The Black Informant

Peeling the onion called Katrina

Since the President’s State of the Union address, the news wires have been filled with grandstanding comments from politicians and commentary crying about how Bush has “once again forgotten about poor Black folks” by not mentioning Katrina in his address.

While the particular article below wastes no time placing these dramatic claims at the very beginning, it isn’t until later in the article you will discover the truth behind the delays for recovery for New Orleans.

The Congressional Black Caucus has asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to form a new committee on Hurricane Katrina to focus more urgently on rebuilding the Gulf Coast, particularly New Orleans.

“The Bush administration has turned its back on our fellow Americans, the victims of the greatest disaster on American soil in our generation,” caucus Chairwoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., wrote in a letter to Pelosi. “How can we talk about reconstruction abroad when we cannot help our fellow Americans at home?”

Kilpatrick criticized President Bush for not mentioning Katrina in his State of the Union address last week and said forming a select House committee on the issue “offers the best hope for development.”

Now here comes Ray Nagin’s comments (break out your tissues)

At a Senate hearing in New Orleans on Monday, Mayor Ray Nagin said that 17 months after the storm hit, he doesn’t see evidence of “the will to really fix New Orleans.” He said the slow progress can be partly attributed to class and racial discrimination.

Nagin said he is not asking for more money, just that the money allocated get to the city faster.

Another AP article worded his comments as follows:

Mayor Ray Nagin told a Senate committee Monday he doesn’t see the will to fix his hurricane-battered city when compared with the billions spent on the war in Iraq. (source)

Nagin, like the CBC is still trying to shift blame on the federal government while purposely failing to mention the home-grown crime wave (Mostly Black on Black crime by his own admission)that is not only keeping folks away, but how his own administration has been rendered too inept to handle it.
The article then takes an interesting turn that reveals some of the main causes of a slowdown of Federal funds:

As of Jan. 18, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had agreed to pay $334 million for infrastructure repairs in New Orleans, but Louisiana had forwarded only $145 million to the city. State officials have said city leaders failed to provide required documentation, which Nagin called cumbersome.

Also, eight months after it was hired, a Virginia-based consulting company in charge of dispensing billions in federal aid to people whose homes were damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita has received 101,000 applications but handed out fewer than 300 grants. (source)

So again, what is more important here? The symbolism of Bush mentioning Katrina in his speech or dealing with the local politicians who apparently need help figuring out the difference between their left and right hands?

Just a side question: Is it fair that most of the attention is being placed on New Orleans due to its large Black population and not on the rest of the Gulf region?

Check out the New Orleans Wiki

Opting out

This was submitted by reader Saudia Abdullah

“After my maternity leave was over I took my son to the day care and boldly went to work.  I was in my office for about 30 minutes when the tears began to role down my face.  I stood up grabbed my purse and went into my bosses office and explained to him that I could not in good conscience leave my child in the hands of someone else.  As I walked out the door I felt a since of relief at my choice.  I picked my son up and went home.  When my husband came home he asked me how work was and I told him that I quit and that I needed to stay home with N’Kosi.  After having a brief discussion about how this would change our life (in a financial since) he picked the baby up and started playing with him. This was not a hard decision for us.  I knew what was best for my family and made that decision.  Little did I know that I would hear the biggest moans and groans from the women in my life.

It is women who seem to have the biggest problem with my decision.  I am looked upon as an uneducated second class citizen.  They are shocked to discover that I have a post graduate degree, speak more than one language and was happy to leave corporate America.  American women have been sold a bad bill of goods by the feminist movement of the 70’s.  You can not have it all. It is not possible.  If you work outside the home you miss certain aspect of you child’s life.  You miss that 1st word.  You don’t get to shape eating and sleeping habits.  You don’t control what they watch on tv or if they watch tv at all.  You never really know how that bump got on there head.  You drop them off bright and early and pick them up, fix dinner and then put them in bed.

If you work outside the home your children suffer.  Staying home should be the easiest choice (only trumped by breast feeding) that a woman has to make.  I get enraged by working women that look at me as less than a person because I choose to put my child first.  That is what staying at home is all about.  Any women with the right body parts can make a child it takes a real women to make the sacrifice to stay at home and raise one.  But that is just my opinion.”

