Commentary
Robinswing, Black Kos Editor
The blackwoman came of age during times of protest. Marches, Freedom Riders, lynchings and assassination were almost routine. Idealist that I am I’ve been thinking we ought to be a little further down the road. The revolution we were told, would not be televised.
Back in the day it was about boots to ground. Today it seems that it’s a head fight happening between those of us who might already have the leisure of retirement and those younger souls who perhaps have not the pleasure of employment. These are indeed interesting times.
(con't.)
I’ve watched the Democratic Party shoot itself in the foot time and time again. When we talk about health care we tend not to mention that the last Democratic President also had majorities enough for the passage of health care. We let ourselves be told it was because he had excluded Congress in the process. When himself couldn’t get it done the public sent a Republican’t Congress for the first time in fifty years. No one took the message that perhaps the country wanted the bums out who voted against health care for all Americans.
Mostly the Democratic Party doesn’t get pass the mess in messaging. Otherwise they would remind each other of the price they pay for not getting it done. This would be my message to them... If you are not going to differentiate yourself from those bat shit crazy Republican’ts we’ll send in the real thing. At least they don’t pretend to care.
No one seems to remember that Newt was the brain trust. Sad things is this is probably still true in the sense that Newt can speak in complete sentences yet knows he is dishonest and hypocritical. Most of the rest of them actually believe the shit they sprout.
Sometimes it seems to me that all folk who call themselves the party of the people, might not really be so. They win by default in some instances because the Republican’ts are no longer running Biff and Buffy (the Democrats having absorbed them in the Big Tent). The name Big Tent ought to read as a caution. Circus possible.
As a blackwoman I am watching very closely. I know a little bit about the word bamboozle. Got a strong feeling that some bamboozling is afoot.
For one thing, there’s an awful lot of threatening going on. That Stupak idiot worked along housemate Republican’t Pitts. Say what you want, I just don’t believe any real capital D Democrat would be a part of the Family. I think we have been bamboozled.
My grandmother used to say that what you do speaks so loudly I don’t have to listen to what you say.
In this instance the media is acting ringmaster. Pointing as they do to the distraction of the moment. What trips me is how they can do the same thing over and over again and we don’t seem to catch on.
The same issues Karl Rove used to galvanize Republican’ts are being used to fracture the Democrats. Seems to be working from what I’m watching.
Gay marriage. Initiatives to reverse the ruling of the courts. Brings out the haters. Division in the party. Guess who wins?
Why aren’t we picketing the haters?
The Archdiocese of D.C. has delusions of Rome. They have issued an edict in response to a political issue. The church of Peter continues to be on the wrong side of history and deeply confused about the role to minister unto His sheep. They think they get to negotiate this aspect of Christianity. Interesting.
This ought to necessitate another March on Washington.
Folks still thinking they can slide a theocracy into the mix.
How can we expect anyone to reject the Taliban while we are still not rid of our own militant fundamentalist?
How do we criticize Al Jazeera or mock anyone for their state run media? Ours is state of confusion. Sad state.
We are listening to folk who want to call what happened at Fort Hood a terrorist attack cause they know this keeps the masses afraid enough to be manipulated. We ought to be in streets with signs in front of the studios where Sean Hannity broadcasts calling out his lies.
Instead it seems we are content to sit at our computers and fling mud at each other. Been there. Done that. No health care to show for it. The revolution needs to be televised.
Now run and tell that.
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Commentary
by Sephius1
Most of us know someone who has gone blind, or at the very least their eyesight has deteriorated. And in some cases, temporary blindness. It can be caused by traumatic stress, or complications to ailments like diabetes and hypertension.
