Before we heard about Herman Cain’s 4 a.m. call to Ginger White, there was George Clooney’s in Ides of March, the fall film that featured a presidential candidate making a 2:30 a.m. call to the intern, who was in the sack with one of Clooney's top aides.
We all also remember Hillary’s 3 a.m. phone call ad in 2008, so we’re now in the midst of our third presidential election cycle, two of them real, dominated by early morning siren calls that test White House mettle.
But the mystery of Herman Cain is not whether Ginger White’s phone records will finally disconnect him from his 999 area code.
The reason we should all still care about this soon-to-be Invisible Man is the odd GOP phobia that caused his surge in the first place. How he became the biggest Mr. October since Reggie Jackson is a window into the psychosis gripping a party that, in a year, may be ruling all of Washington.
Essentially unemployed since he left the National Restaurant Association in 1999, confounded by Libya, a blogger who insisted there was no 2008 recession as late as that September, Cain nonetheless climbed to the top of the national, Iowa, and South Carolina polls and stayed there until the second week of November. The pizza man even delivered big wins in the Florida and Georgia straw polls. And when four women charged that he took his role as the head of the hospitality industry a bit too seriously, he brushed civil settlements aside as if they weren’t on his tab and still stalked the White House.
Read more here
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
If You Stop Talking About Race, Will Racism Disappear?
by Kelly Evans
In module two, there were plenty of interesting topics that would make great reflections. However, the topic I found most interesting and deemed it necessary to share the information in my reflection paper for this week is a question that was asked during the Rooks video. Nowilde Rooks, expounded briefly on the question, “If you stop taking about race, will racism disappear?” I felt this question was thought- provoking.
I learned at an early age that there are several topics of conversation to avoid if your goal is to alleviate heavy debate in daily dialogue. Those topics of conversation are race, religion and politics. However, my decision to not participate in speaking about those topics in professional and educational environments did not make the reality of the topics disappear. When listening to Rooks in her video speak about race, racism and prejudice in regards to AAAS programs, it brought back those memories I endured when keeping quiet about those topics. I found that no matter how much I did not speak about race, it constantly surrounded me.
In the Rooks C-Span video, Rooks made a statement about racism by using the film Crash as a reference. She states, “Why need a language and understanding when talking about race….” She went on to say, “There is no racism in this film. There is a whole lot of prejudice.” She mentioned that the film is one of her favorites. I can agree with Rooks on these statements. Often times there is a language and understanding needed when talking about race because many individuals are not aware of the effects of their racist or prejudice actions on other individuals. Therefore there must be a vehicle for communicating this information so that people are able to understand that racism still exists. Unfortunately, that language is not always received in a positive manner. The film Crash does in fact include a lot of prejudice messages. These messages showed that everyone has an opinion and a feeling about others, whether it is a spoken or an unspoken language, it exists. But it also portrayed how it all meets in the middle and at times, you may cross paths again. I feel that Rooks’ lecture in comparison to her book is a great explanation on why it is necessary to have a language of communication through AAAS programs. Some reasons are to gain an in-depth understanding of AAAS, its history, its impact in society and how it can help students with future endeavors.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
History of African American Studies
by Jerrica Rucker
The history of AAAS is inspiring. The idea that I am currently studying in this class because men and women my age fought for it is inspiring. It took me back to a previous discussion post concerning whether or not students here at Memphis would fight for the AAAS program the way that the students at San Francisco did. I don’t think current students would sacrifice as much as those students did just for a course of study. It’s sad to say that there isn’t much that people in my generation would seriously stand up for.
The concept of this module that stuck with me the most was “Segregation versus Separation”. I began to wonder if blacks are separating themselves from the mass society as a result of segregation and racism. Now that black are not set apart because of inferiority, could the current issues dealing with racism stem from blacks unconsciously separating themselves from other ethnicities. Although there may indeed be some racist whites still living amongst us, is American society built to work against blacks or are blacks paranoid because they continue to separate themselves?
Also, seeing the different levels of Afrocentricism made me feel better about the concept. Originally, I felt that only black radicals upheld the concept of Afrocentrism. I assumed it was a counteraction or a type of reverse-racism. Now, I see that different types of Afrocentricists believe in different types of things. What really drove it home for me was that I found myself fitting into one of the categories. I believe that I am a social afrocentrist. I want to use my education in AAAS to promote progression in the black community that allows us to succeed as Americans since this is our homeland. I plan to teach inner-city teenagers African American history or literature with the ultimate goal of creating a group of open minded citizens so that they are not stuck in the box of victimization. I think that the reason blacks’ progression is a slow process because we did have a late start in becoming a part of a larger society and that we still want to be accredited for the things our ancestors went through. Where do you draw the line, as a black person, between remembering black legacy and using black history as an excuse for recent failures and setbacks?
The more I am introduced to the academia of AAAS, the more solid my goals become. I knew what I wanted to do, and why I wanted to do it, I just didn’t know HOW I would go about doing so. Being able to develop my own theories concerning my ethnicity allowed me to see a lot of things differently and I hope to produce students, who have been constantly taught that black have the short end of the stick, that can escape from that mental boundary and explore American society with open-mindedness.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Reflections: Would students "get fired up" of AAAS classes?
