Dr. Boyce Watkins on MSNBC: The State of the US Economy

Dr. Boyce Watkins on MSNBC: The State of the US Economy

Black News: CA National Guard Has First Female Leader

The first black woman to head the National Guard in any state has taken charge in California.

Brigadier General Mary Kight (kite) was sworn in Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a former Air Force base outside Sacramento.

She is also the first woman to lead the 21,000 members of the state’s Army and Air National Guard.

Click to read.

Tom Joyner Talks to Dr. Boyce Watkins About Black Scholarship

Tom Joyner Talks to Dr. Boyce Watkins About Black Scholarship

News: Cynthia McKinney Breaks Silence about Government Killings

They shot this Black man in his genitals and in his back.  It sounds like a hate crime to me.  How else could one describe it?
Well, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it was self-defense.  But how many times have we heard self-defense by cops used as a cop out? 

Well, what about Amadou Diallo?  Amadou Diallo was murdered on February 4, 1999 by New York Police Department (NYPD) cops who mistook a wallet for a gun.  They claim that they thought he was going to shoot them and so they shot him in self-defense.  One officer fell as if he had been shot.  41 bullets later, Amadou Diallo had been shot 19 times.  Young Amadou was only 24 years old.  He could survive the itinerant life of an African trading family, moving from Africa to Asia, but he couldn’t survive the mean, racist streets of America.  And the killer cops went free.  Diallo’s mother and step-father settled with the City of New York for $3 million in a lawsuit alleging wrongful death, racial profiling, and violation of Amadou’s civil rights.

Click to read.

Julianne Malveaux: The Loss in Massachusetts is Not What You Think

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley was a lousy candidate who ran a lousy campaign and lost her bid for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat as a result. Instead of preserving 60 filibuster-proof votes for Democrats, she handed the Massachusetts senatorial seat to Republican Scott Brown on a silver platter. And, as they are entitled to, Republicans are celebrating, dubbing the extremely conservative Mr. Brown as "41" and suggesting that his election signals a Republican resurgence.

Too many will see this as the waning of President Obama’s influence, but that’s not necessarily the case. Martha Coakley ran a lousy campaign. While Scott Brown was retail politics, she was wholesale. While he was "the people’s candidate", out shaking hands and exuding personality, she was uptight and uncommunicative. It probably ought not matter, but in sports-obsessed Boston she described a Red Socks pitcher as a Yankee fan, exhibiting not only ignorance of sports, but also of her base. She disdained hand shaking and was good for a series of bloopers, which she later described as "jokes". She is so out of touch that in a post-election interview, she said she would not have done anything differently!

Click to read.

Obama as a Pimp? That’s what the Tea Partiers Think

From Hip Hop Wired.

 

A tea party group in Houston has been passing around a picture of President Obama as a pimp.  TeaParty.org, founded by Dale Robertson sent out an email with the subject line: “Obama Pimpin Obama-Care, One Last Time!.”  Robertson was also shown holding up a sign calling taxpayers “Niggars.” 

Your Black World Exclusive Music Release – Research and Development by Mark A. Holmes

Your Black World Exclusive Music Release – Research and Development by Mark A. Holmes

Dr, Boyce Watkins Discusses Chris Matthews State of The Union Comments

Dr, Boyce Watkins Discusses Chris Matthews Comments on the Takeaway

“I forgot Obama was Black for an Hour”

From the Huffington Post:

Chris Matthews is definitely going to take some heat for exclaiming that he “forgot [Obama] was black tonight for an hour… I said wait a minute, he’s an African American guy in front of a bunch of other white people.” Matthews was analyzing President Obama’s first State of the Union speech when he made the remark.

Click here to read more.

Dr. Wilmer Leon Speaks on Massachusetts Election

 

By

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

A great deal of Massachusetts’ history is tied to the sea. Because of this, Massachusetts is also known for its lighthouses. Lighthouses were once the trusted tool that guided navigators through treacherous waters enabling them to avoid coastal rocks and running aground. Like the lighthouse, the election to fill the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts should serve as a beacon to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Obama administration.

As the Democrats navigate through these treacherous and rocky political waters, the election of Scott Brown as the Senator to replace Ted Kennedy should serve as a warning to the DNC of the dangers of arrogance, complacency, and disorganization. It should also serve notice to the Obama administration of the dangers of failing to articulate a consistent message and failing to deliver what was promised to your supporters.

First, the DNC should recognize that Scott Brown did not run a great campaign insomuch as Martha Coakley, like Cree Deeds in Virginia, ran a terrible one. Coakley ran an elitist campaign, failing to reach out to the communities that helped to elect Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and President Obama. According to the Boston Globe, “The lapses were particularly noticeable in minority communities, traditionally bastions of Democratic votes, which did not turn out in high numbers…” As a demonstration of her arrogance, Coakley took a week off and vacationed during the campaign. According to The Hill, “Martha Coakley’s New Year’s vacation may reign as one of the costliest political blunders of all time.” Even if you’ve “got it in the bag” you never leave the bag unattended!

Second, President Obama’s failure to rally the troops for Coakley in Massachusetts, Cree Deeds in Virginia and Jon Corzine in New Jersey is not as much of a repudiation of President Obama and his agenda as Senator Mitch McConnell and other Republicans would have us believe. It’s more of a statement about Obama’s base refusing to respond to his clarion call due to his failure to deliver on his campaign promises.

Republicans, political pundits and even some democrats are misinterpreting and misrepresenting Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts as a rejection of President Obama’s agenda and expecting this to reverberate throughout the country. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has mistakenly said, "This was in many ways a national referendum principally on the major issue we’re wrestling with here in the Congress, which is whether or not the government should take over one-sixth of our economy, slash Medicare by a half-trillion dollars, raise taxes by a half-trillion dollars and drive insurance rates up for most of the rest of our country…"

Actually, according to a Research 2000 poll commissioned by Democracy for America, MoveOn, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, respondents said if Democrats enact tougher policies on Wall Street, they’ll be more likely to come back to the party in the next election. The poll also provides some clarity on the role that health care played in the election.

· The poll reveals people who switched from Obama to Brown – 48% — or didn’t vote – 43% — said that they opposed the Senate health care bill. But when asked why they opposed it. Among those Brown voters that switched, only 23 percent thought it went "too far" — but 36 percent thought it didn’t go far enough and 41 percent said they weren’t sure why they opposed it.

· Obama supporters who decided to stay home were asked a three part question:

- "do you think Democrats in Washington, DC are fighting hard enough to challenge the Republican policies of the Bush years,

- aren’t fighting hard enough to change those policies,

- or are fighting about right?

The poll showed, 39 percent, said "not enough," 25 percent said "about right, while only 12 percent believe Democrats have been too ambitious.

The President said publicly on July 7, 2009 “I am pleased by the progress we’re making on health-care reform …, as I’ve said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices and ensure quality is a public option …” Then in October, according to the Huffington Post, “Obama has indicated a preference for an alternative policy, favored by the insurance industry, which would see a public plan "triggered" into effect in the future by a failure of the industry to meet certain benchmarks.” The perception is he rolled over on the public option before the fight even started.

In terms of unemployment the administration has made tremendous progress on slowing the rate of job loss but has yet to turn the corner on job creation. The simple equation is; job’s created equals votes cast.

The President supported and implemented a bail out for the banks but has failed to bail out the American homeowner. At the same time that banks are recording record profits and paying out record bonuses, they have failed to increase lending to small businesses (the real engine of this economy), raised interest rates for consumer credit, and continue to foreclose on peoples homes. That is not the “change” Americans voted for.

The DNC should see the beacon of light from Massachusetts and head the warning. Quality candidates running quality campaigns are what win elections.

The recent election in Massachusetts is not a national referendum or repudiation on the Obama agenda. It’s a repudiation of President Obama’s failure to stand by the “change” he promised the American people; his failure to fight for “change”, and his seemingly inability to deliver.

During the election candidate Obama borrowed from Dr. King when he reminded us of “the fierce urgency of now!” Now is the time for President Obama to once again look to Dr. King and heed his warning that, “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” Now is the time to deliver what you promised.

The Obama administration needs to follow the beacon and heed its warnings. The majority of Americans do not want the country to go backwards as Senators McConnell, Graham, and Liberman want to take it. Americans want to move forward and are looking for the President to fulfill his campaign promises by navigating these rocky political waters and safely delivering the country ashore.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the Sirius/XM call-in talk radio program “On With Leon,” and a Teaching Associate in the Department of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: wjl3us@yahoo.com.

