Black Rebellion Against Fatherlessness

The black rebellion against fatherlessness - The Boston Globe

BLACK BOSTON, like black America, is in the midst of a moral and cultural crisis. Forty years after the passage of groundbreaking voting and civil rights legislation, blacks face dire conditions that would have been inconceivable to the generation who came of age during that period.

We have a generation of young black people who -- unlike many of their ancestors who came out of slavery and entered the last century with strong backs, discipline, and a thirst for literacy -- are living the thug life and are ill-equipped to secure employment.

The crisis of black America is primarily cultural. The Kulturkampf of black-on-black violence is a direct result of the crisis of fatherlessness in the black community. This is a battle between the forces of cultural and intellectual underachievement and the forces of civility, industry, and virtue, essentially a cultural civil war within the black community.

This cultural decay infects almost all social classes but is especially virulent in the lives of the weakest socioeconomic groups. Consequently, a generation of predominantly poor, black youth is in violent rebellion against fatherlessness and, by logical extension, law and order. This largely unacknowledged crisis is part of a larger international narrative; from Kingston to London from Los Angeles to Chicago, we are witnessing the globalization of ``thug life."

The ``gangsta talkin' " world view celebrates and promotes black-on-black violence and criminality, through multibillion-dollar media and fashion industry.....

Japan Considers Strike Against North Korea

ABC News: Japan Considers Strike Against N. Korea

Japan said Monday it was considering whether a pre-emptive strike on the North's missile bases would violate its constitution, signaling a hardening stance ahead of a possible U.N. Security Council vote on Tokyo's proposal for sanctions against the regime.

Japan was badly rattled by North Korea's missile tests last week and several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Tokyo to launch a pre-emptive strike against Northern missile sites.

"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack … there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

Japan's constitution currently bars the use of military force in settling international disputes and prohibits Japan from maintaining a military for warfare. Tokyo has interpreted that to mean it can have armed troops to protect itself, allowing the existence of its 240,000-strong Self-Defense Forces.

Shelby Steel's New Book A Step Toward Open Dialogue?

As We See It: Shelby Steele's take on 'White Guilt' is a step toward open dialogue - - - July 10, 2006

For those who are unfamiliar, Shelby Steele is a black conservative who recently wrote a book entitled "White Guilt". Although I've not read the book, from the reviews I've read, it appears that it may be a standard harangue against the affirmative action that most black conservatives abhor.

My problem with black conservatives is the same problem that I often have with so called black liberals; neither one really speaks for us per se. Effectively, those in either camp are really representatives to us rather than being representatives for us.

There's room in the African-American community for different views on matters such as affirmative action and etc. Most black conservatives have more of a following among their white supporters rather than blacks because they really don't spend time really talking to us. They really don't talk to us as at all. They're more interested in playing to the gallery so they can get books sold or gain influence in conservative circles. If they really had an interest in changing things, they'd be more engaged internally in our communities. Most of these guys would accuse people like Sharpton and Jackson of being 'bagmen" when they're effectively doing the same thing. The only difference is that they're on the other side of the political spectrum.

By way of example, Bill Cosby has said some pretty "conservative" things about what needs to happen in the African-American community and many people agree. Some disagree, but no one doubts that Cos is talking to us.

Altruism is Alive & Well in African-American Communities

African-American Lessons in Giving:

"Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are widely described as two of the smartest beings on the planet. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if they know about Thomas Cannon.

On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. Still, when I read news reports of Buffett's and Gates' charitable-giving project, I saw it as a timely tribute to Cannon, who died last year at age 79. The longtime resident of Richmond, Va., was no titan of industry, but for many he embodied the spirit of giving more than any megabillionaire could.

Although he was a postal worker who seldom earned as much as $30,000 a year, Cannon routinely gave away much of what he earned, usually in increments of $1,000. His generosity was celebrated in such national forums as Ebony Magazine and on the Oprah Winfrey and 'Nightline' TV shows.
Cannon made his first donation in 1972, when he was 47. He had given away an estimated $150,000 by the time he died. His methods must have required some extraordinary penny-pinching, but he didn't see it that way. He once explained to a reporter at the Richmond Times-Dispatch exactly how he did it: 'People say, 'How can you afford it?' Well, how can people afford new cars and boats? Instead of those, we deliberately kept our standard of living down below our means. I get money from the same place people get money for those other things....

Reconsider Keeping Up With the Joneses

Keeping Up with the Joneses Can Put You Behind: Money & Happiness - Yahoo! Finance

You're watering your lawn in your worn-out shorts and flip-flops on a warm summer weekend when you notice your Armani-clad neighbors opening the door for their caterers.

