JC

Jalen is a writer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California.

  In a recent Jacobin article (reworked at Slate), Miya Tokumitsu argues that we should stop saying “do what you love,” (DWYL) because it “devalues actual work” and dehumanizes workers. Tokumitsu writes, By keeping us focused on ourselves and our individual happiness, DWYL distracts us from the working conditions of others while validating our own choices and relieving Read More

A Facebook friend of mine whom I don’t know at all posted this image. I couldn’t let it slide without saying something – partially for fear that if I didn’t say something, no one in his circle would.

As you listen to Sarah Collins Rudolph talk about her survival of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, you almost feel like you’re being offered a glimpse into the making of an out-and-out horror story. One minute, she was a 12 year-old girl in her church’s ladies’ lounge watching her 14 year-old sister Read More

Dead weight seems to hang in the air as we wait for the verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman. My fears and hopes feel hinged on each shallow exhale as I sit at the kitchen table, sifting through articles, nibbling oatmeal, talking heads muted. Like many people I know, I’ve been angry. The murder Read More

Under the argument that states need to protect themselves against voter fraud, Republicans are making a unified push for election reform, and at the forefront is the campaign for implementing and strengthening voter ID requirements. It is one of the popular topics of legislation, as 20 states that did not have laws requiring voter ID Read More

In the spirit of the ongoing conversations happening on this blog around race and music (hip-hop and the blues in particular), I bring you Seattle-based emcee Macklemore. Northwest, whattup. Thoughts????

It would be tough to say Clarence Thomas was ever a popular figure, at least among non-conservative Americans. He had relatively little experience (two years as a federal judge) when GHBush nominated him to Supreme Court in 1991, was anti-affirmative action, and proudly undecided on abortion because, according to him, he had never discussed reproductive Read More

As you may have heard, Rick Sanchez was fired from CNN on Friday, the day after his interview with comedian Pete Dominick on satellite radio. CNN released a brief statement regarding the discharge: “Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company. We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well.” It Read More