Keith Olbermann Curses at Fox News

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann went out of his way to take the war with Fox News to an entirely different level the other day. On his Twitter account, Olbermann repeatedly tweeted the words "Fox News is 100% Bullsh*t." He also spent much of his time specifically aiming at Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, stating that "I don't have as much hate or as many lies in me as O'Reilly."
Olbermann's latest stunt surely pleased most of his fans, many of whom hate Fox News as much as he does. I personally appreciate the candor of Olbermann's comments, and it's hard to disagree with him. The truth is that Fox News disrespects the entire concept of journalistic integrity and represents a part of America that many thought had disappeared long ago.
I am especially appreciative toward Olbermann for defending me in the past when Bill O'Reilly spent an entire week on his show trying to get me fired from Syracuse University. Olbermann rightly pointed out that O'Reilly used lies to attack me, and provided the quote to prove it. Olbermann's efforts didn't really work, however, as many of my Syracuse colleagues were so spooked by O'Reilly's electronic terrorism that I spent the next two years dealing with underhanded shenanigans from scholars who share O'Reilly's disdain for African American scholarship.

 

Click to read.

NAACP Reps Tour Prisons After Georgia Prison Strike

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

After the Georgia prison strike that took place earlier this month, the NAACP in Georgia took notice. Officials from the Georgia State NAACP have decided to address the issue head-on by touring one of the prisons in the state to determine the depth of concerns by the inmates. The inmates said that their strike was organized to ask for educational opportunities, adequate healthcare, just parole decisions, less expensive access to their families and an escape from cruel and unusual punishment. Most significantly, they are leading the public to question the 13th Amendment's slavery exemption, which allows corporations to earn profits with slave labor as long as the state finds a way to label someone to be a convict. Similar to slavery a century ago, a disproportionate number of those controlled by the system are black.
Georgia State NAACP President Edward DuBose said that there was evidence to support the complaints of some of the inmates:

Click to read.

Several Ohio State Players Suspended for Selling Jerseys, Rings, etc.

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Terrelle Pryor, the star quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, is set to be suspended for four games next season as a result of receiving improper benefits. He wasn't the only Buckeye kicked out for 1/3 of next season: Four other players were also suspended: Daniel Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas are among the guilty and condemned.
Adams is being asked to repay $1,000 for selling his 2008 Big Ten Championship ring and Heron was busted for selling his jersey, pants and shoes for $1,000. Also among the list of offenses being investigated was that the players received free tattoos in exchange for autographs.
When I read this story, I thought, "Here we go again, the NCAA participating in their typical sanctimonious and hypocritical behavior."

 

Click to read.

Madam Prezident Discusses the Lack of Women in Hip Hop

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why there are no women in hip hop. I've asked this question of some of my friends in the game, but none of them seem to have a good answer. So, I figured that I would do the same thing I did with my mother when I was a child: Keep asking the question until the answer starts to make sense.
There is a plethora of talented artists in hip hop, but most of them are men. We know that women possess the talent to be successful, and we simply have to give them the opportunity. Well, this is the topic that I am going to discuss today with Madam Prezident, aka Shanelle Walker. She is an amazing spoken word and hip hop artist and represents one of the most talented artists in the world today.

 

Click to read

 

Visit Your Black World for black news, black politics, and black celebrity gossip!

Is Haley Barbour’s Brother a Racist? Could He Be Our Next President?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Haley Barbour is currently Governor of the State of Mississippi. He is a staunch Republican and governs over the state that stands as a powerful statue of symbolism of America's racially-problematic past. The prisons in the state are full of black people and enslave them as many other prisons in the south already do. Economic inequality persists and remains unaddressed. The state is a mess for black folks, racism is alive and well and Haley Barbour is leading the charge.
But being a nationally-recognized politician, Barbour has learned some tricks of the trade. The game is not about directly supporting racism of the past. It's about maintaining support for norms and institutions of the past that were built on a foundation of racial inequality. Barbour and his GOP colleagues have mastered the art of racial illusion.

 

Click to read.