They've ordered trays of gourmet food, bottles of top-shelf alcohol, and a huge tent for what will clearly be a midsummer night's dream party in their manicured backyard. Eyeing their shiny, silver BMW convertible in the driveway and their new family room addition, you think, "How can they afford that? What am I doing wrong?"

Anxiety over how our financial lives compare to others' is the subject of a recent book, "Green with Envy: Why Keeping Up with the Joneses is Keeping Us in Debt," by journalist Shira Boss. "How we fit in and how we measure up are such an integral part of our financial well-being," she says. "We construct a fantasy world around those who have more money, and glorify their lives.".......

The Heart of Whiteness

The following article is an interesting read. It's authored by Robert Jensen, a white professor of ethics and journalism at the University of Texas.

NPR : Hidden Racism in 'The Heart of Whiteness'

It may seem self-indulgent to talk about the fears of white people in a white-supremacist society. After all, what do white people really have to be afraid of in a world structured on white privilege? It may be self-indulgent, but it's critical to understand because these fears are part of what keeps many white people from confronting ourselves and the system.

The first, and perhaps most crucial, fear is that of facing the fact that some of what we white people have is unearned. It's a truism that we don't really make it on our own; we all have plenty of help to achieve whatever we achieve. That means that some of what we have is the product of the work of others, distributed unevenly across society, over which we may have little or no control individually. No matter how hard we work or how smart we are, we all know -- when we are honest with ourselves -- that we did not get where we are by merit alone. And many white people are afraid of that fact.

A second fear is crasser: White people's fear of losing what we have -- literally the fear of losing things we own if at some point the economic, political, and social systems in which we live become more just and equitable. That fear is not completely irrational; if white privilege -- along with the other kinds of privilege many of us have living in the middle class and above in an imperialist country that dominates much of the rest of the world -- were to evaporate, the distribution of resources in the United States and in the world would change, and that would be a good thing. We would have less. That redistribution of wealth would be fairer and more just. But in a world in which people have become used to affluence and material comfort, that possibility can be scary....

Neo Nazi Infiltrating Military?

More neo-Nazis joining military? - Military Affairs - MSNBC.com

MOBILE, Ala. - The number of neo-Nazis and skinheads in the armed forces is increasing, according to a watchdog group that claims the military is relaxing standards amid pressure to sign up recruits during the Iraq war.

The Southern Poverty Law Center said in a report Friday that the Pentagon is violating its zero-tolerance policy against hate groups and called on Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to put a stop to it.

But Pentagon officials said they continue to try to weed out supremacists and those who advocate forms of discrimination.

“This is a serious issue, but we don’t see an increasing trend,” said Army spokesman Paul Boyce.

The report, posted on the Montgomery center’s Web site, says recruiting shortfalls caused by the Iraq war have allowed “large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists” to infiltrate the military.

Beware of Foreclosure "Saviors"

blackenterprise.com

Thanks to Patric Dublin for this blog entry!

By Monica Hatcher, The Miami Herald

Jul. 5--Sherry Miller said she signed the foreclosure assistance agreement blindly, page after page, desperately believing it was the only way to stop the sale of her home on the courthouse steps the next morning.

No sooner had she put the pen down than she was told that her Doral home would be listed for sale anyway, Miller claims. Among the flurry of pages she had signed: a deed to her home.

"It's the most horrible feeling you can imagine," Miller, 60, said about realizing she had signed her home away. "It's like somebody telling you they're going to cut both your legs off."

As rising interest rates, high energy costs and skyrocketing insurance premiums put more homeowners in danger of falling behind on their mortgages, a new crop of investors -- drawn to South Florida by soaring real estate values -- is looking to capitalize on their hard luck. As a result, consumer advocates have seen a spike in the number of homeowners losing their homes in so-called foreclosure rescue schemes.

This Black Democrat Has a Chance in Tennessee

This Black Democrat Has a Chance in Tennessee - Los Angeles Times

SMITHVILLE, Tenn. — The locals showed up by the dozens, a few in denim overalls, others wearing plaid shirts and hats emblazoned with "Army" and "John Deere." They sat on wooden benches beneath a picnic shelter adorned with red, white and blue bunting, sipping iced tea and downing spicy pulled pork sandwiches.

But on this muggy evening in rural middle Tennessee, the predictable conventions of a small-town political rally in the South ended there.

Addressing the sea of 200 white faces was a black man. And the crowd sat in rapt attention, interrupting with frequent applause.

