Monday, January 31, 2011
Carol Moseley Braun Goes Off
In a debate, in a church, Chicago mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun called her opponent, Paul Watkins, a crackhead. Read about it here and watch the video.
Five Times Greater
According to a commission report issued in Illinois, 19% of African Americans charged with low-level drug possession received prison sentences, compared with 4% of white defendants; in Cook County black persons were eight times more likely than whites to get prison time.
"A Rosa Parks Moment For Education"
In the Washington Post Kevin Huffman discusses Kelley Williams-Bolar's conviction for lying about her address so that her daughters could attend better schools. "Williams-Bolar has become a cause celebre in a case that crosses traditional ideological bounds. African American activists are outraged, asking: Would a white mother face the same punishment for trying to get ker kids a better education? (Answer: No.)"
(Don't) Ask Michelle Bachmann
From the "can't make it up" and "WTF?" categories: Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., believes that "the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States. . . . Men like John Quincy Adams, who would not rest until slavery was extinguished in the country."
Fred Astaire In Blackface
In this NYT article Alastair Macaulay asks, "How should we react today to 'Bojangles of Harlem,' the extended solo in the 1936 film 'Swing Time' in which Fred Astaire, then at the height of his fame, wears blackface to evoke the African-American dancer Bill Robinson?"
Rebooting Segregation
Patricia Williams shares her concerns about "a right-wing power base informed by ideologues who would eviscerate the Fourteenth Amendment's promse of equality by restricting voting rights and limiting public expenditures on the 'parasites' who leech off the welfare of 'their' America."
The Legacy Of Challenger Astronaut Ronald McNair
Ronald McNair, a physicist, was one of the astronauts who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. This ABC News story notes that "[i]n 1959, when McNair was just 9 years old, he famously made a scene at the Lake City [South Carolina] Public Library. Residents stared the African American boy down and watched as he walked to the main counter and attempted to check out books on advanced science and calculus. The librarian refused to release them and told him, 'We don't circulate books to Negroes.'" When McNair refused to leave the police were called and McNair's mother Pearl arrived at the library. The officers "determined the boy was not causing any public disturbance and Pearl convinced the librarian she'd pay for the books if they were not returned. The librarian gave in."
The Real Househusbands Of Beverly Hills Have Their Say
For those who watch the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (you know who you are) check this out.
The Felony Conviction Of Kelley Williams-Bolar
In Ohio Kelley Williams-Boar, seeking a better school district for her daughters, was convicted for lying about her residency and sentenced to 10 days in jail and two years probation. NPR's Michel Martin interviews the school district's superintendent.
We're No. 1 . . . And That's A Problem
There are times when being first is not a good thing. According to this story, my home state of Missouri "has the highest homicide rate involving African-American victims for the second time in the last five years . . ."
Rep. Jim Moran On The 2010 Midterm Election
Why did Republicans do so well in the 2010 midterms? According to Moran, "a lot of people in this country . . . don't want to be governed by an African-American."
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
"George Allen's Race Problem"
As George Allen gears up for a run for the United States Senate seat he lost to Jim Webb in 2006, this Daily Beast story by Benjamin Sarlin discusses Allen's "race problem."
Boy Scout Troop 914
In November of last year 12 young men (who happen to be black) earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in scouting.
Lady Justice's Changing Features And Color
Dennis Curtis and Judith Resnick discuss this subject in Slate.
Michelle Obama Is "Blackie O"?
From the mouth and mind of Joan Rivers: "We used to have Jackie O now we have Blackie O." That's supposed to be funny. Right.
The Memphis State Eight
As noted in this article, in 1959 eight black students enrolled in Memphis State University, integrating the university. One of the students, Sammie Burnett Johnson, died on January 15.
Fired For Using The N-Word
Tom Burlington, a news anchor, was fired for using the n-word in a staff meeting and has filed a lawsuit challenging his discharge. Read about it here.
Remapping Debate
Check out Remapping Debate's interactive maps and the high levels of segregation in various parts of hte United States.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tony Dungy's Influence
The following individuals at one time served as coaches on the staff of former NFL head coach Tony Dungy (who won Super Bowl XLI): current Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith (who lost to Dungy's team in Super Bowl XLI); current Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell (who lost in Super Bowl XLIV); and current Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (winner of Super Bowl XLIII). That's an amazing legacy.
The Wiley Price Gallery
Wiley Price is a longtime friend and played a mean trombone in our band. He's now a celebtrated photographer and some of his work can be seen here.