Buying power for Blacks in Durham, NC continues to climb

(dukechronicle.com) “The buying power of North Carolina’s minority groups has greatly increased since 1990, making the state’s business and investment market one of the most active in the country, according to a study published by the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development.

And Durham is one of the key cities that reflects this trend, thanks to its large and diverse minority population, the study states. The report does not, however, address causes for growth in minority buying power.
[…]

Durham’s Metropolitan Statistical Area market had the fifth-largest share of the state’s African-American buying power in 2006 at $2.5 billion.

African-American buying power in Durham is expected to rise $2.6 billion, which marks a 121 percent increase since 1990.”

[…]

“Compared to non-African-American households, the average African-American household spends less on alcoholic beverages, more on home entertainment and less on buying or eating out,”

(more…)

Strengthening marriage bonds in our community

(news.enquirer.com) About 70 percent of African-American women do not live with a spouse, the Census Bureau says. That’s the direction in which Monica Blackwell-Harper once saw herself headed.

Although she wanted children, “I didn’t want to get married,” the 35-year-old from Forest Park says. “I didn’t understand why people would (marry). It seemed like a bad idea, because in my circle, it seemed like everybody broke up.” That included her parents, who divorced before she entered grade school.

She married despite those misgivings, and today both Blackwell-Harper and her husband, Tramell Harper, also 35, admit they’re surprised their 11-year union survived its rocky start. They’re thrilled it did, and the middle-class parents of three young children say their success is due, at least in part, to their ongoing efforts to learn how to be a good spouse.

A movement now under way hopes to multiply such successful marriages. Locally and nationally, programs are being offered - many funded by federal or state grants - with the goal of strengthening relationships and promoting the benefits of marriage, particularly among African-Americans. (more…)

While I am always for efforts that work to help strengthen marriages, I am vehemently against government funding towards such initiatives (like I am with the the entire Faith-based initiative package). This should be something handled by the non-profit sector only.

BTW, I have not forgotten about the little idea I had regarding a blog whose emphasis is on marriages in the Black community. I just didn’t think that I would be me leading such an initiative. I’ll keep y’all posted on any further developments on that end. In the meantime, please hit me up if you are interested in participating.

More disturbing news regarding the Black homicide rate

Washington, DC—Pennsylvania leads the nation in the rate of black homicide victimization according to a new analysis of unpublished Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The study, Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2004 Homicide Data, uses 2004 data—the most recent data available from the FBI—and is the first analysis to rank the 50 states according to their black homicide rates. The study found overwhelmingly that firearms, usually handguns, were the weapon of choice in the homicides.

The top 10 states with each state’s corresponding black homicide victimization rates are: 1) Pennsylvania, 29.52 per 100,000; 2) Louisiana, 29.48 per 100,000; 3) Indiana, 29.30 per 100,000; 4) California, 28.95 per 100,000; 5) Missouri, 28.63 per 100,000; 6) Michigan, 28.27 per 100,000; 7) Maryland, 24.64 per 100,000; #8 Minnesota, 24.45 per 100,000; 9) Nevada, 23.67 per 100,000; and, 10) Arizona, 21.54 per 100,000.

The study warns that “the toll that homicide exacts on black teens and young adults in America, both male and female, is disproportionate, disturbing, and undeniable” and concludes, “As efforts are made to reduce America’s black homicide victimization toll, the unique facilitating role of firearms cannot be ignored.”

For PENNSYLVANIA, the study found that in 2004:

* There were 398 black homicide victims, resulting in a homicide rate of 29.52 per 100,000. Of these, 348 were male and 50 were female.

* For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 86 percent of victims (335 out of 389) were shot and killed with guns. Of these, 81 percent (273 victims) were killed with handguns. There were 48 victims killed with firearms, type not stated. There were 25 victims killed with knives or other cutting instruments, 7 victims killed by bodily force, and 9 victims killed by a blunt object.

* For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 79 percent of victims (130 out of 165) were murdered by someone they knew. Thirty-five victims were killed by strangers.

