http://www.thedefendersonline.com A civil rights blog promoting informed discourse on issues of race, justice, equality and democracy. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:37:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/12/mission-critical-succeeding-at-black-america%e2%80%99s-last-chance/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/12/mission-critical-succeeding-at-black-america%e2%80%99s-last-chance/#comments Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:52:07 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12645 Lee A. Daniels Fourteen months into the Obama Presidency, it’s become more and more obvious that the spectacular example of the First Family sketches only a partial portrait of the present and possible future of Black America. The rest of the portrait—better to call it a mosaic—is far more complex and, in some areas, far less sunny.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/12/mission-critical-succeeding-at-black-america%e2%80%99s-last-chance/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/victory-for-now-for-gay-marriage-in-d-c/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/victory-for-now-for-gay-marriage-in-d-c/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:09:17 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12592 Jackie Jones Gay and lesbian couples are now able to marry legally in the nation’s capital. A large part of making that happen came from a direct campaign to win the support of the city’s African-American residents, long believed to be opposed to such a law.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/victory-for-now-for-gay-marriage-in-d-c/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/theodore-lamont-cross-1924-%e2%80%93-2010/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/theodore-lamont-cross-1924-%e2%80%93-2010/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:09:41 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12532 John Payton The death on February 28 of Theodore Lamont Cross deprives the world and American society and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. of an extraordinary counselor and friend.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/theodore-lamont-cross-1924-%e2%80%93-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/one-on-one-barack-obama-vs-scott-brown-in-the-gym/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/one-on-one-barack-obama-vs-scott-brown-in-the-gym/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:32:14 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12478 Mark Lassiter If Scott "Downtown" Brown and "The Big O" (with a sincere apology to Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson) consider practicing for their charity game together, they cannot violate party boundaries or be seen in public. Their clandestine practice session would sound something like this.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/01/one-on-one-barack-obama-vs-scott-brown-in-the-gym/feed/ 3 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/cartoon-february-19-2010/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/cartoon-february-19-2010/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:50:55 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12417 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.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/cartoon-february-19-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/05/who-dat-walking-to-new-orleans/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/05/who-dat-walking-to-new-orleans/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:38:42 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12247 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."]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/05/who-dat-walking-to-new-orleans/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/02/david-ruggles-frederick-douglass%e2%80%99-first-professor-of-abolitionism/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/02/david-ruggles-frederick-douglass%e2%80%99-first-professor-of-abolitionism/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:30:06 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12192 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.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/02/david-ruggles-frederick-douglass%e2%80%99-first-professor-of-abolitionism/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/29/what-chris-matthews-forgot/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/29/what-chris-matthews-forgot/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:15:10 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12153 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.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/29/what-chris-matthews-forgot/feed/ 5 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/26/winter-in-america-the-first-morning-of-a-new-day/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/26/winter-in-america-the-first-morning-of-a-new-day/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:09:33 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12059 Mark Lassiter In the first year of the Obama Presidency, every commentator, contributors and blogger has an opinion on the very marketable leader since he gave his historic acceptance speech. This furious, non-stop output continues to shape the public dialogue in ways that will require years to understand.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/26/winter-in-america-the-first-morning-of-a-new-day/feed/ 2 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/haiti-90999yele-501501-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-fretting-and-appreciate-social-networks/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/haiti-90999yele-501501-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-fretting-and-appreciate-social-networks/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:25:38 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11980 Jill Nelson The Haitian earthquake crisis will be remembered as the moment in which the technology and platforms that enable social networking were used and transformed by ordinary citizens—the period when Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and other social networking sites became agents of change, and technology transcended commercialism, politics, personality, and trivia.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/haiti-90999yele-501501-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-fretting-and-appreciate-social-networks/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/what-would-martin-say/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/what-would-martin-say/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:59:08 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11952 Lee A. Daniels This is the week America celebrates in special fashion the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/what-would-martin-say/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/eunice-johnson%e2%80%99s-fashion-flair-2/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/eunice-johnson%e2%80%99s-fashion-flair-2/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:56:26 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11886 The Editors Eunice Johnson, who created the Ebony Fashion Fair in the mid-1950s and built it into a powerful social and financial success, was clairvoyant.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/eunice-johnson%e2%80%99s-fashion-flair-2/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/11/eunice-johnson%e2%80%99s-fashion-flair/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/11/eunice-johnson%e2%80%99s-fashion-flair/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:39:20 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11824 The Editors Eunice Johnson, who created the Ebony Fashion Fair in the mid-1950s and built it into a powerful social and financial success, was clairvoyant.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/11/eunice-johnson%e2%80%99s-fashion-flair/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/05/you-make-your-own-fairytales-movies-in-the-year-of-obama/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/05/you-make-your-own-fairytales-movies-in-the-year-of-obama/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:51:21 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11729 Janet Singleton Black-themed works and those featuring African-American actors in the lead comment intentionally and unintentionally about the state of race relations for their time. By Barack Obama’s 2008 election, 2009’s crop of releases had been conceived and made. Yet certain ones incidentally whisper a sense of a new dawn; others are more products of the past. Here we will spotlight the historical celluloid backdrop of a swath of last year’s landscape of releases. ]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/05/you-make-your-own-fairytales-movies-in-the-year-of-obama/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/22/in-defense-of-ebenezer-scrooge/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/22/in-defense-of-ebenezer-scrooge/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:10:24 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11618 Lee A. Daniels ‘Tis the season for me to once again defend one of my fictional heroes—Ebenezer Scrooge, the central character of Charles Dickens’ classic morality tale, A Christmas Carol.