The Political Hot Spot!

2011-09-19T03:22:00.002-06:00

Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a Georgia police officer in 1991. Nearly two decades later, Davis remains on death row — even though the case against him has fallen apart.

The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony.

Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis.

One of the two witnesses who has not recanted his testimony is Sylvester "Red" Coles — the principle alternative suspect, according to the defense, against whom there is new evidence implicating him as the gunman. Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating Sylvester Coles

Please sign the petition to stop the execution of Troy Davis!

2011-08-29T22:51:00.003-06:00

So Rush Limbaugh thinks that President Obama wanted Hurricane Irene to be a disaster huh?

Why is Rush Limbaugh even given a second thought? He is a right wing extremist who says things for ratings even if they stir up racial hatred. He will say anything he can say to try to illegitamize the President. I guess this is all he can say because Irene wasn't a catastrophe like Katrina was under Bush. I don't see why he is even taken seriously!

2011-08-28T13:32:00.001-06:00

Six years after Hurricane Katrina and nothing has changed for Black evacuees!

It has been six years since Hurricane Katrina exposed this country’s racial secrets and what has happened? Let’s see. New Orleans has a White mayor (the first in decades) and Police chief, the sections of the city where poor Black people primarily lived haven’t been rebuilt yet, thousands of African-Americans are still displaced while White people are buying up all of the property in New Orleans (and raising the rents so poor Blacks can’t afford to rent from them) and the Federal Government still hasn’t compensated the victims for ruining their lives. Oh, a few Police officers have also been convicted for recklessly killing defenseless Black people in the aftermath of the storm and systematically covering it up with erroneous information, reports and witnesses. Sounds like everything Black New Orleanians thought would come to pass have done just that and it’s nothing that this country should be proud of.

Another glaring slap in the face that has happened in the years since Katrina have been how at the threat of a simple thunderstorm or a little wind, this country has proven that it will not let a community comprised of mostly white people suffer in a disaster. I guess Blacks in New Orleans were the guinea pigs to find out the right things to do if a disaster threatens a large population of White people. How do you think that makes the Black victims of Hurricane Katrina feel, when they were called racial epithets by the military and denied even a glass of water for days on end after the hurricane? How do you think it felt for military helicopters to be flying overhead so close that you could see the bottled water they were drinking and then they just flew away with elderly black people and babies suffering in the streets? Either you care how it makes us feel or you don’t. There is no middle ground or justification for this egregious treatment!

Before you dismiss me as a disgruntled “refugee” it’s important to remember that we didn’t put ourselves in this position. The African-Americans who were dehumanized beyond measure during Hurricane Katrina paid their taxes just like the White people on the Jersey Shore do. We now even know that they probably paid a greater percentage of their income in taxes because of course they didn’t qualify for the infamous Bush tax cuts. But yet, we couldn’t even get a glass of water during the Katrina debacle that was caused by our government’s negligence! Our only crime was being Black in a society that places a higher importance on White people!

Why else were the federally managed levees in New Orleans neglected until they failed hours after Hurricane Katrina passed through the city? Why else haven’t we been compensated years after a court ruled that the government was responsible for the flooding in New Orleans? That’s right, not the hurricane but the GOVERNMENT was responsible for the flooding and they have accepted that responsibility. Why else do thousands of Black people feel as if the government bombed the levees in New Orleans to make sure that the Black areas of the city were ruined? Before you dismiss the victims as ignorant, remember, we were there and just as we know historically that the White people in Louisiana would use Katrina as an excuse to shoot innocent Black people(that's right, we aren't shocked by the Danziger bridge incident, that is just one of the many incidents where they abused their authority during Katrina!) we also know that factually, the White power structure in Louisiana has bombed the levees before to protect the richer White people. Also, why wasn't there extensive media coverage of the Danziger Bridge incident and trial? Had innocent White people been killed I imagine it would have garnered 24 hour a day media saturation!

Aside from anything Katrina related, why else would this country elect a Black President and then second guess every move he makes and elect people who want him to fail to derail his agenda? It seems as if the country voted for him as another band aid for its racially diseased history. Superficial bandages never heal the wound! Once again, Black people are regulated to second class citizenship status in this country no matter how high the White establishment allows them to get in society.

During Hurricane Katrina many people said that we shouldn’t be living in flood prone areas to begin with. Those same critics were silent when it came to the mostly White people who live in low lying areas of the Northeast during the extensive media coverage of Hurricane Irene. Some reporters even excused the people who didn’t evacuate saying that Irene was affecting multiple states on the coast, so there wasn’t anywhere for them to go. How about towards the West? Katrina affected multiple states also and people still criticize the people who couldn’t afford to evacuate the New Orleans area. Is this a double standard or just plain racism?

The only things that have changed in the six years since Hurricane Katrina is that racist White people in Louisiana are closer to their goals of stripping away the Civil Rights of Black people. So It seems as if the hurricane served its purpose for the racist people on the Gulf Coast. What a beautiful country we live in!

2011-08-28T13:29:00.000-06:00

Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication postponed by Hurricane Irene!

2011-08-28T13:26:00.000-06:00

Maxine Waters say that the Tea Party can "Go straight to hell!"

2010-07-26T15:44:00.000-06:00

So called "Reverse Racism" is not on the same level as the systemic racism that has been leveled against Blacks for centuries!

The first point that needs to be made in our so called “real discussion” on race relations in this country is that the discrimination leveled against Black Americans since before this country’s founding is not on the same level of any other offense against White Americans. That is not to minimize the injustices suffered by other White people. Life is hard for everyone. But Black people have been systematically enslaved, denied basic human rights, killed and dehumanized on a level that does not compare to a White person upset because Affirmative Action denied them a job. Not in the least!

Black people have to deal with the legacy of centuries of slavery and racism everyday of their lives. Even the election of the first Black President has done just as much to advance the plight of African-Americans as it has to bring out the staggering level of racism that many people had wanted to believe was over. For Blacks that live in poor urban areas, everyday is a reminder of the limitations that have been placed on them in systematic ways that many White people don’t seem to want to admit. It wasn’t a coincidence that the majority of the most abused victims in Hurricane Katrina were African-American. That debacle even had major news organizations accusing Blacks of looting food whereas their White counterparts “found” food. And we still haven’t had an honest discussion about race. It is most likely because many good natured and good willed White people don’t want to hear the truth of how Black people have been made to feel. It seems as if the truth hurts so much that they automatically try to blame Blacks for racism against Whites as to make things even.

They are not even!

2010-07-22T00:21:00.000-06:00

Let’s be real. The media is trying to lump President Obama’s response to the bogus firing of USDA employee Sharrod’s firing because they are trying to see how a Black person would react. No one disputes the fact that the mishandling of Ms. Sherrod’s speech on race was lackluster to say the least. But there is no logical reason to lump President Obama and the NAACP with the racist and sinister acts of Andrew Breitbart and Fox News! Did the USDA mishandle Shirley Sherrod? Yes! Should they have investigated the entire situation before deciding to firing her? Hell Yes!! But it is because of your fascination with what Barack Obama will do when racist things happen that prevent him from doing what he should do to help advance race relations in the United States.

Everytime we hear Black racism we seem to all have to make the rush judgement that the Black person is just as racist as white people have been! Especially when the apparent facts seem to suggest that at the very least, White people will find it racist! If we are going to be honest about race then we need to actually be honest about it. It is almost the same age old racial hurdle. It's easier to find the Black person guilty because of our preconceived notions about African-Americans. That is not to say that before big decisions are made the facts shouldn't be known! But let's not act as if we don't do the same things on a daily basis.

You are falling for the very intentions that the racists who started this latest scandal hoped for! You are linking the country’s first African-American President and the nations most respected Civil Rights organization with racists! How dare you? What would you do if you were in the position of the country’s first Black President? Not to give him a pass but once again, let’s be real about the situation!

Most of us agree that Obama’s Presidency comes with the responsibility for him to not shirk away from racism the way virtually every President has done in the past. But how can he do the right thing on race when it will be held against him. Just look at the Rev. Wright situation. It was clear from the beginning that Barack Obama was not a Black militant. But the mainstream media’s 24 hour coverage left open the possibility that there was a possibility that this Black man was in fact some rogue sort of minority retribution. It has been this way from the start. Does the media not have the same responsibility that you are criticizing President Obama about? As much race baiting as Rush Limbaugh and Fox News has done, have you ever reported the story the way it really was? Or did you manipulate and minimize the negative importance of the hatred that is being sown on a daily basis?

They attacked ACORN and now they are attacking the NAACP and you are letting it happen! So before you criticize the in many ways legitimate fear of the nation’s first African-American President to wade into the unforgiving waters of race, look in the mirror!

No one wants to admit that the public holds President Obama to a higher standard especially on matters of race. The fact that it is front page news when racism occurs should tell all of us that racism is still prevalent in this day and age. It still pervades society in ways that disadvantage minorities that seem unbelievable to people that are lucky enough to not be directly affected by it. The NAACP is not as culpable and wrong in the Sherrod situation as the other parties involved. Neither is President Obama. In what other Administration would the Secretary of Agriculture so strongly apologize for the incident? President Bush didn’t even apologize to African-Americans in New Orleans during the purposely forgotten Hurricane Katrina debacle for basically denying them water for days!

So once again, let’s be real!

2010-07-01T23:05:00.000-06:00

What is going on with all of the people getting caught saying the N-word?

Now Mel Gibson has joined the likes of the Bounty Hunter "Dog" Chapman and others who recently put their feet in their mouths. His ex-girlfriend reportedly has a tape of Gibson telling her that if she is assaulted by a group of "N*****s" then it would be her fault! This is only paraphrasing what Mel Gibson allegedly said because the full quote is too offensive and vulgar to write about here. Of course Gibson has a history of ranting and going off on racist tangents. He has already insulted Jewish people.

What do you all think about this?

Should we as a community even be offended at this point?

2010-07-01T23:03:00.000-06:00

President Obama is showing that he is in charge!

If the talking heads from both sides of the aisle would stop chatting and Monday morning quarterbacking for a minute they would plainly see that President Obama is showing anything but weakness at the moment! He is making sure the U.S. Military stops trying to put his Afghanistan War strategy in the box they want it to be by mulling over whether or not he is going to fire or perpetuate the resignation of insubordinate General McChrystal. He is also showing the country who is boss by issuing another moratorium on deep offshore oil drilling after hours after a seemingly self interested ruling was made by a Judge with financial ties to big oil companies against the Obama Administration’s initial halt in production on some of those types of rigs after the worst Environmental disaster in American history occurred at the hand of a deep rig explosion in April.

So many people were willing to jump on the bandwagon of hate against Obama’s temperament even though his cool and steady hand is what won the support of millions during his historic election. No matter what ultimately pushed the President to make these recent drastic decisions, he is making them. He has honestly been making hard decisions since his Inauguration but it seems as if people’s stereotypes and bias prevented them from seeing the magnitude of his actions. Healthcare anyone? He went against tremendous odds and got his Healthcare reform passed and signed into law! Now millions of people who wouldn’t have insurance are going to have it! The problem is that many Americans don’t seem to want to respect Barack Obama and his decisions as the President of the United States. They seem to want to find any excuse to say that he somehow not as good as the other Presidents although it is clear to anyone who is thinking logically that we are better off than we were before he became President. That fact cannot be disputed. Whether it be economically or socially, 18 months ago we seemed to feel so down and out that we thought we as a country would never get out of the hole we were in.

We are still in the hole in some ways but not only has President Obama helped out to start climbing out of it but many of us actually can see the light of day as we look up into our future. Let’s be real here. President Obama is exhibiting leadership that has had successes we as a country just need to realize that he is more than just the first African-American to hold the office of the Presidency of the United States, he is the President and we need to start acting like it and accepting his decisions in kind. Especially when many of them have helped this country start on the path to recovery after being led so deep into the ground during the previous Administration.

2010-07-01T22:35:00.000-06:00

Don't forget about Black people President Obama! We voted for you too!
Many African-Americans are becoming upset with what they term President Obama's lack of acknowledgement for the plight of Black people in the United States. These people understand that Obama has to be the President of everyone but they feel excluded in that demographic of concern. It is widely known by both Whites and Blacks that President Obama has to logically navigate the waters of race so as not to be deemed a Black militant by mainstream White America. The powers that be don't seem to want to see any validity in African-Americans feeling as if they have been legally wronged for centuries in the country. And now that a vote for Obama has replaced the old "I have Black friends" excuse for closeted racists the waters of race are murky indeed.