While alot of research has been done, it is more on side of diagnosing the many causes of blindness. One woman that was, and still is, a pioneer in this field is Patricia Bath
When Patricia Era Bath was born on November 4, 1942, she could have succumbed to the pressures and stresses associated with growing up in Harlem, New York. With the uncertainty present because of World War II and the challenges for members of Black communities in the 1940's, one might little expect that a top flight scientist would emerge from their midst. Patricia Bath, however, saw only excitement and opportunity in her future, sentiments instilled by her parents. Her father, Rupert, was well-educated and an eclectic spirit. He was the first Black motorman for the New York City subway system, served as a merchant seaman, traveling abroad and wrote a newspaper column. Her mother Gladys, was the descendant of African slaves and Cherokee Native Americans. She worked as a housewife and domestic, saving money for her children's education. Rupert was able to tell his daughter stories about his travels around the world, deepening her curiosity about people in other countries and their struggles. Her mother encouraged her to read constantly and broadened Patricia's interest in science by buying her a chemistry set. With the direction and encouragement offered by her parents, Patricia quickly proved worthy of their efforts.
Bath was enrolled in Charles Evans Hughes High School in New York where she served as the editor of the school's science paper. In 1959, she was selected from a vast number of students across the country for a summer program at Yeshiva University (New York City) sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Only 16 years old she worked in the field of cancer research under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Bernard and Rabbi Moses D. Tendler. During the program she developed a number of theories about cancer growth and at the end of the summer she offered a mathematical equation that could be used to predict the rate of the growth of a cancer. So impressed with her was Dr. Bernard that he incorporated parts of her research into a joint scientific paper that he presented at a conference in Washington, DC. Due to the resulting publicity about her work, Mademoiselle magazine presented Patricia with its 1960 Merit Award. The award was presented annually to ten young women demonstrating the promise of great achievement. In only 2 1/2 years of study she was able to graduate from high school and set out for college.
In 1964, Bath graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College in New York. Soon thereafter, she enrolled in medical school at Howard University in Washington, DC. Her exposure to Black professors and administrators had a great impact on her belief in Black leadership in society. While in medical school, she took part in a summer program in Yugoslavia, focused on pediatrics research. The program, sponsored by a government fellowship, allowed her to travel abroad for the first time and to gain experience internationally. She graduated with honors from Howard in 1968....Read more
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This weeks news by
Amazinggrace and dopper0189, Black Kos Editor and Managing Editor
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I (dopper0189) just heard my first sermon at a synagogue for a friends son's bar mitzva last Saturday. Jewish Exponent: Blacks, Jews Meet to Do Networking, Renew Ties.
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Organizers of an Oct. 28 Center City networking event for Jewish and African-American young professionals fretted over whether anyone would show up; the start time was just hours before the first pitch of the World Series.
In the end, more than 200 people packed into Restaurant 13 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, swapping business cards and sipping drinks.
The hobnobbing was the first public event put on by the Idea Coalition, a group of about 40 black and Jewish professionals, many whom are in their 20s and 30s, and work in law, business, the arts and politics. read more here -->
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This really needs to be saved. The Hilltop: Moorland-Spingarn May Be Forced to Close.
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Due to financial and structural setbacks, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) may be forced to close its doors after 95 years of existence, according to MRSC Interim Director Thomas C. Battle, Ph.D.
"The loss of 60 percent of its resources and the abolishment of some critical positions due to the Voluntary Separation Incentive Retirement Program (VSIRP) resulted in many problems," Battle said.
MSRC is recognized as one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the cultural history of people in the African Diaspora, according to Howard.edu. The center that holds the Black Caucus repository, information of TransAfrica, documents pertinent to the formation of the Black Greek Lettered Organizations and Howard University administrative records is facing a cut back in hours of operation and loss of staff.
According to Battle, MSRC formerly had a staff of 50 or more people but now only 12 staff members remain in the library division. Battle said critical positions that are vacant are director, chief librarian, chief administrator and prints and photography librarian.
"This should be a greater outcry," Battle said. "This is the premier place to research black history and culture." read more here -->
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History calls. Indian Country Today: Story of Americans with Native and black ancestry stirs deep emotions.
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An exhibition opening this fall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian explores the identity of people whose ancestry is both African American and Native American.
"IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas" is an exhibition of 20 banners bearing photographs and text. It will be shown at the museum in Washington from Nov. 10 through May 31, 2010. A symposium on the topic of the exhibition will be held at 3 p.m. Nov.13 at the museum.
