Click here to read about these women and others on Black Enterprise
Saturday, April 30, 2011
HBCU Student Not Allowed to Graduate Because of Facebook Post
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com – Scholarship in Action
Roman Caple is a senior at St. Augustine’s College. He was set to graduate this weekend until he was informed by the school that he wouldn’t be allowed to walk with his classmates. Caple says that his punishment was due to a Facebook post that allegedly "jeopardized the integrity of the college."
Caple argues that the reaction of school administrators came as a result of his posts following a tornado that hit Raleigh, NC two weeks ago. But he says that most of his comments were meant to be uplifting. One of his posts said the following:
"We all need to set our differences aside and help one another. Falcons we will continue to fly high because that's what we do. Help your neighbor, if need be, Falcons are one."
The Reality of Being a Football Star
Watch as YBW’s Eshe White interviews a former football star about the realities of playing in the NFL
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeut5p3pLE]
Friday, April 29, 2011
Report Says that Obama’s Father Was Forced Out of Harvard University
BOSTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's father was forced to leave Harvard University before completing his Ph.D. in economics because the school was concerned about his personal life and finances, according to newly public immigration records.
Harvard had asked the Immigration and Naturalization Service to delay a request by Barack Hussein Obama Sr. to extend his stay in the U.S., "until they decided what action they could take in order to get rid of him," immigration official M.F. McKeon wrote in a June 1964 memo.
President Obama Meets with Participants in the 1968 Sanitation Strike
“The President invited the living participants in the Memphis Sanitation Strike to honor their courage, and their fight on behalf of all workers for safe conditions, respect in the workplace and a better life for themselves and their families. As workers across the country continue to face challenges to their rights, the issues for which these men fought continue to be relevant and the President remains committed to the causes for which they marched.” – from the White House
Malcolm X’s Interpretation of Fox News Racism
Watch the video below to understand the nature of Fox News Racism. There’s a historical context to all of this, whether we’re talking about the Birther Movement, the Tea Party or any of the other activity coming from the Right Wing. Check it out below or click here to watch.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYg4N1_9zEg]
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Dr. boyce: Cam Newton Goes Number One - Some Quick Advice
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Auburn University’s Cam Newton capped off his stunning win of the Heisman Trophy by being the #1 draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in this year’s NFL draft.
I’d like to make some quick recommendations for Cam as he begins his life of fame and fortune:
1) Save your money: Most of your fellow NFL players were sweating out the lockout because they weren’t able to make payments on all the cars and houses that they can’t afford. Get a good financial manager you can trust, learn to start your own business, and make sure you’re educated enough to understand what other people are doing with your money. If you lose everything, no one is going to care.
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NFL Player Albert Haynesworth Allegedly Put Credit Card in Woman’s Cleavage
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth allegedly slid his credit card into the bra of a waitress and then touched her breast, according to court papers filed Wednesday offering Haynesworth a plea deal in the sexual abuse case.
Haynesworth's lawyer, however, said the deal was not one he'd take and that his client would fight the charge. Prosecutors filed paperwork in Superior Court in Washington saying that if Haynesworth agrees to plead guilty to simple assault they would drop the misdemeanor sexual abuse charge. Both charges carry the same maximum penalty, however, up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Impact of Fatherless Homes
Please watch this PSA that shows the devastating impact of fatherless homes on the African American community. The video is incredibly powerful.
Technorati Tags: black fathers,african american fathers
Tanya Pleads Not Guilty and We March Next Month
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Tanya McDowell, the mother in Connecticut who was charged with larceny for allegedly stealing an education for her son, has pleaded not guilty today in court. McDowell faces up to 20 years in prison and a $15,000 fine for sending her child to a school outside his district. The problem is that no one seems to know where McDowell was living because she is homeless.
McDowell’s son, AJ Paches, was sent by his mother to Brookside Elementary in Norwalk, CT. As a kindergartner, Ms. McDowell wanted to ensure that her son had access to a high quality education. The problem is that when school officials found out that AJ didn’t belong, they put him out. The school system that he was sent to, in nearby Bridgeport, CT has significant problems, where many of the schools are in danger of being taken over by the state.
Students Fight to Save HBCU in Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Eye-level watermarks, gutted buildings and rows of mobile classrooms linger as reminders of the flooding from Hurricane Katrina that nearly wiped out Southern University at New Orleans in 2005.
Now the predominantly African-American university faces what students and administrators view as a new threat: Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposal to consolidate the school with the nearby, mostly white University of New Orleans.
Are Black Children In Danger While In Their Mothers’ Wombs?
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Tricia Fraser filed suit last Tuesday against a Texas-based pro-life group that used her daughter’s face on a billboard that ran in Harlem earlier this year. Beneath the face of her child were the words “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.”