Many African-Americans feel as if President Obama leaves office and the plight of African-Americans still hasn't been dealt with legitimately then it would have been a waste. White America at large seems to accept things from President Obama that they would just write off if another Black person had said the same thing. Whereas it is understandable that the first African-American President of the United States has to be careful to make sure that he appeals to everyone even some White people are starting to be wondering when Obama is going to start being real with the people. Not that he is being dishonest, but many people that voted for him wanted him to speak truth to power. So he needs to realize that it is okay for him to do just that! That's why the world loves Barack Obama, because his sincerity and intellectual abilities shine through and force the world to take notice.

Don't forget about us Mr. President!

2009-08-05T21:39:00.000-06:00

Why so much criticism for President Obama when he speaks out on racism? Seems like a double standard to many African-Americans!

President Obama was vilified by many in so called mainstream society when he spoke out against racial profiling in the Professor Gates matter recently. He said that he thought the police acted stupidly referencing the highly acclaimed African-American Harvard professor's arrest after it was clear to the police that he wasn't a burglar but the occupant in the house they thought he was trying to rob!

The supposed outrage was so loud and damaging to the President that he was forced to backtrack his statement and offer up the now infamous "Beer Summit" to quell the noise.

First of all here is a cricism for President Obama. He should not have backtracked, if he wanted to clean it up and say that he mistakenly spoke before he knew all of the facts that would have been fine provided he followed that statement with a history lesson and a narration of his own personal accounts of racial profiling. Many African-Americans are getting tired of the President not having our backs when it comes to racial issues. We understand that as President of the United States, he has to have everyone's interests at heart but he shouldn't continuously sell out African-Americans in order to appease everyone else. Selling out is a harsh way to put it but that is what it feels like. President Obama actually has more room in which to discuss the African-American experience and have his words respected than any other Black person in history and hopefully he will start to step into that role just as he is doing in the other aspects of his Presidency and not feel the need apologize for it.

With that being said, had President Obama chastised Professor Gates with his comment before knowing all of the facts do you honestly think there would have been the same type of outrage? Two wrongs don't make a right and someone on as high a level as the President of the United States probably shouldn't make statements without knowing all of the facts. Of course that being the case criticism should go to ALL Presidents for doing that. But the point is there is a strong and real history of racial profiling in this country and around the world. Therefore we shouldn't act surprised or holier than thou when Black people assume that they are the victims of it especially when they are arrested after the police have been called to investigate a possible burglary and it turns out it was the African-American's house to begin with.

Nobody seems to have as much of a problem with the mainstream believing everything the policeman says about the encounter although some of it has already been disproven with the release of the 911 tapes and transcripts. It is still obvious that the police officer did have race on his mind. Why else would he lie and say the person who called the police in the first place said she saw Black people when she clearly didn't even mention race on the tapes.

It seems as if many White people thought that President Obama was going to validate their perspective in the racial debate nevermind the fact that their point of view has always been expressed and the dominant voice in discussions on race relations in this country. It's like if the President isn't defending White people he is considered a Black militant. This makes no logical sense if we are truly wanting to be honest in this discussion.

It is really sad that even after the election of an African-American President of the United States, the African-American perspective is not being respected or even being allowed to have a seat at the table and that by itself is indicative that we still live in a racist society!

2009-08-05T21:12:00.000-06:00

Is it time to honestly start considering reparations for African-Americans?

Now that the United States government has officially decided to apologize for slavery and racism to African-Americans many Black people are wondering what's next. When you are responsible for a car accident or another type of injury to someone you have to pay restitution. What is the difference when it comes to the still lingering evils of slavery and racism? It is important to note that the apology is not simply for slavery but for the LEGACY and ramifications of it and Jim Crow. That is important because many opponents to slavery usually like to say that slavery happened so long ago. They are always eager to ignore the lasting legacy of slavery and the inhumane racism that slavery continues to perpetuate in the lives of millions of African-Americans today. Even President Obama is a victim of racism. All you have to do is look at the news for the biased coverage of his Presidency especially among right wing and Republican political pundits. How else do you explain his Presidency being called a failure after only a few months in office?

Reparations will not heal racism totally but it would finally put African-Americans on somewhat of a more equal footing with their White counterparts financially. This would undoubtedly lead to many Black people finally being able to not allow racism to determine their destinies. Opponents of reparations also like to forget that Southern White plantation owners were given reparations as payment for their so called property when slavery ended. It is outrageous that the racists gained financially even with the end of slavery and the victims themselves are not thought worthy of any financial redress.

African-Americans need to stop being afraid to demand reparations. It is our right and everyone knows that we were promised the infamous "40 acres and a mule", it is time to finally deliver on that promise.

What do you think?

2009-08-05T21:10:00.001-06:00

Reposting of Barack Obama's Historic Speech on Race Relations in the United States!

2009-06-26T17:24:00.001-06:00

RIP Michael Jackson
(1958-2009)

Michael Jackson was one of the premier entertainers of all times. He forced White America to accept African-Americans in mainstream society. Many people are talking about how he changed his appearance and they seem to be wondering why. Black people over the years have always felt as if Michael Jackson felt that he had to lighten his skin and change his physical appearance to look more white because that was how he was accepted by the masses.

Black men have always been thought of as being intimidating and unattractive in society. It is no wonder why Michael felt as if he had to "deblacken" himself. Honestly, if more African-Americans could afford the extensive plastic surgery procedures to look white they probably would have. Michael Jackson's skin lightening and plastic surgery procedures are one of the biggest exampls of how racism plagues African-Americans at their core. Let's not be naive and wonder why he had these extensive procedures done. He did it because American society told him that his blackness was not welcome!

2008-06-04T04:36:00.001-06:00

Barack Obama shatters the highest glass ceiling in American Politics by winning the Democratic Presidential nomination!

Barack Obama clinched the Democratic Presidential nomination and sails into the history books as the first African-American to head a major political party's ticket. This historic moment leads many African-Americans to reflect on indeed how far the United States has come in healing the racial divide in this country. For far too long many citizens of the U.S. of all races never thought it possible for a Black person to be seriously considered for the Presidency of the United States. We had become accustomed to Civil Rights leaders running for President in the recent past but we all knew that those candidacies were mostly symbolic. After Hurricane Katrina and the Jena 6 incident revealed a country still suffering at it's core from the legacy of slavery and racism, many people just seemed resigned to accepting things for what they seemed to be when it came to the deeply embedded racism that plagues our society. Then came Barack Obama!

Barack Obama bridged the gap between the races in a way that no politician had done before. He transcends race in ways that many never thought possible. What other Black politician can survive vicious and biased racist attacks even while having a supposed televised debate with his main rival? The country was proud of the way he handled the Rev. Wright situation. He wasn't afraid to speak about race and honestly go where not too many other politicians went before. Barack Obama is the embodiment of Martin Luther King's dream of a society where the color of one's skin is not seen as a prerequisite for success. Barack Obama embodies the dream of the United States which for years has preached equality and liberty for all even when it's actions contradicted that philosophy at it's core. He makes us proud.

For African-Americans, this is a special and historic moment. For many of us it is the first shred of proof that we can overcome the legacy of racism in this country. It shows us that we too can shatter the ceiling that has only allowed White people to hold true power in this country. It shows us that we really are not just second-class citizens anymore. It gives us hope and a reason to finally believe in the possibilities that being an American citzen offers. Sure we have had Black politicians for generations now. George Bush even appointed two African-Americans to be his Secretary of State. What Barack Obama's presidential nomination shows African-Americans is that we are finally at a place in our history where a Black person is being thought of on the same levels intellectually that White people have been. It shows us that although racism still exists, as was evidenced throughout the Democratic primaries, there are enough White citizens of the United States that reject the negative and erroneous stereotypes that have plagued Black people for centuries. It shows us that anything is possible!

If only Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Medger Evers, Rosa Parks, my grandmother, my mother and countless other African-Americans who endured unbelivable levels of racism could be here to share this blissful moment. If only Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass could shout with joy. If only the millions of slaves that worked in the United States throughout the centuries could see that the promised land seems to be on the horizon for Black people in the United States. Something tells me that they are bursting with pride and looking down on us with the smiles they so rightfully deserve to have. We all should be smiling.

We now are a country that can look at itself differently. The world can now look at the United States with a hope that we are once again a country that practices what it preaches. White people and Black people can rejoice together because a change is coming to America and we are all here to witness it. Barack Obama made history tonight by clinching the Democratic Presidential nomination, it is up to us to ensure that what seems to be legitimate change doesn't end up being another hollow promise.

2008-05-25T21:36:00.000-06:00

Hillary Clinton does it again!

Hillary Clinton's outrageous Robert F. Kennedy assasination reference while defending her decision of staying in the Presidential race even though she has no realistic chance to win the nomination is simply the latest example of the dangerous political game that the Clintons' seem to relish in playing. To suggest that Barack Obama might be assasinated the way Bobby Kennedy was before he could claim the Democratic nomination in 1968, is both hazardous and manipulative. And yes! Many people believe that is what Hillary Clinton was saying when she made these remarks. What if a lunatic hears her say that and decides to act in her favor? As concerned as millions of people are about the safety of the first viable African-American for the U.S. presidency, Clinton's comments are highly offensive and irresponsible at best. As much as the Clintons' parse and strategize every word that is uttered in public, they should have known better.

The phrase, "they should have known better" seems to be a common theme when referring to the way Hillary Clinton has run her Presidential campaign. Whether it was Bill Clinton's remarks in South Carolina that many people feel were racially charged, or Hillary Clinton's own remarks that seemed to minimize Rev. Martin Luther King's importance in the Civil Rights movement. Whether it was Hillary Clinton's recent hard working White people comment or this latest reference to Robert Kennedy's assasination, the common critique is that she should have known better.

Barack Obama was skewered in the media for the so-called "bitter controversy". The media and Political pundits didn't give him the benefit of the doubt or subscribe it to him being tired, they raked him over the coals. Let's see if they do the same to Hillary Clinton for these remarks that have no place in this Presidential race. I doubt it. But let's see.

2008-05-08T04:24:00.000-06:00

Political Pundits across the board call Democratic nomination for Barack Obama!

After a decisive showing in North Carolina and Indiana, Barack Obama is being declared the Democratic nominee by many people in the political world. Whether it was Tim Russert declaring that we now know who the nominee is or Joe Scarborough saying that to deny the first serious African-American presidential contender the Democratic nomination would put the U.S. in jeopardy of humiliation from around the world for appearing racist, the decision seems to finally be clear. Even some of Clinton's own supporters like Diane Fienstein and George Mc Govern(who switched his allegiance from Clinton to Obama today) are either insinuating that she get out of the race or outrightly asking her to drop out. It is a stunning turnaround and maybe now the Democratic Party and electorate will fully coalesce around Barack Obama. If not, Democrats are in danger of not winning the Presidential election this fall.

2008-05-07T06:49:00.000-06:00

Giving credit where credit is due!

As an African-American it is sometimes hard to see beyond the ramifications of racism that continue to define so many lives on a daily basis. It is easy to get so caught up in detailing the injustice that we sometimes don't acknowledge when progress has been made. It is because of this that it is important to say that racism seems to be on the path of destruction in the United States. Finally, after centuries of being the predominant force in the lives of Black people, it seems as if we are actually turning the corner on true equality. We still have quite a long way to go but things seem to be taking a turn at least for the better.

The biggest reason for this change is the acceptance of Barack Obama as the likely and preferred Democratic Presidential candidate. To African-Americans, this is seen as a true olive branch. Many of us take this to mean that we are finally being accepted for who we are and not necessarily for the color of our skin. For White Americans, many of them seem to realize the need for nominating a Black person for the presidency as proof that the color of a person's skin is not a defining factor in one's potential. Of course many of them are voting for Barack Obama because he is simply the best candidate, but there seems to be enough white voters that are also voting to heal racism to really make a difference.

