Does this commercial remind you of black women dating black men on the downlow? ;
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Juan Williams Says that Extending Jobless Benefits Hurts People's Values
Fox News commentator Juan Williams says that extending jobless benefits hurts American values. ;
Friday, December 3, 2010
Black Unemployment is On the Rise Again
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Today's release of November unemployment data is not good news for President Obama. Unemployment rose nationally to 9.8 percent, after holding steady at 9.6 percent for the previous three months. The jobless rate jumped for nearly every racial/gender demographic. White women still have the lowest unemployment rate of both genders, when comparing African Americans and whites. Black males have the highest.
Black unemployment rose again from 15.7 percent to 16 percent. This number is slightly lower than the high of 16.3 percent experienced back in August. When scaled with the white unemployment rate of 8.9 percent, the black unemployment rate is 79.8 percent higher than that of white Americans.
Former Colorado Coach Says New Coach Hired Because He is Black
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Jon Embree is a former tight end for The University of Colorado. He is currently an assistant coach for the Washington Redskins. The rumor mill has it that Embree may soon take the next step of becoming head coach at his alma mater.
Typically, such a bold move by a university to give an African American coach a chance might be applauded. In this case, heads are turning because of confusing remarks made by former Colorado coach Bill McCartney.
McCartney, who was one of three finalists for the job as of Wednesday night, shut down speculation by stating that the university had informally offered the job to Embree. He also went as far as stating that Embree was offered the job because he is African American.
"It was never about me doing it again," McCartney told the Denver Post. "It was about setting the table for a black man to come in (as head coach). And he (athletic director Mike Bohn) hired one. Now, give him a chance."
Tynielle Silvera: Honor Student Killed by Drunk Driver
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Tynielle Silvera was the kind of person we all want our children to be. She was making good grades, on her way to college and even tutoring other kids in the neighborhood. She was planning on becoming an attorney, and had become her mother's pride and joy.
Silvera's dreams for the future came to a screeching halt this week, as she was run down by a drunk driver as she was crossing the street.
The perpetrator of the crime, Kenneth Serwan, is a 46-year old married father of three who'd been convicted of drunk driving in the past. He is being held on $100,000 bail. At the time of her death, Tynielle was crossing the highway to take the train back home after heading to Bedford-Stuyvesant, where she'd been tutoring 13-year old Leanora Genus.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
How Sports Marginalizes Black Men from Society
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I was driving out of Atlanta the other day, speaking to my baby sister. She listens to me ramble, and that’s why I love her. Our topic for the day was black men and sports. I mentioned how I turned on ESPN in my hotel room (all 10 million channels) and saw nothing but brothers on every channel. If there wasn’t a court full of black men dribbling a basketball, there were black men in pads banging each other up on the football field.
The presence of Americanized Apartheid was evident by noting that while the men doing the work were black, the men on the sidelines getting paid millions of dollars were white, as were the fans in the stands enjoying the entertainment.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks about Paying College Athletes
Transcript for an interview with Dr. Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University about whether or not college athletes should be paid.
- What, in your opinion, are the benefits of paying collegiate
athletes, especially those from low-income backgrounds?
I don't necessarily care if college athletes are paid. I just think they should have labor rights. That means that they can negotiate a fair market salary, as well as make their own endorsement deals, rather than allowing universities to make deals for them and keep all the money. The benefit is that the athletes in poverty would be able to use their prodigious human capital to make a living for their families.
- Would you be in support of paying all college athletes, or simply the
ones from the major revenue sports like basketball and football?
I believe that any athlete in any sport that generates revenue should have access to the free market. We are not a socialist country, so the idea of paying everyone the same doesn't make much sense. So, if a tennis player is going to draw a crowd and can negotiate compensation, fundamental American labor rights say that he should be given the right to do so.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Black Women in the Workplace: Changes Need to be Made
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
When a very important member of my management team told me that she was going to take time off to have a child, my brain stopped in its tracks. I wondered how we were going to remain fully productive, how long she would be gone, and how I should respond to such a sensitive situation. I then realized that, like so many American business owners, I was thinking like a man. Once I came to my senses, I let go of my personal concerns and focused solely on supporting her in this important step. I then realized that this interaction happens in workplaces across America, and the results are not always so amicable.
