Archive
Your Black Life: Race Matters MORE in the ‘Age of Obama’
Race Matters MORE in the ‘Age of Obama’
By: Tolu Olorunda
Staff Writer – YourBlackWorld.com
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be misled. Race still matters, even in the age of a bi-racial president. In fact, I submit that Race matters more at this transitional period in our multi-cultural society. The presidential campaign of President-Elect Obama sought to vehemently sweep Race-consciousness under the rug, but little did they know, that this stubborn, inextricable faction of our existence would not surrender without a fight. [...]
Without Obama’s permission, Race resurrected itself early on in the 2008 presidential campaign. It began when White journalists first took it upon themselves to question Obama’s blackness. [...] Shortly after, the “gotcha media” would find some legitimate dirt that could reduce Obama to a sheer spectacle. Unbeknownst to 60% of Black folks, they had, all their lives, committed a crime worthy of the death penalty: attended a Black church which advocated self-love, self-control, self-respect, and self-help [...]
More At Your Black Life
Your Black News: Rev. Wright Reflects On Obama Win & Media
Jeremiah Wright, in a rare media appearance, told Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Mark Thompson that he understands why Obama distanced himself from him, but doesn’t forgive the media the way it covered him.
His reaction to Obama’s victory, he said, was a “mixed bag of being proud of him and being blessed to have lived” through the moment, and pain at being “put up by the media” as a “weapon of mass destruction to destroy his candidacy.”
Wright, who posed what may have been the deepest challenge to Obama’s candidacy, and provoked its most racially-charged moments, is now a footnote to a winning campaign. He opened little new ground, and expressed joy that his former friend was now president, and no remorse at his own role.
The negative press, and the final wave of negative ads, had been particularly painful, he said.
“I sort of never realized how that affects my family, what that does to my kids or my grandkids,” he said.
Wright also seemed to dispute the notion that the inflammatory moments that aired on cable television and the Internet were out of character, though he said they were out of context [...]
Your Black Power: Will He (President Obama) Stand Up For The Righteous Cause?
By: Tolu Olorunda
Staff Writer – YourBlackWorld.com
In light of Sen. Obama’s historic win on Tuesday night, certain perspectives must be taken into consideration in order to avoid being taken for a 4 year ride, which provides nothing, having promised NOTHING! In the long and winded 20-month battle for a seat at the table of presidency, Sen. Obama has often conducted himself with an unimpeachable level of dignity, grace and humility. Nevertheless, there have been times when the Good Senator has fallen short of those ranks. In fact, he has, throughout the course of his presidential bid, played the 90% hand that fed, clothed, nurtured and made him: The Black Community. Whilst many Black progressives seem quite comfortable with being snubbed – in exchange for a Black presidency – not every card-carrying member of the Black Community appreciates the Illinois Senator’s disposition on the issue of Race. They are fully aware of the tightrope which needs to be walked for a Black man to transport himself to the pedestal of history, but many see a tension between overt opportunism and the potential for a progressive Black president. In my humble judgment, there are ten issues of concern to the Black Community on which Sen. Obama has failed woefully in the course of his political career and this historic campaign:
More At Your Black Power
Your Black Scholar: Why Wright Happens — By Debra Dickerson
Why Wright Happens
By: Debra Dickerson
How come white folks can consort with racists but blacks can’t? Not that I’m conceding that Rev. Wright is a racist. But let’s stick to the point.
Jonathan Stein’s post gives me the perfect opportunity to kvetch about something that’s been driving me crazy about the attacks on Obama via Wright.
Stein’s right that vicious ads like this one will give a great many cover to vote against Obama. But here’s the thing: What about the racists and loonies who helped raise most of us? My father was bitter beyond belief about white racism, even though he had white friends and volunteered to fight in WWII. I can separate his horrific life experiences (Jim Crow sharecropper) out from my own (post-Civil Rights Movement) world view, as do most other Americans. When the elders got together and ranted and raved about the white man, I didn’t go upstairs, write a formal denunciation, and secede from my family. I considered the source and was grateful to have been born later. How dare you demand that we have no complaints? Church, and to a lesser and more troubling extent, certain forms of rap ‘music’, are places we go for catharsis. And catharsis ain’t usually a pretty sight [...]