Bishop Eddie Long’s Church Connected to Alleged Financial Fraud

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Bishop Eddie Long is in the media again, and not for good reason. Long and another Atlanta megachurch pastor, Gary Hawkins, have been linked to a mortgage company that is being investigated by federal authorities for allegedly stealing money from church members.
The company, Matrix Capital, has been allowed to hold financial seminars in the churches of both men, offering to help lower their mortgages in exchange for $1,500 payments. According to police, thousands of people paid money to Matrix, but ended up filing bankruptcy and/or losing their homes.
Fred Lee, the proclaimed front man for the company, was allegedly able to convince quite a few church members to give him their money primarily because he addressed them within the confines of their joint church environment. The Secret Service and the DeKaulb County Police are now investigating Lee.

 

Click to read.

 

Visit Your Black World for more black news, black politics and black celebrity gossip!

Georgia Prison Strike: Inmates Finally Stand Down

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The heroic prison strike that took place in Georgia this month has finally come to an end. Other than the inmates who are still holding out, most of the others have been released from the massive lock down and agreed to go back to work. Progress was made during the strike, and negotiations are still underway.

I was scheduled to meet with Elaine Brown, one of the leaders of the movement last night. For some reason, we weren't able to find her. But I'm sure that whatever she was doing was more important than talking to me. Tomorrow morning I'll be speaking with Rev. Jesse Jackson on the matter, and then Monday, I speak with Rev. Al Sharpton. In fact, I'll be speaking to everyone I know about this issue for as long as I possibly can.

Click to read.

Dr. Boyce: Woman Wins Massive Verdict Against Tobacco Giant

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Marie Evans grew up in a housing project in Boston. In those projects, the children in the neighborhood were given free samples of Newport cigarettes, which Marie first received at the age of 9. By the time she was 13, she was a regular smoker, and in 2002, she died of lung cancer.
Marie's family decided to confront the maker of Newport cigarettes for their negligent behavior and won a stunning $152 million lawsuit against the company. The judgement consisted of $81 million in damages and another $71 million that had been awarded earlier this week. It took quite a few years to get there, but justice has been served. This is the largest judgement in history against anyone in the tobacco industry.
"It was her wish to sort of bring this suit, and I've honored that wish. It's been my mission to see this to completion. I'm sure she feels vindicated. I'm sure she feels thankful for the 14 members of the jury that they ruled that they committed these offenses," said William Evan's, Marie's son.

Click to read.

 

Visit Your Black World for black news, black politics and black celebrity gossip! 

Bishop Eddie Long Update: Accusers Broke Into His Office to Get Evidence

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The Bishop Eddie Long sex scandal has been the peculiar incident in Atlanta that turned the black church upside down. A popular pastor given the responsibility of caring for scores of young men has been accused of coercing some of them in to sexual relationships.
Just when you thought the scandal couldn't get anymore scandalous, another piece of evidence emerges from the fray.
Several of Bishop Eddie Long's accusers now claim that the reason they broke in to his office earlier this year was to obtain evidence against Bishop Eddie Long for a pending lawsuit. This is in contrast to previous reports that the men broke in to Long's office for money.
"That man was hurt," said one of Long's accusers, Jamal Parris. "He wanted to get evidence to prove what was happening to him and to all of us."

Click to read.

Visit Your Black World for more black news, and Your Black Gossip for black celebrity gossip. 

Supporting the Georgia Prison Strike is a Job for All of Us

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

You may have heard about the prison strike occurring in Georgia right now.  Inmates in four facilities have come together in an amazing show of solidarity to demand that they be treated like (gasp) human beings, not slaves or animals.  Rather than continuing to fall for the game of divide and conquer that has kept them apart for so long, the whites, blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, and other groups have mobilized forces to fight for something worthwhile.

The guards and wardens of these prisons are nervous.  For the longest time, they were able to convince the inmates to take their aggression out on each other.  Now that the intellectual and spiritual guns are pointed at their overseers, the inmates are gaining access to the liberation that has been denied to them for so very long.  The Georgia prison strike is not just a one-time event; it is a model for success in organizing that can be replicated around the country.

