Friday, February 27, 2009
25 Writers who've influenced my life...
Ive been 'tagged'. Wayne Hicks over at the Electronic Village tagged me with a meme that requires me to list 25 writers who've influenced my life. The following is my list in the approximate order of their influence:
25 Writers who've influenced my life...
1. Idries Shah
2. Hazrat Inayat Khan
3. Ayi Kweh Armah
4. Marimba Ani
5. Malidoma Patrice Some
6. Miguel De Cervantes
7. Chancellor Williams
8. Sun Tzu
9. Shaikh Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jillani
10. Jacob Carruthers
11. Ra Un Nefer Amen
12. Ibn Arabi
13. Isaac Asimov
14. Cornell West
15. Maya Angelou
16. Chinua Achebe
17. Ivan Van Sertima
18. Na’im Akbar
19. Alex Haley
20. Amiri Baraka
21. Ayn Rand
22. JA Rodgers
23. Martin Luther King
24. Jawanza Kunjufu
25. Malcolm Gladwell
The rules also state that I should now 'tag' 25 additional folks... 25 tags would require more time and effort than I can muster at the moment. But I would like to tag Shawn over at Bohemian Hippy Chick , Dr. Donyell at Ph. Diddy , Lynn at Hicktown Press , Brother Solomon at When Least Expected , Yobachi Boswell at Black Perspective , Bria at You Better Recognize , and Monique Morris ...
And you as well... Who are the writers who've influenced your lives? Drop me a comment and share your lists. Read more...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
S.160 'The DC Voting Rights Act' passes in the Senate!
The Senate today voted to give the citizens of the District Of Columbia a vote in the House Of Representatives. The District is currently represented in the House by delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who serves as a non-voting member.
Summary of S.160 (DC Voting Rights Act)
(Sec. 2) Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Declares that the District shall not be considered a state for purposes of representation in the Senate. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the 23rd amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District.
(Sec. 3) Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Requires:
(1) the President to submit to Congress a revised version of the most recent statement of such apportionment reflecting that the District of Columbia is entitled to one Representative and identifying Utah as the other state entitled to one Representative; and
(2) the Clerk of the House, upon receipt of such revision, to make such identifications to the Speaker of the House.
(Sec. 4) Requires the additional Representative to which the state of Utah is entitled to be elected pursuant to a redistricting plan enacted by the state.
(Sec. 6) Repeals provisions of:
(1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and
(2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for election of a Representative for the District. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955.
(Sec. 8) Sets forth procedures for expedited judicial review of any action brought to challenge the constitutionality of any provision of this Act or any amendment made by it.
The bill passed the Senate earlier today with 61 votes; just enough to avoid a potential filibuster attempt by opponents. But not before Senator John Ensign, an opponent of the measure, proposed an onerous amendment that would lift virtually all local gun control laws in DC. Senator Ensign's amendment is a 'poisoned pill' intended to stall or kill the measure before enactment by eroding its Democratic support.
The House is expected to pass its version of the bill by the end of next week. Then a Conference Committee will be charged with reconciling the House and Senate versions. Hopefully, they will find a way to artfully excise the Ensign amendment during conference. Read more...
NAACP Participates in Nationwide 'Day of Action' at Fox Affiliates; pushes diversity in Newsrooms
NAACP Branches across the nation participated in a ‘Day of Action’ today protesting racially insensitive coverage at FOX News and the NY Post, demanding greater diversity at those outlets and nationwide.
The action was initiated by a Feb. 18 New York Post cartoon that has sparked outrage around the country. Among 152 international media subsidiaries, News Corporation owns many newspapers including the New York Post and Wall Street Journal, cable TV networks and local FOX stations.
“We believe that these stations, which are often good corporate citizens in our community, should lend their voice to ours and call for the parent corporation they are affiliated with to change its pattern of racially insensitive and incendiary coverage,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous.
Both Fox News and the New York Post have come under criticism by a variety of media watchdog groups for racially insensitive and biased reporting. The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) gave Fox News their ‘Thumbs Down’ Award last year for its racially insensitive commentary and reporting along with a lack of diverse political correspondents during the election.
Fox News was widely condemned for calling Michelle Obama “Obama’s baby mama” and referring to then-candidate Barack Obama’s fist bump with his wife a “terrorist fist jab.” In addition, for the past 8 years, The New York Post is the only major newspaper that has refused to participate in the American Society of Newspaper Editors annual survey that tracks diversity at daily newspapers in the U.S.
NAACP leaders again today demanded firing of the cartoon’s creator, Sean Delonas, and the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Col Allen.
“It outraged our members,” said Roger Vann, NAACP Vice President of Membership and Field Operations. “It compared African Americans to primates and it sullied police officers at a time when many communities are torn by suspicious police killings of young African American men.”
NAACP members, including Jealous, joined the National Action Network and hundreds of other activists last week to protest outside News Corporation’s headquarters in New York. NAACP leaders also passed an emergency resolution denouncing the artwork and calling for action against responsible parties during its quarterly national board and annual meeting last weekend.
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives’ President Joseph McMillan also condemned the cartoon as “outrageous, despicable, insensitive and easily interpreted as racist.”
Today, NAACP branches from coast-to-coast including in Boston, Birmingham, Hartford, Louisville, Atlanta, San Francisco, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, Tulsa, Raleigh, NC, Austin, Corpus Christi and Dallas, TX, Memphis and elsewhere, approached News Corporation entities, namely FOX television affiliates, in their communities to have station general managers ensure that such insulting behavior does not take place at the local level.
The cartoon, which showed police shooting an ape with a caption reading, “I guess they’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” was juxtaposed against a photo of President Obama signing the stimulus package.
News Corporation CEO K. Rupert Murdoch’s published apology, where he states the paper would endeavor to be more sensitive to the community, is welcomed as a first step but is inadequate because it offers no concrete measures to achieve that goal.
The NAACP has been at the forefront of the battle against negative stereotypes of African Americans starting with protest of D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” in 1915. Additionally, the NAACP’s Hollywood bureau was created to increase diversity in television and was established to monitor and regulate the entertainment industry. Read more...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Local Action Alert: Superintendent Public Forum to be held on Saturday
The Wichita school board plans to announce three finalists for the district's vacant superintendent position at about 4:30 p.m. Friday, with forums for employees and the public to follow on Saturday, according to a press release from the district.
Board members will meet 4 p.m. Friday in a closed meeting at North High School, and at about 4:30 p.m., hold an open meeting to vote on the finalists.
