National Black News Journal

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A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  -  By Debi Pearl

 Every once in a while, down through the pages of time, the life and works of one man forever changes the lives of millions of people. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was such a man. Follow the life of the young boy that would become Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he dreams, shares his dream and then lives and gives his life to make that dream a reality for others.

 "Mama Dear,

Why am I black?

And why do I have to be at the back:

the back of the bus,

the back of the store,

the back of the room,

even the back door?

And why do I have to look at the floor?

I wanna look up,

I wanna be seen,

I want to be as proud as a King!?

 

Sign up for the author?s free bi-monthly magazine which explores child training, family, Bible teaching, and natural healing. Published by Pearl Books, LLC. For ages 6 and up. ISBN: 978-0-9819737-1-5, Price $6.95, 40-page, soft cover book available through Debi Pearl, Amazon, and No Greater Joy 1-866-292-9936. For larger quantities or rights agreements contact Mel Cohen at melcohen@hughes.net or phone 931-593-2484.

Major News Developments!

12-23-'09

America Will Be a Majority Non-White Nation by 2050

Later than Previously Expected; Hispanics Soaring

          (Taylor Media Services) According to the latest projections from the Census Bureau, whites will no longer constitute the majority population in America by the year 2050. However, that is later than previously expected. Census Bureau demographers had expected the nation to become majority Hispanic, Black and Asian by 2042. The reason for the change appears to be stricter immigration policies and a recession which have slowed the flow of Hispanics into the country.

          Nevertheless, under the new projections, whites will make up 49.9 percent of the population in 2050 while Blacks will constitute 12.2 percent. The major source of population growth will be among Hispanics who are expected to represent 28 percent of the population in 2050 ? nearly double the 15 percent they represent today. Meanwhile, the Asian American population will rise from its current 4.4 percent to 6.0 percent.

          The new projections essentially assert that in percentage terms, America?s Black population will hardly grow at all over the next 40 years. The projected 12.2 percent in 2050 is basically the same as the 12.3 percent share of the population that African Americans now represent. The projected causes are declining Black birthrates and little immigration from Black countries in the Caribbean and Africa.

          In 2050, the nation will have roughly 399 million citizens ? up from the 308 million today. Americans will also be getting older. Those citizens aged 85 or older are expected to triple to 18.6 million. More details about the latest projections are available online at http://www.census.gov

Black Leaders Press for Accurate Census Count with Emphasis on Inmate Populations

          (Taylor Media Services) Some of the nation?s top African American civil rights leaders were in Washington, D.C. last week pressing the Census Bureau to do a better job of counting the nation?s minority populations when it begins the 2010 tally of all the people in America. The Rev. Jesse Jackson told a press conference, ?Every census undercounts African Americans and over counts whites. While it?s getting better, it?s not a one-to-one ratio.?

 National Urban League President Marc Morial

          National Urban League President Marc Morial hit upon one of the group?s key demands: The tallying of inmates in federal and state prison in their home communities instead of the towns in which they are incarcerated. According to Morial about 1.2 million of the nation?s 40 million Blacks are in prison. He charged, ?What we have in the prison population issue is a built-in undercount.?

          The core of the issue is that most Black federal prisoners come from major U.S. cities but most federal prisons are located in rural predominantly white areas. Meanwhile, most federal dollars are awarded to cities and states based on population. Thus, rural white areas may be getting money which more properly belong to the cities and states from which the inmates actually come.

          Morial, Jackson and at least 10 other Black leaders raised the inmate count issue with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke during discussions last week designed to make the Census more accurate. The Census Bureau is a division of the Commerce Department. The Census Bureau has admitted that in 2000, about 1.3 million people were over counted, mostly because of duplicate counts of whites with multiple homes. In contrast, about 4.5 million people, mostly black and Hispanic, were not counted.

Study Finds Racial Pride Helps Prevent Mental Illness

Black Boys Benefit Especially

        (Taylor Media Services) A new study from the journal Child Development finds that pride in one?s ethnic or racial group is as important as personal self-esteem in the mental health of African American adolescents. Study leader Jelani Mandara, a psychologist at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, reported, ?Our findings indicate that, regardless of self-esteem, as feelings of ethnic pride go up, mental health tends to increase as well.?

        Conversely, the study suggests that even if a young person has self-esteem, if he or she lacks racial pride, their mental health can be negatively affected. Mandara co-authored the study along with Maryse Richards and Noni Gaylord-Harden of Loyola University in Chicago and Brian Ragsdale of Walden University. It was entitled ?The Effects of Changes in Racial Identity and Self-Esteem on Changes in African American Adolescents? Mental Health.?

        Young Black males seemed to especially benefit from higher levels of racial pride. According to Mandara, ?A rising sense of ethnic pride appears to be particularly helpful to boys in buffering against symptoms of depression.? However, the study was less definitive on how to go about instilling ethnic pride. But the seventh and eighth grades seemed especially important periods.

        The full study can be found in the November/December issue of the journal Child Development.

Left-Leaning Latin American Leaders Blast President Obama

Fidel Castro Sees Evil behind a Black Face

          (Taylor Media Services) When it comes to U.S. policy in Latin America, left-leaning leaders in the region are charging that America?s first Black president is carrying out the same polices of racism, bullying and imperialism of past white presidents. The most vocal criticism came last week from Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. He charged that Obama was working to bring down left-leaning Latin American governments but was hiding his true intentions ?beneath the friendly smile and African American face ??

   Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez read Fidel Castro?s criticism of President Obama

       Castro, who has turned over leadership of Cuba to his brother Raoul, had his statement read by Venezuelan Hugo Chavez at a gathering of ALBA ? a summit founded in 2004 to counter U.S. economic policies in Latin America. Castro and Chavez say those policies benefit American companies and a rich Latin American oligarchy but produce poverty among the vast majority of the region?s citizens.

          However, the criticism of Obama was led a week earlier by Bolivian President Evo Morales. He said he was initially inspired by Obama?s presidential victory but as far as American policy goes ?if something changed, its only the color and there was no change at all in the ideological or program content in the United States.? Morales is Bolivia?s first president of Indian ancestry. The country had long been ruled by a white minority.

          The leftist leaders were especially critical of the Obama administration?s mild response to a recent military coup which ousted a left-wing president in Honduras. And since so many Latin American countries have been electing left-wing leaders, Obama critics also fear the U.S. is trying to build up right-wing Colombia as the chief military power in the region.

Black Florida Man Freed after 35 Years in Prison for Crime He Did Not Commit

How many More Are behind Bars?

          (Taylor Media Services) James Bain was freed from a Florida prison last week after being incarcerated for 35 years for a crime he did not commit. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1974 for allegedly kidnapping and raping a nine year old boy. However, the work of the Florida Innocence Project and newly available DNA evidence showed he could not have been the man who committed the crime.

          In response to a question, Bain told reporters, ?No, I?m not angry because I?ve got God.? With his release, Bain joins 245 other wrongly convicted men who have been freed from long prison sentences because of sophisticated DNA gathering procedures which did not exist at the time most of them were convicted. The Innocence Project, originally founded in New York City, has been the primary legal force behind freeing wrongly convicted persons.

          As might be expected given the nature of the American judicial system, the vast majority of the wrongly convicted men have been low-income African American males. Bain had served more time in prison on a wrongful conviction than any of the other freed men. His case also illustrates the ease with which a man can be convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

          The young victim gave a vague description of the man who raped him. The boy?s uncle then told authorities that the description sounded like Bain ? a young man he had taught in high school. There was no other evidence linking the then-19-year-old Bain to the crime. Nevertheless, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

          Under a recently passed Florida law, however; Bain is now entitled to $1.75 million.

Why Is the Obama Administration Refusing to Pardon Boxing Great Jack Johnson?

          (Taylor Media Services) Jack Johnson was the first Black heavyweight boxing champion of the world. His fighting prowess was such that many considered him unstoppable. But in the early 20^th Century much of white America found it socially unacceptable for a Black man to be beating white men in a boxing ring.

          Jack Johnson

Thus, there developed the idea of the ?Great White Hope.? This was essentially a mad search for a white man who could defeat Johnson. As Johnson defeated all Caucasians who were thrown at him, the legal authorities stepped in to dethrone him. Officials threw the Mann Act at Johnson. This law made it illegal to take a woman across state lines ?for immoral purposes.? Its aim was combat interstate prostitution.

          However, it was employed against Johnson because the girlfriends who frequently traveled with him were white. As a practical matter, Johnson was convicted and served a year in jail in 1913 because he was dating white women. The questionable nature of the Johnson conviction has long been known. Even two white conservative Republicans ? Arizona?s John McCain and New York?s Peter King ? backed the latest effort calling on the Obama administration to grant Johnson a posthumous pardon.

          Thus far, however, President Obama has refused to act. Then last week, the Justice Department headed by its first African American Attorney General announced that it would not recommend a pardon for Johnson. President Obama can still grant the pardon without a Justice Department recommendation. But the slow process has many Black activists and historians wondering why Obama has been so slow to grant a pardon which virtually no one is arguing against.

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Entertainment, People, Books and Style!

Despite Sex Scandal, Tiger Woods Grabs ?Athlete of the Decade? Award

          (Taylor Media Services) Despite his salacious sex scandal golfing sensation Tiger Woods last week grabbed the ?Athlete of the Decade? award from the Associated Press. Woods captured 56 of the 142 votes cast by AP editors. A majority of the votes were cast after the November 27^th automobile accident which led to revelations of multiple extra-marital affairs.

 

  Tiger Woods

 

         Bike racer and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong placed second with 33 votes and tennis star and Grand Slam champion Roger Federer came in third with 25 votes. Meanwhile, at least 14 women (all of them white) are now claiming they had affairs with Woods at some point during his five year marriage to wife Elin. There were also reports last week that Woods was paying ?Hush? money to some of the women in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 a month.

