Clarence Page

Clarence Page is a syndicated columnist and a former member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. Among other awards, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (1989) and lifetime achievement awards from Chicago Headline Club, National Society of Newspaper Columnists, National Press Foundation and National Association of Black Journalists.

President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Mehmet Oz, left, administrator for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, delivers remarks during an event on maternal healthcare in the Oval Office of the White House on May 11, 2026, in Washington. The Trump administration recently launched Moms.gov, a website to help provide resources for expecting women and their families. Also pictured are philanthropist Olivia Walton, second from left, and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., third from right. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty)

Clarence Page: Feeling ‘under-babied’? More like underpaid and overburdened

May 18, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Dr. Mehmet Oz sounded the alarm on a fertility crisis, but what about those who can't afford to start a family?

With the Chicago skyline in the background, a child runs on the sand at Tobey Prinz Beach in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, March 21, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Clarence Page: Why are young couples delaying having a family? Dread, for one.

May 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

When asked about a delay in having kids, many young couples cite economic and job uncertainties. Some cite a general dread about the world.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act on Aug. 6, 1965, in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Surrounding the president, from left directly above his right hand, are Vice President Hubert Humphrey; House Speaker John McCormack; Rep. Emanuel Celler, D-N.Y.; first daughter Luci Johnson; and Sen. Everett Dirksen, R-Ill. Behind Humphrey is House Majority Leader Carl Albert of Oklahoma, and behind Celler is Sen. Carl Hayden, D-Ariz. (AP)

Clarence Page: The Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling will promote corrupt electoral maps

May 3, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

In striking down the Louisiana voting map as a racial gerrymander, the court opened the door for other states to redraw their maps, too.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel arrive for a news conference at the Justice Department, April 21, 2026, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Clarence Page: Is the Southern Poverty Law Center indictment about fraud or something more sinister?

April 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The federal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center has all the hallmarks of political ploy.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth provides updates on the war in Iran at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on April 16, 2026. (Pete Marovich/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump, the pope and the gospel of ‘Pulp Fiction’

April 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Even right-wing strategist Steve Bannon has opined that the defense secretary needs to dial down the biblical rhetoric.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth takes questions during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 8, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/Getty-AFP)

Clarence Page: Pete Hegseth’s holy war

April 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Some are comparing the war in Iran to Vietnam, and watching Pete Hegseth reminds me of the movie “Apocalypse Now.”

A courtroom sketch depicts the Republican administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General D. John Sauer, standing center, making arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 1, 2026, in Washington. President Donald Trump is seated right. (Dana Verkouteren/AP)

Clarence Page: Birthright citizenship debate puts America’s melting pot on trial again

April 6, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The U.S. is hardly an outlier in allowing birthright citizenship. It is the law in more than 30 countries.

Television host and comedian Bill Maher attends the second half of an NBA basketball game March 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Caroline Brehman/AP)

Clarence Page: Bill Maher, Mark Twain Prize winner, proves that free speech isn’t just for laughs

March 30, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

In this age of rampant left-or-right coding by humorists of all types, Bill Maher refuses to limit his barbs to one side or the other.

Two GIs with the U.S. 25th Division read the Stars and Stripes newspaper at Cu Chi, South Vietnam, on Sept. 10, 1969. (Mark Godfrey/AP)

Clarence Page: Pentagon’s press panic threatens august Stars and Stripes

March 23, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell asserted that going forward, Stars and Stripes would be "by the warfighter and for the warfighter."

A truck with an image of President Donald Trump and rising gas prices drives past a rally for Al Quds Day on March 13, 2026, in New York City. People gathered around the world for Al Quds Day, also known as Jerusalem Day, amid the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran. (Adam Gray/Getty)

Clarence Page: Donald Trump’s Iran war not likely the jaunt he’s trying to sell

March 16, 2026 at 5:44 a.m.

The growing war concerns caused me to flash back to an earlier era, when an excursion in Southeast Asia to help a friend with their colonial problems became the Vietnam...

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