Undated 1964 photo of Malcolm X by Herman Hiller of World Telegram outside Queens County Criminal Court.
Photo and Malcolm X’s quote: Library of Congress/Wikimedia; “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X and Alex Haley, published October 29, 1965.

By Michael Coard, Esq.

At the outset, I truly thank ancestor Jerry Mondesire, the former and first publisher of The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, for his uncompromising pro-Black vision.

I also truly thank the current publisher, Catherine Hicks, for her continuation of that pro-Black vision by allowing me — attorney Michael Coard, aka “The Angriest Black Man in America”- to write a column without censoring me by restricting me from expressing what’s on my mind in general and without censoring me by restricting me from endorsing candidates in particular.

Black-owned, Black-operated, and Black-thinking newspapers are essential to the promotion of Black advancement. Black folks cannot rely on white corporate media outlets because, as Malcolm X taught us, they rarely tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about Black people, places, and things.

In this debut column, I will primarily write about the upcoming general election and will briefly mention the topics of some of my future columns.

Let’s start with some of my future columns. They will include, among many other matters, legal strategies regarding how to stop the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) from robbing the public with fraudulent speed camera tickets, fraudulent red light camera tickets, and fraudulent parking violation tickets. I know because I beat the PPA, which is why that “highway robber/street thug/municipal mafia” entity known as the PPA is currently appealing my courtroom victory.

Another future topic is Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) and its ongoing battle to restore, enhance, and replicate the President’s House/Slavery Memorial at Sixth and Market Streets.

An additional future topic is Cheyney University and its historic growth in terms of student enrollment, academic excellence, and the recent groundbreaking for a $36.5 million state-of-the-art athletic facility.

And those are just a few of the upcoming topics. Stay tuned. Fasten your seat belt.

Now, let’s focus on the November 3 election.

Prior to every election, I publicly announce my endorsement list. And I’m doing it once again. But first, allow me to humbly explain my reason for doing so.

Why me? You might ask. Who do I think I am? You might ask. Why should you accept my endorsements? You might ask. Here’s why: To whom much is given, much is required. I have been an attorney for more than 30 years, an adjunct college professor of Black History for over 15 years, a cultural/political activist since my college days, a radio/TV host for more than 15 years, a newspaper columnist for about 10 years, and an African descendant throughout my entire lifetime. Furthermore, in the words of the great Congressperson Shirley Chisholm, I am “unbought and unbossed” because I neither request nor accept money, jobs, grants, or any personal benefits whatsoever from any candidate or elected official.

In other words, I have no selfish interests and no ulterior motives.

Based on all those blessings, I have been put in a position to access and uncover information that can bring about justice, equity, and eventually liberation for Black folks. Accordingly, prior to each election, I use that information to compile my endorsement lists.

Why? There are two reasons. The first is many Black voters always ask me to do so. The second is, unlike the average voter, I have the time and resources to thoroughly research the candidates. Consequently, I am able to distinguish the good candidates from the bad ones — as well as (and this is very important) the relatively not-so-bad candidates from the objectively bad ones.

The urgent goal in 2026 is to stop Republican fascism. And even though I am a proud progressive/socialist who is by no means a fan of establishment Democrats, we all must come together and support anyone who can beat MAGA. And right now, most (but not all) who can defeat Trumpism are establishment Democrats. America must defeat Republican fascism “by any means necessary”– even if establishment Democrats happen to be the means, so hold your nose and vote for them in this election.

After all, remember that voting must never be ideologically emotional but must always be revolutionarily strategic. And strategic thinking is the only thing that will stop America in 2026 from becoming what Italy became in 1922 under Benito Mussolini, what Germany became in 1933 under Adolf Hitler, and what Spain became in 1939 under Francisco Franco. The midterm elections all across the country will determine whether America is fascist or not. Let’s unite now in our voting. We can bicker later. As Benjamin Franklin is credited for having profoundly stated, “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

As a result of all of the aforementioned, for Philadelphia voters I now endorse the following candidates and make the following ballot question recommendations:

PA Governor and Lt. Governor: Josh Shapiro and Austin Davis
U.S. Representative- 2nd District: Brendan Boyle
U.S. Representative- 3rd District: CHRIS RABB!!!
U.S. Representative- 5th District: Mary Gay Scanlon
PA Senate- 4th District: Art Haywood
PA Senate- 8th District: Anthony Hardy Williams
PA Senate- 24th District: Chris Thomas
PA Senate- 38th District: Lindsey Williams
PA Senate- 44th District: Katie Muth
PA Representative- 175th District: MaryLouis Isaacson
PA Representative- 177th District: Joe Hohenstein
PA Representative- 181st District: Malcolm Kenyatta
PA Representative- 182nd District: Ben Waxman
PA Representative- 184th District: Liz Fielder
PA Representative- 186th District: Jordan A. Harris
PA Representative- 188th District: Rick Krajewski
PA Representative- 190th District: Roni Green
PA Representative- 191st District: Joanna E. McClinton
PA Representative- 192nd District: Morgan Cephas
PA Representative- 194th District: Tarik Kahn
PA Representative- 195th District: Sierra McNeill
PA Representative- 197th District: Danilo Burgos
PA Representative- 198th District: Darisha K. Parker
PA Representative- 200th District: Chris Johnson
PA Representative- 201st District: Andre Carroll
Ballot Questions: 1. Yes. Allow bid preferences and set-asides for small businesses.
2. Yes. Promote the City’s arts, culture, and creative economy.

By the way, this endorsement list is based on my personal political views and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, any radio station, any TV station, or any other media outlet.

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, the author’s organization, committee or other group or individual.