Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Cornel West and Tavis Smiley Talk Poverty in DC
by Kirsten West-Savali, Your Black World
Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West continue to draw fire from critics for their Poverty Tour, which many consider a personal attack against President Barack Obama and his loud silence on poverty in the United States.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Glenda Westerfield: So, CNN Really Thinks that the Face of Welfare is Black?
by Glenda Westerfield, JD
I was sitting on my bed with my daughter yesterday, participating in a familiar bonding ritual. We were painting each other’s nails and watching CNN. The broadcaster, polished and hair sprayed to a plastic sheen, announced that a “staggering 46 million Americans receive food stamps” and that Brian Todd would introduce us to a man on the program. As I watched in anticipation, I said aloud to no one in particular “It better not be a Black man.”
Brian Todd meandered along a dirty Washington DC street. As the camera followed, Brian announced that 1 in 7 Americans received food stamps this year; and that Frederick Mack, an out of work cook living in transitional housing symbolized the staggering rise of Americans on the foods tamp program. Frederick Mack is indeed Black, and I was absolutely livid when I saw him.
Michael Blake from the White House Office of Public Engagement, Resigns
Michael Blake, formerly the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, has resigned.
Duchess Harris: Kathryn Stockett Is Not My Sister and I Am Not Her Help
by Professor Duchess Harris, PhD, JD
I did not attend Wednesday’s movie release of “The Help” from DreamWorks Pictures, based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett. Why, you ask? Because I read the book.
Last week New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni saw an advance screening of the movie and referred to it as “…a story of female grit and solidarity — of strength through sisterhood.” He wrote, “The book’s author, Kathryn Stockett, told me that she felt that most civil rights literature had taken a male perspective, leaving ‘territory that hadn’t been covered much.’” What neither Bruni nor Stockett acknowledge is that the real territory remaining uncovered is civil rights literature written by the Black women who experienced it.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
US Government Warns Americans Not to Travel to Haiti
Reports state that the cholera outbreak, high crime levels, and an unstable government are the primary reasons that the US government is not recommending that its citizens visit the country of Haiti.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Van Jones Speaks Up on Debt Ceiling Debacle
Van Jones, former White House “Green Jobs Czar,” is on to bigger and better things.
Former White House environmental adviser and “Green Jobs Czar” Van Jones, who resigned in September of 2009 amidst Tea Party controversy that labeled him a “reverse racist” because of his activism against environmental racism in the black community, has launched Contract for the American Dream. Says Jones “Many of our best workers are sitting idle, while the work of rebuilding America goes undone. Together, we must rebuild our country, reinvest in our people and jump-start the industries of the future. Millions of jobless Americans would love the opportunity to become working, tax-paying members of their communities again. We have a jobs crisis, not a deficit crisis.”
NCAA Athletes Start a New Season with No Labor Rights, No Compensation and No Help for Their Families
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
NCAA athletics has become the new prohibition – the illogical construct that creates a destructive underground economy because leadership is being guided by an illusion of what should be, rather than confronting the NCAA for what it really is: a professional sports league. Some of our most highly educated figures within academia are forced to convince themselves that a multi-billion dollar sports entertainment behemoth should be able to get away with not paying its primary employees.
Are For Profit Universities Doing a Disservice to Minorities?
By JasmineHughes
Selected for their potential to succeed or for their potential to become indebted? Many are now questioning the targeted recruiting practices of for-profit colleges.
Are For Profit Universities Doing a Disservice to Minorities?
By JasmineHughes
Selected for their potential to succeed or for their potential to become indebted? Many are now questioning the targeted recruiting practices of for-profit colleges.
