Black News, Black America – 8/1/09

Madea goes to Disney World with Philly pool kids

By theGrio

3:05 PM on 07/31/2009

A group of kids from Philadelphia who said they experienced prejudice firsthand arrived in Orlando, Florida on Friday for an all-expense paid trip courtesy of actor Tyler Perry...

> more

Donated animals bring wealth to Africans

By theGrio

1:57 PM on 07/31/2009

Beatrice Biira fosters educational partnerships between the US and Africa. The Ugandan is currently studying at the Clinton School of Public Services in Arkansas, and it all began with the gift from Heifer International.

> more

NFL player battling leukemia halts comeback

By theGrio via AP

1:07 PM on 07/31/2009

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- Kenechi Udeze's comeback from leukemia served as an inspiration to his Minnesota Vikings teammates. The announcement of his retirement will not diminish that.

> more

Boston cop says he's "not a racist" for Gates slur

By theGrio via AP

12:47 PM on 07/31/2009

BOSTON (AP) -- A Boston police officer who was suspended for using a racial slur to describe black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. apologized for his comments and declared he is not a racist.

> more

Reverend Ike dies at 74

By theGrio via AP

12:46 PM on 07/31/2009

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II, who preached the gospel of material prosperity to millions nationwide as Reverend Ike, died Tuesday. He was 74.

> more

87-year-old woman lives in leaky shack, prays for help

By theGrio

9:21 AM on 07/31/2009

An 87-year-old woman, living alone, in a 160-year-old shack about three miles south of Lena, Mississippi says she has no one to help her get out of the deplorable conditions. Every room in her shack leaks, except for the living...

> more

Black cop at Gates arrest: I'm not an Uncle Tom

By theGrio via AP

8:11 AM on 07/31/2009

A black sergeant who was at the home of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. when he was arrested says he's been maligned as an "Uncle Tom" for supporting the actions of the white arresting officer.

> more

Black Scholar News: AKA President’s Dirty Allegations

Members of the country's oldest black sorority are suing to remove their president, alleging that she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of the group's money on herself — some of it to pay for a wax statue in her own likeness.

In the suit filed in Washington, D.C., the Alpha Kappa Alpha members also alleged that international President Barbara McKinzie bought designer clothing, jewelry and lingerie with the sorority credit card. She then redeemed points the purchases earned on the card to buy a big-screen television and gym equipment, the lawsuit said.

"This is extraordinarily shocking if not illegal conduct," Edward W. Gray Jr., an attorney representing the plaintiffs suing the Chicago-based sorority, said Wednesday.

McKinzie denied what she called the lawsuit's "malicious allegations," saying they were "based on mischaracterizations and fabrications ... not befitting our ideals of sisterhood, ethics and service," according to a statement issued this week by the sorority.

The lawsuit also accused the sorority's board of directors of signing off on spending funds on McKinzie without the required approval by the group's membership. For example, the lawsuit says the board approved a monthly "pension stipend" of $4,000 for four years after she leaves office and purchased a $1 million life insurance policy for her. The suit demands McKinzie be fired and return money to the sorority.

 

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Glenn Beck Thinks Obama Is A Racist

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News Channel commentator Glenn Beck said he believes President Obama is a racist. Beck made the statement during a guest appearance Tuesday on the Fox & Friends morning show. He said Obama has exposed himself as a person with "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."

His remarks came during a discussion of Obama's reaction to the arrest of Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Gates is black and was arrested for disorderly conduct by a white policeman over a misunderstanding about a break-in at Gates' home.

An Obama spokesman, William Burton, said the White House had no comment on Beck.

Beck's statement was challenged on the air by Fox host Brian Kilmeade, who noted that most of the people who work for the nation's first black president are white.

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Your Black News from the Grio – 7/28/09

• 

  Deaf man tasered

  By theGrio

  7:45 PM on 07/28/2009

  Officers who used pepper spray and a Taser to remove a man from a store bathroom found out only later he was deaf and mentally disabled and didn't understand they wanted him to open the door, police said Tuesday...

