020210

Stockely Carmichael, a civil rights activist was the first to adopt and popularize the phrase "black power." The phrase was used as a rallying cry by Blacks who were fighting for social justice and equality.

Carmichael was originally from the British West Indies but later moved to Harlem, NY. He attended Bronx High School of Science and later continued his education at Howard University in Washington D.C. It was in D.C. that he became interested in the Civil Rights Movement. Carmichael also worked for SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. As a member of SNCC he focused on issues such as voter registration in the South among other things. Two years after joining SNCC he became chairman. in 1967, Stokely Carmichael left SNCC, joined forces with the Black Panther Party and moved to West Africa. While in Africa he requested to go by the name of Kwame Toure'.

kinda sorta well...hella late posting this, but oh well

The iPad is FINALLY HERE! Yes, I'm a techie and I love (nearly) everything electronic, especially if it embodies the  logo. The iPad is no different. I'm not sure how I feel about the name yet, but the product is pure genius. The iPad does pretty much anything. It displays e-books, which rivals with the Kindle by Amazon, oh and get this the e-books are in COLOR. It can run all the apps from the App Store, view pictures, access e-mail, surf the web, take notes, among other things. I can't wait to get my hands on one, i just hope I don't neglect my macbook and iPods for it!

Paving The Way...

The first black woman to serve in a President's Cabinet was Patricia Roberts Harris. Harris was born in 1924 in Illinois. She earned her Bachelor's Degree from Howard University in Washington D.C. While an undergrad Harris participated in a student led sit-in in an attempt to integrate a local cafe. After graduating from Howard, Patricia continued her studies at George Washington University School of Law, where she graduated first in a class of 94. After law school Harris was employed by the U.S. Justice Department. After working for the Justice Department Harris returned to Howard University as a member of the faculty. In 1965, Patricia Roberts Harris was appointed ambassador to Luxembourg by former President Lyndon Baines Johnson. She held the post for 2 years. in 1977 President Jimmy Carter made Harris a member of his cabinet as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. After a two year stint as Secretary of HUD, Harris was appointed Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

(Sorry, I'm late but here goes) This January 18, 2010 is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I celebrated with my family and neighbors. We went out and volunteer to clean up the community by picking up trash and recycling. Our goal was to ensure that we improve the community in order for the next heirs to appreciate it and hopefully do the same.

The holiday is still a relatively new holiday. Former President Ronal Reagan signed a bill into law that would honor the legendary orator, activist, and clergyman. The bill was signed in November of 1983, however the holiday was not officially observed until three years later. The holiday is observed every third monday of January. There has been confusion with the date of the holiday, many uniformed people believe that the holiday is actually observed on Dr. King's Jr.'s birthday (January 16th). The selection of the third Monday in January is to ensure that the holiday is observed near his birthday. In 2000, all fifty states officially recognized the holiday and still observe it to this day.

This year the holiday is said to be a day of service. By that, those who celebrate the holiday are coming together to build a better, more united social community; a dream of Dr. King Jr. Servicing the community is what Dr. King believed would stamp out hunger, poverty and injustice.

he said, she said, and what i say

Like most of America, I've heard about the comments that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are rumored to have said while off the record. These comments supposedly surfaced in a political tell all. The book is called Game Change and it has yet to be released. Game Change doesn't only expose Harry Reid, but it also exposes former President Bill Clinton. According to Game Change, Clinton made a comment referring to current president, Barack Obama. He is rumored to have said that awhile back, then Senator Barack Obama would have been fetching coffee for "us," and that he did not agree with Hillary taking the position of Secretary of State.

Game Change also reveals scandals within scandals surrounding Sarah Palin, Jon Edwards, the late Ted Kennedy and his relationship with former President Clinton, and the 2008 Presidential Election.


My Opinion:

Race has always been a topic of discussion in EVERY home. With legislation and social norms, tension among races has diminished but will probably never become extinct. No matter how wrong we think it is for Harry Reid or any other public figure to make racially charged comments, at one point or another we have all done it. Publicly nobody (should) wants to be seen a racist. When in the comforts of our own homes or in other private environments we all make racial comments. How could we not? Our social institutions are still very segregated, and its 2010, long after the Civil Rights Movement. Although some churches are integrated, I know more churches and religious temples that are race-based. The same is with social clubs. Until we can integrate in more aspects of society, race will continue to play a role in American Society. There is no better time than the present to initiate change and have an open dialogue to better understand one another's racial background.