Sadly after reading the post by several of my fellow group members, I must agree that the actual rallying for and over African and African American Studies classes is very slim. Yet, I disagree with the fact that it is seen as just another course or extra credit class. I feel the reason for most not to rally would simply be based on the fact that many students, and African Americans in general, feel that as African Americans we have reached that "dream" that Martin Luther King, Jr. onced preached about when actually this "dream" has yet to be anywhere near fully reached. They see Obama as President and think "we have conquered it all" when actually, they walk a path that may never cross that of Obama's. In actuality, many African Americans have reached a comfort zone of where they stand in life, because they are sitting in the same theater as other individuals who do not share the same skin tone or because their suit cost more than Bill Gates'. They find an African American studies program to be no longer needed because African Americans, in their eyes, have reached the top. They have lost the urge to fight, because they feel a fight is no longer needed. They are settling, because society is trying to portray an equality that really barely exists. I admit we have come a long way, but we honestly still have a long way they to go. Looking ouside of equality, African American students are afraid to engage in a course or program that will actually show them that "hey, your not done yet". They have a fear in something that will push them to work harder and go longer, because of truths they turned deaf ears on to never hear of. Yet, they need to know. Everyone needs to know more. There is no better way to start than enrolling in a program that introduces your mind to a world that you feel you can relate to, but honestly have no eartly idea about.
Unlike some of my peers, I would definitely rally for African and African American Studies classes. I refuse to settle when I know what myself and my other fellow African Americans are capable of. I would love to see them be able to take a course in a program where they can be encouraged, enlightened, enriched, and educated about where they have come from and where they can go. A program in why it is important to be that mentor and gain all the knowledge possible of African American studies to share to their fellow peers. A program that allows them to appreciate who they are and open doors that introduce them to new concepts and thoughts of their culture. A program where other ethnicities can learn, understand, and appreciate why African Americans find the need to succeed. An African and American Studies Program.
Maybe it is because I am a future educator that I feel you can never have too much knowledge in a subject. Or maybe it is because I am an African American that I feel we could never achieve too much. Whatever the reason may be, I still say "TO RALLY IS THE ANSWER"!!-Brittany Hill
This is my second semester at the U of M and all my classes have been online, so I don't have much insight on U of M students involvement with anything besides what I have seen on the news in the past and thats usually sports related. However I believe with this younger generation, the students would not get as fired up over AAAS being taught because of the commercialization of what society thinks is important. Usually this is more focused towards getting a degree, what's the next biggest fashion, car and where's the big party. If certain student activites or rights such as the option to join a fraternity or sorority were up for elimination then I believe the students would rally together. However since AAAS has never truely been introduce to society as a fundamental study, I don't think that there would be much of a protest for classes.-Tosha Blackwell
In my opinion, AAAS is very important to this campus. I do believe that if there was a possibility of AAAS being taken away from our campus, the leaders of campus would protest to have AAAS taught. I believe this because despite what some may believe, AAAS is vital in learning even more about the African American culture and heritage. I know of people who major in AAAS and take pride in their major just like someone majoring in Biology. I know many of my African American peers that are actively involved and would fight and protest so that AAAS is taught. An organization I believe that would be behind the movement to keep and fight to keep AAAS thriving on campus is a minority run organization-Black Student Association. Yes, it may seem that not many African American students are concerned about the state of African American Studies, I have been in different organizations and have seen the pride students carry knowing where they come from and the culture they live in now. Being in a sorority founded by strong black women, I find it vital knowing what was going on during the time period my founders began our illustrious organization and AAAS teaches that. I do believe that AAAS is important to every one not just African Americans because we all have so much to learn about where we come from, so that it does not hinder where we are headed.-Annastasia Allen
Unlike some of my peers, I would definitely rally for African and African American Studies classes. I refuse to settle when I know what myself and my other fellow African Americans are capable of. I would love to see them be able to take a course in a program where they can be encouraged, enlightened, enriched, and educated about where they have come from and where they can go. A program in why it is important to be that mentor and gain all the knowledge possible of African American studies to share to their fellow peers. A program that allows them to appreciate who they are and open doors that introduce them to new concepts and thoughts of their culture. A program where other ethnicities can learn, understand, and appreciate why African Americans find the need to succeed. An African and American Studies Program.
Maybe it is because I am a future educator that I feel you can never have too much knowledge in a subject. Or maybe it is because I am an African American that I feel we could never achieve too much. Whatever the reason may be, I still say "TO RALLY IS THE ANSWER"!!-Brittany Hill
This is my second semester at the U of M and all my classes have been online, so I don't have much insight on U of M students involvement with anything besides what I have seen on the news in the past and thats usually sports related. However I believe with this younger generation, the students would not get as fired up over AAAS being taught because of the commercialization of what society thinks is important. Usually this is more focused towards getting a degree, what's the next biggest fashion, car and where's the big party. If certain student activites or rights such as the option to join a fraternity or sorority were up for elimination then I believe the students would rally together. However since AAAS has never truely been introduce to society as a fundamental study, I don't think that there would be much of a protest for classes.-Tosha Blackwell
In my opinion, AAAS is very important to this campus. I do believe that if there was a possibility of AAAS being taken away from our campus, the leaders of campus would protest to have AAAS taught. I believe this because despite what some may believe, AAAS is vital in learning even more about the African American culture and heritage. I know of people who major in AAAS and take pride in their major just like someone majoring in Biology. I know many of my African American peers that are actively involved and would fight and protest so that AAAS is taught. An organization I believe that would be behind the movement to keep and fight to keep AAAS thriving on campus is a minority run organization-Black Student Association. Yes, it may seem that not many African American students are concerned about the state of African American Studies, I have been in different organizations and have seen the pride students carry knowing where they come from and the culture they live in now. Being in a sorority founded by strong black women, I find it vital knowing what was going on during the time period my founders began our illustrious organization and AAAS teaches that. I do believe that AAAS is important to every one not just African Americans because we all have so much to learn about where we come from, so that it does not hinder where we are headed.-Annastasia Allen
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Left of Black, Season 2, Episode 1, Mark Anthony Neal talks with Michael Eric Dyson about President Obama, presidential criticism, the new fave of online b...
