedermeyer dry swallowed a couple of pre-emptive aspirins and reminded […]
Author: Leonard Pitts Jr.
After democracy dies
So what will you do after democracy dies? Who will we be after democracy dies? After democracy dies, will we remember the country we had? Will we […]
No ‘United’ States: The crisis that did not bring us together
There is no such thing as the “United” States. As an era of medical mask mandates draws to a close and we begin to ponder lessons learned, […]
Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ still feels urgent — still feels now
Fifty years ago. Left-wing terrorists exploded a bomb at the U.S. Capitol. An Army officer was convicted in the massacre of civilians at My Lai. Vietnam chewed […]
Sometimes, you wonder what they’re so afraid of
Not that the subject has ever been easy. No, as has often been noted in this space, this country has been positively Herculean in its effort to […]
We keep hitting new lows: GOP punishes speaking the truth
We keep hitting new lows. So perhaps we ought not be surprised that the GOP, the party that brought us the insurrection of Jan. 6, now presents […]
Times these days when you simply must close your mind
Thirty years ago, when I was still a music critic, I received a letter from a lady who informed me in no uncertain terms that I didn’t […]
Ma’Khia Bryant not an open-and-shut case
Sorry, but this is not an open-and-shut case. This is not Tamir Rice, Philando Castile or Walter Scott, unarmed and clearly executed on camera by police. No, […]
‘A riot is the language of the unheard’
“The anguish we are suffering cannot translate into violence.” So said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey last week in the wake of yet another police killing of yet […]
The Derek Chauvin trial cannot vindicate America
America is on trial. Or at least, that is the conviction of many observers as Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, faces judge and jury […]