DALLAS COWBOYS BREAK 14 YEAR PLAYOFF HEX

long time no NOTHINGGG

Like a black sheep of the family, I've neglected my blog. But today, I actually had something blog worthy and I'm not too busy preparing to return to school from winter break. Today a musician, Jason Davis, asked me to be on a skit on his upcoming mixtape. When I got the opportunity I was kinda blown away! I've never been asked to do somethin like this so in that regard im EXCITED!!! I will let you guys know how it goes, hopefully I make the cut! By the way, check him and his music out, his twitter screen name is @JD_Sivadink. The kid is a musical genius!

MY BOYS WON!!!

DALLAS COWBOYS SUCCESSFULLY END THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WINNING STREAK, AND IT FEELS WONDERFUL =] 24-17; DALLAS

a cool christmas gift...

This Christmas is definitely going to be one to remember. It is my first "white" Christmas, thanks to this "blizzard" that blanketed the east coast with snow. It is also going to be my nephew's first ever Christmas, so to see him "opening" up his gifts is going to be nothing short of hilarious. He will probably just try to put the gifts in his mouth, but I'm excited for him. There is one "worldly" thing that I wouldn't mind santa slipping under my tree. I would love to get a puppy for Christmas. I've never had a doggie, I have had pets though. I would particularly love a Bishon Frise. I've done my research and they do not shed much, so pet dander isn't going to be a problem (or so I hope). I did not want a really big dog either, so the size is perfect. How could Santa say no to something as cute as this?

protect and serve

The job description of police everywhere includes these 2 simple words: protect (and) serve. All too often do they do just the opposite. Remember Rodney King? Ronnie Hathaway? You know the schizophrenic 49-year old from Passiac, NJ. How about Marshawn Pitts, the 15-year old special needs student? Unfortunately all of these guys have something in common, they are all black and they are all the victims of unjustified severe police brutality.

Incidents as such are the reason why police departments across the nation cannot forge a working relationship with many communities, especially those densely populated with blacks. Thus, many murders go unsolved. People do not want to talk with police (uniformed or white collared) because they cannot trust them. How often do you see instances as such in affluent white communities? As if "crime" doesn't exist in those areas.

Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. said it best: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

what they don't want you to know about SWINE FLU (H1N1)

Media sensationalism has catapulted Swine Flu to the forefront of the national agenda. Many media reports urge the public to get the vaccine to reduce the chances of contracting the potentially deadly disease. Unfortunately mass media reports have not warned of the dangers of getting the vaccine.

One major danger of being vaccinated is a muscular degenerative disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, or GBS. Fourteen-year old, Jordan McFarland, knows the devastating effects of the Swine Flu vaccine. He was diagnosed with GBS no later than a week after receiving the shot. Jordan reports that he is struggling to walk and needs the assistance of a wheel chair to get around. Prior to the vaccine he was an essentially healthy teen. Take a look at the video below.

my nerd moment, dont judge me!

Recently, I have been on a hiatus courtesy of Final Exams at my University (fun, right?). During the "studying" part of my exams, I read a WONDERFUL book, that my professor Dr. H. Hirsch decided to make part of our examination. The book is called "There's Nothing in the Middle of Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos," by Jim Hightower. The book deciphers the underworld of the American Political Arena. In the book, Hightower exposes the government for its faulty practices and for lack of better words "shitty policies." It (the book) is broken up into 5 chapters with subchapters within each to help better illustrate his points.