The United States is among the worst of industrialized nations when it comes to comes to making allowances for the professional challenges that women face relative to men. A woman who stops working in order to have children and/or raise a family may find that when she returns to the workforce, her opportunity set has diminished significantly. This doesn't even consider typical gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment and other daunting barriers to advancement.
You may already know that according to the US Department of Labor, women now outnumber men in the workplace (64.2 million to 63.4 million). This takes us a long way from the days when women weren't allowed to vote, or female attorneys couldn't be more than legal secretaries. Given that we have grown so much as a society, our nation has to step into the 21st century when it comes to equalizing the employment landscape.
Friday, November 26, 2010
President Obama Elbowed in the Face Playing Basketball
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
It's hard to imagine the deep national security implications of being the man who elbowed President Barack Obama in the face on the basketball court. But that's what Ray Decerega will be talking about for the rest of his life. Decerega is the Director of Programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and also the man who issued a public statement after it was determined that he was the one who busted the president's mouth wide open.
"I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport. I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I'm sure he'll be back out on the court again soon," Decerega said.
The men had gathered to play five games of five-on-five when the incident took place. The games reportedly included Obama's nephew Avery Robinson, his assistant Reggie Love and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Obama's Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had this to say:
How Race and Basketball Interact
As the great David Halberstam often observed, the racial politics of professional basketball have always been rather delicate. The sport, after all, sells the talents, style and power of mostly young black men to a largely white audience — and these uncomfortable racial dynamics have a tendency to bubble to the surface in strange ways. This summer, after LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami in a showy power grab, the move unleashed a tsunami of bile. According LeBron, the backlash was at least in part caused by the “race factor,” and it spawned a heated debate about the role of racism in the NBA. For people looking for some perspective on the issue, ”The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History,” from the people behind the FreeDarko basketball blog, is a great place to start. The book is a collectivist account of the NBA’s racial, labor and cultural reverberations — with occasional jaunts into graphic novel format. “TUGTPBH” co-author Bethlehem Shoals is a primary contributor to FreeDarko, a site with a reputation for thought-provoking takes on the basketball world. Salon spoke to Shoals over the phone, about the LeBron controversy and the changing nature of race in the NBA.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Dr. Julianne Malveaux’s New Book on Surviving and Thriving
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Dr. Julianne Malveaux is second-to-none. One of the most respected and prolific scholars in the history of black America, she is truly an intellectual soldier. With a PhD in Economics from MIT, Dr. Malveaux has produced scholarly work that serves as nothing less than a guide book for overcoming the prodigious number of problems being faced by black America today. She is also a champion for women's rights and issues that uniquely impact African American women.
AOL Black Voices had the chance to catch up with Dr. Malveaux to discuss the release of her new book, "Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History," and she had this to say:
1) What is your name and what do you do?
I am Dr. Julianne Malveaux, an economist, author and President of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina.
2) What motivated you to write your book, and what can people learn from it?
When people think of the economy, they rarely think of African American people as important contributors, as thivers instead of simply survivors. There is such inspiration in our economic history and I was passionate about lifting it up.
Monday, November 22, 2010
It’s Time to Confront Deadbeat Parents….All of Us
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
My entire life, I've seen the costs and consequences of parents who don't want to pay to take care of their own kids. My father abandoned me when I was child, and to my knowledge, paid zero or close to no child support. Over the years, I had two relationships with women who had children with men who'd had forgotten that their kids existed. That led to me paying child support for my own child, in addition to the children of other people who were ignoring their responsibility. In fact, to this day, most of my "adopted children" need money from me every other week to pay for things that their parents should be paying for. I admit that sometimes, it's draining.
I'm not the only one who goes through the challenge of paying for deadbeat parents. All across America, quite a few people have either been abandoned by deadbeat parents, paid the price for deadbeat parents or become a deadbeat parent themselves (you know who you are). It occurs in every community, so we cannot pretend that black people are the only ones who do this. But for some reason, there is a code of silence when this kind of behavior occurs in the black community, especially when the father is the perpetrator of this heinous crime. I say it's time for this to stop.
Schomburg Center Director Choice Controversial Among Black Scholars
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Khalil Gibran Muhammad appears to be a great choice to head the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. A 38-year old assistant professor of African American History at Indiana University, Dr. Muhammad has already achieved a great deal in the world of black scholarship. His book, "The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America," has done quite well, and he is respected by quite a few black scholars across the nation.