In the lawsuit, Fraser claims that the use of her daughter’s image was “defamatory, unauthorized and offensive.” She also said that it was racist. The image was obtained legally, however, as Fraser had allowed her daughter to be photographed by a modeling agency.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Judge Says Kelley Williams-Bolar Can’t Visit Tonya McDowell
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
I just spoke with Kelley Williams-Bolar, the mother in Ohio who’d been arrested for sending her child to a school outside her district. Her goal had been to go to Connecticut this week to support Tonya McDowell, the second black mother in months to be prosecuted for the same offense. To our surprise, the judge in Kelley’s case, Patricia Cosgrove, denied Kelley the right to travel across state lines.
I find it interesting that this law-abiding mother, who simply wanted a better life for her children, finds herself forced to go through life with a probation hanging over her head, having her freedom restricted by judges and prosecutors who are determined to perpetuate the nightmare for Kelley and her family.
NAACP Signs On to Help in Tonya McDowell
PRESS RELEASE:
(For Immediate Release)
CONTACT PERSON: Scot X. Esdaile: tel. 203-668-4562
WHAT: Press Conference
Where: Crosland Attorney-Law Firm
1150 Summer Street, Stamford CT – (for directions call
(203) 921-1782
When: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.
Why: See below
Dr. Boyce Spotlight: Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe Works to Save the Black Male in America
As I mentioned last night on the Bev Smith Show, saving the black male in America is one of the most critical problems being faced by our community today. Over the last 30 years, black males have been subject to mass incarceration (mostly due to drug felonies after the Reagan Administration opened the door for the crack cocaine epidemic), subject to massive handgun violence (as guns followed the flow of drugs), and poor educational systems (we know how bad inner city schools are in America). As a result, many of these men are poorly equipped to become good husbands and fathers later in life, leading to the suffering of an entire community. The majority of black homes are fatherless, and our boys are bombarded with media that tells them to emulate the behavior of self-destructive hip-hop stars, or to toss away educational opportunities in exchange for an athletic lottery ticket. Something needs to be done.
Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe and his organization are working to solve these problems. Fighting for the black male is not popular in a society that is designed to destroy us. But even if society wants to see us dead and gone, that gives us no excuse to endorse the idea of killing ourselves and each other. It is for his outstanding work in the black community that Dr. Bledsoe is today’s Dr. Boyce Spotlight on Your Black World:
1) What is your name and what do you do?
Tonya McDowell in ColorLines magazine
From Colorlines Magazine
A homeless Connecticut mother has been arrested and charged with larceny for allegedly stealing her son’s education from a public school police say he had no right to attend. Tanya McDowell is a 33-year-old Bridgeport resident who used her babysitter’s address in Norwalk, where the schools were better, so her five-year-old son Andres Justin Paches could go to school. A.J. was enrolled in Brookside Elementary School’s kindergarten from September to January. They’ve been living out of her van.
Monday, April 25, 2011
No, You Can’t Find Out Who’s Viewed Your Facebook Page
by Graham Cluley on October 11, 2010 | Comments (3)
FILED UNDER: Social networks, Spam
Earlier this year I blogged about how scammers were abusing Facebook users' curiousity about who might be viewing their profile. Surprise surprise, they're at it again.
Right now we're seeing messages spreading across Facebook claiming to have found a way to allow you to sneakily tell who has been looking at your profile. And it's no shock to see that many people are intrigued as to who might be checking them out online (maybe it's a secret admirer? or an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend? or a prospective employer?), and clicking on the link.
Diamond Breland: Spike Lee vs. Tyler Perry
Listen to Your Black World’s Diamond Breland give her take on the battle between film icons Tyler Perry and Spike Lee. The video is below!
Bishop Eddie Long Tells His Accusers “You Ain’t Messing with Me”
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
The Bishop Eddie Long spoke to his congregation on Easter Sunday, stepping back into the public eye after a period of silence and detachment from the media. For whatever reason, Long decided to address the young men who are suing him for sexual misconduct, telling them that he refuses to be messed with.
“You ain't messin’ with me. I shall rise again and I ain't going through this,” Long said.
It is being reported that Bishop Long is close to reaching a settlement with the young men and his public remarks may be in response to frustrations over the negotiations. Four men who were once mentored by Long have come forth and accused him of using his influence to obtain sexual favors. Using Easter Sunday as his opportunity to share the message, Long continued to make comments about his ordeal to the audience.
Student Gets Life in Prison after Harvard University Murder
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
When most of us think about Ivy League universities, we picture places of higher learning, tranquility and inspirational endeavors. Most of us don’t think about students getting shot over bags of marijuana. But it still stands that Jabrai Jordan Copney is going to prison for a murder that took place on the Harvard University campus.
