Ira Smith Sr. is a name that probably means nothing to you. Yet, it means everything to me. You see, he was my maternal grandfather and the glue that held our family together until his transition in 1992.

Abraham Lincoln is famously quoted as having said that, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

Easily, the two most studied race massacres of the 20th Century are the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, followed closely by the East St. Louis race massacre of 1917.

Oh, what a difference a Black mayor makes.

I’ve often and very fondly referred to East St. Louis, in my columns, as “East Boogie” because of its 80-year history and reputation as the vibrant party central to the St. Louis and metro-east area, once populated by blocks of popular nightclubs, lounges and juke joints.

“Do not ask me to remember. Don’t try to make me understand. Let me rest and know you’re with me. Kiss my cheek and hold my hand. I’m confused beyond your concept. I am sad and sick and lost. All I know is that I need you to be with me at all cost.”

Star athletes and politicians have one major thing in common: they seldom know when to retire or when the game is, literally, over for them.

I was very worried as I cruised the streets of East St. Louis during the July 4th holiday weekend and for good reason, given the coronavirus pandemic that plagues us.

“Something’s happening in America, something some of us did not see coming,” said Congressman John Lewis, when the civil rights icon switched his presidential endorsement from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama in 2008.

I’m aware of the Trump administration’s inept management of the COVID-19 national strategy, as well as the general lack of testing within the African-American community. These things, undoubtedly, put the black community at a higher risk for contracting the virus, exacerbated by underlying h…

Hopefully this column finds you with an endless supply of toilet tissue, paper towels and bottled water, all the stuff necessary for self-quarantine and survival during a global pandemic, i.e., if you can afford it.

Should student leaders receive harsher punishment over acts of youthful indiscretion, while officials and politicians receive mere slaps on the wrists or awards for their alleged actions or actual convictions? That question arose from what has become a local high school altercation gone wron…

The Bible reveals to us, in Proverbs 22:1, that “a good name is more desirable than great riches.” That’s a lesson the East St. Louis Township Supervisor Alvin Parks is learning the hard way.

Can things get much worse for East St. Louis and Mayor Robert Eastern III?

Can things get much worse for East St. Louis and Mayor Robert Eastern III?

East St. Louis School District 189 Superintendent Arthur Culver has been sued (along with the ESL Board of Education) in a five-count federal lawsuit by fired employee Yvette L. Jackson. Jackson alleges that Culver made sexually explicit remarks about Jackson and other school district staff,…

Fate is often a cruel and ironic two edged sword. I witnessed such, along with area TV viewers, as Illinois State Trooper Nicholas Hopkins was killed in a shootout as his SWAT team attempted to execute a search warrant in East St. Louis recently.

The honeymoon has officially ended for East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III. After winning the thankless job by a landslide, the harder task of sailing the leaky ship of city government has finally set in.

Some of the hardest working, most dedicated, courteous and selfless police officers in America are members of the East St. Louis Police Department. I’ve witnessed it on countless occasions, from a distance and in my own personal encounters. It’s a thankless job, particularly in a high-crime …

The Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House is a faith-based nonprofit agency in East St. Louis that has provided myriad services to low-income residents and others within the community for decades. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for residents of all ages, with the ultimate goal…

The Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House is a faith-based nonprofit agency in East St. Louis that has provided myriad services to low-income residents and others within the community for decades. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for residents of all ages, with the ultimate goal…

On May 1, the era of East St. Louis mayor Robert Eastern III began in East Boogie. Fresh from an election in which he defeated Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks by nearly 1,000 votes, his “Heart for the People” ticket swept him into office on a promise of progressive change.

On May 1, the era of East St. Louis mayor Robert Eastern III began in East Boogie. Fresh from an election in which he defeated Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks by nearly 1,000 votes, his “Heart for the People” ticket swept him into office on a promise of progressive change.