 

          Further, while those who truly know are not saying much, the suggestive evidence mounted last week that Elin is preparing to divorce Tiger, move back to Sweden and take the couple?s two children with her.

 

 "Precious" Tops Black Film Critics "Best of 2009 List"

            (Taylor Media Services) The African American Film Critics Association has selected "Precious" - the heart-rendering movie about an abused young Black woman ? as the "Best Picture of the Year." The same film also produced the ?Best Director? in Lee Daniels and Best Supporting Actress ? the comedienne-turned-dramatic actress Mo?Nique.

          Morgan Freeman captured the best Actor award for his role as South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela in the film ?Invictus? and Beharie claimed the Best Actress award for her role in "American Violet." The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) was founded in 2003 and gives awards each year for excellence in film.

 

 

Homicide Detectives Still Investigating Death of Bengals' Chris Henry

 Chris Henry

 

          (Taylor Media Services) It appears pretty clear that it was a domestic dispute which led to the death of Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Chris Henry. According to law enforcement authorities, following a dispute Henry's fianc饠Loleini Tonga jumped into a pickup truck and driving away from Henry?s home in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area of North Carolina when the athlete jumped into the back of the truck.

 

          However, a short while later, Henry was thrown from the truck suffering severe injuries. He was rushed to a hospital after being found on a residential road. He later died from his in juries. No charges have been filed against Tonga but police say a homicide investigation is underway. There was no indication as to who alerted authorities to the incident or whether Ms. Tonga was at the scene when the ambulance arrived.

 

Mariah Carey Hits Double Platinum with "All I Want for Christmas" Ringtone

 Mariah Carey

          (Taylor Media Services) The Yuletide classic of songstress Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas Is You" made history last week. According RIAA, the song became the first seasonal ringtone to hit the RIAA Double Platinum mark. This essentially means that two million units of the song have been sold as ringtones to persons placing it on their cell phones as the ring sound when a call comes in.

          Carey and Legacy Recordings are celebrating the 15th anniversary of the original release of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" with the digital release of brand new full-length dance mixes of the track, executive produced by Mariah Carey and remixed by Low Sunday (Ron Haney, Bart Schoudel and Joey Arbagey), available for purchase now through all major digital music providers and all US wireless carriers.

Former "The Today Show" Host Bryant Gumbel Reveals Lung Cancer

          Bryant Gumbel

(Taylor Media Services) Bryant Gumbel, former host of NBC?s ?The Today Show? revealed last week that he had recent undergone surgery to have a cancerous tumor removed from his lung. According to the 61-year-old Gumbel, ?they opened up my chest; they took a malignant tumor, part of my lung and some other goodies.?

          Gumbel made his revelation during a guest hosting appearance on "Live! With Regis & Kelly." He was sitting in for Regis Philbin who is recovering from hip surgery. According to Gumbel?s doctors, he will need more surgery to insure that all the cancerous cells have been removed. The original surgery took place roughly two months ago. Gumbel, a cigar smoker, is currently a commentator with ?Real Sports.? He concluded, ?I?m ok for the time being.?

Black University Drops "Fat Course" after Mountains of Criticism

          (Taylor Media Services) Predominantly Black Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia recently made a bold move against obesity by initiating a requirement that overweight students take a ?Fitness for Life? course before they could graduate. But charges of discrimination against the overweight immediately poured in and the school became a national subject for criticism and jokes.

 

          As a result, the Lincoln faculty last week dropped the idea for the so-called ?fat course? requirement as students also complained it violated the school?s principle of ?equal treatment? of all students. Initially the college said it was aiming to combat obesity (which often leads to diabetes) among African Americans.

 

          Another problem with the course, which will now simply be ?recommended? to certain students was that it was based on a BMI (body mass index) of 30 as the definition of obese. But critics have charged that the entire BMI system was compiled based on whites and did not include Blacks, Hispanics or Asians in the original study.

 

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Editor's Commentary

Two Pet Peeves which Should Bother Us All

By Robert James Taylor

          I do not have an in-depth commentary this week; just two pet peeves related to recent events. And I think they are pet peeves which we all should share!

          Pet Peeve #1 ? ?I am not angry because I have God.? ? This statement or some variation of it is the most common comment coming from the 246 men who have been freed from long prison sentences in recent years for crimes which DNA evidence has proved they could not have committed.

          Most of these wrongly convicted men had served sentences ranging from 15 years to 35 years behind bars. In addition, most of the wrongly convicted were low-income African American males. The most recent is James Bain of Bartow, Florida who spent 35 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. And sure enough, shortly after his release Bain told reporters, ?I am not angry because I have God.?

          Will someone please tell these men that if you wrongly spend 35 years in jail because someone lied on you, wrongly identified you or a prosecutor withheld exculpatory evidence, you have a justified right to be angry. Anger can be an incredibly healthy emotion as long as it is used to spur action which corrects a wrong.

          The great entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte once told the AARP magazine that it was anger which caused him to sacrifice parts of his entertainment career in order to participate in the Civil Rights Movement. He said he was so angry at the wrongs which were being done to minorities that he had to join the struggle.

          Indeed, it is a social sin to allow a mechanical interpretation of Biblical scripture to cause you to believe that a right and just person does not or should not get angry. Again, the point is to employ that justified anger in a constructive manner to correct wrongs.

          Pet Peeve #2 ? President Obama Nobel Peace prize Acceptance Speech ? With all do respect and love for our first African American president, nearly everything surrounding the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace prize to Barack Obama bothered. While I believe Obama to be a peace-loving man striving for justice, he did not deserve the Nobel peace prize.

          With less than a year in office, he had done absolutely nothing to warrant such a prestigious award. I am sure Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ? our greatest Nobel Peace prize recipient ? was staring down shaking his head. Obama rightly joked that he did not deserve the award. But within just a few days of its announcement, he compounded a wrong by annoucing a escalation of America?s war in Afghanistan.

          Finally, he made matters even worse by using his Nobel Peace prize acceptance speech to essentially justify America?s rightn to wage war. The speech was horribly inappropriate. To use a forum for peace tro justify war actually beyond wrong. Obama?s speech was actually welcome in conservative circles. Virtually no major U.S. liberal or progressive columnist could find anything positive or peaceful in the presentation.

          The point is simple: Use a forum for peace in the same manner Dr. King used it: To discuss how to bring about a just and peaceful world. Obama?s speech would have been more appropriate at the U.S. War College.

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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion

BUSINESS EXCHANGE: Joe Jackson: Root of an All American Dynasty

By William Reed

No matter how mainstream media implies Joe Jackson should be ostracized from ?proper society,? actions of the family continually contradict that view.  While a large percentage of the American population scorns ?Papa Joe?, not so among the Jacksons.  Mainstream media?s publics? rile has been up since Joe Jackson sought a $15,000 a month allowance from Michael?s estate.  Should Joseph Walter Jackson be bestowed $180,000 per annum from Michael Jackson?s estate?   Should Papa Joe be viewed as a rouge, or role-model? 

 

Based on traditional American values, Joe Jackson is an African-American ?role-model?.  Now, a father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Joe Jackson is the root of his family?s successes.  During the Thanksgiving holiday period Papa Joe hosted third son Jermaine, and his brood, and Michael?s  children Prince, 12, Paris, 11, Blanket, 7, and 'secret son' Omer Bhatti at his Las Vegas ranch.  This gathering contrasted with the public?s opinion and ridicule that Joe Jackson is not entitled to a stipend from the estate of his seventh child.

 

Symbolically, you could say that: From this tree grew mighty oaks.  Born in Arkansas in 1929, Joe married Katherine Scruse in Gary, Indiana in 1949 and maintained his family by working as a crane operator at Gary's U.S. Steel Company.  In the mid-1950s, Joe embarked on a music career with his brother Luther, playing guitar in a band called The Falcons.  The Falcons never got a record deal, causing Joe to return to U.S. Steel full-time after a couple of years hiatus.

 

It was under Joe?s strict leadership that the Jackson 5 polished their talents.  In 1967, they turned professional, and the group signed with Motown Records in 1968.  Much of the public?s perception of him is based on the decline in Joe?s managerial role when Motown CEO Berry Gordy took personal charge of the Jacksons? act. Rouge you say?  All too often Michael Joseph Jackson?s success is chronicled separate of Papa Joe.  All the family attributes Michael?s accomplishments directly to Papa Joe. 

Michael had honored his father with an annual "Joseph Jackson Day" at Neverland Ranch.  Joe Jackson represents a father and authority figure most African American families never know.  In the eyes of the Jackson Family, if anyone deserves an income from the labors of Michael Jackson, it should be Papa Joe.  Now 81, Joe suffers from diabetes and contends that he was supported by Michael before his death through payments that were made to Katherine Jackson and was passed on to him.  Joe?s expenses exceed $20,000 per month; his income from Social Security is $1,700.

Mrs. Jackson?s income from the estate is four times what Joe?s requesting.  For her support, and that of Michael?s three publicly-known children, Katherine Jackson, 79, receives $86,000 a month.  Katherine supports her husband's request for a monthly allowance.  Jermaine Jackson says it?s ridiculous that his father even had to ask for payments in the first place and states: "The fact is my father is the estate.  He created it."

(William Reed ? www.BlackPressInternational.com)

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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion

States Denying Food Stamps and Public Assistance to Drug Offenders

By Dr. Henrie M. Treadwell and Elisabeth Kingsbury, J.D.

Dr. Henrie Treadwell

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people released from U.S. prisons after felony drug convictions discover that serving time isn't their only punishment. They are permanently denied the life-sustaining benefits of food stamps and other public assistance.