* For homicides in which the circumstances could be identified, 51 percent (146 out of 285) were not related to the commission of any other felony. Of these, 77 percent (113 homicides) involved arguments between the victim and the offender.

For the entire UNITED STATES, the study found that in 2004:

* There were 6,644 black homicide victims in the United States. Of these, 5,629 (85 percent) were male, and 1,012 (15 percent) were female. Gender was not recorded for 3 victims.

* The homicide rate among black victims in the United States was 18.71 per 100,000. In comparison, the overall national homicide rate was 4.86 per 100,000 and the national homicide rate for whites was 2.97 per 100,000.

* For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 79 percent of victims (5,032 out of 6,369) were shot and killed with guns. Of these, 80 percent (4,047 victims) were killed with handguns. There were 698 victims killed with knives or other cutting instruments, 316 victims killed by bodily force, and 212 victims killed by a blunt object.

* In the top 10 states combined, for homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 84 percent of victims (2,407 out of 2,874) were shot and killed with guns.

* For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 74 percent of victims (2,360 out of 3,194) were murdered by someone they knew. Eight hundred and thirty-four victims were killed by strangers.

* For homicides in which the circumstances could be identified, 70 percent (2,769 out of 3,977) were not related to the commission of any other felony. Of these, 60 percent (1,661 homicides) involved arguments between the victim and the offender. Twelve percent (344 homicides) were reported to be gang-related. The bulk of these (224 homicides) were in California, which may be in part due to more comprehensive reporting. (source: Violence Policy Center)

It’s a shame we need a study for this, but…

it provides a missing ingredient to all the claims that the medical industry is no different today than it was during the days of the Tuskeegee experiments.

Studies Indicate African-Americans Need to Question Doctors More; New Magazine Helps Get the Conversation Started

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A recent study concludes that African-Americans are less likely than Whites to question their doctors or raise concern about their care, according to an article in the most recent edition of NMA HealthyLiving magazine. Citing the study conducted by researchers led by Dr. Howard S. Gordon of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, the article stated that reasons for the lack of communication can range from intimidation over complicated medical terminology and confusion surrounding medications to the vulnerability of sitting on an exam table in a gown.

“When we see the doctor, we are at one of our most sensitive times and are usually anxious,” Dr. Jane G. Fort, an assistant professor at Meharry Medical College in Nashville stated in the NMA HealthyLiving article. “Medical terms, medicines, prescriptions and directions can be confusing, but we also know the doctor is busy. We know there are other patients waiting and often feel we will take up too much valuable time. We may not feel sure enough to speak up and ask for explanation.”

But that is exactly what they should do. The editors of NMA HealthyLiving magazine contacted Dr. William A. Johnson, medical director for the Luck Care Center in Chicago, who provided the following list of important questions patients, regardless of race, should ask their doctors about prescribed medications:

* What is the medicine’s name and what does it do?
* When do I take the medicine?
* How long should I take it?
* How should I take the medicine?
* Are there any foods, drinks or even activities that I should avoid while taking the medication?
* Will this medication work safely with other prescription and over-the-counter medicines?

In the most recent edition of NMA HealthyLiving magazine, Dr. Johnson details the importance of asking these questions and provides other resources to help patients understand the complicated world of prescription medicine.

The National Medical Association (NMA) publishes NMA HealthyLiving magazine specifically for physicians and their patients. The publication’s mission is to spur conversations between patient and doctor, thereby improving the lines of communication. The quarterly magazine, distributed through the waiting rooms of doctors’ offices across the country, is designed to help improve the quality of health among African-Americans and other medically underserved populations. To view the current issue, as well as an archive of past issues, visit www.nmanet.org.

This study goes right along with this post where asking questions is crucial. While many studies in the past have concluded that Black folks simply do not trust the medical field, I say that we tend to be too trusting by accepting what the doctor tells us as law. Yes, doctors can be very intimidating as they routinely will throw around medical terms regrading your health. But it is STILL up to you as the consumer to demand for some clarity, otherwise find another doctor.

Are biofuels the way to go?