© 2010 InfoWave Communications, LLC.

Former NAACP Execs Charged with stealing

A former NAACPexecutive was charged in Fulton County, Ga., with embezzling $275,000 from the U.S. civil rights organization, NAACP officials say.

The Rev. Amos Brown, administrator for the NAACP’s Atlanta chapter, said former NAACP official Judith W. Hanson and Hanson’s former assistant, Saundra Douglass, are accused of embezzling funds during their time with the Baltimore-based organization, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Tuesday.

Authorities allege Hanson, who served as the executive director of the NAACP’s Atlanta chapter, and Douglass used NAACP funds for personal expenses during a six-year period.

 

Click to read.

Cynthia McKinney Speaks on Haiti

President Obama’s response to the tragedy in Haiti has been robust in military deployment and puny in what the Haitians need most:  food; first responders and their specialized equipment; doctors and medical facilities and equipment; and engineers, heavy equipment, and heavy movers.  Sadly, President Obama is dispatching Presidents Bush and Clinton, and thousands of Marines and U.S. soldiers.  By contrast, Cuba has over 400 doctors on the ground and is sending in more; Cubans, Argentinians, Icelanders, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and many others are already on the ground working–saving lives and treating the injured.  Senegal has offered land to Haitians willing to relocate to Africa.

The United States, on the day after the tragedy struck, confirmed that an entire Marine Expeditionary Force was being considered "to help restore order," when the "disorder" had been caused by an earthquake striking Haiti; not since 1751, 1770, 1842, 1860, and 1887 had Haiti experienced an earthquake.  But, I remember the bogus reports of chaos and violence the led to the deployment of military assets, including Blackwater, in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  One Katrina survivor noted that the people needed food and shelter and the U.S. government sent men with guns.  Much to my disquiet, it seems, here we go again.  From the very beginning, U.S. assistance to Haiti has looked to me more like an invasion than a humanitarian relief operation.

On Day Two of the tragedy, a C-130 plane with a military assessment team landed in Haiti, with the rest of the team expected to land soon thereafter.  The stated purpose of this team was to determine what military resources were needed.

An Air Force special operations team was also expected to land to provide air traffic control.  Now, the reports are that the U.S. is not allowing assistance in, shades of Hurricane Katrina, all over again.

On President Obama’s orders military aircraft "flew over the island, mapping the destruction."  So, the first U.S. contribution to the humanitarian relief needed in Haiti were reconnaissance drones whose staffing are more accustomed to looking for hidden weapon sites and surface-to-air missile batteries than wrecked infrastructure.  The scope of the U.S. response soon became clear:  aircraft carrer, Marine transport ship, four C-140 airlifts, and evacuations to Guantanamo.  By the end of Day Two, according to the Washington Post report, the United States had evacuated to Guantanamo Bay about eight [8] severely injured patients, in addition to U.S. Embassy staffers, who had been "designated as priorities by the U.S. Ambassador and his staff."

On Day Three we learned that other U.S. ships, including destroyers, were moving toward Haiti.  Interestingly, the Washington Post reported that the standing task force that coordinates the U.S. response to mass migration events from Cuba or Haiti was monitoring events, but had not yet ramped up its operations.  That tidbit was interesting in and of itself, that those two countries are attended to by a standing task force, but the treatment of their nationals is vastly different, with Cubans being awarded immediate acceptance from the U.S. government, and by contrast, internment for Haitian nationals.

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson IV reassured Americans, "Our focus right now is to prevent that, and we are going to work with the Defense Department, the State Department, FEMA and all the agencies of the federal government to minimize the risk of Haitians who want to flee their country," Watson said.  "We want to provide them those releif supplies so they can live in Haiti."

By the end of Day Four, the U.S. reportedly had evacuated over 800 U.S. nationals.
For those of us who have been following events in Haiti before the tragic earthquake, it is worth noting that several items have caused deep concern:

1.  the continued exile of Haiti’s democratically-elected and well-loved, yet twice-removed former priest, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide;

2.  the unexplained continued occupation of the country by United Nations troops who have killed innocent Haitians and are hardly there for "security" (I’ve personally seen them on the roads that only lead to Haiti’s sparsely-populated areas teeming with beautiful beaches);

3.  U.S. construction of its fifth-largest embassy in the world in Port-au-Prince, Haiti;

4.  mining and port licenses and contracts, including the privatization of Haiti’s deep water ports, because certain off-shore oil and transshipment arrangements would not be possible inside the U.S. for environmental and other considerations; and

5.  Extensive foreign NGO presence in Haiti that could be rendered unnecessary if, instead, appropriate U.S. and other government policy allowed the Haitian people some modicum of political and economic self-determination.

Therefore, we note here the writings of Ms. Marguerite Laurent, whom I met in her capacity as attorney for ousted President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide.  Ms. Laurent reminds us of Haiti’s offshore oil and other mineral riches and recent revivial of an old idea to use Haiti and an oil refinery to be built there as a  transshipment terminal for U.S. supertankers.  Ms. Laurent, also known as Ezili Danto of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network (HLLN), writes:

"There is evidence that the United States found oil in Haiti decades ago and due to the geopolitical circumstances and big business interests of that era made the decision to keep Haitian oil in reserve for when Middle Eastern oil had dried up. This is detailed by Dr. Georges Michel in an article dated March 27, 2004 outlining the history of oil explorations and oil reserves in Haiti and in the research of Dr. Ginette and Daniel Mathurin.

"There is also good evidence that these very same big US oil companies and their inter-related monopolies of engineering and defense contractors made plans, decades ago, to use Haiti’s deep water ports either for oil refineries or to develop oil tank farm sites or depots where crude oil could be stored and later transferred to small tankers to serve U.S. and Caribbean ports. This is detailed in a paper about the Dunn Plantation at Fort Liberte in Haiti.

"Ezili’s HLLN underlines these two papers on Haiti’s oil resources and the works of Dr. Ginette and Daniel Mathurin in order to provide a view one will not find in the mainstream media nor anywhere else as to the economic and strategic reasons the US has constructed its fifth largest embassy in the world – fifth only besides the US embassy in China, Iraq, Iran and Germany – in tiny Haiti, post the 2004 Haiti Bush regime change."

Unfortunately, before the tragedy struck, and despite pleading to the Administration by Haiti activists inside the United States, President Obama failed to stop the deportation of Haitians inside the United States and failed to grant TPS, temporary protected status, to Haitians inside the U.S. in peril of being deported due to visa expirations.  That was corrected on Day Three of Haiti’s earthquake tragedy with the January 15, 2010 announcement that Haiti would join Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia, El Salvador, and Sudan as a country granted TPS by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

President Obama’s appointment of President Bush to the Haiti relief effort is a swift left jab to the face, in my opinion.  After President Bush’s performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the fact that still today, Hurricane Katrina survivors who want to return still have not been provided a way back home, the appointment might augur well for fundraising activities, but I doubt that it bodes well for the Haitian people.  Afterall, the coup against and the kidnapping of President Aristide occurred under the watch of a Bush Presidency.

Finally, those with an appreciation of French literature know that among France’s most beloved authors are Alexandre Dumas, son of a Haitian slave, and Victor Hugo who wrote:  "Haiti est une lumiere."  [Haiti is a light.]  Indeed, Haiti for millions is a light:  light into the methodology and evil of slavery; light into a successful slave rebellion, light into nationhood and notions of liberty, the rights of man, and of human dignity.  Haiti is a light.  And an example that makes the enemies of black liberation tremble.  It is precisely because of Haiti’s light into the evil genius of some individuals who wield power over others and man’s ability, through unity and purpose, to overcome that evil, that some segments of the world have been at war with Haiti ever since 1804, the year of Haiti’s creation as a Republic.

I’m not surprised at "Reverend" Pat Robertson’s racist vitriol.  Robertson’s comments mirror, exactly, statements made by Napoleon’s Cabinet when the Haitians defeated them.  But in 2010, Robertson’s statements reveal much more:  Haitians are not the only ones who know their importance to the struggle against hatred, imperialism, and European domination.
This pesky, persistent, stubbornly non-Western, proudly African people of this piece of land that we call Haiti know their history and they know that they militarily defeated the ruling world empire of the day, Napoleon’s France, and the global elite at that time who supported him.  They know that they defeated the armies of England and Spain.