Many Black people didn't think that White people would vote for an African-American under any circumstance. When we see that we are wrong in our assumptions we are forced to realize that all White people are not racist which is an important factor in healing the racist legacy of the United States. This election is showing African-Americans that there are millions of White people that are willing to accept Barack Obama on his merits instead of the color of his skin. The importance of this cannot be minimized, and this post is simply an acknowledgement and a plea for the racial divide to keep narrowing. While we are not naive to think that Barack Obama will end racism, (In fact, some Blacks feel as if things will get worse because he is only one man out of the millions of African-Americans that are still being ravaged by racism on a daily basis. And that if he is elected, people will be more inclined to negate cries of racism from the left behind masses.) it is important that we do recognize when progress has been made.

2008-05-07T06:29:00.000-06:00

Watch Barack Obama's victory speech in North Carolina!

2008-05-05T17:09:00.000-06:00

Will African-Americans simply stay home or actually vote for John Mc Cain in November if Hillary Clinton steals the Democratic nomination from Barack Obama?

This question will dog political pundits for the entire summer all the way to the election if Hillary Clinton actually manages to steal the nomination from Barack Obama. Historically, African-Americans are the most loyal constituents of the Democratic party. Experts have already said that without overwhelming support from Black voters, a Democrat will have trouble winning the Presidential election this fall. This shift would leave states such as Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and many more up for Mc Cain to try to pick up against Hillary Clinton. It is almost an established fact already that large numbers of African-Americans will refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton after she has maligned and played the race card against the first serious African-American contender for the presidency.

If you are being honest, you should be able to see why Black voters have turned their backs on Hillary Clinton as she sold the Black electorate out in exchange for rural lunch pale white voters that could care less about the plight of Black people in this country and in many ways exhibit racist ideologies. So when examining this situation please don't be self righteous and fault African-Americans for our reaction in response to a racist society. As it has been for many centuries, our collective opinion has been shaped by racism, so don't get mad at us get mad at the racists!

Many critics of Barack Obama say that Mrs. Clinton is only playing the political game and they have insinuated that African-Americans should get over it and support her in the end. This simply will not and should not happen because Hillary and Bill Clinton were supposed to be different. They were supposed to be among the few White politicians that "understood" the plight of Black people. They were annointed honorary African-Americans from the Black community so to put it simply, they should have known better.

It is because of this that many African-Americans will push not only for the Black electorate to withold their votes from Hillary Clinton vis a vis staying home on election day, but to stop her chances entirely by voting for John Mc Cain. John Mc Cain has consistently pushed against playing racial politics and sending subliminal messages against Barack Obama. While African-Americans know that he is pandering to them, they will be more receptive simply to stop Hillary Clinton from reaping the rewards of playing the race card and stopping the potential of the first African-American who could seriously become the President of the United States. The only way Hillary Clinton can get the Black vote back is if she promises reparations and we all know that is not going to happen! Before you buy into a false " Ahah" or "Gotcha" moment, Barack Obama would never agree to reparations either so this is not what African-Americans are seeking in a candidate!

Keep in mind, African-Americans are more read and well versed in politics than we have ever been in the history of this country. There is a reason why Black people were not allowed to learn how to read and write well into the 20th century. An educated Black person is the establishment's worst nightmare(This is probably in large measure why the media and the establishment are trying to derail Barack Obama). We are more educated now and will act appropriately to advance our issues and the Democratic party better take note before they allow Hillary Clinton to ruin their chances of reclaiming the White House this fall.

Before Hillary Clinton and the media decided to not care about African-American sentiment in this election, many Black people were finally opening themselves up to the notion that most White people were not racist. We were finally starting to feel as if we were actually a part of American society. We were finally open to the notion of living in a society where race didn't hinder one's potential after being slapped in the face with only a "false promise" of equality and nothing concrete to base it on for over a hundred years. While we do recognize and appreciate the hordes of White Americans that are going to bat for Barack Obama, that progress is now in jeopardy of being drowned out because of the dangerous political game that the Clintons' are now playing. We do hope that the country sees through this game but we are prepared to act if they don't.

2008-05-04T05:10:00.000-06:00

What happened to the hope of getting over racism?

The year 2008 started out so promising regarding healing racism in the United States. White voters in Iowa voted for Barack Obama and everything seemed as if it would be okay. White people thought that African-Americans would finally see that not all White people are racist and Black people felt as if White people were finally willing to look at African-Americans on an equal level where it mattered most. Black people finally felt included, we finally felt like real citizens of the United States, all of the opportunities that we had heard this country offers seemed finally open to us. All of this because of the rise of Barack Obama. A nation's hopes for getting over the biggest blemish on the history of the United States were seemingly going to be realized finally after centuries of oppression and hiding from the truth. The media seemed to be willing to help advance the issue of race positively in the beginning of this year as many political pundits openly acknowledged how important Barack Obama's candidacy was.

Then there was the Martin Luther King holiday which this year seemed more prominent on television. There were specials on race relations and even John Mc Cain went to Memphis, Tennesee to honor Martin Luther King's death in early April. We as a country finally seemed on track to get over the angst and pain of racism that we all know exists but too many of us want to hide. As I look at the media coverage of the Presidential race now the most appropriate question to ask is what happened? What happened to the promise of a new day that we all seemed to ready to embrace?

Things are definitely different on the public stage in the United States from earlier this year. Most of the changes have happened in the last month, since John Mc Cain pandered to Black people in Memphis. Now we have 24 hour news coverage of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright(Who the media knew about long before his "greatest hits" started playing on You Tube so if it was truly that important, why did they not expose him long ago?). The media now seems to be sitting in wait for some new thing Rev. Wright says so they can immediately insinuate that it means Barack Obama is some sort of racist.

Now we have Democratic Primary debates where basically the first hour is dedicated to badgering the African-American candidate on his ties and supposed ties with controversial figures such as the Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan and William Ayers, the latter of whom most Americans had never heard of. Nevermind the fact that it is seemingly inappropriate for White people to be questioning a Black man who personally lived through the horrors of the Civil Rights movement probably being physically abused and verbally assaulted in the name of racism. White people can never understand what it is like to be Black in a racist society and where they might have legitimate questions, if they truly wanted to heal the racial divide in this country they would step lightly over what they say. This is definitely not happening with the so called Rev. Wright controversy. They don't seem to care that this whole thing is leaving a very bad taste in the mouths of millions of African-Americans. If they don't care then why should we? Black people will not forget this just as White Americans don't want to forget about Rev. Wright!

Earlier in the year when the Clintons' played the race card against Barack Obama the media pounced on them for doing so and told it like it was even when some African-American pundits wouldn't forcefully condemn the Clintons for fear of a backlash from the White community against Obama. Some journalists even noted their dilemna and openly admitted the reason for Black people having to hold their tongues, one journalist even said this about Barack Obama. It's not like that anymore. Now, some of those same journalists are backpeddling and insinuating that the Clintons' did not play the race card and they are simply employing hard political tactics(the media seems to be glorifying them for their gutter politics). Some of them are even entertaining Bill Clinton's ridiculous notion that the Obama campaign played the race card against him. It's both astonishing and perplexing, the way things have changed. So what happened?

The media and many American citizens seem to have reverted back to their desire for looking the other way when it comes to issues of race in this country. White America seems to be playing into irrational stereotypes about African-Americans. When the media sees that in some places Barack Obama is not winning poor White votes by huge margins, they don't say that these White people are wrong for displaying what seems like racist behavior, they instead blame Obama for "not being able to close the deal" which any fool should be able to see will make the divide with the voters worse. They don't give Hillary Clinton grief for not having the support of African-Americans anymore after having the Black electorate virtually in her pocket at the start of this election season. The media no longer points out that it is almost impossible for a Democrat to win the Presidency without the support of the Demcratic party's most loyal voting block, African-Americans. We are no longer embracing the politics of inclusion and hope, we are looking down on it. What happened?

Barack Obama gave a riveting and honest speech on race to combat the biased media firestorm over the Rev. Wright comments. At first, he was heralded as the orator of a new generation and he was praised for his honesty about race while running for President. All of those accolades went away when Rev. Wright decided to go on his media tour. The media now only talks about how hurt Barack Obama is by the comments that the media themselves made the number one news story. They are blaming him for their manipulations. They don't seem to care that African-Americans are becoming more and more disillusioned about not only this election, but also our place in American society. If the media is this biased against Barack Obama who is the posterchild for unity, then none of us have a chance. If they don't like him because of what his Black minister said, then it is over for all of us before we even start because surely most if not all African-Americans know people that do have angry beliefs and feelings about this country, and it's not just Black people. I would be surprised if Hillary Clinton doesn't have relationships with people who by some would be considered radical. But then again, she is white, so she is not going to be held to the same standard as an African-American. She can be judged on her own merits along with John Mc Cain who actively sought out the Rev. Hagee's endorsement after Rev. Hagee made deplorable comments condemning the Catholic Church and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. What happened?

It is not too late for things to get back on track. The media can start to be more objective in their coverage of the presidential race. They can stop openly giving tips to Hillary Clinton on how to beat Barack Obama. That only leads to the electorate believing that she still has a chance to become the nominee without ripping the Democratic party in half and most experts say that is all but impossible. The American people can start rejecting the political game that is being played on them. Most importantly in relation to the Presidential race, they can vote for Barack Obama and end the destruction of the Democratic party in an election year where they are more than heavily favored to win. It is time to be realistic about our society. Together we can change this country to reflect the positive image that we think we have. It all begins with the individual!

2008-05-04T04:44:00.000-06:00

Watch John F. Kennedy's speech on race in 1963!

In June of 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech on race relations that told the plight of African-Americans and is still rivaled to this day for it's honesty. He details the horrors of racism and how Black people are still being victimized by the ravages of American society. He told the truth to White Americans who wanted to turn a blind eye to racism. He actually understood that it is our responsibility to right this wrong even if we were not personally responsible for the individual acts that led to the racial mess we are in today.

This speech seemed to serve as an impetus to citizens all over this country and allowed legislation to actually be passed to protect the Civil Rights of Black citizens. America seemed finally ready to address it's demons without minimizing the severity of the truth. African-Americans seemed to be about to take their rightful place as full citizens of the United States. What happened? Nothing much has changed in the collective lives of African-Americans in the 45 years since this historic speech. Of course some things have gotten better, but the images of Hurricane Katrina, the Jena 6 protests and the obvious derailing of the the first serious African-American candidate for the presidency by the mainstream media shows that we have so much farther to go.

Click here for Part Two of John F. Kennedy's speech!

2008-05-01T05:31:00.000-06:00

What is really going on?

Why are the political pundits and journalists saying that Barack Obama might have trouble in the November election because he is not winning White working class votes the way Hillary Clinton is? This is perplexing simply because it was the media who rightly pointed out that African-Americans make up such a significant portion of the Democratic electorate that without the support of Black voters, there is virtually no hope of a Democrat winning the election. Some of the White support that Hillary Clinton is getting was probably not going to vote for a Democrat in November anyway. And what about all of the White voters that Barack Obama is getting support from in states that haven't been in play for Democrats in recent Presidential elections?

The media is not raising flags about Hillary Clinton's self inflicted overwhelming loss of the Black vote. They are not saying that her chances in November are severely diminished because she is highly unlikely to receive any meaningful support from the African-American electorate after playing the race card against Barack Obama. And her chances have indeed been diminished because of this. Does the Black vote not matter anymore? John Mc Cain will seize on this if he is smart and if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee. He will try to get Black votes because they are most likely not going to Hillary Clinton who at the beginning of this political process had a lock on the Black electorate. He might very well be effective with the way the media and the Clintons' have made African-Americans feel during this election. Afterall it has been John Mc Cain and not Hillary Clinton who has consistently denounced racial politics against Barack Obama, even if it was pandering. Black people will remember all of this and vote accordingly.

2008-05-01T04:52:00.000-06:00

The real reason the media is obsessed with Rev.Wright!

Ever since the name Rev. Wright was first mentioned the media has been trying to draw some parallel between his forceful statements and Barack Obama. Nevermind the fact that Barack Obama's very being seems to be contrary to divisive politics. Nevermind the fact that in the beginning of this election, Hillary Clinton seemed to have a lock on the African-American vote. Nevermind the fact that Barack Obama is half white, what the media is really trying to say is that White Americans should be wary that if elected President, Mr. Obama is going to be the posterchild for the new Civil Rights movement.