“Energy outputs from ethanol produced using corn, switchgrass, and wood biomass were each less than the respective fossil energy inputs. The same was true for producing biodiesel using soybeans and sunflower, however, the energy cost for producing soybean biodiesel was only slightly negative compared with ethanol production. Findings in terms of energy outputs compared with the energy inputs were:

* Ethanol production using corn grain required 29% more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel produced.
* Ethanol production using switchgrass required 50% more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel produced.
* Ethanol production using wood biomass required 57% more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel produced.
* Biodiesel production using soybean required 27% more fossil energy than the biodiesel fuel produced (Note, the energy yield from soy oil per hectare is far lower than the ethanol yield from corn).
* Biodiesel production using sunflower required 118% more fossil energy than the biodiesel fuel produced.” (source)

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Also check out the following link (gives a well-rounded view on the whole biofuel issue):

Fill ‘er Up
A Grist special series on biofuels

The PG county school system in the shadow of Black wealth

For whatever reason, the recent article that I posted on this site back on Thursday regarding Prince George’s County, Md. has been on my mind for a good part of the weekend. I have long maintained that public schools in mostly Black communities tend to be nothing more than lab experiments and this article I believe may underscore my suspicion. When you put the following two excerpts together, I think that it shows a very interesting picture of “America’s Wealthiest Black County”

From Ebony Magazine (2006)

“In the mid 1800s, it was home to slave plantations and tobacco farms. But gone are the days of Black subservience along the banks of the Potomac River in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Today, African-Americans in the suburban enclave east of Washington, D.C., are planting their own seeds of power and wealth, enjoying–in numbers never before seen in this country-luxuries like championship golf courses, Olympic-size swimming pools, horseback riding stables and ice-skating training centers.

With the distinction of being the richest majority African-American county in the country, Prince George’s County is more than a place to live. For the 500,000 or so Black county residents–many of whom are in occupations that range from doctors and lawyers to hotel owners and restaurateurs–it is home to a social, economic and political movement that has turned the typical American hierarchy on its ear, and, if handled correctly, could reverberate for generations to come.

In fact, the county’s unique position is so intriguing that publishing giant Doubleday recently published P.G. County, a steamy fictional novel that takes readers into a well-heeled world where millionaire Blacks are central characters.

In the real Prince George’s County, the people are just as intriguing. The county ranks in the top 2 percent in the nation in income level, and in people who are employed in executive jobs. Two-thirds of its work force are in white-collar professions, many of whom have plunked down huge sums of money to live in the county where the average price for a new home is more than $700,000, with many fetching more than $1 million.” (source)

In the same county…

(gazette.net) “Prince George’s County’s recent economic prosperity could be jeopardized unless African-American males, who make up a sizable portion of the future workforce, make greater strides in academic achievement, business advocates and educators say.

African-American males make up 39 percent of the county’s public school population, or nearly 52,000 students, and they have among the lowest rates of academic achievement.” (source)

So far, only 3 of us have been chatting about this on the original post, but I would like to see input from others who are in the know of what’s going on in PG county. The links on that post (including the article excerpt I placed in one of my comments) should provide you with some general information about the school system.

In any event, I just feel that this is a very serious issue that is too important for us to just treat as just another news item. Please feel free to post links to related articles that could shed some more light on this issue.

Looking to the Phillippines for teachers

(manilamaildc.net) More and more states in the United States are hiring qualified teachers from the Philippines.
The latest states included in the list are North Carolina, Virginia and Kansas. There are now hundreds of other Filipino teachers teaching in schools in Maryland, Texas, Las Vegas and other states where there are a lack of special education teachers. Many local newspapers have been covering the arrival of these teachers and narrating how the Filipino teachers are all coping with the weather and the different behavior of students in the US.