  > MORE

• 

  Houston fire captain apologizes for noose in locker

  By theGrio

  6:20 PM on 07/28/2009

  A senior Houston firefighter apologized Monday for keeping a rope that looked like hangman's noose in his locker, saying it was a memento from early in his career and not meant as a racist symbol...

  > MORE

• 

  MLK statue defaced

  By theGrio

  4:14 PM on 07/28/2009

  The statue of America's foremost civil rights leader -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- has been defaced, painted white. Now Hollywood police are trying to determine whether this case is a hate crime or just vandalism. A homeless man...

  > MORE

Dr. Debby Stroman: Should Higher Ed Be a Right or a Privilege?

by Dr. Deborah Stroman

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Get Real! That’s my kind response to the critics of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) recent academic reform policy that eliminates the minimum SAT and ACT scores for admission. This well-thought out and crafted course of action finally gives colleges the academic freedom and independence to do what they do best – make decisions as to which students they want on their particular campus. Not the NCAA, the athletic leagues, or any other sport-related governing body has the right to tell an academic institution who is most deserving of the opportunity to sit in their classrooms and learn. Although our country promotes a spirit of education for all, the reality is that higher education is for the privileged. And those with the financial resources receive more access and resources. With a wink and a nod though, the student-athlete can oftentimes bypass this necessity if one possesses the talent to throw a tight spiral or shoot a silky-smooth jumper.

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Black Republicans Speak Out

 

• Watch black Republicans discuss the party's future

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sarah Palin's resignation from her role as governor of Alaska has prompted new questions about the GOP's leadership and future. While Michael Steele made history by becoming the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee, where do African Americans stand in helping to redefine the party?

TheGrio sat down with a group of black Republicans to discuss their feeling on their political party and its future.

"What does it mean to be a black man that agrees with the Republican party's agenda, the Republican party's message?" said hiphoprepublican.com's Brandon Brice. "That is, reducing the size of government, giving people real opportunities to excel from any circumstance or situation."

According to a report released in May by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Africans Americans make up two percent of the nation's Republican party, compared to 22 percent of the democratic party. The study also found that during the 2008 election, 95 percent of blacks voted for Barack Obama, while just four percent voted for Republican candidate John McCain.

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“Being Black – 101” Don’t Argue With the Police

By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

On Thursday July 16, 2009 after returning from a trip to China, Harvard University scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. had difficulty opening the front door of the home he leases from Harvard. After he and his driver struggled with the front door Dr. Gates gained entry through the back door of the home, shut off the alarm, opened the front door, and the driver left.

According to Cambridge Police Department Incident Report #9005127, a neighbor called the police and reported a possible breaking and entering at the residence. The woman “…observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch...” Her suspicions were aroused when, “…she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry.” The uniformed police officer went to the front door, saw Dr. Gates standing in the foyer and asked him to step out onto the porch. Dr. Gates refused.

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Your Black News: Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Arrested

Harvard University’s Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African & African American Studies, was arrested July 16 on a charge of disorderly conduct.

Gates, 58, a resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Harvard’s main campus is located, was arrested after “exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior,” according to a report on the Cambridge Police Department’s Web site. Cambridge police officials declined to comment and said the case was under investigation by Office of the Middlesex District Attorney. A call to the DA’s office wasn’t immediately returned.

 

Click to read.

Dr Boyce Watkins on AOL – 7/16/09

Dr Boyce: Lil Wayne Is Willing to Murder Newborn Babies?

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• I spent the weekend in New York City doing all the things that a father dreams of doing with his ... Read More
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Nicole Spence Moves Beyond her Wendy Williams Experience

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• I've had the chance to interact with Wendy Williams on a regular basis over the past 3 years. ... Read More
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Dr Boyce Money: Would You Date Someone Who Has Been Laid Off?

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• Would you date someone who doesn't have a job? Many of us would at least think twice about it. ... Read More
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Dr Boyce: Bill Cosby's Book Made Money, But Did He Forget Something?