Guest curator Thunder Williams, a Washington, D.C., radio talk show host, is Carib Indian, African and European. "The exhibition touches a deep interest in African American communities because of their links with Native America," he said. Published accounts estimate that 60 percent of African Americans may share Native American ancestry, he said. read more here -->
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In honor of Veteran's Day a great photo gallery on the contribution of black soldiers to America's history. News One: Gallery: Black Soldiers from the Revolution to
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Since the United States of America was brought into existence by the Revolutionary War, Black soldiers have served bravely in every armed conflict this nation has faced. In honor of Veteran’s Day, here’s a retrospective of Black involvement in American wars past and present. read and see more great photos here -->
Crispus Attucks
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A modern ad executive rethinks a pioneering Johnson Publishing marketing campaign. EbonyJet.com: RETHINK: Fight The Power.
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We asked ad agency executive Mat Burnett, of Super Genius LLC in Chicago to give some modern perspective on a series of revolutionary ads done by Johnson Publishing in the late 1960s and how far (or not) ethnic advertising has come since then.
In 2009 when you talk about Blacks in advertising or minorities in advertising, you’re really talking about the gap between consumers and creators. In the late 50s and early 60s - the so-called golden age of advertising - the hard work was convincing mainstream advertisers that Black folks had real money to spend, never mind who was making the ads. That was the first battle that the "experimental" ads from Johnson Publishing were fighting, a fight to value the purchasing power and relevance of a Black consumer market. A consumer market that was perfectly ready, willing and able to purchase basic mass marketed products like detergent and beer. And, honestly, it’s the fight you had to win first before you could move on to deeper issues, like who exactly is going to create the messages.
The creative strength of these ads, despite how old-fashioned and downright clumsy they seem today, is in the humor and the audacity of the communication. The message is basically, "you’re not going to believe this, but Black people actually have money to spend!" Radical in its honesty, if not in its pedigree. Like everyone else at the time, the creatives behind the Johnson ads were taking a page from Doyle Dane Bernbach’s "Think Small" campaign for Volkswagen. Advertising that was astoundingly simple and relied on strong visuals and challenging headlines – a breakthrough notion in the 60s. read more here -->
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Three very nice young ladies we're sure. The Eye 20 Creative Corridor: Thornton Sisters’ Story.
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North Louisiana should be on the map for being home to three incredible ladies: the Thornton sisters. We are so fortunate to have three amazing centenarians residing in Minden, Louisiana. Maggie Mae Renfro Thornton is the oldest of the three sisters at the wonderful age of 115. Not only is she the eldest sister, she is the oldest living person in Louisiana, the 4th oldest in the United States, and the 6th oldest on the planet. That is incredible! Ms. Maggie was born on November 14, 1894 according to the U.S. census, but if you ask her, she was born in 1893. Ms. Maggie, just like any lady, does not want anyone to know her true age. Ms. Maggie does like to be called by her nickname, Sugar. The reason she was named Sugar was because when Maggie was a baby, her Mother had to take Maggie to work with her in the cotton fields. To keep Maggie pacified, Maggie’s mother would fill a "little bitty ole clean rag" with a spoon of sugar and a lot of butter. She would tie the cloth with a piece of string. When Maggie became hungry, she would suck the sugar out of the rag, so they called her Sugar. Following in Maggie’s footsteps is her younger sister, Carrie Miller Thornton, nicknamed Noonie. Ms. Carrie was born on April 9, 1902, making her only 108 years old. Just a youngster! The baby of the family, Ms. Rosie Lee Warren Thornton, nicknamed Squate, was born on January 6, 1906, making her 103. Just a baby! There were eleven children in the Thornton family, and they were all born in Athens, Louisiana in Claiborne Parish.
First, on that most terrible day in October of 1929, forever known as Black Tuesday, when the stock market crashed sending the nation into a depression that lasted seven long years, Maggie was 35 years old, Carrie was 27 years old, and Rosie was 23 years old. Most of the elders in this book were children during the Great Depression, but these ladies lived through that period in history as adults. read more here -->
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I think this video speaks for itself. ColorOfChange: Murdoch: What exactly do you mean?