Left of Black, Season 2, Episode 2, Mark Anthony Neal is join by William Sandy Darity to talk about unemployment, Pres. Obama's jobs plan and teaching chil...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Left of Black-Michael Eric Dyson
Host Mark Anthony Neal, is joined by Georgetown professor and public intellectual Michael Eric Dyson via Skype® for the season premiere ofLeft of Black. The two scholars assess President Obama’s agenda, accomplishments, and challenges, as well as Cornel West’s perspective of the Obama administration so far. Dyson also discusses the importance of presenting critical analysis to the broader public. The show finishes off with a discussion of Kanye West and Jay-Z’s recent album Watch the Throne.
Watch it Here
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Why African Americans And Latinos Must Get Along
African-Americans and Latinos have too much in common not to get along better.
Both communities face high unemployment rates, high dropout rates, systemic poverty, gang violence, a disproportionate number of prison inmates and continual discrimination.
Some issues that continue to create controversy between the two communities are immigration, job competition, bilingual education and political representation. These are tough issues that we need to address in a respectful and thoughtful manner.
Some African American and Latino leaders have tried to form alliances. But this has proven more difficult than you might think.
Take the big immigrant rights marches over the past decade, for example. The pro-immigrant Latino leadership did not do enough outreach to include a wide representation of African-American leaders and organizations. And few African American leaders and community members participated in this movement. Also, many Latino community members are beginning to resent President Barack Obama since he has not signed into law a comprehensive immigration reform that would benefit nearly 12 million immigrants in the United States.
Read more here
Both communities face high unemployment rates, high dropout rates, systemic poverty, gang violence, a disproportionate number of prison inmates and continual discrimination.
Some issues that continue to create controversy between the two communities are immigration, job competition, bilingual education and political representation. These are tough issues that we need to address in a respectful and thoughtful manner.
Some African American and Latino leaders have tried to form alliances. But this has proven more difficult than you might think.
Take the big immigrant rights marches over the past decade, for example. The pro-immigrant Latino leadership did not do enough outreach to include a wide representation of African-American leaders and organizations. And few African American leaders and community members participated in this movement. Also, many Latino community members are beginning to resent President Barack Obama since he has not signed into law a comprehensive immigration reform that would benefit nearly 12 million immigrants in the United States.
Read more here
Olsson's The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975: The Revolution Will Be Documented
I think the reason I love cinema so much is that, as a medium, it possesses the most potential for uniting the world. While we watch a DVD of a French film at home, sit in a theater being washed over by the images of an Italian B & W classic, or surreptitiously check out the recent download of a Bollywood movie on our iPad, we are undeniably transported to other lands, other eras and, most importantly, other ways of looking at things. But while the promise is there every time we choose a title, few films achieve the grand objective of forever changing our mind and enriching our world permanently.
Swedish filmmaker Göran Hugo Olsson's documentary The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is one of those once-in-a-lifetime films which seamlessly reaches the full cinematic goal of changing its viewers' world for good. Face to face, the stylish, understatedly handsome Olsson is quick to point out that with The Black Power Mixtape "I am not trying to tell the story about the Black Power movement. I'm telling the story of how it was perceived in Sweden. So it's an outsider's look, from outsiders' material." As we sit inside a Soho eatery sipping coffee, in the quiet off hours of the afternoon, he continues "Erykah Badu, in the film, says that we have to tell our own stories, but this is my story. This is the Swedish story of this period in US history."
Read more here
Swedish filmmaker Göran Hugo Olsson's documentary The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is one of those once-in-a-lifetime films which seamlessly reaches the full cinematic goal of changing its viewers' world for good. Face to face, the stylish, understatedly handsome Olsson is quick to point out that with The Black Power Mixtape "I am not trying to tell the story about the Black Power movement. I'm telling the story of how it was perceived in Sweden. So it's an outsider's look, from outsiders' material." As we sit inside a Soho eatery sipping coffee, in the quiet off hours of the afternoon, he continues "Erykah Badu, in the film, says that we have to tell our own stories, but this is my story. This is the Swedish story of this period in US history."
Read more here
Stanford law professor argues black women should cross race barrier for marriage partners
Black women are getting to the best universities, strongest corporations and top ranks of government offices.
But not to the altar.A provocative new book by Stanford law professor Ralph Richard Banks examines why black women are so unlikely to marry -- and proposes a solution that is arousing controversy in the African-American community: Cross the color line.
"Don't marry down. Marry out," says Banks in his campus office, busy with phone calls, emails and preparation for the new semester. The shared experience that once bound blacks together -- segregation -- is gone, he asserts. "So it all coalesces around this ...: whether black women will continue to be held hostage to the failings of black men."
Read more here
No Blacks Pictured in 9/11 Commemorative
Time magazine this week published "Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience," a photo-rich commemorative edition dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. No identifiable African Americans are pictured in its 64 pages.
Asked about the omission, Time spokesman Kerri Chyka said by email: "TIME is declining to comment at this time."
The issue is published at a time in its history when the magazine apparently has no African American editors.
"There certainly are African Americans on Time's masthead," spokeswoman Ali Zelenko told Journal-isms by email. However, she did not respond when asked to name them. The masthead lists other staffers in addition to editors.
Read more here
Asked about the omission, Time spokesman Kerri Chyka said by email: "TIME is declining to comment at this time."
The issue is published at a time in its history when the magazine apparently has no African American editors.
"There certainly are African Americans on Time's masthead," spokeswoman Ali Zelenko told Journal-isms by email. However, she did not respond when asked to name them. The masthead lists other staffers in addition to editors.
Read more here
Monday, September 5, 2011
African American unemployment at its highest level since 1984
The August jobs report released by the Labor Department on Friday painted a bleak picture about racial inequality in the jobs market. Unemployment for African Americans is now at an astounding 16.7%, its highest level since 1984. This is more than double the unemployment figure for whites, which fell slightly last month to 8%.