The restrictions come from the 1996 welfare reform legislation, which was adopted at a time when politicians in Washington were maneuvering to be perceived as tough on crime. It's clear that their fight for political survival blinded them to the negative impacts this ban would have on men and women trying to reestablish their lives after prison stays. Needless to say, it also has a huge impact on their children.

Plain and simple, this is public policy at its worst. With ex-convicts already facing monumental hurdles to overcome, ranging from dealing with health concerns to trying to find jobs to readjusting to their families and communities, this policy makes successfully doing any of those even more difficult.

Researchers have found that policies such as these are particularly hard on women, at a time when the female inmate population is rising. Juliana van Olphen, of San Francisco State University, says that punitive policies related to employment, housing, education, welfare, and treatment for mental health or substance abuse make it extremely difficult for drug users and former users to live normal lives and reintegrate into society.

"These policies have adversely and disproportionately affected women, especially poor women, ruining their chances of finding employment, housing or education upon release," van Olphen said after her research was published earlier this year in BioMed Central's open access journal, Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy.

Some states, however, have discovered that they can limit or remove the federal ban. Under the law, anyone convicted of a federal or state felony involving the possession, use or distribution of drugs is permanently banned from receiving food stamps or assistance under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. But states are allowed to enact legislation changing or eliminating the ban. Unless they do, people with drug felony convictions can't receive food stamps or welfare assistance.

A recent review of the state policies indicates that:

* Eleven states have adopted the federal restrictions without any changes. In these states, benefits are permanently denied. It doesn't matter how long ago the crime was committed or successful the rehabilitation whether through a strong work history, drug and alcohol counseling, or by avoiding repeat offenses.

* Thirty states have altered the ban to allow people who meet certain conditions to receive food stamps or welfare assistance. Most times, the conditions include participating in alcohol and drug treatment sessions, passing drug tests, or staying out of trouble for a certain period of time.

* Nine states have lifted the ban entirely.

Across the country, advocates are also pushing state legislatures to ease or eliminate the ban on people convicted of drug felonies receiving food stamps or welfare, because it is the right thing to do.

How can elected officials, civic leaders and community activists encourage ex-convicts to reestablish ties with their families and communities when laws such as this one make that task harder and, at times, even impossible?

It's time to change the laws.

 (Dr. Henrie M. Treadwell is director of Community Voices of Morehouse School of Medicine. This organization works to improve health services and health-care access for all. Elisabeth Kingsbury, J.D., is an attorney and senior researcher for Community Voices. Media seeking interviews with Dr. Treadwell or Ms. Kingsbury should contact Alicia Ingram at ingramalicia@bellsouth.net or 404-493-1724 to schedule.)

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Better Life Opportunities, Money, Jobs & Advice

Repairing Credit Scores
Author: Leo Chu

An individual who is hoping to get a loan - either to purchase a house or an automobile or to put up a business - may feel reluctant to apply if his credit scores are poor. These ratings, which are determined by so-called credit bureaus, are a reflection of a person's creditworthiness. Banks and other companies, such as utility service providers and insurers, often take these grades into account in deciding whether or not to transact business with an individual. Someone who has low grades, therefore, is likely to have his loan application turned down or will be able to get a loan only at a very high interest rate.

Nevertheless, there are ways of repairing poor ratings. One need not suffer from low scores forever.

One way of improving a person's grade is by promptly paying bills - such as for electricity, cable television, telephone line, cellular phone, etc. Doing so will help give the impression that a person is responsible in meeting his financial obligations and is, therefore, worthy to borrow money from any lender or crediting agency.

Another means of beefing up one's ratings is by checking for potential errors in their computations. Evaluators may have mistakenly given someone a poor rating after failing to record settlement of a debt that he has already made. Liabilities that remain overdue adversely affect a person's scores. Evaluating firms are not always correct in their computations, and it is an individual's responsibility to check for errors.

According to experts on scoring, it is advisable to ask for copies of the credit reports made by rating firms once every six months. Doing so makes sure that the companies use the right information as basis in computing the grades. The evaluators sometimes do commit mistakes, such as failing to register loan payments, in making their assessments. It is best to check the reports every now and then to make the necessary corrections.

These companies entertain complaints and rectify their computations if there is evidence of erroneous assessment.

Low grades should not be taken lightly because these will adversely affect an individual's ability to engage in various financial transactions. He may not be able to get a bank loan, or may only be able to borrow at above-market interest rates. Any mistakes in the evaluations should, therefore, be immediately rectified.

Another means of improving one's standing is to close unnecessary bank accounts. Only maintain a few, such as debit or credit card accounts that are properly serviced. It is also good to pay financial obligations before the due dates.

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Over 1 Million Census Bureau Jobs Becoming Available this Spring

            (Taylor Media Services) If you are unemployed and can survive through the winter, the government may have a job for you this spring. That is when over 1 million jobs as census takers become available. There are five types of jobs: census takers, crew leaders, crew leader assistants, recruiting assistants and census clerks.

 

          The positions are said to be excellent for under-employed persons and offer flexible hours. You need to apply for a job through the census office closest to where you live. You can call (866) 861-2010 and, if you enter your ZIP code when prompted, your call will be routed to the nearest office. Or, you can obtain all the materials online.

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Black History Journal

 

Black America?s First Millionaire ? Madame C.J. Walker

By Robert James Taylor

                Madame C.J. Walker ? the woman who would become the first Black millionaire in American history ? was born Sarah Breedlove on December 13, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana to Owen and Minerva Breedlove.

                Madame Walker was truly a self-made woman with little other than herself to rely upon during the early years of her life. She became an orphan at age seven when both parents died during an outbreak of yellow fever. At age 10 she moved with her older sister to Vicksburg, Mississippi to become a maid. Unfortunately, her older sister had married an abusive man. Thus, in order to escape the drama and trauma of that relationship, she got married at 14 to Moses McWilliams.

                She and Moses had one child ? Lelia who would later change her name to A?Lelia Walker and become a major figure in the African American literary revolution known as the Harlem Renaissance.

                 Madame Walker can be best described as a woman who came to believe that the best solution to the plight of Blacks in America was economic growth. She was a hard driving entrepreneur who discovered a marketable idea and then promoted it unrelentingly.

The idea was hair products for black women and the marketing strategy involved converting thousands of women (and some men) into ?Walker?s Agents? who promoted her hair products door-to-door and at conventions, churches and social clubs. Although her products were used in conjunction with the straightening comb, she rejected all criticism that her hair care system actually involved making the hair of Black women look like that of white women.

                In 1906, she and her third husband ? Charles Joseph Walker ? toured the country, much of the Caribbean and parts of Latin America promoting her hair care products and training sales agents while Lelia ran the company?s mail order operations from Denver, Colorado.

                Amazingly, Walker started the company as a result of solving a personal problem. In her 30?s, Walker?s drive and perhaps nervous energy led to her losing her hair. She was working as a domestic in St. Louis. She went into her kitchen and concocted a hair growth formula which she said had come to her in a dream. When her hair began to grow back, relatives and friends began to demand that she do the same for them. Testimonials and promotions enabled product sales to soar.

                In 1910, operations were moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. By this time, Walker had become a nationally known figure and an inspiration to millions of Blacks.

                But personal financial success was not enough. The bloody East St. Louis race riots of 1917 deeply disturbed her. It was rumored that among the Black men lynched during the upheaval was her first husband Moses McWilliams. Regardless, she became a strong advocate of those wanting to make lynching a federal crime.

                Finally, Walker moved to New York where she first built a luxurious townhouse in Harlem. But a year later in August 1918, she built a mansion on an estate on Irvington on the Hudson, New York. Her neighbors included multi-millionaire industrialists such as Jay Gould and John D. Rockefeller.

                However, the never-ending drive and the breakneck speed of her life had taken their toll. Madame C.J. Walker died at 51 on May 25, 1919 due to complications related to hypertension

                Once asked who gave her the start in business, she responded, ?I got myself a start by giving myself a start.?

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The National Black News Journal & Advocate

December 22, 2009

Analytical, financial, health and historical empowerment

Editor ? Robert James Taylor; Operations ? Chris. Taylor; Advertising/Circulation ? LaRue Bonner

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Major News Developments!

(12-13-'09)

Study Finds Racial Pride as Important as Self-Esteem in Aiding Young Blacks

Black Boys Benefit Especially

        (Taylor Media Services) A new study from the journal Child Development finds that pride in one’s ethnic or racial group is as important as personal self-esteem in the mental health of African American adolescents. Study leader Jelani Mandara, a psychologist at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, reported, “Our findings indicate that, regardless of self-esteem, as feelings of ethnic pride go up, mental health tends to increase as well.”

        Conversely, the study suggests that even if a young person has self-esteem, if he or she lacks racial pride, their mental health can be negatively affected. Mandara co-authored the study along with Maryse Richards and Noni Gaylord-Harden of Loyola University in Chicago and Brian Ragsdale of Walden University. It was entitled “The Effects of Changes in Racial Identity and Self-Esteem on Changes in African American Adolescents’ Mental Health.”

        Young Black males seemed to especially benefit from higher levels of racial pride. According to Mandara, “A rising sense of ethnic pride appears to be particularly helpful to boys in buffering against symptoms of depression.” However, the study was less definitive on how to go about instilling ethnic pride. But the seventh and eighth grades seemed especially important periods.

        The full study can be found in the November/December issue of the journal Child Development.

Congressional Black Caucus Gains $4 Billion by Walking out on Obama Vote

          (Taylor Media Services) The Congressional Black Caucus has been at odds with President Obama charging that his economic stimulus programs were not targeting sufficient aid to Blacks and other minorities. Two weeks ago, the conflict reached a head when the 10 Black members on the House Financial Services Committee boycotted a key vote on new banking regulations favored by the Obama administration.