This fear plays into the minds of many White Americans who don't want to care about the plight of Black people in this country. It is what Hillary and Bill Clinton seemingly tried to do by injecting race into this election in the first place. Barack Obama's success is primarily due to the fact that he isn't intimidating as a Black man to White people. He isn't what the country is used to seeing in a Black politician. He seems to be definitely aware of the African-American experience and all of the issues that go along with belonging to this historically disenfranchised group but he doesn't have the typical "chip on his shoulder" attitude of many Black political figures. Barack Obama seems to have the ability to bring both sides of the racial divide together which might give this country it's first real chance to heal one of the most if not the most negative connotation in United States history.

By playing this game, the media and the Clintons are making the debate on race in this country a negative story. It seems to be an attempt at trying to "blacken" Barack Obama in the eyes of the country. Logic would lend to the belief that if he has been effectively "blackened", many White Americans will see him only as a Civil Rights type of political figure and not feel comfortable with him being the President of the United States. Barack Obama has never said anything that would give credence to this line of thinking and his true and legitimate political ties don't suggest that this would be the case. The media seems to be banking on the American people reacting the way they always have when confronted with the subject of racism, and that is to look the other way and not embrace anyone that reminds them of their duty to rectify the racial divide in this country. Hopefully the American people will not be fooled by this and will recognize that Barack Obama is the right person to lead this country not only because of the advances his Presidency will make for social unrest but because his intelligence, confidence and problem solving abilities will make the United States a jewel on the world stage again.

It is important to state that this is not a convoluded conspiracy theory detailing the media's efforts at derailing someone who could potentiallybe the first Black President of the United States. The media has interests in keeping the Democratic Presidetial race going because it equals ratings and opportunities for making money. Plain and simple. There does seem to be some allegiance to Bill Clinton by many members of the mainstream media and that should not be ignored but the overlying reason for the biased coverage of late against Barack Obama seems to be a blatant attempt at milking this race as much as possible for ratings. The media wants the Presidetial race to go on as long as possible because it benefits them no matter how harmful it is to the election of a Democrat to the White House. The good thing is that in this day and age, there are many African-American journalists and academics who can effectively voice the opinions of Black America and that is something new in this society. We have always had African-American academics speaking out about racism and politics but now we have the numbers to effectively make the political and media structure play more fairly by holding their feet to the fire. Hopefully the whole of the American population will refuse to play old political games and do the same.

2008-04-15T02:25:00.000-06:00

The Double Standard that Americans seem happy to tolerate in the U.S. Presidential election!

Something that has not escaped many people watching the coverage of the U.S. Presidential race is the double standard in play when it comes to overanalyzing and parsing the words of Barack Obama. This goes hand in hand with the seemingly racist opinion that Barack Obama is arrogant and should watch what he says so as not to offend. If Hillary Clinton was held to the same standard, this wouldn't be an issue, but the allowing of race baiting and misleading statements by Mrs. Clinton without raking her over the coals is evidence that a double standard is in play.

A few weeks ago, a white man in North Carolina expressed his beliefs that Barack Obama "talks down to white people". This couldn't be farther from the truth. Barack Obama is the "nicest" and most respectful candidate that we have seen in modern history and many people even if they don't align with his political views would agree. Hillary Clinton seemingly believed that he was too nice and wouldn't be able to fend off dirty Republican attacks in a general election a few weeks ago. She of course neglected to realize that Mr. Obama has been fending off her vicious attacks for months without appearing to descend into the gutter of dirty politics that the Clintons' seem to be posterchildren for and the dirty politics that the media heap praise on the Clintons' for.

So how is Barack Obama arrogant? The logical explanation seems for many to be that white america is not used to a Black man in such a position of power and infleuence. So when he doesn't say "Yes sir" or hold his head down when addressing white people(which was basically the law for many decades in many parts of this country) he is being arrogant. Nevermind Hillary Clinton intimating that small states don't matter to her in this election. Nevermind Bill Clinton's arrogant and race baiting rants all throughout this campaign. It is all to easy for Barack Obama to get the charge. Now they are calling him an elitist for saying that some people are bitter about their economic status in this country. The fact that Hillary Clinton and John Mc Cain seem to reject this obvious truth shows their arrogance. So why aren't they called on it?

Everyday the mainstream media for the most part excuses the negativity that Hillary Clinton is injecting into the presidential race. Everyday they excuse her win at all costs strategy and call it smart politics. Although she has all but endorsed John Mc Cain for President if she doesn't win the Democratic nomination, she is heralded as a brilliant politician and her destructive obsession with becoming the Democratic nominee is embraced and worst of all helped and fueled with helpful hints by many popular journalists. This is totally biased and this double standard cannot be tolerated by those of us who are infuriated at how things are going in this election.

2008-01-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

The Clinton letdown to Black America

Bill Clinton and family have long been heralded as friends of African-Americans. Bill Clinton has been heralded as the "first black President" of the United States although there is no real support to the African-American movement on his part. Hillary Clinton enjoyed massive African-American support at the beginning of her bid for the White House but that seems to be changing after her use of negative dirty political and seemingly racist attacks against her main rival Barack Obama. Whether it was her perceived minimization by many of Martin Luther King in relation to President Johnson in comments about the Civil Rights movement or the "fairy tale" comments about Barack Obama by her husband Bill; the Clinton's true feelings on race seem to be emerging to many people across the world. Her supporters recent lawsuit to repeal the Clinton's camp's previous support of allowing the mainly African-American and Latino workers in Las Vegas an easier way to vote in the caucus is seemingly showing a negative pattern of racist ideologies. Clinton supporters seem to have changed their support after Barack Obama was endorsed by a major union and now are alledging discrimination themselves.

Many African-Americans have long rejected the so called loyalty to the Clintons. "What has the Clinton family honestly done for Black people in the United States?" many people ask. The short answer is: "Nothing!". Bill Clinton has located an office in Harlem, befriended many prominent African-Americans and opposed reparations. Oh yeah, he played the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall show but honestly, what have the Clintons really done for African-Americans to deserve our vote especially when it is against one of our own? Hillary Clinton has written a book that some feel exploits an old African proverb and recently insulted (in the opinion of many) the honorable memory of Dr. Martin Luther King. When she had the chance she did nothing real to help the mainly African-American victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans. To be fair, Obama was in the Sentate at the time also and has not really pushed any true call for the repair of the Katrina disaster. That being said, Obama didn't have a photo opportunity walking through the still ruined Ninth Ward of New Orleans whereas Hillary Clinton did with Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu.

Hillary Clinton and family are probably not racist in the real sense of the term. They probably have many African-American associates. While they have done nothing overtly racist, Hillary and Bill Clinton have seemingly engaged in injecting the ugliness of racism into this Presidential campaign and that cannot be easily forgiven by Black voters. The recent remarks involving racial issues seem to be an obvious attempt at reminding the voting public that Barack Obama is Black and while that is obviously nothing bad in itself; we all know the fine line that Obama has to walk in order not to appear threatening to the White voters in the United States which is why he has not injected race or been able to truly respond honestly to these attacks that are perceived by many to be racially baiting.

In short, Barack Obama has truly inspired many people and succeeded in making a lot of white people forget that he is Black and Hillary and Bill Clinton seem to be saying things that will definitely make some people stop and think about his ethnicity and unfortunately, that's all it is going to take for some people to vote for her over Obama because he is Black. If that is not what they meant to do then it seems as if they wouldn't have said things that were potentially racially damaging. None of the other contenders have done so and the Clinton machine is a master at always saying the right thing politically so we can assume that everything that was said was said strategically and purposely.

They seem to not be be any better than many politicians when it comes to using and pandering to African-Americans. I just hope this time, we are smarter and vote for Barack Obama.

Learn more about Barack Obama.

2007-09-23T13:47:00.000-06:00

Jena 6: Just the way things go in good old Louisiana

So many people are thinking about racism right now because of the controversy in Jena, Louisiana. The first thing they should notice is that this incident happened in Louisiana. This should show people that the cries of inequality and racism over Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were accurate. Remember that white officials in Louisiana stopped Black people at gunpoint when they were trying to escape the city. We were not even allowed to walk on public streets to find our way to safety. Louisiana has a social structure that is based on racism. When thousands of African-Americans were displaced from New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina(actually the neglect of the levees by the Federal Government), the racist structure of Louisiana jumped on the opportunity to rebuild a New Orleans without the Black people that made up the flavor of the world reknowned city. Why didn't people protest then? As a victim of the "cleansing of New Orleans" it hurts me to think that my people around the country didn't have my back. There should have been thousands of people protesting and marching in New Orleans and on Capitol Hill demanding compensation and equity for Black people in the rebuilding process.

It is wonderful that African Americans around the country are supporting the Jena 6 as this is just another example of how racism is intrinsic in Louisiana politics. Hopefully we will start to wake up and take the steps necessary to end the double standards in U.S. society. They are not going to give us equal rights, we have to demand them.

2007-08-29T17:21:00.000-06:00

Hurricane Katrina Victim Compensation!

I am a victim of Hurricane Katrina. I am still displaced from my beloved New Orleans due to racist policies that discourage the return of hundreds of thousands of African-American citizens. We deserve compensation for the Federally induced failure of our levee systems that were supposedly designed to protect us from a Category 3 storm. Needless to say, they didn't!

I filed a claim against the Army Corps of Engineers months ago. This blog is intended to report my dealings with them in an attempt at keeping them honest. Please feel free to post your thoughts on Hurricane Katrina and especially, Victim compensation. Please remember that we are the victims here, and although this tragedy opens up the wounds of racism, respect for the victims is ALWAYS in order.

Read about the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

2007-07-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

Still in Hell Two Years After Hurricane Katrina

It's been two long years since my life along with hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents were changed by the fury of Hurricane Katrina. As a New Orleans native and someone that was "racially put in my place" by numerous Federal and State officials, I must say that not much has changed. I am still stuck hundreds of miles away from my beloved hometown and I am still struggling to rebuild my life in literally hundreds of ways. There is still bureaucratic red tape that is preventing thousands upon thousands of people from resuming their livelihoods. Most of the country has moved on choosing to focus on more recent tragedies like school shootings and Paris Hilton's plight in jail. The United States has forgotten that our government caused one of the biggest examples of pain and suffering in this country's history this side of slavery.

I can't say that I am surprised at the lack of attention Hurricane Katrina evacuees are receiving as American society has never wanted to expose the rampant racism against Black people that is still in place. It is so easy for people to simply believe that any person still suffering because of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina must not be taking advantage of the resources that have been put in place to help. These people ignore the truth that there are NO resources for evacuees. There have been NO payments by this government for ruining our lives. There has been NO compensation for the obvious display of racism that was seen all over the world. It's not that we are begging for anything. This government owes us for causing the flooding of New Orleans. Not to mention keeping thousands of African-Americans in limbo for a week while waiting for assistance. Who will make me whole for the U.S. military denying me a drink of water at the Superdome while cases of water were stacked behind the very people denying me this basic resource?

The media has admitted that they were inaccurate in reporting that evacuees in New Orleans were shooting at rescue helicopters. But no one is listening to them. It's too late and the damage has been done. I can't tell you how many people ask me why were we shooting at the police and rescue workers. I am tired of educating people to the fact that the gunshots that were heard were people frantically shooting holes in their rooftops to escape rising floodwaters. Not only did the powers that be flood New Orleans, but their racist assumptions have ruined the reputations of evacuees everywhere. Who will make us whole for that?

FEMA paid some people's rent for a few months but most evacuees were disqualified for assistance shortly after the Hurricane. There are now thousands of evacuees on the brink of homelessness. Does anyone care about these people who are mostly black? Obviously not because nothing has been done. The media doesn't even report on the protests and demonstrations that have been consistently held by disenfranchised New Orleanians that don't qualify for the limitted financial assistance that has been given out to the white homeowners. As a struggling college student I would have been grateful for a scholarship so I can graduate and make myself whole. I would be grateful if I was able to get a driver's license in Colorado. I can't because of missing paperwork that was washed away by the water of Lake Ponchatrain. Imagine that, people don't even understand that regulations need to be eased to allow us to start our lives over in new places. If mostly white people had been affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, it would be a different story.