With President Obama set to lay out his jobs plan in a highly-anticipated speech on Thursday, what does he need to say to restore faith in the African American public about jobs?Read more here
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Why celebrate his legacy? Because we know he was right
Despite not dedicating the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on Sunday as planned because of Hurricane Irene, that fact that King will be the first non-president enshrined on the Mall is a perplexing event. It is perplexing because King was arguably one of the most hated people in America when he died at the hands of an assassin’s bullet. In his last year of his life—which starts April 4, 1967, with his “Vietnam” speech and ends April 3, 1968 with his “Mountain Top” speech—King’s prophetic persona had shifted from an optimistic prophet to a pessimistic one. He would call America a “sick society,” and had he lived, would have preached a sermon titled, “Why America May Go to Hell,” on Easter Sunday. He had long since moved from “I Have a Dream,” and started using Malcolm’s language of “nightmare” to describe society’s dealing with the poor and marginalized. Why would we celebrate his legacy?
When he died, he was embarking on a poor people’s campaign—to highlight to the world the poverty in the “greatest country on earth.” That is why he was in Memphis, because King told anyone who would listen that the sanitation workers in Memphis and all workers have dignity and purpose and that people should treat them fairly. He called for a revolution of values, ones not focused on materialism, militarism, racism, and poverty, but ones focused on the Beloved Community. This love would seep through all areas of life and would ground itself in the Golden Rule—treating others, as you would want others to treat you. So again, why celebrate his legacy?
Read more here
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Dr. King Weeps From His Grave
THE Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was to be dedicated on the National Mall on Sunday — exactly 56 years after the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi and 48 years after the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (Because of Hurricane Irene, the ceremony has been postponed.)
These events constitute major milestones in the turbulent history of race and democracy in America, and the undeniable success of the civil rights movement — culminating in the election of Barack Obama in 2008 — warrants our attention and elation. Yet the prophetic words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel still haunt us: “The whole future of America depends on the impact and influence of Dr. King.”
Rabbi Heschel spoke those words during the last years of King’s life, when 72 percent of whites and 55 percent of blacks disapproved of King’s opposition to the Vietnam War and his efforts to eradicate poverty in America. King’s dream of a more democratic America had become, in his words, “a nightmare,” owing to the persistence of “racism, poverty, militarism and materialism.” He called America a “sick society.” On the Sunday after his assassination, in 1968, he was to have preached a sermon titled “Why America May Go to Hell.”
Read more here
These events constitute major milestones in the turbulent history of race and democracy in America, and the undeniable success of the civil rights movement — culminating in the election of Barack Obama in 2008 — warrants our attention and elation. Yet the prophetic words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel still haunt us: “The whole future of America depends on the impact and influence of Dr. King.”
Rabbi Heschel spoke those words during the last years of King’s life, when 72 percent of whites and 55 percent of blacks disapproved of King’s opposition to the Vietnam War and his efforts to eradicate poverty in America. King’s dream of a more democratic America had become, in his words, “a nightmare,” owing to the persistence of “racism, poverty, militarism and materialism.” He called America a “sick society.” On the Sunday after his assassination, in 1968, he was to have preached a sermon titled “Why America May Go to Hell.”
Read more here
Justice A.A. Birch Jr. left imprint on state judiciary
Quietly motivated by the injustices of racism and segregation, Adolpho A. Birch Jr. toppled barriers as a Nashville prosecutor, as Tennessee’s highest-ranking judge and in several positions in between.
A tall and lanky man with a distinctive white beard, Tennessee’s first and only black chief justice was known for his private nature and for downplaying the significance of his own accomplishments — even as others counted Birch as a priceless mentor, a beloved friend and one of the most important figures in state history.
Early in his career, Birch was among the Nashville lawyers who voluntarily represented black activists who were arrested during sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters in the 1960s. Decades later, as a member of the state Supreme Court, he challenged death sentences — at great political risk — and was instrumental in a decision to open the state’s courtrooms to cameras.
Read more here
A tall and lanky man with a distinctive white beard, Tennessee’s first and only black chief justice was known for his private nature and for downplaying the significance of his own accomplishments — even as others counted Birch as a priceless mentor, a beloved friend and one of the most important figures in state history.
Early in his career, Birch was among the Nashville lawyers who voluntarily represented black activists who were arrested during sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters in the 1960s. Decades later, as a member of the state Supreme Court, he challenged death sentences — at great political risk — and was instrumental in a decision to open the state’s courtrooms to cameras.
Read more here
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Black Buying Power: Watch Where You Spend Your Money
Most big advertisers don’t respect the African American consumer
By David Alexander, Special to the NNPA from Our Weekly –
How much do most big corporate advertisers respect the African American consumer—25 percent, 15 percent, 5 percent, or one percent?
If you guessed one percent you were wrong. It’s less than that—.68 percent, to be exact.
Of the $263.7 billion spent annually on advertising within the nation, less that one percent is used to target African American consumers, despite the fact that Black buying power is estimated at around $857 billion, according to the 2010 census.
Ken Smikle of Target Market News notes that “the largest single investment corporate America makes is advertising,” but only a trickle is spent targeting African American consumers, a group that has been and continues to be underestimated, underserved, disrespected and misunderstood.
Pepper Miller, co-founder of the Hunter-Miller Group, a multicultural marketing firm, and co-author of the book “What’s Black About It?” explains that one of the most common misperceptions advertisers have is that mainstream publications will reach all possible consumers. Since most African Americans speak English, they generalize, there is no need to market outside of the mainstream publications.
“Marketing is about segmentation, diversity and understanding who your customers are,” counters Miller, who has devoted many years to the field of diverse marketing. But why do advertisers feel that way when these facts are taught in most marketing classes, and when it is known that most African Americans generally distrust the mainstream media?
A 2008 study by Radio One entitled “Understanding Black America” revealed that only 13 percent of African Americans trust the mainstream media, and out of 29 million Blacks, only 2 million can be reached through mainstream publications.
read more here
Blacks and Latinos Will Suffer When the Student Debt Bubble Bursts
When the housing bubble burst, the resulting foreclosure crisis was a disaster for black and Latino families, who lost 53 percent and 66 percent of their median household wealth, respectively, between 2005 and 2009. As a result, the racial wealth gap is widening, with white households enjoying 18 times as much wealth as their Latino counterparts, and 20 times more than African-American households.