[…]

“North Carolina needs to hire 11,000 teachers a year. UNC schools produce 3,000 to 3,500 a year. About a third of those leave the state. (source)

Another one of our babies is missing (1/28/07)

DONESHA SHAMEL BLAND
Case Type: Missing
DOB: Oct 12, 1991
Sex: Female
Missing Date: Jan 5, 2007
Race: Black
Age Now: 15
Height:  5′3″ (160 cm)
Missing City: RICHMOND
Weight:  115 lbs (52 kg)
Missing State : VA
Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States
Eye Color: Hazel
Case Number: USVAVA07-41
Circumstances: Donesha was last seen on January 5, 2007. She was wearing a green t-shirt with white writing and blue jeans. She may still be in the local area.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
Virginia Missing Children’s Clearinghouse
1-800-822-4453
Henrico County Police Department Officer W.B. Gentry (804) 501-5000

Nina Mae McKinney: The Black “Garbo”

Excerpt from a Nina Mae McKinney fansite

“Nina Mae was indeed “The First Black Movie Star,” the first black actress in starring roles who appeared in over 30 films (more than Horne or Dandridge), some films are considered lost, some are not as available to the public. Her achievements in films was not only being the first Black movie star and actress in Hollywood, but also the first Black actress in starring roles in British films, television, and documentaries. Nina was also the first Black woman performer to become famous in her own country–the U.S., then went on to become a success in Europe, and became one of the most famous Black internationally-known entertainers. Nina Mae didn’t have to leave the U.S. to find glory like many of her contemporaries because when Nina Mae was in the U.S. she was a star, and during her tenure in Europe, she became a superstar.” (more…)

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The only movie I have seen her act is the movie “Hallelujah!” where she played a floozy-type that woos the affections of a country preacher who is about a sneeze away from needing salvation for his own soul. According to my mom, I believe she was about 15 years old when she did this film.

Still a great time to purchase a home

(northjersey.com) “New-home sales in the United States rose more than forecast in December, showing that the real estate market is improving following its biggest slump since 1990.

The 4.8 percent increase represented an annual pace of 1.12 million new homes, the most since April, from a 1.069 million rate the prior month, the Commerce Department said Friday in Washington. For all of last year, sales dropped 17 percent, the biggest decline in 16 years, to 1.061 million, from a record-high 1.283 million in 2005.

[…]

In New Jersey, most new-home buyers are already homeowners, and when they ran into trouble selling their current homes, many backed off from buying, O’Keefe said. “Both housing construction and new-home sales are slow here because our resale market remains lethargic,” he said.

In 2007, builders are expected to construct 27,000 new housing units in New Jersey, down from an estimated 33,000 in 2006, O’Keefe said.

Buyers were lured back into the market after builders cut prices and sweetened incentives.

Combined with more jobs, rising incomes and still-cheap mortgage rates, the sales increase may give companies such as Lennar Corp. reason to be more optimistic on the outlook for this year.” (source)

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Out here in California, new home builders are almost to the point of paying folks to purchase their standing inventory. What I bolded in the above passage is perhaps the main reason why potential new home buyers have been backing off the market.

>>>To all of my single readers, this is a good time to purchase a home–even if you use it as investment property. Rates are still reasonably low and as I just mentioned, you will have the upper hand with your negotiations. Don’t sleep!! <<<

What is the problem here?

**UPDATED! SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF POST** 

(gazette.net) “Prince George’s County’s recent economic prosperity could be jeopardized unless African-American males, who make up a sizable portion of the future workforce, make greater strides in academic achievement, business advocates and educators say.

African-American males make up 39 percent of the county’s public school population, or nearly 52,000 students, and they have among the lowest rates of academic achievement.

These advocates say black boys need more focused support from the school system to be effective workers when they graduate from high school or are ready to attend college.

‘‘We are going to start seeing ourselves regressing [economically] if we don’t ensure African-American males are being educated in a way that would make them productive and effective members of the workforce and society in general,” said Orlan Johnson, a member of the Board of Regents for the University of Maryland.

[…]

On the High School Assessments, which are required by state law for graduation, black males passed at lower rates than black females and almost every other racial subgroup.

Of African-American males who took the algebra exam in the 2006 school year, for example, only 37.7 percent passed, almost 10 percent fewer than African American females.

Asian males passed the exam 71 percent of the time, and white males passed it 74.9 percent of the time.

While these rates of passing are low for black males, they have increased over the past four years and showed their largest increase in the 2006 school year.

Johnson said that if poor performance of African American males in school continued, it could mean that county businesses could have to go outside the state to bring in workers to compensate.” (source)

Here you have what is considered the wealthiest county for Black folks in the nation, however our young men are still under performing in public schools while other races appear to be fairing well. While poverty and racism has been the standard reasons given for this trend, I think that we can rule those out here.

