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Commentary and Opinion
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Editor’s Commentary
(posted 11-22-'09)
Are Too Many Blacks Soaking up “the Worst American Has to Offer?”
Is There a Moral Fall into Degenerate Behavior?
By Robert James Taylor
Early 20th Century Black leader Marcus Garvey once warned African Americans that if they failed to build wealth, power and pride, they would linger at the bottom of society “soaking up the worst America has to offer” and emerge as a pathetic and possibly degenerate people. For a long time I felt that Garvey had exaggerated the potential consequences of the failure to build a strong Black nation. But a recent spate of crime stories has me wondering whether or not he was correct.
In recent days, police in Cleveland, Ohio have recovered at least 11 bodies of Black women who had apparently been molested, tortured, murdered and then stored in the home of sociopathic sexual predator Anthony Sowell. Sowell is a Black man who appears to have selected his victims because they were often poor drug addicts whose disappearances would either not be reported or, if reported, not be thoroughly investigated by the police.
A Black Highland Park, Michigan father went to court last charged with killing his own 15-year-old son. After an argument with the young boy, Jamar Pinckney is accused of pulling his son from his aunt’s hour, stripping him naked and then shooting him in the head execution-style. Before being shot, Jamar, Jr. begged his father not to kill him. The senior Pinckney reportedly felt killing his son was the way to punish him for allegedly touching his half-sister in an inappropriate manner.
Autopsy results released last week show that 5-year-old Shaniya Davis had been asphyxiated. In case you missed the story, Shaniya was the beautiful Fayetteville, North Carolina girl whose mother Antoinette Davis had allegedly offered her to grown men for sex reportedly to raise money for her drug habit. Now, a man (and I use that word reluctantly) Mario Andrette McNeil stands accused of kidnapping little Shaniya, raping her and then choking her to death.
A few weeks ago, rival groups of Black youth engaged in an after school brawl in Chicago, Illinois. When one of the groups was unable to find rival gang members to beat up, its members attacked a completely innocent Derrion Albert. The 16-year-old was beaten and stomped until he died. His killers were other Black youth around his same age.
In Deerfield Beach, Florida, a group of teens doused a 15-year-old pal with alcohol and set him afire in a dispute over $40 and a video game. They were in court last week pleading not guilty to the crime. The ages of the five boys allegedly involved in the gruesome incident ranged from 13 to 15. Three of them have been charged as adults. But an attorney for one of the youths argues that because of their ages the young men may not have understood the consequences of their action. Yeah, right!
Last week, Baltimore, Maryland residents attended memorial services for 15-year-old Jason Mattison, Jr. Jason had been gagged, stabbed, raped and left to die by 35-year-old Dante Parish. The two had reportedly been involved in a homosexual relationship. Parish was a convicted murderer who had recently gotten out of prison on a technicality – a phrase which usually means some police officer or prosecutor did not properly do his or her job properly.
I could go on and on. Each week there are new examples of horrific crimes taking place in Black communities around the nation. The crimes too frequently reflect moral depravity, completely inappropriate sexual relationships or are out-and-out degenerate in nature. Very often the crimes take place in low-income, poverty-ridden communities.
Was Marcus Garvey right? I have long held that when you combine poverty, dysfunctional households and weak moral values, negatives will eventually outweigh positives and the community will become a cesspool for evil and degenerate behavior.
This appears to be what is taking place in too many of our communities. In future columns, I will put forth ideas on how to stop the degeneracy.
[Meanwhile, share your views on how to end the family and moral deterioration in the Black community. Email Robert Taylor at TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com or write him at Robert Taylor, 1517 T Street, SE, Washington, D.C.]
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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion
BUSINESS EXCHANGE: Reparations for Blacks and “Too Big to Fail”
By William Reed
Supporters of slave reparations, argue that there is no equal opportunity for African Americans, nor has there ever been. Systematic discrimination deprives African Americans of equal chances and deserve justice and equal parity. There is a clear lack of parity in the recent instances of bailouts for the rich and distain for stimulus or reparations to the descendants of slaves. The Black American community’s population contribution to the wealth of America is too great to continue failing to address such inequity.
"Too Big to Fail" refers to the idea that in economic regulation, the largest and most interconnected businesses are so large that a government cannot allow them to fail because such failure would have a disastrous effect on the economy. The US Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and associated bailouts are estimated to eventually cost $27 trillion, yet the nation’s first Black President dismisses the $24 trillion debt owed Black American descendents.
The Presidential acts are paradoxical. The government dismisses Blacks, yet funds a financial industry that has historically been an anathema to Blacks: direct involvement in the slave trade and demonstrated patterns of denying African-Americans access to credit and financial services.
The cost to Blacks is enormous. In terms of net financial assets, the “cost of being Black in America” amounts to a $94,426 deficit. From the onset, Blacks in America experienced significantly lower income and wealth, higher levels of poverty, shorter life spans, among many other embedded disparities. White households average about $150,000 more wealth than typical Black families. Total wealth for White families is five (or more) times greater than that of Black families. Such wealth gaps makes it much more difficult for Black families to own homes, send their children to good schools, or recover from economic downturns caused by unemployment or illness.
But the American “perception” is that Blacks “are doing alright”. “African-Americans are the most privileged blacks in the world. The notion that they should somehow be entitled to reparations because their ancestors were brought to the Americas is intellectually absurd”, say many Americans, both Black and White. But they are not experiencing the same American reality. Nine out of 10 White Americans reject reparations to descendants of slaves. Many have a perception that race bias in America has been virtually eliminated, and that Blacks are no longer disadvantaged.
But, the truth is, Black Americans’ standard of living rates in per capita income, life expectancy, political empowerment, family and community life are at Third World levels. American per capita income is high but less evenly distributed than in most developed countries. The US has one of the widest rich-poor gaps of the high-income nations; the bank buy-outs illustrates how the gap continues, and grows.
The deprivation is historical and institutional. After the Civil War, the U.S. government bailed-out slave owners while it backtracked on practices that allocated Blacks 40 acres and a mule. Governmental policy has always played an absolutely crucial role in determining the racial character of the haves and the have-nots in America . It is fair time direct inheritors that directly benefited from wealth gained from slavery, the slave trade, and slavery related enterprises, pay reparations debts.
