By LaKeshia N. Myers As a teenager in the 1990s, life was good. I had no real responsibilities and a friend group rivaled by the (middle school) masses, and to top it off, we had the perfect soundtrack to narrate our young lives, TLC. The trio of Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopez and […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
I Refuse; I Won’t Let Nobody Steal My Joy
By LaKeshia N. Myers Having grown up in the Baptist church, hearing the music of gospel quartets is just as normal as celebrating Christmas. The songs, most often sung by male choruses, are rich in four-part harmonies and often tell stories of overcoming adversity, hope and salvation. According to Colin Palmer, a gospel music researcher […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
Dr. Gloria Gilmer: Wisconsin’s Own ‘Hidden Figure’
By LaKeshia N. Myers “It could be old math; something that looks at the problem numerically and not theoretically. Math is always dependable.” These words were spoken by Taraji P. Henson in her iconic performance as NASA computer, Katherine Goble Johnson, in the movie “Hidden Figures.” I thought about this poignant scene in the movie, […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
The Spirit of Lee Atwater Lingers Among Us: How Critical Race Theory Became the GOP’s new Southern Strategy
By LaKeshia N. Myers As a historian and educator, I have always been fascinated by the methods and platforms of big tent political parties and the strategists who often lead them. One of the most interesting was Republican Lee Atwater. Atwater, a southern political consultant is known as the father of the “Southern Strategy” an […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
Jim Crow 2.0: Why Congress Must Pass the For the People Act
By LaKeshia N. Myers Fifty-six years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, which ended the deleterious practices of poll taxes, literacy tests, questionnaires and violence used to bar African Americans from the ballot box. In many southern states, egregious exercises in voter intimidation occurred; in some instances, the name, […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, Hold On
By LaKeshia N. Myers January 6, 2021—hundreds storm the United States capitol building. All security perimeters were breached; windows were broken, Capitol Police Officers were sprayed with bear spray and beaten for blocking entrance to the building. Congressional offices were broken into and ransacked; the U.S. Senate chamber was taken by insurrectionists wielding zip-ties and […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
Black in the Ivory Tower: High Stakes & Even Higher Expectations
By LaKeshia N. Myers According to the U.S. Census, 1.68 percent of Americans over the age of 25 have a PhD. This equates to approximately 2.5 million people (U.S. Census, 2013). Americans with professional degrees such as physicians or dentists make up 1.48 percent of the U.S. population, making the total percent of Americans referred […]
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The Enemy within the State: How the GOP-Led State Legislature Continues to Malign Milwaukee
By LaKeshia N. Myers When faced with necessary encounters, war must always be considered a viable option to challenge one’s enemy. While I believe it shouldn’t be used as a first level defense, it should be viewed as a strategic option in one’s arsenal. Last week, while debating the Republican version of the state budget, […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
Milwaukee vs. Everybody: An Inconvenient Truth
By LaKeshia N. Myers Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the largest and most racially diverse city in the state of Wisconsin. Comprised of nearly 600,000 residents, the City of Milwaukee and the surrounding 18 municipalities that make up Milwaukee County collectively supply the State of Wisconsin with the bulk of its operating revenue. This translates to more […]
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES
The First Step Is Admitting You Have a Problem: Why Officially Acknowledging Juneteenth Means Something
By LaKeshia N. Myers Admittedly, I have never struggled with alcohol addiction, but I know individuals who have. When speaking to them, they all told me, “The first step is admitting you have a problem; we admit we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” Utilizing that same logic, I am comfortable in […]