Muhammad also has pedigree: He is the great grandson of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, legendary leader of the Nation of Islam. Therefore, his scholarly work with a predominantly white institution (Indiana University, which is no stranger to racial problems, I went to graduate school there) is supplemented by his connection and deep commitment to issues that affect real people in his community.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Haterology 101: How to Deal with Jealous People
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Haterology 101: What You should Know about Haters
For the big dreamers out there, I thought I would create a how-to guide on understanding the haters in your life. We all have haters, no matter what we do. I’ve had a few haters in academia who are upset that my work gets more attention than theirs, or even some friends who liked me better when I didn’t have very much self-esteem. As your success grows, jealous people don’t die, they multiply and the hustler’s dream can become the hater’s nightmare. So, here are a few things I’ve figured out about haters, and hopefully they can be helpful to you:
Friday, November 19, 2010
Report: College Basketball Players Not Graduating at the Same Rate as Other Students
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
A new study by The College Sport Research Institute at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has revealed disturbing information about the academic hurdles of college basketball players. According to the study, the graduation rates for NCAA Division I men's basketball players is 20 percentage points less than the average for full-time male students.
The study goes on to show that the gap grows even further in top-ranking conferences. The authors present evidence that there is a 30.8 percent graduation gap when leading conferences are considered separately.
Women are better off than men in the study. Female basketball players find that their graduation rates are still worse than their peers, but the gap is not as great as it is for the men. For women, there is a 6.2 percent differential overall and a 14.6 percentage point differential in top conferences.
What Black America Can Learn from the Arrest of DC County Executive Jack Johnson
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I was saddened to hear about the recent arrest of Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson and his wife Leslie. Both Jack and his wife are well-respected in the DC area. Both have served their communities for decades, and both of them represent the essence of Prince George's County, the most affluent county in the United States with an African-American majority population.
Johnson was once an important ethical and legal protector of the county, serving as its lead Prosecutor. His wife has served the community for over 30 years in numerous capacities. He was also the first African American to become County Executive in the DC area. So, why are Johnson and his wife facing up to 20 years in prison for evidence tampering and destruction of evidence, among other charges? In fact, the story is quite bizarre, with reports of the FBI allegedly recording Johnson telling his wife to put nearly $80,000 in her underwear.
Dr. Boyce on TheGrio.com – 11/19/10
Palin's 'Taliban' tweet antics prove she's unfit to lead
11:13 AM on 11/06/2010
OPINION - The idea that she can't even control the technology on her Blackberry tells us loud and clear that she is not the person who should have access to nuclear warheads...
Why a Palin presidential run should scare Obama
8:01 AM on 10/29/2010
OPINION - Palin's unimpressive, yet lovable demeanor will help her to secure even more followers than she has now...
Why hip-hop culture is hooked on drugs
8:47 AM on 10/20/2010
OPINION - The connection between hip-hop, black men and criminal activity is a powerful trinity that threatens to derail our entire community...
Can Tyson find redemption in China?
8:17 AM on 10/19/2010
OPINION - The first thing that the life of Mike Tyson teaches us is the importance of remaining humble and focused...
The sour and sweet of politicizing fatty foods
8:40 AM on 10/08/2010
OPINION - Apparently, 51 percent of African-Americans are considered overweight. That officially makes us the heaviest people in America...
Obama should redecorate White House to have common touch
8:08 AM on 10/04/2010
OPINION - We're in a four-quarter game of this administration, and at half time, the president is still behind...
Lady Gaga leads while celebs of color sit on sidelines
8:37 AM on 09/21/2010
OPINION - If a wealthy white woman can become passionate and committed enough to impact the world in which she lives, why can't black entertainers do the same?...
Eddie Johnson's actions are par for course in today's politics
7:58 AM on 08/31/2010
OPINION - But there is a deeper, more relevant question to be asked about the allegations against Eddie Johnson: Even if she broke the rules, is she clearly less ethical than other...
Is Obama's media blitz brilliant or will it backfire?
10:47 AM on 07/29/2010
OPINION - The age of the Internet requires a new style of connected interaction and leadership that makes our president touchable for those whom he claims to represent...
