T.J. Holmes, a former host for CNN, was pulled over while driving on Monday.
Normally, this may not be news; however, Holmes tweeted his experience because he had no idea what he was being pulled over for. And the cop couldn't tell him, either. Allegedly, the officer was stumbling over his words while trying to explain to Holmes why he had been pulled over. Eventually, he settled on the excuse that he "wanted to make sure (Holmes) had insurance on the car."
Keep in mind that Holmes was one mile away from his home, which, I'm sure, is in an affluent neighborhood.
This is a prime example of racial profiling, if you ask me. The officer inadvertently admitted it by stating that he wanted to make sure Holmes had car insurance. Why wouldn't he have car insurance? That is the lamest excuse if I ever heard one.
You're right, T.J.: driving while black isn't a joke.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Black Couple Told They Cannot Marry in White Church
Only in good 'ole Mississippi: a black couple was banned from marrying in a predominately white Baptist church that they regularly attend just a day before the nuptials were to take place.
The pastor who was marry them cancelled the wedding. They later found out the the congregation did not want any black person to marry in the church, and that if the pastor married them he would have been voted out of the church.
Really? I feel like I travelled back 100 years just by reading this article. We have a black president, but a black couple can't get married in a church of their race? Mississippi really needs to get it together...
But get this: 30% of GOP voters in the deep south still think that interracial marriage should be illegal.
This proves that racism is very much alive and well, especially in the south...
The pastor who was marry them cancelled the wedding. They later found out the the congregation did not want any black person to marry in the church, and that if the pastor married them he would have been voted out of the church.
Really? I feel like I travelled back 100 years just by reading this article. We have a black president, but a black couple can't get married in a church of their race? Mississippi really needs to get it together...
But get this: 30% of GOP voters in the deep south still think that interracial marriage should be illegal.
This proves that racism is very much alive and well, especially in the south...
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Does Planned Parenthood Have a Racist Agenda?
Last week, Pastor Patrick Dye of Macedonia Baptist Church in Columbia, SC posted a sign on his church's marquee stating that "Abortionists target black babies." Dye, a White pastor, explained that, "I cannot be silent and just say that‘s somebody else’s problem or I’m not dark enough to care about that issue. I can’t do that." He also goes on to talk about who the Planned Parenthood in his city is conveniently located at the edge of a White neighborhood, which is within walking distance of the housing projects where mostly Blacks live.
Is Pastor Dye's claim justified? Let's take a look at the history of Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger, a nurse, sex educator, and birth control advocate. Some would say that she founded the organization to help rid the population of African Americans; however, the first clinic was opened in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY in 1916 when it was predominately Jewish.
She was, like a lot of other intellects of her time, an known proponent of eugenics, and one cannot rule out that as the premise for her development of such an organization, since the Brownsville location was highly crime-ridden at that time. "Eugenics," however, does not necessarily mean wanting to weed out an entire race. Her idea of this practice was to reduce the reproduction of the "unfit." The term "unfit" is not clearly defined; however, it does not necessarily mean an entire race of people. She also denounced the Nazi's eugenics program, a.k.a. the Holocaust.
As far as abortions go, Ms. Sanger was an opponent of abortions and focused her efforts on providing contraceptives to prevent pregnancies rather than terminating them when they occur. It was not until after her death that the reproductive rights movement chose to include abortion rights along with contraception; therefore, although Ms. Sanger's primary goal was to provide contraception to women, what Planned Parenthood is mainly known for today is its abortions.
Some who condemn the organization would say that they focus on aborting Black babies. There was and undercover investigation in which staff and other representatives of the organization enthusiastically accepted money from people acting as donors wanting to target Blacks for abortions. Some would also argue that the facilities are strategically posted in Black neighborhoods.
So, does Planned Parenthood have a racist agenda? Personally, I don't buy into conspiracy theories. I think that Ms. Sanger was genuinely looking out for the sexual health of women when she created the organization, and the staff members who were so willing to accept money from those donors were not necessarily representative of the whole organization.
Do you think that the Planned Parenthood has a racist agenda?
Is Pastor Dye's claim justified? Let's take a look at the history of Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger, a nurse, sex educator, and birth control advocate. Some would say that she founded the organization to help rid the population of African Americans; however, the first clinic was opened in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY in 1916 when it was predominately Jewish.