Haitians know that they used their status as a free state to help liberate Latin Americans from Spain, by funding and fighting alongside Simon Bolivar; their example inspired their still-enslaved African brothers and sisters on the American mainland; and before Haitians were even free, they fought against the British inside the U.S. during its war of independence and won a decisive battle in Savannah, Georgia, where I have visited the statue commemorating that victory.
Haitians know that France imposed reparations on them for being free, and Haiti paid them in full, but that President Aristide called for France to give that money back ($21 billion in 2003 dollars).
Haitians know that their "brother," then-Secretary of State Colin Powell lied to the world upon the kidnapping and second ouster of their President.  (Sadly, it wouldn’t be the last time that Secretary of State Colin Powell would lie to the world.)  Haitians know, all-too-well, that high-ranking blacks in the United States are capable of helping them and of betraying them.
Haitians know, too, that the United States has installed its political proxies and even its own soldiers onto Haitian soil when the U.S. felt it was necessary.  All in an effort to control the indomitable Haitian spirit that directs much-needed light to the rest of the oppressed world.
While the tears of the people of Haiti swell in my own eyes, and I remember their tremendous capacity for love, my broken heart and wet eyes don’t dampen my ability to understand the grave danger that now faces my friends in Haiti.

I shudder to think that the "rollback" policies believed in by some foreign policy advisors to President Obama could use a prolonged U.S. military presence in Haiti as a springboard for rollback of areas in Latin America that have liberated themselves from U.S. neo-colonial domination.  I would hate to think that this would even be attempted under the Presidency of Barack Obama.  All of us must have our eyes wide open on Haiti and other parts of the world now dripping in blood as a result of the relentless onward march of the U.S. military machine.

So, on this remembrance of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I note that it was the U.S. government’s own illegal Operation Lantern Spike that snuffed out the promise and light of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Every plane of humanitarian assistance that is turned away by the U.S. military (so far from CARICOM, the Caribbean Community, Médecins Sans Frontieres, Brazil, France, Italy, and even the U.S. Red Cross)–as was done in the wake of Hurricane Katrina–and the expected arrival on this very day of up to 10,000 U.S. troops, are lasting reminders of the existential threat that now looms over the valiant, proud people and the Republic of Haiti.

Would Dr. Martin Luther King Support Obama

Dr. Boyce Watkins on MSNBC Live discussing if Dr. King would support President Obama’s policies

Black Wealth News: Haiti Earthquake Charity Gets Questioned

Haiti’s musician Wyclef Jean, left, arrives at the airport in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, the day after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit his country. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

(AP)

Groups that vet charities are raising doubts about the organization backed by Haitian-born rapper Wyclef Jean, questioning its accounting practices and ability to function in earthquake-hit Haiti.

Even as more than $2 million poured into The Wyclef Jean Foundation Inc. via text message after just two days, experts questioned how much of the money would help those in need.

"It’s questionable. There’s no way to get around that," said Art Taylor, president and chief executive of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, based in Arlington, Va.

Taylor reviewed Internal Revenue Service tax returns for the organization also known as Yele Haiti Foundation from 2005 through 2007. He said the first red flag of poor accounting practices was that three years of returns were filed on the same day — Aug. 10 of last year.

In 2007, the foundation’s spending exceeded its revenues by $411,000. It brought in just $79,000 that year.

click to read.

Black News: Pat Robertson Says Haitians Caused Their Own Suffering

 

Pat Robertson, the evangelical Christian who once suggested God was punishing Americans with Hurricane Katrina, says a "pact to the devil" brought on the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Officials fear more than 100,000 people have died as a result of Tuesday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti.

Robertson, the host of the "700 Club," blamed the tragedy on something that "happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it."

The Haitians "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever," Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday. "And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. And so, the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ "

Native Haitians defeated French colonists in 1804 and declared independence.

"You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other." Robertson has previously linked natural disasters and terrorist attacks to legalized abortion in the United States. Soon after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 and wreaking unprecedented devastation on New Orleans, Louisiana, Robertson weighed in with his own theory.

Click to read

Black Politics from TheGrio – 1/13/10

• 
  

  Wash. lawmaker wants to banish negative language

  By theGrio

  3:25 PM on 01/12/2010

  A Washington lawmaker wants to replace euphemisms like "disadvantaged" and "at-risk" with a new one, "at hope"…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Ford may seek seat held by Senator Gillibrand of NY

  By theGrio

  12:39 PM on 01/12/2010

  Former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. is readying for a fight in the race to challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in this fall’s Democratic primary…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Blagojevich apologizes for ’stupid’ blacker than Obama comment

  By theGrio

  8:18 AM on 01/12/2010

  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The disgraced former Illinois governor said he probably won’t try to make amends directly to the president…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Senator Harry Reid makes first public statement on ‘Negro-gate’

  By theGrio

  3:59 PM on 01/11/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) – Senator Harry Reid speaks for the first time on camera about his controversial remarks regarding President Obama and race as reported in the new book "Game Change"…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Bill Clinton’s Obama remarks should be a wake-up call

  By Dr. Boyce Watkins

  3:12 PM on 01/11/2010

  OPINION – If the allegations in "Game Change" are true, this is going to destroy the already wounded relationship between the Clinton family and the African-American community…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Eric Holder defends Reid’s comments as "unfortunate"

  By theGrio

  12:21 PM on 01/11/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) – Eric Holder, the nation’s first black attorney general, defended Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday over racial remarks the senator made…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Republicans call for Reid to quit after racial comment

  By theGrio

  8:00 AM on 01/11/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) – A double standard? Republicans seeking Sen. Harry Reid’s resignation as majority leader over racial remarks he made about Barack Obama say yes…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Blagojevich says he’s ‘blacker than Barack Obama’

  By theGrio

  6:43 AM on 01/11/2010

  CHICAGO (AP) — Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he’s "blacker than Barack Obama" and tells Esquire magazine that he was a real person in a political arena…

  > MORE

• 
  

  Harry Reid apologizes to Obama for ‘no Negro dialect’ remark

  By theGrio

  5:48 PM on 01/09/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid apologized on Saturday for saying Barack Obama was a "light skinned" African-American…

  > MORE

Prof. Dyson Lays into Barack Obama

Michael Eric Dyson, professor of African American studies at Georgetown, addressed the Harry Reid “negro dialect” controversy last night on MSNBC.  He criticized Obama for avoiding racial issue.

You ain’t talking about civil rights, you ain’t talking bout affirmative action, you’re not pressing the issue.”

He also said that Barack Obama does not sound Black.

If Barack Obama was standing forth in America to speak brilliantly and courageously about the issues of race, he’d sound a lot more black too.

Click to read.

Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks With MSNBC Live

Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks With MSNBC Live about the need for a national conversation on race.

The People’s Scholar Talks About Race Conversations on CNN American Morning

Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks With CNN American Morning about the need for a national conversation on race.

Dr. Wilmer Leon: Is “The Dream” Still a Dream?

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

On January 18, 2010, America will celebrate the birth, death, and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We will hear those powerful words "I Have A Dream.” What has troubled me over the years is how Dr. King, the visionary, prophet, and revolutionary’s vision, action, and ultimate sacrifice have been hijacked, compromised, and relegated to being those of just a dreamer.

Dreamers are safe, docile, and non-threatening. People are comfortable with dreamers. Why? To be a dreamer you must be in a restful state, usually asleep. To cast Dr. King in the light of a dreamer allows people to be convinced that action resulting from clear vision is not necessary. It allows the oppressed to be fooled into being patient and non-revolutionary; yours will come by-and by. It allows Dr. King’s “Dream” his vision to remain a dream.

What many fail to realize is that Dr. King was no dreamer. He was a visionary, not some abstract thinker or philosopher. He was a prophet and a true revolutionary.

Click to read.

Black News: Bill Clinton’s Major Insult of Obama

From The New York Daily News

Bill Clinton helped sink his wife’s chances for an endorsement from Ted Kennedy by belittling Barack Obama as nothing but a race-based candidate.
“A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee,” the former president told the liberal lion from Massachusetts, according to the gossipy new campaign book, “Game Change.”
The book says Kennedy was deeply offended and recounted the conversation to friends with fury.
After Kennedy sided with Obama, Clinton reportedly griped, “the only reason you are endorsing him is because he’s black. Let’s just be clear.”

Click Here For More

Senator Harry Reid – Racism or Poor Choice of Words

Dr. Boyce Watkins on CNN discussing Senator Harry Reid’s “Light Skinned and Negro Dialect” comment

Is Harry Reid a Racist?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had to backpedal and apologize very quickly for a private conversation he had with Barack Obama during Obama’s presidential campaign. In the discussion, Reid stated that Obama could be a successful candidate because he is "light skinned" and that he speaks with "no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
Two journalists, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, made this assertion in a book to be released next Tuesday.
"He [Reid] was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama – a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ as he said privately. Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama’s race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination," they write.

