Opinion
Backstrom: Am I an extremist?
I have been accused of being an extremist, angry, negative, loudmouth, trouble-making Uncle Tom — and black. All…
Walter Backstrom
Opinion
Why am I angry? Let me count the ways…
Recently, I received several e-mails accusing me of being an angry black man. I will admit to being…
Opinion
Jesus would not have done this
I attended the Pray for Washington rally a couple of weeks ago. The rally was in Olympia, which…
Opinion
Column: Baseball is full of real-life lessons
In a baseball game, you have two teams and an umpire. The umpire is like the police. He…
Opinion
Shame on Republicans for failing on race issues
Remember your first date? You really liked him. You had a great time. Heck, you thought he might…
Opinion
Backstrom: Fixing our school system
The school year is coming to an end. Over the past nine months, I have written about ways…
Opinion
The obsession over race issues continues
I was talking to a kindergarten teacher recently. She showed me a book that they use. In that…
Opinion
What is it with irate parents and Little League games?
A woman was once arrested and charged with second-degree assault for throwing a slice of cheese pizza at…
Opinion
Kids lose out in no-fault divorce
Washington is a no-fault divorce state, which means that no one is at fault when a marriage ends.…
Opinion
Lack of fathers evidence of how selfish others can be
We live in a society where the roles of a father continue to diminish. I watched an episode…
Opinion
Trying to understand the lives of the homeless
I once spent five days living, sleeping and eating with the homeless. I talked to Metro bus drivers,…
Opinion
I survived Black History Month
This is Feb. 28, the last day of Black History Month. I always have conflicting emotions because of…
Opinion
Gangsta rap paints vile picture of our society
To understand the soul of any society, listen to its music. I grew up listening to what is…
News
Mr. King, how I wish you were here
When President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in as our 44th president on Jan. 20, I can imagine you…
Opinion
Only in the darkness can you see the stars
We are in the midst of the holiday season, and for a lot of Americans, things don’t seem…
Opinion
What I saw through the eyes of a child
While walking through the parking lot of our local mall, I witnessed a scene that bothers me to…
Opinion
Is there room at the inn for blacks or Jesus?
What is an oxymoron? It is when Republicans say they care about minorities. I notice the stark differences…
Opinion
Say it ain’t so, Bill and Melinda Gates
Dear Bill Gates, I recently became aware that you and Mrs. Gates met with several superintendents of large…
Opinion
It matters most what happens at your house
Please forgive me if I ramble and at times don’t make sense. I didn’t want to write this…
Opinion
It takes courage to be truly free
It happened on a rainy election night. The candidate I was supporting had lost. I was in my…