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By Mark Lassiter
New Orleans radio announcer, Bernard “Buddy D” Dilberto, fueled a grass roots, populist movement in 1980. He implored frustrated football fans to attend games with brown paper grocery bags on their heads to protest the performance of the 0-14 hometown Saints. Buddy also said, “When you go to Heaven after you die, tell St. Peter you’re a Saints fan. He’ll say c’mon in, I don’t care what else you done, you suffered enough.”
Calvin Willis
Six years ago this week, Calvin Willis raised his arms high above his head and walked out of a Louisiana prison, free for the first time in 21 years. Willis was wrongfully convicted of rape in 1982 and served more than two decades before DNA testing excluded him as the perpetrator.
Top 25 African-American Films of All Time
By Ralph Richardson
I am an NYC-based filmmaker, so I come to this Top 25 list with a wonderful joy and love for film, and since my mother took me to the movies every week since I was 3, I also have a pretty good knowledge of this grand art form
‘If You Learned It, Then You Should Have Got an A On It’
By TaRessa Stovall
A clever response to Beyonce’s super-hit, Single Ladies, with the line, “If you like it, then you should have put a ring on it,” has inspired a group of young students from the Hope Christian School in Milwaukee to create their own version with a very different—and much more empowering—message.
A Black Immigrant’s Experience with Coming to Terms with Race Relations in America
By Nicole Y. Dennis
I’ve come to believe that many black immigrants coming to the United States don’t really factor the existence of racism into their plan of achieving the American Dream. I think many immigrants overlook it, often seeking success with a tunnel vision. I speak from experience. That’s what I did.
A Fun Face?
*Warning: Explicit photographic content may be disturbing*
By Stacey Patton
When I saw news reports of the baker’s “Drunken Negro Head” cookie that he started selling on Martin Luther King Day and in “honor” of President Obama, I was immediately struck by its grotesque familiarity.
Chemical Relaxers: The Facts Might Not Be So Relaxing
By Janet Singleton
Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair caused bad feelings last summer for many black female film-goers, who felt more betrayed than they did fairly portrayed by the film. Lost in all of the earsplitting debates and viral blog posts, was any deeper discussion of the health implications for black women and girls who use hair straightener
Mental Health Parity 2010
By Janet Singleton
As of January 1, 2010, the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act will mandate that insurance coverage for mental health be comparable to that for other medical interventions, for group plans of companies employing 50 or more. What it means, for those who are sheltered beneath its modest umbrella, is that reimbursements, number of visits, annual and lifetime caps, co-payments, and any out-of-pocket costs for psychotherapy and related medications should be in line with, for example, treatment for diabetes.
Allah at the Apollo: Islamic Cultural Renaissance Finds Roots at Harlem’s Apollo Theater
By Grace Aneiza Ali
On Saturday, January 23, an amazingly talented line-up of Muslim artists performed for a sold-out crowd at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem. Hosted by the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN), the event, one of the first of its kind, showcased the rich cultural legacy and growing artistic renaissance among Muslims in the United States and around the world.
Black Farmers Settlement Fund: Now you see it, now you don’t
By Doug Miller
After a recent meeting with U.S. Senate majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus, John W. Boyd, Jr., the head of the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) said roughly 80,000 new claims have been filed under a re-energized suit to compensate black farmers for discrimination suffered at the hands of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but funds earmarked to settle the claims apparently have been misplaced in the year-end budget shuffle.
The Word “Negro” and the 2010 Census Form
By the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Political Participation Practice Group
Recent online polls and news reports have raised a question about the use of the word “Negro” on the 2010 Census form. The brewing controversy focuses on the derogatory history of the term and its connection to racial segregation.
My Top 10 African-American TV Shows of All Time
By Ralph Richardson
Hey ya’ll, I’m back, this time with the Top Ten African-American TV Shows of All Time.