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ColorOfChange responding by sending Murdoch this open letter:
Dear Mr. Murdoch:
On July 28th, Glenn Beck said that President Obama has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture," and went on to call him a "racist." These statements were indefensible, angering and offending not only Black Americans, but Americans of every color. They led more than 285,000 people to call on sponsors to pull their support from Beck's show. And more than 80 advertisers of conscience have done just that.
On Friday, November 6th, you endorsed Glenn Beck's statements, saying "if you actually assess what he was talking about, he was right." We would like you to explain yourself. Do you really think President Obama is a racist? What part of Beck's statements do you agree with, and why?
It has been an open question as to whether or not News Corporation or FOX News would reign in Glenn Beck. It seems that we may now have our answer. Since his attack on the President, Beck's pattern of race-baiting has continued unabated. Perhaps he feels so secure spouting this outrageous rhetoric, Mr. Murdoch, because you personally agree with his most inflammatory statements.
read more here-->
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We wonder when "post racial" America will address this inequality? Black Voice: Missing Blacks Get Less Media Attention
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Fifty-year-old Nancy Cobbs lived in the same Cleveland neighborhood as suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell. She had been missing for seven months, when police uncovered the remains of 11 African American women from Sowell's home.
Hunt explained how her mother never stayed away from home without calling and how she hadn't received any help, even after reporting her mother missing to police.
"She always comes home. It's not just like her to disappear," Hunt said.
But it turns out that Cobb's family reported her missing to housing authority police and did not file a report with the Cleveland police department until four days after the first bodies were uncovered. The mistake, said Derrica Wilson, CEO and founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, is a common one among African Americans whose loved ones go missing.
"The truth of the matter is minorities do not know where to turn or what to do when their loved ones go missing in most cases," said Wilson, who also works as a police officer. "Housing Authority Police are not trained to handle cases such as missing persons. They do not have the tools, and it also appears that they didn't notify law enforcement once this information was reported to them."
Last week, Cobbs' remains were found in Sowell's home.
It's tragedies like these that inspired Wilson to start the Black and Missing Foundation five years ago with Natalie Wilson, a public affairs specialist for the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue.
But while the foundation is committed to making a difference, statistics show that people of color make up a disproportionate percentage of those who go missing.
According to the FBI, 255,575 African Americans were reported missing in 2008, 33 percent of the total. Minorities accounted for 38 percent of the total, but it could be higher because some Hispanics and Latinos are classified as white based on appearance, according to the FBI.
The stories of missing white women and girls, such as Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart and JonBenet Ramsey are covered as national, even international, news. But I live in New York and have never heard of the cases of Sasha Davis, Jarib Bennett and 4-month-old Selah Davis. All three, from the Bronx, N.Y., went missing in February 2008 after visiting friends. Their car was later found abandoned. read more here -->
Remember this link: Black and Missing, but not Forgotten, here it is spelled out: http://www.blackandmissing.blogspot.com/
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Even with Oscar buzz and box office success, "Precious" isn’t likely to blow up the careers of its female stars. Black actresses still have a hard row to hoe. Just ask Angela Bassett—and Cicely Tyson. The Root: Hollywood: Same As It Ever Was.
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With Precious, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry are attempting to change both the Oscar game and what audiences have come to expect from black movies.
Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire, is extremely powerful, but I sincerely doubt it will change anything for black actresses in Hollywood. The film is strong, but not that strong.
Even if totally successful on every level—from box office receipts to a cultural shift away from the paralysis of self-pity—Hollywood will continue to go along as it has gone. Too many people are satisfied with the cardboard darkies that supposedly represent black women on film in the past.
When one looks at Byron Hurt’s Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes or his equally important Barack & Curtis, the problems with the media depictions of black women should become clear. Most people, black, white or whatever else, should be disturbed by the reduction of black women into beautiful but lascivious sperm buckets, overweight hams or abrasive bitches "deserving" of beat-downs. This caricature of black womanhood is as far removed from life and human dignity as molasses are from the taste of salt. read more here -->
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When it comes to colorism, "Precious" is still the same old, same old. Does Hollywood Still Have a Brown Paper Bag Test?