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• Meet Delores Jones. Delores is a talented radio show host and women's empowerment speaker out of ... Read More
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Your Black News: Latoya Jackson Says Michael Was Murdered

Speaking out for the first time since Michael Jackson's sudden death on June 25, the singer's sister LaToya Jackson, 53, is raising alarming allegations.
"Michael was murdered," LaToya claims in an exclusive interview with London newspaper the News of the World.
“We don't think just one person was involved in the murder," she added, refusing to name the people she believes are responsible for the death during her four-hour interview in L.A. “It was a conspiracy to get Michael's money."
According to LaToya, Jackson himself always feared for his life. "A couple of years ago Michael told me he was worried that people were out to get him,” she told the paper. "He said, 'They're gonna kill me for my publishing. They want my catalogues and they're gonna kill me for these.' "

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Delores Jones: Does Bill Cosby Have as Much Personal Responsibility as we Think?

by Delores Jones

Recently, I listened to yet another radio debate about the manner in which Bill Cosby talked about the plight of some black people at least 5 years ago.  Economically speaking, I too would be considered one of the working poor in the African American community mentioned, however, some of the words used to describe the behavior associated with this class of people did not fit me or others that I personally know.  In fact, I am a highly, educated single mother with a master’s degree in social work.  I also hold a bachelor’s of  broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, arguably one of the finest J-Schools in the nation.  I’ve been employed, unemployed, underemployed, upset, bewildered, disappointed, depressed and even disgusted.

Interestingly, none of the books I’ve read about “lower economic people” who are believed to be “failing the civil rights movement by not holding up their end of this deal,” invited me or others to the table to discuss individual situations or the people I encounter as a social worker who are simply trying to make this thing called life work the best way he or she knows how.  Just because a school is open does not mean what is being taught is adequate.  Just because there is a hosptial near by doesn’t mean I am welcome there or can afford to be seen there.  In fact, recently I learned that I need a major operation but I don’t have insurance to cover the projected $20,000 cost.  Did I mention, I work full-time?

 

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Your Black News: Marion Barry’s Complicated Life

Marion Barry, Washington's embattled city council member and former mayor, dodged another bullet last week when a District prosecutor declined to prosecute him on charges of stalking his ex-girlfriend. Barry was arrested and briefly detained by U.S. Park Service police July 4th after the woman, 40-year-old Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, complained that he was "bothering" her.

But Mr. Barry may not be completely out of the woods yet. The controversy kicked up by his arrest led reporters to dig out the fact that Mr. Barry had put Ms. Watts-Brighthaupt on his payroll by awarding her a $60,000 contract to study "poverty reduction," to be paid out of taxpayer dollars. That proved too much for current D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and others, who demanded the city council open an ethics probe of Mr. Barry. On Friday, D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray announced the council would hire an independent law firm to look into the matter.

 

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News: Dr Boyce Articles on AOL – 7/11/09

Dr Boyce Education: Our Kids are Not Ready for the Future

• I have some questions I'd like to ask all of us in an open and strictly rhetorical kind of ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (2)

Dr Boyce Money: Why It Pays to be a Dangerous Negro

• Dangerous Negro is changing the world. A young company founded by strong, intelligent black men, ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (6)

Dr Boyce Money: What is the Financial Cost of Racism?

• I recently did an interview with Charlamagne Tha God (posted below) with 100.3 "The Beat" in ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (1)

Dr Boyce: The Economic Implications of Obama's Trip to Africa

• President Obama is headed to Africa this week in what appears to be a symbolic, one day visit. ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (5)

Dr Boyce: Did Stevie Wonder's Daughter Attempt Suicide?