Call it ‘a stimulus’, ‘paying off a debt’, but it’s time to call it “a work in progress. If the Federal Government is going to prop up the richest of the rich, isn’t it time to add up the losses that Blacks have incurred during their time in America . The amount of $24 trillion is the estimated sum total of the worth of all the Black labor stolen through the means of slavery, segregation, and contemporary discrimination in today’s dollars.
This includes the estimated economic loss for African Americans as a result of legal segregation for 1929-1969; discrimination from the end of slavery in 1865 to the end of American apartheid in 1969; the amount contemporary Blacks have lost as a result of discrimination they experienced seeking to secure mortgages for homes and businesses. Great wealth has been amassed on the backs of Blacks, the amount is too big to continue failing to address it.
(William Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)
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Commentay and Opinion
Editor’s Commentary
(posted 10-17-'09)
Over Concentration of Wealth, Poverty and the Death of Derrion Albert
By Robert James Taylor
On September 24th, much of the country stood transfixed and horrified as they watched grainy videos of 16-year-old Derrion Albert being kicked, stomped and beaten to death as the apparent innocent victim of a senseless after school brawl in
/Derrion%20Albert.jpg)
Derrion Albert
But the Roseland neighborhood where the school is located had been a hotbed of after school fights for sometime. The brawls frequently involved Academy students, young people from the “Ville” - the neighborhood immediately surrounding the school and students from
A lot has been said and written about Derrion’s death and the social pathologies which led to it. There has been talk of fatherless homes, out of control children, low-income areas with weak family and moral structures and the failure of government to adequately address poverty and how it tends to degrade and dehumanize everyone caught in its deadly grip. There is some truth to virtually all that has been said. Today, however; I write to add a different perspective.
I advance the position (believe it or not) that the single greatest problem in American society - the one which lies as the foundation upon which other problems develop - is the over-concentration of wealth at the top of society. As more and more of society’s wealth gets concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, all other classes tend to get poorer and suffer. At the very bottom of society, poverty will tend to reign.
And while there are exceptions, as a general rule, poverty tends to bring out the worst in people. Family structure (the primary source of governing beliefs), behavior and moral values tend to deteriorate as people struggle to survive more often than not by competing against one another rather than working with one another. Petty crime increases, “gaming” the welfare or social services system increases, violence increases.
Society responds with superficial, short-term thinking and tries to combat the deterioration with harsher laws and increased law enforcement. President Obama fell into this trap when he responded to Derrion’s death by sending Attorney General Eric Holder to
The problem with the law enforcement approach to solving social problems is that it often makes matters worse. The typical scenario is that massive numbers of Black men will be arrested; more families will end up without fathers and women will end up lowering their standards and battling one another as they compete for the dwindling number of desirable men left.
The most effective way to solve a problem is to attack it at its root or foundation. If poverty tends to bring out the worst in people, then we need to combat poverty by fighting the over-concentration of wealth at the top of society which is actually the root cause of poverty
In the same way a Civil Rights Movement was launched in the 20th Century to give Blacks a greater share of political power in
I have proposed and continue to propose that during the Obama administration an economic stimulus program must be launched specifically targeting inner city
We owe Derrion Albert a real solution to the social pathologies which led to his death and most of those pathologies have their origins in a poverty which degrades and dehumanizes.
[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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Letters to the Editor
ColorOfChange.org Seeks Support for Dawn and Health Care Reform:
Dear Robert,
The evidence is clear --
Dawn was diagnosed with a brain tumor that causes crippling pain and keeps her from working. The tumor was treatable -- but Dawn's insurance company, CIGNA, denied her treatment for two years. CIGNA finally changed their tune, but not until our friends at MoveOn.org brought Dawn's story to light.1
But CIGNA still won't promise to cover all the treatment Dawn needs. And they still won't explain why they denied her care for two years, let alone whether they'll change their policies. So Dawn is fighting back -- she's going to drive up to CIGNA's headquarters in
Fundamentally, Dawn isn't fighting just for herself. She's fighting for everyone who has struggled with irresponsible, unaccountable insurance companies who are fighting tooth and nail against the very reform that could level the playing field for Black folks, and improve health care for all Americans.
That's why we've joined MoveOn.org in supporting Dawn as she confronts CIGNA. Will you sign a statement of support for Dawn Smith? Your message will be delivered directly to CIGNA CEO H. Edward Hanway in person.
http://www.colorofchange.org/dawn/?id=1950-1030416
By highlighting Dawn's struggle in the media and with members of Congress, we can make clear why health care reform -- including real accountability for insurance companies -- is such an urgent priority right now.
-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
October 16th, 2009
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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion
The Roots and the Financial Significance of “Good Hair”
By Bill Reed
Do Black women get their “hair did” to look European? Chris Rock's latest flick 'Good Hair' provides a timely focus on a multi-billion-dollar Black hair business. Rock was moved to film the subject after an occasion when, in the company of a White girlfriend, daughter Lola Simone asked him: "Daddy, why don't I have good hair?" The question has historical context and financial significance in regards to Black Beauty in
The real root of the question goes back over a century and Sarah Breedlove’s hair loss problem. In the early 1890s, Sarah transformed her baldness into a line of Black hair care products; and a new name, Madame C.J. Walker. Black beauty actually started “in the eye of Madame Walker” around 1904 when she revolutionized the way Black women styled their hair by combining the use of the hot comb with her hair care products.
In addition to setting Black beauty standards, Mme. Walker made many Black families economically self-sufficient. Black women associated with Walker Methods made as much in a week as a month's salary would’ve brought from any other position they could’ve secured. Graduates of the Walker College of Hair Culture were trained to style hair, sell
The film should make more Blacks attuned to the wealth it represents. Black women spent $1.1 billion on hair care products last year, outspending other American women by factors from two to six times. Black women spend the most money on hair care. The hair-raising part is that L’Oreal, USA, Alberto-Culver Co. and Procter & Gamble control the Black hair care products market. Vast numbers of Black women haughtily patronize white salons and 85 percent of the money Black women spend goes to white-corporations; and, second and third-generation Asians have cornered the distribution and retailing market.