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The new movie Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire sheds some much needed light on socioeconomic issues that haven’t changed much since the 1996 release of Sapphire’s book, Push. But the film’s casting also sheds light on how little color issues have changed since the Jiggaboos and the Wannabes first had it out in Madame Re-Re’s Hair Salon a few decades ago.
Call it overanalyzing, but is it a coincidence that Precious’ dark-skinned mother is physically and verbally abusive, her dark-skinned father is a drug addict who rapes her, and the main character herself is a dark-skinned 16-year-old mother of two? Meanwhile, the teacher, social worker and nurse who uplift and bring positivity into her life are all light-skinned.
Black entertainment has made little progress in the last century when it comes to colorism. Both dark- and light-skinned blacks continue to be cast in roles that perpetuate stereotypes within our own community. Light-skinned people are good; dark-skinned people are bad. Light-skinned people live comfortably; dark-skinned people live in the projects. Don’t believe that colorism is still seeping into our psyches? Read Monique Fields’ piece about her 4-year-old daughter who told her, "Brown people drive old cars."
Click Here
Most of the mainstream black entertainers are light-skinned because the Wannabes are still favored over the Jiggaboos. Chocolate folks don’t get much love, even when black people are producing the films and television roles. Pretty much every other Tyler Perry film has a dark-skinned male aggressor and light-skinned male savior (Shemar Moore vs. Steve Harris in Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Blair Underwood vs. Boris Kodjoe in Madea’s Family Reunion). When a character gets replaced on a sitcom, their complexion usually gets lighter (from Janet Hubert-Whitten to Daphne Maxwell-Reid on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Jazz Raycole to Jennifer Freeman on My Wife and Kids). And the biggest black entertainers right now could probably all pass a brown paper bag test (Beyoncé, Rihanna, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Tyra Banks, Alicia Keys).
If darker-skinned actors can’t get decent portrayal in a film like Precious, well, where can they? read more here -->
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Health aspects aside, this is an interesting article. The marketing at McDonald's is informed first and foremost by ethnic insights that shape the chain's marketing to African Americans, Asians and Hispanics. Then McDonald's lays those insights over work for the general market. Advertising Age: Ethnic Insights Form Foundations of McDonald's Marketing.
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"Ethnic segments are leading lifestyle trends," Neil Golden, chief marketer officer of McDonald's USA, told the ANA assembly. He added that his team decided to "start with the ones who are setting the pace."
They're also where a lot of the money is. Mr. Golden said 40% of McDonald's current U.S. business comes from the Hispanic, Asian and African-American markets, and 50% of consumers under the age of 13 are from those segments. "And they're among our most loyal users," Mr. Golden said.
McDonald's has attempted to understand ethnic segments for decades, hiring Burrell Communications in the early 1970s. But they haven't always gotten it right. Mr. Golden recalled a meeting with Chicago franchisees 15 years ago in which he announced that the African-American population was going to love a new product and marketing program. A franchisee asked him how he knew. McDonald's had done a study. The franchisee asked where it was held. Mr. Golden told him it had been conducted in a mall. "We don't have malls in the ghetto," the franchisee told him.
Since then, Mr. Golden said McDonald's has instituted an "approach that ensures this will never be an afterthought." Now during in the product-development cycle, McDonald's looks for a disproportionate level of ethnic insights, he said. Out of nine focus groups, whenever possible, two are Hispanic, two are Asian, two are African American and the remaining three represent the rest of the market. read more here -->
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In the black community barbershops and hair salons are a central part of the culture. The Press Enterprise: Black barbershops hosting health screening.
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John Jefferson, the owner of Cold Cutz, a barbershop in Riverside, has a personal reason for joining a nationwide initiative that encourages black men to get health screenings for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Jefferson's father died from complications related to diabetes, and on Saturday, Jefferson will be opening his shop to offer more than just a haircut and a shave.
