On Charleston

Friends: the Confederate flag is not a symbol of southern heritage or American pride. It is a symbol of hatred, of segregation, of oppression, and a symbol of a divided nation. It is the American swastika. For centuries, white men and women ruled the world, trading people for tobacco, selling human beings for dimes and textiles. They beat and hung and tortured their unpaid workers; they separated families, murdered sisters and mothers and sons. They committed horrendous acts on their dark-skinned brothers. That is my history. That is your history. And that is what the flag stands for: the indescribable wounds inflicted on those suppressed by the majority. 
On June 17th, nine men and women were murdered in their own church. They were killed for being black, and that is a tragedy. What is perhaps even more tragic, however, is the fact that the snow-blind media is treating this act of blatant racism as a mere character flaw.
"He was confused."
"He didn't know how to use the gun properly."
"He's just an anxious teenage boy."
No. He is a racist. He did this on purpose; it was not an accident. He committed nine acts of murder, and for that, he deserves the maximum penalty of life in prison. Do not defend this man; you only encourage the spreading of cruelty.

Stop denying what is so obviously laid out in front of you: racism still exists. It runs through the veins of our institution; it is poisonous, and it is persistent.
My deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragedy.
To the rest of the nation: it's time to get our shit together.