 

Click to read.

News: Senator Harry Reid Refers to Obama’s Negro Dialect

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid apologized Saturday following reports he had privately described then-candidate Barack Obama during the presidential campaign as a black candidate who could be successful thanks in part to his “light-skinned” appearance and speaking patterns "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

Journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann reported the remarks in their new book “Game Change,” which was purchased by CNN Saturday at a Washington-area bookstore. The book is slated for official release next Tuesday.

“He (Reid) was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama – a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ as he said privately. Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama’s race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination," they write.

“I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words,” Reid said in a statement to CNN. (Update 3:15 pm:Reid spokesman Jim Manley tells CNN that the senator also called President Obama Saturday afternoon to apologize for his remark.)

“I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans for my improper comments.

 

Click to read.

Black News Headlines – 1/8/10

Man Allegedly Locks 7-Year old Daughter in Dryer, Turns it On

• Steve McClairin was arraigned Wednesday morning on several charges, including two counts of … Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jan 8th 2010 8:46AM | Comments (0)

Audra McDonald: Already Off to a Great Start for 2010

• 2010 is off to a great start for acclaimed actress Audra McDonald. On Jan.7, the ‘Private … Read More
• By Bridget Bland on Jan 8th 2010 8:08AM | Comments (0)

Creating The Good Life–Day 2

• Your Daily Inspiration for Friday January 08, 2010: I have a divine purpose to my life, that is … Read More
• By Barry Johnson on Jan 8th 2010 5:05AM | Comments (0)

Around the Web: Keyshia Cole Engaged or Married, Beyonce and Gaga Reunite Again, Gary Coleman Hospitalized & More

• Married With Children? Someone isn’t singing ‘I Just Want it to Be Over’ anymore. Cleveland … Read More
• By Bridget Bland on Jan 7th 2010 11:11PM | Comments (0)

Luv Coach Q&A: Polygamy

• I am a 47 year old divorcee that got involved with a married man. He is 55 and explained in … Read More
• By Rebecca Brody on Jan 7th 2010 8:26PM | Comments (0)

Kanye West Compares Himself to Maya Angelou

• Kanye West is at it again. The man with the brilliance that makes for good legend also seems to … Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jan 7th 2010 8:11PM | Comments (4)

J-Boog from B2K Speaks Up on His Domestic Violence Allegations

• Jarell Damonte Houston (also known as "J-Boog") has finally broken his silence about the nasty … Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jan 7th 2010 8:08PM | Comments (0)

Notable/Quotable: Damon Dash on Jay-Z Going Corporate

• "I’m indie, and Jay went corporate. I wanted to do something [with Rocawear] more tailored, more … Read More
• By Brennan Williams on Jan 7th 2010 5:52PM | Comments (0)

Lee Daniels Edges Clint Eastwood for DGA Nomination and History

• The Directors Guild of America just announced its nominees for its 2010 award, and among the chosen … Read More
• By Wilson Morales on Jan 7th 2010 5:30PM | Comments (1)

Gilbert Arenas Gun Incident: How Serious is the Gun Charge Anyway?

• Most of us wonder just how much trouble Gilbert Arenas might be in for his recent gun situation. … Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jan 7th 2010 5:00PM | Comments (2)

Black Journalists Fight for Census Bureau Funds: Black People Must Be Counted

• The National Newspapers Association (NNPA), an association for black journalists, has asked the … Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jan 7th 2010 4:25PM | Comments (3)

The G-Spot: Rumor or Real?

• The G-spot isn’t exactly the GPS-spot; navigation for it doesn’t exist and directions to its … Read More
• By Mason Jamal on Jan 7th 2010 4:01PM | Comments (4)

Ex-NBA Star Jayson Williams in Trouble Again

• It looks like more hard times for disgraced and troubled NBA star Jayson Williams. After his … Read More
• By Paul Shepard on Jan 7th 2010 3:14PM | Comments (0)

Two Girls, 12 and 14, Rob a Bank and Are on the Run

• Police are still searching for two Ohio teens that robbed a bank Tuesday afternoon. The young … Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jan 7th 2010 3:11PM | Comments (6)

Viola Davis: Academy Award Nominee to Join Denzel Washington in ‘Fences’ on Broadway

• As of late, Viola Davis has been a fixture on the big screen — earning an Academy-Award nomination … Read More
• By Bridget Bland on Jan 7th 2010 2:22PM | Comments (1)

Black News: Elliot Millner Speaks on Gilbert Arenas Gun Charges

Elliot Millner, Legal Advisor for the YBW Coalition, had this to say about the gun charges for NBA Star, Gilbert Arenas:

“It is still very early in the criminal investigation of Gilbert Arenas, and many facts are still unclear, however Arenas could be in some trouble. First, Arenas has prior gun-related charges, having plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge of illegally possessing a concealed weapon while in California in 2003. Also, Arenas not only has D.C. authorities to answer to, but possibly Virginia police as well, given that he transported his guns from Virginia into D.C. It has been mentioned that Arenas may not have had proper registration for the guns in question, and also may have lacked a concealed weapons permit. Virginia accepts concealed weapons permits from certain other states, so that could work in Arenas favor if he had a concealed license permit from another state. In addition, even in regards to registered guns, D.C. prohibits guns deemed to be particularly "unsafe", so if any of Arenas’ guns fall in that category, it could lead to other charges. It has been reported that all of Arenas’ handguns were unloaded, however we do not know if Arenas stored any bullets in his locker also, which could lead to more charges. Some commentators have discussed the idea of Arenas being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, however given the statements made by most who observed the incidents in question, I see that as highly unlikely. The act of Arenas removing the guns from the locker and placing them out in the open (even if unloaded) could be problematic for him as well.

Ultimately, we will know more about what charges Arenas may face in the next few weeks. It is a sad and ridiculous situation, that was completely avoidable with even a little bit of forethought."

Black News: Is Harold Ford the Next Barack?

• by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University  

When President Obama was elected, it only took a few weeks for Ty, Inc to start producing Sasha and Malia dolls. The little clones were taken off the market as soon as Michelle Obama objected, but it appears that the Democrats are now producing clones of Michelle’s husband, Barack.

Meet Harold Ford Jr.., a former Congressman from Tennessee who has now become the next Barack Obama, at least in the eyes of enthusiastic Democrats. Ford has recently moved to New York and may be positioning himself to fight for the Senate seat currently held by Kirsten Gillibrand, a New Yorker who hasn’t exactly won over her constituency. Ford has the horsepower to win, and can raise the money to do it. Such a move would represent a significant step in his quest to become President of the United States. Yes, I did say "President."

As the next "Great Black Hope" of the Democratic Party, Harold Ford Jr. gives many of his supporters both the visual and political cues necessary for them to think that he should be the next Barack. Both Obama and Ford are light-skinned. They are both "articulate and well-behaved" black men who attended Ivy League institutions. They are both prototypical politicians: the guys you neither like nor dislike too much. And to be quite honest, neither Ford nor Obama take tough stands on much of anything unless it happens to be the fashionable thing to stand up for at that particular time. Then again, these men are not black leaders, they are black politicians. The job requirements are different.

 

Click to read.

Black Leaders Fight for Census Funds

The nation’s black newspaper executives are asking for $10 million from the U.S. Census Bureau to advertise for the 2010 Census, but the government is reportedly only offering $2.5 million.
NNPA officials told Richard Prince – who writes a diversity column for The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education – that the NNPA would use the $10 million in advertising to encourage African Americans across the country to participate in the 2010 Census.  
Commerce officials said the Census Bureau would take a second look at its $300 million communications campaign to determine if there are ways to make it better. The bureau kicks off its ad campaign next month and will conduct its head count via mail and door-to-door canvassing next spring.
Last month, a coalition of civil rights leaders met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in an effort to prevent an undercount of African-Americans in the upcoming 2010 Census. In 2000, the Census Bureau said about 4.5 million people were mistakenly overlooked – mostly African Americans and Hispanics.

 

click to read.

We Must Fix Our Prisons Right Now

by Rev. Al Sharpton 

As the battle lines for health care reform are being drawn – and redrawn – a silent segment of the population is strategically left out of the conversation.  A group of individuals who have been deemed enemies of society, and cast away behind iron bars to fend for themselves.  In California, health care in the state’s 33 prisons is so inadequate that one unnecessary death takes place per week, as inmates are often stacked in triple bunk beds in hallways and gymnasiums.  With nearly twice the number of prisoners than it was designed to hold, California prisons will have to be cut by about 40,000 in the next two years – and it’s about time.

