Archive
Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson Speak on the Death of Osama Bin Laden
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com – Scholarship in Action
I was on the radio today with Rev. Al Sharpton. Of course the topic of discussion was the death of Osama Bin Laden. The Reverend had some interesting guests on the show, including a woman who was in the building when the towers went down in 2001. Sharpton, as a New Yorker, had some interesting thoughts about the situation, especially as it pertains to the Obama presidency.
Dr. Boyce and Rev. Al Discuss Malcolm X and the Obama Monkey Incident
Click here to listen to Dr. Boyce and Rev. Al Sharpton discuss the incident in which President Obama’s face was place on the body of a chimp in an email that was distributed by a Republican leader in California. They also discuss the assassination of Malcolm X and the result of a YBW poll on the black perception of the Nation of Islam’s role in his death. Many have speculated that
Dr. Boyce and Rev. Al Sharpton Discuss the Obama Presidency
Click here to listen to this week’s conversation as Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton discuss the pressing issues taking place in the black community.
To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
The Impact of Mass Incarceration: Jeff Johnson, Ben Jealous and Al Sharpton Discuss on MSNBC
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
In the video below, Jeff Johnson, Al Sharpton and Ben Jealous discuss an issue that is very dear to me: the problem of mass incarceration in America. As part of our Never Going Back initiative (which we hope you’ll sign up for), our goal is to align 10,000 committed African Americans who are willing to do whatever it takes to make this terrible problem go away.
Rev. Al Sharpton and Prof. Cornel West Get Into Heated Argument on MSNBC
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I just returned from the Measuring the Movement forum hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton in New York City. The forum was insightful and empowering as it pertains to getting members of African American leadership to see the value of accountability. NAACP President Ben Jealous gave time to the forum, and even President Barack Obama came through to give a speech.
In many ways, the convention was arguably the most successful gathering of its kind. I find Sharpton’s approach to action-oriented solutions to be refreshing, and as a person who sat on a panel with both Jealous and Sharpton, it’s a relief to be involved with a forum where the goal is not to simply provide the best sound bite. “Sound bite leadership” in the black community needs to die and be replaced with strong, direct action that recognizes the urgency of our deadly situation.
President Obama’s Remarks at the National Action Network
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK ANNUAL GALA
Sheraton New York Hotel
New York, New York
6:01 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Good to be in New York City. Let me begin by acknowledging some very, very special guests. Dr. Richardson, thank you. Charlie Rangel, for your outstanding work on behalf of your constituents. Mayor David Dinkins. (Applause.) Governor David Paterson is here. (Applause.) State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. DiNapoli, excuse me. This is another one that’s hard to pronounce: Stevie Wonder. (Laughter.) Martin Luther King III. (Applause.) All the Keepers of the Dream honorees with us tonight, and the National Action Network.
Dr. Boyce and Al Sharpton Discuss the Images of Black Men in America
Dr. Boyce Watkins on the Huffington Post: Sharpton, Jealous and Morial Plan to “Measure the Movement”
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Huffington Post
A year ago, we thought this date was never going to arrive. It’s the one year anniversary of last year’s"Measuring the Movement" forum, where Rev. Al Sharpton brought together a list of black public figures to produce constructive solutions for problems being faced by the African American community. The list of invitees was a virtual "who’s who" of black leadership that only Sharpton could put together: NAACP President Ben Jealous, Urban League President Marc Morial, radio show host Tom Joyner, CNN’s Roland Martin, Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson, Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree and even men like Judge Greg Mathis got together to talk about the direction of black America.
Watkins/Sharpton rally in Ohio for Kelley Williams-Bolar and Educational Equality in America
On Thursday, February 17 at 6 pm, Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton will rally in Akron Ohio on behalf of the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, the single black mother who was jailed for sending her kids to the wrong school district. The information for the rally is below:
Mountain of the Lord Church
Rev. Eugene Norris
1477 Copley Road
Akron, OH 44320
(330) 873-9793
Dr. Boyce Joins the Al Sharpton Show
Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition is now slated for a weekly segment on "Keeping it Real with Al Sharpton." The show is currently syndicated in 18 cities across the nation and adding new affiliates each week. Every Monday from 1:15 – 2:15 pm EST, Dr. Watkins and Rev. Sharpton will discuss political issues of the day and matters affecting our nation. To find out more about the show, please visit www.SharptonTalk.net or www.BoyceWatkins.com.
To see Dr. Watkins’ latest articles with MSNBC’s "TheGrio.com", please visit this link: http://www.thegrio.com/author/dr-boyce-watkins-1/
To see Dr. Watkins’ latest work with AOL Black Voices, please visit: http://blogs.blackvoices.com/bloggers/boyce-watkins-phd/
To listen to Dr. Watkins’ last conversation with Rev. Sharpton, please click here.