• MediaTakeout is reporting that the 27-year old daughter of Stevie Wonder (Takiyah) attempted ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (7)

Dr Boyce: My Call From the Obama Administration

• I got a call the other day from someone in the Obama Administration. I get a sense that key ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (59)

Dr Boyce: My Encounter with Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh

• Last week, I received a phone call from the producer for "The Jim Reith Show" here in Syracuse. ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (2)

Michael Jackson Being Attacked: Latest Updates on His Will

• We recently heard about Congressman Peter King referring to Michael Jackson as a "pedophile and a ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (13)

Michael Jackson's Will Being Contested Heavily in Court

• We've continuously discussed the financial situation wtih Michael Jackson, as well as that for his ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (1)

Dr Boyce Money: Love Investments Matter More than Money

• When I came up with the concept for Financial Lovemaking, I became an intense student of life: I ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (7)

Steve McNair's Legacy as an NFL Great: Dr. Deborah Stroman

• Most of us know about the tragic death of NFL great Steve McNair. On this episode of "The Bottom ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (6)

Breaking News: Steve McNair Shot and Killed in Nashville

• Image: Dr Boyce Watkins with Steve McNair in 2004 Media outlets are reporting that former NFL MVP ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (51)

Michael Jackson Update: Celeb Insider Talks about Michael Jackson

• Michael Jackson's financial and family situations are getting more complicated by the second. As we ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (4)

Dr Boyce: Rapper Drake Learned Lessons from BET Awards

• Some have seen the discontent I expressed about the most recent BET Awards. But I am not the only ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (51)

Dr Boyce: Congressman Compares NBA Age Limit to Slavery

• I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Congressman Steve Cohen has chosen to take on the NBA's ... Read More
• Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (15)

Your Black News: White Firefighters Overcome their “Oppression”

In a 5-to-4 decision, made along ideological lines, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the white firefighters in their racial discrimination case. This is a direct reversal of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor's previous decision and is sure to be an extended topic of discussion during her upcoming confirmation hearings.

I've always been wary of the way the city of New Haven handled the results of its now infamous firefighter promotion test. It never made sense to me. When test results came back, and no black firefighters had scores high enough for immediate promotion, New Haven decided to throw out the results of the test on the grounds that the test itself may have been discriminatory and that the black firefighters might sue the city for discrimination. New Haven was not being altruistic in its concerns about "racial fairness."

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Michael Jackson Tribute from Lady Drama

In this episode of Your Black Gossip with Lady Drama, Lady Drama talks about the legacy of the great Michael Jackson.  She also talks about the latest with Usher and Tameka, as well as the craziness of Kim Kardashian doing an R&B CD.  

Click here to listen to the episode!

www.yourblackgossip.com

Pres. Obama Says Nothing about Jackson’s Death

Al Sharpton said it best: "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color. Way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama, Michael did with music what they later did in sports, in politics and in television."

If there is such a thing as 'post-racial', Jackson was probably the first and most visible international post-racial figure that this country has ever produced. He made history uniting not only Americans, but the world through his music, much in the same way Obama has done with his campaign.

It's surprising therefore, that a day after the news of Michael Jackson's death and with the nation deep in mourning, President Obama has not personally acknowledged a man who helped paved the way for his election.

Although the president released a brief statement through his press secretary Robert Gibbs on Friday afternoon, much was left unsaid. He was characteristically cautious, aiming to strike a political balance when he called Michael Jackson a "spectacular performer" whose life was "sad and tragic."

 

Click to read.

Let’s Stop Demonizing Black Fathers

by Santita Jackson

To paraphrase Caesar, as he stood over the gallant Marc Antony, I come not to bury our Fathers, but to praise them, on this "Father's Day." Now, more than ever before, it is time to tell the truth about African American fathers.

I think of my own my father, who in my worst moments always made me feel as if I were the best thing that ever happened to him. He said it. I felt it.