I stand with these men as they fight for what they deserve, while fully understanding that they must pay a debt to society.  They are not asking for anything dramatic, just the basics of what any human being might expect:  an escape from involuntary servitude, adequate healthcare, educational opportunities, the ability to see their families without exorbitant expense and just parole decisions.  They are not asking to be treated like royalty or to even be released without good cause.  They are simply demanding that they be allowed to repay their debt to America and simultaneously create sustainable paths toward contributing to the society in which they live.  These men and women are not garbage to be thrown out and destroyed, but are actually individuals with tremendous productive capacity that remains untapped in a system structured to ruin both good people and bad.

Click to read.

 

 

Visit Your Black Politics for black politics.  Also, visit Your Black World for black news!

Tiger’s Brother Says He Cut off His Family

Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Tiger Woods' brother, Earl Woods Jr., had some interesting things to say about the golfing superstar. Woods is the oldest of three children who came from the previous marriage of Tiger's now-deceased father. Tiger's brother now publicly claims that Woods has cut the family off and that he hasn't spoken to him since 2006. This is in stark contrast to the fact that they spoke quite frequently when Tiger was a young man.

It seems that, according to Earl, the trappings of fame, entourages and piles of money may have detached Tiger from that which matters most: those who love us. At the same time, we can't say for sure what happened in Tiger's family that caused the division to occur in the first place. Tiger's brother says that while they were invited to ride on Tiger's jet to the funeral of his father, the golfer barely acknowledged them during the trip.

Click to read.

 

Visit Your Black World for more black news! Also visit Your Black Politics for black politics and Your Black Gossip for black celebrity gossip.

Scholarship in Action: Analyzing the Public Image of Kobe Bryant

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

This week it was announced that Kobe Bryant, star of the Los Angeles Lakers, is leading the nation in All-Star votes. Bryant has over 722,000 votes thus far and is on his way toward once again being America's favorite basketball player (well, he might already be there). He is more popular than his nemesis, LeBron James, who lost a bulk of his popularity after improperly orchestrating his move to Miami. At the same time, the criticism of James was inherently unfair.

What's interesting about LeBron vs. Kobe is that one guy has always been a team player and stayed out of trouble. The other one was being accused of rape just a few years ago and was also once known as a prima donna who wouldn't pass the ball to anyone other than himself. My oh my how times have changed.

Click to read. 

 

 

Visit Your Black World for more black news! Also visit Your Black Politics for black politics and Your Black Gossip for black celebrity gossip. 

Dr. Boyce Watkins and Ryan Mack Discuss Black Men in Prison

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

One of the consistent themes of my work in black public scholarship is the state of the black male in America. We know that black men are on the bottom rung of our society in nearly every statistical category when it comes to measuring quality of life. The prison strike in Georgia is one example of cases in which black men are standing up and telling the world that we are powerful creatures. There are also uplifting things happening all across America in the fields of education and economic empowerment. Black men will not be denied access to the American dream for much longer. One person that I brought into the studio to discuss these matters is Ryan Mack, a bold and powerful activist from the New York area. Ryan is the CEO of Optimum Capital Management and author of the book, "Living in the Village."

 

Click to read.

Why Isn’t the Inmate Strike Getting More Media Attention?

 

by R. L’Heureux Lewis

For nearly a week, prisoners throughout the state of Georgia have been engaged in one of the largest prison protests in this nation's history. Why is this not plastered across mainstream media, blogs, and 24 hour cable news? The simple answer maybe that the more we focus on prisoners' rights, the more we are forced to focus on human rights and community transformation.

It is erroneously taught in many U.S. schools that the 13th amendment abolished all slavery, when in fact the amendment reads, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." The italicized text leaves a powerful "loophole" in the American narrative of equality and freedom. In fact, the conditions in many U.S. prisons continue to spiral towards a peculiar form of industrial slavery.

The cost of not noticing the disproportionate incarceration of black people and the steady erosion of already limited rights of prisoners may allow the abuses of the past to be revisited in the present.

 

Click to read.

