The cold truth of Shad Khan

The venerable owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars spills the tea on the First Coast’s image and potential.    By Charles Griggs “My job is to teach people how not to confuse assimilation with collaboration” – Charles Griggs After 25 years and two owners, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the jewel of Northeast Florida. Since day one, …

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Undoing the negative impacts of Consolidation

For those who have enjoyed and benefited from privilege, equality feels like oppression.    By Charles Griggs “That second man has his own way of looking at things; asks himself which debt must I pay first, the debt to the rich, or the debt to the poor?” – Ralph Waldo Emerson For months now, make …

Yes, the President is racist

For many many people it seems to be a hard leap to connect comments and actions to evidence of racism. Apparently, the same goes for the President of United States.    By Charles Griggs “People tell us who they are, but we don’t believe them because we want them to be who we want them …

The changing lanes of public education

Duval County’s public education system is famous for big ideas and status quo, often leading to stagnation and conflict. Does this benefit our children?   By Charles Griggs “For me, education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it better.” – Carter …

Righting wrongful convictions: Should I be happy or angry?

Trying to make sense of recent Williams and Myers exonerations should lead to full examination of criminal justice system. By Charles Griggs “I'm not bitter for what happened to me because the Lord Jesus Christ made me to be a man.” – Hubert "Nathan" Myers When I heard about the exoneration and release of Clifford …

Minority representation during majority rule

Should policymakers be concerned with issues of those in the minority? By Charles Griggs “He who has the gold makes the rules.” – The Wizard of Id As a political observer, the one thing I find that drives people crazy is when their candidate loses. For most people who participate in the political process the …

Facts are facts, unless you want the truth

We are almost at the point where anything and everything mean nothing anymore. By Charles Griggs “People want to be told what to do so bad, they’ll listen to anyone.” – Don Draper, Mad Men Growing up as a young boy, I was always told by my elders to tell the truth. To be honest. …

To grow Black-owned businesses, think big

The most relevant factor in the growth of minority businesses is not capital, but the lack of vision that clouds the ability to project success. This is not because Black people don’t dream of success, but because minority entrepreneurs, stakeholders and their supporters haven’t challenged themselves to think big enough. By Charles Griggs “Systems are …

Why racism will never end

It is understandable that people in power will never concede or promote compassion for those who suffer from their gains. It is more believable that the systematically oppressed choose to understand the oppressor for who they are, and build their own empire accordingly. By Charles Griggs “For a long time after the Civil War, the …

It’s time to change the narrative on Black boys

Local social and economic systems are built to prevent Black boys from succeeding. The Black community has to change the culture and conditions, and be more supportive of African American males. By Charles Griggs “What they [Black men and boys] need are believers and partners willing to invest generationally in their abilities, assets and dreams.” …