Why Obama will never be 'black enough' for some white journalists
8:05 AM on 07/27/2010
OPINION - Everyone seems to feel justified in defining what it means for a black politician to have a 'genuine black experience'...
Do blacks feel betrayed by Obama's silence on race?
8:22 AM on 07/23/2010
OPINION - President Obama has been as silent as a church mouse on some of the most riveting and racially-traumatic events to occur in recent U.S. history...
USDA official's remarks put NAACP on defense in race debate
11:26 AM on 07/20/2010
OPINION - Shirley Sherrod, the NAACP and the Tea Party are all reflections of the most extreme parts of all of us...
Gates 'teachable moment' one year later: What have we learned?
12:21 PM on 07/16/2010
OPINION - The conversation on race should begin in the streets of America, where working class people of color sometimes find themselves trapped in a police state...
What's wrong with Whoopi Goldberg?
3:41 PM on 07/13/2010
OPINION - What exactly would Mel Gibson have needed to say or do in order for Goldberg to have a problem with it?...
Does NBA management suffer from a 'slave master mentality'?
9:20 AM on 07/12/2010
OPINION - Rev. Jesse Jackson is right when he says that LeBron James is seen as a piece of property by guys like Dan Gilbert...
Earth to Rush Limbaugh: Barack Obama is no Black Panther
9:23 AM on 07/08/2010
OPINION - Limbaugh recently claimed that President Obama has deliberately allowed unemployment to grow in the United States as 'payback' for slavery and oppression...
How the unemployed have become a scapegoat for Congress
2:57 PM on 07/01/2010
OPINION - This will be the first time in U.S. history that unemployment benefits are allowed to expire when the unemployment rate was over 7.2 percent...
Why there should be a black backlash against BET
10:43 AM on 06/28/2010
OPINION - Through the years, the BET Awards have become a staple of unhealthy and counter-productive broken black family fun...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Cam Newton’s Father Accused Of Having a Payment Plan
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
CNNSI is now reporting that the father of Auburn superstar Cam Newton was set to receive a payment plan in exchange for his son playing football for Mississippi State University. A booster for Mississippi State by the name of Bill Bell told ESPN.com that the payment plan was sent to him via text message from a man claiming to represent Cecil Newton, Cam's father.
Kenny Rogers, a former player for Mississippi State allegedly sent the text message, giving Bell the details of how Cam and his father wanted to be paid. They were to make a payment of $80,000 on the day of signing, $50,000 30 days after that, and another $50,000 30 days later.
Bell claims that Cecil was on a three way call with he and Rogers to discuss how the money would be transferred. He says that Cecil never asked for money directly. While the reports don't make any claims regarding the nature of Cecil's interaction with the others, they don't mention him objecting to conversations about giving him money.
Friday, November 12, 2010
African American Scholar Pushes for the Haitian Relief Effort
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Dr. Ron Daniels is a giant in his field. Among African American scholars, he is a leader, visionary and highly progressive voice for issues that matter to people of color. One his great loves is Haiti, the country that is left suffering and forgotten in the midst of an earthquake, disease and persistent poverty. Dr. Daniels would like to do something about these problems, and he has an avenue which allows concerned Americans like yourself to become directly involved. He is the founder of the Haiti Support Project, and the Pilgrimage of Hope Cruise to Haiti, providing an opportunity for all of us to visit the country's most challenged areas. AOL Black Voices was able to catch up with Dr. Daniels for a conversation:
No, Kanye Should Not Have Apologized to Bush
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
One of the proudest moments in my life as a political observer was when Kanye West did something that almost no other artist or entertainer would be astute or courageous enough to do. In 2005, as people were dying in the streets of New Orleans, West used the powerful platform provided to him during a Hurricane Katrina telethon to make the statement heard around the world: ”George Bush does not care about black people.”
Black Coaches Make a Few Small Gains
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
A new report released by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at The University of Central Florida presents a mixed bag of evidence when it comes to the progress of people of color within college football. The report found that 15 college football head coaches of FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) schools are African American (out of 120), but that there is still a great deal of room for improvement in other important positions within athletic departments. To date, 100 percent of conference commissioners, 93 percent of college presidents and 88 percent of athletic directors are white. Also, quite a few universities that earn millions from black athletes are reluctant to hire or tenure African American professors, especially in business and the sciences.
From 1979 - 2002, a total of 19 full-time head coaches were hired in college football. But in the last two years, 10 have been hired. This shows that there are some campuses making some effort to hire more black coaches. The numbers represent progress in the NCAA, a league that is less interested in hiring African Americans than it is in exploiting them. As it stands, most of the thousands of black athletes in college football are never going be head coaches. Also, the vast majority of those athletes will never reach the NFL. Therefore, the greatest crime of collegiate athletics is that most of these universities are not educating the players properly.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Joe Jackson Wasn’t The Terrible Father You Think He Was
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I watched previews of the recent interview that Oprah Winfrey did with Joe and Katherine Jackson, parents of the late Michael Jackson. In the interview, Oprah asked the Jacksons a probing question that sits on the minds of millions of people: Did you beat your children? Mr. Jackson had to answer the question truthfully, since everyone knows that he did engage in the act of physically disciplining his kids. Before his confession, Joe did a little Bill Clinton-like wordplay with Oprah over exactly what she meant by the word "beat." I understood what Joe was talking about, since there is a big difference between "beating" your kids and "whoopin" them.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Raising Mentally Healthy Black Girls
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
What does it take for a woman to be healthy? This issue consistently presses upon my mind as I think about my own daughters and how to teach them what they need to know about the world. While I am critical of films like 'For Colored Girls,' which seems to root every black female problem into the hands of black men, I am also sympathetic to the struggles experienced by black women like my mother, grandmother, sister and others.
Related:
+Dr. Boyce Video: Why is the Black Man Always a Suspect?
+Dr. Boyce Video: Black Men Need to Mentor One Another
+Dr. Boyce Video: Terrie Williams, Depression and the Black Community
+Dr. Boyce Video -- What Makes a Celeb Trashy vs. Trendy?
+Dr. Boyce Video --The Importance of Owning Your Own Business
Poem by Madam Prezident: For Colored Girls – Leave, but Don’t Take Me With You
I met someone whom I dearly adored
Enough to even DIE for
One day I was in class and I was packed in his bags
I thought, Leave, but don’t take me with you
His bags and I was at the door
They were reconnecting
And his heart was departing
Leaving.
He had left once before
But his voyage was short
And of course, because of his actions I straightened up my act
As if I was out of order
I strived to be perfect for him
But my perfection could not be accounted for because I was worthless to him
But, I didn’t care
I was an empty glass
In the hands
Of an alcoholic
And
Anything he poured inside me my spirit obliged
His bags and I was at the door
I reminded him of his promises
“You said you loved me”
“Don’t deceive me, don’t leave me”.
I laid in his lies
Gave him my heart for free
I was worst than a prostitute
“At least she got paid for it”
She created revenue with her assets
Although it wasn’t much
She was bringing in much more than me
My moral less nights of feel good
Didn’t feel good the morning after
I’d given him everything I had inside me
Around me, under me, above me, beside me, and behind me
I’d given him much more than I had received
How could he move on?
How was I supposed to stand, without this man?
What about OUR plans?
His bags and I was at the door
My lungs in one bag
My brain in one bag
My kidneys in one bag
My ovaries in one bag
My eyes in one bag
My legs in one bag
And my heart in the garbage
I was ripped apart
And broken into pieces inside his bags
Ripped into pieces
He was leaving and taking me with him
But I was at the door whole heartedly, in his bags
He had been gone
Way long
Before he decided to pack
How can I live with that?
