I have a suggestion. How about an exhibit on Tawana Brawley? If the purpose of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian is to remember racial controversies, as the proposed Trayvon exhibit seems to confirm, then how about an honest look at the phenomenon of hate crime hoaxes?  Particular attention should be paid to the role of the media in both the Trayvon and Tawana materials. Unquestionably, the media stirred up racial animus, and these incidents both contributed to raising racial tensions. One exhibit should be a copy of Tawana Brawley's first paycheck with hundreds of dollars garnisheed from it, to pay off a lawsuit for having defamed prosecutor Steven Pagones. After delivering 10 checks to him for $3,764.61, she still owes him 430 grand, according to Michael Gartland writing in the New York Post. Brawley's advisers in the infamous race-baiting case - the Rev. Al Sharpton, and attorneys C. Vernon Mason and Alton Maddox - have...(Read Full Post)