Medical volunteers will be at barbershops in the Inland area to offer free blood pressure and blood sugar testing and provide health education materials through the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program.
"I know that it's needed," Jefferson said. "I know a lot of people, especially a lot of people of color, have trouble going to the doctor and getting regular checkups."
Jefferson said as soon as he learned about the national outreach program, he wanted to help bring it to Riverside.
"Riverside is very community oriented," Jefferson said. "They kind of expect that from us, and we're happy to answer the call."
The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program was launched two years ago in Los Angeles and has expanded nationally, said Phyllis Clark, founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Healthy Heritage Movement in Riverside. read more here -->
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The Obama's can and should give this effort a big boost. LA Times: Few blacks showing up for free vaccines in L.A. County
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Very few African Americans have used Los Angeles County's free H1N1 vaccine clinics, public health officials told county leaders Tuesday, raising concerns about outreach to a community that, as a group, has a high risk for serious flu complications.
Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, the county's public health director, expressed disappointment in the turnout by blacks but said he did not think the problem was a lack of clinic sites.
"Some surveys suggest it's lack of willingness to come forward," Fielding said, "and some of that is historic."
African Americans received 2.57% of the initial 60,773 vaccinations countywide, although they make up about 9% of the county population, according to public health figures released Tuesday by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. read more here -->
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Change is coming (slowly). The Nation: Detroit Elects Openly Gay City Council President.
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On November 3 the citizens of Detroit elected a new city council. The council presidency, awarded to the candidate receiving the most votes, went to Charles Pugh. Pugh is 38, black and a political neophyte, having previously worked as a local TV reporter and radio host. More significant, Pugh will be the first openly gay elected official in Detroit's history.
Detroit is not known for its friendliness to the LGBT community. Local pastors preach that homosexuality is a sin; former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick stated that he didn't want his children exposed to "the homosexual lifestyle"; and in 2007 the death of an openly gay resident, in what appeared to be a hate crime, was met with near-silence by officials. A few openly gay candidates had previously run for public office, but none successfully.
Yet, according to local LGBT advocates, most Detroiters don't fear gays so much as what can await those who openly support them. Public defenders of homosexuality face condemnation, ostracization, even charges that they they themselves are gay. "I would call Detroit 'closeted' in their support of LGBT people but not homophobic," says Alicia Skillman, executive director of the Triangle Foundation, a Detroit-based LGBT rights organization. In Detroit, like many places, religiously derived antipathy toward gay people is deeply ingrained and difficult to extricate. While some of Detroit's pastors may countenance homosexuality privately, they hesitate to defend it from the pulpit, fearing the wrath of their flock. "There are pastors who say one thing on Sunday and say something else the rest of the week," said Skillman. "I think it's very hard to move a congregation from a traditional, biblical belief to being welcoming and affirming." This leads to a culture of mutually reinforcing silence. read more here -->
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House Democrats were thrilled by the passage of their major health care legislation on Saturday (Nov 7th), but were particularly tickled by denying Republicans a solid wall of opposition with the solitary vote of Representative Anh Cao of Louisiana. (Artur Davis on the other hand voted against his district because he wants to be governor of Alabama)New York times: Louisiana Republican Breaks Ranks on Health Bill.
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Mr. Cao, a freshman Republican from New Orleans and a Vietnamese-American representing a predominantly black district, was elected last year in an upset victory over Representative William J. Jefferson, a Democrat who was under indictment at the time and has since been convicted of federal corruption charges.
"I have a constitutional duty to make the right decision for my district whether or not the decision was popular," Mr. Cao said in an interview Sunday on CNN.
"I had to make a decision of conscience based on the needs of the people of my district," he added. "A lot of my constituents are uninsured, a lot of them are poor." read more here -->
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Death penalty "inequalities" continue. The Nation: Stalling Justice.