Prison Inmates in Georgia Begin Massive Protest

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Inmates at six major prisons in the state of Georgia have begun a strong peaceful protest against inhumane conditions in the facilities in which they live. The protest is unique because it represents a coalition of black, brown and white inmates, jumping the line of racial segregation so prominent in prisons across America.
While the wardens at the prisons are not speaking to the public, the public is certainly speaking to the system. Across the nation, supporters of the movement are making calls to various officials to request that they help with the problem (you can see who to call by clicking here).
Thousands of inmates stayed in their cells Thursday, leading to strong and swift retaliation by the prison guards. According to those familiar with recent events, inmates have been beaten and had their personal items destroyed. Inmates also say that the authorities have cut off their hot water and shut off the heat when outside temperatures were in their 30s.

 

Click to read.

 

 

Visit Your Black World for more Black News!

Lost Black Historical Fact: Black Babies Were Once Used as Alligator Bait

Using Black Babies as Alligator Bait – A History Lesson You will never forget – click to watch

Why Obama May Not Even Be Allowed to Run for President in 2012

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

It appears to be the case that the Democratic anger about President Barack Obama's tax deal has come to a head. Suggesting the unthinkable, there are Democratic rumblings about the possibility that someone could challenge President Obama in the primary heading into the 2012 presidential elections.
Those on the far left, from Keith Olbermann to James Carville, have gone as far as suggesting that President Obama has sold out a long list of Democratic principles. The recent tax deal with the Republicans may be the straw threatening to break the camel's back, but there has been a consistent irritation that Obama isn't strong enough, and that he hasn't fought very hard to end the war in Afghanistan. In addition, liberals have always seemed to feel that Obama comes up short on many of the issues they hold near and dear.

 

Click to read.

Wesley Snipes Should Not Be Going to Prison

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I've been sitting on the sidelines during the tax trial of actor Wesley Snipes, primarily because I didn't quite know what was going on. I wasn't sure if Snipes was guilty or innocent, since I've seen a lot of wealthy folks who've lived as if they were above the law. Part of me wants to believe that the justice system works if you're rich, so I figured that nature would simply take its course.
I took the time to watch Wesley appear on CNN to plead his case to the public. I was honestly skeptical, since I've rarely met a man on his way to prison who didn't try to convince me that he was innocent. In fact, I've received countless letters from prison inmates, many of whom want me to believe that they didn't do it. In most cases, I choose not to judge, but I know the game quite well.

 

Click to read.

Black News: Teenager Convicted of Killing 16-Yr Old Derrion Albert

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The jury didn't deliberate for more than half an hour, but in that time, a 15-year old boy was convicted in the beating death of 16-year old honor student Derrion Albert.The boy was convicted of first-degree murder when it was determined that he laid a punch to the face of Albert as he tried to stand up. The jury decided that the punch played a significant role in Albert's death.

"I am pleased. Justice was served," Norman Golliday, Albert's grandfather told the Associated Press. "The facts were there from the start, they stared you right in the face. The jury saw that."

The teen's lawyer, Richard Kloak, admitted that his client punched Albert, but said that the crime was not as serious as the conviction.

 

Click to read.

Your Black Politics: The Democrats Get Angry at President Obama

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

President Barack Obama is at a unique point in his presidency. This is a place where no one thought he'd be, but then again, no presidency ever turns out the way we would expect. The president is finding that in addition to the burden of dealing with unrelenting Republicans, many of whom can't stand seeing a black man in power, he now has to deal with Democrats who are angry at him for compromising on the latest tax agreement.

I admit that I was shocked to see such strong Democratic opposition to Obama's tax deal with the Republicans. Effectively, the Republicans were holding the nation's unemployed hostage in exchange for having Bush tax cuts extended for the rich. This was a prime opportunity for the Democrats, given that the Republicans were revealing themselves to be working on behalf of the wealthy, at the expense of middle class Americans. Additionally, their push to give tax cuts to those who needed them the least was in stark contrast to their proclaimed objective of embracing fiscal discipline as it pertains to the federal debt.

 

Click to read.