I’ll be quiet here for a moment and let some of you respond to this one.

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Here is some additional information on PG county and their school system. More and more I am finding this topic very interesting because I have been wanting to get more information about PG in general.
PG County (Wikipedia)

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As of 2006 the district has an enrollment of almost 134,000 students and is the second largest school district in Maryland (after Montgomery County) and the 18th largest school district in the nation. PGCPS operates 137 elementary schools, 32 middle schools, and 23 high schools with nine special centers and two vocational centers, and serves students in Grades Pre-K through 12th grade employing over 17,000 people. The school system is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education. The FY2006 budget for PGCPS is almost $1.4 billion United States dollars. This is an increase of over $100 million from the previous year. PGCPS has a per pupil expenditure lower than surrounding school districts in the Washington, DC-area, at $8,612.

The district is headed by a superintendent, currently referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO). Howard A. Burnett, the former chief human resources officer of the school district, was interim replacement CEO through April, 2006. Dr. John E. Deasy took office on May 1, 2006. Dr. Deasy was the former superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

In terms of racial demographics, African-Americans make up the majority of the systems students at 74.35% followed by 13.60% Hispanic, 6.14% non-Hispanic white, 2.85% Asian, and 0.52% Native American. (click here for more information)

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School District Summary - Prince George’s County

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The Achievement Gap: The Role for Families and Communities
Prince Georges’s County Schools
October 5, 2005

Dr. Leroy Tompkins is the Chief Accountability Officer for the Prince George’s County Public Schools.

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With Few Public Options, Competition to Get Into Top High School Programs Is Fierce

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Turning to Busing

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And here is a forum I found where a Black teacher from Georgia is asking about PG and the school system. You should read the responses!!

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Some people are just…um…special

For the record, I can’t stand American Idol. But for whatever reason, my wife has me hooked on it this season. One thing I have noticed, the DVR is a Black family’s best friend. I say that because as you know, we have this thing where we like to talk back to the screen thinking that the people on the other side can actually hear us. The DVR allow you to pause the show, tell somebody off or give instruction, then you can just un-pause and enjoy the rest of the show. The pause button is used a lot for American Idol in our house.

Man, the people that have been trying out so far really have some problems. I mean, really, REALLY deep problems. And then, after proving to the world that they couldn’t carry a tune even if it was on a sheet of paper, THEY GET MAD at the judges!

Okay, let me hit the pause button fo’ min!!!

The other day I heard on the news that “some” (notice they never tell you who) people out there have been complaining that perhaps the judges are being too harsh on these contestants. What is more harsh: being told by a few judges that you can’t sing or being told day in and day out by folks all around the world that you suck?

This show always leaves me wondering if there is anybody out there willing to tell these po’ babies that they really need some professional help–not with singing.

Well, come to our house and we will be glad to do it!

un-pause!

Remember Ebony Jr. ?

For all the ’70’s babies out there, this has to be a blast from the past for you. Guess what? The Johnson Publishing Company now has the Ebony Jr. website. (check it out)

As long as they keep to the formula they used back in the day, I can see this becoming a favorite choice for reading in this generation of young kids.

We’re getting old, y’all!

Pruning the family tree

I remember last year hearing and reading about fellow Black Americans who embarked on a personal crusade to trace their roots back to Africa. As a history buff myself, on many levels I found this to be very exciting. Even in my own family we have been able to retrieve bits and pieces of our family tree dating back to the Civil war.

Any historian who is worth their salt will tell you that the vast majority of Blacks (excluding first generation Africans) in this country are not 100% full-blooded decedents of the first Africans brought to this country for slavery. This means that the average Black person that you see on the street has a mixture of other races within their family linage. Just a casual study of the post-slavery era migration of Blacks will reveal that although Blacks (like other races) tend to stay within their group, it was not uncommon to see intermarriage taking place with native Americans, South Americans, Jews and Europeans.