There is every indication that the bursting of the student debt bubble, like the housing bubble before it, is imminent. And when it happens, it will send shockwaves throughout the financial markets. People of color will be especially vulnerable.
Although education is widely viewed as a way up and a way out for poor, working-and middle-class students, the prohibitive cost of college tuition has created a virtual debtors' prison for many. Loan defaults and delinquencies are on the rise in America, and are only expected to worsen.
A recent report from Moody's Analytics says that tuition has doubled since 2000 -- that's a 10 percent increase every year -- causing student debt to accelerate during the recession. In contrast, other types of consumer debt such as mortgages, credit cards and auto loans have decreased sharply. Outstanding student loans have increased 25 percent since 2008. Student debt now exceeds total credit card debt, and is likely to reach $1 trillion this year, with the average debt for a bachelor's degree at $24,000.
Read more here
Friday, August 19, 2011
Nivea Apologizes for Ad Telling Black Men to ‘Re-civilize’ Themselves
Nivea For Men has apologized to people who were disturbed by a racially insensitive ad placed in a recent edition of Esquire magazine. The controversial ad has made its rounds across the Web since Wednesday and features several troubling images: a clean-shaven black man with close-cropped hair angrily throwing the severed head of a Afro-wearing, bearded black man. The text of the ad tells readers: “Re-civilize yourself” and has the caption “Look like you give a damn.”
When reached by Colorlines.com earlier this week, a spokesperson for the company said, “We always consider tone, message and sensitivity to all audiences in developing our creative campaigns. We apologize to anyone who may take offense to this specific advertisement.”
For many, the racial undertones were in fact hard to escape.
Over at GOOD, Nona Willis Aronowitz points out that this isn’t the first time Nivea’s ads have caught people’s attention for the wrong reasons. Britini Danielle writes at Cutch, “While I remember the old school Gillette ads that warned men that anything less than their products would be ‘uncivilized,” there’s something about this image that rubs me the wrong way.”
And she wasn’t the only one. On Thursday, “Nivea” was a trending topic on Twitter. People on the social network voiced their outrage with messages like, “Nivea claims that black people aren’t civilized,” and called the ad “unapologetically racist.”
Read more here
When reached by Colorlines.com earlier this week, a spokesperson for the company said, “We always consider tone, message and sensitivity to all audiences in developing our creative campaigns. We apologize to anyone who may take offense to this specific advertisement.”
For many, the racial undertones were in fact hard to escape.
Over at GOOD, Nona Willis Aronowitz points out that this isn’t the first time Nivea’s ads have caught people’s attention for the wrong reasons. Britini Danielle writes at Cutch, “While I remember the old school Gillette ads that warned men that anything less than their products would be ‘uncivilized,” there’s something about this image that rubs me the wrong way.”
And she wasn’t the only one. On Thursday, “Nivea” was a trending topic on Twitter. People on the social network voiced their outrage with messages like, “Nivea claims that black people aren’t civilized,” and called the ad “unapologetically racist.”
Read more here
Africa: The Problem With Affirmative Action
Henry Louis Gates Jr., the famed African-American literary scholar and director of the Du Bois Institute at Harvard University, recently reflected the following in an interview on National Public Radio: If it weren't for affirmative action, he would not have been admitted to Yale University, regardless of how high his credentials were and he would not have had the opportunities to demonstrate his talent over the past four decades.[1]
Gates' admission reflects a fundamental problem with affirmative action. It works.
I had the opportunity to reflect on that out loud in a discussion at the Race and Higher Education conference in Grahamstown last month when I asked: 'Are there no mediocre white people in South Africa? Is every white person hired, every white person offered admission to institutions of learning, an excellent candidate?'
My rhetorical question was premised upon what Gates and many other highly achieved blacks know and that is the myth of white supremacy is the subtext of the 'qualifications' narrative that accompanies debates on affirmative action.
Read more here
Gates' admission reflects a fundamental problem with affirmative action. It works.
I had the opportunity to reflect on that out loud in a discussion at the Race and Higher Education conference in Grahamstown last month when I asked: 'Are there no mediocre white people in South Africa? Is every white person hired, every white person offered admission to institutions of learning, an excellent candidate?'
My rhetorical question was premised upon what Gates and many other highly achieved blacks know and that is the myth of white supremacy is the subtext of the 'qualifications' narrative that accompanies debates on affirmative action.
Read more here
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
It's 'bBlackademic: young and black in academia
I wasn't necessarily in love with my major department at my undergraduate institution, though I had some fairly decent professors. Then came the semester I took Blacks in Film as an elective. I then took African American Studies, and then a summer semester Harlem Renaissance course at a local community college. Each of those professors brought a combination of passion and academic rigor to the courses that I honestly had not seen in many of my other my classes. What was different? Aside from one high school teacher, this was the first time that I was gifted academic knowledge by someone who reflected my cultural background and experience.
This view probably mirrors many other former and current Black learners, even with caring white teachers. However, a YourBlackWorld.com study reports that 42% of all African Americans at predominantly white campuses never had a single black professor during four years of college. Seventy-four percent of the same students only had one black professor in a field outside of African American studies. On a subconscious level, this was in part why chose a career in academia, why I became a Blackademic.
These results indicate a phenomenon far beyond not having enough black faculty on campuses across the US. It means that there are too few examples for black students to model themselves after and that many don't see the option. Dr. John Barker, Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education at the University of Miami gives a prime example. When he speaks to new groups of mostly minority students, he has them do a visualization exercise, in which students picture a faculty member and then give a description. "Nine out of 10 picture one who is white," says Barker.