District employees can meet the candidates and ask them questions from 8:30 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday at North High. Forums for the public will be 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at North High.
The board could elect to hire one of the candidates as the next superintendent as early as Saturday night or early next week, president Lynn Rogers said.
Given the UNBELIEVABLY and UNACCEPTABLY short window for public input, it is CRITICAL that we have a good showing from the community to ensure that our concerns are heard and that the Superintendent candidates are fully vetted. With the recent end of our formal desegregation program, the demographic trends in our local schools, the lingering Achievement Gap, the disproportionate suspension and expulsion rates, and the passage of the bond issue, we have a great deal at stake with this decision.
We are asking all of you who are able, to make it a point to attend the aforementioned forum. (Saturday 1:00-4:00pm @ North High)
Read more...
NAACP Florida State President and National Board member Adora Obi Nweze chosen as Florida's Gubernatorial Advisor on Minority Affairs
On the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP (Feb. 12), Gov. Charlie Crist called on Nweze, of Miami, to serve as Special Advisor to the Governor on Minority Affairs. Nweze will serve as a representative for the state's minorities by advising Gov. Crist on strategies that will ensure Florida's government is accessible to these populations. The governor's appointment of Nweze is believed to be the first state partnership with the NAACP through an official appointment in the administration.
"Ms. Nweze is a stellar example of the bold, consistent leaders that make the NAACP a driving force for progress in communities across this nation," said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. "Her expertise and experience will serve the cause and citizens of Florida well."
Nweze will continue as president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP. "I applaud Governor Crist's efforts to reach out to all Floridians and work to ensure that every Floridian - regardless of race, color or national origin - has access to quality education and economic opportunity," Nweze said. "I look forward to serving the people of Florida in this unique role."
Gov. Crist announced Nweze's appointment during a civil rights roundtable discussion with leaders of Florida's African American community. The governor invited leaders to provide suggestions for increasing minority access to state government.
"The Sunshine State benefits from its diverse population in many ways, and a wide variety of cultural perspectives gives our state a unique advantage when pursuing economic opportunities in many different markets," Governor Crist said. "Adora will help ensure that my administration is reaching as many of Florida's diverse populations as possible."
Nweze's appointment as special advisor expands the existing partnerships between state agencies and the Florida State Conference of NAACP branches. She will also advise on matters related to the development of minority businesses and equal access to education, health care, housing, government services and criminal justice.
She also serves on the NAACP Special Contribution Fund/Board of Trustees and is the National Chair for the NAACP Afro Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics, ACT-SO, that provides an opportunity for students to compete nationally in science, visual and performing arts, business, and humanities for scholarships, computers and other awards.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she was appointed by the NAACP as National Disaster Relief Coordinator and has served as president for the Miami-Dade NAACP for 11 years. A lifetime member of the St. Petersburg Branch of the NAACP, Nweze is a retired educator with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and has been an adjunct professor at several universities. She received a bachelor's degree from Fayetteville State University in North Carolina and a master's degree in education from the University of Miami.
Read more...
Monday, February 23, 2009
NAACP expresses support for the California Legislature's challenge to Prop 8; calls for its overturn
Resolution would put California legislature on record as opposing Prop. 8 and urging California Supreme Court to overturn it
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People today announced support of measures before the California legislature challenging Proposition 8, which altered the California Constitution to deny same-sex couples the freedom to marry and equal protection under the law.
In a letter to legislative leaders, NAACP national board chair Julian Bond and President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous urged passage of House Resolution 5 and Senate Resolution 7 to put the legislature on record calling for invalidation of Prop .. 8 as an improper and dangerous alteration of the California Constitution.
"The NAACP's mission is to help create a society where all Americans have equal protection and opportunity under the law," said President Jealous. “Our Mission Statement calls for the ‘equality of rights of all persons.’ Prop. 8 strips same-sex couples of a fundamental freedom, as defined by the California State Supreme Court. In so doing, it poses a serious threat to all Americans. Prop. 8 is a discriminatory, unprecedented change to the C alifornia Constitution that, if allowed to stand, would undermine the very purpose of a constitution and courts - assuring equal protection and opportunity for all and safeguarding minorities from the tyranny of the majority."
SR 7, sponsored by Equality California (EQCA), will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Com mittee on Feb. 24th and will proceed to the full Senate for a vote shortly thereafter. Its companion bill, HR 5, also sponsored by EQCA, passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Feb. 17th and is eligible for a vote before the full Assembly as early as today.
The California State Conference of the NAACP filed briefs with the California Supreme Court in the legal challenge against Prop. 8, arguing that the measure drastically alters the equal protection guarantee in California’s Constitution and that the rights of a minority cannot be eliminated by a simple majority vote. Several other civil rights organizations, faith leaders, unions and leading corporations also filed briefs urging the invalidation of Prop. 8.
“The NAACP has long opposed any proposal that would alter the federal or state constitutions for the purpose of excludi ng any groups or individuals from guarantees of equal protection,” said Chairman Bond. “We urge the legislature to declare that Proposition 8 did not follow the proper protective process and should be overturned as an invalid alteration that vitiated crucial constitutional safeguards and fundamental American values, threatening civil rights and all vulnerable minorities.”
The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on March 5th and could rule as early as June 2009.
Read more...
NAACP Action Alerts on DC Voting Rights and Mortgage Rescue Restructuring Bill
NAACP-supported voting rights legislation for the District of Columbia to be considered by the Full US Senate Tomorrow (02/24/09)
THE ISSUE:
Despite the fact that they pay federal taxes, serve on juries and defend our Nation in times of war like most other Americans, the residents of the District of Columbia are barred from having voting representation on the floor of the U.S. House or Senate. This classic example of "taxation without representation" is contrary to everything that this nation is founded on. This means that more than half a million people, more than 57% of whom are African American (with Caucasians making up just over 30% of the population and 8.5% of the residents claiming Hispanic background), are paying money to and dying for a government in which they have no say. It also means that the federal government is receiving and spending $4 billion without having to account for it. In fact, the residents of the District of Columbia pay more federal taxes per capita than all but one other state.
To begin to correct this gross injustice, the Senate is scheduled to consider S. 160, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009, beginning on Tuesday, February 24, 2009. The NAACP supports this legislation as a good first step toward the goal of full democratic voting representation in Congress for DC residents. S. 160 would add two voting members to the US House of Representatives – one to represent Washington, DC and one to represent Utah (Utah narrowly lost getting an additional congressional seat after the last US Census in 2000; officials in Utah believe that thousands of missionaries living abroad were unfairly excluded during the Census count.) This bill provides a "vote neutral" option by adding two additional seats most likely to be represented by a Democrat and a Republican.