Black successors to Mme. Walker have not gone quietly. Dudley Products Company, founded in 1967, is one of few black-owned firms left. Dudley Products manufactures 400 hair-care products and runs
"Good Hair" is a smart and thought-provoking film without quite becoming confrontational. Rock raises the obvious fact that Black Americans have assimilated into a cultural standard of beauty that is more European than African, but he doesn’t treat it as a moral issue, or something that it is likely to change. But, Blacks’ financial frivolousness in this industry sector needs change. In pursuit of that, an economics professor at Atlanta’s Oglethorpe University, Devin Robinson, has announced a week-long national boycott of Non- Black Owned Beauty Supply stores November 16th–22nd (www.takingitbackblack.com).
(William Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)
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Commentary & Opinion
Editor’s Commentary
(posted 9-27-'09)
Where Is the Economic Stimulus Program for Black
It’s Now or Never!
By Robert James Taylor
Last week the liberal Center for American Progress released a report calling for our political leaders to come forth with another economic stimulus program tailored more specifically to the needs of the nation’s minorities. According to the Center, over the years virtually nothing has been done to reduce the income and wealth gaps between Blacks and Hispanics and the nation’s whites.
As a result, an economic stimulus package which targets the general population leaves the income and wealth gaps untouched and may indeed allow them to widen. This means the economic standing of Blacks and other minorities will in relative terms become worse over time.
The solution says the Center’s report is a massive economic stimulus which specifically seeks to aid Blacks and other minorities. The report explained, “Efforts to end economic decline will have to especially help minorities [emphasis added] since they have been disproportionately impacted” by the recession.
I have been preaching this gospel for months. The single greatest problem facing Black America is insufficient wealth. Approximately 30 percent of us are mired in poverty and 57 percent of us live paycheck-to-paycheck existences. This leaves just 10-to-12 percent of Blacks (the true beneficiaries of the Civil Rights Movement) doing reasonably well financially and a tiny 1-to-2 percent doing extremely well.
According to the latest report from the Census Bureau, the median income of the typical white family is nearly twice that for the typical Black family. But what is even more disturbing is that the typical white household sits atop over 10 times as much wealth as the typical Black household. The primary reason whites have more wealth is because of accumulated wealth being passed down from generation to generation.
The pitiful amount of Black accumulated wealth is a structural problem resulting primarily from past exploitation and discrimination. The end result is that the most the typical Black family can pass onto the next generation is advice. Some are able to pass on college educations and maybe a car. But when it comes to passing along tangible assets like houses, land and businesses, the overwhelming majority of Black families are missing in action.
This is the core problem the Black economic stimulus package must target. I have proposed a government backed economic stimulus of $50 billion a year for at least 10 consecutive years in order to get the Black wealth building ball properly rolling. This money is to be used to revitalize our inner cities with jobs and minority-owned businesses uniting the intellectual and labor power of inner city residents with the leadership and accumulated skills of the Black middle classes.
When the banks faced a desperate situation, the government came up with $750 billion. When the automobile industry faced a crisis, the government came up with $25 billion. When the insurance industry was in trouble, the government came up with $100 billion. Now, we are looking at spending a trillion dollars to properly reform our critically ill health care system.
With a pitiful amount of accumulated wealth, woefully small numbers of Black-owned businesses and current unemployment approaching a Depression-era 16 percent, Black America is critically ill and the only prescription for the disease is money. And if we do not get this money now under an African American president and a Democratic controlled Congress, we will never get it.
Do your part by joining the newly established African American Economic Development League (AAEDL) today! Email IMA2Wealth@yahoo.com or write Robert James Taylor at
You Can’t Be Truly Black Unless You Know Your History!
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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion
All American Racism
By William Reed
Racism is alive and well in
Historically, racism is belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial difference produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Now that is in question, and mainstream media and social networks now lead hyperbole as to whether racism is, or is not. Despite Obama’s hope that race would play no role in his tenure, every minority from Wall Street to
Bottom line is Blacks have suffered 400 years of exploitation and racial animus in
We all know it when we see it; race and economics are woven into the American fabric. But, it seems that whether it gets acknowledged it for what it is has a lot to do with getting paid. Economics is the root cause of racism and the underlying force that keeps it in place. Whenever a Black man or woman publicly questions “in your face” and pervasive American racism, he or she, enables the process. Formal racial discrimination was largely banned in the mid-20th century, yet racial politics remain.
There is no evidence that
As President Obama too plays down the issue of racism there is no doubt the subject will run on and on and could impact on the
(William Reed – www.BlacPressInternational.com)
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Letters to the Editor
Reader comments on Justice Department dropping case against Philadelphia Black Panthers
I saw your story on the Philly Black Panthers case being dropped. They should have because it was bogus. I know the two brothers they tried to charge. Both are good brothers. They are very involved in the community and always attend community meetings.
Matter of fact, I was in a community meeting last night with one of them who volunteered for a project a state rep I work with is doing in the schools in that area. They live in the community and vote at that polling place. The white folks who charged them with intimidation don't live there. Jerry and King Samir were there to make sure the white folks didn't intimidate the voters. The last presidential election (Bush) they sent white lawyers from NY to intimidate people at polling places in the Black communities.
I do a lot of campaign work. Elections in Philly are rough and tumble. If you're not ready to stomp with the big dogs, don't get involved. Obama had all these white folks running everything here. Everyone in the community loves Jerry and Samir. The [Justice Department] dropped the case because they don't have one!
- Marilyn Kai Jewett -
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Commentary and Opinion
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Editor’s
Commentary
With Poll Numbers Dropping and Conservatives Attacking,
It Is Time for Obama to Get Tough and Bold
By Robert James
Taylor
As
Congress returns from its summer recess, there are four major issues or
controversies facing the nation’s first African American president; and he will
lose on all of them if he does not immediately begin to take bold, decisive
steps. Indeed, if President Obama does not get tough soon, the next 3 and a
quarter years of his administration will be beset by setbacks, defeats and
disasters. In order to avoid this fate, here is what he must do.