Now let’s be real here–if you have a dark skin tone your natural proclivity is to identify with your African roots. But does this also mean that you deny or downplay your other roots? Being able to tell someone what African tribe or village your roots originate is great, but it does not tell the whole story. For many Black people, it has become the assumed fact that if you have any traces of white in your bloodline, you can be sure that it was due to rape. On the other hand, the mixture of other races is considered okay. I want my kids to know their WHOLE story, not just the portions that accommodate my personal biases. By withholding this detailed information, I am imprinting into their consciousness the same ideological boundaries that were created under Jim Crow.

Perhaps the deeper question here is that how can we push for policies that enforce diversity when in many cases we are not willing to acknowledge the diversity within us?

Related post: Loving the jambalaya under my skin

They’re just male students

I just came across this page that highlights many of the cases over the years where female teachers have engaged in sexual activity with male students. While this trend has been downplayed by the perception that young men are not as affected by this as young women, teachers having sex with their students is wrong PERIOD. For my Black readers, while it would be easy for us to dismiss this as a “white-only” problem because the vast majority of these cases involve Whites, remember that is happening on YOUR tax dollar. Plus, since this is an AMERICAN problem (something that my critics are quick to point out anytime I discuss negative issues in the Black community)  I figured that this is something worth bringing to their attention.

Related post: “Public school bureaucracy in print”

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“Here is a list of the teacher ’sexpidemic’ cases WND has documented where female teachers have been accused, or convicted, of assaulting students…” (more…)

Here is your chance to help a sistah out

When Koreans started moving in on the Black beauty supply industry, some of the major complaints have centered around customer service (This is something I talked extensively about in this post). Anyway, a reader just posted the following comment:

“I am in process of starting up my own beauty supply /party supply store. Can I get some good advice?  Also need some hair/party suppliers.”  (Cynthia Carter)

Help her design the perfect beauty supply store.

Man, has divorce become just old news?

My wife is very good at leaving an assortment of magazines in our bathroom. Just the other day I came across an old Ebony magazine that feature Brian McKnight posing with his wife at the time and kids. The first thought that ran through my head was “Man, here this family was being portrayed as a family that had it all together.” And while this image remains immortalized on this magazine, sadly the marriage itself proved to be less than the image. Then I starting thinking about his kids and what they must think every time they see this picture on this magazine.
While I am quite sure that many of you may think by now that I am making a big deal about nothing and that divorce is “just another fact of life”, I am one those old fogies in the world that think differently. Hearing about someone getting divorced is news  I hope I will never get use to. While divorce is something that is quite common in our society, I believe that this is a trend that can be reversed. I mean, we can argue the trends and break it down by ethnicity or  class–that’s easy. How about highlighting the marriages that are working? With careful planing that includes the help of others who are not only married themselves, but are in love with their spouses and have been that way for AT LEAST 5 years (my personal rule of thumb), you will be increasing your chance of ensuring that your marriage is not another bad statistic. There is just nothing like hearing from people who have been been through it for years.

Here comes another one of my crazy ideas !
I think it would great if some of us married folks in the Black community got together and created a blog that highlighted the ups and downs of married life. I am emphasizing the Black community here only because I have not seen something like this created by us on the web. If something like that is out there, please let me know.

Hear the sounds of Philly

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ — What Philadelphia restaurant serves Oprah Winfrey’s favorite macaroni and cheese? Where did Muhammad Ali wish he had the opportunity to fight? What famous Philly legend does Eagles linebacker Dhani Jones admire?* Answers to these questions and many others are revealed on Philly Noir, the latest podcast tour on SoundAboutPhilly.com, a new site by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation featuring free dynamically mapped and completely customizable sound-seeing tours of Philadelphia. The fifth installment in the podcast series, Philly Noir concentrates on African-American culture and its role in the city’s past, present and future.

The tour is a fusion of Philly’s historic events, spiritual reflections, visual arts, soulful rhythms, legendary athletics and southern and Caribbean cuisine. Each of the 11 segments talks about a local venue that plays a pivotal part in the combined experience that makes up Philadelphia’s authentic flavor. The tour features distinctive and varied voices of business owners, pastors, musicians and everyday, in-the-know residents. (more…)

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Man, I do not want to hear somebody eating a cheesesteak, I want to eat it.

But seriously, this is a cool way to learn about a great (my home town ) city!