S. 160, which was introduced by Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT) has bipartisan support, and the House companion, H.R. 157 is almost identical to legislation which passed the House last year by a strong bi-partisan margin.
~~~~~~~~
NAACP-supported Homeowner Mortgage Rescue Restructuring bill scheduled for Wednesday vote by the US House of Representatives
THE ISSUE:
In the United States today one home is foreclosed upon every thirteen seconds. Home foreclosures have hit the African American community especially hard: for decades predatory, sub-prime loans (which have led to many of the foreclosures) were targeted at African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities. In 2006 and 2007, at least half of all the home loans sold to African-Americans and at least 40% of all the home loans that Latinos received where subprime. These disparities occurred even when people of color had similar qualifications to white applicants. It has been reported that communities of color will lose an estimated $213 billion of wealth as the result of foreclosures due to abusive subprime lending. For this reason predatory lending and home foreclosures have been and continue to be a major civil rights issue in America today.
We clearly need a multi-pronged approach to solving our Nation's foreclosure crisis and getting many of these homeowners into sustainable, long-term mortgages that accurately reflect the true market price of the home. One way to do this, at no cost to U.S. taxpayers, is to enact a minor reform of our nation's bankruptcy laws. Currently, if an individual files for bankruptcy, a judge cannot require a financial institution which is foreclosing on that person's home to renegotiate the loan to attempt to make it more reasonable and sustainable so that the person, and their family, can stay in their home. The subprime lenders who created this foreclosure crisis are able to seek relief through bankruptcy as well as investors, but homeowners trying to save their primary residence cannot.
Legislation to be considered by the full House of Representatives as early as this week (H.R. 200 the Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2009 introduced by Congressman John Conyers, MI) would close that loophole and allow impartial judges to require lenders to enter into loan modification negotiations with a person facing bankruptcy. Court supervised loan modifications are a major solution to help families avoid foreclosure while still paying a market-rate mortgage for their home. It is estimated that if enacted this legislation could reduce coming foreclosures by 20% -- amounting to 1.8 million homes at no additional cost to taxpayers or investors.
Many foreclosures today could be avoided, although this is not happening because we are currently relying on lenders to voluntarily enter into modification negotiations. As a result, only 3.5 percent of delinquent subprime loans received modifications in August 2008 – and in many cases, these "modifications" actually increased the borrower's monthly payments. Clearly, current voluntary efforts to avoid foreclosures are insufficient, and we need to give judges who are dealing with homeowners facing foreclosure more power.
Many of the impending foreclosures are unnecessary because the homeowner could afford to pay a market rate mortgage, for the full current value of the house – an outcome that is far preferable to foreclosure for homeowner and mortgage lender alike. All the lender would have to do is to modify the loan to make it economically rational, and sustainable. H.R. 200 would result in more mortgage modifications and fewer foreclosures, and could be a key tool in stemming the foreclosure crisis.
Read more...
Friday, February 20, 2009
A Nation of Cowards?: Pat Buchanan and Dr. Micheal Eric Dyson attempt a courageous conversation on Race
Yesterday on Hardball, Pat Buchanan and Professor Micheal Eric Dyson squared off on the question of whether Americans are 'a Nation of Cowards' with regard to the matters of race, as was suggested by US Attorney General Eric Holder. Their conversation confrontation is captured below...
I give a lot of credit to Pat Buchanan for his willingness to honestly and unapologetically state his opinions on race as he has over the years; oft times with questionable company (read: Stormfront, Council of Conservative Citizens, etc). But I really wish that Professor Dyson had dealt less with the sensational and spent a little time really illuminating the structural and institutional challenges and disparities facing our community.
I wish he'd mentioned the fact that Public school districts with large minority populations receive nearly $1,000 less per pupil. I wish he'd mentioned the recent data showing that within primarily minority school districts, approximately 78 percent of teachers do not teach in their accredited subject area. I wish he'd mentioned the fact that when white and black youths are arrested for the same crime and with similiar criminal records, minorities are three times more likely to be incarcerated than whites. Or perhaps he could have mentioned the seemingly permenant disparities in unemployment rates and the linkages to disparities in sickness and deaths from treatable diseases and afflictions as 52% of minorities are currently without health insurance...
THESE institutional elements are the issues that no one wants to discuss. This is the elephant in the room. We can argue about feelings and resentments; we even make movies about them -but who's ready to radically re-vision our institutions? Are we ready to talk about employment law and the 'shifting standards' that make discrimination cases virtually unwinnable? Are we ready to really talk about immigration policy as it applies to all nations? Are we ready to discuss the concept of "excess death" and it's roots? Are we prepared to talk about why the gap in white and black unemployment rates never closes? Are we ready to talk about how teacher union contracts and how they impact the academic achievement gap?
I could go on and on, but I guess in the absence of a truly honest dialogue, these "info-tainment" style collisions will have to suffice...
AG Holder, I'm with you...
But what do you all think? Are we as a nation ready for a truly courageous conversation? Post a comment, and let's talk about it....
Nation of Cowards Race Politics NAACP Eric Holder Buchanan Dyson Read more...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
NAACP Benjamin Jealous issues a statement on the New York Post Cartoon controversy
STATEMENT ON THE NEW YORK POST CARTOON
February 18th, 2009
“NAACP continues to fight for a country where America’s promise can be realized for all and where racism Is just a tragic memory. We are saddened that the New York Post chose to create a symbol that is so divisive, insensitive and antithetical to that goal. The NY Post must do better.”
Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP
NAACP Supported Voting Rights Legislation giving the District of Columbia full representation in the House to be considered by the Senate
US SENATE MAY TAKE UP THE BILL AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK
The Issue:
Despite the fact that they pay federal taxes, serve on juries and defend our Nation in times of war like most other Americans, the residents of the District of Columbia are barred from having voting representation on the floor of the U.S. House or Senate. This classic example of "taxation without representation" is contrary to everything that this nation is founded on. This means that more than half a million people, more than 57% of whom are African American (with Caucasians making up just over 30% of the population and 8.5% of the residents claiming Hispanic background), are paying money to and dying for a government in which they have no say. It also means that the federal government is receiving and spending $4 billion without having to account for it. In fact, the residents of the District of Columbia pay more federal taxes per capita than all but one other state.To begin to correct this gross injustice, the Senate is scheduled to consider S. 160, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009, as early as February 24, 2009. The NAACP supports this legislation as a good first step toward the goal of full democratic voting representation in Congress for DC residents. S. 160 would add two voting members to the US House of Representatives – one to represent Washington, DC and one to represent Utah (Utah narrowly lost getting an additional congressional seat after the last US Census in 2000; officials in Utah believe that thousands of missionaries living abroad were unfairly excluded during the Census count.) This bill provides a "vote neutral" option by adding two additional seats most likely to be represented by a Democrat and a Republican.