She was, like a lot of other intellects of her time, an known proponent of eugenics, and one cannot rule out that as the premise for her development of such an organization, since the Brownsville location was highly crime-ridden at that time. "Eugenics," however, does not necessarily mean wanting to weed out an entire race. Her idea of this practice was to reduce the reproduction of the "unfit." The term "unfit" is not clearly defined; however, it does not necessarily mean an entire race of people. She also denounced the Nazi's eugenics program, a.k.a. the Holocaust.
As far as abortions go, Ms. Sanger was an opponent of abortions and focused her efforts on providing contraceptives to prevent pregnancies rather than terminating them when they occur. It was not until after her death that the reproductive rights movement chose to include abortion rights along with contraception; therefore, although Ms. Sanger's primary goal was to provide contraception to women, what Planned Parenthood is mainly known for today is its abortions.
Some who condemn the organization would say that they focus on aborting Black babies. There was and undercover investigation in which staff and other representatives of the organization enthusiastically accepted money from people acting as donors wanting to target Blacks for abortions. Some would also argue that the facilities are strategically posted in Black neighborhoods.
So, does Planned Parenthood have a racist agenda? Personally, I don't buy into conspiracy theories. I think that Ms. Sanger was genuinely looking out for the sexual health of women when she created the organization, and the staff members who were so willing to accept money from those donors were not necessarily representative of the whole organization.
Do you think that the Planned Parenthood has a racist agenda?
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Rodney King Dead at Age 47
Rodney King, whose beating by police and the subsequent acquittals of the officers had sparked the LA race riots of 1991, was found dead in his swimming pool today.
Although the brutal beating was caught on tape, an all-white jury found three of four police officers not-guilty on most of the charges, and were deadlocked on one charge. This sparked outrage throughout the Black community in Los Angeles, and the LA race riots occurred. Eventually, a few years later, two of the four officers would found guilty and sentenced to 30 months in prison.
I was reading the comments to the news article in the link above, and most of the comments are very hateful. I think that it shows that not a whole lot has changed in terms of race relations in over 20 years. Yeah, an African-American president has been elected within that time frame; however, in my opinion, it has made racial tensions worse in America.
Do you think that race relations are better now than they were 20 years ago?
Although the brutal beating was caught on tape, an all-white jury found three of four police officers not-guilty on most of the charges, and were deadlocked on one charge. This sparked outrage throughout the Black community in Los Angeles, and the LA race riots occurred. Eventually, a few years later, two of the four officers would found guilty and sentenced to 30 months in prison.
I was reading the comments to the news article in the link above, and most of the comments are very hateful. I think that it shows that not a whole lot has changed in terms of race relations in over 20 years. Yeah, an African-American president has been elected within that time frame; however, in my opinion, it has made racial tensions worse in America.
Do you think that race relations are better now than they were 20 years ago?
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Tea Party Leader Tells Racist Joke at Rally
Inge Marler, a board member of the Tea Party in Arkansas, makes a racist joke as an icebreaker at an Ozark Tea Party rally that had the crowd laughing. The joke, which insinuates that all blacks are on welfare, went something like this:
“A black kid asks his mom, ‘Mama, what’s a democracy?’
“‘Well, son, that be when white folks work every day so us po’ folks can get all our benefits.’
“‘But mama, don’t the white folk get mad about that?’“
‘They sho do, son. They sho do. And that’s called racism.’”
Ummm...like their aren't any poor Whites that benefit from welfare, or Blacks or other minorities that work to pay into the system as well? What an ignorant "joke." Well, I shouldn't expect any more from the Tea Party anyway...
“A black kid asks his mom, ‘Mama, what’s a democracy?’
“‘Well, son, that be when white folks work every day so us po’ folks can get all our benefits.’
“‘But mama, don’t the white folk get mad about that?’“
‘They sho do, son. They sho do. And that’s called racism.’”
Ummm...like their aren't any poor Whites that benefit from welfare, or Blacks or other minorities that work to pay into the system as well? What an ignorant "joke." Well, I shouldn't expect any more from the Tea Party anyway...
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Steelworker Gets $25M in Damages in Law Suit Against Company
Elijah Turley, a steelworker for ArcelorMittal in Buffalo, NY, was awarded $25 million in damages from the company's failure to stop racial torment created by his co-workers at the steel plant. Such torment included "KKK" and "King Kong" graffiti on the plant's walls, and a stuffed money with a noose around its neck hanging from his driver's side mirror.
Companies like this need to wake up: they just cannot allow things like this to go on! This creates a hostile work environment that makes work miserable for the offended party. It's the same as bullying, and can have detrimental effects to the victims of such abuse. I hope that the amount that this particular company has to pay toward Turley acts as a lesson for other companies so that they may take action against such behavior.