Read more here
Thursday, August 11, 2011
In Defense of Tavis and Cornel
I am friends with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, so it has been hard for me to watch and hear the often nasty attacks leveled at them both. While no person is above criticism, and I would not have used some of their words, much of what I'm hearing about them just leaves me shaking my head in wonder about where we are going as a nation that has so many needs. The Smiley and West "poverty tour" has presented their critics with another opportunity to accuse them of everything from grandstanding to undermining President Barack Obama. That is nonsense and reveals a more significant truth with which we all must deal: some people so hate the messenger that they can not accept the message no matter how important it may be. It has gotten to a point where their critics seem to be saying "if Smiley and West are for it, then I am against it."
Read more here
Read more here
Dr. Cornel West, and Tavis Smiley Poverty Show full in effect…
(ThyBlackMan.com) “Me and Tavis, we’re going to remind you who Martin really was.” – Dr. Cornel West
Now that Dr. Cornel West and television personality Tavis Smiley have set out like an Afro-centric version of “Thelma and Louise” on a tour denouncing the Obama administration for what the two decry as a lack of focus on the poor, the only real interest I have is how this road trip ends. Will West-Smiley lock hands and drive over the cliff or are they apt to take us along for the ride and the plunge?
To say that I am disappointed in Dr. West and Tavis is an understatement.
During one of the most difficult periods African-Americans have faced in the post-Reconstruction era, we should expect more from Black elites who claim to possess some special anointing to lead the masses. It is not a matter of their criticism of President Obama that disturbs me; it is how they are going about their critique and the sense that much of it is personal and has little to do with the general welfare of our community. There is no question that this administration has a lot of work to do to improve economic conditions for Blacks, every monthly employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reads like an epitaph for Black America. Still, to simply lay all the blame at the foot of 44, when the policies of 43 got us into this mess, suggests an analysis by West and Smiley that is either rooted in ignorance or intentionally misleading. Given the truly historical circumstances that created the present crisis, and the manner in which current inequities have been cumulative, the idea that President Obama is somehow fully responsible for our present condition is absurd.
Read the rest here
Now that Dr. Cornel West and television personality Tavis Smiley have set out like an Afro-centric version of “Thelma and Louise” on a tour denouncing the Obama administration for what the two decry as a lack of focus on the poor, the only real interest I have is how this road trip ends. Will West-Smiley lock hands and drive over the cliff or are they apt to take us along for the ride and the plunge?
To say that I am disappointed in Dr. West and Tavis is an understatement.
During one of the most difficult periods African-Americans have faced in the post-Reconstruction era, we should expect more from Black elites who claim to possess some special anointing to lead the masses. It is not a matter of their criticism of President Obama that disturbs me; it is how they are going about their critique and the sense that much of it is personal and has little to do with the general welfare of our community. There is no question that this administration has a lot of work to do to improve economic conditions for Blacks, every monthly employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reads like an epitaph for Black America. Still, to simply lay all the blame at the foot of 44, when the policies of 43 got us into this mess, suggests an analysis by West and Smiley that is either rooted in ignorance or intentionally misleading. Given the truly historical circumstances that created the present crisis, and the manner in which current inequities have been cumulative, the idea that President Obama is somehow fully responsible for our present condition is absurd.Read the rest here
Saturday, August 6, 2011
An Interracial Fix for Black Marriage
"At this point in my life," says Audrey, age 39, "I thought I'd be married with children." A native of southeast Washington, D.C., and the child of parents who are approaching their 50th wedding anniversary, Audrey seems like the proverbial "good catch"—smart, funny, well-educated, attractive.
Audrey earns a good living, too, with an income from management consulting that far surpasses what her parents ever made. Her social life is busy as well, filled with family, friends and church.
What Audrey lacks is a husband. As she told me, sitting at a restaurant in the fashionable Dupont Circle neighborhood of the nation's capital, "I'm trying to get to a point where I accept that marriage may never happen for me."
Audrey belongs to the most unmarried group of people in the U.S.: black women. Nearly 70% of black women are unmarried, and the racial gap in marriage spans the socioeconomic spectrum, from the urban poor to well-off suburban professionals. Three in 10 college-educated black women haven't married by age 40; their white peers are less than half as likely to have remained unwed.
Read more here
New HIV Numbers Released: Bad News for African-Americans
On Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control released its latest round of multiyear HIV statistics, and once again the rates of African-American infection, especially among Black male homosexuals, were causes for concern to say the least.
Overall the number of new HIV infections in the United States remained stable between 2006 and 2009 with about 50,000 infections each year. However, the increase in the number of young Black homosexuals was alarming.
“Not only do men who have sex with men continue to account for most new infections, young gay and bisexual men are the only group in which infections are increasing, and this increase is particularly concerning among young African-American MSM,” said CDC director Thomas Frieden, M.D.
Black male homosexuals were the only subgroup with a notable increase—48 percent during that time period, according to CDC estimates—in new infections during that time period.
Read more here
Overall the number of new HIV infections in the United States remained stable between 2006 and 2009 with about 50,000 infections each year. However, the increase in the number of young Black homosexuals was alarming.
“Not only do men who have sex with men continue to account for most new infections, young gay and bisexual men are the only group in which infections are increasing, and this increase is particularly concerning among young African-American MSM,” said CDC director Thomas Frieden, M.D.
Black male homosexuals were the only subgroup with a notable increase—48 percent during that time period, according to CDC estimates—in new infections during that time period.
Read more here
Saturday, July 30, 2011
U S Wealth Gap Reflects the Legacy of Racism
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics
The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available government data from 2009.
These lopsided wealth ratios are the largest since the government began publishing such data a quarter century ago and roughly twice the size of the ratios that had prevailed between these three groups for the two decades prior to the Great Recession that ended in 2009.