East Boogie has been on a literal high for the past two weeks in celebration of the East Side Flyers’ crowning as the IL 3A division boys State Basketball Champions. Led by my cousin, star senior Terrence Hargrove Jr. (shameless plug) and coach Mark Chambers and overwhelmingly supported by t…

What a difference an election makes, especially after four years of stagnant, tone-deaf, combative leadership at the hands of failed former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

What a difference an election makes, especially after four years of stagnant, tone-deaf, combative leadership at the hands of failed former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

What a difference an election makes, especially after four years of stagnant, tone-deaf, combative leadership at the hands of failed former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

East St. Louis ended 2018 on a hopeful note, with a 42 percent drop in homicides from the previous year – something positive (outside of high school sports) to celebrate in a city known more for its crime and poverty rates than its successes.

East St. Louis ended 2018 on a hopeful note, with a 42 percent drop in homicides from the previous year – something positive (outside of high school sports) to celebrate in a city known more for its crime and poverty rates than its successes.

At this time last year East St. Louis, had a murder rate per capita that was 20 times the national average and 5 times that of Chicago and had been dismissed by many as a hopeless situation.

In East St. Louis, assault weapon fire has become so common that one hardly awakens from one’s nightly slumber because of the sheer frequency of shots being randomly fired.

As rapper Ice Cube might say, the November 6 midterm elections turned out to be “a good day” for Democrats, nationally, and for the Illinois Democratic Party in particular, including black candidates in the Land of Lincoln.

The non-clinical definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result or outcome. If that’s the case, then re-electing Gov. Bruce Rauner in the upcoming Illinois gubernatorial contest would be the craziest thing that Illinois voters could ever do.

The non-clinical definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result or outcome. If that’s the case, then re-electing Gov. Bruce Rauner in the upcoming Illinois gubernatorial contest would be the craziest thing that Illinois voters could ever do.

I don’t watch reality TV or any of the fake, over-the-top televised dramas that have many of my peers seemingly addicted.

Were it not for corruption, scandal, greed and the recycling of political leaches, the tiny village of Alorton, Illinois would only be mentioned in the context of some obscure Illinois trivia question.

If your roof was leaking and your air conditioner was broken, would your first priority be to take a trip to New Orleans? Probably not, especially not on your dime.

East St. Louis has one of the highest crime rates in the nation, some of the most fire-prone and dilapidated habitats imaginable, and is one of Illinois’ poorest communities, with nearly 45 percent of its residents living below the poverty line.

Five years ago I introduced you to St. Clair County Circuit Judge Mike Cook. You’ll recall that while presiding over drug court he was, hypocritically and ironically, a heroin addict himself.

East St. Louis has struggled with a negative image for over 100 years. From the so-called race riots of 1917 to a present day reputation for rampant poverty, violence, crime, corruption and hopelessness, ESL has, unfortunately, become infamous on a global scale.

The Bible asks the question “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” The same question can be posed in reference to East St. Louis. Nazareth and East Boogie have similarities: issues with poverty, crime, reputation, etc.

What makes a white Illinois lottery executive, with a comfortable six-figure income, feel entitled to make blatantly racist remarks on social media regarding the city of East St. Louis? Is it simply white privilege, arrogance or dormant racism made acceptable in the era of Donald Trump?

Durbin exposes Trump

When you’re from East St. Louis, very little tends to intimidate you – not thugs, bullies, big shots, loudmouths or racists. Growing up in East Boogie teaches you to be somewhat fearless, if not tough.

Fast food mascots are as memorable as the products they represent. Over the years they have become household names. Taco Bell had their Chihuahua, KFC has Colonel Sanders, Burger King has The King, and one of McDonald’s most infamous mascots is the Hamburglar.

I’ve cruised into many ports throughout the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, but none are as scenic and breathtaking as the approach to Havana, Cuba.

For the past 22 years I could always hang my hat on three things: Illinois state government is corrupt, St. Clair County runs the East St. Louis political plantation, and state Senator James F. Clayborne is the consummate self-serving public serpent.

Newly elected East St. Louis Township Supervisor Alvin Parks has finally morphed into a caricature of himself.