DALLAS (NNPA)—Attorney Joe C. Hopkins, in "I will not Apologize," has compiled some of his best works.

This co- publisher of the "Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley Journal" newspaper has an opinion about almost everything and those opinions are worth reading. As he acknowledges in the book, the problems he wrote about from 1991-2002 are still here today.

Born in Oklahoma in 1941, Hopkins and his family migrated to California in search of employment and a better way of life. He learned, from watching his father, that owning a business was better than having a job.

When he was 14, Joe Hopkins owned a shoeshine business and by the age of 18, he had his barber’s license. By the time he was 20, he owned a barbershop.

Married for more than 40 years, he and his wife [Ruthie] since 1989 have been co-publishers of "The Pasadena/San Gabriel Journal News," which started out as the "Hoppies Journal." He also has raised three sons, who are all entrepreneurs.

Hopkins takes on everything from R&B songstress Toni Braxton’s skimpy attire and the responsibility of Black sororities and fraternities, to U.S. Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas and getting tough on crime.

His solution, "If they want to get tough on crime, get tough on unemployment."

I especially like his message on education:

"The sororities and fraternities should take a serious look at beginning to develop Summer Institutes in the west for schools such as Spelman, Howard, Morehouse, Fisk and other historical Black colleges, with a view toward developing extension universities in the West.

"IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO BRING THE GRAMBLING AND ALABAMA FOOTBALL TEAMS to entertain us... We need to BRING THEIR CLASSROOMS to educate us.’’

A Thanksgiving column was especially profound:

"Forgive those who write and perform music that belittles our daughters, mothers and grand mothers, after all that they have done to get us to where we are today. Forgive those Ward Connerlys and Clarence Thomas’s who would consort with the conservative enemies of our progress.’’

Hopkins said he attempted to "provide practical but uncompromising solutions that can be carried out by those who are serious about changing things.’’

Are you serious?

Well, pick up the book.

[To order, call (323) 750-3592.]

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