There is a brillant, off the chain, you name it, piece on the Black male image and “gangsta rap” in the Village Voice. It’s a decent length, but it goes quickly. What do you think?
Share with friendsAfter a couple day hiatus, I return. Shirley Stamps, a pioneer in the school desegregation movement passed away yesterday at 59. For all those who seem to believe Affirmative Action has run its course, let us not forget that less than a generation ago school were segregated by law and now are segregated by fact.
Do you like what you hear? If you have managed to tune into Black radio have you noticed there is a striking lack of news, well at least credible news. The Black Commentator has a fly exploration of why that is. The FCC voted on Monday to relax restrictions on ownership of media and the cost could be high for our community. Some Dems and even some Republicans are thinking about taking congressional action to block the action. What every happened to People’s radio? Stay up!
I hadn’t written on this because I think I hold a grudge against Russell Simmons, but nonetheless it’s important! Simmons and company are trying to get the Rockefeller laws overturned through the, “Countdown to Fairness” coalition. So far they have gained some mainstream political clout as well as grassroots support from young members of the hip-hop generation. I heard the process was stalled recently when the city wouldn’t give him permits for a demonstration he wanted to had . . . good thing demonstrations are sanctioned by cities now, or else we may actually disturb something while demonstrating ;) And is anyone else scared of 50 cent speaking up on these laws? Is that who we want representing us?
Also, as Goodspeedupdate has reported, this week’s lead article in the University Record decries an editorial that was published in the Wall Street Journal saying U of M lied and supressed info about Pat Gurin’s research, a lynch pin in the Affirmative Action cases. Check the articles so that you are up to speed!
Next Friday, June 6th at 8pm, our very own Monique Luse will be featured on NBC’s Dateline. Dateline will host a one hour special that focuses exclusively on the undergraduate case. The piece also explores the story of Jennifer Gratz, plantiff against U of M.
The other day, I went to eat at Applebee’s and I watched a family of four come in to eat. As they were waiting to be seated, one of the children asked, “Daddy, why are we going out to eat?” His father responded, “Because the President just signed a new tax bill and we’re getting a check for 400 dollars for you and you,” as he pointed to each of his children’s heads. The NY Times just ran a piece on the tax law and how families just above minimum wage will not see this 400 check. So my question is, “Who was asleep at the wheel and allowed poor folks to get cut out too?”
In a revival of the true Gulianni era, the NYPD produced two fatalities this week. One, Alberta Spruill, a 57 year-old grandmother’s death was ruled a homocide. The second, Ousmane Zongo, an African immigrant, was shot fatally three times in a Warehouse where he worked. So the story isn’t old, but the names are new. Didn’t Sam Cooke say a change was gonna come?
In more uplifting news, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is hosting an Emerging Leaders weekend in Washington, DC June 7th. Want more details? Click here
I recently stumbled upon this pretty interesting Op/Ed piece from the NY Times that discusses the contemporary African holocaust on the Continent. Food for thought.
Apparently, Nike has continued appropriating culture in the form of sneakers . If you’ve been around the Puerto Rican Day Parade in the last couple of years you probably seen the “Air Boricuas.” Nike is now producing Air Force One’s that sport the African Liberation Flag (Red, Black, and Green). Isn’t it amazing how Nike is so dedicated to people of color, except for when it comes to changing their conditions in sweatshops.
Africana has just launched the Racism Threat Index . The index assesses the current level of threat racism poses to African people. Hilarious and true. As soon as I am able to edit my code on this page the RTI will be in full effect!
The rise in college campus conservatism was covered in a NY Times Magazine article. It’s a long read, so here is my summary. College conservatives are becoming increasing popular because they stopped wearing khakis and blue blazers, they write satirical papers, and major conservative think tanks have coordinated student efforts to spread the messages of conservatism. The article centers on Bucknell and how there is a boom of conservatism, despite their conservative club being composed of 35 active members in a school of 3,350. The entering class last year boasted a remarkable 25 African American students, if they all attended a BSU meeting, would they get a Times Magazine article for typifying Black solidarity? But really the article does expose how conservatives are coordinated and impacting the college environment.
Want to know more about the coordinated attack of social justice and civil rights? Check out Lee Cokorino’s, “The Assault on Diversity: An Organized Challenge to Racial and Gender Justice.”
A Supreme Court decision for the U of M cases should be due in about three weeks. D-day is coming!
I recently heard of a BBC story that suggested a group of Ugandans were immune to contracting HIV. I have not heard much else about it, but if this is accurate it could mean a world of possibilities in development of a vaccine or something of the sort. If you hear anything else, hit me up.
Macy’s may get hit with a class action suit from Black shoppers for profiling in their NYC stores. A NY Times articles reports that a suit is being filed on behalf of a falsely detained alleged shoplifter. Macy’s security, according to the filed case, attempted to force her to sign a confession and handcuffed her to a bench for over an hour. I don’t know how far a class action suit will go, but I am sure that we know that racial profiling in department stores is the only thing more common than over-priced clothes.
Berkeley’s ban on students from Asian countries were SARS was reported was highlighted by Iris Chang in an NY Times Op-Ed piece on the 21st.The piece is pretty amazing as it briefly chronicles some of the issues of prejudice towards the APA community in the US. Give it a read.
Thousands protested outside of Jeb Bush’s on Thursday regarding Florida’s standardized test, the FCAT. The FCAT must now be pased in the tenth grade to recieve a high school diploma. I believe is similar to NY’s regent’s certified diploma. Many seniors will not graduate this year because they did not pass this newly established benchmark. Leaders of the protest are calling for Bush to grandfather current seniors through and examine the FCAT and its policies. Should standardized tests be eliminated, modified, or maintained?