I want to go home to New Orleans and finish my College education that I feel was stolen away from me by the Federally mismanaged levee system that allowed New Orleans to flood. I cannot say enough that it was not Hurricane Katrina that washed my life away, but years of neglect and looking the other way. Had the Army Corps of Engineers which was responsible for the levee failures in New Orleans cared even half as much about New Orleans as much as they would have about Beverly Hills if it had been in the same geographic situation as the Crescent City none of this mess probably would have happened. But to many people in the United States, it is only African-Americans that are affected by this so it is easy not to care.

2007-04-14T09:32:00.000-06:00

African-Americans are not responsible for the racist remarks of Don Imus

CBS and MSNBC did the right thing in firing Don Imus for his incredibly insensitive and racist remarks about the Rutgers Womens Basketball team. It's a no brainer! If someone expresses vile opinions about African-Americans on the public airwaves, they deserve to be fired. What is the big deal? Why are many white americans saying that he shouldn't be fired because hip hop lyrics sometimes say the same things and worse than Don Imus? The answer to that is a no brainer as well.

Hip Hop music has long been criticized by African-Americans for not only negative lyrics, but negative stereotypical imagery as well. Read about C. Delores Tucker's fight against this in the early 1990's. The big executives in the music industry are making billions of dollars from these artists and see no need to filter their music. To put it simply, as long as the mainly white corporate executives are making money from hip hop, they will not change the message. While you won't find a defense for the hip hop industry here, it must be stated that black people saying derogatory statements about other black people is not on the same level as white people saying the same things. Many white people think that it's okay to say these things because African-Americans say them. This is ludicrous because these negative words were indoctrinated into our society by white people to make Blacks feel bad about themselves hundreds of years ago. The word "nappy" was first stated by WHITE slaveowners and racists to describe the hair of the Africans that had been stolen and enslaved by this country. Why do many people suddenly have amnesia when it comes to this issue? More importantly, why would a white person that is not racist want to say these words in the first place.

The word "nappy" and the "n" word were not made up by black people. It is true that many African-Americans seemingly want to make these words positive these days and they use them amongst themselves to take the sting out of the meaning of these horrendous words. Personally, I feel that words like these will never be turned around and black people should not use them when addressing each other. It gives racists a license to say these words and blame the black community no matter how illogical that defense is. The use of these words need to stop for the good of everyone, but don't blame the African-American community for words that were put into existence by white racists hundreds of years ago.

Many people are criticizing the black community now because they feel that we have not protested against black rappers using demeaning verbage in their lyrics. This is totally false as black people have been concerned on a large scale about rap lyrics for more than a decade now. This story just never gets any media attention because the powers that be in the media, don't care about African-Americans complaining about rap music. Let it be known that 80 % of rap sales are made up of young WHITE teens not BLACK people. Let it be known that the best selling rapper is Eminem who is WHITE not BLACK. Let it be known that when rappers use derogatory words in their lyrics it is not in the same racist context that Don Imus used. When a black person calls another black person the "n" word it doesn't hurt as much as when a white person says it. That is a fact that the white community has to face and if they think it is unfair, they should criticize their white ancestors for putting the word into existence in the first place. Don't criticize the black community for trying to take away the negative sting from these words.

Why weren't white people calling for the end to hip hop lyrics before the Don Imus story? Because they didn't care.

2007-03-19T14:20:00.000-06:00

Georgia Legislature plans "Confederacy Month". African-Americans should be outraged!

Last week, Georgia lawmakers planned a Confederate Month and it seems likely to be passed into law. This is one of the most outrageous legislations against African-Americans in recent memory and the entire Black population of the United States should be outraged and determined to stop this racist celebration from coming to fruition. Supporters of this outlandish celebration will no doubt point to Black History month as ammunition for their attempts to glorify the most painful chapter of American History, slavery.

It's bad enough that Confederate flags are still permitted to fly in the face of many African-Americans in the deep south but this is going too far.

2007-03-19T14:13:00.000-06:00

Why the struggle for African-American Civil Rights is still not over!
(The article was posted in it's entirety without editing. Keep in mind that this website didn't write this article.)

BLACK PEOPLE, PLEASE, READ & HEED. The sad thing about this article is that the essence of it is true. The truth hurts. I just hope this sets more Black people in motion towardsmaking real progress. Chris Rock, a Black comedian, even joked thatBlacks don't read.Help prove them wrong! Read and pass on.

Please Note:For those of you who heard it, this is the article Dee Lee was readingthis morning on a New York radio station. For those of you who didn'thear it, this is very deep.

This is a heavy piece and a Caucasian wrote it. Dee Lee, CFP Harvard Financial Educators Dee Lee

THEY ARE STILL OUR SLAVES We can continue to reap profits from theBlacks without the effort of physical slavery Look at the currentmethods of containment that they use on themselves: IGNORANCE, GREED,and SELFISHNESS.

Their IGNORANCE is the primary weapon of containment. A great man oncesaid, "The best way to hide something from Black people is to put it in a book." We now live in the Information Age. They have gained the opportunity to read any book on any subject through the efforts of their fight for freedom, yet they refuse to read. There are numerous booksreadily available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com, not tomention their own Black Bookstores that provide solid blueprints toreach economic equality (which should have been their fight all along), but few read consistently, if at all.

GREED is another powerful weapon of containment. Blacks, since theabolition of slavery, have had large amounts of money at their disposal. Last year they spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas, out of their450 billion dollars in total yearly income (2.22%).Any of us can use them as our target market, for any business venturewe care to dream up, no matter how outlandish, they will buy into it.Being primarily a consumer people, they function totally by greed. They continually want more, with little thought for saving or investing.They would rather buy some new sneaker than invest in starting abusiness. Some even neglect their children to have the latest Tommy or FUBU, And they still think that having a Mercedes, and a big house gives them"Status" or that they have achieved their Dream.They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in povertybecause their greed holds them back from collectively making bettercommunities.With the help of BET, and the rest of their black media that oftenbroadcasts destructive images into their own homes, we will continue to see huge profits like those of Tommy and Nike. (Tommy Hilfiger has e ven jeered them, saying he doesn't want their money, and look at how thefools spend more with him than ever before!). They'll continue to showoff to each other while we build solid communities with the profitsfrom our businesses that we market to them.

SELFISHNESS, ingrained in their minds through slavery, is one of themajor ways we can continue to contain them. One of their own, Duboissaid that there was an innate division in their culture. A "TalentedTenth" he called it. He was correct in his deduction that there aresegments of their culture that has achieved some "form" of success.However, that segment missed the fullness of his work. They didn't read that the "Talented Tenth" was then responsible to aid The Non-TalentedNinety Percent in achieving a better life. Instead, that segment hascreated another class, a Buppie class that looks down on their peopleor aids them in a condescending manner. They will never achieve what we have. Their selfishness does not allow them to be able to work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together,their selfishness lets their egos get in the way of their goal Theirso-called help organizations seem to only want to promote their namewithout making any real change in their community.They are content to sit in conferences and conventions in our hotels,and talk about what they will do, while they award plaques to the bestspeakers, not to the best doers. Is there no end to their selfishness?

They steadfastly refuse to see that TOGETHER EACH ACHIEVES MORE (TEAM)They do not understand that they are no better than each other because of what they own, as a matter of fact, most of those Buppies are butone or two pay checks away from poverty. All of which is under thecontrol of our pens in our offices and our rooms.Yes, we will continue to contain them as long as they refuse to re ad,continue to buy anything they want, and keep thinking they are "helping" their communities by paying dues to organizations which do little other than hold lavish conventions in our hotels. By the way, don't worryabout any of them reading this letter, remember, 'THEY DON'T READ!!!!

(Prove them wrong. Please pass this on! After Reading it..)

2007-03-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

A lighter note about racial issues in the United States

The material contained here is so serious and full of painful realizations about racism that I thought I would share something that shows that racial harmony is possible.

During Hurricane Katrina, I was stuck in New Orleans for five days in which the military and local police displayed excruciating racism to me and thousands of African-Americans. It was the first time in my life that I had experienced racism so personally and completely. White America seemed to be putting me in my place for believing that I was an American citizen of value just like every other tax payer in the United States. Just when I was about to give up all hope that there would one day be a racist free society, a white man came along and helped me to see that there are some good white people out there.

While walking for miles in the hot sun, I met a man in a truck as I was trying to help an elderly African-American man who was refused admittance into a hospital as I had been the previous day while having an asthma attack. The white man in the truck and I got the elderly man to safety and somewhere that he could have something to eat and drink. The man told me that I could ride out of the city with him the next morning and I accepted. We had to come up with different stories and plans in case the police stopped us and questioned why a Black man was riding in a truck with a white man. Yes, the racism was that bad in this day and age. Racism is still well and alive, and during Hurricane Katrina, not so hidden. Luckily, we were not questioned and we made it to safety, Thank God!

I write this to say that there are good people of all races, that recognize that we are all brothers.
Because of that white man, I got out of New Orleans and onto safety and I thank God for him everyday.

2007-03-06T00:39:00.000-07:00

What "acting white" really means in the African-American community.

There is not really a scientific definition of "acting white" but many African-Americans are well aware of what it means. Black people and their culture have been so vilified by racism that many African-Americans feel that they have to take on a "white" persona to be successful. This manifests most obviously in the way some Black people speak when they are not around their loved ones and neighbors. Although the thought of speaking correct English as being a "white" trait borders on the offensive for African-Americans, many of them have subscribed to this belief and it is important to realize that racism and oppression is the cause of this. When you hear an African-American describe an articulate Black person as "acting white" they are actually reflecting what centuries of dehumanization by racism have taught them.

Since most if not all of Black culture has been minimized in American society, African-Americans have been made to feel that anything that is positively received by the masses has to be "white". Therefore, if a Black person against all odds receives an education or a lucrative job, they must "act white" or they wouldn't have been allowed to acheive these things. Many white people characterize successful African-Americans as "acting white" as well. This is a problem that pervades the whole of society.

Nowadays, many African-Americans actually consider themselves bi-lingual, because they speak English a certain way at the office and another way at home. It's very interesting, Black people have to walk a fine line not to come across as too "whitewashed" in the African-American community. Around their white peers they have to not come across to "militant" or racially aware because then they will be thought of as a threat.

2007-03-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

How do television shows that show negative imagery factor into the racial situation in the United States?

In the 1980's it seemed that we had a lot of positive black television shows. "The Cosby Show" and "A Different World" were two of them that were very popular. Shows like this did a lot to advance the perception of African-Americans in society. Black people were finally being shown in a positive and normal light. Society got to see that we went to college and handled family problems in much the same way as out white counterparts and this was necessary to further the respect of African-Americans in a culture that has been so biased against all things Black and African.

Unfortunately, television shows like this had a negative effect on the racial situation in the United States as well. Because the reality of racism and the lasting effects of slavery are something that is uncomfortable for many people to deal with, seeing African-Americans as doctors and lawyers allowed them to deny that racism was still a real part of life for millions of black people. They were able to say that racism isn't affecting Black people anymore based on what they saw on television. They didn't separate the fiction from reality. Many people now believe that most African-Americans live wealthy lives because they saw that happening on televison and that is totally unrealistic. It is important to point out that although this does allow people to deny racism, the positive image of African-Americans that resulted probably offset the negative effects.

Lately, television shows seem to be following society in the minstrelization of African-Americans. The most highly rated television shows showcase Black characters that are loud, obnoxious, and negative. People seem to think that it is okay now to celebrate the fact that the majority of African-Americans live in the ghetto and are street wise. Blacks and whites both see nothing wrong with the negative racial imagery that is filling the homes of millions of people around the world and underming much of what we have fought so hard to acheive in society.

The ghetto lifelstyle is nothing to glorify or be proud of. It is because of racism and oppression that African-Americans have been regulated to live in the ghetto, so why are we celebrating it?
Hopefully we will wake up before it's too late and we find ourselves back in the extreme racially polarizing situation that has made up so much of the history of the United States. We have come too far as a people to allow ourselves to ruin everything.