 

 Congresswoman Maxine Waters

 

          Well, last week the boycott appeared to have produced significant results. Bowing to the demands of Black Caucus members, the committee added $3 billion to the legislation to provide low-interest loans to unemployed homeowners who were in danger of foreclosure. Another $1 billion was added for neighborhood revitalization programs. The additions came even though the legislation designed to improve government oversight of Wall Street passed without the votes of the Black Caucus members.

 

`        On the day of the boycott, California’s Maxine Waters suggested the Black Caucus had consistently supported Obama’s financial bailouts and would be demanding more targeted appropriations to aid minorities: “Since last September, we have continuously voted for bailout and reform for the very institutions that created this devastation, without properly protecting the African American community or small business. That stops today!”

Are Blacks Secretly Pleased with the Downfall of Tiger Woods

          (Taylor Media Services) Golfing sensation Tiger Woods pretty much laid the foundation for his relationship with American Blacks when he went on the Oprah Winfrey Show with his father in April of 1997 and declared to the world “I am not Black.” His declaration was widely interpreted as either a statement of self-hatred or an indication that he despised other African Americans.

 Tiger Woods

          From April 1997 forward, Blacks kept Woods at a distance but nevertheless maintained a love-hate relationship with him: on one hand angered by his degrading statement and seeming desire not to associate with Blacks while on the other hand admiring of his sensational achievements in a “white man’s sport.”

          Indeed, Blacks even appeared to be warming up to Mr. Woods. Then this latest scandal broke revealing a man who appeared almost insanely obsessed and conflicted about his Blackness by simultaneously exploiting and denying his Blackness by playing the ebony stud to every white woman he could get his arms around. As of this writing, the total is eleven mistresses and counting. His clean-boy, non-controversial image has been dirtied, he has begun to lose product endorsements and the end is not yet in sight.

          As a result, last week Woods was the but of jokes on Black talk radio ranging from Tom Joyner to Russ Parr. He had a few defenders, but he also took a hit on Black-oriented chat lines and websites. A Springfield, Ohio member of one of our social websites perhaps summed up the attitude of many Black women when she wrote “I, for one, never cared that much for Tiger after he made the comment that he is not black. I am bi-racial and I am black no matter what and I love my black brothers. What bothers me more than anything is why are black men running after white women. That to me is a slap in the face.”

            It is that type of attitude which appears to be behind a lot of the pleasure many Blacks are currently finding in the Tiger Woods saga. (Share your views by logging onto http://betterlifesociety.ning.com or leave a brief message at 202-657-8872.)

Adaptation of Our African Ancestors May Explain Modern Blacks Susceptibility to Diabetes and Heart Disease

But Study Likely to Produce Controversy

          (Taylor Media Services) A genetic difference in the way some Blacks process glucose may explain why African Americans are more susceptible to diabetes and heart disease than Americans of predominantly European ancestry. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill made the discovery.

          They were building a database for common molecular traits among people who have heart problems. What they found was that a genetic marker associated with a poor ability to metabolize glucose showed up repeatedly and especially among African Americans. The scientists think the genetic marker may have been an environmental adaptation from the African ancestors of modern-day Blacks.

          The adaptation was probably an advantage on the African continent but became a disadvantage when Blacks were brought to America as slaves and began eating a different type of food. One researcher Dr. Cam Patterson explained, “This study raises the question, are there other examples of groups of gene changes that might be protective under some environments or nutritional scenarios, and maladaptive under others.”

          However, the finding could generate controversy. In the past some Black medical authorities have complained that white researchers tend to over-emphasize genetic differences among the races, in part to cover up for past studies which included only whites and thus tended to produce medicines which did not take into account the needs of Blacks, Hispanics and Asians.

          Patterson acknowledged the protential problem saying, “There’s no doubt that this is a controversial issue.” The full study was published in the December 9 issue of the journal Plos One. Currently, all groups of Americans are experiencing sharp increases in Type P diabetes but Black Americans are being hit especially hard. Glucose is the sugar compound which the body uses to produce energy.

Black Scholars Set off International Firestorm Accusing Cuba of Racism

 

Some Cuba Activists Say the Criticism Is Unjust

          (Taylor Media Services) A prominent group of 60 African American scholars and activists has set in motion an international controversy by accusing the Cuban government of discriminating against its Black citizens including cracking down on the island’s civil rights advocates. The group included such persons as Princeton’s Cornel West, President Obama’s former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright and actress Ruby Dee.

 

Are Blacks in Cuba subject to discrimination?

 

          In a statement, the group charged, “We cannot sit idly by and allow for decent, peaceful and dedicated civil rights activists in Cuba, and the black population as a whole, to be treated with callous disregard.” Historically, Blacks have been one of the few segments of the American population not to be hostile towards Cuba despite massive U.S. government and media attempts to demonize the communist-led island-nation.

 

          Thus, not surprisingly, the Cubans shot back quickly at the attack. A group of Black pro-government writers and artists issued a statement labeling the accusations from the African Americans “delusional” suggesting it was part of some new “anti-Cuban campaign” orchestrated by the U.S. government.

 

          Cuba has long had a positive reputation in the Black world. Upon coming to power in 1959, one of then-President Fidel Castro’s first acts was to declare all forms of racial discrimination illegal. His troops also fought in Southern Africa in the 1970s to help free the region from white minority rule. The Cuban government has also provided a host of free educational and medical training opportunities for Blacks from the Caribbean and Africa.

 

          Nevertheless, the declaration from the Black U.S. activists called for freedom for Darsi Ferrer – a jailed Black dissident who had been organizing human rights demonstrations on the island.

 

Violence in Jamaica Approaches Record Prompting Unusual Meeting by Prime Minister

          (Taylor Media Services) Jamaica, one of the favorite foreign vacation spots for both Black and white Americans, is undergoing a nearly unprecedented wave of violence prompting an unusual meeting by the nation’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding. Last week he called an unprecedented meeting with two of the predominantly Black island nation’s top DJs in a bid to get them to end a rivaly which authorities said was fueling a significant portion of the mayhem.

 

 Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding

 

          Golding sat down with Adijah “Vybz Kartel” Palmer and David “Mavado” Brooks and urged them to end a rivalry which has resulted in fans loyal to the two forming gangs and engaging in criminal activity. The DJ gangs have added to the death toll on the island of roughly 2.8 million people. Most of that violence, however, is though to result from the activities of rival drug gangs based in the country’s poor communities.

 

          Thus far this year, deaths on the island total around 1,600 – producing one of the highest murder rates in the world. The record year for homicides was 2005 when 1,674 people were killed. After the meeting with the prime minister, Palmer and Brooks agreed to hold a peace concert and encourage their fans to remove gang graffiti from walls throughout the capitol city of Kingston.

 

          Government officials, ministers and the island’s top national security officials also attended the meeting.

 

Kasim Reed Confirmed as Next Atlanta Mayor

 

White Challenger Came within 714 Votes

 Kasim Reed

 

            (Taylor Media Services) The “Capitol of the South” – Atlanta, Georgia – did not elect its first non-Black mayor recently as many political pundits had predicted. Last week, a recount confirmed that former state senator Kasim Reed had indeed beaten white city council member Mary Norwood. His margin of victory was just 714 votes. Reed officially takes office on January 4^th keeping the mayor’s office in Black hands continuously since 1973.

 

          Norwood has sought the recount after coming up 715 votes short of victory in the December 1^st balloting. The voting was largely along racial lines and reflected Atlanta’s still majority, but reduced, African American population as more whites and Hispanics have flooded into the city. The biggest problems facing the 40-year-old Reed are a budget crisis and a rising crime rate.

 

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Entertainment, People, Books and Style!

Your View of Tiger Woods Leaving Golf to Save His Marriage

          (Taylor Media Services) Saying he was trying to save his marriage, golfing sensation Tiger Woods announced over the weekend that he was taking an “indefinite leave” from golf. The announcement came amidst growing allegations of rampant extramarital affairs over the course of his five-year marriage to wife to Elin. Indeed, at least 11 women (all of them white) have claimed affairs with Woods.

 

          Tiger Woods and wife Elin

 

The 34-year-old golfer has not denied any of the allegations. In a statement released Saturday over his website, Woods said, “It may not be possible to repair the damage !’vew done, but I want to try my best.” It is unclear where this development will take Woods but there were report last week that his wife had bought a house in Sweden.

 

          The departure from his beloved golf came two weeks after a bizarre automobile accident near his Florida home. There is speculation that Woods was leaving the house after an argument with his wife when the first of the affairs was revealed. Woods reportedly ran into a tree and a fire hydrant after Elin came after him with a golf club busting a window out of his Cadillac Escalade.

 

[Share your views about the entire Tiger Woods sage by logging onto our social website at http://BetterLifeSociety.ning.com .]

 

Former “The Today Show” Host Bryant Gumbel Reveals Lung Cancer

          Bryant Gumbel

(Taylor Media Services) Bryant Gumbel, former host of NBC’s “The Today Show” revealed last week that he had recent undergone surgery to have a cancerous tumor removed from his lung. According to the 61-year-old Gumbel, “they opened up my chest; they took a malignant tumor, part of my lung and some other goodies.”

          Gumbel made his revelation during a guest hosting appearance on “Live! With Regis & Kelly.” He was sitting in for Regis Philbin who is recovering from hip surgery. According to Gumbel’s doctors, he will need more surgery to insure that all the cancerous cells have been removed. The original surgery took place roughly two months ago. Gumbel, a cigar smoker, is currently a commentator with “Real Sports.” He concluded, “I’m ok for the time being.”