The Pew Research Center analysis finds that, in percentage terms, the bursting of the housing market bubble in 2006 and the recession that followed from late 2007 to mid-2009 took a far greater toll on the wealth of minorities than whites. From 2005 to 2009, inflation-adjusted median wealth fell by 66% among Hispanic households and 53% among black households, compared with just 16% among white households.
Read more here
These lopsided wealth ratios are the largest since the government began publishing such data a quarter century ago and roughly twice the size of the ratios that had prevailed between these three groups for the two decades prior to the Great Recession that ended in 2009.
The Pew Research Center analysis finds that, in percentage terms, the bursting of the housing market bubble in 2006 and the recession that followed from late 2007 to mid-2009 took a far greater toll on the wealth of minorities than whites. From 2005 to 2009, inflation-adjusted median wealth fell by 66% among Hispanic households and 53% among black households, compared with just 16% among white households.
Read more here
What Diversity Teaches Us The Importance of America’s Endangered Diversity Education Programs
Given the consistent population projections that say our country will no longer have an ethnic majority by the year 2050, one would think that diversity education would become even more crucial in order to deepen our understanding of multicultural studies and the various communities of color that are growing in significant percentages. Instead, there is a disturbing trend emerging across the country where the current economic climate is used to justify budget cuts and these diversity-based departments are the first to go.
In the past few years, we’ve seen a troubling trend where academic programs in both public schools and universities centered on tenets of diversity such as African American studies, ethnic studies, women’s studies, and others get the axe. Despite the fact that many of these programs were the result of hard-fought battles won by the civil rights and women’s movements, we’ve seen proposals to either eliminate whole departments or considerably cut their funding in California, Texas, and Nevada, among other states.
Read more here
In the past few years, we’ve seen a troubling trend where academic programs in both public schools and universities centered on tenets of diversity such as African American studies, ethnic studies, women’s studies, and others get the axe. Despite the fact that many of these programs were the result of hard-fought battles won by the civil rights and women’s movements, we’ve seen proposals to either eliminate whole departments or considerably cut their funding in California, Texas, and Nevada, among other states.
Read more here
Monday, July 25, 2011
Black and Depressed: Two African-American Women Break the Silence
According to Raymond DePaulo, Jr. M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, African American populations do not have higher rates of depression in the US. However, the statistics may be skewed because African Americans are much less likely to report their symptoms of depression.
The stigma and prejudice toward mental health issues in Black communities is especially thick, making it very difficult for persons suffering from depression or anxiety (or any mood disorder) to acknowledge it, let alone seek treatment. When I participated in a six-week outpatient program at Laurel Hospital, half the group was African American. The stories horrified me. Most of the African Americans could not reveal to any member in their family what they were doing (the outpatient program) because the stigma was so deep and tall and wide.
Read more here
The stigma and prejudice toward mental health issues in Black communities is especially thick, making it very difficult for persons suffering from depression or anxiety (or any mood disorder) to acknowledge it, let alone seek treatment. When I participated in a six-week outpatient program at Laurel Hospital, half the group was African American. The stories horrified me. Most of the African Americans could not reveal to any member in their family what they were doing (the outpatient program) because the stigma was so deep and tall and wide.
Read more here
Is Black History Better Taught At Harvard?
One of my favorite African-American Studies professors, who held a doctorate in Africana Studies, used to ask the same question: Why do so many of the Ph.D.’s in the field take their degrees and teach at white institutions instead of helping to strengthen the African American studies programs at historically black colleges and universities? For example, The National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for College Teachers is currently being held at Harvard University’s W.E.B. DuBois Institute. The aim of the program is to bring two dozen college professors from around the country to Cambridge for intensive three-week training on ways for them to integrate more black history into their classrooms and research projects, The Wall Street Journal reports. That’s lovely, but wouldn’t it be great if the conference were held at Spelman or Tuskegee? Context can be important when examining history.
Read more here
Read more here
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
What Can I Do With A Black Studies Major?
The interdisciplinary field of Blacks Studies—alternatively called African American Studies, Afro-American Studies, Africana Studies, Pan African Studies, or Afro-Ethnic Studies, depending on the school where it is offered---is a relative newcomer on the academic scene and its proponents have had to defend its theoretical underpinnings and practicality, something which the traditional liberal arts fields are also challenged to do but not to the same extent. Since the establishment of the nation’s first Black Studies department in 1968 at San Francisco State University, and despite the wide acceptance and institutionalization of Black Studies in academia, there still remains the nagging question about its ability to produce outstanding citizens equal in quality to individuals who as undergraduates majored in, say, history or English or art. Black Studies has now been around long enough to notice its handiwork: men and women constructively contributing to society, employed in a wide spectrum of professions.
It is a difficult task to compile a list of noteworthy people who majored in Black Studies because there are so many who could easily qualify. This list merely scratches the surface. Black Studies attracts a broad span of interested scholars. Not only persons of African descent, but also persons of European, Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, and Native American descent are represented in the list. Some of those mentioned are virtually household names or have received considerable local or regional attention. Their professions range from A (Astronaut) to Z (Zoo administrator). In short, the answer to those asking what can a person do with a Black Studies major is simple: . . . . Anything!
Most of the entries contain a brief sketch of the person’s career, the type of degree obtained in Black Studies, and additional (usually graduate) degrees in other disciplines which the person was granted.
Read more here
It is a difficult task to compile a list of noteworthy people who majored in Black Studies because there are so many who could easily qualify. This list merely scratches the surface. Black Studies attracts a broad span of interested scholars. Not only persons of African descent, but also persons of European, Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, and Native American descent are represented in the list. Some of those mentioned are virtually household names or have received considerable local or regional attention. Their professions range from A (Astronaut) to Z (Zoo administrator). In short, the answer to those asking what can a person do with a Black Studies major is simple: . . . . Anything!