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In Texas and Illinois, recent controversies have exposed our broken criminal justice system. Mounting evidence indicates that Texas Governor Rick Perry ordered the wrongful execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in 2004 and has subsequently tried to cover up the details of the case, recently dismissing three experts on the state's Forensic Science Commission forty-eight hours before they were set to examine the evidence. Willingham's case has rightly generated national headlines, and another case of prosecutorial overreach is unfolding in Illinois.
On the evening of September 15, 1978, a white security guard named Donald Lundahl was murdered in a robbery gone awry in a racially fraught southern suburb of Chicago. Police fingered Anthony McKinney, an 18-year-old African-American with no criminal record, as the killer. The prosecution sought death by lethal injection; the judge sentenced McKinney to life in prison.
McKinney has long maintained his innocence. Based on newly uncovered evidence, there's strong reason to believe that he has spent thirty-one years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
When it comes to capital punishment, Illinois differs from Texas in one important respect: in 2000 the Land of Lincoln's Republican governor, George Ryan, issued a moratorium on the death penalty, and in 2003 he granted clemency to all death-row inmates. Ryan announced his decision at Northwestern University, citing the work of Northwestern journalism professor David Protess and his students at the Medill School of Journalism, who had uncovered evidence that helped free five wrongly convicted men from death row. read more here -->
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The news that the Netherlands Antilles has begun a six-week immigration amnesty has cast the spotlight back on intra-Caribbean migration.BBC: Caribbean wrestles with migration.
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As many as 70,000 immigrants - mostly Haitian, Guyanese and Jamaican - are estimated to be living on the five Dutch Caribbean islands without valid residency or work permits.
They are being given an opportunity to prove they have lived in the Antilles since 31 December 2006, or can show a valid contract from an employer.
The amnesty is reported to have met some opposition in Curacao, the largest of the islands.
But Paul De Windt, a newspaper publisher in St Maarten, said it was also being seen as an attempt to "clean up" and regularise the immigration system for those who may have valid reasons to be in the islands.
But the Antilleans are not alone, as countries across the Caribbean speak of a backlash against immigration at a time of rising unemployment and an economic crisis. read more here -->
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If the issue of corruption could ever be addressed Nigeria could truly be the lion of Africa. The Economist: Hints of a new chapter
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IN YENAGOA, the capital of Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta, giant billboards in the centre of town proclaim the dawn of a "walking, talking ideology"—Sylvanomics. Some new fad, perhaps, from the IMF or the World Bank? No; the picture of a beaming, youngish-looking man in a jumpsuit and bowler hat shows that this is all about the new state governor, Timipre Sylva.
The man in person enthusiastically explains more in the opulent surroundings of Gloryland, the governor’s mansion. Bayelsa is the first of Nigeria’s 36 states to invite in outside accountants and advisers for a thorough audit of its finances. They are now going over the state’s payroll and procurement policies, as well as the revenues from the federal government, which (as in all states) supply most of Bayelsa’s income. Vitally, the bean-counters will also audit the deeply obscure flows of money that go out again from the state coffers to the Local Government Authorities (LGAs). These are supposed to spend the money on the wretched people who live in deep poverty in the swamps and creeks of the Delta. If waste and corruption are cut out, they should benefit. "Transparency has a direct link to development," says Mr Sylva.
Nigerians, particularly in other statehouses, are looking on with a mixture of awe and horror at Mr Sylva’s audacity. The statehouses are the biggest source of the corruption and mismanagement in Nigeria’s political system. Some of the governors in the oil-rich Delta command budgets bigger than entire west African countries, yet traditionally, after they have spent most of the money on their own helicopters, limousines and Glorylands, together with gangs of hired thugs at election time, there is little left over for anything fancy like schools or hospitals. Nuhu Ribadu, a former head of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, has said of this violent patronage system: "It’s not even corruption. It’s gangsterism. It’s organised crime." read more here -->
[] Haitian NGO Leader On Orphan Care by jimluce
[] FOX News and Mumia Abu-Jamal: A New Black Boogeyman by HansBennett
[] ColorOfChange to Murdoch: What exactly do you mean by ColorOfChange
[] EPI: Racial Segregation and Subprime Lending by Meteor Blades
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