In light of President Obama’s recent announcement that African American education should be a top priority for Black leadership, Dr. Watkins will be speaking with Rev. Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and other African Americans on ways to directly challenge the astronomical dropout rates for African American students. Many of these issues are addressed in Dr. Watkins’ book, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About College." To start the academic year, Dr. Watkins will be distributing free e-copies of this book to members of the Your Black World Coalition during the month of September, 2009. We will also be reaching out to President Obama to offer support in solving this problem, for we firmly believe that managing the dropout rate is one of the keys to saving our great nation.
For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.
Your Black Scholar: The Illusion of Post-Racial America
The Illusion of Post-Racial America
By: Aman Gill
An Obama Victory Would be a Milestone, but Could Stall Struggles Against Racism
It’s increasingly popular to argue that the fuel for unrest has disappeared because the problem of racism has receded into America’s past. This idea has long held sway on the right, but, paradoxically, it’s taken Barack Obama’s candidacy to elevate this persistent right-wing myth into conventional wisdom.
CIVIL RIGHTS UNFULFILLED
“The history he [Obama] needs to know is the history he rejects,” says Lenore Daniels, editorial board member of the Black Commentator, a weekly online magazine. “He rejects the whole Black Power movement: ‘Just the civil rights were fine, we’ll leave it at that, there was progress.’ [But] the Black Power movement is still relevant. That was a movement talking about economic equality, where King left off.”
[...]
Obama’s view of a united, post-racial America is in the tradition of how the political establishment – Democrat and Republican – responded to heightened militancy [...]
Full Article At Your Black Scholar
Your Black News: Al Sharpton & 7 Others Convicted For Protesting Sean Bell
Reverend Al Sharpton and seven others were found guilty today of disorderly conduct for protesting the acquittal of three detectives charged in the fatal shooting of Sean Bell.
More than 200 people were arrested for the protests that snarled traffic on May 7th.
Most of the cases had been dismissed, but Sharpton rejected an offer to plead guilty in exchange for time served.
The judge ruled that the defendants must all pay $95, but do not have to serve any additional jail time.
Your Black News: Jena 6: 1 Year Later, What Is At Stake?
On the night of Sept. 20, 2007, about 40 people dressed in black stood in Red Square, chanting, “No justice, no peace,” reading poems and delivering fervent speeches. Afterwards, they huddled together holding candles in a vigil of reflection and support.
The rally for the Jena Six – six black teenagers who were initially charged with attempted murder, later reduced to battery for all but one, because they physically attacked a white classmate – forced America to take a deeper look at its race relations.
But America wasn’t the only one: The event was a wake-up call for the Georgetown campus.
The day after the rally, THE HOYA ran a short article covering the event. On Sept. 25, dozens of copies of the newspaper had been scrawled with the words, “THE HOYA is racist,” across their mastheads, protesting what they saw as a lack of coverage of diversity-related issues. Then-HOYA editor in chief Max Sarinsky (COL ’09) returned to his apartment the following afternoon to find that a rock had been thrown through his living room window.
The issue brought out by these events was a deep-rooted one on campus: racial tensions…
Your Black Life: FOX News Host Sean Hannity Abuses Guest — Has History
Strangely, FOX News’ postal boy, Sean Hannity, has a detailed history of abusing his guests — especially those who don’t see the world through the narrow keyhole with which he analyzes reality. The radio/television host, who has rarely used his bully-pulpit for the good of society, shows why a college degree goes a long way in preventing mental decrepitude. Watch as he screams-down his guest, Robert Kuttner, on the pitiful FOX “News” show, Hannity & Colmes:
Also, check out a 2007 interview with Dr. Boyce Watkins, in which the same arrogant disposition of Hannity is displayed:
Your Black Politics: FOX News Host, Sean Hannity Says “Colored People” Repeatedly
FOX News postal Boy, Sean Hannity, used the derogatory term, “Colored People” profusely — as a descriptor for Black Politicians. In an argument with National Action Network founder, Al Sharpton, Hannity is relegated to anger, and inadvertently repeats the term one can only assume he uses at will — when the camera and mic are turned off. Pls. call FOX News, or send an email, to let them know that you do not wish to be categorized as “Colored” in 2008:
Your Black News: Vigil Mourns 2nd Anniversary Of Sean Bell Shooting
About 100 people gathered before dawn Tuesday for a candlelight vigil and prayer service on the second anniversary of the fatal police shooting of an unarmed man on his wedding day that sparked outrage in the black community.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and Sean Bell’s fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, led the memorial on the street in Queens where the 23-year-old black man was killed outside a strip club on Nov. 25, 2006 after leaving his bachelor’s party.
At precisely 4:10 a.m. — the time of the shooting — the mourners rang a large bell 50 times to mark the number of bullets fired at the Bell and two of his friends, who were seriously injured.
After laying wreaths and flowers, the group marched half a mile to a church, where Sharpton held a prayer service [...]
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