Yes, Harold Ford conceded: He is a black Democratic congressman from liberal Memphis, the gritty, turbulent city where his family name is associated with machine politics. But Ford argued that the old labels do not apply — not to this centrist, pro-war, anti-gay-marriage, deficit hawk of a social conservative who once criticized former President Clinton for lying about infidelity and mounted a challenge to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) by calling her "too liberal."

And even as he warns of race-baiting to come, Ford drops subtle hints that his ethnicity could prove an unlikely advantage at a time when voters want change.

"When they tell you that he's too young, and he's not from around here, and he's from Memphis, and he looks a little differently," Ford said in Smithville, "you should remind them that every single one of those big problems up there that's been caused in Washington, all that spending that takes place, there weren't many guys who looked like me that created any of those problems."

Sharpton & Jackson Call for Boycott of BP, Arco & Amoco

BlackNews.com - African Americans Call For Boycott of BP, Arco, and Amoco Gas Stations

This article is about Sharpton, Jackson and others calling for a boycott of British Petroleum due to lack of diversity among top level employees, dealers and suppliers.

I have to call it like I see it here. I think this is a waste of time and resources that serves little purpose. Now I don't deny that BP probably is not diverse or that it has little in the way of African-American suppliers, so they're not getting a get out of jail free card. My issue here gets down to what is the priority and given limited resources, where these guys ought to spend their time.

There are numerous gas stations that are owned by Indians from the subcontinent here in America. I've not heard these Indians ever calling for boycotts. Instead they've quietly pooled their money and have targeted certain economic areas they're going to control. As a natural evolution, some of these guys, or those who will succeed them, will likely become a base of suppliers for BP and other oil companies. They won't be seeking to expand those relationships based on boycotts. Instead the business relationship will expand due to compelling business reasons. In other words, what they have to offer from the standpoint of trade will become the compelling reasons to expand the business relationship. In other words, the relationship will expand on the basis of trade, not aid.

There's no question we got a raw deal in this country, to put it mildly. There was a time where the civil rights model was needed to secure our rights. But it is my feeling that we must depart from the idea that every solution to what ails us is a function of what someone else must do rather than what we must do. The easiest thing in the world to do is to marshall resources to call for boycotts and protests. It is quite another matter to look at African-American communities and the condition of our people and try to determine what we ourselves should do to address some of our issues. The former requires nothing other than calling on others to change, while the latter requires assessment, planning and accountablity. The former gives an easy way out as we can always blame other people for our lack of progress because they didn't do something, whereas the latter puts us squarely in control of what happens to us. The latter position, I might add, is where power lies and if there's anything that African-Americans truly need in this country, it's power. There have been no people that have acquired power wholly on the basis of what they've been able to convince someone to give them. Power comes from what you're able to give yourself.

Where should Jackson, Sharpton & Co be spending their time? The music industry along with Hip Hop artists are the greatest purveyors of glorified misogynist and criminal behaviors that our children listen to and emulate. How about mounting some protests and boycotts against the music and Hip Hop industries on continual basis until this stops? How about organizing our communities to rid ourselves of the miscreant element that is destroying our communities? We can hardly secure the promise of economic development in our communities with the criminal element abound being encouraged by its glorification in Hip Hop lyrics.

I don't think I'll hold my breath waiting for these two to address these and other issues. I'm sorry to rant, but I'm just sick of the nonsense.

Secret Daughter: A Mixed Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away

Writer's Life Shines Light on Racial Crosscurrents

(WOMENSENEWS)--June Cross couldn't be clearer about her professional identity.

"I identify as a black, woman journalist," said the author of "Secret Daughter: A Mixed Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away."

Cross, an award-winning producer of television news and documentaries and a professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, has a long track record of professional accomplishments. She has worked for PBS' "Frontline," CBS News and what was known as the "MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour" on PBS, covering a range of topics including the defense industry, the Middle East, poverty in the United States, welfare, Haiti and the Cold War.

During a phone interview from a San Francisco stop on her national book tour, Cross said that during her journalism career, perhaps especially when she was covering the defense industry in the early 1980s, she was distinctly aware of the "double-edged sword" of being both African American and female.

"Being a female was always an issue," she said. "Being black was the bigger issue. There's presumption that blacks couldn't write, that they were there because of some affirmative action thing......"

Note from GKL: I've read Ms. Cross' book Secret Daughter. It's a very compelling story and I highly recommend it.

