Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Daniel Spikes (known to some as Dan), born and raised in North Lufkin, son of Pastor Willie and Charlotte Spikes, brother to Willie and Jeanetta Spikes, and Lufkin High School graduate of 1996.
Why should black people do DNA tests? In a nutshell for the truth.
Black women have been saving humanity since Eve first nuzzled Cane and Abel in her bosom.
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I started writing this in November of 2020, before the election was certified but proved that Biden was the president-elect. Since then, tRump has tried his best, legally as well as illegally, to turn the election.
In 1390 written in Old English, the poet/author Chaucer penned these words in "The Parson’s Tale" of "The Canterbury Tales": “And ofte tyme swich cursynge wrongfully retorneth agayn to hymthat curseth, as a bryd that retornth agayn to his owene nest."
As children, we often dream of becoming superstars, making it to the big leagues, living in luxurious homes, marrying our Prince Charming and becoming the next billionaire. For some, these dreams never come true. Life circumstances, situations and tribulations occur, and we find ourselves pl…
Do you remember this? It was a symbol, and symbolism is everything. It represented the workers trade union in Poland. It was the first independent trade union in a Warsaw pack country. You know, the good old communist buttress of the Soviet bloc that was part of the cold war answer to the we…
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines gratitude as "the state of being grateful, Thankfulness.” The dictionary lists five synonyms for the word: appreciation, appreciativeness, gratefulness, thankfulness and simply thanks.
I’m hoping that, by the time you look back at this, COVID-19 has stopped wreaking havoc on the world. So, like, we didn’t go extinct, right? I guess not if I’m reading this in the future. If humans had gone extinct, I guarantee I wouldn’t be one of the ones that survived. You already know.
When people ask me as an African American
Looking over my status as to when I got COVID-19, there was nothing I did wrong. Simply because I stayed home, as recommended by the CDC.
In this year of losses, while the world mourns Chadwick Boseman, our community mourns the loss of “Poochie,” E.L. Brown, who died, as well as countless other people.
The year 2020 has been a wild journey, not just for me, but for the whole planet. This string of catastrophic events has taken a major toll mentally and physically.
The American Psychological Association is collecting articles and words of wisdom about topics that are affecting people during this unusual time in history known as the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.
I’ve lost myself during the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. I can’t tell if it was my soul’s intention, or a higher being’s calling, but I did it without a conscious plan of it.
Since March and the official understanding of the scope of this lingering global pandemic, best known as COVID-19, there has been a debate on the public use of masks. Like a familiar Shakespearean quote, the overlooming debate for many has been ... to mask or not to mask? ... that is the question!
I address you in a loving but concerned manner. I, who am your blood washed and bought, African American, democratic, seasoned brother bound in a covenant of love with you through Jesus our Lord, am struggling with the conditions you have set for me to be called and claimed publicly as your …
COVID-19 and George Floyd revealed something that most have missed, which is corporate America and the national security state. Local, state, city, county and sheriff policing agencies are now militarized. Which is backed up by the National Guard and its reserves. Active-duty troops can be u…
(Please skim a 20th Century African American timeline in conjunction with this.)
Article 1. Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution contains the infamous three-fifths clause. This clause determined the number of members a state was allotted in the House of Representatives and the amount of direct taxes a state paid. This clause determined how people and money were counted. It…
In the midst of a global pandemic with more than 7 million confirmed cases, the ugly face of racism in America is uncovered once again. The dirty little secret is exposed on a global stage overshadowing COVID-19. With the click of a button on a cell phone, the entire world watched as the hat…
I am sitting on my late father’s bed watching the news in the middle of a pandemic. I am in quarantine.
At some point in our American history many groups have been identified as part of the discriminated group: the Irish, African Americans, Middle Easterners, those of the LGBTQA community, various Asian people, members of the Hispanic Latinx community, Christians, Muslims and Jewish people. Ir…
Editor's note: For more articles from the latest Bright Star edition, go to our News tab and select the Bright Star section.
The primary season for the 2020 presidential election is upon us. The field of Democratic contenders that began with high double-digit hopefuls has been reduced by attrition and lack of funds to the select few who have endured and persevered, along with one newcomer who is making his presenc…
It can be said that everything happens for a reason; no truer words have been spoken. It is true. It is also true that not all reasons are created by God or the universe. Sometimes the reason is created by us — we accidentally walked off the sidewalk or didn’t see the red light.
In honor of African American history and the life of Langston Hughes, who would have turned 118 on Feb. 2, these poems celebrate the heart of the African American man. This culture has vilified him far too long. The Bright Star celebrates strong black men in homes and community.
The number 85,000 can be considered large, when applied to a particular context. It can be minuscule to a multi-millionaire; mere pocket change. To a person with minimal means, it’s a godsend, a “blessing,” or luck. But to God (depending upon who’s God), it’s probably not even a number. It d…
I was recently engaged in an intense conversation with several brothers. The age range was roughly 40 to 75, and the topics covered everything from business and entrepreneurship to politics and religion.
It seems as if we have been thrown backwards with our justice system. It has come back to where “If you’re black or brown get put on lockdown.”
The Lufkin Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction Inc. crowned Mylah Lee as Miss Teen Sepia and Miss TLOD Vogue for 2019 and Chasen Larod Howard as Little Mr. Sepia and Mr. TLOD G.Q. at the 38th annual Sepia Fashion and Talent Revue held recently at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center.
It is visible in downcast eyes that never make contact; it is recognized in the edge of voices, in the way children, even small ones, react to the presence of diversity.
This is the time of year in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. He has no birth date recorded in the Bible; therefore, many refer to this day as a pagan day. Luke 2:1-20 is the most wonderful story ever told.
In preparation for this Christmas season and this article, I asked my great-nephew Michael McKenzie Jr. what the greatest Christmas song of the Christmas season is. He immediately said Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
The Lufkin Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. hosted its Annual Golden Age Holiday Brunch on Dec. 7 at Brandon Park Community Center in Lufkin.
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