Denise Oliver Velez
Daily Kos
Saugerties, NY, United States
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Past articles by Denise:
Remembering Dr. Ralph Bunche: Activist, statesman, and Nobel Peace Prize winner
We just finished celebrating the birthday of our first black president, Barack Obama, on August 4. Yet it seems few people will be marking August 7, the birth date of a black man who broke national ... → Read More
FLOTUS, slavery, and Washington D.C.
You have probably read a plethora of news stories generated by first lady Michelle Obama’s remarks about enslavement and the White House in her opening night endorsement speech for Hillary Clinton, → Read More
The black and brown firewall blocking Trump
We, the people of color of these United States of America, are going to be the salvation of this nation. We are the firewall that is standing strong against the travesty that we’ve just seen ... → Read More
Dred Scott, slave catchers and slave patrols
When I knew I was headed to St. Louis, Missouri, to attend Netroots Nation this week, I wasn’t interested in seeing the Gateway Arch , a major tourist attraction. When I think of Missouri and ... → Read More
How far have we come since the Scopes 'Monkey Trial'?
The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes , known popularly as “The Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial,” began on July 10,1925, in Dayton, Tennessee. In March 1925, the Tennessee state legislature ... → Read More
'What a Wonderful World.' Happy Fourth of July Birthday, Pops!
Louis Armstrong , one of the best known and most beloved jazz artists of all times, celebrated his birthday on July 4th . Historians have claimed that he was born in August, but what was good for ... → Read More
To hell with Hyde!
While reproductive justice activists across the nation celebrate last week’s 5-3 Supreme Court decision on the Texas abortion laws case, we should not forget the June 30 anniversary of the ugly 5-4� → Read More
'Lift ev'ry voice and sing:' Honoring an anthem and its author
The month of June marks both the birth and death of a key black figure in American history: James Weldon Johnson . My first introduction to Johnson was through a song. It was not until 1956 when ... → Read More
People of color and the future of the Democratic Party
The complexion of the United States has shifted over the last few decades, and the future will demonstrate an even more varied set of racial and ethnic demographics . Little wonder why there is a ... → Read More
Honor Medgar Evers by fighting for voting rights
On June 12, 1963 in Jackson, Mississippi, a shot rang out and the life of Medgar Wiley Evers was forever stilled . Evers knew he faced death for daring to fight for voting rights, and striving to ... → Read More
The Memorial Day history forgot: The Martyrs of the Race Course
I am republishing this in honor of Union soldiers we should not forget — DOV A pencil drawing and a grainy photo in the Library of Congress are all that is ... → Read More
In search of the truth: Sojourner Truth
I live and work in Ulster County, New York. Every day that I walk onto the campus where I teach at SUNY New Paltz, I pass the library which is named for Sojourner Truth , and am reminded that though ... → Read More
Exploring the intersections of race, gender, class, ethnicity, and disability
When I first became engaged in political struggle in the mid-1960s, most of my focus was on the battle for civil rights—fighting against the continuing oppression of black Americans. I had grown ... → Read More
Much ado about raised fists
Here we go again, with yet another “incident” fueling right-wing outrage about black people and symbolism. The latest was over a photograph of 16 black female cadets who had come together to ... → Read More
President Obama's commencement address at Howard University
President Obama delivered the commencement address at Washington’s Howard University on Saturday. From Howard University’s press release: “It is an extraordinary honor and privilege for the Howard University community to welcome President... → Read More
Mothers worldwide are fighting for justice
Today is Mother’s Day in the U.S. and in many other countries around the world . Some of you will be spending time with your mom in person, or on the phone. Others like me will be remembering ... → Read More
Beauty and danger: The global pursuit of whiter skin
In 1983 I wrote and co-produced Color , a half-hour video drama which aired on public television. It dealt with skin color issues in the black American community which we called “color-... → Read More
John Oliver and Lin-Manuel Miranda on the crisis in Puerto Rico
If you haven’t seen John Oliver’s brilliant explication of the debt crisis in Puerto Rico, it needs to be viewed and shared widely. Oliver gives a better and clearer history of the situation than many politicians, and media analysts have done. → Read More
Blacks, black Jews, and Black Panthers in Israel
I have had a fascination with Israel for many decades. It probably started when I was a child growing up in the Orthodox Jewish community of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, and my parents would discuss � → Read More
Afro-Mexicans: No longer 'erased'
When discussing Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, frequently there are references to the nation’s indigenous history and culture and multiple language s. But rarely is there any acknowledgement of ... → Read More