#1
- Abandon compromising with the Republicans and instead rally his Democratic
base for health care reform. Republicans are ideologically opposed to any major
reform of the nation’s severely ill health care system. They are really dead
set on embarrassing Obama and so weakening him that he will be unable to
deliver on his liberal-to-progressive agenda.
The
Democrats control both houses of Congress. That is the way the majority of the
American people voted because they were looking for reform in a variety of
areas. Obama must rally that base both in the public and in the Congress.
Compromise with the Republicans only weakens him while giving new life to the
conservative minority.
#2
- Stop trying to talk sense to near lunatic mobs of hopelessly right-wing,
conservative whites. These are the people who did not vote for you. These are
the people who both fear and hate a liberal Black man who is trying to take the
country in a more progressive direction.
Speaking
at the town hall meetings of these groups and on their favorite conservative
talk-radio programs is a waste of time.
Obama was elected president by 43 percent of white voters, 95 percent of
Blacks, 66 percent of Hispanics and 63 percent of Asian-Americans. These are
the people the president should be rallying. That 57 percent of whites who
voted against Obama is heavily populated by die-hard right-wingers who carry
with them a fear of change and a racist edge. They cannot be won over with a
speech.
#3 - End these
God-forsaken wars in
Stop
listening to the war hawks. There is no win in
Further,
evidence mounts daily that
#4
- Finally, Obama must stay the course on the economy. There is increasing data
showing that the varying stimulus plans are starting to have a positive effect.
Indeed, if the economy turns around, many of the Obama administration’s other
problems will significantly lessen, including two of the three cited above.
Reject
all allegations that government involvement in the economy amounts to socialism
(a word which does not scare me). Further, in order to do the above, Obama must
become bolder and less accommodating. Right now, he is compromising too much
and in the process giving his enemies life they do not deserve.
[Robert Taylor is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based news service Taylor Media Services. He welcomes your comments at TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com or you can visit him online at www.freewebs.com/blacknewsjournal .]
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International,
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Op-Ed
Commentary/Opinion
The Congressional
Black Caucus Convenes in
By William Reed
Each
year the Congressional
Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) presents the
Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), a four-day event held September in
As
The
CBCF is the CBC’s operations and fund-raising arm. The Foundation was
established in 1976 “to help improve the socioeconomic circumstances of African
Americans”. The CBCF conducts research on
issues affecting African Americans, publishes reports on key legislation, and
sponsors issue forums, seminars and scholarships. Florida Congressman
Kendrick Meek is current chairman of the CBCF. Fundraising events and
corporate partners and Exhibit Hall patrons support CBCF programs. The
CBCF funds its activities by hosting the ALC each September and regularly draws $250,000 sponsorships from a range of
corporations.
The 2009
conference’s theme is "Reinvest. . . Rebuild. . . Renew."
The CBCF, seeking to distinguished itself in conducting research on financial issues affecting African Americans, will host a forum
to address “Economic Recovery and Opportunity” at a National Town Hall
Meeting. . CBCF President and CEO Elsie L. Scott says "The
town hall meeting brings together a diverse group of African Americans to
collectively discuss common issues and concerns".
Scott says other ALC '09 highlights September 23-26 will include: Opportunities
for All - Pathways Out of Poverty Summit. An in-depth forum
defining what poverty looks like in 2009, and ways to create pathways
out; - Celebration of Leadership for the Visual and Performing Arts.
CBC Spouses will honor Tyler Perry, author, producer and screenwriter and
visual artist Sam Gilliam at the National Museum of Women; - Emerging Leader
Series will present multiple sessions connecting the nation's powerbrokers
with emerging professionals.
Topics include higher education
funding, entrepreneurialism in urban communities, mental health and wellness, a
networking luncheon and premier of BPX 1.0 - The Black Party Xperience - a
soulful fusion of music, art and culture; - Annual Prayer Breakfast.
Bishop Richard Franklin Norris, presiding bishop of First Episcopal District of
the African Methodist Episcopal Church of Philadelphia, will deliver an
inspirational message and Grammy Award Winner Yolanda Adams and the Pine Forge
Academy Choir will lead audience in musical praise.
The
CBCF has planned ALC’09 programs relevant to Blacks’ empowerment.
But, will “Age of Obama” elected officials and corporate ALC’09 attendees rally
and regularly engage the original vision of
CBC’s founding members – to “promote the public welfare through legislation
designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens?”
When
the last party is over, and as forums and committees inspired by ALC’09 are
convened, will race-specific issues be the focal point of the legislative work
and political activities of the CBC? As CBC Members gain rank and
seniority in Congress, how much of their attention and actions will be focused
on disparities African Americans experience in work opportunities, wages,
wealth, health, education and justice?
(William Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)
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Letters from Readers
[Letters are subject to
editing for length and grammar. Please send them to TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com .
Include your name and city.]
New Group Offers another
Plan for Blacks Achieving Reparations
Greetings Mr.
Taylor:
It is good to see so many blacks become
successful in the media and on the internet. If they would agree to post
intelligent information on reparations they could play a key role in helping African-
Americans win Reparations. Blacks should not continue to sit around and
wait on N'COBRA because they … do not
have a plan.
I have been studying reparations for 30
years now so most folks would consider me a reparations expert. I took the best
ideas from past and present groups and activists both black and white,
to develop a strategy that will aid blacks in forming a power base to
address racism and win reparations. The strategy appears in 2 docs called the
Five Phase Plan and the Reparations Proclamation. Both docs are in the
attachment. Please read them carefully so we can begin to promote and host
racism and reparations programs and conferences, based on those 2 docs.
I am asking you and all people in our
churches, the media and on the internet to study the Five Phase Plan and the
Reparations Proclamation, so that we can begin to host racism and reparations
programs and conferences, based on those 2 docs. This will motivate
African-Americans to unite with good intentions of addressing racism and
winning reparations. At the end of the day reparations will benefit blacks
and all of
Brotha
Pruitt, Reparations Leader and Chairman Committee for African-American
Reparations (CAAR); CA Reparations Union Lobbying Association (RULA)
NCwww.divineblacktrut h.org
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Commentary and Opinion
You Can’t Be Truly
Black Unless You Know Your History!