Black University Drops “Fat Course” after Mountains of Criticism

          (Taylor Media Services) Predominantly Black Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia recently made a bold move against obesity by initiating a requirement that overweight students take a “Fitness for Life” course before they could graduate. But charges of discrimination against the overweight immediately poured in and the school became a national subject for criticism and jokes.

 

          As a result, the Lincoln faculty last week dropped the idea for the so-called “fat course” requirement as students also complained it violated the school’s principle of “equal treatment” of all students. Initially the college said it was aiming to combat obesity (which often leads to diabetes) among African Americans.

 

          Another problem with the course, which will now simply be “recommended” to certain students was that it was based on a BMI (body mass index) of 30 as the definition of obese. But critics have charged that the entire BMI system was compiled based on whites and did not include Blacks, Hispanics or Asians in the original study.

R. Kelly to Release Memoir Via Smiley Books

(Taylor Media Services) It was officially announced last week that R&B superstar R. Kelly (born Robert Sylvester Kelly) will publish his memoir with SmileyBooks (www.smileybooks.com)  – founded by radio and television talk-show host Tavis Smiley. "We are thrilled to be the conduit through which R. Kelly will tell his own story," said Smiley, "He has earned the right to tell his story his own way."

 R. Kelly

In the memoir, Kelly, writing with celebrity author David Ritz, will detail the agony of losing his mother. He will reveal how the same creative soul that came up with such inspiring ballads as the iconic "I Believe I Can Fly" and "You Are Not Alone," could also generate such sexy R&B mega-hits as "Bump N' Grind," "Ignition," and "When a Woman's Fed Up."

And he will discuss the six-year legal ordeal that nearly ruined his life, but finally ended in vindication when he was found innocent of child pornography charges in 2008. "I'm writing this book as Robert, not R. Kelly," the singer says. "I'm tired of being misunderstood. I will show you the tears, fears, and sweat. I will open my heart and reveal the good in my life as well as all the drama. I want to tell it like it is."

SIRIUS XM Radio to Feature a Week of Rapper Snoop Dogg

 Snoop Dogg 

 

 (Taylor Media Services) Just in case you are one of those people who just cannot get enough of popular rapper Snoop Dogg (real name Calvin Broadus), you will soon have your fondest desires met. The satellite radio combo SIRIUS XM announced last week that beginning December 20^th it will dedicate a special channel to a week of nothing but rapping, conversations and musical analysis from the rapper.

 

          The event will be available on SIRIUS channel 40 and XM channel 67 and will be known as “Snoop Dogg Nation.” It will also feature cuts from his latest album “Malice N Wonderland.”

Indiana Man Faces Trial for Stalking R&B Star Ashanti

 Ashanti       

(Taylor Media Services) An Indiana man is currently sitting in a New York City jail awaiting a trial which could begin this week for allegedly stalking and harassing R&B singing sensation Ashanti. Devar Hurd is accused of sending 30 sexually explicit text messages to Ashanti, her mother and her sister.

          The 31-year-old Hurd is said to have turned down a plea deal which would have put him behind bars for a year. Now, if the case goes to trial and ends in conviction, he could face up to five years in prison.

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Editor’s Commentary

The Debacle and the Embarrassment that Is Tiger Woods

 

As a Racial Self-Hater, He’s Getting What He Deserves

 

By Robert James Taylor

 

          In April 1997, Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods sat on one of Oprah Winfrey’s famous couches and spat in the face of African Americans by telling a national television audience that he was not Black. He declared that since his father was Black with some Indian blood and his mother was Asian, he was a member of a race he made up as a child – something he called “Cablinasian.”

 

          It was around that time that I loss all cultural, political and racial respect for the man but maintained a hope that as he became more mature and experienced he would come to his senses and stop running away from his Blackness. In fact, I thought that if he just looked in the mirror consistently, he would soon realize how silly his “I am not Black” statement really was.

 

          But the maturity and the racial realization never came.

 

          Instead, Tiger Woods, with an absolutely sensational golfing game, became the darling of white America precisely because he was a Black man who denied his Blackness. This denial was buttressed by a clean-cut image and a completely non-political approach to life which soothed white feelings by not constantly reminding them of the all the wrongs they had historically bestowed upon Black America.

 

          Sadly, however, many Black Americans also hoped on the Tiger bandwagon. They overlooked his denial of them and embraced him as a hero and a role-model. But here I must ask “A role model for what?” The only thing deserving of respect or imitation about Tiger Woods was his golf game.

 

          Long ago, I came to the realization that any Black person who denied his or her Blackness was doing a lot more than just acknowledging a diverse racial background. He or she was not so much saying they were not Black; instead, they were consciously or subconsciously saying “I despise being Black.” Thus, the person was actually anti-Black and could never be trusted or relied upon to do that which was right for other Blacks.

 

          Tiger’s obvious hatred of his African heritage apparently instilled by with the manner in which he was raised produced in him an obsession with bedding down with white women. It appeared that the more white women he slept with the more non-Black he felt. And he did not seem to matter who the woman was just as long as she had that white “Bobbie Doll” type look. Indeed, the 10 or more women who now claim to have had affairs with the married golfer ranged from the classy to the down right slutty. In fact, one of them worked on an Internet pornography site and called herself the “trashy girl.”

 

          However, the Tiger saga is not simply a matter of personal indiscretions. His behavior has helped revive the myth which has circulated since slavery that all Black men desire white women. Further, it perpetuates the myth that Black women are not desirable as long a white women are around.

 

          Thus, Tiger Woods shamed himself and did harm to the image of Black people in the process.

 

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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion

BUSINESS EXCHANGE: Obama’s Escalation of the War in Afghanistan Is a “Fool’s Errand”

By William Reed

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. – Palms 22:7

 

In a defining decision, Barack Obama has accepted responsibility for the War in Afghanistan, announcing deployment of 30,000 additional troops in the hopes of bringing the deteriorating war, in its ninth year there, to an acceptable conclusion.

 

Snookered by establishment powers, President Obama ignores the truth and has embarked on a fool’s errand.  The U.S. cannot “win” in Afghanistan.  It has a history of being “graveyard of empires.”  America was already losing when Obama took office.  President Obama backed into the realm of empire in March 2009 and ordered 30,000 troops there.  But, rather than reverse outcomes, U.S. and NATO forces lost even more ground.  The entrenched military/industrial complex is all around Obama and behind the beguiling that got him to order troop levels in Afghanistan to an all-time high. 

 

Obama’s obedience to policies extending American authority and economic and political hegemony follows a pattern of American Presidents’ acquiescence to a ruling class agenda for endless war and ongoing repression.  No matter who, every President of the United States is committed to open-ended deployment in Afghanistan and unbending alliance with Israel.”

 

Obedient to established structures, Obama is in league with policies to allow America to carry out capitalist globalization at gunpoint. The imperial powers’ mindset Barack has bought into allows for policing to the ends of the earth.  For the multi-trillion dollar American military/industrial/complex there is always another enemy, and threat.  Obama’s agenda seems eerily similar to core elements of a doctrine articulated in the Bush National Security Strategy (2002) which declared American-defined “values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society” … and that an overarching goal of U.S. policy is creating “a balance of power that favors freedom,” and the spread of “free markets, and free trade to every corner of the world.”  Obama is now on-board to make cases for America ’s military superiority and right to wage preemptive war. 

 

Fifty-percent of Americans oppose escalating war in Afghanistan .  But, the Generals, Admirals, armaments executives, and now the White House, are unwilling to accept responsibility for a military setback.  Bush and Cheney ordered the invasion thinking it would be easy going.  They were going to wipe out the governments in Iran , Syria and North Korea .  Bush and Cheney’s colonial-like fantasy, now held by Obama, is nourished by “great nation” arrogance and a caste of corrupt politicians in Congress.  Afghans perceive the occupation as a colonial-takeover of their country.  After eight years of war, more Afghan armed insurgent groups  now exist in response to America ’s invasion and they control large parts of the country.  

 

Under Obama, the institutions of militarism, war and empire remain intact.   His new plan for empire calls for more bombing and drone attacks, and “Afghanization” – the building up of a puppet Afghan army trained and led by U.S. commanders.  This follows his escalation of illegal  bombings in Pakistan .  This war has gone very badly.  How many more will have to die for the U.S. to avoid the appearance of defeat?  The American Empire is deep in a domestic economic crisis.  As Americans suffer from unemployment, foreclosures and evictions; the current cost of the wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq is running at over $225 billion per year or $1.2 billion every two days. 

 

The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, David Obey says sending more troops would be a mistake that could "wipe out every initiative we have to rebuild our own economy…There ain't going to be no money for nothing if we pour it all into Afghanistan ".

 

The “Empire” continues, prolonging the plight of the African American population.  At this stage, Blacks are no better off than they were under Bush.  Blacks got nothing from “Stimulus” programs.  The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is right in criticizing Obama for not doing enough to help African-Americans in the economy.   Speaking for the CBC, Maxine Waters said “We can no longer afford for our public policy to be defined by the worldview of Wall Street”.

(William Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)

Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion

Four Lessons on Afghanistan:

By A. Akbar Muhammad

The American political leadership needs to "wake up and smell the coffee" and take a lesson from history. There are four historical references that the Obama administration should consider as they try to handle Afghanistan.

First Lesson: France, when it occupied French Indochina (Vietnam) from 1887 until the revolts of 1946, led by Ho Chi Minh. The French should have learned that there is no stopping a people who are determined to liberate their land from any foreign occupation, especially under an inspired leader, whose inspiration led them to fight for freedom to the bitter end. Read a brief review of the French's final battle at Dien Bien Phu against General Vo Nguyen Giap, the most distinguished leader next to Ho Chi Minh in the liberation war.