I arrived in my parents' lives when they were college coeds and, although little more than children themselves, they made the very adult sacrifice and decision to marry and have me as well as my two brothers who arrived less than two years later. Still a student our father waited tables, stood in the food line at our church---in short, he did all that he could to provide for his growing family. And he and Mother took us everywhere.
I can recall one morning, before my father stepped into the pulpit to preach, being beckoned from my seat to sit with him and, as he scribbled the final touches on his sermon, he leaned over and said, "I love you, Sandy Boogie." I smiled as he kissed me and waited for...well, something else. I could not wait to get back to my seat as I was mortified to be before the entire congregation. I looked at him and said, rather quizzically, "Daddy, is that all you wanted to tell me?" His reply, as he smiled was, "Baby, saying 'I love you' says an awful lot." I nearly cried, having felt ashamed of my own insensitivity, and he simply smiled, kissed me again and had the usher lead me back to my seat.

His expression, even in that most public of venues was no surprise---it was a given in my life. My experience, though, is not unique. It has been replicated countless times in the African American community. Yet, every day we are fed a laundry list of the shortcomings of African American men; rarely, however, do we tell the society, or each other, of their triumphs.

We are told from the loftiest perches and the lowliest assignations that they must "Step up!" and "take up their responsibilities as men." All the while these critics ignore the myriad ways in which they must and do swim upstream against the strongest of currents. Currents which threaten and, too often, do sweep them into the undertow of our society. By ignoring their reality we turn our backs on a history, which has treated them with contempt. They are incarcerated more frequently, fight longer odds and live shorter lives; and yet and still, they remain strong, willing to love, survive and thrive. And so, on this "Father's Day", I'd like to expound upon their triumphs and contextualize their struggles. Any discussion which does neither, fails us all.

 

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Your Black News: Salon Beating Victim Refuses to Testify

 

Cavenia Bryant has been arrested for her involvement in the Oakland beauty shop beating posted on You Tube. “We’re close on bringing them in. We don’t want to scare them by releasing the names publicly,” said Jeff Thomason, Public Information Officer for the Oakland Police Department.

The May 5 assault took place around 5:50 p.m., but the victim, Melissa Seals, didn’t call the Oakland Police Department until around 7 p.m., Thomason reported. Officers responded and took Seals’ statement: six women entered her Oakland hair salon as Seals cut a customer’s hair, they locked the door from the inside, then two of the women proceeded to beat Seals for several minutes. Three other women watched the attack and a fourth videotaped the beating.
After giving her statement to the responding officers Seals declined to press charges or identify any of the women involved in the attack, according to OPD records. Seals’ refused to press charges for the misdemeanor assault; the officers were obligated by department policy to take a report and close the case without further investigation.

 

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Black Attorneys: Why We Must Support Troy Davis

by Elliot Milner, JD.

" I have faced execution and the torment of saying goodbye to my family three times in the last two years and I may experience that trauma yet again; I would not wish this on my worst enemy and to know I am innocent only compounds the injustice I am facing."- Troy Davis, from Georgia's death row, on facing a fourth possible execution date.

For those who are unaware, Troy Davis has been on Georgia's death row for about 18 years, after being convicted of murdering police officer Mark McPhail(Mr. Davis has maintained his innocence from the very beginning).

It would take pages to give all of the details of Troy Davis' case, however I will say that there was no physical evidence found(including a murder weapon) connecting Troy Davis to the killing of Officer McPhail; he was convicted largely on the basis of inconsistent and often contradictory eyewitness testimony. The vast majority of those prosecution eyewitnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony implicating Mr. Davis, and one of those who hasn't is Sylvester Coles, the main alternative suspect presented by the defense during Troy Davis' trial. In addition, there have been multiple allegations of police coercion and the usage of unethical interrogation techniques.

(For additional information on Troy Davis' case, or to get information on how to act, check out www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/troy-davis and http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/.).

 

Click to read more on YourBlackAttorneys.

Technorati Tags: troy davis,black men in america,african american men,black attorneys,african american attorneys,black lawyers,african american lawyers

Porn Stars and HIV: What to make of it

Stefano Paltera / For The Times

Darren James vividly remembers the 2004 phone call that changed his life. He hopes that by getting his story out, the porn industry will be moved to require condom use to protect the health of its stars.

Porn production shut down for a month after Darren James tested positive in 2004, changing his life. Now he hopes he can protect others by telling his story.