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Editor’s Commentary
(posted 8-30-'09)
At the Heart of the Anti-Obama Protests Is the Scared White Man
Overwhelmed by Change
By Robert James Taylor
Writing about the wave of anti-President Obama protests by white middle class Americans in recent weeks, conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan attributed what was taking place to the rise of “the angry white man.” Buchanan is only partially right. What we are actually witnessing is the near lunatic backlash of white conservatives who have been overwhelmed and frightened by change.
Yes, there is definite anger at those anti-health care reform town hall meetings. But if you listen closely to what is being said and how it is being said, you can only conclude that the dominant emotion driving the anti-Obama protests is fear. There is a segment of the American population, mostly white conservatives, who have been overwhelmed and frightened by recent changes in this country.
The
first change was the election of an African American man as president of this
country who did not get a majority of white votes. Never forget that most
whites voted against Barack Obama. The final and most authoritative tallies
show that only 43 percent of white voters cast their ballots for Obama. The
first Black man became president of the
This
truly scared conservative whites because it confirmed Census Bureau projections
that
Secondly, fear is being generated by the apparent failures of some of the centerpieces of conservative ideology. The unstated but deeply held belief that the white man has some inalienable right to rule the rest of the world has been undermined by the war in Iraq: a war against a rag-tag band of insurgents which was supposed to be over in six months but is now nearing its seventh year.
The belief that American “free enterprise” capitalism is the solution to all problems has been undermined by the banking crisis and the current recession. Indeed, it was the freeing of banks and other financial institutions to do as they please with little or no government regulation that brought about the banking crisis and ushered in the current recession.
Thus,
while conservatives may say they fear increasing government involvement in the
economy may take away their freedoms, deep inside their superficial brains they
know that government is the only institution with the deficit spending power
capable of pulling the nation out of the recession. They know this but they
fear it. This is why they opposed the Obama stimulus plans and his health care
reform plans.
They
deeply fear government power but they simultaneously realize it is the only
power which can solve the most critical problems currently facing the nation.
And what scares them most is that a lot of that power now rests in the hands of
a Black man with a liberal-to-progressive agenda.
Congresswoman
Jackie Speier of
In other words, white conservatives are witnessing changes they do not control and which they do not fully understand, so they lash out. Obama has simply become the target of all their fears.
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Op-Ed
Commentary/Opinion
The
By William Reed
Evidence of Black political and
economic empowerment is mixed. On political empowerment, Blacks now hold
high rankings in Congress, but their impact for Blacks in general is
negligible. The economic empowerment is represented by Cathy Hughes,
founder and chair of Radio One, Inc. And the battle line has been drawn.
Hughes and cast at Radio One are waging a war against targeted members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
As
Black Members have risen in seniority and status on Capitol Hill there has been
a contrasting chorus accusing them of “not being accountable” to Blacks.
Cathy Hughes is upset that Black radio properties are “in jeopardy, at the
hands of a Black man”. That Black man is John
Conyers;
the 80 year old
Under current law, stations only pay copyright royalties to artists who compose hit songs, not those who perform them. Station owners say a law requiring them to pay additional royalties would bankrupt them. Recording artists get money for concerts and make money selling downloads or CD's. But they don't get a cent when their songs play on the radio. That money goes to the people who write and publish the songs. Radio stations say if they had to “pay out to play out” they might go out of business.
On the national stage is
a clash of Black political and economic Titans. Radio One controls a host
of airwaves in Districts where Black Members
of Congress reside and has the clout to attack their legislation in ways
never before. Some will argue whether the issue is a legitimate “Black
Concern,” the battle has brought about a new dimension that could work against
lawmakers used to easy reelections. Hughes’ ads have targeted a number of
Black lawmakers and even most questioned the integrity of Chairman
Conyers. The fight has divided the civil
rights community, with the NAACP and
the League of United Latin American Citizens
supporting Conyers while Blacks such as Rev.
Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson line up
with Hughes, Radio One and other Black-owned stations.
Radio One Radio One
operates stations in or near the Districts of Reps. Sheila Jackson-Lee (Houston); Mel Watt (Charlotte.); Hank Johnson (
While the whole of Black
America may not see Performance Act legislation impacting their personal
plight(s), the issue and Hughes’ practices could make major impact on the national
Black political landscape. The barrage Hughes has wrought has begun to
take a toll on Black long-time lawmakers accustomed to cruising to
reelections.
Radio One owns and/or
operates 53 radio stations located in 16 urban markets and has interests in TV
One, LLC, a cable/satellite network; and Reach Media, Inc., owner of the Tom
Joyner Morning Show
and businesses associated with Tom Joyner.
As Congress returns to sessions, Ms. Hughes is encouraged to pump up the volume
to defeat H.R. 848. It’s a brand of political activism others should well
follow.
(William Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)
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Commentary/Opinion
The New “Better Life”
Social Website
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Success-Oriented African American
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Editor’s Commentary
(posted 8-16-'09)
Opposition to Obama’s Health Care
Reforms Is Being Driven by Fear, Ignorance & Prejudice
By Robert
James Taylor
Over the past couple of weeks our
television screens have been ablaze with the sights and sounds of radicalized
and organized groups (virtually all white) shouting, protesting and disrupting
town hall meetings across the country. The meetings were originally designed to
allow public discussion of the health care reform plans being pushed by
President Obama and the leadership of the Democratic Party.
Instead, the forums have come to be
dominated by angry, confused and misled right-wingers who have either been
organized by firms which benefit from the health insurance/health care status
quo or spurred into action by conservative radio and television talk-show hosts
who having lost last November’s presidential election are now out to get Obama
at all costs.
The fact that
Thus, who can possibly be opposed to
health care reform? The answer is people who have been whipped into frenzy by
fear, outdated ideological beliefs and downright prejudice.