Second Lesson: Algeria, where the French never thought a rag-tag band of Algerians in their determination to be free could force France to leave this most valuable piece of real estate on the North Coast of Africa. Never did the French think that the Algerian soldiers they brought to Indochina to fight for France would become so inspired by the Vietnamese struggle, that they would bring that inspiration home in their liberation struggle to rid Algeria of its occupier--The French!

Third Lesson: The Soviet/Russians in Afghanistan; the mighty Soviet army went into a country where they wanted to prop up a Marxist government and bring services that they thought the people of Afghanistan would appreciate. Then Russians failed to bring the promised services of schools, doctors and infrastructure.

The Soviets learned a lesson that they should have learned from the British Empire and the Mongols. Did the Russians think they could defeat history? So they foolishly leaped in. We were taught by our parents and teachers to look before you leap; look at what? Look at history.

Fourth Lesson: America's own Vietnam disaster. The U.S. lost 58,000-plus young soldiers in a war that should not have been. Dr. Martin Luther King tried to stir the conscience of America's leadership and people in his famous speech delivered at Riverside Church in New York on April 4, 1967.

One year to the day, Dr. King was tragically assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. It took another six years and a divided country before the U.S. government realized there was no possibility of winning the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese had developed a culture of war and, even with their losses; they were prepared to fight on for at least an additional 20 years! The discussion should not be if President Obama should send 20,000 or 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The discussion should be about a viable exit plan and how we can bring our young men and women home.

I, like millions of other Americans want to see a President whom we love and respect be successful in cleaning up the mess that the Bush/Cheney White House made of America and the world. In learning the lessons of history there are two-out of print books the president's research team should review. The first is Bloods: An Oral History of The War in Vietnam by Black veteran Wallace Terry. The second is War without Mercy: Race and Power in the War with Japan by John W. Dower.

Akbar Muhammad can be reached for questions and comments at Africanliteracy@msn.com.

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Better Life Opportunities, Money, Jobs & Advice

Over 1 Million Census Bureau Jobs Becoming Available this Spring

            (Taylor Media Services) If you are unemployed and can survive through the winter, the government may have a job for you this spring. That is when over 1 million jobs as census takers become available. There are five types of jobs: census takers, crew leaders, crew leader assistants, recruiting assistants and census clerks.

 

          The positions are said to be excellent for under-employed persons and offer flexible hours. You need to apply for a job through the census office closest to where you live. You can call (866) 861-2010 and, if you enter your ZIP code when prompted, your call will be routed to the nearest office. Or, you can obtain all the materials online.

Black Business Publication Set for Launch in Chicago

(Taylor Media Services) Target Market News, Inc. has announced that it is launching "Black Business Chicago," a monthly publication devoted exclusively to covering news and information impacting the city's African-American businesses, entrepreneurs and executives. The first issue will appear in January 2010 and will be available at locations throughout the city as well as a supplement in the Chicago Defender newspaper.

The companion Web site, BlackBusinessChicago.com will provide regular news updates, access to online business resources and a means for readers to get answers to business-related questions. The site will also debut in January. According to the most recent business census taken by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Cook County had more than 55,000 black-owned firms, more than any other county in the country, and accounted for 80 percent of all black-owned companies in Illinois.

New Online Black Business Directory Promises to Reach Thousands

 (Taylor Media Services) RegalMag.com/Classifieds, an online magazine for African Americans is seeking  to turn the online community into the new virtual Black community of the 21st century. "In many Black communities throughout this country, even if someone wanted to patronize a Black-owned business, it would be difficult to locate them," explains RegalMag.com publisher/founder Todd A. Smith. "However, RegalMag.com/Classifieds will build bridges between Black consumers, Black-owned businesses, and Black entrepreneurs."

 

RegalMag.com/Classifieds allow users to search for Black-owned business, such as barbers, beauticians, churches, lawyers and doctors. It also allows users to search for job openings that are aimed at Black applicants.

"Despite the current recession," Smith says, "jobs will soon become available again in great numbers, and companies looking to hire from within the Black community will have the perfect platform to find these jobs seekers through RegalMag.com/Classifieds." Interested persons can reach the website at http://www.regalmag.com/classifieds/ .

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Black History Journal –

 

 (The History They Hide from You!)

 

Stephanie St. Clair – America’s Most “Accomplished” Black Female Gangster

          (Taylor Media Services) When the true history of Black America is finally written, there will probably be a special section on crime. And in that section there will have to be a chapter on Stephanie St. Clair - easily the most “accomplished” or notorious Black female organized crime figure in American history.

          St. Clair was born on the East Caribbean island of Marseilles in 1886. She arrived in Harlem, New York roughly around the age of 26 in 1912. By 1922, she had accumulated $10,000 and used it to launch what would become one of the biggest “numbers” (illegal lottery) operations in New York City. As a result, she became deeply involved in the seedy gangster underworld which influenced much of New York life.

          It was in that underworld that she met a young man who would eventually surpass her and become the most powerful Black organized crime figure in America. His name was Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson. However, initially as her chief enforcer Johnson would help St. Clair become “Madame St. Clair - the numbers queen” as her illegal lottery came to dominate much of New York gambling.

          However, a problem soon emerged. After Prohibition ended in 1932 and alcohol became legal again, the Mafia lost a major source of income from the sale of illegal liquor. In search of new income streams, they turned their eyes to Harlem and St. Clair’s numbers empire. Led by Dutch Shultz  (the infamous German-Jew known for his brutality) Italian organized crime figures aided by Black surrogates moved in to take over.

          One biographer described the fluent French-speaking St. Clair as “arrogant, sophisticated and astute to the ways of urban life.” Thus, when Shultz made his move, it meant war. When the dust settled, over 40 people were dead. Both St. Clair and Johnson emerged alive but weakened. With corrupt New York City police frequently aiding the Mafia, the two saw they were waging a losing battle.

          But then St. Clair launched a highly public counter offensive. She complained to politicians about corruption in the police department. She took out ads in Black newspapers denouncing corrupt police, politicians and white gangsters. This led to her arrest several times on what were largely trumped up charges. St. Clair responded by testifying before the New York State Seabury Crime Commission detailing all the kickbacks she had paid so authorities would not disrupt her numbers operations.

          She did not get any major politicians but several police officers lost their jobs because of her testimony.

          Then suddenly in 1935 conflict inside the Mafia benefited St. Clair: Dutch Shultz was gunned down on orders from the boss of all Mafia bosses Lucky Luciano. For reasons which are not entirely clear, Luciano and the Genovese crime family were more open to negotiations than ongoing gun battles with their Harlem counterparts. But the negotiations would lead to the splitting of St. Clair from her number one enforcer Bumpy Johnson.

          Johnson worked out a deal with Luciano in which the Mafia would take over the bulk of Harlem numbers operations but he (Johnson) would become the Mafia’s chief enforcer in Harlem. This deal led to Johnson eclipsing St. Clair and becoming the most powerful Black organized crime figure in America as numbers operations spread across the nation. Johnson tried to convince his former boss to come in on the deal but St. Clair refused. Eventually, however, she worked out a deal of her own in which she continued to “bank” numbers but she had to pay a “tax” to the Mafia significantly reducing her profits.

          However, St. Clair had a final revenge. As Dutch Shultz lay dying from gunshot wounds; she sent him a telegram that made national headlines. It simply read: “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

          Stephanie St. Clair - “Madame St. Clair the numbers queen” - died quietly in New York City in 1969 at the age of 83.

[If you want to discover and stay abreast of Black history subscribe to the “Black History Journal.” The 15-page Journal is emailed directly to your inbox 50 weeks a year. Send $27.00 (for a yearly subscription) to Robert N. Taylor, 1517 T Street, SE, Washington, DC 20020.]

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The National Black News Journal & Advocate

December 17, 2009

Analytical, financial, health and historical empowerment

Editor – Robert James Taylor; Operations – Chris. Taylor; Advertising/Circulation – LaRue Bonner

Correspondents: Washington, DC; Los Angeles, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio and Richmond, Virginia

Based: Washington, D.C. 20020 - 202-657-8872; Email: TaylorMediaServices@yahoo.com

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Major News Developments!

(posted 12-6-'09)

Brewing Conflict between President Obama and the Congressional Black Caucus

Is It a Principled Difference or Black-on-Black Crime?

       (Taylor Media Services) They have endeavored to keep it quiet and polite, but developments in recent weeks have made it clear that there is conflict brewing between President Barack Obama and members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The issue increasingly dividing the two is the administration’s economic stimulus efforts.

President Obama

          Approximately three weeks ago, the Black Caucus joined with civil rights and labor groups to pressure the president to do more to combat growing unemployment among African Americans and other minorities. Black unemployment currently stands at a 28-year high of 15.7 percent while that for Hispanics has reached 13.2 percent, according to the labor Department. Obama said nothing in response to pressure from groups which are normally political allies.

          Then last week, the Black Caucus upped the ante and the pressure. The 10 Black members on a key House committee considering financial reform legislation favored by Obama boycotted a crucial vote to show their displeasure with the administration’s refusal to “target” more stimulus dollars to the needs of the nation’s minorities.

          However, on Thursday, Obama finally shot back at his critics and they did not like what he had to say. In an interview with USA TODAY and the Detroit Free Press, the nation’s first African American president said, “I will tell you that I think the most important thing I can do for the African American community is the same thing I can do for the American community … and that is get the economy going again and get people hiring again.”

          Several in the Congressional Black Caucus interpreted that statement as Obama saying he was not going to do anything special or “targeted” for the Black community even though it stands as his most loyal support base giving him approval ratings of 90 percent or better. Where this conflict is headed is unclear. But during the original call for targeted programs to aid Black America, Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, said, “Make no mistake: this [targeted aid of minorities] is the civil rights issue of the moment.”

          And by the end of the week, reports emerged that Obama would back the idea of using part of the government’s $700 billion financial bailout to go towards a jobs creation program but there was no indication that the spending would be targeted towards minorities.

Analysis: President Obama Seeks Middle Course on the War in Afghanistan

But Are We Headed for another Vietnam?

          (Taylor Media Services) Those on the liberal-to-progressive left of the political spectrum feel America should leave the 8-year-old Afghanistan war immediately. Meanwhile, those on the conservative-right feel we should throw 60,000 more U.S. troops at the war and keeping fighting until victory is achieved. Last week President Obama split the difference and essentially committed America to an 18-month war in Afghanistan backed by an additional 30,000 U.S. troops.

          The Obama military initiative will ultimately cost the nation somewhere between $40 billion and $50 billion with no guarantee of success. America’s first African American president basically told the nation last week that his “surge” can achieve in 18 months what the Bush administration and current military strategy failed to accomplish in 8 years.

          What Obama is attempting has parallels with America’s God-forsaken war in Vietnam some 40 years ago. Then President Lyndon Johnson undermined a progressive domestic agenda by escalating (another word for surge) a war handed to him by the previous president. America lost in Vietnam because the Vietnamese communists had significant support among their own people, safe havens in other countries and a strict ideological dedication to driving a foreign power from their land.

          This is pretty much what the dreaded Taliban has in Afghanistan. Plus, they are fighting a guerrilla war. There are very few conventional military battles – an area in which American with its great military might excels. Instead, the Taliban uses road-side bombs, suicide bombers, snipers and hit-and-run attacks. It is virtually impossible for an outside power to prevail over such tactics without massive support from the native population.

          America did not have that support in Vietnam and it does not have it in Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai runs a corrupt and ineffective government. He stole presidential elections last August with massive ballot box stuffing. That fact clearly demonstrates that Karzai does not have the support of his own people. Thus, it is highly doubtful that Obama can accomplish in 18 months even with 100,000 troops what was not accomplished in 8 years with 40,000 to 70,000 troops.

The Tiger Woods Affair

 

Automobile “Accident” Related to Marital Spat

Question: Is Long-Term Fidelity Really Possible?

          (Taylor Media Services) The truth rapidly emerged last week regarding that alleged automobile accident which sent golfing sensation Tiger Woods to the hospital. There is now strong reason to believe that Woods was actually involved in a physical confrontation with his wife Elin over his affair with another woman.

 

 Tiger Woods and wife Elin

 

          The entertainment website TMZ reported that after being scratched in the face by Elin, Woods left his house in Windermere, Florida and got into his Cadillac Escalade. It appears that Elin followed him swinging a golf club and hitting the car. Tiger reportedly hit a fire hydrant and a tree while attempting to flee from the scene.

 

          Woods initially denied the rumors which had been circulating on the Internet and maintained that his wife had acted “courageously” by breaking a window in the Escalade with the golf club in order to free him from the car. But by mid-week, Woods, in effect, admitted the truth of the rumors by issuing a statement on his website.

 

          The 33-year-old apologized for his affair saying, “I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.” He said he had not been “true to my values and the behavior my family deserves.” The Woods acknowledgement came shortly after Us Weekly had published a story featuring Jaimee Grubbs - the Los Angeles cocktail waitress who admitted she was the “other woman” in Woods’ life. According to Grubbs, the two had been involved in a 31-month affair.

 

[The Woods saga prompts this week’s “Social Question:” Is it really possible for a man and a woman to be sexually faithful to one another throughout a marriage? Share your views at our social website http://BetterLifeSociety.ning.com or email your views to TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com .]

 

Blacks Make Modest Job Gains as Unemployment Rate Unexpectedly Falls

          (Taylor Media Services) In a development not expected by most economists, the nation’s unemployment rate fell slightly last month – dropping from 10.2 percent in October to 10.0 percent in November. African Americans moved in the same direction as the rest of the nation as their joblessness declined from 15.7 percent to 15.6 percent - a statistically insignificant decline.

          Meanwhile, the unemployment rate among whites dropped to 9.3 percent last month down from 9.5 percent in October. Hispanics had the best decrease in joblessness. Their unemployment rate fell from 13.1 percent to 12.7 percent. Despite the slight and unexpected improvement, most major economists still expect unemployment to increase over the next year even though the recession which has gripped the nation since December 2007 is thought to be nearing its end.

          Overall, the economy still loss 11,000 jobs in November. But that was a significant improvement over the revised total of 111,000 jobs lost in October. The Labor Department report also showed a slight increase in the average number of hours worked and average weekly earnings for the typical worker rose to $622.17 – a $4.08 increase.

Analysis: Would Society Be Better Served by Understanding Maurice Clemmons Instead of Demonizing Him?

            (Taylor Media Services) The evidence strongly suggests that Maurice Clemmons was indeed the Black man who walked into a Seattle, Washington coffee shop last Sunday and shot and killed four white police officers. Clemmons himself was shot and killed by police two days later after a statewide manhunt.

          There has been near universal public and media demonization of Clemmons. Indeed condemnation is justified. But what has been completely lacking in the various reports is any measure of understanding. Why did Clemmons do what he did? Would not society be properly served if it had a better understanding of why there are so many angry Black men in America? Would not understanding lay a better foundation for preventing Seattle-type shootings in the future?

          A starting point for understanding and possibly eliminating the factors which could make a Black man snap and shoot four police officers is to recognize that more than any other segment of the population, Black males - from their early teen years forward - are more likely to have negative encounters and experiences with the police. Clemmons, for example, had a criminal record, had been to prison and apparently had learned to hate law-enforcement.

          Far too many African American males are growing up in poverty-ridden, high-crime, fatherless environments without constructive role models. These environments produce young males who are simultaneously raising and trying to out-macho one another. This mix often produces violence.

          Dr. John Rich has written a book entitled “Wrong Place, Wrong Time.” In it he details conversations with young Black men who have committed often extreme acts of violence. What he discovered was that most of these young Black males had experienced horrible pain, trauma and fear during their young lives. And according to Rich, one of the most common traumas emerging from conversations with these outwardly violent and thuggish men was the “almost little-boy pain about the absence of their fathers.”

          Black men disproportionately commit acts of violence in America for reasons which are social not genetic. The social causes must be understood and addressed or a lot more Maurice Clemmons will express their internal rage violently.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon Back on Job after Conviction

Prosecution Is Theft Case Questioned

          (Taylor Media Services) Baltimore, Maryland’s first Black female Mayor Sheila Dixon was back at work late last week although earlier in the week a jury found her guilty of one count of fraudulent misappropriation. She was found not guilty on two counts of theft and one count of misconduct in office in a case which her supporters say never should have been prosecuted.

 Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon

          Specifically, Dixon was accused of taking a Christmas gift card intended for the city’s poor and spending it on herself. The total value of the misdemeanor for which she was convicted came to around $600.00. Nevertheless, upon sentencing, Dixon could be removed from office. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Jurors failed to reach a verdict on another count.

          There appears to be no immediate move to oust Dixon. She told a Baltimore television station, “Things are not over. I’m mayor. We are going to stay focused on moving the city forward.”

 

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Entertainment, People, Books and Style!

Alicia Keys “Kinda” Responds to Rumors of Stealing another Woman’s Man

          (Taylor Media Services) Glamorous songstress Alicia Keys last week indirectly responded to allegations that she had broken up a happy marriage by having a relationship with another woman’s man. The accusation had come from Mashonda – wife of rapper Swiss Beats and had become a prominent Internet gossip item. Mashonda first made the accusation public this past September.

           Alicia Keys

While not dealing with the issue directly, Keys told Upscale magazine, “I felt I had to speak out about things and clear my name. But as time went on I realized it was a waste of energy. I think it’s better to just keep things moving. People will take [a rumor] and run with it in whichever direction they choose.”

          Meanwhile, Mashonda alleges that her ongoing concern with Keys “is no longer that she assisted in destroying a family but that she has the audacity to make these selfish comments …”

Disgraced Olympic Star Marion Jones Looking at Career in Women’s Basketball

          Marion Jones cried after being forced to give up Olympic medals

 

(Taylor Media Services) Reports were confirmed last week that former Olympic sprinter Marion Jones was in training to make a career comeback as a player in WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association. San Antonio Silver Stars Coach Dan Hughes acknowledged that Jones was working with his technical team.

          The 34-year-old Jones was forced give up her 2000 Olympic medals and served 6-months in prison in March 2008 for lying to federal authorities concerning her use of performance enhancing drugs and a bank fraud scheme involving boyfriend Tim Montgomery. There was no word on when Jones will actually begin play in the WNBA.

 

Little Richard Out of the Hospital; Vows to Keep Performing at 77

 Little Richard

          (Taylor Media Services) The king of Rock & Roll before Elvis Presley came on the scene Little Richard was released from the hospital last week following hip surgery. The irrepressible 77-year-old Richard told reporters he planned to continue performing as soon as he completes his recovery.

          When he returns to the stage, he added that he plans to shout to his audiences, “Shut up and rock like the old days. The singer is currently covering at his home near Nashville, Tennessee. Richard has already been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Beyonce Leads the Grammy Awards Race with 10 Nominations

 Beyonce

 

            (Taylor Media Services) The contenders for Grammy awards were announced last Wednesday and popular and sexy singer Beyonce Knowles leads the pack with 10 nominations. However, following closely behind the Black music superstar is Country music phenomenon Taylor Swift. The 19-year-old pulled in 8 nominations and she and Beyonce will be in a tight race for the coveted “Album of the Year” award.

