Opinion & Commentary

Today’s top hip-hop artists have no sense of righteousness. During the golden era of rap from the 1980s to the 1990s, there were so many of us really speaking to the black experience. Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice-T, NWA, and 2Pac were just a few of the acts that…

Miami sports fans need to tune in to The Andy Slater Show on 940 WINZ-AM. I’m not saying that just because I’m a guest host on his daily show today, which airs from 2 to 4 p.m. Slater is changing sports talk radio by doing old-school, shoe-leather reporting. He’s the…

We recently disclosed the top ten Cuban sandwiches in town.The Cuban spring roll at Ball & Chain was left out. But it is still one of the primary takes on a classic redone. “You can get amazing Cuban food on practically every block down and up Calle Ocho,” says owner Zach…

More than a week after Miami Beach cops were busted sending one another racist and sexist emails, there’s been zero outrage from so-called civil rights leaders and activists. No one protests the racism polluting police departments across the nation until the body of a young black male is lying dead…

Go to any African-American neighborhood, whether it be in Miami or Baltimore, and chances are you won’t find anyone under 30 who knows that a runaway black slave, Crispus Attucks, was the first casualty of the American Revolution. And likely no one will know that African-American businessmen were the first…

Two of Miami’s largest real estate development companies are facing off to see who can turn Doral from a drive-by traffic jam into a bustling, quasi-urban hub. The first, the Shops at Downtown Doral, comes form Codina Partners and Lennar Commercial and promises another outlet of Coral Gables’ Bulla Gastrobar…

One of the most well-known models for dealing with loss is “The 5 Stages of Grief,” developed by a doctor named Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. If you’re a Heat fan, chances are good you’ve spent the past twelve months living all five without even realizing it. From the departure of LeBron James, to…

You’d think President Barack Obama could do a better job of relating to the plight of young African-American men in today’s society. In the wake of the Baltimore riots and national outrage over police treatment of unarmed young black men, Obama last week announced he was launching an initiative, My Brother’s Keeper…

These days, the ritual of getting the mail has devolved into a steady stream of circular and credit card offers making their way from the box to the recycling bin. So finding a real piece of mail, something someone sat down, wrote, addressed, and stamped, can be confusing. Such a…

Watching images of people throwing things at police, setting fires, and destroying property in Baltimore reminds me of the pent-up anger that fueled the 1980 riots in Miami. After an all-white jury acquitted four white officers of killing Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance agent and former Marine, a three-day rampage…

Draft weekend is done, the Miami Dolphins have reloaded and the consensus is clear: There are no excuses left for quarterback Ryan Tannehill in 2015. That’s not a shot at Tannehill, who has steadily progressed in his first three years in Miami. But after this year’s draft — where the…

For Miami Dolphins fans, tomorrow is a huge day. At this year’s NFL Draft, so much is on the line — the team’s decisions between Thursday and Sunday could go a long way toward making the Fins contenders rather than annual pretenders. So what should Fins fans root for to…

Pat Riley may be one of the greatest executives in the NBA, but he failed miserably this year. The Miami Heat president’s frustration boiled over at his end-of-the-season news conference last week. When a reporter asked about the upcoming free-agency period, Riley took a veiled shot at the now-departed LeBron…

With the NFL draft set to begin April 30, all the talk has centered on quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, who are projected to be the first and second players taken. But the true breakout star will be former University of Miami running back Duke Johnson. Johnson is a…

Last month, the Children’s Trust, an independently run group funding kids’ programs through a property tax collected in Miami-Dade, announced it had approved dishing out $90 million to 88 organizations that provide after-school services, summer programs, and other assistance to 10,237 boys and girls.

Next week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will take to the steps of Miami’s Freedom Tower, the iconic building that was the first stop for Cuban immigrants in the 1960s. The Republican golden boy will officially announce his run for president in 2016. He wants to make everybody believe he’s fit…

Tri-Rail, the commuter train that runs from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade, wants to grab about $30 million meant to combat poverty and create jobs in Overtown and use it to build a new downtown connection and station.

In Miami’s African-American communities, youth football is a huge deal. Thousands of people attend big games. The quality of play is extraordinary. And some of the nation’s best young athletes participate. Dolphins former all-pro receiver Chad Johnson, Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, and University Miami all-star running back Duke…

Barack Obama has dealt with a lot of bullshit that none of the 43 white presidents before him had to go through. He set the standard for what to expect the next time America elects a black man to be commander in chief. As he nears the end of his…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke takes Miami Gardens leaders to task for horribly failing black residents. When Miami Gardens incorporated in 2003, it…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke opines on the Israeli prime minister selling out for politics. By going through with his speech to the…