Federal judges just released a 184-page order demanding that California’s inmate population be reduced by 27%, and gave the state 45 days to come up with a plan.   In what they termed an ‘unconstitutional prison health care system’, the three-judge panel concluded that disease was spreading rampantly and prisoner-on-prisoner violence was all but unavoidable.  Forced to close a $26 billion dollar budget gap, California will now have to look at mechanisms to reducing its extensive prison spending, which in 2007 topped out at nearly $10 billion (approximately $49,000 for each inmate).

Whether it’s for pure economic reasons or for an actual concern over the well being of prisoners, California will hopefully serve as an example for a reversal of the ever-growing prison industrial complex.  A system that unfairly profiles and detains minorities, American jails produce a vicious cycle of recidivism and community breakdown.  Last year, the Pew Center on the States released a scathing report stating that one in every 100 American adults was in jail, and that an astonishing one in 15 Black adults was behind bars.  According to government reports in 2007, there were three times as many Blacks in jail than in college dorms, with Latinos not far behind at 2.7 times more behind bars than in secondary schooling.

Click to read.

Your Black News: The Government Illegally Spied on the Nation

WASHINGTON — Homeland security officials improperly gathered intelligence on the Nation of Islam, a black Muslim group, but government rules were “unintentionally and inadvertently violated” and only publicly available information was collected, according to documents made public Wednesday.
Internal correspondence shows the 2007 report – titled “Nation of Islam: Uncertain Leadership Succession Poses Risks” – was created by an intelligence group working within the Homeland Security Department.
Hours after the report was issued, officials recalled it, deciding the report violated intelligence rules against collecting or disseminating information on U.S. citizens for an extended period of time. It had been disseminated widely over the Internet to numerous federal agencies, state and local law enforcement, several congressional committees, intelligence agencies and parts of the private sector, a reviewing officer found.

Click to read.

News: African American Leadership Weighs in on the Boyce Watkins Tenure Case

Reported in the SU Student Voice.

 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Rep. Cynthia McKinney have now thrust themselves into the debate over Boyce Watkins’ tenure appeal, The Student Voice has learned.

Three days after the Rev. Al Sharpton sent Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor a letter in support of Whitman professor Boyce Watkins’ pending tenure appeal case, Jackson told Watkins that he wanted to get involved. Watkins sent SV writer Naresh Vissa a text message early this morning saying Jackson wants to speak with Cantor as soon as possible.

Watkins and Cantor are scheduled to meet today to discuss Watkins’ future at the university after he was denied tenure, first reported in The Student Voice.

And McKinney, the Green Party presidential candidate in 2008, wrote what Watkins called “the most astonishing letter in support of my tenure case” to SU administration yesterday. Prominent African-American syndicated columnist Julianne Malveaux has also voiced her support for Watkins.

 

Click to read.

Tiger Woods and Race: Are there any racial complexities here?

Dr. Boyce Watkins is on CNN with Don Lemon wondering if Tiger Woods will be “OJ Simpsonized” by the recent events in his personal life.

News: CBC Gets Results with Obama and Democrats

Call it the $6 billion boycott.

By boycotting a key House committee vote last week and threatening to abandon support for banking regulations, members of the Congressional Black Caucus got $4 billion added to a Wall Street regulation bill and $2 billion to a proposed House jobs bill in spending they sought for African American communities.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., this week inserted $3 billion to the legislation to provide low-interest loans to unemployed homeowners in danger of foreclosure. He added $1 billion for neighborhood revitalization programs.

The money would come out of the $700 billion financial rescue fund.

"For those of us who walked out, it was absolutely essential that we have parts of that legislation directed toward helping people who have been left out of all of these bailouts," Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., one of 10 black caucus members in the Financial Services Committee, said.

 

click to read.

President Obama’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world:

I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.

And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight. And then there are the men and women around the world who have been jailed and beaten in the pursuit of justice; those who toil in humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering; the unrecognized millions whose quiet acts of courage and compassion inspire even the most hardened of cynics. I cannot argue with those who find these men and women — some known, some obscure to all but those they help — to be far more deserving of this honor than I.

But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by 43 other countries — including Norway — in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.

Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict — filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.

These questions are not new. War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact, like drought or disease — the manner in which tribes and then civilizations sought power and settled their differences.

Over time, as codes of law sought to control violence within groups, so did philosophers, clerics and statesmen seek to regulate the destructive power of war. The concept of a "just war" emerged, suggesting that war is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the forced used is proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence.

For most of history, this concept of just war was rarely observed. The capacity of human beings to think up new ways to kill one another proved inexhaustible, as did our capacity to exempt from mercy those who look different or pray to a different God. Wars between armies gave way to wars between nations — total wars in which the distinction between combatant and civilian became blurred. In the span of 30 years, such carnage would twice engulf this continent. And while it is hard to conceive of a cause more just than the defeat of the Third Reich and the Axis powers, World War II was a conflict in which the total number of civilians who died exceeded the number of soldiers who perished.

In the wake of such destruction, and with the advent of the nuclear age, it became clear to victor and vanquished alike that the world needed institutions to prevent another World War. And so, a quarter century after the United States Senate rejected the League of Nations — an idea for which Woodrow Wilson received this Prize — America led the world in constructing an architecture to keep the peace: a Marshall Plan and a United Nations, mechanisms to govern the waging of war, treaties to protect human rights, prevent genocide and restrict the most dangerous weapons.

In many ways, these efforts succeeded. Yes, terrible wars have been fought, and atrocities committed. But there has been no Third World War. The Cold War ended with jubilant crowds dismantling a wall. Commerce has stitched much of the world together. Billions have been lifted from poverty. The ideals of liberty, self-determination, equality and the rule of law have haltingly advanced. We are the heirs of the fortitude and foresight of generations past, and it is a legacy for which my own country is rightfully proud.

A decade into a new century, this old architecture is buckling under the weight of new threats. The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.

Moreover, wars between nations have increasingly given way to wars within nations. The resurgence of ethnic or sectarian conflicts, the growth of secessionist movements, insurgencies and failed states have increasingly trapped civilians in unending chaos. In today’s wars, many more civilians are killed than soldiers; the seeds of future conflict are sown, economies are wrecked, civil societies torn asunder, refugees amassed and children scarred.

I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago: "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: It merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King’s life’s work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak, nothing passive, nothing naive in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaidas leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.

I raise this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause. At times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the worlds sole military superpower.

Yet the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions — not just treaties and declarations — that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity from Germany to Korea, and enabled democracy to take hold in places like the Balkans. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest — because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other people’s children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.

So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another — that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldiers courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause and to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such.

So part of our challenge is reconciling these two seemingly irreconcilable truths — that war is sometimes necessary, and war is at some level an expression of human folly. Concretely, we must direct our effort to the task that President Kennedy called for long ago. "Let us focus," he said, "on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions."

What might this evolution look like? What might these practical steps be?

To begin with, I believe that all nations — strong and weak alike — must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I — like any head of state — reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards strengthens those who do, and isolates — and weakens — those who dont.

The world rallied around America after the 9/11 attacks, and continues to support our efforts in Afghanistan, because of the horror of those senseless attacks and the recognized principle of self-defense. Likewise, the world recognized the need to confront Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait — a consensus that sent a clear message to all about the cost of aggression.

Furthermore, America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don’t, our action can appear arbitrary, and undercut the legitimacy of future intervention — no matter how justified.

This becomes particularly important when the purpose of military action extends beyond self-defense or the defense of one nation against an aggressor. More and more, we all confront difficult questions about how to prevent the slaughter of civilians by their own government, or to stop a civil war whose violence and suffering can engulf an entire region.

I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That is why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace.

America’s commitment to global security will never waver. But in a world in which threats are more diffuse, and missions more complex, America cannot act alone. This is true in Afghanistan. This is true in failed states like Somalia, where terrorism and piracy is joined by famine and human suffering. And sadly, it will continue to be true in unstable regions for years to come.

