For many weeks, we’ve been saturated with news of the Royal Wedding. This time, there’s a higher interest in some of my circles because Meghan Markle is an American commoner and more importantly, a woman of color. Saturday, millions will tune in to watch the spectacle. CNN and other major media outlets have devoted a whole lot of energy and resources to covering this story. … Continue reading As you watch the royal wedding…
I heard Andrew Young say this morning that it’s a waste of time to protest Confederate monuments. That energy, he said on NPR’s Morning Edition, should be reserved to continue the struggle to end poverty and the racial injustice that still exists in America. Young’s position was perhaps unexpected given his vast experience in civil rights. Young marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became … Continue reading Civil rights leader takes heat for stand on Confederate monuments
Pope Francis announced that Mother Teresa is becoming a saint. She will be canonized next fall. The pontiff attributed the miraculous healing of a Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors, which means the Albanian-born nun can now ascend to the most vaulted status in the Catholic church. But for me, and millions in my hometown of Kolkata, Mother Teresa’s true miracles were on the streets … Continue reading The saint
A few weeks ago, when President Barack Obama visited India, I wrote a piece for CNN about how my homeland was poised to become a global power in the next few decades. The most recent World Bank forecast says growth in India is likely to outdo China’s. But then came a sobering reminder of the widespread poverty in India. The latest Census data says … Continue reading They own nothing. ZERO.
I spoke with my friend Jean Mariot Cleophat by phone today. It has been five years since I first met him. He was my guide for much of my reporting journey through Haiti after the massive 2010 earthquake that left Haitians is utter despair. They called in “La catastrophe.” Reporters from around the world rushed to Haiti then, hungry to tell the story of the … Continue reading We said we would not forget Haiti
I did not cover the story in August when a black teenager was killed by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Nor did I have any idea that I would be thick in the middle of things one day. But here I am, amid a deep freeze in Missouri, waiting with everyone else for a grand jury decision on whether the police officer, Darren Wilson, should … Continue reading Ferguson
My journalism brings me face to face with all sorts of interesting people. Over the years I have met extraordinary men and women and ordinary ones who have extraordinary tales to tell. Occasionally, I run into exceptional people, the kind who make me stop to reflect, respect and admire. Sister Helen Prejean is one of them. I’d known about her work for decades — I … Continue reading 'Dead Man Walking.' Live nun talking
Meet Linda Randolph. Her resume is impressive. Public health pediatrician. Graduated from Howard University College of Medicine and the School of Public Health in Berkeley, California. She is president and CEO of Developing Families Center, Inc., a non-profit in Washington D.C. that serves low-income women of child-bearing and child-rearing age and their families. She has been recognized for her sensitivity and commitment to the complex … Continue reading Eat your heart out, Travis Bickle
This is the season when we feel compelled to give. We give our time at homeless shelters, buy bags of food for the hungry and write checks out to charities that help people in far-flung places. Sometimes, it’s difficult to choose an agency. Many of us are cynical about how effectively the money will be spent. Or we question whether it will do any good … Continue reading My Christmas gift