2007-03-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

How many studies are we going to commision to determine whether African-Americans are still affected by racism?

It seems that every other week a new study comes out proving that alarming numbers of African-Americans are still negatively affected by racism. This is not new information and no rational person should be shocked to find out that racism is still a problem for the vast majority of Black people in the United States. Racism didn't magically disappear forty years ago when African-Americans finally got legal guarantees against it.

Many people will admit that racism is still a factor, but they minimize it by saying that it is only subtle racism. There are indeed many instances of subtle racism most of which go undetected by the few measures that are in place to guard against racial discrimination. There are however far more instances of overt racism that any morally sound individual should be able to see. The Hurricane Katrina debacle in New Orleans is one of the most overt displays of racism in recent history. Yet you have many people saying that racism didn't play a part in it at all. It's obviously denial. The scary part is figuring out why someone would deny something as abhorrent as racism?

We have all known for years that African-Americans are less likely to receive an education because of racism. Just as we have known that Blacks are more likely to live in poverty and more likely to receive harsher jail sentences because of centuries of racist ideologies. Why are we shocked all of a sudden when a study says what we already knew? Had legitimate studies been done during slavery they would probably show the same statistics regarding the social status and opportunities for Blacks. The reality always has been and still is that African-Americans do not have the same opportunities as White people do because of a racist system that was put into place to totally disenfranchise and dehumanize them for the pleasure and advancement of White people.

It's time to stop pretending like we don't know what needs to be done to equalize the status of African-Americans. We all know that Black people need to be brought up to competitive financial standards in the United States. If this isn't done, no amount of programs will right the wrongs of centuries of racial oppression. If someone doesn't want to do this then they should admit that and not pretend as if they are naive about the racial situation in the United States.

It's getting redundant.

2007-03-02T04:07:00.000-07:00

Should African-Americans or White people frame the debate on racism?

This question arose from noticing how many non-black people seemingly want to define what is and isn't racist in discussions about race. It's also ironic that the definition of racism seems to have changed to sound more like the definition of discrimination, which we are all guilty of. Time and time again, African-Americans are told that their particular experience was not an example of racism. How can a white person be unbiased in determining what is racist and what isn't? Many African-Americans are criticized because some whites think that Black people make things racist that aren't. Can't the flip side of that argument be made about White people? It seems as if white people will tend not to see things as racist because it benefits their livelihoods to minimize racism. They also would have to address their own true feelings about race if they were to see an event as racist, and it seems as if that is something that many of them don't want to do. Perhaps because of guilt.

It's ludicrous to think that African-Americans are not the most qualified segment of the United States' population to speak on racism. They are the group in American society that has been impacted the most by racism and discrimination. It is logical to listen to what they say carefully regarding racial matters and it is downright disrespectful and suspicious to question their grasp of what racism means.

Of course there are some cases, although very few of them, in which some African-Americans might be wrong in their accusations of racism. In addressing this minute problem, it should be first acknowledged and understood that because Black people have been so severely affected by racism, it is logical to assume that they will be sensitive about the issue, and immediately think that racism is at work because in most cases it has been. The motive behind people concentrating on trying to prove the racial allegations of African-Americans is apparent in most cases, it is often an attempt to deflect the attention away from the obvious examples of racism.
What else could it be when history shows that African-Americans are more than likely to be the victims of racism? Did the racial history of the United States just vanish into thin air? No, it most certainly didn't.

There is a valid argument for the belief that white people shouldn't say anything when it comes to racism. Especially when many of them feel no need to apologize or be sympathetic to African-Americans for slavery or a racist legacy that leaves White people advantaged and Black people in the fighting for respect, much less question blacks on the issue. The majority of white people, especially Americans, have done nothing for centuries to seriously reverse the ramifications of racism. So what makes them the moral authority on the subject all of a sudden? All groups should be in on the discussion about racism. If any one group however is going to frame the discussion about racism however, it should be African-Americans as they are the ones that know more about it than any other group in American society.

2007-03-01T01:43:00.000-07:00

How American society is still responsible for racist attacks against African-Americans in the year 2007.

An Asian newspaper is under fire for making horrendous racist remarks about African-Americans. "The Voice of Asian America" published a column on February 23, 2007 ranting about the reasons to "Hate Black people" and even insinuates that African-Americans should be ridiculed because they allowed themselves to be enslaved for 300 years. This racist tirade is only the latest glaring example of how racism is still alive in the United States and how our government is doing nothing about it. It can logically be assumed that the government supports ideologies like this because they haven't done anything to seriously combat the racial problems in the United States other than offering blank promises and legislative gestures for the past few decades.

In the 1960's the United States government finally passed legislation that made it illegal to discriminate against African-Americans. This was important as it finally gave Black people legal guarantees againts racism albeit about one hundred years too late. The problem is that they haven't done anything else to eradicate centuries of negative feelings about Black people. The neglect by the United States government of the well-being of African-Americans is what contributes most to their plight.

The slaves were set free but received no compensation for their troubles although many white slave owners were compensated by the government for losing their slaves. Jim Crow and segregation were allowed for nearly a century before it was deemed necessary to legislate against these racist practices. Millions of African-Americans have no health care, no ability to receive a good education and live below the poverty level and the United States does nothing to help them. Hundreds of thousands of Black people were displaced in New Orleans not because of Hurricane Katrina, but because the levees that were maintained by the federal government were neglected and not up to the level of protection that the Army Corps of Engineers claimed they were but yet they haven't received any compensation although the U.S. government admits it was their fault.

What other conclusion can be drawn other than it is okay to treat African-Americans badly when the government turns a blind eye over and over again. If you say nothing than you are just as guilty as the person committing the crime. It is easy to see why the Asian newspaper felt comfortable to express racist views against Black people. The United States has never taken the plight of African-Americans seriously so why should anyone else?

2007-03-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

Does the United States need to formally apologize to African-Americans for slavery and if they did, what would it accomplish?

The state of Virginia is seriously considering issuing a formal apology to African-Americans for it's historical role in the African-slave trade. Many people are publicly expressing opposition to what many rational individuals around the world feel is a necessary step in healing some of the wounds that African-Americans still carry with them as a result of hundreds of years of racism and oppression. If the United States is truly sorry for perpetuating one of the most vile and dehumanizing episodes of human history, then it should have no problem apologizing for it. That is the least it can do to help rectify the racial situation that it created.

When slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War, the United States government felt it necessary to give white slaveowners reparations for the loss of their labor force. They actually compensated white racists whose lack of morality and immense greed not only stripped away the very humanity of Black people but also plunged this country into a Civil War. The ex-slaves were given nothing but a promise of 40 acres and a mule that still hasn't been fulfilled to this day. Yet American society is bickering over whether it is necessary to formally apologize for slavery? This is a total slap in the face to every African-American that believes that they are finally legitimate citizens in the United States. It also seems to prove the long held belief by many Black people that the government will never do anything to seriously address and fix the racism that has literally affected millions upon millions of Black people since the founding of this country.

If they won't apologize for slavery, why would they do anything seriously to change the legacy that it and racism has left upon the shoulders of African-Americans? Why should we believe that the laws of the United States will protect us if the government doesn't even have the decency to do the most basic thing to heal a negative relationship? Any therapist will tell you that rectifying a negative situation begins with taking responsibility and saying "I'm sorry". If a party won't even do that then there is no hope for any type of reconcilliation.

A formal apology for slavery to African-Americans from the United States government would be the long overdue olive branch that would make many Black people finally feel optimistic about the racial situation in this country. It would show that the United States is indeed a moral authority in the world and is honorable enough to atone for it's mistakes. Many white people think that African-Americans contribute to their lot in society by limitting their own potential. Nevermind the fact that hundreds of years of systemic racism has plundered most of the optimism out of the African-American community and left millions of young black people feeling as if it doesn't make sense to try to acheive anything worthwhile in this country due to their constant struggle with long held racist beliefs and ideologies. Isn't it hypocritical for white people to criticize African-Americans for their beliefs on racism when they don't even see the need to express sympathy for it?

The time has come for the United States to seriously address the issue of racism. That includes rectifying past mistakes and expressing regret for the way that African-Americans have been MADE to feel for hundreds of years. Many white people that say they have nothing to apologize for because they didn't personally own slaves need to realize that they are STILL benefitting from the racist ideals that this country was founded on. Their white skin is a privilege and black skin is a hinderance. This is a fact that has been proven over and over again by scholars of all academic fields. It is time to stop studying the problem and start solving it, and it all begins with an apology.

2007-02-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Are the talents of African-Americans finally being respected in Hollywood?

At last night's Oscar ceremony, two of the most prestigious awards were given to African-Americans. Forest Whitaker won the Best Actor award for "The Last King of Scotland and Jennifer Hudson won the Best Supporting Actress award for her outstanding performance in "Dreamgirls". This is a landmark moment as Hollywood has been getting flack lately for not recognizing the acheivements of African-Americans.

The main reason these particular awards are of importance to race relations in the United States is because for a long time, the Academy Awards only seemed to recognize negative stereotypical African-American movies for the most coveted acting awards. When Denzel Washington and Halle Berry won the two top acting awards in 2003, it was received by the African-American community as a mixed blessing because both of the characters that won Oscar awards were negative stereotypes. Denzel Washington won for playing a corrupt police officer and Halle Berry won for playing a prostitute.

Although many white actors have won Academy Awards for negative characters, the reality that Denzel Washington lost the Oscar for playing legendary Civil Rights icon Malcolm X but was rewarded for playing a stereotypically negative African-American image was not lost on the Black community. It was similar to Whoppi Goldberg being snubbed for her stunning portrayal of Celie in "The Color Purple" only to receive an Oscar years later for playing a crazy psychic in "Ghost". It's good that African-Americans were being recognized for their talents, but in such a racially polarizing and discriminatory culture as the United States has historically been, this only fueled negative racial stereotypes.

Jennifer Hudson and Forest Whitaker winning acting awards at this year's Oscar ceremony is finally a step in a positive direction as their characters African-Americans that were received sympathetically and of genuine interest. Jennifer Hudson did showcase the attitude and grittiness that many people associate with African-American women but the way it was done made it okay. Their was a balance and vulnerability that her character exuded that made the audience feel sympathy for her, and she was a good person. Forest Whitaker's portrayal of the controversial Idi Amin and subsequent Oscar win seems to suggest that Hollywood is finally realizing that African-Americans have the talent and depth to play many different characters. Hopefully, the Academy Awards and Hollywood might be finally starting to treat African-American movies and actors seriously.

2007-02-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Why do African-Americans get offended when someone refers to them as black?

Recently I saw the "I Love New York" show on VH1 and the episode had New York getting offended when she was called "La negrita" which is a term of endearment that Latin people use. Many people didn't understand why an African-American would be offended by being called a "little black girl" because she is black.

The reason that she got offended is because in the United States, the word black has never been correlated with positive things much less used as a term of endearment. For many years, African-Americans have been made to feel bad about their blackness just as in the video "A Girl Like Me" at the top of this page. This has led many black people to go to extreme measures to try and "hide" their ethnicity. Why do you think there are so many black people that say they have everything in their bloodlines but neglect to say African?

This is why African-Americans take offense when someone refers to their blackness. In the United States people usually say "that little black girl" in negative terms. Racist ideologies are so engrained in our society that subconsciously it seems as if the term black could never be meant as anything positive, even to many African-Americans themselves. As horrible as this seems to many people it is unfortuately a truth in this society.

2007-02-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Why don't African-Americans just stop complaining and live better lives?

This question has always perplexed me and yet, I am hearing it more and more all the time. Many people feel that Black people are simply complaining about racism but are generally not putting forth any action to become respected citizens of American society. As disappointed as I am to have to explain why this somewhat ignorant opinion is not valid, I also take delight in trying to help people understand racial issues from the African-American perspective. So it's definitely a double edged sword.

When African-Americans say that they experienced racism, the immediate response from society seems to be that it probably wasn't true. Society wants to believe that African-Americans are making up racism to hide their own faults. This belief is false from the start. To subscribe the plight of African-Americans to their own shortcomings despite hundreds of years of racial oppression is simply looking the other way to avoid blame. Millions of African-Americans will tell you that they are being victimized by racism in some form on a regular basis, and the immediate response is that they are all wrong and that they are putting themselves in the negative position that many of them find themselves in. How arrogant and close minded to think that millions of people are making up these claims although historically African-Americans have been treated unfairly based on their race and it is illogical to think that after only a few decades of legal protections from the government and no financial strategy to put them on more equal terms in society, their situation should have improved.

