The Latest from Dr Boyce Watkins on AOL - 6/12/10

NBA Gets High Marks for Diversity in Annual Report Card

• According to Professor Richard Lapchick, author of the recent Racial and Gender Report Card for ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 12th 2010 11:20AM | Comments (0)

Obama's "Angry Black Man" Criticism: Isn't He Also Half White?

• In light of all of the interesting analysis that others have done regarding why President Barack ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 9th 2010 9:36PM | Comments (34)

CNN Asks Why Black Men Are Not Graduating From College

• Richelle Carey at CNN Headline News recently reached out to me to find out why black men aren't ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 5th 2010 4:24PM | Comments (32)

Dwyane Wade Given Temporary Custody of His Sons

• NBA star Dwyane Wade's divorce just got a little uglier. This week, the court gave Wade custody ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 4th 2010 8:51AM | Comments (33)

Could LeBron James' Mother Rumors Push Him Out of Cleveland?

• The world seems to be buzzing incessantly about the statements made by former NBA great Calvin ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on May 24th 2010 10:41PM | Comments (4)

 

Slim Thug and his comments about black women continue to get the artist into trouble.  Is he going to lose big money because of this?

Dr. Boyce Video on AOL Black Voices - 4/28/10

Dr. Boyce Video: Latino Studies Professor on What You Need to Know About Immigration

• With all the intense scrutiny on Arizona for its harsh anti-immigration legislation, the time has ... Read More
• By Alexis Stodghill on Apr 28th 2010 4:09PM | Comments (4)

Dr. Boyce Video -- Michael Bivins of Bel Biv DeVoe & Alfred Edmond of Black Enterprise on African American Music & Business

• Dr. Boyce Watkins brings you an exciting discussion on the business of media and entertainment with ... Read More
• By Alexis Stodghill on Apr 27th 2010 2:24PM | Comments (1)

Dr. Boyce Video -- Talking Black Finance With Expert Ryan Mack

• Dr. Boyce Watkins is taking his unique perspective beyond the printed page to the video realm on ... Read More
• By Alexis Stodghill on Apr 27th 2010 1:32PM | Comments (2)

Dr. Boyce Watkins on Black Planet's NewsOne.com

DR. BOYCE: Kentucky’s Five Superstars Should Go Get Paid

By Dr. Boyce Watkins April 8, 2010 1:35 pm

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TAGS: black athletes, education, NCAA

DR. BOYCE: Why Aren’t Black Men Graduating From College?

By Dr. Boyce Watkins April 7, 2010 3:00 pm

Read more about DR. BOYCE: Why Aren’t Black Men Graduating From College?

TAGS: black men, education, HBCUs

 

DR. BOYCE: Obama Needs To Fix The Black Jobs Situation

By Dr. Boyce Watkins April 5, 2010 9:57 am

Read more about DR. BOYCE: Obama Needs To Fix The Black Jobs Situation

TAGS: economy, unemployment

 

DR. BOYCE: Slavery Was Never Completely Abolished – Seriously

By Dr. Boyce Watkins April 1, 2010 12:10 pm

Read more about DR. BOYCE: Slavery Was Never Completely Abolished – Seriously

TAGS: Prison System, slavery

DR. BOYCE: Barack Obama Is Not Buckwheat, Is He?

By Dr. Boyce Watkins March 26, 2010 11:55 am

Read more about DR. BOYCE: Barack Obama Is Not Buckwheat, Is He?

TAGS: Barack Obama

Black News: Jay - Z Gets PushBack on His New Stadium

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

I curiously watched the press conference held last week to celebrate the New Jersey Nets (well, not quite New Jersey anymore) stadium set to be built in Brooklyn. A group of investors, led by Bruce Ratner, were joined by many prominent New York public figures to celebrate the ground-breaking of one of the highest impact economic endeavors in the history of Brooklyn. Jay-Z is part of the group of investors who bought the Nets, so of course he attended the ceremony.

The excitement of bringing a professional sports team to a city is overwhelming. Teams can bring out a sense of community spirit and unity which ultimately helps provide a little meaning in a complex world. Cities compete to bring teams to their town because the fans want them. Cities give teams extensive tax subsidies and even offer to use eminent domain to take property away from residents who are not willing to sell their homes in order to have the stadium built. Sounds terrible, doesn't it? Well, sometimes it can be.

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Dr. Boyce: Why African Americans are More Optimistic than you Think

• by Dr. Boyce Watkins

According to a recent survey by Experian, African-American consumption grew by over 50 percent from the year 2000 to 2008 ($590 billion to $913 billion), and it is expected to grow to over $1.2 trillion dollars by the year 2013. The study also shows that blacks are more economically optimistic than whites, with 36 percent of us stating that we expect our financial future to improve, as opposed to 31 percent for all adults.

The Experian study says a couple of things: First, it says that black people love to consume and that we are getting better at it. In fact, black people have historically been very good at buying things and working hard to get them, but we are not very good at production, investment and saving our money. We grab our tax refunds and run to the mall. We become highly paid corporate lawyers in order to purchase the house and car we really can't afford. We are chubby kids in the economic candy store, accelerating our collective addiction to the monetary engines controlled by corporate greed.

 

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A Presidential Candidate Writes SU on Behalf of Dr. Boyce Watkins

 

Chancellor Cantor:

I write this letter with fond memories of interactions with the wonderful students at Syracuse University.  While on your campus, I found the students to be both thoughtful and welcoming:  perfect for a university campus.