Do you think Turley should have gotten $25 million in damages?
Companies like this need to wake up: they just cannot allow things like this to go on! This creates a hostile work environment that makes work miserable for the offended party. It's the same as bullying, and can have detrimental effects to the victims of such abuse. I hope that the amount that this particular company has to pay toward Turley acts as a lesson for other companies so that they may take action against such behavior.
Do you think Turley should have gotten $25 million in damages?
Shonda Rhimes Calls-Out "Bunheads" for Its Lack of Diversity
Shonda Rhimes, creator of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" points out the lack of minority cast members "Bunheads," a new show on ABC Family about a former Las Vegas Showgirl turned dance instructor at a dance school owned by her mother-in-law, on twitter:
Another show, "Girls," is receiving the same kind of flack for the lack of diversity in its cast members.
I can totally understand what Ms, Rhimes is saying: there is a lack of diversity on TV--not just from these two shows, but from many others as well (does "Friends" or "Seinfeld" ring a bell?). This is why stations like BET were created (which is garbage now, by the way).
I do not watch shows that do not have one single minority character--be it Asian, Black, Hispanic, etc., and I try not to let my daughter watch shows that lack diversity as well. I also do not buy products that do not have a single minority in their commercials, and I wouldn't dare buy any Disney Princess paraphernalia for my daughter unless they include Princess Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog" (She actually has a Disney Princess tent that she had gotten for her birthday that has every single Disney Princess on it...except Tiana! They even had Rapunzel from "Tangled" on there! I would have never had bought that for her). I do this because I want her to know that this is not just a White world--there are many different people on this Earth, and diversity is important for this reason. I also want to expose her to people who look like her.
Growing up, I was not exposed to any outside role-models that looked like me, and I do not want that to happen to her. It honestly made me feel like everything White was good and everything Black was bad or insignificant (I was very racially-aware at a young age, without prompting from my parents).
I am also disappointed in Black shows that lack diversity, and won't watch those, either.
Do you think that diversity in television programming is important?
Another show, "Girls," is receiving the same kind of flack for the lack of diversity in its cast members.
I can totally understand what Ms, Rhimes is saying: there is a lack of diversity on TV--not just from these two shows, but from many others as well (does "Friends" or "Seinfeld" ring a bell?). This is why stations like BET were created (which is garbage now, by the way).
I do not watch shows that do not have one single minority character--be it Asian, Black, Hispanic, etc., and I try not to let my daughter watch shows that lack diversity as well. I also do not buy products that do not have a single minority in their commercials, and I wouldn't dare buy any Disney Princess paraphernalia for my daughter unless they include Princess Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog" (She actually has a Disney Princess tent that she had gotten for her birthday that has every single Disney Princess on it...except Tiana! They even had Rapunzel from "Tangled" on there! I would have never had bought that for her). I do this because I want her to know that this is not just a White world--there are many different people on this Earth, and diversity is important for this reason. I also want to expose her to people who look like her.
Growing up, I was not exposed to any outside role-models that looked like me, and I do not want that to happen to her. It honestly made me feel like everything White was good and everything Black was bad or insignificant (I was very racially-aware at a young age, without prompting from my parents).
I am also disappointed in Black shows that lack diversity, and won't watch those, either.
Do you think that diversity in television programming is important?
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Teacher Addresses Student as "Black Boy"
Kathleen Pyles, a middle school teacher in Waterbury, Connecticut, calls a Black student by what some people would deem as a racist name. She first addresses him by the wrong name, and when the student points it out she says, "How about black boy? Go sit down, black boy."
The incident came to light when another student told his mother, who then took the issue to the school.
How unprofessional is it to address a student by their race or ethnicity?! She, basically, demeaned him in front of his peers by not using the student's name but, instead, labeling him on the basis of his race. It is hard to imagine what people are thinking when they do--or say--stupid things like this...
The incident came to light when another student told his mother, who then took the issue to the school.
How unprofessional is it to address a student by their race or ethnicity?! She, basically, demeaned him in front of his peers by not using the student's name but, instead, labeling him on the basis of his race. It is hard to imagine what people are thinking when they do--or say--stupid things like this...
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Organizations That Help Black Men
Foundation work from organizations such as Open Society Foundations, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation are helping Black men stay out of jail and do better in life.
Programs like these are needed. Due to our turbulent history, African Americans are so behind socially, academically, and economically that we need help just to stay afloat. I will talk more about social and academic programs aimed at helping African Americans and their purpose more in my book.
