After 30 years of the HIV pandemic, one might think that terms such as “community collaboration” and “community participation” would be commonplace among those fighting the disease. But in many communities across the country, this is not the case. In fact, the clock seems to be rolling back to the early days, when the opinions and actions of a small minority marginalized the voices of those who were most impacted by the global pandemic.

With the escalating shootings within the last few weeks you’d think this was summertime chicago. With the senseless foolery that's going on -- Church’s Chicken shooting that left two boys dead, slain Officer Clifton Lewis and Nicholas Comacho who barely lived to see the second day of the new year -- we need our men to take back the streets of Chicago.

As we pull up a chair to the table to eat a Thanksgiving meal with our families, we ask our readers to not forget those less fortunate.

Remember when the street lights came on that signaled you either had to be in two places -- your porch or inside the home.

The formal dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Sunday was a fitting tribute to a man recognized as one of history’s greatest leaders. The dedication of the first memorial to an African American leader on the National Mall was done in a ceremony featuring an address by the nation's first African American president on the site where King delivered his I Have a Dream speech nearly a half-century ago.

As America’s unemployment numbers continue to rise, many are wondering why Congress is hesitant to pass the American Jobs Act. Is it because it’s President Obama’s proposal that the ultra right wing members of Congress are reluctant to support a good bill? Or is it because we are waiting for their non- existent jobs plan? Whatever the reason, American’s need jobs right now and the American Jobs Act will provide them.

They call themselves “Occupy Wall Street,” and no one should be confused about their numbers swelling and their protests expanding to more and more cities outside of New York City.

There was a time when Black people, even if they were at each other’s throats with anger, would never let those outside of the African American family know that there was dissent or discord within the ranks.

In recent weeks there has been legitimate concern in the community about a new school that has moved into St. Clotilde on the 8400 Block of South Calumet. I have reached out to the church, school and community leaders to do an investigation into this project.