The leaders and soldiers of NATO countries — and other friends and allies — demonstrate this truth through the capacity and courage they have shown in Afghanistan. But in many countries, there is a disconnect between the efforts of those who serve and the ambivalence of the broader public. I understand why war is not popular. But I also know this: The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace entails sacrifice. That is why NATO continues to be indispensable. That is why we must strengthen U.N. and regional peacekeeping, and not leave the task to a few countries. That is why we honor those who return home from peacekeeping and training abroad to Oslo and Rome; to Ottawa and Sydney; to Dhaka and Kigali — we honor them not as makers of war, but as wagers of peace.

Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it. The Nobel Committee recognized this truth in awarding its first prize for peace to Henry Dunant — the founder of the Red Cross, and a driving force behind the Geneva Conventions.

Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America’s commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not just when it is easy, but when it is hard.

I have spoken to the questions that must weigh on our minds and our hearts as we choose to wage war. But let me turn now to our effort to avoid such tragic choices, and speak of three ways that we can build a just and lasting peace.

First, in dealing with those nations that break rules and laws, I believe that we must develop alternatives to violence that are tough enough to change behavior — for if we want a lasting peace, then the words of the international community must mean something. Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable. Sanctions must exact a real price. Intransigence must be met with increased pressure — and such pressure exists only when the world stands together as one.

One urgent example is the effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and to seek a world without them. In the middle of the last century, nations agreed to be bound by a treaty whose bargain is clear: All will have access to peaceful nuclear power; those without nuclear weapons will forsake them; and those with nuclear weapons will work toward disarmament. I am committed to upholding this treaty. It is a centerpiece of my foreign policy. And I am working with President Medvedev to reduce America and Russia’s nuclear stockpiles.

But it is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system. Those who claim to respect international law cannot avert their eyes when those laws are flouted. Those who care for their own security cannot ignore the danger of an arms race in the Middle East or East Asia. Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war.

The same principle applies to those who violate international law by brutalizing their own people. When there is genocide in Darfur, systematic rape in Congo or repression in Burma — there must be consequences. And the closer we stand together, the less likely we will be faced with the choice between armed intervention and complicity in oppression.

This brings me to a second point — the nature of the peace that we seek. For peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict. Only a just peace based upon the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting.

It was this insight that drove drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after the Second World War. In the wake of devastation, they recognized that if human rights are not protected, peace is a hollow promise.

And yet all too often, these words are ignored. In some countries, the failure to uphold human rights is excused by the false suggestion that these are Western principles, foreign to local cultures or stages of a nation’s development. And within America, there has long been a tension between those who describe themselves as realists or idealists — a tension that suggests a stark choice between the narrow pursuit of interests or an endless campaign to impose our values.

I reject this choice. I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please, choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. We also know that the opposite is true. Only when Europe became free did it finally find peace. America has never fought a war against a democracy, and our closest friends are governments that protect the rights of their citizens. No matter how callously defined, neither America’s interests — nor the worlds — are served by the denial of human aspirations.

So even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side.

Let me also say this: The promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach — and condemnation without discussion — can carry forward a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door.

In light of the Cultural Revolution’s horrors, Nixon’s meeting with Mao appeared inexcusable — and yet it surely helped set China on a path where millions of its citizens have been lifted from poverty, and connected to open societies. Pope John Paul’s engagement with Poland created space not just for the Catholic Church, but for labor leaders like Lech Walesa. Ronald Reagan’s efforts on arms control and embrace of perestroika not only improved relations with the Soviet Union, but empowered dissidents throughout Eastern Europe. There is no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement, pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time.

Third, a just peace includes not only civil and political rights — it must encompass economic security and opportunity. For true peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want.

It is undoubtedly true that development rarely takes root without security; it is also true that security does not exist where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive. It does not exist where children cannot aspire to a decent education or a job that supports a family. The absence of hope can rot a society from within.

And that is why helping farmers feed their own people — or nations educate their children and care for the sick — is not mere charity. It is also why the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action — it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance.

Agreements among nations. Strong institutions. Support for human rights. Investments in development. All of these are vital ingredients in bringing about the evolution that President Kennedy spoke about. And yet, I do not believe that we will have the will, or the staying power, to complete this work without something more — and that is the continued expansion of our moral imagination, an insistence that there is something irreducible that we all share.

As the world grows smaller, you might think it would be easier for human beings to recognize how similar we are, to understand that we all basically want the same things, that we all hope for the chance to live out our lives with some measure of happiness and fulfillment for ourselves and our families.

And yet, given the dizzying pace of globalization, and the cultural leveling of modernity, it should come as no surprise that people fear the loss of what they cherish about their particular identities — their race, their tribe and, perhaps most powerfully, their religion. In some places, this fear has led to conflict. At times, it even feels like we are moving backwards. We see it in the Middle East, as the conflict between Arabs and Jews seems to harden. We see it in nations that are torn asunder by tribal lines.

Most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint — no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or even a person of one’s own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith — for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Adhering to this law of love has always been the core struggle of human nature. We are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us.

But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place. The nonviolence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached — their faith in human progress — must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.

For if we lose that faith — if we dismiss it as silly or naive, if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace — then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass.

Like generations have before us, we must reject that future. As Dr. King said at this occasion so many years ago: "I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘oughtness’ that forever confronts him."

So let us reach for the world that ought to be — that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls. Somewhere today, in the here and now, a soldier sees he’s outgunned but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, who believes that a cruel world still has a place for his dreams.

Let us live by their example. We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of deprivation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.

The CBC Vs. Obama – What to Make of It

Last week members of the Congressional Black Caucus took President Obama to task for his inattention to the high rate of black unemployment – a rate much higher than the overall rate. By Friday, some progress on the unemployment front had been reported – the rate was down to 10 percent in November, from the October high of 10.2 percent. African American unemployment, though, was at the astounding level of 15.6 percent. Why don’t the high levels of African American unemployment deserve special attention?

President Obama says he is working for our entire nation, and that when unemployment rates drop, they will drop for everyone. Perhaps that is what he has to say. But even Ray Charles can see the disproportionate unemployment burden that the African American community is carrying. Targeted public policy is the only way to close the unemployment rate gap.

Our nation has a history of targeting public policy. When it appeared that banks were especially imperiled, we bailed banks, but not other industries out. Indeed, there was much debate about why bankers should get $700 billion when others also faced challenges. The faulty logic that applied was that banks had special challenges at the beginning of the recession, and that the money spent bailing out banks would have ripple effects throughout our economy. Next, there were special provisions made for the housing industry, with bailouts and concessions made to those who had mortgages they could not pay. Again, the logic was that these citizens have special roles in our society and economy. Renters were left out of these special financial provisions. We targeted homeowners.

Why, then, is it such an anathema to target African Americans? Believe me, if it were Wall Street brokers with an unemployment rate of 15.6 percent, one and a half times the overall rate, there would be some special program developed for those brokers! Someone would take to the floor of Congress to speak of the special plight of those brokers and to wax eloquent about why they deserve a break. The logic that when the overall rate drops, the broker rate will also drop, would be scoffed at! Can’t you envision the special pleading that would go to save the brokers?

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Congressional Black Caucus vs. Barack Obama

The long-simmering family feud between the Congressional Black Caucus and the first African-American president burst into the open on Wednesday, with members boycotting a financial overhaul vote as a warning shot at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The 43-member caucus — which included Illinois Sen. Barack Obama from 2004 to 2008 — has chafed against President Obama and his top aides since the Inauguration, complaining that the White House takes it for granted and plays favorites with conservative Blue Dog Democrats.

Ten CBC members decided to boycott the House Financial Services Committee vote en masse after a tumultuous morning meeting at the Capitol between Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel failed to yield a deal, according to people familiar with the meeting.

The bill passed easily, but Waters suggested the CBC’s 43 members could vote with the GOP to scuttle a variety of Democratic bills if Obama and Emanuel don’t address what she thinks is a lack of understanding of the CBC’s wide-ranging goals of reducing urban unemployment, home foreclosures and bank failures.

“I think that it is important for us to educate those people around [Obama],” Waters told reporters. “We’ve got to get his people educated and moving. We have not brought these issues to him personally — it is important first to educate those people around him so they understand.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.), who recently accused Obama of bowing down to the GOP on health care reform, was more pointed, shouting “Yes!” when asked if he was disappointed with Obama’s level of attentiveness to African-Americans’ needs.

He added that he had an extensive list of issues with the president — a list he said was too long to disgorge in a hallway conversation with a reporter.

