Your Black News

Recently, as many African-Americans stumble blindly through this “post-racial” society, there have been intense---often antagonistic---conversations surrounding the gnawing need that many of us feel to shoulder the responsibility of each and every one of our brothers and sisters.

Two schools of thoughts emerge. On one side, we have the individuals of African slave descent who understand that what reflects on one does in fact reflect on all of us in this intrinsically prejudicial society; one that aids and abets the enslavement of Black Americans through the “whips” and “chains” many of us willingly drape around ourselves. These people are not saying that’s it’s fair --- or even accurate --- but that it’s an ever present stereo-typical Black cloud that unleashes a storm of collective judgment upon bare heads unprepared for the relentless downpour.

Then we have the individuals who understand that we are each separate entities unrestrained by societal roles that have been etched in stone by a white patriarchy that gains massive quantities of wealth and power by keeping us corralled with our own internalized hatred. They hold contempt for the communal concept that demands patience, love and shared responsibility of both successes and failures. Not because they do not care; simply because they do not appreciate nor accept the shackles of racism that impede their individual progression in a society that labels us by the company that we keep.

How best to merge this widening chasm of resentment and disconnection? How do we acknowledge that we are blood relatives ripped mercilessly apart from each other, while still maintaining our personal convictions and perspectives?

First, we must acknowledge that we are family.

I know that doesn’t sit too well with the Talented Tenth who abhor being saturated with the grime of the other 90%, but we are family.

For this particular conversation, let’s use the working definition that a family is a group of people, whether through relation or circumstances, that actually gives a damn about those who share their genetic composition and cultural alignment. This is not to imply that we are accessories forever liable for every idiotic, asinine bit of tomfoolery that our family becomes involved in, but it does require that we be there for them when the inevitable character assassination attempts occur, or in the case of Troy Davis, the calculated state-sanctioned murders.

A family teaches so that the next generation is positioned better than the previous one. A family loves so that our children understand that we actually see them. We know that saggy pants and stripper antics are symptoms of the much larger problems of oppression and suppression, marginalization and disenfranchisement, not the problem itself. A family reads together and strives together and we don’t co-opt the individualism and capitalism of the dominant culture while out-sourcing our responsibility to each other.

No, it is not easy. There is no obvious, immediately identifiable return on the investment. My father, Theodore “Bubber” West, always taught me that people will more willingly give, share and advance the causes of those whom they know can reciprocate the favor.

There are no favors for those who choose to both defend and critique the most vulnerable in our communities.

There are no awards and trophies, no accolades nor applause. No pension plan nor retirement party when you at last retire your marching boots; no brass band that heralds your passing. All we have is a driving passion to progress our people forward. Yes, our people. I said it.

And, I’ll say it again --- our people.

Family, responsibility, collective, ancestry, oneness have become dirty words instead of the pillars of strength that they once were.

We need to get that old thing back and stop gazing at our community through the eyes of this nation. Would we recoil from affiliation if all were perfect? Would we shudder at the thought of being a link in a legacy that wasn’t tainted with the blood and dehumanization of slavery and Jim and Jane Crow? Would we grasp desperately at straws that differentiate us from each other in every single minute way?

No.

There is an angry, defensive refrain whenever a Black person does something negative and the net is cast far and wide to reel us into the same “negro” boat: “It wasn’t me, why do I have to be grouped in with knuckleheads and video hoes and criminals?” “When a Black person is successful, why does that not reflect on me as well?”

My questions are many: “Who says that it doesn’t? Why are we more willing to separate than elevate? Why do we internalize the shame of negativity, and externalize the positivity? Why do we seek out the dregs to lynch side-by-side with society? Why are we more willing to attempt to merge into the shadows of a colorless society instead of standing tall, proud, and Black, basking in our uniqueness and diversity, while still embracing humanity as a whole?

What is so wrong with that?

