 |
Dear
Friends & Colleagues
April was a busy month. I serve as director of undergraduate
studies for the politics department at Princeton University,
and April is a month of deadlines. Seniors submit their theses,
classes end and the press of the final weeks of the school year
begin. This is my final year of a three year tenure as DUS.
It has been a real honor to see three graduating classes of
Princeton students take their place in a long tradition of scholars,
activists and world leaders. The students here remain the great
joy of my Princeton experience. But, as the administrative duties
end I will be happy to have more time to devote to my teaching
and research.
April ended happily in New Orleans as well. My
partner, James Perry, successfully won his primary bid to serve
in the Louisiana House, District 93. We will now spend May campaigning
for his run-off
at the end of the month.
As our national eyes turn toward the Louisiana coastline in
the aftermath of this huge oil disaster, I hope that we can
begin to demand a forthright, progressive environmental agenda
for our fragile Gulf Coast.
Melissa
|
In April I joined The
Century Foundation as a trustee. I am thrilled to be part of this venerable, progressive organization. I urge you to support TCF as we continue the important work of supporting “the ideas that matter.”
Recent
Media Appearances
Race
and Michael Steele
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
April 5, 2010
 |
Virginia’s
Split Personality
All Things Considered, NPR
April 10, 2010
 |
Discussing
Virginia’s Confederate History Month
The Rachel Maddow Show
April 7, 2010
 |
Discussing
GOP Spending
The Rachel Maddow Show
April 2, 2010
 |
Discussing
Militas and Violence on the Right
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
April 13, 2010
 |
Recent
Writings
Black
by Choice
Sister Citizen
The Nation
April 15, 2010
 President
Obama created a bit of a stir in early April when he completed
his Census form. In response to the question about racial identity
the president indicated he was "Black, African American
or Negro." Despite having been born of a white mother and
raised in part by white grandparents, Obama chose to identify
himself solely as black even though the Census allows people
to check multiple answers for racial identity.
|
Milita
Movements Post Threat to Democracy
The Grio
April 14, 2010
 Civilian
control of the military is a core element of a stable democracy.
There are few things more important to ensuring fair elections,
peaceful transition of leadership, and freedom of political expression
than the assurance that trained, armed fellow citizens will not
interfere with civilian political choices or enforce their own
political desires of the population. Military coups and repressive
regimes are the hallmark of countries where the military does
not submit to civilian political control and instead takes governing
into its own hands.
|
On
Dorothy Height's Passing
The Nation.com
April 21, 2010
 On
Tuesday Dorothy Height passed away at the age of 98. Her passage
has evoked moving tributes by politicians, journalists, organizational
leaders and ordinary citizens who were inspired and transformed
by her decades of public work on behalf of racial equality. For
decades, Height led the National Council of Negro Women. She
used her voice to advocate for African American women’s
inclusion in higher education, corporate America, world politics
and community leadership.
|
Nightline
Asks Why Black Women Can’t Get a Man
The Nation
April 22, 2010
 The
never-ending story “Why Can’t a Successful Black
Woman Find a Man?” received another public forum on Wednesday
night. This time it was neither BET nor TV One spewing the oft
repeated statistic that 43% of black women have never been married.
This time it was the more surprising venue of ABC News’ Nightline
insisting that a crisis exists because 70% of professional black
women are without husbands. The conversation itself was far more
dismal than these figures. The serious, interesting and sensitive
social and personal issues embedded in these statistics were
hijacked by superficial, cartoonish dialogue that relied heavily
on personal anecdotes and baseless personal impressions while
perpetuating damaging sexism.
|
Two
Virginias
The Nation
April 8, 2010
 Governor
Robert McDonnell declared April Confederate History Month in
Virginia. In his declaration Governor McDonnell called for Virginians
to "understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders,
soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War." In
his original declaration, McDonnell made no mention of slavery
as a root cause for the Civil War. His insistence on remembering
only "leaders, soldiers, and citizens" refuses to acknowledge
the existence of black people in the South.
|
|
-
April 2010 -
About Melissa
Melissa Harris-Lacewell is Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University. She is the author of the award-winning book, Barbershops,
Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought. And she is currently at work on a new book: Sister
Citizen: A Text For Colored Girls Who've Considered Politics When Being Strong
Wasn't Enough.
Learn More...
Follow
Me On...
 
MHL
Monthly Archives
- March
2010
- February
2010
- January
2010
- New
Orleans Edition
- December
2009
Contact
Melissa General Inquiries
info@melissaharrislacewell.com
Speaking Engagements and Public Appearances
Lynne Murphy, Media Relations Specialist
harrislacewellmedia@yahoo.com |