Is That Your Child? Mothers Talk About Rearing Biracial Children
By Marion Kilson and Florence Ladd
Our new book, Is That Your Child?: Mothers Talk About Rearing Biracial Children, is based on interviews with black and white mothers of biracial children. The book opens with our interview with each other, charts the challenges and rewards of rearing biracial children, and profiles black and white mothers with distinctive biracial parenting experiences. It concludes with suggestions for positive parenting strategies, which are relevant to all varieties of biracial combinations.
“Negro Please!” Some Blacks Offended By 2010 Census Form
By Stacey Patton
The use of an old name on the 2010 Census form, scheduled for mailing in March, has sparked some controversy over the past few days. As the U.S. Census Bureau begins the herculean task of counting more than 300 million Americans, it says it wants to heighten awareness and be more inclusive.
Poll# 17
KFC: We Do Racism Right
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), whose slogan, “We do chicken right,” was part of an ad campaign to appeal to African Americans, is under fire for an Australian ad, titled a “Cricket Survival Guide,” shows a white guy uncomfortable at being surrounded by dancing black West Indians at a cricket game. His solution for that “awkward” situation? To hold up a bucket of KFC to placate the “natives.” Video included.
What Chris Matthews Forgot
By Lee A. Daniels
There can be no denying that cable TV talk-show host Chris Matthews’ intent Wednesday night was to compliment President Obama on the forcefulness of his demeanor and the effectiveness of his speech during The State of the Union address.
But neither can one deny that Matthews’ choice of words not only undermined his intent, they underscored just how wrong is the notion that America has reached—or is anywhere near—a “post-racial” status.
Unequal Opportunity and Whitewashed Resumes
By Khalil Gibran Muhammad
“Education is the key to success. Knowledge is power.” Wise words repeated countless times to young people at home and in school every single day. But what should we say to them if one day their hard work meets empty promises, if their dreams are deferred, or their first paycheck of material reward is marked insufficient funds.
The Princess and the Frog: What’s Wrong with this Picture
By Paula L. Woods
The superficial achievement for the race and Disney marketing/merchandising tie-ins will probably be enough to spell success for the film and another bite at the animated apple in years to come. Which may be, after so many years of neglect, is as good as it gets. But next time, I hope the studios dig a little deeper culturally and think a little harder about the coherence of their story and the images they convey.
Racist or Revolutionary: Cuba’s Identity is at Stake
By Ron Walters
The recent “Statement of Conscience” declaration from 60 well-known U. S. and Latin American black activists, scholars, artists and civic leaders to the Cuban government calling for the release of an imprisoned Cuban physician and human rights activists, Dr. Darsi Ferrer, and an end to racist practices in Cuba marked the first time such concerted criticism has been leveled against the Cuban government since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959.
No Word for ‘Prison’
By Eisa Nefertari Ulen
What does a woman do after coming-of -age in Birmingham in the 1950s, after losing two friends in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four little girls in the 1960s, after helping free her very high-profile sister from the clutches of the FBI’s Most Wanted List during the height of Black Power in the 1970s? What does she do after advocating for the end to Apartheid in the 1980s, after working as a Civil Rights trial lawyer through the 1990s?
Is This Racist?
Poll# 18The Wrong Kind of Color-Blindness in Hollywood
How “new” can an all-white Hollywood be? Controversy is swirling around the latest cover of Vanity Fair magazine, which features nine young Hollywood actresses and muses—all very young, very thin and exclusively white. There are no Asian, Black, Middle Eastern or Latina actresses featured in “A New Hollywood 2010.”
Vote here!
If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you to go on in spite of all. And so today I still have a dream.
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Feature
The Missionary’s Position
By Esther Armah
Ten white faces, bewildered and confused, emerge on the small screen. They are Americans from a Baptist missionary church in Idaho, arrested and accused of illegally taking 33 children out of Haiti, across the border to the Dominican Republic. Twenty of those children, it has been revealed, are not orphans. The SOS Children’s Villages, the group now caring for them, say they have parents.