I write to lend my full support for Dr. Boyce Watkins and his tenure application at Syracuse University.  Dr. Watkins has raised the profile of Syracuse University as he informs our national community on money matters as well as matters of the conscience.  And at this particular time in our country's history, financial literacy must be viewed as an important life skill.  Dr. Boyce is doing for America what he does in Syracuse University classrooms every class meeting period.  So why would Syracuse University not want such a prolific and publicly appealing face as its representative?

Ultimately, Dr. Boyce must be judged by what he does in the classroom and in publications.  Does Dr. Boyce elevate Syracuse University and does he elevate his field?  Dr. Boyce demonstrates "academics in action" and makes scholarship relevant.  Why should Dr. Boyce's scholarship and activism (which elevates Syracuse University) not be rewarded by a grant of tenure from Syracuse University?

As a former Member of Congress and Green Party candidate for President of the United States, I realize that political complexities can play a role in the decision to grant tenure to faculty on most American campuses. As I have just concluded successful organizing against war that brought together four 2008 Presidential candidates, I am reminded of the clean break that Dr. King had to make with his friends of the civil rights movement when he decided to speak out against the Vietnam War.  But Dr. King intoned that he had been fighting segregation too long to segregate his moral concerns.  Your decision with respect to Dr. Boyce is both political and moral.  And so, I will end with one very famous Dr. King quote and hope that the leadership of Syracuse University will do in this decision what is right:

"Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Expediency asks the question - is it politic?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
But conscience asks the question - is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right."

Sincerely,
Cynthia McKinney

--
http://www.livestream.com/dignity
http://dignity.ning.com/
http://www.twitter.com/dignityaction
http://www.myspace.com/dignityaction
http://www.myspace.com/runcynthiarun
http://www.twitter.com/cynthiamckinney
http://www.facebook.com/CynthiaMcKinney

A Social Agenda for All Americans

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

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

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

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Barack Obama’s Economic Pandora’s Box

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.DrBoyceMoney.com

Let’s be clear: This recession has become President Barack Obama’s personal War on Terror. Like the War on Terror, the enemy is evasive, the challenge is global, international cooperation is necessary, and the battle is unlike any other in our nation’s history. Wars are good for political business: when people get scared, politicians get a blank check to fulfill their legislative agenda. After 9/11, President Bush used fear to get the entire nation to sign onto the Patriot Act, and years later, we are wondering if someone is going to tap our cell phones and illegally imprison us for not eating our Freedom Fries. Bad legislation is like an STD: you can pick it up with a snap decision, but you pay the price for the next 20 years.

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Technorati Tags: black scholars,black professors,african american scholars,african american professors,barack obama,black money,african american money,black politics,african american politics

Black Celebrities Give their Two Cents on Chris and Rihanna

Among those who offered their comments on the subject were Hollywood acquaintances of the pair, including actress Gabrielle Union, who was reluctant to say if she thought Chris Brown was guilty.

"Unfortunately, no one knows all the facts yet... " she said to Warner Brothers' TV extra website. The "Cadillac Records" star went on to add: "What I think is great about this unfortunate situation is it can get us talking about violence... violence is never the answer. It's good to get that dialogue started. I wish this wasn't the catalyst for that... it's never good to use violence as a means to an end."

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• Rihanna left with serious injuries after assault

This opinion seemed to be nearly unanimous, Spice Girls star Mel B spoke out for her friend on Monday, saying "For this to happen to a superstar like her is eye-opening. If the rumours are true then Chris should be punished. No woman deserves to be treated like that – and I hope she knows there’s tons of support for her." According to Mel B the pair became friends in 2008 when they were working in neighbouring studios.

Musical act Aliaune Thiam, better known by his stage name Akon, offered his support for the 'Umbrella' star, saying "Keep doing what you're doing baby. Keep things positive!" The pair collaborated on the song "Emergency Room."

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Technorati Tags: chrianna,chris brown,chris brown and rihanna,gabrielle union,black celebrities,black celebrity gossip,african american celebrities

Good Love Gone Bad: Chris Brown Prosecution to be Assisted by Rihanna

R&B star Rihanna is cooperating with investigators building a domestic violence case against her boyfriend, the singer Chris Brown, a police source said Monday.
The source said the 20-year-old performer, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was providing "ongoing" cooperation to detectives who booked Brown on Sunday on suspicion of making criminal threats against her.

An early morning altercation with Brown after a pre-Grammy Awards party left Rihanna with bruises and a scratch on her face, according to police sources. She was treated at a "major medical facility," a police source said.
Brown, 19, has a double-platinum record and dance moves often compared to Michael Jackson's. He fled before officers arrived, police said.
He remained free on $50,000 bail, but neither he nor his attorney would speak about allegations that rocked the Grammys ceremony. Brown and Rihanna were both nominated; neither attended the ceremony.

The fight occurred after midnight on a quiet block in Hancock Park, where Brown had stopped a rented Lamborghini he was driving. According to police, several people saw or heard a loud, violent confrontation. The luxury car was impounded because the alleged assault may have begun in the vehicle, a police source said.

 

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Technorati Tags: black gossip,black celebrity gossip,chris brown and rihanna,chris brown domestic violence,african american celebrity gossip

Black Women Gone Psychic: Vivica A. Fox is a "Psychic Friend"

Technorati Tags: vivica a. fox,black celebrities,african american celebrities,black celebrity gossip,black gossip

Black Female May have been Murdered in Army, but ruled a suicide

19 year old Lavena Johnson was murdered in the army and brutalized. The military has ruled her death a suicide. People don't agree.

African Americans Protest Fox News Racist Attitudes toward Black People

Black people are getting tired of fox. It's time for their racism to end. This video expresses the concern that many people are having about Fox and encourages people to do something about it.