http://www.thedefendersonline.com A civil rights blog promoting informed discourse on issues of race, justice, equality and democracy. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:38:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/we%e2%80%99re-not-the-na%e2%80%99vis-the-true-ecology-of-avatar/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/we%e2%80%99re-not-the-na%e2%80%99vis-the-true-ecology-of-avatar/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:08:23 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12602 Eisa Nefertari Ulen It is entirely fitting that the character that must risk the most in this film, and change completely, is a white dude. Cameron has explored geo-political realities facing our world that make the politics of color in this film work.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/09/we%e2%80%99re-not-the-na%e2%80%99vis-the-true-ecology-of-avatar/feed/ 2 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/attorney-general-eric-holder-bids-jake-henderson-farewell/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/attorney-general-eric-holder-bids-jake-henderson-farewell/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:54:53 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12536 Maynard Eaton The nation’s top lawman cleared his busy schedule on March 1, to travel to Atlanta to attend the funeral of Jacob Henderson, Jr., a pioneering military attorney during the 1960s who became an expert on international travel and a leading Atlanta businessman.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/attorney-general-eric-holder-bids-jake-henderson-farewell/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/what-civil-rights-organizations-can-learn-from-du-bois-and-the-early-years-of-the-crisis-magazine/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/what-civil-rights-organizations-can-learn-from-du-bois-and-the-early-years-of-the-crisis-magazine/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:10:37 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12522 Stacey Patton Late last month my mentor, the great Pulitzer-prize winning historian David Levering-Lewis, invited me to be his special guest at the 100th anniversary celebration of the NAACP’s Crisis Magazine. A rapt audience gathered inside the New York Hilton Hotel’s Trianon Ballroom to hear Lewis and current Crisis editor Jabari Asim have a conversation about the magazine’s early years and its first intrepid editor-in-chief, W.E.B. Du Bois.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/03/05/what-civil-rights-organizations-can-learn-from-du-bois-and-the-early-years-of-the-crisis-magazine/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/a-weusi-reunion-at-harlem%e2%80%99s-dwyer-cultural-center/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/a-weusi-reunion-at-harlem%e2%80%99s-dwyer-cultural-center/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:13:35 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12404 Grace Aneiza Ali “The last time we all got together like this was in 1975,” says Taiwo Duvall as he stands in one of the gallery spaces at the Dwyer Cultural Center. It’s a frigid Tuesday evening in Harlem. It’s been snowing and sleeting for most of the day. Despite the precarious weather, over 200 people have packed the Dwyer, in what looks and feels more like a family reunion than the Center’s opening for the exhibition, Weusi Revisited: 2010.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/19/a-weusi-reunion-at-harlem%e2%80%99s-dwyer-cultural-center/feed/ 3 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/12/%e2%80%98i-can%e2%80%99t-believe-you-brought-home-a-white-boy%e2%80%99/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/12/%e2%80%98i-can%e2%80%99t-believe-you-brought-home-a-white-boy%e2%80%99/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:37:16 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12320 Karyn Langhorne Folan For many black women, dating a white man pushes romance and family toward a head-on collision.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/12/%e2%80%98i-can%e2%80%99t-believe-you-brought-home-a-white-boy%e2%80%99/feed/ 5 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/04/howard-zinn-the-people%e2%80%99s-historian/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/04/howard-zinn-the-people%e2%80%99s-historian/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:52:28 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12232 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.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/04/howard-zinn-the-people%e2%80%99s-historian/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/29/my-top-10-african-american-tv-shows-of-all-time/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/29/my-top-10-african-american-tv-shows-of-all-time/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:08:40 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12145 Ralph Richardson Hey ya’ll, I’m back, this time with the Top Ten African-American TV Shows of All Time.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/29/my-top-10-african-american-tv-shows-of-all-time/feed/ 3 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/26/the-business-of-you-good-health-at-what-price/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/26/the-business-of-you-good-health-at-what-price/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:10:56 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12067 Jackie Jones A few extra pounds soon could cost you way more than just good health.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/26/the-business-of-you-good-health-at-what-price/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/22/reflections-of-a-black-pioneer-two-cases-of-integrative-leadership/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/22/reflections-of-a-black-pioneer-two-cases-of-integrative-leadership/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:53:17 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12022 Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. The unprecedented election of President Barack Obama has provided a dramatic spotlight on the issues of race in America. One aspect of significance is that it represents an important step in the process of racial integration in our nation. His election was the result of the collective decisions by a multi racial and multi ethnic electorate. Both as a U.S. Senator from Illinois and as President, Obama has been what might be called an "Integrative Black Pioneer."]