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/22/in-defense-of-ebenezer-scrooge/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/top-25-african-american-films-of-all-time/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/top-25-african-american-films-of-all-time/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:13:16 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11485 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]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/top-25-african-american-films-of-all-time/feed/ 23 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/behind-bedroom-doors-codifying-bigotry-into-law/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/behind-bedroom-doors-codifying-bigotry-into-law/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:11:37 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11489 Stacey Patton Ugandans don’t like homosexuals. That simple phrase is a gross understatement to the country’s 500,000 gays and lesbians living in the heavily Muslim and Christian nation of 30 million, where 95% of the population opposes legalizing homosexual acts. The Ugandan parliament is trying to further crack down on the lives of gays and lesbians as it debates a draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill that would require its citizens to peep behind bedroom doors and tell on people who engage in “unnatural” consensual sex.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/behind-bedroom-doors-codifying-bigotry-into-law/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/08/our-economic-crisis-when-the-pain-goes-the-other-way/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/08/our-economic-crisis-when-the-pain-goes-the-other-way/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:33:09 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11467 Lee A. Daniels Now that millions of white Americans are out of work, enduring the sense of desperation that poverty and joblessness bring, I can’t believe I’m not hearing the faux-moralists lecture them about taking “personal responsibility” for their own circumstances.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/08/our-economic-crisis-when-the-pain-goes-the-other-way/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/24/remembering-the-freedom-riders-giving-thanks/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/24/remembering-the-freedom-riders-giving-thanks/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:54:46 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11309 Lee A. Daniels They were criminals, all 400-plus of them, according to the duly enacted laws of the states of the Old Confederacy – lawbreakers, ‘race mixers,’ and disturbers of the peace.  Government officials and editorialists across the South called them “communists,” “socialists,” and “outside agitators.” They were beaten, with the connivance of the police, by Ku Klux Klan thugs in Alabama. They were jailed in Mississippi, first in the city jail in Jackson, and then, in the notorious Parchman state penitentiary. Their very lives were in danger. They were the Freedom Riders.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/24/remembering-the-freedom-riders-giving-thanks/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/18/the-intolerable-barack-obama/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/18/the-intolerable-barack-obama/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:53:12 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11222 Lee A. Daniels The Obama Presidency is less than a year old, but by now many of us are accustomed to the perverse, racist notions that have oozed from the moldering, pathological psyches of some Americans since the majority of voters elected Barack Obama president. Nonetheless, as in the days of blacks’ struggle for basic civil rights, something new always occurs to remind us of racism’s ugly imaginative resiliency.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/18/the-intolerable-barack-obama/feed/ 2 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/first-the-big-time-then-hard-time-hip-hop-stars-in-prison/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/first-the-big-time-then-hard-time-hip-hop-stars-in-prison/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:13:31 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11102 TaRessa Stovall Another hip-hop artist is headed to jail, seemingly determined to live out the drama of his own lyrics. Grammy Award-winning superstar Lil Wayne, real name Dwayne Carter, pleaded guilty on October 15 to a felony charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon in New York City.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/first-the-big-time-then-hard-time-hip-hop-stars-in-prison/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/ldf-celebrates-23rd-annual-national-equal-justice-awards-dinner/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/ldf-celebrates-23rd-annual-national-equal-justice-awards-dinner/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:39:00 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11095 The Editors “There has never been a year like this past year in America.” Those were the opening words of the brief speech with which John Payton, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) welcomed the nearly 800 guests at LDF’s 23rd annual National Equal Justice Awards Dinner in New York on November 4; and that straightforward declarative sentence indeed seemed to capture an entire twelve months’ sense of excitement—and determination—that permeated the buoyant gathering.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/ldf-celebrates-23rd-annual-national-equal-justice-awards-dinner/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/26/howard-university-law-school-and-ldf-a-shared-dna/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/26/howard-university-law-school-and-ldf-a-shared-dna/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:35:19 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10978 The Editors The Howard University School of Law, which for nearly a century and a half has supplied much of black America’s legal talent, celebrated its 140th anniversary at a gala dinner October 24 in Washington, D.C. True to institutional form, law school officials celebrated the school’s historic record of service by honoring the service of others.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/26/howard-university-law-school-and-ldf-a-shared-dna/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/06/memories-of-sputnik-the-space-race-and-the-race-race/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/06/memories-of-sputnik-the-space-race-and-the-race-race/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:18:19 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10671 Lee A. Daniels As I’ve done for years, Sunday I quietly celebrated the coming of October 4, because I’ve always considered what happened on that date an integral part of the black freedom struggle—and my own good fortune. On that day 52 years ago, the Soviet Union announced that it had successfully shot into orbit the world’s first man-made satellite: Sputnik.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/06/memories-of-sputnik-the-space-race-and-the-race-race/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/02/identity-wars-i%e2%80%99m-biracial-%e2%80%a6-not-confused-damn-it/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/02/identity-wars-i%e2%80%99m-biracial-%e2%80%a6-not-confused-damn-it/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:24:33 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10656 TaRessa Stovall The I’m Biracial … Not Black Damn It! trailer, part of a four-part series on biracial identity today, concentrates on black/white mixed persons, first-generation sons and daughters of black/white couples, expressing their frustration at being labeled “black” rather than feeling recognized, accepted and affirmed for all that they are.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/02/identity-wars-i%e2%80%99m-biracial-%e2%80%a6-not-confused-damn-it/feed/ 4