Black History Month Is Coming
February (the shortest month of the year . . . but I digress) is coming and that means that we will soon be in Black History Month. If you're looking for or interested in black hisory facts and figures, click here.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Real McCoy
Here is an interesting profile on the inventor Elijah McCoy, the man whose "name would come to symbolize quality workmanship-the Real McCoy!"
Unsung African-American Chemists
A recent Science Careers article in Science magazine notes the important contributions to chemistry made by Lawrence Knox (who received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Harvard in 1935) and his older brother, William Knox, Jr. (who received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from M.I.T. in 1940). Another Knox brother, Clinton, received his Ph.D. in history in 1940.)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
"Kiss My Butt"
That was Maine Governor Paul LePage's response to the NAACP's complaint that LePage was not participating in any MLK Day events in the coming week. Well, at least he didn't say "ass."
UPDATE: On Monday Governor LePage did appear at a breakfast honoring Dr. King.
UPDATE: On Monday Governor LePage did appear at a breakfast honoring Dr. King.
MLK Would Not Oppose The Iraq And Afghanistan Wars?
Speaking at a Pentagon commemmoration of the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Defense Department general counsel Jeh C. Johnson told the audience that King would understand the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: "I believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would recognize that we live in a complicated world, and that our nation's military should not and cannot lay down its arms and leave the American people vulnerable to terrorist attack." As you assess and react to that statement, consider Dr. King's April 1967 speech on Vietnam delivered at the Riverside Church in Manhattan.
Hiring Discrimination
Laura Bassett addresses the problem of hiring discrimination and how employers weed out unemployed job applicants in this Huffington Post article.
The Council Of Conservative Citizens Is Boycotting The Movie "Thor"
Why the boycott? Because actor Idris Elba (Stringer Bell in "The Wire" and Charles Miner on "The Office," among other roles), who happens to be black, has been cast in the role of Thor.
Cookie Gilchrist, Rest In Peace
Cookie Gilchrist, former Buffalo Bills running back, has passed away at the age of 75. As Dave Zirin notes, in 1965 Gilchrist "led an African American boycott of the [American Football League] All Star game, which was to be played in New Orleans. In 1965, an informal Jim Crow system ruled the Crescent city and African American players talked among themselves about their inability to get cabs, be served in restaurants, or stay at certain hotels. Gilchrist organized all 22 African American All-Pros to approach AFL commissioner Joe Foss and make clear that unless the game was moved, they wouldn't be playing. White players also announced that they would stand in support of their Black teammates. Foss had no choice but to accede to their demands, and moved the game to Houston's Jeppesen Stadium."
The Limbaugh Billboard In Tucson
From Gawker: "Oh look, it's a billboard for Rush Limbaugh featuring a bunch of bullet holes. This billboard is located in Tucson, Arizona. We blame the liberal media, somehow."
Michael Starks, Rest In Peace
Michael Starks, the first black graduate of Tulane University's School of Law, has passed away at the age of 67.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Huckleberry Finn And The Word "Nigger"
Much has been written and said about a new edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in which the 219 instances of the use of the word "nigger" are omitted and replaced with the word "slave." In my view the word should not be removed and the classic work not altered or edited, by anyone, including the apparently well-intentioned Twain scholar Alan Gribben of Auburn University.
Consider several reactions to this development: Leonard Pitts argues that "is is never a good idea to sugarcoat the past" and that "any work of art represents a series of conscious choices on the part of the artist--what color to paint, what note to play, what word to use--in that artist's attempt to share what is in his or her soul. The audience is free to accept or reject those choices; it is emphatically not free to substitute its own."
John McWhorter notes that "Twain's use of the n-word was an illustration of injustice. The fact that he used it so often in the text served to make that point more effectively--that this was the warp and woof of how black people were viewed in the context he wrote about (as opposed to Rhett Butler saying 'damn' only once in 'Gone With the Wind')." And: "This genuflective brand of horror at the N-word is insulting to black people more generally. The idea, under this mission creep from civility to neurosis, is that for black people only, there is a particular sequence of sounds whose utterance is to be treated as gravely sociopathic. This, despite its frequent misinterpretation as lending black people some kind of strength, is actually a badge of weakness. We become America's only people who brandish proudly our potential to be shot to pieces at the presentation of a mere word."
And click here to watch Melissa Harris-Perry's reaction and analysis.
Consider several reactions to this development: Leonard Pitts argues that "is is never a good idea to sugarcoat the past" and that "any work of art represents a series of conscious choices on the part of the artist--what color to paint, what note to play, what word to use--in that artist's attempt to share what is in his or her soul. The audience is free to accept or reject those choices; it is emphatically not free to substitute its own."