Bishop Eddie Long Avoiding a Public Trial: Why Is That?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I was up working one night when someone reached out to me on Facebookmessenger.
The brother was asking me why Bishop Eddie Long chose mediation in his sexual coercion suit, rather than aiming for a public trial. In case you've been buried under a rock, Bishop Eddie Long has been in the media quite a bit these days, after being accused of using his authority to coerce four young men in to having sex with him.
Long has vowed to fight the charges, but he never really said much about whether he was guilty or innocent. Actually, he simply said that he is "not a perfect man." That could easily translate to Long admitting that there are a few things about his personal life that he wouldn't want to see on the 6 o'clock news.

Click to read.

James Mtume and Stanley Crouch Debate the Legacy of Miles Davis

Part 1

 

 

Part 2

Professors Mark Anthony Neal and Marc Lamont Hill Discuss Black Public Scholarship

 

Mark Anthony Neal of Duke University and Dr. Marc Lamont Hill discuss black public scholarship.

 

 

Visit Your Black World for more black news!

Dr. Boyce Watkins and Al Sharpton: The Black Unemployment Situation– 12/7/10

 

Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton discuss the black unemployment crisis in America.

 

Visit Your Black World for more black news!

Dr. Wilmer Leon Speaks on Black Politics – 12/6/10

• 

  Why the case against Waters is crumbling

  By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

  11:18 AM on 11/29/2010

  OPINION - Questions also remain regarding the investigatory process and the racial make up of those being investigated...

  > read more

• 

  Can Obama reach common ground without selling out black base?

  By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

  8:53 AM on 11/04/2010

  OPINION - How does the president work with this new crop of conservatives whose ire has been focused as much on race and ethnicity as pubic policy?...

  > read more

• 

  New NAACP report puts the heat on Tea Party racism

  By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

  10:22 AM on 10/20/2010

  OPINION - If there are links between the Tea Party and racist hate groups as the report indicates, then it "should give all patriotic Americans pause."...

  > read more

• 

  How a foreclosure freeze could heat up our economy

  By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

  8:04 AM on 10/12/2010

  OPINION - In an economy that is still in recession, a rebounding housing market would go a long way towards providing much needed economic stimulus and stability...

  > read more

LOL Moment of the Day: Pastor Manning Says that Obama Has Helped to Castrate the White Man

Yes, this is the funniest video ever.  Perhaps this pastor needs to be admitted for psychiatric evaluation.

Juan Williams Insults the Poor….Again

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Fox News commentator Juan Williams made news again this week by stating that extending unemployment benefits for America's jobless would weaken their value systems. In Williams' words:
"Because employers, potential employers, will look and see that gee, they've been out forever, it doesn't make sense. And I think that's partly playing in to this cycle. And at some point then it becomes a matter of you lose your work ethic, your values are impacted, you know, getting up, showing up, dressing well, all that good stuff. So I don't know that that's smart."
I would say that Williams' comments are shocking, but they are certainly to be expected from the man who publicly sold himself to the most racist television network in the history of our country. I'm not sure why Williams felt the need to jump in on this issue in such an insensitive way, but it appears that he's working hard to earn the two million that Fox is paying him.

 

Click to read.

Black Political News from TheGrio – 12/4/10

• 

  Finally! Obama issues first pardons of his presidency

  By theGrio

  4:15 PM on 12/03/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) - No well-known people were on the list and most of the crimes seemed low-grade. Five involved drug or liquor offenses...

  > READ MORE

• 

  Benched? Justice Thomas' wife takes less public role

  By theGrio

  1:35 PM on 12/03/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) - She attracted additional attention in October when she left a voicemail message for Anita Hill asking her to apologize for a 19-year-old sexual harassment accusation...

  > READ MORE

• 

  Unemployment unexpectedly rises, black joblessness up to 16 percent

  By theGrio

  11:03 AM on 12/03/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Employers added only 39,000 jobs last month, a sharp decline from the 172,000 created in October, the Labor Department reported Friday...

  > READ MORE

• 

  Why celebrate secession? Civil War revisionists sidestep slavery

  By David A. Love

  8:23 AM on 12/03/2010

  OPINION - What is troubling about this glorification of secession, and the efforts to preserve it, is its whitewashing of slavery, if not its total elimination from the equation...