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/22/reflections-of-a-black-pioneer-two-cases-of-integrative-leadership/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/is-tiger-woods-african-american-of-course-not/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/is-tiger-woods-african-american-of-course-not/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:56:31 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11870 Janet Singleton In my mind Tiger Woods is a multiethnic, polysyllabic, whatjamacallit, just as he said. “A Cablinasian.” He called himself that in a 1997 appearance on Oprah and disappointed some black people. But I have no problem with that, particularly now. It’s just that the controversial Vanity Fair magazine cover posing Tiger as “thuggish” and therefore presumably blacker, we are invited to consider that issue once again.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/is-tiger-woods-african-american-of-course-not/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/kings-legacy-serves-as-a-call-to-arms-on-crisis-in-haiti/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/kings-legacy-serves-as-a-call-to-arms-on-crisis-in-haiti/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:51:13 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11924 John Payton Today provides a moment for reflection on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born 81 years ago on this day. It is also a moment of intense anguish for the survivors and those continuing to suffer in the wake of the tragic earthquake in Haiti.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/kings-legacy-serves-as-a-call-to-arms-on-crisis-in-haiti/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/11/negro-please-some-blacks-offended-by-2010-census-form/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/11/negro-please-some-blacks-offended-by-2010-census-form/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:51:50 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11812 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.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/11/negro-please-some-blacks-offended-by-2010-census-form/feed/ 2 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/06/percy-ellis-sutton-1920-%e2%80%93-2009-%e2%80%9cour-counsel-our-conscience-our-champion%e2%80%9d/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/06/percy-ellis-sutton-1920-%e2%80%93-2009-%e2%80%9cour-counsel-our-conscience-our-champion%e2%80%9d/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:37:55 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11773 The Editors Percy Ellis Sutton, a son of Texas and of Harlem whose remarkable achievements in several different fields of endeavor helped fuel the twentieth-century progress of black Americans, was eulogized yesterday as “a role model in living color of what it means to be both great and good.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/06/percy-ellis-sutton-1920-%e2%80%93-2009-%e2%80%9cour-counsel-our-conscience-our-champion%e2%80%9d/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/invictus-capturing-the-unconquerable-soul-of-south-africa/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/invictus-capturing-the-unconquerable-soul-of-south-africa/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:13:48 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11502 Paula Woods In presenting the true story of the 1995 South African Springbok’s underdog run at the Rugby World Cup, director Eastwood and Morgan Freeman (who stars as Nelson Mandela and served as an executive producer) aim to not only honor the spirit and achievement of Nelson Mandela but also to humanize his drive to reconcile a country torn apart by apartheid and years of violent resistance.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/11/invictus-capturing-the-unconquerable-soul-of-south-africa/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/04/blinded-by-the-blind-side/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/04/blinded-by-the-blind-side/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:13:03 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11399 Paula Woods This must the year for abused black children in Hollywood movies. First there was Precious, the Lee Daniels-directed megahit, in which a 16-year old Harlem girl rises above illiteracy and multiple forms of parental abuse to reclaim her children and her future. Now there is The Blind Side, in which a 16-year old Memphis boy rises above parental neglect and a low grade point average to discover his innate athleticism and claim his future as a football star for Ole Miss and the Baltimore Ravens.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/04/blinded-by-the-blind-side/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/loving-and-local-%e2%80%9cjustice%e2%80%9d/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/loving-and-local-%e2%80%9cjustice%e2%80%9d/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:56:24 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11082 Olympia Duhart Keith Bardwell, the Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to marry an interracial couple recently, is using some tired, old arguments to support his biased decision.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/07/loving-and-local-%e2%80%9cjustice%e2%80%9d/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/29/the-obamas-the-rebirth-of-black-love-and-reimaging-the-american-family/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/29/the-obamas-the-rebirth-of-black-love-and-reimaging-the-american-family/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:49:54 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11001 C. Nicole Mason Lately you cannot turn on the television without some version of baby daddy or mama drama played out on talk shows,with black men and women usually at the center of the heated discussion for all the world to see. The fate of children too often hinging on four now infamous words--You are not the father!]