How can anyone rationally think that African-Americans are not trying to better their lot in society? No one in American society has worked harder than African-Americans. Their work has always been underappreciated and underpaid, if paid at all. They were brought as slaves primarily because it was thought that they were physically laborious(my words not the actual thoughts) and could be good workers. Why now all of a sudden are they thought of as lazy and not willing to work. African-Americans work harder than most members of society simply surviving and existing in a hostile enviroment. Their propensity for work should never be questioned!

2007-02-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

African-Americans are tired of being second class citizens.

For centuries, the United States has treated African-Americans as second-class citizens. Actually for a good portion of it's history, the United States didn't consider Black people citizens at all. To go along with this total dehumanization, a system of laws and practices were set up in order to continue the total disenfranchisement of African-Americans for years even after slavery was begrudingly abolished. A system of programs in the 1960's and 1970's such as Affirmative Action were put in place to make society feel as if it had addressed it's most painful chapter and made amends for it although not even an official apology for the mistreatment of African-Americans as a result of slavery and the after affects of racism was ever given.

In the year 2007 many non-Black citizens of the United States see no reason why a majority of African-Americans still feel like second-class citizens. They don't see why millions of young black people have no hope for a happy future. In fact, many Americans think that it is time to repeal the minute measures that were put into place to ensure non-discriminatory treatment for African-Americans. They don't see why Affirmative Action is needed and some of them vocally say that it is discriminatory against White people.

The reason why African-Americans feel like second-class citizens is because we are. Black people in this country are more likely to live in poverty as their white counterparts by many times over. They are also less likely to receive a good education or medical treatment. Black people are more likely to go to prison and receive harsher sentences than White people in the United States. We even die sooner than White people in this country do. Simply put, not much has changed in the lives of the majority of African-American people in the United States, the comfort of the poverty level has simply increased. Not much has changed because the lasting affects that racism has on succeeding generations of African-Americans have never been addressed on any serious level.

Even after Hurricane Katrina made it impossible for any rational person to deny the racial discrepancies that still exist there is no serious debate going on to address the obvious problems.
Many people find it easier to simply think that African-Americans are not working hard enough to pull themselves out of the negative situation they are in. There is no validity in these opinions as it is ludicrous to think that the majority of Black people in the United States are making the conscious choice to stay in the rut that they are in. No group of people in the United States has worked harder than African-Americans so the notion that they are lazy is totally false.

African-Americans are demanding that we not be treated as second-class citizens anymore. We are demanding that the systematic issues that have held us back for centuries be rectified and changed. Black people deserve a chance in this society to reap the benefits of all of the hard work that we have done to make this a great country. We are not asking for a handout or charity, but only for what is due to us and that's a lot.

2007-02-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama would be good for relations in the Middle East!

In response to some arguments out there regarding Barack Obama becoming President of the United States and relating to terror states, logically speaking; those nations and leaders will probably feel more comfortable dealing with an African-American person that has a Muslim sounding name. Point blank. More might be accomplished to heal the ties between the Middle East and the United States if the leader of this country is a Black man.

Not taking away from the many good people out there in all races that could do a qualifed and legitimate job of the Presidency. However one cannot ignore the simple reality that in a significant number of political circles around the world, a sense of discomfort exists regarding the United States because the totally capitalististic and sometimes arrogant air the the United States gives off has become too much to ignore. For segments of the world population such as the aforementioned, an African-American President would be a welcome change and could lead to unprecedented compromise.

It's logical, Barack Obama is an African-American male who is highly educated and articulate. With a good administration behind him he could be just what this country needs in this time of extreme political chaos around the world.

2007-02-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

What it is honestly like being an African American living in the United States in 2007.
By Zarian Phipps

Of course different people experience different things for a variety of reasons. Race not being among the insignificant reasons that color one's destiny. As an African-American young male adult, I have experienced ups and downs just like everyone else. I have had opportunities that I have both taken advantage of and wasted just as everyone else has. But as an African-American, I experience the dark side of American society on a somewhat regular basis. The basic things in life seem to be harder for Black people to acheive consistently. If an African-American does grasp onto the basic conveniences of life such as a good job, owning a home and receiving an education, he or she is less likely than their white counterparts to comfortably maintain a good lifestyle. My life serves as a few pointers.

I grew up in a middle class neighborhood in New Orleans with my mother and grandmother who were both African-Americans. My mother had a Master's Degree in Education and my grandparents had owned businesses all over the city. I point this out because many people would assume if an African-American isn't happy with his lot in society than he must be from a militant background. I am not, I am as American as anyone else, in principle that is.

How can one explain that I have been stopped by the police when I did nothing wrong many times because according to the cops I fit a "suspicious" profile as I was driving through the nicer areas of town? How can one explain that when Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans I wound up with thousands of other Black people gathered in front of the Superdome although I tried to evacuate beforehand(my car broke down)? If that can be explained, then how come during those five days of hell after Katrina, I was called the "n" word several times for the first time ever in my life by white people? How come since then I have been unable to complete the two semesters needed to get my Bachelor's Degree because having no money, I have to rely on Financial Aid which is non-existent because I can't provide papers that were washed away in the flood?

How come most African-Americans in the United States live in poverty? How come the average life for a young Black man in this country includes going to jail at a much higher rate than his white counterpart? How come in the video at the top of this page African-American children still choose white dolls over black dolls consistently and still have negative self beliefs about being Black in the U.S. ? How come hundreds of thousands of people most of them African-American taxpayers were victimized when the Fed.Govt. maintained levees broke in New Orleans washing their lives down the drain have still not been compensated for their losses at all by the government or insurance companies? How come nobody seems to care about these victims and they are being blamed for not being in the "correct" financial position after the biggest natural disaster hit New Orleans? How come most people don't seem to realize that the victims of Katrina especially the Black victims in New Orleans have been historically and socially deprived of being able to put themselves in a postive position in life?

The answer of course to all of these questions is racism. Racism is still real to millions of minorities in the United States in 2007. It is more subtle than it was when our ancestors hung on trees by the multitudes, but it is not too subtle to where people should be sweeping it under the rug as they do.

Being an African-American in 2007 is a mixed blessing. If you can dance, sing or rap and lucky, then society will celebrate you and you can indeed live a somewhat good life. Unfortunately, most African-Americans will never become the next 50 cent and our lives are not as good as our white counterparts. Our health is worst, we don't get the same pay, we don't get the same education, we are more likely to live in poverty and even when the government's incompetence causes hundreds of thousands of us to lose our livelihoods and lives, we don't get compensated for it. It seems that things haven't necessarily changed that much since the Civil Rights era. How unfortunate.

2007-02-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

How can any rational and educated person oppose Black History Month and not be racist?

Ever since Black History Month was established to shine a light on the always neglected African-American presence in American society, there have been people that feel as if there is no need for Black History month. On face value these people seem to simply be disgruntled racists that complain about any advances that African-Americans make in the United States and the world abroad.

These are the same people that can't fathom why there is a need for Black Entertainment Television(BET) or affirmative action. These people seem to not be able to see that African-Americans have been historically disenfranchised and that the scale of equality usually doesn't tip in a Black person's favor, or they just don't care.

The crux of their argument against having Black History Month seems to be that African-Americans don't deserve special treatment and since there is not a White History Month, it is discriminatory and racist to dedicate a month to the celebration of African-American acheivement. These people cannot grasp the fact that the United States of America has to do special things in order to combat the racist philosophies that slavery established in American society. They don't realize that one month out of the year is nothing in comparison to the eleven remaining months that White Americans are celebrated and glorified although many of them contributed to the extreme racism that led to African-Americans needing a Black History month in the first place.

Simply put, opponents of Black History month and of other attempts at rectifying the racial divide in the United States don't seem to want to have to inconvenience their lives in the slightest to ensure that all American citizens are treated fairly and justly. Perhaps if they knew that an African-American is responsible for inventing the traffic lights that keep them safe as they are driving down the street they would feel differently. Or maybe once again, they simply wouldn't care.

Black History Month is needed for the social rehabillitation of African-Americans all over the world. It allows the whole society to stop and recognize the acheivements of a people that have been so oppressed throughout recent history. It's not about separating ourselves from anybody, it's simply about forcing society to celebrate the true fiber of American society and always making sure that no people are ever dehumanized in the ways that Black people have been.

Black History Month celebrates people in general, it's racism that made it necessary to put ethnic connotations on that celebration. How just is humanity if it gets upset when Black people are celebrated? Would minorities be justified if they opposed Columbus Day or Thanksgiving because Christopher Columbus never did anything positive for them and most of them feel as if they don't have a livelihood to be thankful for? I think not, and I am sure that those same critics of Black History Month or the Martin Luther King holiday would be the first in line to critique the opponents of such "American" holiday traditions.

We all need to realize that we are in this world together and we need to take responsibility for the plight of our fellow man. Especially when our ancestors are responsible for creating the racial problem that we have now and many of us are still either benefitting or suffering from those decisions. That's what humanity is all about.

2007-02-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama officially announced that he is running for President of the United States today. This officially sets 2008 up as a year that will determine if the citizens of the United States are truly as racially tolerant as they claim to be. Many people tell pollsters that they would vote for an African-American with no hesitation, but when the votes are tallied however history shows us that those people were lying.

African-Americans seem to finally be at a point in American society where the masses aren't surprised when they see a high ranking black official. Condolezza Rice and Colin Powell have shown the public that African-Americans can lead this country effectively. We'll see if Barack Obama is allowed to prove that he can join the upper ranks of our society as our next President.

The good thing is that Barack Obama is being taken very seriously in his run for the White House, which seems to be something that no other African-American candidate has acheived. There have been several noteworth Black candidates but they weren't readily accepted into mainstream politics as they were seen to be too radical. It's a fine line that Barack Obama has to walk because he cannot alienate the majority by strongly focusing on issues that confront African-Americans or he will be seen as a radical or a militant, and although it would be unfair in my opinion to label him as such right off the bat, reality dictates that this would be done the minute he speaks out against racial inequality in a forceful manner.

All the while, Barack Obama cannot appear to be too soft on African-American issues or the Black community might not support him. Recent polls have already shown that among many African-Americans, Hillary Clinton is their choice over Barack Obama. So while he cannot alienate the majority, he cannot ignore the African-American voting block. How would that look if African-Americans didn't support Barack Obama?

This will be an interesting Presidential election indeed. Stay tuned.

Watch Barack Obama's Formal Announcement that he is seeking the presidency of the United States in 2008 here .

2007-02-10T01:08:00.000-07:00

Barack Obams expected to officially announce that he is running for President of the United States!

This is an email I received from Barack Obama's official website:

I work for Senator Barack Obama, and together, with you, we're about to start something incredible.

Right now I'm writing to ask you to take a moment and watch this important announcement from Senator Obama:
http://www.barackobama.com/preview

I'm also writing to let you know that Senator Obama will be making a speech about his plans for the future in Springfield, Illinois on Saturday morning.

It will be cold, but thousands will brave sub-freezing temperatures to be part of something historic.

Can't join us in person? No problem.

You can watch a live video feed of the event on BarackObama.com, which will be a brand new site in the morning. Here are the details:

Live Video Feed from Springfield, Illinois10:55 AM Eastern / 9:55 AM Central / 8:55 AM Mountain / 7:55 AM Pacific http://www.barackobama.com

Please pass this along to anyone you think might interested.
That's all for now...but this is just the beginning.