For example, one of the biggest
current complaints of the right-wing protesters is that the Obama proposals
will lead to socialism.
First of all, the giant insurance
companies, drug companies, hospitals and medical associations have failed in
their duty to deliver adequate health care to “all” Americans at reasonable
costs. This failure will continue as long as the system remains driven by the
profit motive and out-in-out greed. So what is wrong with the government
stepping in and trying to remedy the problem?
The Democrats have simply proposed a
“public option” which would enable any American to secure health coverage from
a government agency if they were unable to get adequate, low-cost coverage from
the private, profit-hungry insurance industry. Such a proposal would make sure
all Americans are covered and it could also lower costs for everyone by forcing
the insurance companies to become more competitive
If that is socialism, then socialism
is all right with me.
Secondly, you students of history must
be reminded that every major social reform program adopted by this nation which
did not directly benefit the rich and powerful was at one time or another
labeled socialism. From social security to unemployment compensation to
Medicare, the socialism bogeyman was used to oppose each and every one of these
now overwhelmingly accepted social programs. Why are these people defending
giant insurance companies? What difference does it make to a sick person
whether his or her medical bill is being paid by a government agency or a
private insurance firm? There is only one difference. The super-wealthy
insurance firms see a potential threat to their profits if the government gets
involved. That is why they are a major force spurring the fearful and confused
right-wing protesters.
Suffice it to conclude that the health
care reform protesters have been radicalized into action by fear of change, a
belief that government is bad and profit-hungry industry is the solution to all
problems and by the willful ignorance that Obama will be taking money from the
middle classes in order to provide greater health care for the poor.
The majority of Americans simply
cannot allow a prejudice, conservative white minority to block health care
reform based on its fear and ignorance.
[Robert
Taylor welcomes responses to his commentaries. Email him with your thoughts on
this and other subjects at TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com
. Please include your name and city. You can also visit him at www.freewebs.com/blacknewsjournal
.]
Subscribe to “The
Black History Journal”
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Lessons and Avoid Its Tragic Mistakes”
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each day of the week as well as analysis of significant, historical events
which continue to impact us today.
Send $27.00 via postal
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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion
Congressman, Can You Help a Brother Out
- The Conviction of William Jefferson
By William
Reed
“He sold his office for the least common
denominator of what public service is about: personal wealth” said the head of
the FBI’s
Vernon L. Jackson and William J. Jefferson and their wives spent a pleasant weekend in
That cord was well-frayed by the time
the FBI investigation that took “Dollar Bill” Jefferson down began in mid-2005,
after an investor alleged $400,000 in bribes were paid through a company
maintained in the name of
As he realized the commercial potential
of iGate,
At trial, Jefferson admitted that his acts were “ethically
challenging,” and his attorney said Jefferson was “acting as a private
businessman in projects that included
Jefferson’s congressional career
spiraled after July 39th, 2005 when he was videotaped by the FBI
receiving $100,000 in a leather briefcase at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in
Arlington, Virginia, telling investor, Lori Mody, who was wearing a wire, that
he would need to give Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar $500,000 "as a motivating
factor" to make sure they obtained contracts for iGate and Mody's company
in Nigeria.
In 2004, segments of his deals went south, the NDTV
partnership soured and the company threatened to expose Jefferson to
international and
(William
Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)
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Letters to the Editor
Aloha,
While I completely agree with you regarding the need for Black
wealth, I would also like to add that no people can become wealthy if they have
the shortest life span and life expectancy as well as highest rates of
preventable diseases.
Dr. King wrote the book-Where do we go from here, Chaos of
community? Back in the 1960's. Operation Breadbasket was an outgrowth of this
book.
Individual Black success, while admirable, will not improve the
life span of the entire community. I would propose that Black churches are the
logical place for Healthy life style changes to be taught.
Part of a healthy life style is being in control of your own
destiny-that's where the wealth comes in. Of course, how can we have an
improvement in health and wealth without also an improvement in education and
literacy? Taking into consideration that we have many successful Black people
who are dead before 60 years old, I would lean towards health, literacy and
education as the foundation to financial wealth.
- Donald “Spiderman” Thomas
Minority Health Disparities
<http://www.newjumpswing.com/fraud.html>
N.C.
Researcher Agrees with Commentary Saying Do Not Praise the
I am an African American
female and I was asked to do research on the Buffalo Soldiers. Although I
am aware of how important history is to my people, I feel it is as equally
important to look at ALL sides of what that history may be, whether it is good
or bad. I came across your article today entitled "Should
We Praise Black Soldiers Simply Because They Fought Well? I find myself
in agreement with you. In doing my research, I found many accounts,
stories, views and opinions given from my people as well as Caucasians,
but it somewhat perturbed me to discover that there was little written
accounts, opinions or views given from Native Americans concerning this branch
of military.
I've checked websites,
books, magazines articles on the genocide of Native Americans authored by Native
Americans and found no mention of the Buffalo Soldiers and/or how Native
Americans feel concerning their participation/contribution in the destruction
of their people. I'm not interested in giving a report recanting stories
written by white men and passed on by my people about their contributions
during the post civil war era. I am however eager to learn, to read, and
to know how the other side truly feels...how Native Americans feel about my
people....The Buffalo Soldiers....no matter how hard it is to hear/read.
Do you know of any books, magazines, websites - any literature at all giving
the standpoint of Native Americans and how they feel about Buffalo Soldiers? I
would greatly appreciate any references you could give me.
Kim Hickman -
[Editor’s Note: Kim, I ran into
the same problem you encountered. We were unable to find any first hand
accounts of what the Indian thought of the
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Commentary/Opinion
Editor’s Commentary
(posted 8-9-'09)
A Message to Black Leaders: The Civil Rights
It’s Time to Build Black Wealth
By Robert James Taylor
During the past two months or so some
of the most influential civil rights organizations in this country have held
conventions. However, with Black voter registration at an all-time high, the
first African American president in the White House and major civil rights
legislation reasonably secure from racist backlash, most civil rights groups
appear to be organizations without a clear mission.