S. 160, which was introduced by Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT) has bipartisan support, and the House companion, H.R. 157 is almost identical to legislation which passed the House last year by a strong bi-partisan margin.
Read more...
Election time: Advance Voting begins in the primary races for Wichita City Council and USD259
Advance Voting begins today in the primary races for the Wichita City Council and USD259. Here is a list of contested races along with your voting options...
Wichita City Council Races:
District #1
Lavonta Williams
Ricky D Ransom
James Barfield
District #3
Jim Skelton
Charles Dahlem
District #6
Janet Miller
Bob Aldrich
Damon Isaacs
Ken Thomas
USD259 School Board Races:
District #1
Betty J Arnold (unopposed)
District #2
Connie Dietz
Karen L Walker
District #5
Lanora Nolan
Peter V Grant
Jutta Steil-Epperly
District #6
Lynn W Rogers
Jacqueline Bujanda
If you plan to vote in these primary elections, you have three Voting Options
You can: Vote early by mail - Vote early in person - or Vote on Election Day at your polling location
To Vote Early by Mail
You'll need to complete an Advance Voting Application and mail or fax it to the Election Office. Applications are available by clicking here , at the Elections Office and Sedgwick County Dillons Stores. The voted ballot must be returned to the Election Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
To Vote Early in Person - Which is the Option that we Strongly Encourage
You may Advance vote at the Election Office February 18 - March 2 at noon.
Advance voting begins at the following locations on February 26 at noon. Advance voting ends at these locations on February 28 at 4 p.m.
- Bel Aire City Building, 7651 E. Central Park Ave.
- Center for Health and Wellness, 2707 E. 21st St. N.
- Church of the Holy Spirit, 18218 W. Hwy 54, Goddard
- First United Methodist Church, 560 N. Park, Valley Center
- Grace Presbyterian Church, 5002 E. Douglas Ave.
- Haysville Activity Center, 7106 S. Broadway, Haysville
- Independent Living Resource Center, 3033 W. 2nd St. N.
- Machinists Building, 3830 S. Meridian (Saturday, November 1, 1 to 4 p.m. only)
- Maranatha Worship Center, 888 S. Webb Rd.
- Reformation Lutheran Parish Hall, 7601 E. 13th St. N.
- Sedgwick County Zoo Cargill Learning Center, 5555 Zoo Blvd.
- Sharon Baptist Church, 2221 S. Oliver
- St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 2555 Hyacinth Lane
- Westlink Church of Christ, 10025 W. Central Ave.
- Woodlawn United Methodist Church, 431 S. Woodlawn Blvd., Derby
To Vote at Your Polling Location on Election Day
To find your assigned polling location, check your voter card, call the Elections Office or click here . Polling locations are open for voting on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both machine voting and paper ballot voting options are available. Read more...
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
What in the hell is a Golliwog?!?!?
The doll pictured above is not vintage... It is contemporary. In fact, the "Golliwog" doll pictured above was purchased in December of 2008 at a shop in the UK. I juxtaposed the image onto a photo of President Obama and General Powell to highlight the absolute absurdity of this type of racist imagery.
UK blogs such as the Bent Society and Lola Adesioye have spoken out about the sale of these items and a recent controversy sparked by comments made by Carol Thatcher, daughter of Margaret Thatcher, who was fired from the BBC for referring to a French tennis player several times as a ‘golliwog frog’, a ‘half-golliwog’ and other ridiculous racist names.
Prior to catching the posts on Lola's blog, I was unfamiliar with the term. But a quick Google search was all that was needed to confirm that these dolls and images are not ill-advised reproductions or otherwise harmless tokens that are simply reminiscent of some earlier era: These are a part of the continuous lineage of denigrating products born of the antebellum. These should have gone the way of "Darkie Toothpaste"... But they have survived. I did a quick search on EBay and found 160 Golliwog dolls for sale.In the grand scheme of things, it should be noted that we certainly have more pressing issues at hand... But clearly, this just confirms the words of our NAACP National President Ben Jealous who said, "we can't be Post-racial until we first become Post-Racist".
For my part, looks like I'll be having a short but exciting conversation with the good folks at EBay today... Read more...
Monday, February 16, 2009
Musings on Juvenile Justice
After the talk, I was taken on a tour of the facililty... It was very clean and orderly. The facility has a wood shop, a welding shop, and a paint shop where the youth can learn trades and earn a little money. They also have an accredited secondary and college level program that can take a child from middle school through their Associates degree. While the cells were certainly uncomfortable, the pods were more accommodating. Each pod has television sets and I saw at least one Playstation. All in all, it was a very comprehensive program -definitely not a deterrent- but one that had all the tools that you might expect to see if you were serious about rehabilitation.
But I left the facility with a powerful mix of emotions. On the one hand, I felt like jail should be a deterrent; and that it should be a place where youth would not want to be sent. In that light, the programs and accommodations almost seemed like extravagance. But as I gave more thought to the idea of rehabilitation I was able to see the necessity of the programming and order. But that confronted me with a sad truth: There are many youth in our community whose living conditions are such that the Juvenile Detention Facility would be an improvement, and that's the Real tragedy. It's not that we should strip all of the value from the detention center; children should have the ability to be educated in a stable environment, children should have access to programs and classes that will help them develop marketable skills, children should be taught discipline and order... But these things should constitute a minimum standard in a child's life. These things should form our baseline... It was truly sad to consider that so many live with so much less...
Drop me a line, leave a comment; I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue... Read more...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Wichita Branch Releases its 2009-2010 Goals & Priorities
On January 10th, the Wichita Branch NAACP held it's annual strategic planning session wherein we set our goals and priorities for the 2009 - 2011 term. We began with a review of the goals and priorities we'd set for 2008 and a critical analysis of our 2008 Branch activities. We then worked collaboratively to establish new goals and priorities for each committee of the branch.
Read more...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The NAACP marks its centennial with a white paper detailing its civil and human rights agenda for the 111th Congress and new Administration
The NAACP is marking the 100th year of its birth with the release of a white paper that lays out an urgent civil and human rights agenda for the 111th Congress and new Administration.