  > READ MORE

• 

  Black Illinois state senator fights for gay civil unions

  By theGrio

  6:16 PM on 12/02/2010

  SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (AP) - "I hear adulterers and womanizers and folks cheating on their wives and down-low brothers saying they're going to vote against this bill. It turns my stomach," he said...

  > READ MORE

• 

  Congress sends child nutrition bill to Obama

  By theGrio

  5:48 PM on 12/02/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The first lady said in a statement after the vote that she was "thrilled" about House passage...

  > READ MORE

• 

  Rangel censured by Congress in landslide vote

  By theGrio

  5:33 PM on 12/02/2010

  WASHINGTON (AP) - "I brought it onto myself," Rangel told the House. But he also said politics was at work...

  > READ MORE

CBC Says Black Farmers Won’t Be Able to Get Money Because of Complicated Claims Process

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are complaining that legislation funding a settlement for discrimination against black farmers sets too high a bar for claimants.

The lawmakers argue language added by the Senate, which is meant to prevent fraud in the program, sets higher standards for proving a claim than were required for other groups trying to prove loan discrimination by the Department of Agriculture.

“There's no question. The bar is much higher,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), a CBC member and chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

The legislation to be sent to the president would provide $4.55 billion to settle longstanding discrimination claims with the Department of Agriculture from black and Native American farmers.

The additional steps added to the claims process include an audit by an inspector general and oversight by the attorney general's office, as well as a review by the secretary of Agriculture, who must sign off on a farmer’s claim.

Attorneys involved in cases must swear in writing that the claims are legitimate, and a special federal “adjudicator” must also take an oath that the claim is legitimate and may request additional information and documentation. At the end of the process is another round of oversight and review from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Justice at the top levels.

Thompson argues the additional standards are unfair, and that black farmers are being treated differently from other groups.

“Even when black people are about to receive a settlement, just because they raised the issue they are being treated differently. There should be a uniform standard for everybody,” Thompson added.

Click to read.

Black Unemployment Doesn’t Seem to Go Down

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Today's release of November unemployment data is not good news for President Obama. Unemployment rose nationally to 9.8 percent, after holding steady at 9.6 percent for the previous three months. The jobless rate jumped for nearly every racial/gender demographic. White women still have the lowest unemployment rate of both genders, when comparing African Americans and whites. Black males have the highest.

Black unemployment rose again from 15.7 percent to 16 percent. This number is slightly lower than the high of 16.3 percent experienced back in August. When scaled with the white unemployment rate of 8.9 percent, the black unemployment rate is 79.8 percent higher than that of white Americans.

 

Click to read.

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Black Coach Insulted Before Being Hired by Colorado

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Jon Embree is a former tight end for The University of Colorado. He is currently an assistant coach for the Washington Redskins. The rumor mill has it that Embree may soon take the next step of becoming head coach at his alma mater.
Typically, such a bold move by a university to give an African American coach a chance might be applauded. In this case, heads are turning because of confusing remarks made by former Colorado coach Bill McCartney.
McCartney, who was one of three finalists for the job as of Wednesday night, shut down speculation by stating that the university had informally offered the job to Embree. He also went as far as stating that Embree was offered the job because he is African American.
"It was never about me doing it again," McCartney told the Denver Post. "It was about setting the table for a black man to come in (as head coach). And he (athletic director Mike Bohn) hired one. Now, give him a chance."

 

Click to read.

Tynielle Silvera: Killed by Drunk Driver – The High Cost of Alcohol in America

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Tynielle Silvera was the kind of person we all want our children to be. She was making good grades, on her way to college and even tutoring other kids in the neighborhood. She was planning on becoming an attorney, and had become her mother's pride and joy.
Silvera's dreams for the future came to a screeching halt this week, as she was run down by a drunk driver as she was crossing the street.
The perpetrator of the crime, Kenneth Serwan, is a 46-year old married father of three who'd been convicted of drunk driving in the past. He is being held on $100,000 bail. At the time of her death, Tynielle was crossing the highway to take the train back home after heading to Bedford-Stuyvesant, where she'd been tutoring 13-year old Leanora Genus.

 

Click to read.