Category Archives: Writing

Embracing and Fearing the Void: The Root of Racism

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Richard Guzman

James Baldwin once called America a nation “dedicated to the death of the paradox,” a people particularly fond of the straight-forward answer: the Yes-No, the Black-White, the Just-The-Facts, Ma’am, reply.  Which could make reading Baldwin particularly difficult.  As Raoul Peck, … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Writers, Social Change | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mike Royko: Controversy…and the Cubs

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Richard Guzman

When Mike Royko died in 1997, Chicago mourned.  Granted, a few of the many people he confronted in his no-nonsense manner may have secretly celebrated, but his death was seen by many as the end of an era, when newspaper … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago Writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ida B. Wells Boycotts the World’s Fair – Part 2

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Richard Guzman

[ Read Part 1 of this post. ] Chicago eventually became Ida B. Well’s home base.  What drew her here, away from her significant writing and crusading in Memphis, was controversy over the “White City” of the 1893 World’s Fair.  Blacks were … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Writers, Chicago Writing, Social Change | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment