(SistahSpeak con't)
The silly season is officially over. Now I’m not making any predictions about how some folks may or may not act. Don’t care. Silly season is over.
There are some of us Boomers who have been waiting for you young people. Those of us who railed against the government are glad you’re here. Thrilled that many of you are willing to judge the content of character. Elated that you feel the fierce urgency of now. We know the feeling. Bout this time, now is feeling pretty good.
It’s not over yet and I’m not foolish enough to suggest that there is not challenge ahead. I’ve lived too long to imagine for a moment that we can just sit back and coast into the White House. We’ve seen the kitchen sink and before it’s all said and done, we may see the septic. But... not right now. Right now it’s time, if you have been waiting, to exhale.
I’ve no doubt that things may get down and dirty before next January’s swearing in. I’ve got the spell of Backatcha at the ready. I will not hesitate to use it.
For now, I think maybe we need to rest ourselves and do something productive. Plant something. Lend a hand. Offer smiles and salutations to strangers.
Build a reservoir of goodwill. We will need it this fall. The real lesson if we are willing to learn is that goodwill carries the day. Obama gave the example.
We are not only watching history. We are its makers. We’ve worked hard, Prayed. Canvassed. Called. Ranted and raved. We’ve also won this round. Rest up. We’ll need it later.
I’m figna find my Billy Stewart and all the Hot Fun in the Summertime music I have and listen and laugh and allow myself to feel some contentment. I remember a poster I put over my bed in the dorm a long, long time ago. Sums up what I’m feeling.
"Yea’ it read ‘though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...cause I’m the baddest M***er**cker in the valley." That’s how I’m feeling.
Now, run and tell that!
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The Urban Educational SystemSephius1, Black Kos EditorLast week we concluded Part I: A Strategy At The School Level. In it I provided some summarized solutions to put kids on equal playing field like school uniforms, better teacher pay, better books, more involvement from parent, and also a system to began tracking students from start to finish
This week we'll took a look at the commercial's side in having a good school system. Below are the areas of discussion:
Community Resources - this includes a discussion of how the small business community can partner with the local school system to ensure the success of the student
National Resources - this includes a discussion of what corporations around the U.S. can do to improve the national work force, thus increase the country's intellectual capital.
Transnational Resources - This will be a discussion on how a local work force/school system relates to local work force/school system in other countries
2.1 Commuity ResourcesOne of the things that strengthens a community is the small business community, the "mom and pop" shops. But you might not immediately see how they can help in the education of our young. Most of us got our first job at a flower shop, car repair, grocery store, etc. We usually move on to bigger and better job, but that initial job taught us the value of dollar, how to manage money, your introduced to technology that you are forced to learn whether that's cashiering, or be in charge of inventory. However, small businesses within the community can play a bigger role.
We all remember career day, when you got to bring your parent to school to talk about what they do for a living. And if you were lucky one of the parents worked at a bakery, or ice cream shop, and they brought sample. But what if we were to reverse the situation, and the students went to different establishments. And not merely observe the operation, but were required to work for the business maybe one day a week. Of course, depending on the business and safety concerns, certain business operations would be more appropriate for certain grade levels. The goal is:
- to develop the students skill set all throughout their education so that as they are learning in the class room, then be able to see it's practical application,
- help build understanding and pride in the community,
- provides a "first look" a potential workforce, so that the small business community can see were their respective community excels and lags, and partner with the education system to help solve those issues
Another way to look at this is starting internship programs earlier in the education track rather than at the college level. I would suggest maybe starting in the middle school years. I envision a partner ship between small business and the school system in which (1) the student chooses a business, (2) works for the business for 2-4 hours a week, and (3) this work would be apart of the student's final grade because the owner, or surrogate, would provide an evaluation. I think placing a small burden on the student, early on, prevents the student from falling through the cracks because you will have the school system and the community making the students success a priority. This will also stunt businesses from falling into the trap of wanting a cheap labor force, as oppose to, a educated work force that knows the particulars of their community.
Next Week >> 2.2 National Resources
I'm going to try and make it to Hanover, NH to see this.
Boston Globe ≫ Dartmouth's gutsy 'Black Womanhood' probes old wounds.
In 1810, an English ship's surgeon brought Saartjie Baartman, a young South African woman, to London. She was displayed on stage and made to squat to show her genitals. After she died in 1816, her brain, skeleton, and genitals went on exhibition in Paris, where they remained until 1974. Baartman, dubbed the "Hottentot Venus," was a victim of colonialism at its most vulgar. She plays a generative role in "Black Womanhood: Images, Icons, and Ideologies of the African Body," a sweeping, gutsy, and provocative exhibition organized by curator Barbara Thompson at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. "Black Womanhood" draws a powerful portrait, vivid with pride and celebration, degradation, anger, and reclamation. Themes of maternity, sexuality, beauty, and women's social roles cycle throughout....... More ►
Eboney / Jet ≫ "Black Is, Black Ain’t", An ambitious review of the cultural psyche.
Herein lie buried many things which, if read with patience, may show the strange meaning of being black here in the dawning of the Twentieth Century. This meaning is not without interest to you, Gentle Reader, for the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line. - W.E.B.DuBois (1903) W. E. B. DuBois penned these prophetic lines over one hundred years ago, yet news headlines of the past twelve months ala Don Imus, Jena 6, and Barack Obama indicate that the issue(s) of the color line continues to weave its way even deeper into the American fabric, and indelibly onto the American psyche. Indeed as the ever-evolving discourse on race continues to shift from one "ism" to the next, it appears that much of the academic and creative production and dialogue about race now focuses on its fictive nature, more so than its real life complexities and implications for folks who are "Black like me". Writers, dramatists, scholars and artists have parlayed this "revelation" about the emptiness of race into discourse(s) where ideas about race and what it means to be racialized—Black, White, and person of color-- are wide, varied, liberating, and in some ways potentially explosive...... More ►
If you live near Chi-town this is a must see.
Ebony / Jet ≫ Ifa Bayeza's Ballad of Emmett Till
The 1955 murder of the 14-year-old Chicagoan, Emmett Till was one of the major pivotal points in the civil rights struggle that still reverberates and impacts America today. Award winning playwright, novelist, and conceptual theater artist Ifa Bayeza has spent the last decade writing and shaping her powerful and haunting play, "The Ballad of Emmett Till," directed by acclaimed film, television and theater director Oz Scott and currently running at The Goodman Theater in Chicago....... More ►
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NYTimes ≫ E-Mail Shows Racial Jokes by Secret Service Supervisors.
Secret Service supervisors shared crude sexual jokes and engaged in racially derogatory banter about blacks, and passed around an anecdote about a possible assassination of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, according to internal e-mail disclosed in a federal court filing on Friday by lawyers for black Secret Service agents. The filing includes 10 e-mail messages that were among documents the agency recently turned over to lawyers for the black agents as part of an increasingly bitter discrimination lawsuit. The messages were written mainly from 2003 through 2005, and were sent to and from e-mail accounts of at least 20 Secret Service supervisors. The messages offer a glimpse into the darker recesses of an agency known for protecting presidents and other dignitaries but whose culture is regarded as one of the most insular in federal law enforcement....... More ►
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Every once in a while I read a story like this that makes me feel good. A person in a position of power does something good. When asked "but what will you do about racist who are your customers" they respond go "F" yourself!
The Root ≫ Viva Vogue Italia! Finally, a fashion mag that appreciates the black female form.
Don't let "America's Next Top Model" fool you—the politics of the runway are rarely so neatly wrapped up. Sure, four of the show's nine winners so far have been black (plus Boricua Jaslene Gonzalez), but catwalks in the States and overseas have been slow to integrate as industry insiders still claim that non-white models just don't sell the fantasy—you know, of being young, gaunt and blonde. Vogue Italia to the rescue! The entire July issue will feature black models exclusively, all shot by American photographer Steven Meisel, who famously captured BFF Madonna for her 1992 "Sex" book. Newly discovered-but-already-worshiped 17-year-old Jourdan Dunn will grace the cover. Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani told the UK's Independent, "Nobody is using black girls. I see so many beautiful girls, and they were complaining that they are not used enough." When asked if she thought there might be some backlash in Italy, which has had an increasing "uncomfortable" relationship with its immigrants, Sozzani was blunt: "Maybe in our country it is not the best idea. But I don't care. I think it is not my problem if they don't like it—it's their problem." (emphasis mine)...... More ►
As the race is coming to a close, I feel less need to hold back on "too many" Sen. Obama diaries.
The Economist ≫ Barack Obama's success shows that the ceiling has risen for African-Americans. But many are still too close to the floor.
WHEN Roland Fryer was about 15, a friend asked him what he would be doing when he was 30. He said he would probably be dead. It was a reasonable prediction. At the time, he was hanging out with a gang and selling drugs on the side. Young black men in that line of work seldom live long. But Mr Fryer survived. At 30, he won tenure as an economics professor at Harvard. That was four months ago. Mr Fryer's parents split up when he was very young. His father was a maths teacher who went off the rails: young Roland once had to borrow money to bail him out of jail. His great-aunt and great-uncle ran a crack business: young Roland would watch them cook cocaine powder into rocks of crack in a frying pan in the kitchen. Several of his relatives went to prison. But Mr Fryer backed away from a life of crime and won a sports scholarship to the University of Texas. He found he enjoyed studying, and was rather good at it. By the time he was 25, the president of Harvard was hectoring him to join the faculty. Mr Fryer now applies his supple mind to the touchy, tangled issue of racial inequality. Why are African-Americans so much less prosperous than whites? Why do so many black children flounder in school? Why do so many young black men languish behind bars? Why are stories like Mr Fryer's considered so surprising?...... More ►
NYTimes ≫ Music Review: Ego-Fueled Hip-Hop Sci-Fi Space Odyssey
There is a new yardstick for the size of the universe. It is approximately equal to the size of Kanye West’s ego. That’s not necessarily bad. Hip-hop runs on self-glorification, the transformation of underdogs into self-invented legends. Sooner or later someone was bound to claim what Mr. West’s show did on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden: that he’s "the biggest star in the universe." That was not only part of the script but also a crucial plot twist for Mr. West’s headlining set on his Glow in the Dark Tour, a quadruple bill with Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco....... More ►
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The Root ≫ 2008 valedictorian is different kind of 'Morehouse Man'
From his first day at Morehouse College the country's only institution of higher learning dedicated to the education of black men Joshua Packwood has been a standout. His popularity got him elected dorm president as a freshman. His looks and physique made him a fashion-show favorite. His intellect made him a Rhodes Scholar finalist. His work ethic landed him a job at the prestigious investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in New York City. But it's his skin that has made all of this an anomaly. This month, Packwood is set to take the stage and address his classmates as the first white valedictorian in Morehouse's 141-year history. The 22-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., will graduate on May 18 with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a degree in economics. He could have gone elsewhere, to a school like Columbia, Stanford or Yale, but his four-year journey through Morehouse has taught him a few things that they could not, and he makes it clear that he has no regrets. ...... More ►
The Telegraph ≫ Stephen Hawking seeks 'Einsteins of Africa'
Prof Hawking's speech at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), titled Universe, marked the expansion of the postgraduate institution in an effort to accelerate Africa's development.
[snip]
Prof Hawking, 66, said: "The world of science needs Africa's brilliant talents, and I look forward to meeting prospective young Einsteins from Africa in the near future. If my visit helps to create opportunities for Africans to enter maths and science, I will be delighted."...... More ►
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The New Republic ≫ The Big Race
The issue of race is the longest-lasting cleavage in American politics. It is also perhaps the least understood. The open exploitation of racist sentiment by vote-hungry politicians was for centuries a durable American tradition. More recently, race has assumed a subtle, often unspoken form during campaign season, as Republicans have sought white votes by slyly associating their Democratic opponents with controversial black figures like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, or with topics--welfare, crime, federal funding for "midnight basketball"--that many voters identify with African Americans. Now, with Barack Obama inching closer to the Democratic nomination, race looms yet again as a central factor in American politics. Already, race has played a key part in the Democratic primary, almost certainly hurting Obama among swaths of voters in states like New Jersey, Ohio, and, most recently, Pennsylvania. If he manages to win the nomination anyway--and it appears he will--race seems likely to play an even larger role in the general election....... More ►
Many young people think racism doesn't exist anymore, or it's very rare. This is one sad truth many volunteers have learned this season.
The Washington Post ≫ Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause.
Danielle Ross was alone in an empty room at the Obama campaign headquarters in Kokomo, Ind., a cellphone in one hand, a voter call list in the other. She was stretched out on the carpeted floor wearing laceless sky-blue Converses, stories from the trail on her mind. It was the day before Indiana's primary, and she had just been chased by dogs while canvassing in a Kokomo suburb. But that was not the worst thing to occur since she postponed her sophomore year at Middle Tennessee State University, in part to hopscotch America stumping for Barack Obama. Here's the worst: In Muncie, a factory town in the east-central part of Indiana, Ross and her cohorts were soliciting support for Obama at malls, on street corners and in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and they ran into "a horrible response," as Ross put it, a level of anti-black sentiment that none of them had anticipated....... More ►
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For those who aren't familar with them, rightwing death squads in Brazil have over the last 20 years killed thousands of black street children, and hundreds of environmental activist.
The Root ≫ Brazil activists fear death squads back.
Bishop Flavio Giovenale was crushed by the acquittal last week of a rancher accused of ordering the killing of a crusading American nun — and not just because he admired Dorothy Stang. Giovenale, who spends much of his time battling child prostitution, police corruption and drug abuse, fears the verdict means it's open season again on activists in the Amazon jungle state of Para....... More ►
Sudan has been backing genocide in Darfur for several years. But the people of Darfur are of the same ethnic groups as those in Chad. Recently Chad (with it's new found oil wealth) has been backing rebel groups in Darfur. Thus Africa new cycle of violence. Ethnic groups and clans that were forced to live in artificial countries still hold more sway then the weak nation states. This creates a never ending series of cross "border" conflicts.
BBC ≫ Human rights workers say they are worried about the possible mistreatment and torture of those detained since the weekend attack near Sudan's capital.
State media says at least 300 people have been arrested on suspicion of backing the Darfur rebels but many believed the true figure is far higher. Saturday's raid on Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city across the River Nile, was the closest Darfur's rebel groups had come to the capital in five years of conflict in the region. Sudan has accused neighbouring Chad of backing the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) rebels and cut diplomatic relations. Chad has denied the charges and closed its border, saying Sudan is planning an attack. Sudan's government has doubled the reward for the capture of Jem leader Khalil Ibrahim to $250,000. Human Rights Watch said it had received unconfirmed reports that two of those arrested had been executed in public....... More ►
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The Black Middle Class: Pound Cake On Parrish Street......More ►
┗ by SicPlurisPoenaPrestantia
I have know of this movement for sometime. I have tried to talk people away from it because the media will of course try to play it up as more of the "racial divide" storyline.
Black Elected Superdelegates "Day of Reckoning"???......More ►
┗ by CatholicPriestDeminAL
Diaries by StormBear
┗ Black History: U.S. Colored Troops......More ►
┗ Black History: Reconstruction......More ►
I haven't linked to SB for a while, they are always good diaries.
From oppression to development: chevron's policy rethink in nigeria's bayelsa state......More ►
┗ by scoutbanana
Don't agree but I want to put it out there.
The black case against Obama.......More ►
┗ by JustinL
Very good read.
When Racism and Populism Intersect.......More ►
┗ by Randian
Commentary