During their recent gatherings, the
NAACP, the National Urban League, Jesse Jackson’s Operation Push/Rainbow and
Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network all made a point of declaring how
much the nation still needed their organizations. They spoke of their “new”
missions ranging from combating excessive Black unemployment and incarceration
rates to securing adequate housing, education and health care for the nation’s
minorities.
One of the groups has even added the
struggle for homosexual rights to its agenda.
These declarations suggest confusion
and they all miss two very important points:
#1 - Black leaders and brothers and
sisters of the Civil Rights Movement, WE WON! The battle for civil rights has
been won. Starting with the passage of landmark civil rights legislation in the
mid-1960s and ending with the 2008 election of the nation’s first Black
president, the civil rights era has been a success. It was a success because of
your leadership, your hard work and your sacrifice. We, as a people, commend
and honor you!
#2 - However, it is time to move on to
a new focus. That focus must be on the rapid economic empowerment of Black
America. Despite all our accomplishments in education, politics and legal
standing, we, as a people, still sit at the bottom of American society in
virtually every economic index.
We have the nation’s highest
unemployment rate - currently hovering around 15 percent. With the possible
exception of American Indians, we have the lowest median income. Per capita, we
own fewer businesses than any other segment of the American population. Thus
far, we are the only major population group to see their median wages actually
fall during the current recession. This means that when the new poverty figures
are announced, we will be even deeply in poverty and with an even smaller Black
middle class.
Black America needs money! We need an
economic stimulus package. I have consistently proposed a
$50-billion-a-year-for-10-consecutive-years investment program aimed at
revitalizing our inner cities with jobs, housing and Black-owned businesses.
Winning this federally-backed program must not be “a” project for the civil
rights movement but it must become “the” project.
Every problem we currently face as a
people would be less of a problem if we were a wealthier people. And the
foundations for wealth in capitalist
The key focus of the 21st century must be building Black wealth. We are overly focused on integrating with whites. We are overly focused on electing another Black politician. We are overly focused on every insult which comes down from the majority society. Let us now focus on the money: Black business ownership and well-paying jobs. Let us organize, protest and build self-esteem around the struggle for wealth.
[Robert
Taylor welcomes responses to his commentaries. Email him with your thoughts on
this and other subjects at TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com
. Please include your name and city.]
Subscribe to “The
Black History Journal”
“We Study Our History to Learn Its Inspiring
Lessons and Avoid Its Tragic Mistakes”
Our “Black History Journal” is emailed to your
inbox each week, 52 weeks a year. It contains significant historical events for
each day of the week as well as analysis of significant, historical events
which continue to impact us today.
Send $27.00 via postal
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Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion
The 2010 Census Is Coming to Your ‘Hood’
By William Reed
There are many reasons to dislike the census but
Black Americans need to know that many benefits can accrue for their
participation in the 2010 Census.
In addition to a federal requirement, Census
2010 Census represents a significant economic stimulus for Black
communities. Census 2010 is a
federal program that's pumping billions into the national economy and creating
more than a million jobs. The upcoming decennial population count is
putting 1.4 million people to work. The Census Bureau is also funneling
money into local communities by renting office space and furniture and by
buying equipment and supplies. And it is spending $212 million in advertising
to urge people to return the census forms.
Census 2010 representatives
contend that their communications campaign program to get people residing in
the
With millions of African Americans lacking
employment and business opportunities the 2010 Census operation comes at an
opportune time. Census Bureau processes toward assuring an accurate and
complete count can pump $5 billion into Black Communities though employment and
grant monies. For an equitable amount of federal subsidiaries and local and
state political representation, it’s imperative that Blacks participate in the
2010 Census. But, fewer than 60 percent of African-Americans returned
their 2000 Census questionnaire compared to 77.5 percent of Whites.
Blacks comprise 13.4 percent of the national
population. The 40.9 million Blacks include a substantial portion of the
hard-to-count populations. Black institutions and organizations should be
an equitable part of the 2010 Census revenue stream, but are all too often are
undervalued and marginalized. The process to get the word out about the
2010 Census is an example of such “marginalization”. The Draftfcb Company holds the
2010 Census communications contract. But, the mainstream media giant has a meager record of
participating in behavior-changing
campaigns that reach historically hard-to-count populations. Draftfcb,
and even Bureau African American managers, have a “mainstream media mindset”
when it comes to outreach practices.
The Census Bureau is part of the U.S. Department
of Commerce. Rick Wade, deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to the
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke illustrated a “mainstream mindset” when he spoke
to an assembly of Black publishers in
Wade had announced that of $24 million for Black
media advertising only $1.6 million had been earmarked for Black newspaper
advertising. Wade exemplifies contemporary African Americans holding
management and supervisory positions this decennial. Most have departed
hard-to-count neighborhoods and missed
Unless Black–oriented media, businesses,
agencies and community groups participate in monies for the count, the
“undercount” will continue. Black-oriented publications are by nature
located in the midst of hard-to-count populations and should be prime movers in
convening local Count Committees, covering events of other Census partners in
the neighborhoods and keeping 2010 Census messages before their audiences.
(William Reed – www.BlackPressINternational.com)
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papers and from press releases to articles and reports, our prices are
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Letters to the Editor
Reader Responds to Bill Reed’s
Column on “The Black Leader”
Why do black people especially black historians and black
"leaders" think President Obama is some kind of Messenger who is sent
to lead blacks to the promise land? I find it embarrassing that Blacks are
looking for Obama to solve their problems. Obama is the President of the
The President main job is international affairs and domestic
affairs which exceed singling out Black people. I find it kind of shameful and
inferior on black people's part that they are unable to help themselves but
sitting around waiting for a savior to set them free…Black people need to
change their way of thinking and stop assuming that there is equality waiting
for them. There is no such thing as equality and the more black people believe
this the worse they will become.
Blacks
can do plenty of things to help themselves …We look for others to solve our
problems instead of taking initiative in improving our lives. We want to
complain about inequality though we have the ability to shrink the gap if we
just become motivated and use our brains.