John McWhorter notes that "Twain's use of the n-word was an illustration of injustice. The fact that he used it so often in the text served to make that point more effectively--that this was the warp and woof of how black people were viewed in the context he wrote about (as opposed to Rhett Butler saying 'damn' only once in 'Gone With the Wind')." And: "This genuflective brand of horror at the N-word is insulting to black people more generally. The idea, under this mission creep from civility to neurosis, is that for black people only, there is a particular sequence of sounds whose utterance is to be treated as gravely sociopathic. This, despite its frequent misinterpretation as lending black people some kind of strength, is actually a badge of weakness. We become America's only people who brandish proudly our potential to be shot to pieces at the presentation of a mere word."
And click here to watch Melissa Harris-Perry's reaction and analysis.
Lithwick On The House Of Representatives' (Selective) Reading Of The Constitution
In her "Constitutional Whitewash" column in Slate, Dahlia Lithwick comments on the way in which the House of Representatives read the United States Constitution in its "most modern, amended form" on January 6, 2011, thereby leaving out the document's reference to enslaved men, women, and children as three-fifths of a person. (You may recall that during the reading of the section of the Constitution setting out the eligilibity requirements for the president a woman yelled out "except Obama, except Obama!") Also omitted, by accident, was a reading of sections of Article IV and Article V; apparently, the reader turned two pages instead of one and the missing material was later read into the Congressional record.
The Influence Of The Tea Party
Note this development in the Wake County School District in North Carolina: a "new majority-Republican school board backed by national tea party conservatives . . . has abolished the policy behind one of the nation's most celebrated integration efforts."
Remember Rep. Joe Wilson Yelling "You Lie" At President Obama?
EEOC Discrimination Charges: A New Record
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced that the number of private sector workpalce discrimination charges filed with the agency (99,922 in fiscal year 2010) set a record. During the 2010 fiscal year the EEOC filed 250 lawsuits, resolved another 285 lawsuits, and processed and resolved 104,999 private sector claims.
Mike Tyson's New Show
For real: "Taking on Tyson," a six-part docudrama coming to Animal Planet beginning March 6, focusing on his love for pigeons.
Integrating The University Of Georgia
Fifty years ago Charlayne Hunter (now Charlayne Hunter-Gault) and Hamilton Holmes were admitted as the first two black students at the University of Georgia. As Hunter-Gault told NPR's Steve Inskeep (listen to the story), "We were greeted by a screaming, howling mob of students, and I think some provocateurs. And as we walked under the arch, the students were yelling and screaming all kinds of epithets, and telling us to go home--in some cases saying, 'Kill the you-know-what.'"
Hat Tip: ddow
Hat Tip: ddow
Legacy Applicants And College Admissions
This story discusses a study of admissions at thirty highly selective colleges and the finding that "applicants to a parent's alma mater had, on average, seven times the odds of admission of nonlegacy applicants."
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Pat Buchanan On Haley Barbour
(MSNBC commentator!) Pat Buchanan, commenting on Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's recent and ridiculous statements about the White Citizens Council in the Yazoo, Mississippi of Barbour's youth: "No one has contradicted the facts as stated by Haley, that the Citizens' Council of Yazoo City consisted of 'town leaders' who did not want any Klan violence ripping their town apart." I almost stopped there but kept reading, finding this: "But if Haley had meant to leave the impression that the White Citizens' Councils were promoting peaceful integration, that would have been laughable. Like almost all the U.S. senators from the 11 states of the Old Confederacy who signed the Dixie Manifesto opposing the Brown decision, the White Citizens' Councils believed in massive resistance to integration." When even Pat Buchanan corrects you . . .
Billy Taylor, Rest In Peace
Jazz pianist Bily Taylor died last month at the age of 89. Stanley Crouch argues that Taylor "took with him something now symbolized by few black people in mass media or the academy."
"The Year Of The Black Quarterback"
Check out this article by Darren Everson and Ben Cohen in the Wall Street Journal.
Commemorating The Largest Slave Revolt In U.S. History
On January 8, 1811, Charles Deslondes and more than 200 enslaved men "staged a revolt . . . that historians say is the largest uprising of enslaved people in this country." The story is here.
The War On Drugs And Black America
From John McWhorter: "[W]ith no War on Drugs there would be, in one generation, no 'black problem' in the United States. Poverty in general, yes. An education problem in general--probably. But the idea that black America had a particular crisis would rapidly become history, requiring explanation to young people."
Universities And Demographics
From the NYT: "Although the changing demographics of college campuses may be grabbing the headlines, the more compelling issue is how the growing number of minority students presents serious social and academic challenges for financially strapped universities, even as the schools are under pressure to boost graduation rates."
Friday, January 7, 2011
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