 

 

 

 

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Dr. Boyce: Barack Obama and Black Men – What has he done for us?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

I did a recent CNN appearance along with the actor Hill Harper and Dr. Alvin Poussaint at Harvard University. The series was a one-year anniversary segment featuring political issues within the African American community. for the entire week, the primary focus was on the impact that President Barack Obama has had onAfrican American men. Given that I’ve been a black man for quite a while now, I found this conversation topic particularly interesting, so getting to speak to Richelle Carey again wasn’t the only perk of doing the job that day.

It must be made clear that the president should not be expected to save the entire world in one swoop. His job is difficult, and he can’t give everyone what they want all the time. But to the extent that President Obama has been positioned to trump pre-existing black leadership (remember that some say we now live in a post-racial America), one can argue that President Obama’s rantings in black churches come with some degree of accountability from the Oval Office. Obama has spoken at NAACP meetings, telling black men to take responsibility for our families (as if none of us do) and to engage in more personal responsibility (as if we don’t do that already). Such tough talk should be backed by meaningful policy, since structural incentives play a dominant role in the ultimate choice of the individual. For example, when companies get tax incentives to invest in new projects, they almost always do.

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Dr Boyce talks Financial Lipo on ABC News

News: President Obama Gets Low Support Among Whites

 

approval among white Americans has fallen to 39 percent since taking office in January, Gallup Daily poll results indicated.

Overall, Obama’s approval rating slipped below 50 percent for the first time in his presidency, a 16 percentage point drop since the 66 percent average he enjoyed during his first full week in office, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said of its results released Tuesday.

Support among blacks for Obama averaged 93 percent during his time in office, and has been at or above 90 percent since he was sworn in, accounting for the reason Obama’s support among non-white respondents didn’t drop as much, Gallup said.

click to read.

Dr. Boyce and Richelle Carey Discuss Heather on CNN

Dr. Wilmer Leon: It’s time for a New Social Agenda

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III, Your Black World 

Early on the campaign trail, presidential candidate Barack Obama said, "This country is ready for a transformative politics of the sort that John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Franklin Roosevelt represented." Socially, President Obama is beginning to move in such a positive transformative direction.

After 12 years of languishing in Congress, on Wednesday, October 28, President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard / James Byrd Hate Crimes Bill. By signing this bill, the president expands the federal definition of hate crimes to include those motivated by gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. It also allows federal authorities to pursue hate-crimes cases when local authorities are either unable or unwilling to do so. This law was named after Matthew Shepard, a gay man murdered in Wyoming in 1998, and James Byrd, the African-American man dragged to his death behind a pickup truck in Texas that same year.

Click to read.

Heather Ellis Finally Speaks: Listen to her Side of the Story

Here is an interview that Heather Ellis did for AOL Black Voices – it appears that her side of the story is very different from the prosecution and she may have reason to sue the police department.

CNN Video on the Heather Ellis Plea Deal

Here is more CNN coverage, including final statements from Heather Ellis.

Heather Ellis Walmart Video Released on CNN

Does anyone see a smoking gun in this video?

Didn’t See the Rally? This Might Not be the last one

Heather Ellis’ case makes the top story on the Memphis news – the country awaits the verdict of her trial.

More Video Footage from Our Rally in Kennett

Watch video of our rally that was held for Heather in Kennett, MO.

Listen to Dr. Boyce, Roland Martin and Tom Joyner Discuss Heather Ellis

Given that Tom Joyner’s Show is sponsored by Walmart, this leads to a relatively awkward conversation!

Sirius/XM Satellite Host Dr. Wilmer Leon Talks about Heather’s Case

Listen as Dr. Wilmer Leon speaks with Elliot Millner and Pastor Nathaniel Ellis about Heather’s trial.

Media Coverage on the Heather Ellis Trial Continues

CNN is going to interview Dr. Boyce Watkins on Friday, and Fox 5 has jumped on the case.

Christopher Metzler Spars with Bill O’Reilly

Dr. Christopher Metzler at Georgetown University spars with Bill O’Reilly over President Obama’s position on race relations.

Anderson Cooper 360 Discusses the Heather Ellis Case

Heather Ellis’ case was debated on Anderson Cooper 360

Do Black Women Have any Say in the haircare industry?

Black women spend billions on hair but don’t own the companies that make it.

The Heather Ellis Case Reminds us of the Constitution: Why We need to Protect Civil Liberties

Dr. Wilmer Leon, Howard University, Sirius/XM Satellite

One of the things that make America unique is its Constitution, specifically the Bill of Rights. In its original form, the Constitution did not include a list of basic civil liberties or guarantees to the individual. Many prominent Americans, including Thomas Jefferson insisted that a list of fundamental protections be included to restrain the national government from tampering with the fundamental rights and civil liberties of its citizens. The intent of the framers of the Constitution was to level the playing field. They felt it necessary to restrain the very powerful government, prosecutors, and police from arbitrary and capricious action against the less powerful individual. Over time these protections have been passed down to the state level.

The case of Heather Ellis is a perfect present day example of why individual American citizens need to be protected from over zealous capricious prosecutors and police. For a young woman to be facing up to fifteen years in prison for trespassing, disturbing the peace, and two felony counts of assaulting a police officer, all for allegedly cutting a check-out line at a Wal-Mart is unconscionable.

Click to read.

Dr Boyce Watkins: Ben Bernanke Needs a Lesson in Racial History

by Dr Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. I feel that he is better than the previous chairman, Alan Greenspan, but the Fed Chairmanship (like the presidency) is almost never given to the right man. Just the fact that it is almost always given to a man is problematic enough, and the truth is that only white men need apply for the job.
Well, when you are limited in your option pool for the top job, bad leadership and flat out ignorance can sometimes be the result. While Fed Chairman Bernanke might know some nuts and bolts about economics, he appears to be shockingly misinformed about economic disparities between blacks and whites. His embarrassing and highly inappropriate statements at Morehouse College serve as a significant case in point.
In a recent interview at Morehouse, the Fed Chairman was asked what he felt to be the reason for the wealth gap between blacks and whites. In response, Bernanke said that the gap was due to a lack of "financial literacy" and "financial education" on the part of African Americans. That’s all he mentioned.

click to read.

Black Political News: Birmingham Mayor Convicted of Corruption

It’s hard to blame residents of Alabama’s most populous city if they’ve got the Birmingham blues.

An interim mayor took over Thursday after her predecessor, Larry Langford, was convicted on 60 felony counts for bribery and kicked out of office.

Across a park from City Hall, officials at the Jefferson County Courthouse are trying to avoid filing the largest municipal bankruptcy ever, a mark the governor says would stain the entire state.

Citizens are moving out of Birmingham by the thousands, and few are replacing them. The population has dropped to an estimated 209,639, down more than 13 percent since 2000. The state high school football championships even left town this year, abandoning decrepit Legion Field for the state’s two major universities.

Ronnie Coats, 42, has been living in Birmingham and volunteering in local politics for almost three decades, and says he’s disgusted.

"There’s a problem with government here. It’s called greed," he said.

 

Click to read.

Lawrence Watkins speaks at Cornell University

Listen to Lawrence Watkins speak on the secrets of business success.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux speaks on Dr. Niara Sudarkasa

by Dr. Julianne Malveaux, President: Bennett College

Dr. Niara Sudarkasa, the first woman President of Lincoln University, has a name that reflects her reality. Niara means woman of high purpose, and that she is, indeed. After leaving Lincoln University in 1998, she traveled and consulted, and has recently been scholar-in-residence at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Last week, she donated her papers and personal library, including more than 3800 books, 4100 issues of journals and periodicals, plaques and other collectibles, including the outfit she wore when she was enstooled as a chief in the Ife Kingdom of Nigeria. This is a sister and scholar whose name ought to be spoken frequently among African American people, especially those who have concerns about the African American family, and those who have interests in things African. We are more likely to know entertainers, however, than we are to know scholars. This is a scholar certainly worth knowing.

I had the honor of traveling to Fort Lauderdale to help salute Dr. Sudarkasa on the occasion of her very generous gift (valued at more than $270,000) to the library. In thinking about Niara’s life and career, I was especially focused on the work she has done as an Africanist and anthropologist, long before it was fashionable for African American people to look at our African roots. Indeed, Niara learned Yoruba as part of her doctoral work and studies the work that women did in African society for her dissertation. Her early work lays the foundation for contemporary work on linkages between Africa and the United States.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins Discusses the Heather Ellis Case

Dr Boyce Watkins discusses the Heather Ellis Case, the rally and plans to find justice for Heather and her family.

Dr. Elaina George Discusses Swine Flu on Michael Baisden – 10/20/09

Dr. Elaina and Michael Baisden break down the hype and misinformation about the Swine flu.

