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1 week ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
“A new class of people has taken root in America’s cities, a lost society dwelling in enclaves of despair and chaos that infect and threaten the communities at large. …Its members don’t share traditional values of work, money, education, home and perhaps even of life.
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2 weeks ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
(Left) Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick takes a knee—something that cause him to be effectively banned from the National Football League. (Right) Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL Hall of Fame player Deion Sanders, remain undrafted through four rounds of the 2025 NFL draft despite earlier predictions that he would be drafted in the first round. He was, however, the 144th pick, drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 5th round. Many analysts, among them ESPN commentator Stephen A.
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3 weeks ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
By John W. FountainTRAVELING ABROAD IN 2006, as a writer with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., we arrived one bright Sunday morning at the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto, Johannesburg in South Africa, the sun and the scent of motherland earth kissing my Black American soul. As our group exited our vehicle and approached the edifice on foot, we were met by the sound of enchanting angelic voices that grew louder with each step.
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3 weeks ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe children smileAnd play. Slapping hands,They frolicIn the glory of life. Bask in it. Sing in it. Hold tight its gentle reins,Riding to destiny unknown. Boys. Girls. PigtailsAnd pipe dreams. Imagination:Jousting with sticks. A musty mattress becomes a trampoline. A dirt lot- a field of dreams. A sullen hallway- an adventurous bike track. A milk crate- a basketball goal. Yet there is sadness. Sorrow.
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3 weeks ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. 50 Cent A Word is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. As written for National Public Radio’s, “This I Believe” - PodcastBy John W. FountainI BELIEVE IN GOD.
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3 weeks ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
By John W. FountainON THIS GLORIOUS EASTER Sunday, will the church speak out against the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the ongoing atrocities in the West Bank? Against the human rights violations and international crimes in Sudan, including rape and torture in the northeast African country, where famine and disease in the civil war torn country has left a trail of devastation and tears and reportedly more than 61,000 dead?
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4 weeks ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
This is the first in a series titled, “The Fellas”Dedicated to the memory of our friend Michael Morris. We still miss you, man, after all these years, Rest in HeavenBy John W. FountainTHIS ONE IS FOR “The Fellas.” For all the Black boys who, like me, grew up in the Chi on the West Side in North Lawndale—whether K-Town or the “Holy City.” Back when bubble gum and candy were a penny and our young hearts ran free. Back when differences between us could be settled without the gun.
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1 month ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
By John W. FountainON A COLD SUNNY April afternoon, I found spring, sparkling like hidden treasure just beyond glass doors in a garden paradise filled with splendid emerald grass and trees and a rainbow of flowers of varying species. I found her—spring—in full bloom inside this nearly 120-year-old edifice of mostly steel and glass on Chicago’s West Side, where I was born and raised and where the invisible fragrance of jasmine today swelled, like the giant, sprawling green palm trees.
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1 month ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
From then Sun-Times Editorial Page Editor Lorraine Forte, April 21, 2022:“John, your tweet was brought to my attention. You are welcome to feel however you like about your pay rate. But of course no editor worth his/her salt is going to publish a line, in their publication, that basically denigrates that pay, which is the same as that received by other columnists. 50 Cent A Word is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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2 months ago | 
johnwfountain.substack.com | John Fountain
By John W. FountainAS A JOURNALIST, I strive to be a voice for the voiceless. For the invisible. To shine the light on hidden or dark corners of the world. Places like Chicago’s West Side’s North Lawndale community where I grew up, on the other side of the track. As a columnist, I strive to make a difference. To speak truth. To be honest. To be vulnerable and transparent. To capture and also to convey stories about the human experience, believing that our most common denominator is our humanity.
