Charles D. Ellison
The Root
Washington, DC, United States
Contact Charles
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Charles:
5 Ways the Republican Tax-Reform Plan Hits Black Folks the Hardest
Right now, at this very moment, the single biggest threat to the group of people already in a compromised position because of their race is the congressional Republicans’ tax-reform plan. Not the sound of the police. Not lead in your water and not a jail cell. → Read More
4 State Elections That Could Prove How Much Everybody Hates Black Voters
Tuesday could prove that “the resistance” is really all bullshit. In states like Virginia, Alabama, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, there are big chances to begin striking back—and in a language that can scare and put people like White House chief of staff John Kelly, his boss, Bannonites, congressional Republicans and other creepy white bogeymen on notice. → Read More
Race and Class Are the Biggest Issues Around Hurricane Harvey and We Need to Start Talking About Them
Our national conversation on Hurricane Harvey should be much like those about Charlottesville, Va., or Flint, Mich. But as the Houston area braces for much more flooding, that won’t happen until receding floodwaters reveal the dangerously gaping holes of disparity between white haves and black have-nots. → Read More
It’s No Surprise That the Trump Administration’s Africa Policy Is Nonexistent. But We Should Care
With the president returning from one of the most embarrassing public displays of American diplomacy abroad, at least we can say one thing: We know dewhere President Donald Trump stands with respect to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and in Europe. For bad or for worse. → Read More
The GOP Keeps Quietly Purging Black Voters—and Democrats Aren’t Doing Anything About It
When both Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Marcel Groen and the North Carolina Democratic Party’s deputy executive director, Douglass Wilson, were asked about a little-known, but nasty, national voter-purge effort called “Interstate Crosscheck” in their respective states during a broadcast of Reality Check, this author’s daily public-affairs radio program on Philadelphia’s WURD, neither… → Read More
A Black Political Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Trump Galaxy
Now, more than ever, black America must get extra creative about skillfully navigating the uncertain and rather treacherous political territory ahead. → Read More
Black Women Were the Only Ones Who Tried to Save the World Last Night
Black female voters – when they had no real cultural or social obligation to do so – stayed on course with Hillary Clinton in ways where white women coolly abandoned her. → Read More
4 Reasons Not #VotingWhileBlack Is Dangerous
Let’s be clear that this presidential race is still tight, and now is not the time to get cute with your vote. → Read More
In Case You Didn’t Notice, Charlotte, NC, Is in the Middle of a Major Battleground State This Election
The city’s protests over the death of Keith Lamont Scott could potentially disrupt everything, from who goes to the White House to who controls the U.S. Senate to who stays in the governor’s mansion. → Read More
5 Reasons Why DOJ Probes of Police Shootings Have No Teeth
As long as there are no national standards and police unions dictate reform, nothing will change. → Read More
You Can Walk, Chew Gum, Be Pro-Black
Whether we like it or not, America is our collective home team. Acknowledging the symbols won’t mean you’re endorsing ugly, government-sanctioned vicissitudes. → Read More
The Conveniently Missing Racial Politics of EpiPen Access
For years, the rising cost of the life-saving drug has been a steep barrier for black families, particularly black children burdened by two factors: poverty and the growing disparity in allergy occurrence. → Read More
The GOP’s Obsession With Detroit Is a Dangerously Coded Attack on Black Leadership
Donald Trump wasn’t the first Republican presidential hopeful to visit Detroit. Nor was he the first, fashioned like modern Tarzan, to swing in on a vine and lecture majority black cities on how they suck at running things. → Read More
The Democratic National Convention Didn’t Talk About a Black Agenda, so We Did
The Root and Philadelphia radio station WURD hosted a panel of experts to address issues facing our community in the post-Obama era. → Read More
#DNCinPHL? Don’t Forget to Ask Black Philly About That
Curmudgeonly optimistic but still very wary, black Philadelphians are side-eyeing this election season, including its Democratic convention. → Read More
Post-Dallas, Could White Fear Turn Tide for Trump?
White fear over the recent shooting deaths of five officers, and hatred of Black Lives Matter could solidify into a lot of white votes for Trump in the fall. → Read More
No Country for Black Voters: Sure, Trump Supporters Don’t Like Us, but Some Clinton Supporters Don’t, Either
So, telling us something we already knew, the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll pushed out a piece of news still useful for the confirmation: A majority of Donald Trump supporters don’t like black folks. → Read More
Why Black Voters Are the Most Rational Voters of 2016
While portions of the white electorate go mad over Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, black voters remain cautious skeptics. → Read More
Supreme Court Is Poised to Give a Corrupt White Politician a Pass, so Why Can’t Black Pols Catch a Break?
When the former governor of Virginia may get to walk on a two-year prison sentence for bribery, you have to wonder if there’s equitable justice for African Americans who fall from grace. → Read More
In Md., 3 Races Put National Black Politics to the Test
The Democratic establishment won at every turn in Maryland on Tuesday. We take a closer look at three of the big races. → Read More