The report calls for bailout and stimulus dollars to be made discrimination resistant, highlights the need for law enforcement accountability and identifies several key areas of pressing concerns including mass incarceration, health care, the diversion of funds from Katrina victims and climate change.
Read more...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Pausing to mark 100 Years...
Article by Syndicated columnist: Leonard Pitts Jr
It began before it began.
This was in 1905 when the great black scholar W.E.B. DuBois called a meeting of prominent black men. They met on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls because hotels in their own country would not accommodate them and formed what became known as the Niagara Movement.
The Movement, which held a subsequent meeting at Harper’s Ferry, W.Va., issued a statement that said in part, “We claim for ourselves every single right that belongs to a freeborn American, political, civil and social; and until we get these rights we will never cease to protest and assail the ears of America.” But the movement, hampered by various difficulties, soon sputtered and became inactive.
Then the riot came.
For six days in August of 1908, a mob of white people surged through the streets of Springfield, Ill., lynching and maiming black people at will and at whim. The irony of this happening in the hometown of Abraham Lincoln, earnestly if somewhat simplistically revered as the Great Emancipator, was lost on no one, the rioters least of all. “Lincoln freed you, we’ll show you your place,” they cried as they flogged black people through the streets.
The appalling spectacle energized white liberals like Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard. On Lincoln’s 100th birthday, Feb. 12, 1909, they joined with DuBois and other remnants of the Niagara Movement to issue a call for a conference on race. That call, a century ago Thursday, was the birth certificate of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The milestone simultaneously demands and defies commemoration.
It is, after all, hard to hug an institution. And if it’s true that history is biography, it’s not hard to understand why the NAACP has often seemed overshadowed by larger-than-life personalities like Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson. Even its most celebrated members — DuBois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Thurgood Marshall, Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks — are better known for what they did than for the organization to which they belonged.
Who regards the NAACP with the reverence those men and women inspire? DuBois notwithstanding, there is in the NAACP story no central charismatic figure. Instead, there is The Work. There is fighting voter suppression and protesting lynch law and writing legal briefs. There is issuing press releases and filing complaints and lobbying lawmakers. There is awarding scholarships and publishing reports and sponsoring workshops and holding accountable. There is advancement made in increments.
Until one day you look up and see that because of those increments, the world has changed as if in a bolt of lightning. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision is the most obvious illustration, but really, the proof is the whole country since 1909. It is Sidney Poitier and Condoleezza Rice and Guion Bluford and Barack Obama. And me. Maybe even you.
For all that, one often senses in African America a certain ambivalence toward the NAACP. Too middle class, says one school of criticism. Not relevant, says another. Still others are offput by scandals of leadership over the last 15 years or so. And for some, perhaps the organization’s greatest sin is simply this: it is not exciting.
Organizations seldom are.
But they do The Work, don’t they? The Work that is bigger than one person and longer than one life. Because the NAACP has done The Work, we can pause upon a milestone in a world transformed, a world in which Obama is president and Oprah is queen. If the difference looks like a lightning bolt, we know better.
And we celebrate the increments by which we advance.
Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for the Miami Herald.
His e-mail address is lpitts@miamiherald.com Read more...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Legislative Action Alert - CINC notification (HB2303) & Insurance Premiums and Credit Scores (SB203) need your attention
There are two bills currently making their way through the Kansas State Legislature that urgently need your attention...
HB2303 (CINC NOTIFICATION)
As you all may know, our Political Affairs and Regualtory Review committees have worked dilligently over the last few months to try and come up with some legislative action that would help address the problems we see within the Child Welfare system. We, in consultation with representatives from several Child Welfare agencies, have come up with some language that while limited in scope, may truly impact the system. This language deals with notification of family members when a child is removed from the home, and the goal of it is to increase the number of kinship placements. Thanks to the efforts of Representative Jason Watkins and with the support of Representative Melody McCray Miller, the language has made it through the revisors office and it has been assigned a bill number (HB2303). You can review the language by clicking here.
If this bill is to pass, we will need all of your help and support. Please contact your State Representatives and let them know that you support HB2303. Once a hearing has been scheduled, I'll update you all via email and twitter. (to receive the twitter blast, send a text message from your cell phone to #: 40404 - the message should read: follow wichitanaacp)
We will need testimony, and lots of it, to get this bill through. SRS has already indicated that they are not in favor of using the term 'due dilligence' for a number of reasons, so I would expect that the bill will face some very organized opposition. We will need to be similarly armed and prepared...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SB 206 (Insurance Premiums/Credit Scores)
SB206 was introduced by Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau. This bill would prohibit Insurance companies from using a persons credit score when assessing premiums. The bill is designed to prevent insurance companies from further penalizing citizens who have suffered some temporary financial strain or difficulties.
The bill is currently on hold in the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee. I would ask that each of you send a quick email to the members of the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee indicating your support for this important measure. We would like to see SB 206 receive a hearing, and ultimately move out onto the floor for a full vote by the Senate. Here is the contact infomation for the members of the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee:
Teichman, Ruth Chair
Ruth.Teichman@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7394 241-E
Brownlee, Karin Vice Chair
Karin.Brownlee@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7358 261-E
Barnett, Jim
Jim.Barnett@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7384 142-E
Colyer, Jeff
Jeff.Colyer@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7383 547-N
Kelsey, Dick
Dick.Kelsey@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7397 547-N
Masterson, Ty
Ty.Masterson@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7388 547-N
Taddiken, Mark
Mark.Taddiken@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7371 222-E
Steineger, Chris
Chris.Steineger@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7375 181-E
Holland, Tom
Tom.Holland@senate.ks.gov
785/296-7372 181-E
Thank you all in advance for your support... Together we can move one step closer to creating a better system.
KM Read more...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Current Branch Legislative & Policy Projects
The following is a short list of the current legislative and policy projects for the Wichita Branch...
SB24: PROHIBITING THE USE OF CREDIT SCORES TO SET INSURANCE PREMIUMS
Senator Oletha Faust-Goodeau has introduced SB24 which would prohibit insurance companies within the state of Kansas from using customers credit scores in determining or assessing premiums. Senator Goudeau has argued that insurance premiums should be based on the level of risk consumers pose to the insurance company, such as the risk shown by a poor driving record; but not on whether the insured has had financial troubles in the past. The Wichita Branch NAACP fully supports and will offer testimony in support of this Legislation.
NOTIFICATION IN CHILD IN NEED OF CARE CASES
Members of the Wichita Branch Political Affairs and Regulatory Review committees have worked to craft language that would address kinship care in CINC cases. During that process, they met with representatives from several State Child Welfare agencies to ensure that the proposed language would be both cost effective and impactful. With the guidance and assistance of Representatives Jason Watkins and Melody McCray-Miller, our proposed language has now worked through the Office of the Reviser of Statutes and should be introduced as a House bill this week. The language would require that whenever a child is removed from the home, active efforts be undertaken to identify and contact all adult relatives and any other adults identified by the parents, and to provide them with:
- notice of the child’s removal from parental custody;
- an explanation of their options for participating in the care and placement of the child;
- requirements that must be met to be a licensed foster family home and additional services and support for children placed in licensed homes; and,
- all necessary information for achieving interested party status.
Our local School Board voted to end our Busing for Deseg program last year. In all of our discussions, we have always held that the only way to truly move beyond race in student assignments would be to erase the old school boundary lines which were drawn in a deliberate race-conscious manner, and to draw new boundary lines based upon student locations and building capacities. We will not entertain the notion of 'separate but equal' facilities, and we are clear in our conviction that there is simply no moral argument for salvaging or maintaining the old "negro district". To their credit, USD259 is now assembling a committee that will address the boundary line issue. We plan to work with the district and with this committee to help achieve a positive outcome.
BROWN VS BOARD MURAL
The Kansas State Conference of NAACP Branches has asked that a mural be commissioned within the State Capitol Building that would depict the landmark Brown vs Topeka Board of Education decision. The Wichita Branch will lobby in support of the State Conferences request and we will also ask that the design be revised to include a depiction of the seminal Dockum Drug Store lunch counter sit-in of 1958.
RACIAL PROFILING AMENDMENT
The Kansas Racial Profiling Task Force has developed language that would amend the Kansas Statutes prohibiting the practice of Racial Profiling. The proposed language would change and dramatically improve the state's definition of Racial Profiling. Currently the state defines Racial Profiling as "the practice of a law enforcement officer or agency
The definition would now change to "unlawfully selecting or subjecting an individual to routine investigatory activities or in deciding upon the scope and substance of law enforcement activity based upon the individual’s race, ethnicity or gender when, 1) the law enforcement officer does not have a reason to believe the person has committed a violation of traffic laws or ordinances, 2) the law enforcement officer does not have trustworthy information leading a reasonable law enforcement officer to believe the person stopped is committing, has committed, or is about to commit a crime as provided in KSA 22-2402, 3) the law enforcement officer does not have trustworthy information leading a reasonable law enforcement officer to believe probable cause exists to arrest the person as provided in KSA 22-2401, or 4) the law enforcement officer or agency is not seeking to apprehend a suspect whose race, ethnicity, gender, or religious dress is part of the description of a suspect. “Racial Profiling” does not include a contact by a law enforcement officer of a person when the contact is only for the purpose of asking the person if they have information regarding the investigation of a complaint, crime or suspicious activity, checking a person’s welfare or as part of community outreach or community policing." The Wichita Branch will offer testimony in support of this amendment.
Read more...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Weigh in: The Wichita City Council considers a new dog ordinance that may ban some breeds
Being an animal lover and the owner of a very silly Pit Bull terrier mix named Bob Sherman, I have mixed feeling about the issue. I know that Pit Bull are not 'vicious dogs' by nature and that the real culprits are the owners who exploit the dogs power and fearlessness by turning them into monsters. But at the same time, I have seen Pit Bulls just walking the streets of the Northeast. Children have been bitten and attacked. And the numbers of Pit Bulls, bred and raised to fight and attack are sharply on the rise.
The City's Department of Environmental Services recently released these statistics for 2008:
- 55% of all dogs deemed dangerous were Pit Bulls
- 34% of all attacks and bites involved Pit Bulls
- 28% of all dogs found running at large were Pit Bulls
- 25% of dogs impounded were Pit Bulls
- 37% of all dogs euthanized were Pit Bulls
- 23% of all dog complaints involved Pit Bulls
The Wichita Police Department released these Statistics:
- in 2004 - 66% of all dogs encountered by WPD were Pit Bulls
- in 2005 - 80% of all dogs encountered by WPD were Pit Bulls
- in 2006 - 74% of all dogs encountered by WPD were Pit Bulls
- in 2007 - 87% of all dogs encountered by WPD were Pit Bulls
- in 2008 - 95% of all dogs encountered by WPD were Pit Bulls
The current proposals before the City Council would do one of three things...
- Ban ownership of Pit Bull Terriers within the city limits
- Require that all owners of Pit Bull Terriers have their dogs spayed or neutered, and micro-chipped. This option would also impose a limit of two (2) spayed and/or neutered Pit Bulls per household, unless the owners received a breeders license.
- Impose no further restrictions...
Here is your opportunity to weigh in on the matter. Tell us what YOU think... All comments collected on this issue will be compiled and shared with the members of the Wichita City Council. Post your comments, and share your thoughts...Friday, February 6, 2009
NAACP wins first court battle against mortgage lenders
A federal judge last week allowed the NAACP to proceed with a race discrimination lawsuit against 15 home mortgage lenders nationwide. The judge denied the lenders’ motion seeking to dismiss the NAACP landmark lawsuit. The court also denied the lenders’ request for immunity from future lawsuits for their lending practices.
The mortgage lenders must now hand over documents that will reveal their mortgage policies and practices.
NAACP Interim General Counsel Angela Ciccolo said, “The NAACP brought this suit as part of its longstanding demand that offending lenders stop discriminatory practices and bring their activities into compliance with federal law. We look forward to now presenting our case to a jury.”
The lawsuit cites evidence that African American homeowners who received mortgage loans had a more than 30 percent greater likelihood of being issued a higher rate sub-prime loan than white borrowers with the same qualifications.
Detroit Branch NAACP Exec. Director, Heaster Wheeler, describes the court’s ruling as a “major victory for African Americans and communities of color.”
He told the Michigan Citizen that the decision holds further significance in light of the recent bailout packages prepared by Congress for the purpose of addressing "toxic loans."
“When America wanted to think that predatory lending was only a problem in certain communities, they ignored it,” Wheeler stated. “Mortgage companies will now be forced to look at their practices and restore some semblance of fairness.”
Wheeler says that predatory lending is an expression of new forms of racism that have developed from disproportionate separation from economic opportunities.