Programs like these are needed. Due to our turbulent history, African Americans are so behind socially, academically, and economically that we need help just to stay afloat. I will talk more about social and academic programs aimed at helping African Americans and their purpose more in my book.
Gwyneth Paltrow in Hot Water for Tweeting "Ni**as in Paris for Real" During Watch the Throne Concert
Gwyneth Paltrow tweets the title to one of the songs of Jay-Z and Kanye's Watch the Throne album that includes the N-word:
@GwynethPaltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Well, at least she uses asterisks instead of tweeting the the actual words.
I know this is taken out of context, and that she didn't mean any harm by it; however, it is a sensitive word that many people are still bothered by. As a White woman, she should have used her senses and not have tweeted this at all. I talk more about the word's use amongst Whites and Blacks in the first chapter of my book.
@GwynethPaltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Ni**as in paris for real @mrteriusnash (the dream) tyty, beehighhttp://t.co/WL7TIDpG
Well, at least she uses asterisks instead of tweeting the the actual words.
I know this is taken out of context, and that she didn't mean any harm by it; however, it is a sensitive word that many people are still bothered by. As a White woman, she should have used her senses and not have tweeted this at all. I talk more about the word's use amongst Whites and Blacks in the first chapter of my book.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Trayvon Martin
This has got to be one of the saddest stories of the year: a 17-year-old teen by the name of Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, on his way back to his father's home in Sanford, FL after buying some snacks from the a convenience store. What is worse is that the killer has not been charged, as he claimed "self-defense," although he followed the teen even after a 911 dispatcher told him not to.
The teen was visiting his father from Miami. They were watching a championship basketball game when he decided to walk to the convenience store during half-time for snacks. As he is walking back, Zimmerman, 28, calls 911 to report a "suspicious" individual due to a number of break-ins in his neighborhood and follows the boy. The boy, who was on the phone with his girlfriend, lead onto the fact that Zimmerman was following him. The boy asks Zimmerman why he is following him, Zimmerman asks the boy what he is doing in his neighborhood. Shortly after that a scuffle ensues, and Zimmerman shoots and kills the boy.
It is obvious that the reason why this teen looked suspicious was none other than him being black and "dressing the part" with a hoody on. The boy was not doing anything out of the ordinary, and he did not have any weapons on him. He did not deserve to die; however, Zimmerman deserves to be charged with murder.
There is a law in Florida that states that anyone who feels "threatened" can use deadly force in self-defense and not be charged, and Zimmerman used this law to his advantage. The law is so flawed--anyone call kill someone and call it "self-defense," and the witness (victim) is dead, so you take the word of the person who killed? I doesn't make sense to me...
...What also doesn't make sense is the fact that this man, who looks like he is twice or three times the size of this child, is claiming self-defense when he pursued the young man (after being told not to--I can't reiterate that enough), and all that Trayvon had on him were a few snacks and his cell phone--no gun, no knife, no kind of weapon.
What do you think about this case? Should Zimmerman be prosecuted?
The teen was visiting his father from Miami. They were watching a championship basketball game when he decided to walk to the convenience store during half-time for snacks. As he is walking back, Zimmerman, 28, calls 911 to report a "suspicious" individual due to a number of break-ins in his neighborhood and follows the boy. The boy, who was on the phone with his girlfriend, lead onto the fact that Zimmerman was following him. The boy asks Zimmerman why he is following him, Zimmerman asks the boy what he is doing in his neighborhood. Shortly after that a scuffle ensues, and Zimmerman shoots and kills the boy.
It is obvious that the reason why this teen looked suspicious was none other than him being black and "dressing the part" with a hoody on. The boy was not doing anything out of the ordinary, and he did not have any weapons on him. He did not deserve to die; however, Zimmerman deserves to be charged with murder.
There is a law in Florida that states that anyone who feels "threatened" can use deadly force in self-defense and not be charged, and Zimmerman used this law to his advantage. The law is so flawed--anyone call kill someone and call it "self-defense," and the witness (victim) is dead, so you take the word of the person who killed? I doesn't make sense to me...
...What also doesn't make sense is the fact that this man, who looks like he is twice or three times the size of this child, is claiming self-defense when he pursued the young man (after being told not to--I can't reiterate that enough), and all that Trayvon had on him were a few snacks and his cell phone--no gun, no knife, no kind of weapon.
What do you think about this case? Should Zimmerman be prosecuted?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Alaska Birther Files Lawsuit Stating President Obama is Ineligible Because of His Race
An Alaska man has filed a lawsuit to remove the president from his state's ballot, citing the 14th amendment and stating that before its ratification, "the race of "Negro" or "mulatto" had no standing to be citizens of the United States under the United States Constitution."
