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OUR VOICE: For Such a Time as This

There are moments in history when a people must decide whether they will merely survive the storm or stand in the storm with courage,...

My IMessengerMay 29, 2026

Editorial

Our Voices: Netflix really is a joke

I miss Dean Martin. Yes that boozy baritone from 60’s and 70’s Rat Pack fame.

My IMessengerMay 23, 2026

Editorial

Our Voices: One Political Party’s Best Days Are Now Turning Into Their Worst Days.

What started out with loud voices has morphed into quite whispers. Crowds chanting it’s a new day are now almost silent. Bluster has now...

My IMessengerMay 16, 2026

Editorial

MY TRUTH: We love Grandmothers!

I’ve often said, “My grandchildren are the greatest. If I had known how great they would be, I would’ve skipped the middle men!”

My IMessengerMay 7, 2026

Editorial

Our challenge during Black History Month: Resistance to Ignorance

Julianne Malveaux, Ph.D. Each year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History sets a theme for Black History Month. This...

I MessengerFebruary 16, 2023

By Vincent L. Hall The Black Mystery Month Series Hang on to the world as it spins around Just don't let the spin get you down Things are moving fast Hold on tight, and you will last – Donny Hathaway, 1973 Service at Friendship-West Baptist Church I laid across my mother’s bed the other day. There is no greater comfort in the world. Most Black men can attest that there is nothing more soothing. My mother's presence and persistence are what have always kept me sane. I was prostrate across mama's bed, waiting for the spirit to move. I needed a topic for this week’s article. After all, it's Black History Month. Admittedly, it is passe, but if God lets fake Christians pervert his only son's birthday annually, who am I to buck tradition? Anyway, it came to me. My spirit said to write about that other Black National Anthem. Not the one by James Weldon Johnson. The anthem by Donny Hathaway. “Someday We’ll All Be Free” turns 50 this year. It seemed apropos. Next up was the research. Believe it or not, I don't play with my audience. It takes much reading and researching to produce something worthy of your time. Delving into the life of Donny Hathaway killed my original thesis. Here is what I came upon. “The lyric was written by Edward Howard for and about the mental pain that Hathaway, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when the song was written, was experiencing at the time. Edward Howard said: "What was going through my mind at the time was Donny because Donny was a troubled person. I hoped that, at some point, he would be released from all he was going through. There was nothing I could do but write something that might be encouraging for him." Years later, the song began to be interpreted as being written about black rights, primarily due to Spike Lee featuring Aretha Franklin's 1992 version at the end of his biographical film Malcolm X. However, as Howard said: Donny Hathaway Photo: Val Mazzenga "A lot of black people have taken the song for some anthem. That's fine. I didn't write it for that, though. It doesn't have that significance for me. I take it with a grain of salt. I'm glad it has some significance." So, it wasn’t an anthem after all? Or was it? Last week, Xavier Becerra, President Biden's cabinet member and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, came to my church. Friendship-West Baptist was lit. The discussion, hosted by Dr. Freddy Haynes, centered around the skyrocketing numbers of young Black men committing suicide. This moving session featured young brothers from three local high schools and a panel of young brothers who were older. Executive Pastor David Malcolm McGruder was diligent in securing some brothers who were well-versed and not afraid of sharing their mental health struggles. More succinctly, the lack of mental health care options on high school and college campuses. The panelists ranged in age from a 17-year-old high school student to a 26-year-old Ph.D. candidate, and each was transparent to the point of vulnerability. They bared their lives for us in an unselfish attempt to bring light to the issues we as a community suffer for lack of awareness, treatment and opportunity. So, maybe my original thought was right. Donny Hathaway's song is an anthem of sorts. Black America has always had to fight for freedom from without. However, now we know that freedom from within is equally important. Donny Hathaway and Edward Howard went further. Keep your self-respect, your manly pride Get yourself in gear Keep your stride …. Never mind your fears Brighter days will soon be here Take it from me, someday we'll all be free, yeah … Keep on walking tall Hold your head up high Lay your dreams right up to the sky Sing your greatest song And you'll keep going, going on I laid across my mother’s bed the other day. There is no greater comfort in the world. The problem is that for too many children of all races, there is no place where comfort can be found. No one to listen. No one who understands. Hang on! Your world may be spinning, but take it from me, someday… We have wo Black National Anthems, and we need them both. Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and an award-winning columnist.

Editorial

QUIT PLAYIN’: The Other Anthem!

By Vincent L. Hall The Black Mystery Month Series Hang on to the world as it spins around Just don’t let the spin get...

I MessengerFebruary 16, 2023

Cheryl's World

MY TRUTH: Being Mentally Healthy is Also About Balance

By Cheryl Smith Brittney Griner has been home for a little over two months and she remains in my thoughts and prayers. I don’t...

I MessengerFebruary 16, 2023

Editorial

Taking on the symptom that is gun violence and the disease behind it

By BEN JEALOUS We’ve had more mass shootings this year than we’ve had days this year. It’s sad to imagine that Half Moon Bay...

I MessengerFebruary 15, 2023

Editorial

OUR VOICES: The Attack On Black History And What We Must Do

"While we must acknowledge these attacks and their efforts to remove our gains in equality and Civil Rights, let us not get preoccupied with...

I MessengerFebruary 12, 2023

Editorial

OUR VOICES: No Safe Spaces

By Marian Wright Edelman In California recently, hearts, families and lives were broken again by two mass shootings. On Saturday evening, Jan. 21, 11...

I MessengerFebruary 11, 2023

Editorial

FAITHFUL UTTERANCES: I am because of Them

By Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew I was recently asked how I celebrate Black History Month. The reality is that I’m a Black woman all year....

I MessengerFebruary 10, 2023

Editorial

OUR VOICES: Dying While Black In America

By Dr. John E. Warren The Last Poets, the original rappers with a message and a purpose, said “It’s alright to die for a...

I MessengerFebruary 9, 2023

The Real Chill Clarence Hill Jr. and Sr.

Cheryl's World

MY TRUTH: Expressing a Father’s Love!

By Cheryl Smith Everyone is not fortunate enough to know or experience the love of a father or father figure. Sure, we’ve heard the...

I MessengerFebruary 9, 2023

Editorial

QUIT PLAYIN’: May 11th – A National Day of Respect!

Asalam-Alakum! It was a moment I will remember for as long as I am Black. It was springtime, and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan...

I MessengerFebruary 8, 2023

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Editorial

OUR VOICE: For Such a Time as This

Editorial

Our Voices: Netflix really is a joke

Editorial

Our Voices: One Political Party’s Best Days Are Now Turning Into Their Worst Days.

Editorial

MY TRUTH: We love Grandmothers!

Editorial

Our challenge during Black History Month: Resistance to Ignorance

Editorial

QUIT PLAYIN’: The Other Anthem!

Cheryl's World

MY TRUTH: Being Mentally Healthy is Also About Balance

Editorial

Taking on the symptom that is gun violence and the disease behind it

Editorial

OUR VOICES: The Attack On Black History And What We Must Do

Editorial

OUR VOICES: No Safe Spaces

Editorial

FAITHFUL UTTERANCES: I am because of Them

Editorial

OUR VOICES: Dying While Black In America

Cheryl's World

MY TRUTH: Expressing a Father’s Love!

Editorial

QUIT PLAYIN’: May 11th – A National Day of Respect!

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