My favorite part of the book is the fourth chapter, "Pollution." This chapter is the vehicle Hightower uses to make sense of the hoopla surrounding the environment. A vast majority of the chapter is dedicated to agribusiness. There are so many instances that he points out that I was not aware of, which I accredit to naivete'. A good example of this is the "mad cow disease" outbreak in the United Kingdom. This "outbreak" was when many of the cattle supply in the UK had fallen ill to a disease called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, BSE, or commonly known as "mad cow disease."With this disease, cows suffer from degeneration of brain tissue and the spinal cord. The symptoms are not caught instantly but are prevalent as early as 4 years after being infected with BSE. Hightower points out HOW COWS GET INFECTED! Cows are naturally herbivores, but the government and those in charge of our beef supply have turned them into essentially carnivores, or CANNIBALS. By this cannibalism, I mean that the cows are fed themselves essentially, well other cows that have been sent to the chopper. When cows consume themselves this triggers the "protein" that causes BSE. If you are interested in the safety of cows, how about the safety of yourself? If you consume these tainted cow products (meat or milk) you can become infected with the human version of the mad cow disease, CJD, or Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease, which has some of the same symptoms. These symptoms include degeneration of BRAIN TISSUE and the SPINAL CORD. This disease, CJD, has been linked to other dementia disease such as Alzheimer's Disease, hmm? Perhaps that is why we all know someone either diagnosed with the disease or caring for someone who has been diagnosed with the disease.

With that being said, this is definitely a good read. It is extremely informative. I just can't wait until Jim Hightower runs for president, where do I get a ballot? (not that i disapprove of the current president of those of the past)

world AIDS day

I know I haven't blogged in awhile, but in the words of our great president "It's Time for a Change." Today is World AIDS Day! Which means it is time to dispel some common myths.

1. Is HIV and AIDS the same thing?

-No. When someone is said to be living with HIV, that simply means that they have the virus within their body. When someone is said to be living with AIDS, that means their immune system is so weak that it cannot fight off diseases that it could normally.

2. You cannot spread HIV/AIDS or any STDs through oral sex.

-WRONG! Contact with sexual body parts can be a breeding ground for STDs.

3. There is a cure for HIV.

-No. However, there is treatment that could control the virus. The earlier the virus is diagnosed, the higher probability for a longer, healthier life.

4. You can spot someone with HIV, simply by looking at them.

-DEAD WRONG. There is no "HIV Look," in fact people with HIV generally look healthy

rumor has it...

So rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey will be canceling her day time talk show. I mean I know its a recession, but it cant possibly be affecting the Queen of Day Time, or could it?

The Oprah Show is (well was) the highest rated syndicated talk show in American television history. THAT'S HUGE! The television show has been running for over 23 years, which happens to be longer than my entire life. The original show aired on September 8, 1986. Since then there has been over 3000 episodes. The talk show is viewed by 20 million viewers weekly, and is also broadcasted in over 100 countries worldwide.

Oprah is without a doubt one of my idols. She has stared adversity in the face and is even stronger because of it. She is a living testament to the American Dream. Only in American can an impoverished little black girl become a powerfully strong black woman. I admire Oprah, not only for her success but for the mere fact that through it all she has remained humble and gives back to nearly every community. I can only dream of attaining some of her success.

In the words of Swizz Beats "I'm tryna get that Oprah"

gut wrenching...

This is such a heartbreaking story. I learned of this particular story while on Yahoo! today. The story comes out of Georgia Army base. A single-soldier-mom refused deployment and was subsequently jailed by military police. She was jailed because she skipped her flight to Afghanistan. Her reasoning: no relative or close friend could take custody of her son while away for at least 15 months. The father of the child is ABSENT (like many young fathers in America). Her mother (the grandmother of the baby) promised to take care of her grandson while she was away, however she is overwhelmed with taking care of her dying mother, special needs daughter, and her ailing sister.

Military officials suggest that they do not allow single parents to deploy without a plan of action in place for their children. Unfortunately, her plan of action fell through. Initially some military personnel suggested that she go ahead and ship out to Afghanistan while her child be placed in foster care. Of course, the young mother declined because she does not want to abandon her child.

This is a tough situation to be placed in. When in the military there is a Fog of War, or chain of command, which means you have the duty and obligation to do whatever you are told by a "higher up." One side of the argument is that she has made a commitment, which needs to be filled. The otherside of the arguement is that she should not be seperated from her infant son because he could suffer pshycologically.

If it were another issue, for example, paralysis, there would be no question that the commitment to serve and protect the country could be broken. Unfortunately, she is going to have to make a case for herself because she is a female in a male dominated industry. Lets face it, most men don't have to worry about where his child will be while he is deployed.

To read more on this story click here