Thank you,David
David Plouffe Obama Exploratory Committee

2007-02-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

The Origins of Black History Month

Black History Month was established in 1976 by The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.[1] The month-long celebration was an expansion of Negro History Week, which was established in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, director of what was then known as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson selected the week in February that embraced the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The celebration may have had its origins in the separate efforts of Mary Church Terrell and the African American collegiate fraternity Omega Phi Psi. The former had begun the practice of honoring Frederick Douglass on February 14th, the date he used to mark his birth. The Omegas established a "Negro Achievement Week" in 1924. Woodson was friends with Mary Church Terrell and worked with her and the National Council of Colored Women to preserve Douglass' home and personal papers. Woodson was also a member of Omega Psi Phi. While Terrell's celebration of Douglass was a local event and the Omega Achievement Week was part of their community outreach, Woodson broadened the scope of the celebration in three significant ways. First, he conceived of the event as a national celebration, sending out a circular to groups across the United States. Secondly, he sought to appeal to both whites and blacks and to improve race relations. For this reason, he chose President Lincoln's birthday as well as Douglass'. Finally, Woodson viewed Negro History Week as an extension of ASNLH's effort to demonstrate to the world that Africans and peoples of African descent had contributed to the advance of history. Each year, ASNLH would select a national theme and provide scholarly and popular materials to focus the nation's "study" of Negro history. As such, Negro History Week was conceived as a means of undermining the foundation of the idea of black inferiority through popular information grounded in scholarship. The theme, chosen by the founders of Black History Month, for 2007 is "From Slavery to Freedom, Africans in the Americas."

The Negro History Week Movement took hold immediately. At first it was celebrated almost exclusively by African Americans, taking place outside of the view of the wider society. Increasingly, however, mayors and governors, especially in the North, began endorsing Negro History Week and promoting interracial harmony. By the time of Woodson's death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a well-established cultural institution. Indeed, it was so established that Woodson had begun to criticize groups for shallow and often inaccurate presentations that did not advance the public's knowledge of Negro life and history.

With the rise of the Black Power Movement in the 1960s, many in the African American community began to complain about the insufficiency of a week-long celebration. In 1976, the ASNLH, having changed its name to The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, responded to the popular call, citing the 50th annual celebration and America's bicentennial.

Read the rest of the article at Wikipedia by clicking here !

2007-02-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Why does the U.S. deny that racism exists?

Why does the United States deny that racism is still a powerful force in society when EVERYTHING shows that it is?

Why does the United States deny that racism exists? The only rational explanation is because of denial. With the intensely racially discriminatory history that the United States has, there is no other explanation. During Hurricane Katrina, thousands of African-Americans were dehumanized, called racial slurs, and abandoned by the Federal Government in New Orleans. To add insult to injury, they are now being blamed for being stuck in the city as to absolve any societal obligations to this still disenfranchised population. The conditions were more deplorable than most Third World prison camps. There are first hand accounts of people being called racial slurs by the United States military but yet there are many American citizens that don’t think race played a part in that situation at all.

How can they be so blind? I think that they have to deny the existence of racism no matter how obvious it is because then they would be forced to examine their own actions and thoughts. They would be forced to wonder if they have acted in racist ways. I think that this thought is too much to bear for most Americans, so they just deny that racism even exists. Unfortunately, there are millions of minorities in the United States that don’t have the luxury to deny that racism exists. They are confronted by it everyday.

Situations such as the Duke Rape case also shine an interesting light on the race problem in the United States. Many African-Americans can see a bunch of rich Caucasian college students dehumanizing, disrespecting and even raping an African-American stripper. Many Caucasian Americans seem to think that this society is just and sound in morality, therefore, because there seems to be no smoking gun in the case; the accused are probably innocent. Add to that the fact that many Caucasians seem to be ready to pounce on any African-American that claims racial inequality and you see the racial divide clearly.

Race relations have been horrific in the United States since the country was founded. African-Americans just received legal guarantees against discrimination a little over 40 years ago. Logically, it is incorrect to assume that justice now prevails for everyone when we have had only 1/10 of the time that slavery and discrimination was legal in this country to right the wrong. Let’s address this situation and finally put an end to it.

Article is used with permission

2007-02-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Personal account from a Hurricane Katrina survivor.

It's been over a year since Hurricane Katrina changed my life and thousands of lives forever. I was two semesters away from receiving my Bachelor's Degree in Political Science last August and as it stands now, I am still two semesters away from graduating due to my inability to return to my beloved home town, New Orleans. Personally, my life has been enriched with philosophical lessons that I would probably not have learned had it not been for Katrina. Not all of these lessons learned are positive, but I understand that I needed to learn them.
I had always worked to support myself and in the last four years, I was working Full-Time and going to college Full-Time. Shortly before Katrina, I had moved into a new residence, gotten a dog and started a relationship with a wonderful person. After Katrina, I'm still in the relationship and I still have my dog, those are the only things that are the same. I was renting my house in New Orleans before the storm as I planned to buy a house after I graduated. I was a manager at a Call Center and my degree would have helped me gain the life that I had always dreamed of. I had a used car but it had been perfect to ferry me back and forth to work and school, and it allowed me to save money so I could buy a new car as a graduation present to myself. Unfortunately, that used car broke down during the evacuation for Hurricane Katrina and ultimately caused me to be stranded for five days in what truly became " The city that care forgot".

Everyone always thinks that the people that were stuck in New Orleans were victims of their own wrong decisions. This blanket generalization is both offensive and insensitive to me. As you can see, I decided to buy a used car instead of a new one so I could save money to further my life upon my college graduation. I as most victims of this tragedy did not squander my money on immoral activities. In fact, just as every other resident of this country, much of my money went to pay Federal and State taxes that I believed guaranteed me inalienable rights as an American citizen. Hurricane Katrina showed me that assumption was incorrect. Because I rented my house before the storm instead of owning it, I don't qualify for the billions of dollars in assistance that people incorrectly seem to think about. I don't qualify for anything. What type of people do you think are the ones qualifying for that assistance? Not the ones you saw stranded in front of the Superdome.

Society only seems to see me as a misguided individual that made wrong choices that put me in a bad situation when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Although I have over ten years of managerial experience in Customer Relations, Human Resource departments only see a "refugee". They only see a black face that they had incorrectly been told was shooting at rescue workers. People don't see that I am two semesters away from being a College graduate. They don't see that I have plans on going to Law School. They only see the biased negative image they were shown on television during one of the most horrible disasters in our countries history. The thing that isn't seen by society that is most hurtful is the overt racism that was exposed during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They don't see that I was called the N word for the first time in my life by supposed rescue workers when I passively asked where the evacuation shelter was. They don't see that black people are being systematically kept from rebuilding their lives in New Orleans although their culture makes the city what it is. They don't see that there is still a double standard in this country when it comes to what someone is worth in this society.

Nothing has changed in the year since Katrina ruined our lives. The government has admitted responsibility for the flooding of New Orleans but it seems as if public sentiment doesn't feel that we are worthy to be compensated for everything that was lost although any amateur law student could see the culpability in this situation is cut and dry. Do you realize that the Federal Government could have given every person affected by Hurricane Katrina one million dollars and it still would have been much less than what they are supposedly spending on helping people rebuild their lives? That would allow us to rebuild the houses and careers that we lost. With no further obligation from the government. Victims of 9/11 received millions of dollars in compensation from the government. I know you are thinking that 9/11 was different and you are right. The Federal Government supposedly wasn't the cause of 9/11 but they have admitted responsibility for the flooding of New Orleans. They are the cause of my life being turned upside down.

The public doesn't have sympathy anymore for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We are a nuisance to them because since they won't hire us because of the "refugee" connotation that was unjustifiably placed over our heads, we don't have any money to spend to contribute to "their" society. We are a nuisance because FEMA's rent payments are scheduled to run out soon as they are asking for documentation such as rent receipts for our addresses before Katrina and leases for our pre-Katrina addressess (Of course they know that all of that information was washed out in the flood?). On top of that, we are nuisances because FEMA doesn't send them the rent payments on time. But of course I know that many people think that hurricane evacuees don't have a reason to complain. But I ask you, wouldn't you complain if the Federal government's mismanagment of your levee protection system caused your city to flood in turn causing you to lose ALL of your possesions and livelihoods? Especially when no one thinks that you deserve compensation for your life being changed forever and being treated more inhumanely than this country has seen since the Civil Rights movement? Oh yeah, and add to that the fact that the public doesn't seem to care. I think that you would be upset also, it's just more acceptable I guess when it happens to you as opposed to a group of "undesirables".

"My faith in my government was SHATTERED by Hurricane Katrina, but my faith in humanity was enriched !"

Hopefully, at the next anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, things will actually have changed for the better, unfortunately; that can't be said after one year.

2007-02-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama is running for President of the United States.

Barack Obama has declared his intent to run for President of the United States in 2008. African-Americans all over the country are excited that a Black man is being taken seriously and even being solicited in a bid for the presidency. I didn't know that much about Obama but I did some research and found that he is indeed a shining star on today's political stage.

The fact that he is being courted by mainstream society could very well be the spark that finally leads to African-Americans being seen as legitimate members of American society. This website is definitely supporting Barack Obama in the upcoming elections. This section will be updated regularly with letters and information from Barack Obama's Presidential Exploratory committee and the Senator himself.

Letter posted Wednesday January 24, 2007 at Barack Obama's Website:

"If nothing else, the last election proved that politics-by-slogan and poll-tested sound bites aren't going to cut it with the American people anymore, and that's why the real test of leadership is not what the President said to Congress last night, but how he works with Congress in the months to come to find real solutions to America's problems.

The good news is that in the halls of Congress and across the nation, there is widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans on how to meet the major challenges facing America.

Most Americans believe that escalation will not bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end, and that's why I've proposed not just a troop cap, but a phased redeployment that will start bringing our troops home.

Most Americans believe that energy independence will come from using more biofuels like ethanol and making cars that actually use less oil, which is why I proposed a bipartisan plan that would raise fuel economy standards for the first time in decades.

Most Americans believe that the biggest domestic challenge facing the country is the high cost of health care, and that's why incremental plans that do nothing to bring down costs or guarantee coverage are simply no longer sufficient. We must pass universal health care for every American.

The American people are looking for something new. They are hungry for a different kind of politics. In the last week, I've been humbled and inspired to see more than 100,000 of you sign up to join our efforts to change the debate in this country, so that we can begin solving our common problems and pursuing our common dreams.

Last night was an evening for rhetoric and promises. But now is the time for action - now is the time to actually get something done. You deserve leadership that's commensurate to the challenges we face in this country, and I look forward to working with all of you to make this happen in the days and months to come. "

2006-06-05T08:57:00.000-06:00

African-American Politics.

For far too long, the African-American presence has been neglected in the United States of America. We get pandered to when our votes are needed but our concerns are never addressed in a fair and unbiased manner. With the recent debacle that is the Bush Administration finally coming to an end in two years, we need to mobilize ourselves in the most intelligent and urgent manner as possible.

Hurricane Katrina taught us one thing, that we are still looked at upon in many circles(especially the ones that count) of this supposed equalitarian society as second class citizens. We always suspected it but hoped it wasn't true. We hoped that we were over thinking the racial situation in the United States. We hoped that the presence of global personalities such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby and Will Smith had finally allowed African-Americans to be thought of as equal in this society. After all, a select few of us are becoming financially successful, and hip-hop seems to be taking the world by storm. Surely we thought that freedom had finally come, albeit 140 years too late.

The images from New Orleans in August of 2005 shocked us back into reality big time. The images of dead bodies and elderly men and women draped in American flags saddened us, as it was obvious that the government was treating them with total disrespect and a flagrant lack of concern. For me Hurricane Katrina showed me the truth personally as I was called a racial slur for the first time in my life first by an ignorant red neck in Marrero, and later by the U.S. "militia" that was supposed to be helping me out of New Orleans in my darkest time of despair. All of the conversations with my older relatives finally came into fruition during those dark days of hell as I indeed learned what American society thought of me as an African-American male.

We need to DEMAND that our voices as truly valued members of this society are heard. Why should issues of racism be explored in this country? Because enough of us African-Americans are tired of having to deal with it. We are owed SO MUCH by the United States, monetarily and superficially. If it wasn't for us, this country wouldn't be half as successful as it is now. Point blank, the wealth that is still fueling this economy was earned on the backs of slave ancestors. We are tired of our interests being put on the back burner and the only way to effectively push our agenda to the forefront is through political means.

I beg you all to take this upcoming election season very seriously. We have to demand fair treatment in EVERY aspect of our lives as American citizens. Most importantly, we have to make our voices heard at the ballot box.

Zarian Phipps