The murder occurred in 2009 and Copney has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The jury took three days to come to its conclusions, and sentenced the 22-year old Copney to spend the rest of his life in prison. He was also convicted of possession of a firearm, but not of armed robbery.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
TheRoot.com: Education Should Be A Right, Not a Crime
by Helena Andrews, TheRoot.com
Start typing "mother arrested" into Google, and the Internet wastes no time filling in the rest: "for lying about her address." Not "for selling her daughters on Craigslist," "for feeding her sons drywall" or "for locking her kids in the basement like Boo Radley," but for trying to educate them beyond the borders of their block. In the United States of America, educating your children by any means necessary is a punishable offense.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Terry McMillan Finally Releases The Sequel to ‘Waiting to Exhale’
from Mlive.com
Port Huron native Terry McMillantweeted in the early hours today that a script for "Getting to Happy," the film adaptation of her newest novel, is complete and it should be on screen in 2012.
"Getting to Happy" is the sequel to "Waiting to Exhale," the groundbreaking 1992 novel about four African-American women balancing love and life.
The 1995 film starred Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon and was directed by future Oscar winner Forest Whitaker. Its Babyface-produced soundtrack spawned a number of hits including Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," Brandy's "Sittin' Up in My Room," and Mary J. Blige's "Not Gon' Cry." Detroiters CeCe Winans, who spoke about her contribution to the soundtrack to MLive last month, and Aretha Franklin also appear on the album.
President Obama Holds a Townhall with Facebook
By Peter Nicholas, Washington Bureau
April 20, 2011, 8:05 p.m.
Reporting from Palo Alto—
Hoping to rekindle excitement among younger voters, President Obama spoke at a town-hall meeting hosted by Facebook on Wednesday and asked for help in beating back "radical" Republican budget proposals.
He sat on a stage next to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who served as moderator and funneled largely friendly questions to a president who makes extensive use of social media in reaching out to voters.
Zuckerberg confessed to being nervous, but the two bantered easily. Obama made a light reference to the 26-year-old's billionaire status. In describing his tax plan, Obama said that he and "frankly, you, Mark," can afford to pay "a little more in taxes."
Taking questions submitted through Facebook and from an audience of company employees, Obama advised listeners not to get frustrated by protracted debates in Washington. He conceded that some of his 2008 voters might be asking why progress on many issues hasn't come sooner. But he urged them not to give up on his agenda.
Monday, April 18, 2011
What? Another Mom Jailed for Sending Child to Wrong School District
Please click here to join our coalition to help Ms. McDowell
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
When Rev. Al Sharpton and I went to Ohio earlier this year to rally on behalf of Kelley Williams-Bolar, I thought I’d be done with cases like this for at least a little while. However, the Your Black World Coalition has been informed today that another mother in Connecticut has also been put in jail for enrolling her child in the wrong school district.
Tonya McDowell, a homeless woman from Bridgeport, CT, has been charged with grand larceny and conspiracy to commit first degree larceny after enrolling her son in Brookside Elementary, in Norwalk, CT. McDowell used the address of a friend, Ana Rebecca Marques, to get her 6-year old into the school. The district is accusing her of stealing $15,000 in services for her “deviant” behavior.
Mob Wives: Are They Trying to Testify for their Husbands?
by: Patrice Johnson, Your Black World
The Cast of the newest television series on VH1 ‘Mob Wives’
After watching the newest VH1 reality series, ‘Mob Wives’ I realized that the women on this show were the wives and daughters of the Staten Island mafia men that were arrested in January of this year. After I learned that these women were a part of these families that have been based on organized crime for decades I had to ask myself, ‘could this new reality show just be a way for these women to testify for their husbands?’
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Athletes Sitting Out of the NCAA Tournament? It Almost Happened
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I was proud to watch Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel last week, as Gumbel decided to dig into the issue of college athlete compensation. Securing the labor rights of college athletes has been a passion of mine for quite some time, and I was excited that 2011 provided a tremendous amount of momentum around the topic. Our coalition, The Athlete Liberation Academic Reform Movement (ALARM) now has thousands of supporters around the country and Ben Jealous of the NAACP has joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan in a call to reform of one of the most exploitative systems in America.
The Real Sports episode had me on the edge of my seat, as one couldn’t help but laugh while the beneficiaries of the system, Rich Rodriguez (former University of Michigan football coach) and Billy Packer (CBS Sports commentator), were trying to defend a system that they themselves would never accept. Both of these men have been made into millionaires from the labor of college athletes, and have a direct incentive to keep the money away from the players and their families.
The most interesting part of the show was when Bernard Goldberg interviewed former University of Massachusetts player Rigo Nunez. Nunez shocked Goldberg by acknowledging that he and other players around the country were planning to sit out of the 1995 NCAA tournament. To protest the fact that coaches were earning millions while many of the athletes’ families were in poverty, prominent players around the nation decided that they were going to have no part of the NCAA tournament that year.
Here’s how the conversation went down:
Nunez: At one point it was pretty organized among players that maybe the biggest impact that we can have, and the biggest opportunities for us to have a stand, will be prior to the NCAA tournament.
Goldberg: Well, how was that gonna happen?
Nunez: We were not gonna play.
Goldberg: What?
Nunez: We were just gonna go to the middle of the court and sit down. Every game, in the whole country.
Goldberg: Because you weren't getting paid?
Nunez: Because it was not fair to us.
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