- Asia
Reader Supports
Commentary Suggesting We Not Praise the “
Hello! Any Black soldier who has fought for “amerikka” is
subject to the same criticism. Not just the Buffalo Soldiers. I’m glad I was
never part of it!
-
Dave Reid
-
We
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Black-oriented newspapers,
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Press and United Press International,
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circulation general market (white) newspapers,
- The largest
Black-oriented websites, and
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Press Release Services
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N. Taylor,
Commentary/Opinion
Editor’s Commentary
(posted 8-2-'09)
Should We Praise Black Soldiers Simply because They Fought well;
Must Not the Fighting Be Justifiable?
The “Buffalo Soldier” has been in the news in recent days. They were originally formed on July 28, 1866 and the remains of three members of the brave African American Indian fighters were buried with full military honors last week at a national cemetery in
And, of course, the Buffalo Soldier is generally praised for his fighting prowess during just about every Black History Month celebration. Even legendary Reggae singer Bob Marley wrote a glowing song in their honor.
But, should African Americans be praising the Buffalo Soldier?
Were not the original Buffalo Soldiers just thousands of former slaves recruited by the U.S. Army beginning in 1866 for the sole purpose of helping the white man kill Indians and take the Indians’ lands? Slavery ended in 1865. Thus, within roughly a year of gaining their freedom from the white man who had kept their people in chattel slavery for nearly 240 years, Buffalo Soldiers were running around
Indeed, a strong argument can be made that some Indian tribes, especially the Seminoles, had been allies of our ancestors helping them escape to freedom and defending them from white slave catchers. This is how the famous former slave John Horse actually became leader of the Seminoles for a brief period.
The historical record is not entirely clear; but it appears to have been the
If you have difficulty answering that question, let us flip the script. I am among those students of history who believe the Civil War never should have lasted as long as it did. It lasted because, at least, during the first two years the Southern racist whites who were trying to keep us in slavery fought better and more bravely than the Northern whites who were trying to liberate us.
Thus, would you praise the white, racist slave holder for how well he fought and totally disregard what he was fighting for - your perpetual slavery? Can the Jew praise Hitler’s Nazi soldiers for how well they fought and conveniently forget that the Nazis were fighting, in part, for the total extermination of the Jewish people?
No! No! No!
There are plenty other chapters in history where we can find heroes. We make a moral, historical and practical mistake when we praise and honor the Buffalo Soldier.
This applies to any Black soldier in any war. It makes no difference whether it was the Indian Wars, the Vietnam War or the War in
[Robert Taylor welcomes responses to his commentaries. Email him with your thoughts on this and other subjects at TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com . Please include your name and city. Also, send for a free emailed edition of his popular Black History Journal by contacting him at the same email address.]
Subscribe to “The Black History Journal”
“We Study Our History to Learn Its Inspiring Lessons and Avoid Its Tragic Mistakes”
Our “Black History Journal” is emailed to your inbox each week, 52 weeks a year. It contains significant historical events for each day of the week as well as analysis of significant, historical events which continue to impact us today.
Send $27.00 via postal money order to “Robert N. Taylor,”
Op-Ed Commentary/Opinion
What Black Leader?
By William Reed
Instead of irate demands to correct disparities of
To that point, Rev. Jesse Jackson has said that President Barack Obama has not spent any time with traditional Black leaders and should be more engaged with Blacks and their needs around issues of poverty and unemployment.
Blacks need advocates for racial justice in
Who do you say is “da man”? Name five leading and living Blacks and undoubtedly, Nation of Islam head Minister Louis Farrakhan will be on the list. Bean Pies, fish and newspapers are the protocols Farrakhan uses across Black America. The Farrakhan Factor is activism among Blacks and avocation of a racial definition (or redefinition) of Black national identity, as opposed to multiculturalism.
Farrakhan has been a major voice on Black issues and interests for 30 years. The nationally-circulated Final Call newspaper has been a staple in African Americans’ homes since he founded it in 1979. The Final Call is in the tradition of Black Nationalist philosophies and principles of 1) Black pride, and 2) economic, political, social and/or cultural independence from white society.
What “designated” Black Leader holds the gravitas of Farrakhan? He and the Final Call follow in a distinguished line of Black Leaders and movements that have developed Black economic power and community and ethnic pride. In the early 20th century, Marcus Garvey preached the ideal of Black Nationalism as an alternative to assimilation into the predominately white culture, as did Elijah Muhammad in the 1960s and '70s. As opposed to Blacks who want to assume the values and issues of their oppressors, Marcus Garvey encouraged Blacks to be proud and see beauty in their own kind. The principles of “Garveyism” were race first, self-reliance and nationhood.
Sadly, most people naming five Black Leaders would include President Obama on the list. But, Obama has revealed himself to be ambivalent on the need to confront racial disparities. His practice has been to rely on Blacks in mainstream media to talk to African Americans. If Obama wants to reach Black America he should engage with Blacks who actually have the ear and interests of Black Americans. Black publishers, Farrakhan, et al., are the established messengers to Blacks in
(William Reed – www.BlackPressInternational.com)
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Letters to the Editor
New Reader Says NBNJ Could Compete with the Huffington Post
Do you have an online newspaper! You're missing your calling here. I truly applaud what you're doing. With a little re-formatting, you can give the Huffington Post a run for her money!
- Stephen
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Stephen, we are starting to do some re-formatting. So the Huffington Post and all the other online newspapers had better watch out.
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Commentary/Opinion
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Editor’s Commentary
(posted 7-26-'09)
Black Kids, Swimming Pools, Racism and “God Bless the Child who Has His Own”
By Robert James Taylor
A few weeks ago a sad story with strong racist implications gripped the nation. A group of Black and Hispanic youngsters from the Creative Steps Day Camp in
Local media initially reported that a club official had said the presence of the 60 or more youngsters “had changed the complexion” of the club. Club officials would later say the ban was not racial but involved safety because many of the kids could not swim so the day camp was given back its swim fees and the kids were barred from returning to the club.
While shouts of racism were being heard around the nation, an outraged actor-producer Tyler Perry stepped forward last week and agreed to pay for 65 children from the day camp to go to Disney World in