Most of the entries contain a brief sketch of the person’s career, the type of degree obtained in Black Studies, and additional (usually graduate) degrees in other disciplines which the person was granted.
Read more here
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Overcoming the Black Church's Tradition of Homophobia
Homophobia is hardly unique to the African-American community. It’s a social malady that's due largely to the influence of fear based-theologies, particularly fundamentalist Christianity, Islam and Judaism, all of which grow out of the Abrahamic tradition.
When something or someone is perceived as being despised by someone’s God, the worshippers of that God tend to despise and hate that person or thing as well. When given the opportunity, adherents act out against them with the same violence they presume God would use. That can happen through literal violence or in other ways - including the use of comedy.
Read more here
Open Letter to Creflo Dollar
Dear Rev. Dollar,
I hope this letter finds you well. I know you are very busy, so I won't take up much of your time. I recently watched your sermon from last Sunday when you addressed the Eddie Long case. I commend you on your adamant calls for forgiveness. Love and forgiveness are indeed characteristics that all should seek to cultivate.
However I fear your comments on Sunday (particularly those addressed to visitors from New Birth), conflated two very important, yet distinctive issues: forgiveness and accountability.
You see, Long’s case was not simply, as you suggest, a “wreck” or a car “accident,” but a case of DUI: Driving/Pastoring under the influence of unchecked power and accountability. This continues to be a historic problem with commercial celebrity preachers, and given your status and peer group, I’m sure you know this all too well.
Read more here
Are minority and poor kids disciplined more harshly in Georgia schools?
One of the most volatile topics on this blog is school discipline and whether there’s too much of it, too little and whether it’s applied equitably and sensibly.
The Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice released a report Wednesday called “Effective Student Discipline: Keeping Kids in Class.”
The study examined state Department of Education discipline data and interviewed 200 people to see how discipline is used, particularly out of school suspension (OSS) in Georgia schools. Confirming other research, the study found that African-American students, poor kids and children with learning disabilities are more likely to be disciplined.
Some of you will respond that the higher rate of discipline and suspensions mirrors higher rates of infractions. But major studies suggest that offenses by minority kids are treated more harshly.
“And Justice for Some, ” a 2000 study by the U.S. Justice Department and six major research foundations, reviewed all phases of the nation’s juvenile justice system — from arrest to sentencing — and found that minority youth face more severe treatment at virtually every turn. The national data reveal a system in which children can expect to endure harsher outcomes if they’re black or Latino.
Read more here
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Negro Motorist Green Book
From: rhankins@library.tamu.edu
From: Earles,Phyllis [mailto:plearles@pvamu.edu]
The Negro Motorist Green Book is the subject of today's "Little-Known
Black History Fact."
The Negro Motorist Green Book was a publication released in 1936 that
served as a guide for African-American travelers. Because of the racist
conditions that existed from segregation, blacks needed a reference
manual to guide them to integrated or black-friendly establishments.
That's when they turned to "The Negro Motorist Green Book: An
International Travel Guide by activist Victor Green and presented by
the Esso Standard Oil Company. Originally provided to serve
Metropolitan New York, the book received such an alarming response, it
was spread throughout the country within one year. The catch phrase was
Now we can travel without embarrassment.
The Green Book often provided information on local tourist homes, which
were private residences owned by blacks and open to travelers. It was
especially helpful to blacks that traveled through sunset towns or
towns that publicly stated that blacks had to leave the town by sundown
or it would be cause for arrest. Also listed were hotels, barbershops,
beauty salons, restaurants, garages, liquor stores, ball parks and
taverns. It also provided a listing of the white-owned, black-friendly
locations for accommodations and food.
The publication was free, with a 10-cent cost of shipping. As interest
grew, the Green Book solicited salespersons nationwide to build its ad
sales.
Inside the pages of the Green Book were action photos of the various
locations, along with historical and background information for the
readers' review. Within the pages of the introduction, the guide
states, There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide
will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have
equal opportunities and privileges in the United States ."
The Green Book printed its last copy in 1964 after the passing of the
Civil Rights Act.
Here is the 1949 book in its entirety
CLICK BELOW
http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Casestudy/Negro_motorist_green_bk.htm
http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Casestudy/Negro_motorist_green_bk.htm>
From: Earles,Phyllis [mailto:plearles@pvamu.edu]
The Negro Motorist Green Book is the subject of today's "Little-Known
Black History Fact."
The Negro Motorist Green Book was a publication released in 1936 that
served as a guide for African-American travelers. Because of the racist
conditions that existed from segregation, blacks needed a reference
manual to guide them to integrated or black-friendly establishments.
That's when they turned to "The Negro Motorist Green Book: An
International Travel Guide by activist Victor Green and presented by
the Esso Standard Oil Company. Originally provided to serve
Metropolitan New York, the book received such an alarming response, it
was spread throughout the country within one year. The catch phrase was
Now we can travel without embarrassment.
The Green Book often provided information on local tourist homes, which
were private residences owned by blacks and open to travelers. It was
especially helpful to blacks that traveled through sunset towns or
towns that publicly stated that blacks had to leave the town by sundown
or it would be cause for arrest. Also listed were hotels, barbershops,
beauty salons, restaurants, garages, liquor stores, ball parks and
taverns. It also provided a listing of the white-owned, black-friendly
locations for accommodations and food.
The publication was free, with a 10-cent cost of shipping. As interest
grew, the Green Book solicited salespersons nationwide to build its ad
sales.
Inside the pages of the Green Book were action photos of the various
locations, along with historical and background information for the
readers' review. Within the pages of the introduction, the guide
states, There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide
will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have
equal opportunities and privileges in the United States ."
The Green Book printed its last copy in 1964 after the passing of the
Civil Rights Act.
Here is the 1949 book in its entirety
CLICK BELOW
http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Casestudy/Negro_motorist_green_bk.htm
http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Casestudy/Negro_motorist_green_bk.htm>
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