by Jamala Rogers

The ghosts of the Exxon Valdez environmental disaster seem to be floating around the Gulf Coast these days. EV is one of the country’s largest oil spills yet most of us have vague memories of the 1989 man-made catastrophe—except the victimized citizens and 1,300 miles of Alaskan coastline.

The disaster resulted in 11 million gallons of crude oil seeping into Alaskan waters, killing wildlife and a way of life. The cost of the cleanup was about $2.1 billion while the impact on living things was incalculable.

(NNPA)—It’s been a long time since Thurgood Marshall served on the highest court in the land. I think it’s time we get another Black person on the bench. We have a “Black” president who has now nominated two females, one White and Jewish, and one Hispanic and Catholic. Now we have six Catholics and three Jews on the court, and no Blacks or so-called Protestants, the most prevalent religious segment in the United States. Hmmm.

You would think that after all Black people have done for this country, there would be a continuous effort to keep at least one Black person on the highest court in the land. Considering all we have sacrificed for this country, it is reasonable to assume that any fair-minded government leader would make every effort to appoint and maintain one Black to the Supremes.

The World of Dance competition held in Los Angeles recently ignited a firestorm of controversy when video footage of a performance by five 7-year-olds, scantily dressed and bumping and grinding to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” showed up on the Internet. The two-minute performance has been uploaded to thousands of sites, including YouTube, which has seen more than 100,000 views. But while some laud over the “tremendous dance techniques” of the grammar school-aged girls, others have derived sexual excitement and pleasure from it. The parents of the girls have “no comment”.

This column is not directed toward the accomplishments or failures of Black contractors in any city but Pittsburgh. However, in my estimation we need to focus to a degree about the history of Black builders. Everyone knows that the pyramids—one of the seven wonders of the world—were built by Blacks, and it still remains a mystery how, when every block weighed 50 tons, were cut to perfection and no mortar was used.