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/29/the-obamas-the-rebirth-of-black-love-and-reimaging-the-american-family/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/13/harry-connick%e2%80%99s-teachable-moment/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/13/harry-connick%e2%80%99s-teachable-moment/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:17:10 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10793 Karen Hunter An Australian group of doctors calling themselves “The Jackson Jive ” made headlines last week when they corked up and performed a minstrel act as a “tribute” to the late Michael Jackson and his brothers on a reunion special of the Australian TV variety show, Hey, Hey It’s Saturday, which went off the air in 1999.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/13/harry-connick%e2%80%99s-teachable-moment/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/23/stealing-strategies-from-our-playbook-a-brief-conversation-with-theodore-m-shaw/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/23/stealing-strategies-from-our-playbook-a-brief-conversation-with-theodore-m-shaw/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:31:29 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10548 Stacey Patton I had a chance to steal a few moments with former NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) President and Director-counsel Theodore M. Shaw after the September 18 symposium on the Supreme Court’s case selection process held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/23/stealing-strategies-from-our-playbook-a-brief-conversation-with-theodore-m-shaw/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/11/minority-angst-simmers-in-silence-while-white-fear-makes-headlines-the-true-social-powder-keg/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/11/minority-angst-simmers-in-silence-while-white-fear-makes-headlines-the-true-social-powder-keg/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:26:57 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10366 By Amy L. Alexander Lost amidst the ear-splitting rhetoric, racist vitriol, and theatrical acting out that has defined the public debate on President Barack Obama’s proposed health care reform bill is a chilling possibility:  The ticking time-bomb that could explode America’s promise once and for all is not trillion dollar deficits or seething white racists or shrinking ice caps, it is overwhelmed people of color in the U.S.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/11/minority-angst-simmers-in-silence-while-white-fear-makes-headlines-the-true-social-powder-keg/feed/ 3 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/04/black-america-and-the-great-recession-labor-day-2009/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/04/black-america-and-the-great-recession-labor-day-2009/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:01:39 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10238 Steven Pitts We commonly speak of this crisis by detailing the high level of joblessness in our communities and decrying the inadequacies of official government statistics. However, I would say that the black community faces a broader problem than is normally discussed. We face a two-dimensional job crisis: the crisis of unemployment and the crisis of low-wage jobs.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/04/black-america-and-the-great-recession-labor-day-2009/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/31/august-28th-remembrance-and-reflection-%e2%80%93-2008-1963-1955/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/31/august-28th-remembrance-and-reflection-%e2%80%93-2008-1963-1955/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:09:57 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10187 Ifa Bayeza Last Friday, August 28th, marked the anniversary of three pivotal events of the last half-century of American history—events which have brought black Americans from the neo-slavery they had endured since Emancipation to the next stage of the freedom struggle we face today.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/31/august-28th-remembrance-and-reflection-%e2%80%93-2008-1963-1955/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/27/gil-speaks%e2%80%a6and-the-real-revolution-in-our-hands/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/27/gil-speaks%e2%80%a6and-the-real-revolution-in-our-hands/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:28:59 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10142 TaRessa Stovall I believe that the popularity of the story,"Genius Burning Brightly: The Unraveling of Gil Scott-Heron," and the response it generated are a thundering testimony to the fact that it is the people—not the professional pundits parading before us in the mainstream media—whose views, feelings and opinions reflect the gloriously diverse and evolving kaleidoscope of humanity that is us.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/27/gil-speaks%e2%80%a6and-the-real-revolution-in-our-hands/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/25/now-blog-this-cyber-news-leading-positive-coverage-of-african-americans/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/25/now-blog-this-cyber-news-leading-positive-coverage-of-african-americans/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:25:41 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10078 Jackie Jones The blogosphere is where black achievement can be touted and become the engine that drives mainstream media to take notice and young African Americans hold the key to it in the palm of their collective hand.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/25/now-blog-this-cyber-news-leading-positive-coverage-of-african-americans/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/19/for-the-love-of-money-two-sides-of-the-rev-ike-coin/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/19/for-the-love-of-money-two-sides-of-the-rev-ike-coin/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:19:59 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=9986 Rev. Susan Newman The bible says, “The love of money is the root of evil.” (I Timothy 6:10). The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter, II, better known as “Reverend Ike,” who passed away on July 28, at the age of 74, famously declared that, “The lack of money is the root of all evil. I am not a black preacher. I’m a green preacher. The only color of power in the American economy is green power.”]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/19/for-the-love-of-money-two-sides-of-the-rev-ike-coin/feed/ 1