Full Article At Your Black Scholar
Your Black News: FOX News Compares Rev. Wright To David Duke
FOX News’s Greta Van Susteren – the Journalism equivalent of Gov. Sarah Palin – made an insinuation a couple of nights ago that, at the very least, compares Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright to a man who has openly advocated for the lynching and castration of Black people. In an attempt to ask former president Bill Clinton a “tough question” (perhaps Fair & Balanced), the FOX News tabloid queen took time out from her Caylee Anthony marathon stalk-fest to query:
“What is the difference between an association with someone like David Duke and someone like Reverend Wright?”
Bill Clinton, unable to comprehend the effrontery and packaged acidic stupidity, paused for a few seconds before attempting to answer the question. David Duke, as most are aware, is a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, who made headlines last year when he arose in defense of the nooses hung on the infamous tree in Jena, La. Most human beings would find it immensely difficult to stomach such insinuation by FOX News; but coming from a network which, on Friday Sept. 18, 2008, found it refreshing to suggest that “loaning to minorities and risky folks is a disaster,” nothing, even such as morally-repugnant as Susteren’s statement, should come off as shocking. FOX News = The High Cost Of Low Standards. A leopard indeed, does not change it’s spots:
From Your Black News
Your Black News: Sarah Palin’s Pastor Says God “Is Gonna Strike Out His Hand Against” America
On July 20, 2008, the pastor of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s home church, Larry Kroon, delivered a sermon called “Sin Is Personal To God.” Kroon, the senior pastor of the non-denominational Wasilla Bible Church in Wasilla, Alaska, used the book of Zephanaiah as his reference point for discussing “that great day of the Lord when God will finally bring closure to human history… a day of wrath.” According to Kroon, “all things and all people” are going to bear the brunt of God’s “intense anger.” “There’s anger with God,” he proclaimed. “He takes sin personal.”
Kroon placed Zephaniah in a modern context, warning that the sinful habits of Americans would invite the wrath of God. “And if Zephaniah were here today,” Kroon bellowed, “he’d be saying, ‘Listen, [God] is gonna deal with all the inhabitants of the earth. He is gonna strike out His hand against, yes, Wasilla; and Alaska; and the United States of America. There’s no exceptions here — there’s none. It’s all.’”
Your Black Education: Exclusive Interview With Iconic Educator Dr. Janice Hale
It is rare for an educator to reach great heights of popularity and acclaim, but Dr. Janice Hale has earned every stripe of fame. As an internationally-renowned scholar, Dr. Hale is no stranger to controversies surrounding her work and theories. No other than Rev. Dr. Jeremiah E. Wright Jr. acknowledged her in his, much-talked about, speech in Detroit earlier this year. Wright celebrated Dr. Hale as someone we owe “a debt of gratitude.” [...]
YourBlackWorld.com recently had the esteemed opportunity to engage Dr. Janice Hale in dialogue on a wide array of topics. Included in the conversation were issues surrounding the recent selection of Arne Duncan as Sec. of Education, problems confronting Black students, the ISAAC program, Early Childhood education and more. As one never known for mincing words, Dr. Hale took no prisoners as she expressed her feelings about Bill Cosby… Excuse me, Dr. Bill Cosby, modern-day Civil Rights Organizations, Oprah Winfrey, and the public/private school system. Get your pens and pads ready. Class is in session:
Thanks for being with us, Dr. Hale. To kick things off, how did it feel being snubbed for the Sec. of Education position, which you lobbied so tenaciously for?
*Laughs* That’s so funny. I don’t feel snubbed about that. What I feel snubbed about is that, I feel in my book “Learning While Black,” I really provide solutions for what is wrong with education and how to fix African-American education, and I don’t feel my solutions have gotten any attention. [...]
Based on the selection of Arne Duncan – who holds a bachelor’s in Sociology – as Sec. of Education, what is incumbent upon Black folks in pushing an agenda that would improve learning conditions of Black students?
Full Interview At Your Black Education