He really went back a couple of centuries with this one...
Do you agree with this birther on this issue?
He really went back a couple of centuries with this one...
Do you agree with this birther on this issue?
Youth Baseball Coach in Chicago Suspended Over Whitney Houston N-Word Comment on Facebook
The title says it all, but you can read more here.
All I'm saying is if that word comes to someone so naturally that they did not even realize that they used it, that means it is a regular part of their vocabulary. I don't care how many black friends he has (yup, he used the old, "I'm not racist, I have black friends" excuse), he is a racist and deserves to be suspended. That word may slip again--if it hasn't already--when addressing one of his African American athletes...
Do you think he should have been suspended?
All I'm saying is if that word comes to someone so naturally that they did not even realize that they used it, that means it is a regular part of their vocabulary. I don't care how many black friends he has (yup, he used the old, "I'm not racist, I have black friends" excuse), he is a racist and deserves to be suspended. That word may slip again--if it hasn't already--when addressing one of his African American athletes...
Do you think he should have been suspended?
Monday, February 20, 2012
ESPN Writer fired over "Chink in the Armour" flap
An ESPN writer who wrote an article about New York Knicks basketball sensation Jeremy Lin entitled "Chink in the Armour" was fired. Every one who does not live under a rock knows that the word "chink" is a pejorative term for people of Asian descent. I guess the author tried to be clever, but it seriously backfired.
Seriously, what are people thinking?! First, a teacher tells her student to "Go back to Mexico," now this?! Smh, people. Smh...
What to you think about the title of the article?
Seriously, what are people thinking?! First, a teacher tells her student to "Go back to Mexico," now this?! Smh, people. Smh...
What to you think about the title of the article?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
"Whiteness" Studies
I stumbled across an article that talks about "whiteness studies" and "white privilege" being taught as a college course in many colleges across the nation. While there are many known courses in black or African American and Latino studies, courses in whiteness are not as well known--I haven't even heard of it. In fact, the field has existed for several years now, and have been taught in major Universities such as University of Texas in Arlington, and American University in Washington, D.C.
Many people would say that such studies are not necessary because they believe that the United States is "post-racial" due to the election of a black president; however, the aftermath of that election proved just how divided we are racially.
I think this is a great idea because many Caucasians do not know just how good they have it. They may think that the playing field is level, but these types of courses will show the ignorant ones that, although things have definitely gotten better in the last few decades, we still have a long way to go. This will be discussed further in my book.
Do you think "whiteness studies" are necessary? Would you participate in such a course?
Many people would say that such studies are not necessary because they believe that the United States is "post-racial" due to the election of a black president; however, the aftermath of that election proved just how divided we are racially.
I think this is a great idea because many Caucasians do not know just how good they have it. They may think that the playing field is level, but these types of courses will show the ignorant ones that, although things have definitely gotten better in the last few decades, we still have a long way to go. This will be discussed further in my book.
Do you think "whiteness studies" are necessary? Would you participate in such a course?
Interracial Marriages Gaining More Acceptance
A study shows that interracial marriages are at an all time high since it was legalized almost 45 years ago, and its acceptance is growing.
I will talk about interracial dating/marriage in my book; however, let me give you all a little taste about what I think...I see nothing wrong with dating or marrying outside of one's race; however, if you are going around saying you only date a certain type, or if you say that you refuse to date a certain type, you are being just as simple-minded as someone who will not date outside of their own race. If you are truly color-blind, it should be equal opportunity for all.
Now, I am saying this because where I grew up in FL, a lot of the black males that I knew--especially my brother's friends--said that they would never date black women and will only date white women, and I have always found that to be appalling. I never quite understood why they were like that.
What to you thing about the article and interracial dating/marriage? Would you marry someone out of your own race?
I will talk about interracial dating/marriage in my book; however, let me give you all a little taste about what I think...I see nothing wrong with dating or marrying outside of one's race; however, if you are going around saying you only date a certain type, or if you say that you refuse to date a certain type, you are being just as simple-minded as someone who will not date outside of their own race. If you are truly color-blind, it should be equal opportunity for all.
Now, I am saying this because where I grew up in FL, a lot of the black males that I knew--especially my brother's friends--said that they would never date black women and will only date white women, and I have always found that to be appalling. I never quite understood why they were like that.
What to you thing about the article and interracial dating/marriage? Would you marry someone out of your own race?
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