Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America

by Roland S. Martin
February 22, 2006

Unrelenting, uncompromising and downright honest, nationally syndicated columnist Roland S. Martin offers a fresh perspective for the 21st century in his first book, SPEAK, BROTHER! A BLACK MAN’S VIEW OF AMERICA.

Martin - nationally syndicated columnist (Creators Syndicate), executive editor of the Chicago Defender, commentator for TV One Cable Network, and a radio host for WVON-AM in Chicago - has covered a variety of stories and newsmakers in his nearly dozen years as a professional journalist. And in the course of doing that he has gained a significant insight into the triumphs and failings of this country’s best and brightest. In SPEAK, BROTHER! he tackles a variety of issues with passion, knowledge and spirituality. Whether it's sports, social justice, business or media, Roland S. Martin refuses to be pigeonholed as a conservative or a liberal, Democrat or a Republican. As he puts it, he is simply “a black man in America.”

Here is a taste of what he has to offer in SPEAK, BROTHER! A BLACK MAN’S VIEW OF AMERICA:

Halle Berry’s Oscar win: “My heart always aches and my soul forever hears the echoes of our ancestors when such accomplishments are made because my spirit tells me that when they were catching hell, they were saying, ‘I can't give up because someone will come along after I'm long gone to pick up the torch the continue the journey.’”

Bush-appointed judges: “Democrats must finally shed their image of being soft and unafraid to fight. Sen. Tom Daschle has finally gotten his troops to rally around one position and not be so far-flung in their desires. Sure, there are southern Democrats like Georgia Sen. Zell Miller who are nothing more than Republicans in Democrats clothing, but if they expect to keep the federal judiciary fair and balanced, and position themselves for a real shot at the White House in 2004, they will have to toughen up.”

Voting: “I think of the men and women who recently stood in line in Zimbabwe for two days, only to have Mugabe essentially steal the election. I can’t get the images of the same taking place in South Africa – what seems like is years ago – to cast their ballot for Nelson Mandela.”

Charles Barkley and Sports Illustrated: “We cannot lose sight of the fact that while Barkley mocks a slave being in chains, real men, women and children were exposed to such indignities, and they weren't wearing pristine white pants and faking a menacing look on their face. Instead, the look on their faces likely were borne from the pain and agony of being torn from their families and homeland, forced to endure the smell of death across the Atlantic Ocean, then the humiliating and disgraceful practice of being sold to the highest bidder and sent to work in hot fields under the dictatorship of a white slave master.”

Catholic Church scandal: “Church leaders have been humbled by the vastness of the problem. But until leaders in each diocese purge their rolls of these sexual predators and make a public confession to atone for the past and pledge to operate fully and openly, they will not have the right to speak out morally. Job said what happens in darkness will be brought to light. Now is the time for stadium lights to be shone on the Catholic Church.”

With a personal, intellectual and deeply spiritual touch, Roland S. Martin delivers a strong and authoritative voice on a wide range of subjects. SPEAK, BROTHER! A BLACK MAN’S VIEW OF AMERICA brings a rich and much needed voice to today’s issues.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roland S. Martin  is founder and editor of BlackAmericaToday.com. He is executive editor of the Chicago Defender, the nation's only Black daily newspaper, and a commentator for TV One Cable Network. His columns are syndicated to newspapers nationwide by ©Creators Syndicate. He is author of Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America and is a contributor to The Paradox of Loyalty: An African American Response to the War on Terrorism. He is married and resides in Chicago and Dallas. He can be reached atroland@rolandsmartin.com.