He was stronger than any STD
Damaging my insides so ghastly
That it cost me
Never will I conceive a child
With a smile
Because of the burdens he positioned inside me
He was leaving and I was going along with him
Until GOD came along
And let his Presence be known
I was confused about where I came from
Until “my father” showed me ‘WHOM’ I came from
My life was shattered
My mind was battered
But GOD recued me
And from BONDAGE I became free
The company of misery
No longer accompanied me
The MAN that Created Adam
Also created me
I was once at the door packed in bags
Until GOD illustrated to me “All that I had”
And him who once had my heart
Wasn’t even the best part
I was once at the door packed in bags
Screaming “leave, but please don’t take me with you”
I was glad at the day
That I could say
“Leave but you CAN’T take me with you”
I too, have found someone else
And his name is
GOD!!!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Aimee Michael: 36 Years in Prison for Hit and Run Accident
Aimee Michael (pictured left), for the most part, seems to be a lot like the rest of us. She's a 24-year-old black female college graduate with two parents who love her. Her parents have been married for 28 years, and her mother is a 52-year-old former school teacher. On Easter Sunday in 2009, though, Aimee found herself facing up to 50 years in prison. While she didn't get the entire 50 years, she did get 36 of them.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Dr. Boyce on CNBC’s Kudlow Report: Cutting Taxes for the Wealthy is Wrong
Watch Dr. Boyce Watkins explain on CNBC that extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy is bad for America. Click here to watch
Friday, November 5, 2010
Cam Newton: Heisman Candidate Under Scandal in Pay for Play Controversy
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Cam Newton is a mega-star quarterback at Auburn University. His game is like no other, and there are quite a few experts who think he could win the Heisman Trophy. But his chances at the trophy have been undermined by recent allegations that a sports agent asked for money from universities in order to speak with Newton during high school.
ESPN is reporting that Kenneth Rogers, a player turned sports agent, asked Mississippi State University for $180,000 for the chance to recruit Newton. When Rogers asked for the money, Mississippi State turned his name in to the Southeastern Conference, and the investigation began. Auburn University hasn't taken Newton off the field, although they've known about the investigation for quite some time.
Dr. Boyce on CNBC: Why are Republicans Fighting for the Rich so Quickly?
Dr. Boyce appears on CNBC to ask why the Republicans are already fighting to extend Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. To watch the video, please click here.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Alcohol More Dangerous Than Crack, Yet We Still Get Disproportionate Sentencing
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Sryacuse University – Scholarship in Action
A recent study in the United Kingdom found that alcohol has a more harmful impact on society than other drugs, including crack cocaine and heroine. The study was surprising, but makes sense in light of the fact that alcohol is so readily available in our society. It takes some work to find the local crack dealer, but you can “get your drink on” almost anywhere you like.
I found the study to be interesting primarily because the justification previously used for disproportionate incarceration for crack-related offenses was that the crack trade was dangerous for our society. So, the kid on the corner caught with a vile of dope was given a sentence that would never be leveled on the 19-year old college student who binge drinks on the weekend.
Eddie Long Finally Responds to Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
It took quite a while to get there, but Bishop Eddie Long has finally responded to the allegations of sexual assault being thrust upon him. The pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church just responded legally to the accusations of four young men who've stated that Long coerced them in to sexual relationships while simultaneously serving as their mentor.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Dr. Boyce, Rev. Sharpton Speak with Obama Administration Officials
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
Today I spent a few hours in studio with Rev. Al Sharpton. The topic for this week is obviously the mid-term elections, which we'll be be discussing this week. Today, we're talking with officials from the Obama Administration and Capitol Hill, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and quite a few others. I think it's worth checking out. You can see a live video stream of us in-studio at this link. The link is usually live from 1 - 3 pm EST, but I am going to try to get access to it at other times as well.
There's a lot to think about when it comes to the elections. The Democrats are asking for black votes like we owe them, and perhaps they owe us something too. My thinking is that while voting Democratic certainly lies within the interests of the black community, we should also work to ensure that they follow through on commitments to us. Issues such as mass incarceration, black unemployment and educational inequality are important to black people, so in order to keep the black voting base enthusiastic, some commitment to addressing racial inequality is critically important.
Why Does Everyone Want to Hold a Rally These Days?
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
This weekend, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held a rally on Capitol Hill. The rally focused on the idea of "restoring sanity" in American politics. Tens of thousands of people showed up to see Stewart and Colbert make jokes about politicians and remind us that working together achieves more than we can accomplish by standing apart.
Stewart and Colbert didn't choose political sides, although most polls show that Stewart is strongly supported by liberals and independents.
Colbert and Stewart hit the nail on the head on quite a few issues, like the distrust that conservatives have toward Muslims, and Republican obstructionism in light of Obama's presidency. They didn't seem to dig into the race issue very much, to my knowledge. There were also some who criticized Obama himself, stating that he represents politics as usual, rather than the kind of change that Americans were hoping for back in 2008.
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