Compton Teenager Makes Aviation History

NBC 4 - News - Compton Teenager Gets Hero's Welcome After Making Aviation History

COMPTON, California -- A 14-year-old Inglewood boy returned to the Southland on Saturday a conquering hero after successfully landing a Robinson R44 helicopter at 11:05 a.m. at the Compton-Woodley Airport and laying claim to a record as the youngest African-American pilot to fly a helicopter round-trip internationally, as well as three other world records.

Jonathan Strickland, who will be a freshman at a Reseda high school in the fall, is the latest young pilot to set an aviation record as part of Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum's flying program, which enables youths to convert time spent on community service projects into flying time.

"Basically, it's another excuse so I can fly," he told a radio reporter shortly before takeoff from Compton Airport last week for Vancouver, Canada, where youngsters can obtain a pilot's license at age 14, compared to 16 in the United States....

Black Men's Stressful Process

Black men's 'stressful process' - Race in America - MSNBC.com

Thanks to Carlton Taylor for this blog entry

This is a thought provoking article about the mechanics black men have to go through to make others comfortable with them and to overcome stereotypes and negative perceptions.

As I read through the article, certain things resonate with me, particularly when I consider my corporate experiences of years ago and my physical appearance of being a big man with a dark complexion. Those experiences were the primary reasons why I decided to open my own business.

Personally, while I believe that professionalism in business settings is always appropriate, I don't believe in accommodating and jumping through a bunch of hoops to make someone else comfortable. To my way of thinking, that's allowing someone else's problem to become mine. I simply don't believe in that and reject that as a premise. Instead, I believe in just being who I am and letting others make whatever adjustments they need to make to accommodate me.

Of course, my perspective is different since I'm self employed and don't have to play the "game".

We often fall into a trap or box specifically designed for us by assuming that other people have more control over what happens to us than we do. This is the main reason for all of the jumping through hoops and etc to accomodate everyone else.

We need to assume control. Reality is what we project it to be. If we want a different reality, then we need to do something different.

I think we as black men need to concentrate less on gaining acceptance of others and expend more effort to gain respect, starting with respecting ourselves. To my way of thinking, if we view ourselves positively, others have no choice but to view us as we view ourselves. That's a far different cry from viewing oneself based wholly on how someone else is perceiving you.

Where possible, more of us need to be in more independent stance where we're not as reliant on the jobs we're bending over backwards about to make folks "comfortable". This doesn't necessarily mean starting a business; it could mean just living well below one's means so you're more financially flexible. A good portion of the job related stress comes from the knowledge that one has obligations while living from paycheck to paycheck. If obligations are minimal, stress tends to be substantially reduced and the foolishness on the job can be looked upon as just that rather than a threat to your ability to survive financially.

King Papers Stay in Atlanta

FT.com / World / US & Canada - Mayor�s clout brings King papers to Atlanta: "Mayor's clout brings King papers to Atlanta

By Andrew Ward in Atlanta

When David Redden, vice-chairman of Sotheby's, heard that the city of Atlanta wanted to strike a pre-auction deal to buy the Martin Luther King papers; a 10,000-strong collection of the slain civil rights leader's speeches, sermons, letters and notes, he needed to discover if the bid was serious.

I got the mayor [Shirley Franklin] on the phone and said, Can you really pull this off? he recalls. She said, I raised $3bn to fix Atlanta's sewers. If I can do that, I can fix this.

That conversation earlier this month was followed by two weeks of intense negotiations with the King estate as Ms Franklin, backed by Atlanta's powerful business community, fought to keep Mr King's papers in the city where he was born and laid to rest.

An agreement was eventually struck to buy the collection described by Mr Redden as the most important American archive of the 20th century in private hands a week before yesterday's planned auction for $32m.

The documents, hidden in boxes for most of the 38 years since their author’s death, will be put on public display by Morehouse College, Mr King’s alma mater. Ms Franklin hopes the collection will eventually form the centrepiece of a new civil rights museum.....

Black Leaders Protest Christian Conservatives

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas/Southwest: "Black leaders plan to protest against Christian conservatives
06/27/2006

By JULIA GLICK / Associated Press
Prominent black leaders said Monday they will organize against Christian conservatives they say have used gay marriage and abortion to distract from larger moral issues such as the war, voting rights, affirmative action and poverty.

The Revs. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Joseph Lowery and hundreds of black leaders from around the country are focusing on mobilizing black voters for the fall elections. They kicked off a three-day black clergy conference Monday in Dallas.

'There are no gay people coming to our churches asking to get married, but there are plenty of people coming with problems voting or their sons in jail,' Sharpton said. 'I am not going to sit here silently and let these leaders distort our church with these issues....' "