Feature
Howard Zinn: The People’s Historian
By Jelani Cobb
Among Professor Howard Zinn’s numerous accomplishments, none rank higher than his work to breathe life into history. Often when I mention to people that I’m a historian I hear mumbled comments about how the subject put students to sleep or seems like a dry collection of dates, wars and speeches. Not so with Howard Zinn.
Feature
Beyond Partisan Wars: Breaking Down Health Care Reform
By Maggie Astor
Beyond the meaningless, catch-all accusation of “socialized medicine” and the blatantly ridiculous specter of “death panels,” how would these bills, if reconciled and signed into law, affect you?
Exoneree of the Week
Stephan Cowans
Feb 2 – Six years ago this week, Stephan Cowans was exonerated in Massachusetts after serving more than five years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He was convicted based in part on a faulty fingerprint identification. Sadly, he died in 2007 after just three years free.
Obama, Race and Representation
By Manning Marable
Early on in their deliberation process, the Obama pre-campaign group recognized that most white Americans would never vote for a black Presidential candidate. However, they were convinced that most whites would embrace, and vote for, a remarkable, qualified Presidential candidate who happened to be black.
New York City Sued Over Discriminatory Policing Policy in Public Housing
By The Editors
The lawsuit claims that the city’s policing practices in its public housing developments – most notably, its “vertical sweeps” of buildings — “routinely” subject residents and those who visit them to illegal stops and false arrests that serve no lawful purpose.
Cartoon: February 4, 2010
By Kevin Eason
Kevin Eason is a freelance editorial cartoonist and Illustrator from NJ. His brand of satire covers news events in politics, entertainment, sports and much more. Kevin’s work features include: TVOne, NABJ, WBLS_107.5FM, EURweb and various newspapers & magazines throughout the country.
Race to the Top? Banking on Charter Schools to Save the Failing Public School System
By C. Nicole Mason
Amid protest from parents and teachers, New York City’s Department of Education voted on January 27 to close 19 failing public schools. The closings come on the heels of a heated battle among state legislators to lift a ban limiting the number of charter schools in the state. The measure failed, but not without revealing a troubling trend around the country with regard to public education in states and cities—chasing dollars instead of what’s in the best interest of students.
Sting Like a Bee: Obama vs. the GOP
By Mark Lassiter
The President’s luncheon meeting with the House Republican Conference in Baltimore last Friday offered proof that the art Ali demonstrated in the boxing ring at the pinnacle of his career can also shine brightly in a different kind of arena.
A Black Immigrant’s Experience with Coming to Terms with Race Relations in America
By Nicole Y. Dennis
I’ve come to believe that many black immigrants coming to the United States don’t really factor the existence of racism into their plan of achieving the American Dream. I think many immigrants overlook it, often seeking success with a tunnel vision. I speak from experience. That’s what I did.
My Top 10 African-American TV Shows of All Time
By Ralph Richardson
Hey ya’ll, I’m back, this time with the Top Ten African-American TV Shows of All Time.
David Ruggles: Frederick Douglass’ First Professor of Abolitionism
By Graham Hodges
In early September, 1838, the man who would become Frederick Douglass, the foremost black abolitionist of the nineteenth century, arrived in New York City, well aware that he still faced danger from the “slave catchers” who roamed the streets seeking to kidnap unwary blacks. Through fortuitous circumstance, Frederick Bailey, as he was then called, soon met David Ruggles, the city’s leading black abolitionist—and Frederick Douglass’ first and perhaps most influential professor of radical abolitionism.
RingShout Literary Salon: On Push, Precious and Erasure
By Eisa Nefertari Ulen
The controversial film Precious, released to great acclaim in November, is still making news. With Mo’Nique’s Golden Globe Awards win for Best Supporting Actress (with Oscar nods expected to follow), and eight NAACP Image Award nominations, the story of a teen abused every which way by both her mother and father provides fertile ground for introspection and discussion.