Deborah Simmons
Articles by Deborah Simmons
DEBORAH SIMMONS: The Confederate flag sparks a real revolution
If you really and truly want to change the world, let's get busy. There's much to do, which is always the case with revolutions. Published June 25, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Vultures are circling the Confederate flag again
The vultures are circling. As soon as it became clear that Dylann Storm Roof was going to be charged with killing people inside a house of worship, the cries went out. Take down that dang Confederate flag that flies on the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol. Published June 22, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Dylann Roof may face death in Carolina, home to black Washingtonians
There's an inside joke among black Washingtonians: We're all from Carolina. That is to say, somewhere in our lineage, whether by blood or church heritage, we've all got a connection to North or South Carolina. Published June 18, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Rachel Dolezal, ex-NAACP leader, sued Howard University
Come on Howard University. Does it matter if you're black or white? Has Howard really been discriminating again pregnant women? Pregnant white women? Published June 15, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: D.C. soccer stadium and its endgame
Did you read the news the other day? The D.C. United soccer team is going to stay in the District because the city -- i.e. taxpayers and other stakeholders -- are going to foot the bill. Now read the headline you were kept in the dark about: The soccer deal isn't about soccer or soccer fans. Published June 11, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Summer jobs programs fail youths seeking workforce success
Youths and parents can become dependent on the stipends, for food and other necessities, for sure. In too many circumstances, though, youths and parents become dependent on the money to buy school clothes, spend recklessly on summer fun they otherwise could not afford, and still fall way short of helping "them jump-start their lives." Published June 8, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Wal-Mart doubles down on Sam’s Club, consumers
Thanks to home-shopping networks like QVC, HSN and EVINE Live (once also known as ShopNBC) guys and gals are purchasing Kansas City steaks, Maine Lobster and those juicy Honeybells without the benefit "taste-vision." Similar consumer habits are reflecting the convenient — and highly profitable — reality of today's retail food market, which is re-reinventing itself by also transporting consumers back farther into the future. Published June 4, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Larry Hogan want federal taxes to pay for riots
June 1 marked the beginning of hurricane season, and a storm is brewing: Should federal taxpayers foot the bill for the rioting and assorted violence that has crippled some Baltimore neighborhoods following the Freddie Gray protests? Published June 1, 2015
D.C. Memorial Day activities include visits to history, religion, nature
It's practically unthinkable to mention Memorial Day in the same sentence as Washington, D.C., without undertaking the monumental task of listing the holiday's sights and sounds along the Mall and other historical paths. Published May 21, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Military women deserve more than an afterthought
Americans everywhere over the next several days will be honoring U.S. military men and women whose sworn duty is to help keep us safe. Most of the honorees will be men, because women are an afterthought. Published May 21, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Football wives: Emma Dockery teams up to make a difference
Emma Dockery doesn't fit the mold for casting on reality shows like "Football Wives." She rolled up her sleeves and used her personal experiences growing up in a military family, being a wife to former Redskins guard Derrick Dockery and a mom to start Yellow Ribbons United, an organization that comes to the aid of members of the armed forces, their families and their children -- especially their children. Published May 18, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Rabbi Barry Freundel, admitted serial peeping Tom, seeks community service
Should a serial voyeurist be given a mere sentence of community service for filming women at religious baths? Published May 14, 2015
Pregnant? Cruise lines have no-sail regulations
If you're pregnant with expectations, know this: Cruise lines have pregnancy policies. Published May 13, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Baltimore education a pipe dream for poor, black kids
Billy Murphy of Baltimore might not have meant to say it, but he said it nonetheless and his words are certainly worth repeating. Published May 11, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Mother’s Day tribute, every day thoughts
"A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done." So goes an adage by old Anonymous, and how appropriate it is amid recent turmoil around the globe. Published May 7, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Martin O’Malley’s Baltimore needs a change of venue
On Sunday, the Democratic mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, talked about her city returning to "normal" because people were prancing around parts of Charm City as if Martha and the Vandellas had declared "summer's here and the time is right for dancin' in the street." She also announced that the emergency curfew would be lifted. Published May 4, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Baltimore riots over Freddie Gray spread Al Sharpton’s message
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake addressed the media Thursday, as has been customary since all hell broke loose Monday night. One of the most "powerful" women in the state of Maryland, she has been telling us that the pictures we see and the words we read about her hometown don't always present a clear, focused picture. Well, of course that's not true. Published April 30, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Baltimore mother slaps son amid rioting
What a fitting tribute to the late Freddie Gray. Published April 28, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Baltimore riots, black Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake hurt own black community
There's much to be concerned and frightened about in Baltimore following a prayerful Sunday and funeral Monday, when Baltimore police warned law enforcers that the Crips, Bloods and Black Guerrilla Family are joining forces to "take out" police officers. Published April 27, 2015
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Muriel Bowser: D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine can’t be your political hack
The U.S. Senate confirmed federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch as the 83rd U.S. attorney general Thursday after much yakety-yak about her qualifications and whether she is or will be inclined to become a political hack for President Obama. Published April 23, 2015