Home Ownership Hits Lowest Levels Since 1965
By JasmineHughes
According to a recent Morgan Stanley report, the United States is fast becoming a nation of renters. As the foreclosure crisis continues to gain momentum homeownership is reaching its lowest numbers in almost 5 decades.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Perhaps the President Should Begin to Speak Openly about Minority Education
Your Black World reports
Russlyn Ali is no stranger to the huge disparity in the educational achievement gaps among blacks and whites. In fact, most of her professional career had been tirelessly spent on improving educational opportunities for low-income and minority students.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Martin Luther King is Getting a Monument, Let’s Now Build Something for Malcolm
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
As we prepare for the unveiling of the Washington memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is important that we take a second to contextualize this extraordinary event. Dr. King deserves to be celebrated next to other great heroes of American history, and it is a proud testament to the growth and maturity of our nation that Dr. King has been honored in this way.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Julius Kane: The Black Press Took It’s First Stand in 1827 and Has Been Fighting Ever Since
By Julius Kane
In 1827 a group of black businessmen were fed up with the negative depictions of African-Americans in their local newspapers, so they decided to start their own. A few months later America's first, 'race' newspaper was born. At the helm were two young black men; 28 year old college graduate John Russwurm and 32 year old preacher Samuel Cornish. Freedom's Journal, as it was called, made certain every article and editorial had a deliberate slant that showed blacks in a positive light with dignity and class. Cornish and Russwurm knew they not only had to report the news but they had to inspire as well. Any news worthy item involving "Africans" was to be included.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Do Black People Discriminate Against Dark Skin and Natural Hair?
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I spent time watching a trailer for the film "Dark Girls," directed by Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry. Oddly enough, the clip was sent to me by a friend of mine who has spent her life being praised for being "light skinned-ed" and having the long, flowing hair of a black Marilyn Monroe. She eventually married a tall, dark man, leading me to wonder if she feels any guilt for receiving preferential treatment over something that should never have mattered at all.
Friday, August 5, 2011
In Monumental Move, S&P Set to Downgrade US Gov’t Credit Rating
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
According to CNN, the Standard & Poor’s rating agency has told the Obama Administration that it plans to downgrade the U.S government’s AAA credit rating. The ruling has not been announced to the public and it is reportedly being challenged by the White House. The move would be unprecedented, for the United States has long been considered one of the most credit-worthy financial entities in the world.
Disapproval Rating for Congress is the Lowest in History
Your Black World reports.
The recent debt ceiling debate brought the nation the closest its ever been to defaulting on the country’s debt. Also, Americans have shown that they would rather see their lawmakers focus on creating jobs than on cutting costs, at least according to a new New York T’imes/CBS News Poll.
The poll found that a shocking 82 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Congress is doing its job. This is the highest disapproval rating in the history of the poll, which started in 1977. Four out of five Americans said that the debt ceiling debate was more about gaining a political advantage than about doing what’s best for the country. Nearly 75 percent of respondents claim that the debate did harm to the image of the United States around the world.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
What to Make of Black Women Playing Maids and Other Stereotypes in Hollywood?
by Renee Greene, Your Black World
“The Help” opens in theaters August 10.
In the midst of new millennium accusations of racism in Hollywood, and with the “underhiring” of blacks in the movie world for major A-list roles, it appears that black actresses can still find roles forged out of perpetually stereotypical characters. The Help, a best-selling novel-gone-silver-screen, is centered on the lives of Aibileen and Minny, two black maids living in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s. The maids are portrayed by African American actresses Viola Davis andOctavia Spencer.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
New Orleans Has a New Model for Housing the Poor
Your Black World reports.
The city of New Orleans is moving away from the model of putting all subsidized housing into one place. The city is, instead, mixing subsidized with unsubsidized homes, opening over 900 housing units already. Another 3,100 are under development.
Dr. Boyce: The Student Who Sued Her School Over “Wigger Day”
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
A high school in Minneapolis may end up having to pay up after allowing its students to openly engage in a tradition called "Wigger Day." On this "sacred" occasion, the students in the school would wear clothing and engage in behavior that "from their perspective, mimicked black culture." This was all according to a federal class action lawsuit filed on Friday.
The suit claims that a group of roughly 60 students voted to have "Wigger Wednesday," where students would dress up as African Americans from "the hood." The outfits included oversized sports jerseys, fitted hats and "doo" rags. Some of them even threw up gang signs to celebrate the occasion.
Study: Black Doctors Hesitant to Recommend HIV Tests
By JasmineHughes
The number one killer of African-American women between the ages of 25 and 34 is AIDS, and this is a first-world country. Despite this fact, HIV is a subject many African-American physicians are nervous about bringing up with their patients.READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY →
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Happy 50th Birthday Mr. President!
by Ayvaunn Penn, Your Black World
Early Happy Birthday to President Barack Obama! On this coming Thursday, Mr. President will have lived to see a total of 50 years. Obama is grateful that the debt ceiling debate has concluded, and it makes for a wonderful birthday present. President Obama recently told NPR “What I really want right now is to, to get a debt-ceiling deal for my birthday,” and his wish came true.
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