Black News: MediaMatters.org Steps in on the Heather Ellis, KKK Case

Racial injustice rears its ugly head again, this time in rural Missouri, where heavy-handed prosecutor Stephen Sokoloff is threatening to impose a lengthy prison sentence on a woman after an altercation at a local Wal-Mart almost three years ago.

In January 2007, 20-year-old Heather Ellis, then a student at Xavier University, and her cousin David went to a Wal-Mart in Kennett, Missouri, near the Tennessee border, in an area commonly known as the Missouri Bootheel.  Kennett, in rural and conservative Dunklin County, which boasts that it seceded from the Union during the Civil War, is overwhelmingly white.

At the check-out line, the pair split up in order to find the shortest line.  When Ellis left her line to join her cousin at a shorter line, customers complained and a store employee accused her of cutting, at which point an argument ensued and a manager notified a security guard, an off-duty Kennett Police officer.  The situation escalated from there:

In the Ellis version, she was shoved by another customer, had her items pushed aside by the clerk and then was short-changed when she finally was checked out. The police affidavit contends, at numerous times, Ellis became belligerent, loud, abusive and cursing when she was told to leave by the store’s assistant manager. Summoned by a frantic phone call from her son, as the pair walked out to the parking lot, [Ellis' aunt] Blackmon says she arrived in time to witness her niece being brutalized by police during attempts to place her in a squad car.

[...]

Ellis was charged with disturbing the peace, trespassing, resisting arrest and two counts of assaulting a police officer. Yet, curiously after being described in the police affidavit as "completely out of control" during her arrest, she was released to the custody of her parents to receive medical attention only 45 minutes after being jailed. However, her arrest triggered a whole series of problems. Although she returned to school in Louisiana, two months later, an attorney hired by the family tried to talk Heather into taking a plea deal offered by powerful Dunklin County Prosecutor, Stephen Sokoloff.

 

Click to read.

Walter Currie Lives Near Heather Ellis – Set on Fire by a White Kid

To give you a picture of the location in which Heather Ellis fights for her freedom, meet Walter Currie, a 15-year old in nearby Poplar Bluff, who was set on fire by his classmates with the attacker allegedly yelling the words “Burn nigger burn” while he did it – visit SaveHeatherEllis.com.

Updates on The Heather Ellis Case

Heather Ellis is a college student facing15 years in prison for cutting line at Walmart – visit www.SaveHeatherEllis.com for more details on the national protest to be held in Kennett, MO on November 14.

Dr Boyce Web Chat: Megan Williams is Definitely a Liar

No matter what, Megan Williams is definitely a liar – the question is what did she lie about?

Barack Obama White House Address: Attacking Insurance Companies

In his weekly address, president Obama gets nasty with insurance companies.

Woman Teaches Kids in Jail How to Get It Together with Beats, Rhymes and Poetry

T. Denise Manning is emerging as a leader for at-risk youth and teaching them how to get it together using a microphone, pad and pen as their weapons of choice.

Your News: Massive Protests planned in the Heather Ellis Case

from Your Black World, SaveHeatherEllis.com

Kennett, MO. – Heather Ellis, a young college student out of Kennett, MO is now facing 15 years in prison if she is sentenced after being accused of cutting line at a local Walmart. Her case has gotten the attention of the nation, and has been the subject of extensive online protests.

Heather was in a Walmart store 3 years ago with her cousin. The two split up to find the shortest line. Since her cousin was in the shorter line, Heather joined him. That’s when the clerk accused Heather of cutting in front of the other customers. An argument ensued, leading to the manager and security guard being called, and finally the police.

The incident left Ellis, an honor student on her way to medical school, charged with disturbing the peace, trespassing and two counts of assaulting a police officer. After Heather refused to sign a plea agreement, Stephen Sokoloff, the town’s prosecutor, filed felony charges against Heather.

 

Click to read.

Method Man Arrested for Taxes, but Not Nicolas Cage?

Method Man was arrested for tax evasion, but not Nicolas Cage – What’s up with that?

Heather Ellis on CNN: Faces 15 Yrs For Cutting Line at Walmart

The KKK has threatened Heather Ellis,who faces 15 years for cutting line at Walmart.

Dr Boyce on Martin Luther King’s Children

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black world, AOL Black Voices, MSNBC’s TheGrio.com 

Martin Luther King is rolling in his grave. Yes, I said it. So sue me.

Well, you might actually do that if you were one of Martin Luther King’s children. In fact, yesterday Martin Luther King III and Rev. Bernice King – who were suing their brother Dexter for mismanaging the funds in their parents’ estates – avoided a jury trial and settled their longstanding feud. The three children had been the only shareholders in King Inc, the corporation created to control their father’s valuable legacy. Dexter is still the president and CEO of the estate, and had been, until late last night, its administrator.

Martin and Bernice had accused Dexter of wrongfully taking money from the family, alleging that he took "substantial funds" out of their mother’s estate and "wrongfully appropriated" money from their father’s. I am not sure what the difference between "wrongfully appropriating" money and good old fashioned stealing is, assuming that there is one, but perhaps I am not wealthy enough to know the distinction. Of course Dexter denied the accusations.

Click to read on MSNBC’s TheGrio.com

Martin Luther King’s Kids Won’t Stop Fighting

Dr Boyce Watkins analyzes Dr. King’s kids and their legal drama.

Black News: President Obama Wins the Nobel Prize: Black Scholars Speak Up

Marvin Lynn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Curriculum & Instruction
Faculty Affiliate, African American Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago

 

I think he deserves the award because, as they said, he has established a different tone in the world. Two years ago, America was despised around the world. This is not the case today. Of course people still have criticisms of our policies etc but our global neighbors hated Bush so much that it was making global travel a frightening experience for Americans. There has been a shift in how people see us. That is directly tied to President Obama’s diplomatic stance on a variety of issues.

 

 

 

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon

Political Science Professor at Howard University

Host of “On with Leon” – Sirius/XM Satellite

 

This is an incredible personal accomplishment for the Obama’s, a wonderful international recognition of the shift in American foreign policy, and a compliment to the intelligence of the American electorate The Nobel committee is acknowledging the positive shift away from the unilateral exclusionary foreign policy of the Bush 43′ administration to the multilateral inclusionary foreign policy direction of the Obama administration. The illegal invasions of sovereign nations, torture, and the ignoring of ecological issues of the Bush 43′ administration only brought instability and insecurity for America and the rest of the world. President Obama offers hope through honest diplomacy and open dialog. This is the true path towards peace and security for all.

 

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KKK Gets Involved with Black Student’s Walmart Case

The Ku Klux Klan threatened the student who rallied in response to facing 15 years in prison for cutting line at Walmart.

Dr Boyce on Jack Johnson, Barack Obama, Michael Vick

What do Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Barack Obama and Michael Vick all have in common?

Your Black News: Michelle Obama Gets Criticized for Her Staff Size

In the past it’s been almost a tradition for America’s first ladies to catch flack from their husbands’ political opponents over the size of their staffs, and Michelle Obama certainly hasn’t been exempt from that. Criticism of her "massive" staff has popped up on email chains, blogs, and chat rooms. But what are the facts regarding how many people are under her employ, and how does the size of her staff compare to that of past first ladies?

On July 1st of this year, the Obama White House posted the Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff on its official blog. A minor uproar over the first lady’s staff size ensued. One critic atCanadianFreePress.com accused the president’s wife of employing an "unprecedented number of staffers" for someone who "doesn’t perform any official duties," while a widely circulated chain email reported that "there has never been anyone in the White House at any time that has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady’s social life." Many other critics of the Obama administration expressed similar sentiments.

 

Click to read.

Restaurant Puts N-word next to Obama’s Name on a Sign

A restaurant owner puts a sign outside his door that says “Obama’s Healthcare plan, N*gger Rig it.”

President Obama Discusses Receiving His Nobel Peace Prize

Dr Boyce Web Chat: Obama Wins the Nobel Prize?

Dr Boyce chats about President Obama’s win with the Nobel Prize.

Shocking News: Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize?

While we at Your Black World love President Obama, we have a hard time figuring out exactly what he’s done to earn this.

Dr. Boyce and Rev. Al Sharpton Discuss Michael Vick, Couples and Money

Dr. Boyce Watkins speaks with Rev. Al Sharpton about Michael Vick’s deal with Nike and why couples get divorced over money.

Saturday Night Live Turns on Barack Obama

President Barack Obama was a favorite of the liberals on Saturday night live before the election, but not anymore.