By Rong-Gong Lin II
June 15, 2009

Darren James saw the news flash on his TV screen last week: A porn actress had tested positive for HIV. James, 45, felt a moment of shock, then sadness.
"I feel really bad for this girl," he said. "One thing I can say, I just wish her well. It's the worst thing to get that call."

• 

  Porn stars at L.A. convention defend HIV...

• 

  From the archives: Porn Actors'...

• From the archives: See No Evil

• More porn HIV cases disclosed

• Contact the reporter with your experiences

It's the call James got in 2004 when the well-liked porn star known for his courteous nature on set found himself at the center of an HIV outbreak in the San Fernando Valley's multibillion-dollar porn industry. His diagnosis, and the spread of the virus to three actresses he had worked with, shut down porn production for a month.
He had tested HIV negative just days before performing on screen.
"I predicted it would happen again," he said late last week in an interview at his attorney's Woodland Hills office, his second since his name became public five years ago.

James, dressed in trim black slacks and a fitted black T-shirt that showed off his muscular frame, said he decided to speak out now because he hoped his story would spur the porn industry to require condoms, rarely used in straight porn films.

Click to read.

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How Kobe Bryant Came Back

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Syracuse University

Kobe Bryant started his career with the LA Lakers as a tremendous athlete with a valuable brand. His stock rose like an elevator, as Madison Avenue loved him as much as Laker fans. Then life took a strange twist. First, there was the nasty departure of Shaquille O'neal, which instantly reduced Kobe and the Lakers to "also-rans" in the NBA playoffs. A man who was used to winning championships was reduced to simply playing for pay.

Off the court, things got even worse. In 2003, Kobe was accused of a horrifically embarrassing sexual assault, a case that was later dropped. But even though the charges were dropped, the case still had a lasting impact on Bryant's reputation: Sponsors ran the other way and everyone wondered if Kobe might turn into another "coulda, woulda, shoulda" black athlete.

But he persisted. The Lakers got a little bit better every year, with that improvement culminating in what some believe to be Kobe's first "real championship" this year; a title without the boost of a dominant big man. For the first time, the Lakers are champions under Kobe's watch. He has proven that he is more than a replica of Anfernee Hardaway.

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Technorati Tags: kobe bryant,black news,black athletes,african american news,african american athletes

Shocking Video: Woman Gets Beaten in a Beauty Salon!

 

From Lady Drama at www.YourBlackGossip.com. 

Click here to watch a woman get beat down something terrible in a beauty salon!  This video is all over the net and after seeing it, all you’ll be able to say is “hayell nawwwwww!”

Technorati Tags: black women,black news,black celebrity gossip,black bloggers,beauty salon

Your Black News: Decline in Black Prison Sentences for Drugs

For the first time since the war on drugs became a national law enforcement obsession in the mid-1980s, the number of African-Americans in state prisons for drug offenses has declined, a criminal justice reform organization said.

The number of whites in state prison for drugs rose 42.6 percent since 1999, while blacks dropped 21.6 percent.

A study released Tuesday by the Sentencing Project found a 21.6 percent drop in the number of blacks incarcerated for drug offenses, a decline of 31,000 people, from 1999 to 2005.

The corresponding number of whites in state prisons for drug offenses rose 42.6 percent, or by more than 21,000 people, while the number of Hispanics was virtually unchanged, according to "The Changing Racial Dynamics of the War on Drugs."

The study, authored by Executive Director Marc Mauer, found that the differences between black and white imprisonments for drug crimes are partly because of how police target suspects and court sentencing guidelines, which vary by state.

Also, there has been a decrease in the use of crack cocaine in predominantly minority urban neighborhoods and an increase in methamphetamine abuse in many primarily white rural areas, Mauer said Wednesday.

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Technorati Tags: african american males,black news,african american news,black politics,african american politics

Scurv’s Corner: When Black Love Goes Bad

 

 

Technorati Tags: black celebrity gossip,black women,black relationships