Attorney Jerry Goldberg of Moratorium NOW!, told the Michigan Citizen that the case would have a huge impact on the lending industry. The lawsuit leads to the question of damages to millions of homeowners who have been victims of destructive policies.
“There would certainly seem to be a damage component,” Goldberg told the Michigan Citizen. “All subprime loans need to be rewritten and reassessed.”
According to Goldberg, Detroit leads the nation in subprime, or high interest, loans with more than 85 percent of all mortgage agreements falling into that category.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for Central District of California.
Lenders named in the suit include: Accredited Home Lenders, Inc., Ameriquest Mortgage Co., Bear Sterns Residential Mortgage Corp., Chase Bank USA, Citimortgage, First Franklin Financial Corp., First Tennessee Bank, Fremont Investment & Loan, GMAC Mortgage Group, LLC, GMAC ResCap, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Long Beach Mortgage, Option One Mortgage Corp., SunTrust Mortgage and WMC Mortgage, LLC.
Read more...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Monrovians vs. the Klan
Last night, a couple hundred Wichitans gathered at the Hughes Metroplex to watch the premiere of the Dockum Sit-In documentary. After the viewing, the members of the NAACP Youth council of 1958 took the stage and answered questions from the audience. It was wonderful and informational event, and a well produced and thoroughly enjoyable documentary.
But one statement from last night's question and answer session has really intrigued me... In response to a question, Dr. Galyn Vessey referenced a baseball game that had taken place here in Wichita between an all Black minor league team called the Monrovians and the Ku Klux Klan. The Monrovians were named after the Capitol of Liberia and the announcement of the game was printed in the Wichita Beacon newspaper.
The game was played in June of 1925, and the Monrovians won that game by a score of 10 to 8.
I looked for information about the game on the net and I did find an article on the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum site:
Even during the time that the Negro Leagues were formed, there were a number of "semi-professional" and community teams playing baseball all around the country. The Monrovians would have been among those lesser-known teams playing in southwestern Kansas and could have traveled to many places in the region. It was not uncommon for these teams to play against teams with white players and in majority white communities. How they may have been received in these towns varied from town to town. It is argued that Wichita was a rather "opened minded" community on race issues.
I am fascinated by this story. I have a million questions; I wonder how it was organized, how security was handled, were there ramifications were once the Monrovians had won, who made the contact, was it common for Klan lodges to have baseball teams etc... Do any of you have any information on this or similar games played around the country?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Muhammad Ali to receive the President's Award at the 40th NAACP Image Awards
The legendary Muhammad Ali will receive the NAACP's 2009 President's Award at the 40TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, broadcast live from 8-10 p.m. ET (PT tape-delayed) Feb. 12 on FOX., NAACP President-CEO Ben Jealous announced today.
"The Greatest" will be presented with the prestigious award, which is given in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service.
"Muhammad Ali inspired a generation," Jealous said. "We are honored to recognize the accomplishments of one of the most respected and admired men of all time, who earned a special place in our hearts and minds not only for his success inside the boxing ring but for his role as an outspoken, charming and witty leader, activist, humanitarian and artist. He is truly 'The Greatest of All Time' and incredibly worthy of this award."
Academy Award-winner Halle Berry and acclaimed screenwriter/actor Tyler Perry, both recipients of an NAACP Image Award, will host the 40TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, broadcast live from Los Angeles' historic Shrine Auditorium. This star-studded event, which coincides with the NAACP's 100th anniversary, will kick off the organization's year-long centennial celebration.
Previously announced honorees include Former Vice President Al Gore and Dr. Wangari Maathai, who will both receive the Chairman's Award, and Russell Simmons who will receive the Vanguard Award.
As a boxer, Ali brought unprecedented speed and grace to his sport, while his charm and wit forever changed what the public expected of a champion. His accomplishments in the ring are the stuff of legend as he became the first three-time world heavyweight champion.
There was always far more to the man than what took place within the confines of the ring. Ali's life and career have been played out as much on the front pages of newspapers as on the inside of sports pages.
His early relationship with the Nation of Islam and his insistence on being called Muhammad Ali instead of his "slave name," Cassius Clay, heralded a new era in black pride. His refusal to be inducted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era foreshadowed the growing antiwar movement of the 1960s. He became an influential figure in the civil rights movement, inspiring millions of Americans toward political change, with his outspoken but ultimately widely-respected statements and actions. His willingness to stage well publicized fights in such far-flung locales as Kinshasa, Manila and Kuala Lumpur signaled a shift from superpower dominance to a growing awareness of the developing world.
Daring to go against the political establishment to help people in need, Ali has made goodwill missions to Afghanistan and North Korea; delivered sorely-needed medical supplies to an embargoed Cuba; traveled to Iraq to secure the release of 15 American hostages during the first Gulf War; and journeyed to South Africa to meet with Nelson Mandela upon his release from prison. In the last two decades, Ali has been instrumental in providing more than 232 million meals to the world's hungry. Traveling across continents, he has hand-delivered food and medical supplies to children in Cote D'Ivoire, Indonesia, Mexico and Morocco, among other countries.
In addition to his international efforts, Ali is equally devoted to helping causes at home. He holds an annual fundraiser, Fight Night, to raise millions of dollars for Parkinson's disease research and treatment. He testified before the United States Senate advocating for more federal funds to find a cure for the disease. He is also an advocate and the namesake of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law that regulates professional boxing to protect athletes from unscrupulous promoters, as well as poor health and bout conditions. He has appeared before committees of the U.S. Senate several times regarding boxing reform.
The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky—an international center and interactive museum devoted to promoting the driving principles of Ali's life–is the realization of his dream to help spread the message of peace, understanding and tolerance around the world. The center opened in 2005 just days after Muhammad Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.
Previous President's Award recipients include Susan Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Jesse Jackson, Ryan White, Kent & Carmen Amos, Bryant Gumbel, Alexis Herman, Lauryn Hill, Tavis Smiley, Tom Joyner, Condoleezza Rice, President Bill Clinton, T.D. Jakes and Venus and Serena Williams.
Event sponsors for the 40th NAACP Image Awards include Chrysler, FedEx, American Airlines, Bank of America, Blockbuster, Ford Motor Company, Sprint and Southwest Airlines.
Founded on Feb. 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its more than half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. For more information on the NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, please visit naacpimageawards.net
Read more...
Monday, February 2, 2009
NAACP Congratulates Eric Holder on being confirmed US Attorney General
The NAACP congratulates Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General and is excited about the potential his confirmation means to the justice system in America. Holder will also make history as the first African American to hold the highest federal law enforcement position.