 

          The Hip Hop band Black Eyed peas garnered six nominations as did singer Maxwell and rapper Kanye West. Getting five nominations were singer Laddy Gaga, veteran group U2 and Beyonce’s husband rapper Jay-Z. The Grammys will be awarded on January 31^st at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Black Man Is “Best New Artist” in Country Music

 Darius Rucker

          (Taylor Media Services) Darius Rucker, formerly of pop music and lead singer with the group “Hootie & the Blowfish,” was voted last week “Best New Artist” in country music. This marks the first time a Black man has won the award. It came during the 43^rd Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards in Nashville. Taylor Swift took the highest honor: “Vocalist of the year.”

          There have been other Black Country music singers: most notably Charley Pride. But Rucker’s presence in the genre appears to be drawing pop music fans to Country and Western. However, last week many fans took to Internet chat rooms urging Rucker to return to Pop music.

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Editor’s Commentary

Blacks Should Not Join Efforts to Combat “Global Warming” until the Truth is Known

By Robert James Taylor

          For nearly 20 years, the “global warming movement” has been scaring the world, especially those of us in the liberal to progressive community, into believing that the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal was causing the Earth’s temperature to rise and that we as a human race were doomed if we did not undertake efforts to stop the planet from heating up.

          Now it appears that a lot of the climate data upon which the entirety of global warming predictions were based may have been misstated or even fraudulent. This is the pessimistic conclusion one can reach following the release of emails and files hacked from the computers of CRU.

          The CRU is the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia near Norwich, England. The CRU is populated by British and American scientists who more than any other group in the world has been responsible for the computer models and measurements upon which the bulk of global warming predictions are based. Indeed, President Obama was in Copenhagen this week pushing an anti-global warming agenda based largely on CRU data.

          There is just one problem: Global warming has actually stopped. Yes, the planet’s mean temperature did rise for at least 30 consecutive years but somewhere around the year 2000 the warming essentially stopped and as of yet has not started up again. This is a fact which the pro-global warming American media seldom, if ever, reports.

          But it is widely known in the scientific community. The prestigious Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences in the German city of Kiel is among the scientific institutes to have confirmed the lull (or stop) in planet warming. Top Leibniz Institute meteorologist Mojib Latif says flatly, “… the warming is taking a break. There can be no argument about that. We have to face that fact.”

          Even the scientists at CRU knew that global warming had stopped. Take note of this CRU email: “The fact is that we can’t account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty we can’t.”

But instead of admitting their scary predictions may have been wrong and revising their computer models, the hacked emails referenced above suggest the CRU scientists engaged in efforts to prevent the “good news” from being widely known and to discredit other scientists who questioned their predictions. Note this email which talks about blocking the papers of scientists with contrary views from being published in scientific journals: “I can’t see either of these papers being in the next IPCC report. Kevin and I will keep them out somehow – even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!”

The bottom line is that all global warming predictions must now be called into question. This does not mean that global warming will not start again or that all CRU scientists were insincere. But the hacked emails strong suggest as Atlantic’s Megan McArdle wrote recently the CRU global warming computer models appear to be “complete rubbish.”

Thus, Blacks should not join the global warming battle or accept new taxes or restrictions on their lives until the truth about global warming is actually known.

[Share your views on Robert Taylor commentaries by logging onto http://betterlifesociety.ning.com or by sending an email to TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com .]

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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion

Many More Black Males Need to Engage in Mentoring

By A. Akbar Muhammad

I often reflect on my 12 years of living and learning in Africa. The African elders who gathered the young boys under the village tree didn't see or call themselves mentors; it was a sense of duty and tradition to pass on the history of their society [tribe]. These elders of our village were our great mentors. Although with no formal schooling, they had enough African sense to teach what they knew and shared their experience and hope along with their prayers. They shaped and protected these young boys so that they would be ready to lead. The elders knew emphatically that some would fail and some would succeed.

We need mentoring for our survival today as the elders did who had skills to endure the harshness of plantation life. They taught the young men how to maneuver around the master and survive. The elder women taught the young girls what they had to do in order to survive. In some of their writings, they used the phrase "shucking old master." We put it in songs and sayings, such as "if he holler, let him go."

When the master was punishing the slaves while beating them, many of the slaves would not cry out as it was a tradition in Africa for the men to be able to take pain. We sang songs such as, "Everybody Talking about Heaven Is Not Going There." These are examples of how we survived the oppression of slavery.

You can write ten or twenty books on mentoring, as with the famous 1997 publication called "Mentoring", but there is no substitute for looking into the elders' eyes, when they are sharing the history, giving guidance and at the same time, cautioning us to look out for the traps.

Many men and women in our community today have to take on a second job. I know some men and women who work two full-time jobs to keep bread on the table and pay their bills. If our president, Barack Obama, wants to do something to change the realities in our family lives, he should let some of those billions of stimulus money go towards a national mentoring program; where a second job can be a labor of love and men and women can be compensated while mentoring young children and still be able to put bread on their tables and pay their bills.

Mentoring can make a difference!

Akbar Muhammad can be reached for all comments and questions at Africanliteracy@msn.com.

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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion

Business Exchange: Black Power in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area

By William Reed

As the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. is often referred to as the “most important city in the world”.  Founded on July 16, 1790, the City of Washington is also historical among Blacks.  Originally a separate municipality within the Territory of Columbia until an act of Congress in 1871 effectively merged the City and Territory into a single entity called the District of Columbia. The District has a resident population of 591,833; but with commuters from the surrounding suburbs, during the workweek its daytime population rises to over a million. The Washington Metropolitan Area has a population of 5.3 million, the nation’s ninth-largest metropolitan area.

 

In 2006, D.C. residents had a personal income per capita of $55,755, higher than any of the 50 states.  The area houses the highest concentration of high-income Blacks in the world.  Many work in the Federal Government.  Washington has been an area of opportunity for Blacks since its creation.  In its early days, and since slavery, Washington, has had a significant Black population.  By 1810, the region’s free Blacks totaled 10 percent of the population.  Black residents of the District composed about 30 percent of the population between 1800 and 1940, and by 1970 Washington's Blacks comprised 70 percent of the population. 

 

By the 1980s, Washington DC was America’s Blackest city.  “Chocolate City” was surrounded by vanilla suburbs, with Blacks at the levers of power of the city.  Way before the rise of Atlanta, DC has always been a Mecca for Blacks.  

 

However, since 1990, the Black share of the DC’s population has fallen 11.2 percent, leaving the city under 50 percent Black.  Seemingly, with their advancements in positions and tenure, Blacks of means abandoned “Chocolate City” by the droves to suburbs like Prince Georges’ County, Maryland. Over 500,000 Blacks now reside in a county known historically as a hot-bed of racially prejudiced low-income Whites and have made it acres of McMansions with two-car garages housing late-model Benzs, Rolls and BMWs. 

 

Compared to the District of Columbia government, now majority-White, Blacks in Prince Georges’ County control that government top to bottom.  Prince George’s County (median 1999 household income $55,256) is home to residents in occupations from doctors and lawyers to hotel owners and restaurateurs.  The county is populous enough to have its own Representative to Congress, currently Donna Edwards.

 

However; the real wealth in the Washington Metropolitan Area is in Montgomery County, Maryland (median household income $71,551) and McLean and Fairfax County , Virginia (median household income $81,050).  These suburban areas have legacies of wealth and over the years have alternately been named America’s richest counties.  The area’s richest Black resides in the prestigious Virginia countryside about 40 miles from DC.  Billionaire Sheila Crump Johnson is president and managing partner of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.  She co-founded Black Entertainment Television (BET) and is an owner/partner in three professional sports franchises: the Capitals (NHL), Wizards (NBA), and Mystics.

 

The business of Washington is government and the most-recognizable Black names work in government.  The Mayor is the young, bi-racial Adrian Fenty, who was an early “Friend of Barrack”.  Former Mayor Marion Barry is a Councilmember representing the city’s predominately-Black and most economically disadvantaged political Ward.  Blacks hold six of 13 seats on the City Council.  The city’s Delegate to Congress is Eleanor Holmes Norton.  A major network media center, Washington’s Blacks still rely on the 110 year-old African American newspaper chain and 45-year-old Washington Informer for their informational needs.

(William Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)

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Better Life Opportunities, Money, Jobs & Advice

New Online Black Business Directory Promises to Reach Thousands

 (Taylor Media Services) RegalMag.com/Classifieds, an online magazine for African Americans is seeking  to turn the online community into the new virtual Black community of the 21st century. "In many Black communities throughout this country, even if someone wanted to patronize a Black-owned business, it would be difficult to locate them," explains RegalMag.com publisher/founder Todd A. Smith. "However, RegalMag.com/Classifieds will build bridges between Black consumers, Black-owned businesses, and Black entrepreneurs."

 

RegalMag.com/Classifieds allow users to search for Black-owned business, such as barbers, beauticians, churches, lawyers and doctors. It also allows users to search for job openings that are aimed at Black applicants.

"Despite the current recession," Smith says, "jobs will soon become available again in great numbers, and companies looking to hire from within the Black community will have the perfect platform to find these jobs seekers through RegalMag.com/Classifieds." Interested persons can reach the website at http://www.regalmag.com/classifieds/ .

Handbook Released on “How to Deal with White People”

           (Taylor Media Services) How to Deal with White People by David Goldberg is intended to serve as a reference guide to aid minority Americans in their relationships and communications with the country’s majority Caucasian population. In a statement, Goldberg insists that there are still “some rough patches” along the way to smoothing out race relations.

          Originally indifferent on the issue, Goldberg says he reconsidered his opinion “as modern racism continued to rear its head in the form of noose displays and death threats against the president. There’s no better time than now for people of color to discuss how they feel about bigotry. How to Deal with White People is released through Walking Bull printing Press and is available online at www.dealwithwhites.com and Amazon.com .

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