"Our nation, and especially our racial and ethnic minority citizens, are clearly facing a crisis in confidence that the U.S. Department of Justice has become dysfunctional and is not a true defender of our rights," said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. "Eric Holder is the right person at this time to rebuild not only the department, but also our country's reputation as a defender of the rights of all Americans. He is the best qualified candidate to help the U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorate itself and regain its rightful place as our country's enforcer of our civil rights, voting rights, employment rights and housing rights laws. There is no doubt in my mind that he will lead the U.S. Department of Justice, and the United States, with an integrity and strength that is sorely needed at this time."
Holder's background has consistently demonstrated that he is a fair and impartial leader, Jealous added.
"We also look forward to a reinvigorated Civil Rights Division and Patterns and Practices Unit within the Department of Justice to ensure that Americans are protected and more rogue police departments are brought into line," said Hilary O. Shelton, NAACP Washington Bureau Director and Vice President of Advocacy. "Only with strong oversight and protections, the sort that Eric Holder is uniquely qualified to develop and deliver, can we as a nation begin to have renewed confidence in the Department of Justice."
In his capacity as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, as a Superior Court Judge and as a trial attorney in the Public Integrity section of the Department of Justice, but also as Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice under Attorney General Janet Reno, Holder has repeatedly proven himself as a tough enforcer of the Constitution. He further distinguished himself as an integral leader of the transition team between the Clinton and Bush administrations when the department changed leadership to Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2000.
Throughout his career, Holder took seriously several issues of concern to the NAACP and its members. As U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, he placed a renewed emphasis on hate crimes, putting in place measures that made sure criminal acts of intolerance would be severely punished. He created a domestic violence unit and developed a comprehensive strategy that led to more effective handling of child abuse cases. He also fostered community involvement in law enforcement by establishing a Community Prosecution Program that formed an active dialogue between his office and neighborhoods, particularly those in crisis.
Jennifer Hudson & Seal to perform at the "40th NAACP Image Awards" Thursday, February 12th, live on Fox
Sean "Diddy" Combs, Taraji P. Henson, Keke Palmer, Regina Taylor and Kerry Washington to Appear on Star-Studded Special Coinciding with Organization's Centennial
Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award nominee Jennifer Hudson and multi-platinum singer-songwriter Seal are set to perform at the 40TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, which will broadcast live from Los Angeles' historic Shrine Auditorium Thursday, Feb. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. Additionally, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Taraji P. Henson, Keke Palmer, Regina Taylor and Kerry Washington will present during the special joining previously announced hosts Halle Berry and Tyler Perry.Executive-produced by Vicangelo Bulluck, the special coincides with the NAACP's 100th anniversary and will kick off the organization's year-long centennial celebration. Previously announced honorees include Former Vice President Al Gore and Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai, who will both receive the Chairman's Award, as well as Russell Simmons, who will receive the Vanguard Award. Additional performers and presenters to be announced.
Chicago native Jennifer Hudson and her RIAA-certified Gold self-titled debut album recently received four Grammy Award nominations. Hudson's eponymous debut entered Billboard's Top 200 at No. 2 and marked the biggest first week sales for an R&B female entry since 2004. The follow-up to her smash hit single "Spotlight" is the beautiful mid-tempo "If This Isn't Love." Hudson received two NAACP Image Award nominations this year for her role in "The Secret Life of Bees" and six nods for her album "Jennifer Hudson."
London-born singer Seal first emerged from Britain's house music scene in the early 1990s. After his single "Crazy" debuted in the Top Ten, Seal went on to earn critical acclaim and worldwide commercial success with his next four albums. His soaring baritone has become a signature with such hits as "Prayer for the Dying," "Kiss from a Rose" and "Don't Cry." Seal recently released his sixth album, "Soul," a collection of the all-time greatest soul classics produced by music legend David Foster.
Event sponsors for the 40th NAACP Image Awards include Chrysler, FedEx, American Airlines, Bank of America, Blockbuster, Ford Motor Company and Southwest Airlines.
Founded on Feb. 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. For more information on the NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, please visit naacpimageawards.net.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Olathe Branch NAACP discusses the resolution of the Journey Receipt Controversy
Last October, a customer in the Overland Park Mall outside of Kansas City returned a pair of shoes that he'd purchased from the "Journeys" store. When he got home, he noticed that on his receipt, the words "Dumb (N-word)" were printed. The family contacted the NAACP who then worked with the family and the store to resolve the issue.
Yesterday, I had an opportunity to speak with Henry Lyons, the President of the Olathe Branch NAACP, about the controversy and its resolution:
Read more...
KPTS Documentary on the 1958 Dockum Sit-in to premiere on Tuesday, Feb 3rd, at the WSU Hughes Metroplex
KPTS has recently released a new Documentary on the 1958 Dockum Sit-In. The Dockum Sit-in, led by Ron Walters and the 1958 Wichita NAACP Youth Council, was the first successful Student-led sit-in in the nation. It was quickly followed by a similar sit-in effort launched by the Oklahoma City NAACP Youth Council. The efforts of these youth served as a model which was replicated throughout the Midwest and the South. Their courage, persistence, and careful planning, gave the movement it's greatest weapon in the struggle for equal accommodations. Here's the trailer:
In the Summer of 1958, two dozen young people from the Wichita Branch NAACP Youth Council staged what would become the first successful Student-Led sit-in of the Civil Rights movement. By August 11th, 1958, they had desegregated the Dockum drug store lunch counter and all Rexall Drug Stores throughout the State of Kansas, and the movement gained its powerful new weapon in the fight for equal accommodations...
Their actions weren't sanctioned by the NAACP National Office; sit-in's were not a recognized NAACP tactic at the time. But under the leadership of Local Branch President Chester I Lewis and Youth Council President Ronald Walters, these young people stood up by sitting down and changed our nation.
There was no parade or celebration to mark their accomplishment. In fact, their efforts, largely overshadowed by the Greensboro sit-in's of 1960 and subsequent efforts throughout the South, were nearly forgotten by history. The Branch did receive a Thalheimer in 1959 for their work, but none of the Youth who participated in the Sit-in were able to attend.
This past August, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Dockum Sit-in with a march from the African American Museum to the site of the old Dockum building and a rally at the newly renamed Chester I Lewis Reflection Park. We were joined by representatives from the NAACP National Office who officially recognized the Dockum Sit-In and it's participants for their great work on behalf of the Organization. And now we ask that you please join us Tuesday evening, as we take yet another step towards securing their rightful place in history...
Read more...
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