At the end of day, I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a proud Black woman who is not defined by what society chooses to believe or disbelieve about me. I do not feel cornered by fallacious perceptions driven by BET, VH1, and Bravo. I do not accept ownership for the misdeeds of adults who should know better, nor children who couldn’t possibly because they were raised by the aforementioned adults. I do not live in fear that I will be painted with a brutal brush of immorality and depravity, then hoisted upon a pedestal as evidence of all that is wrong with Black America.

Still, neither am I a militant assimilationist who would rather fight my way unto a winning team with a stacked deck, knowing that the team I was born to play on has had lingering losing seasons and needs its players to step their game up, not bail at the first opportunity --- and I am proud of it.

My father also instilled a creed within me from an early age that I carry with me every single day:

“There is a destiny that makes us brothers; none goes his way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.”

If we are truly concerned with the progression of family and community, then we must first acknowledge that the legacy of Willie Lynch is poisoning Black America --- blurring the line between cultural disintegration and post-racial evolution --- then work collectively to create the antidote.

I am not brother; but am I ultimately my brother’s keeper? Yes I am --- and that is not some martyrized responsibility.

It is my privilege.

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Kirsten West Savali is Senior News Editor at YourBlackWorld.com. She is founder and administrator of the Nomadic Poets’ Oasis, an online destination dedicated to the exposure and elevation of poetry, spoken word and the visual arts. She is also currently co-writing The Hole in the Wall, a piercing, Blues-tinged screenplay that delves into the bruised soul of a fatherless son in search of himself. Her provocative commentary appears in various publications and explores the interconnectivity of race, gender, politics and culture. Kirsten’s work can be found on ClutchMagazine.com, HuffingtonPost.com, AOLBlackVoices, Loop21.com, IllumeMagazine.com, BirthplaceMagazine.com and others. Connect with her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter: @KWestSavali

Pres. Obama's Chief of Staff Resigns

2012-01-09T18:17:00.001-05:00

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Congress, The White House, Cut Heating Assistance to Over a Million Homes Last Year

2012-01-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

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Brother of Dallas Cowboys Receiver Shot in the Head

2012-01-09T10:27:00.001-05:00

Kevin Ogletree is asking others to pray for his brother Calvin.

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Dr. Boyce and Yvette: What do Tavis Smiley and Pat Buchanan Have in Common?

2012-01-09T10:16:00.001-05:00

Tavis Smiley and Pat Buchanan have both paid a huge price for their words.

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Emmanuel Lewis Loses His House to Foreclosure

2012-01-09T10:01:00.001-05:00

Webster is having financial troubles, just like every other celebrity on earth.

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Sources are Saying Beyonce Had a Surrogate Mother

2012-01-08T20:07:00.001-05:00

It looks like the Jigga is up on Beyonce's plan to conceal her surrogate mom.

Click to read more on WhatTheHayell.com

Watch the Throne: 15-Year Old Surgeon Sets the Standard for What Black Men Can Surely Become

2012-01-08T18:06:00.001-05:00

Tony Hansberry has a bright future as a surgeon. But there should be thousands more black men like him.

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5 Things that Ivy Blue Carter Is Going to Learn from Her Parents

2012-01-08T16:03:00.001-05:00

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Mississippi HS Basketball Trainer Accused of Molesting Minor Girl On Team In Hotel Room

2012-01-08T01:14:00.001-05:00

Your Black World reports:

Can we trust our children anyone these days?

Mark Chatman, a trainer with the Natchez High School girls' basketball team (Lady Bulldogs) in Natchez, Mississippi has been arrested for molesting a young girl when the team traveled to Magee, Mississippi to play in a tournament.

The 45-year-old was chaperoning the group of teen girls when for reasons as yet to be determined, they ended up in his hotel room. According to the girl's aunt, after the other girls left, her niece was left in the room with only Chatman and one other male who was in the bathroom when the alleged molestation occurred. Girls on the team told the coach, who told the school, who then reported it to police.

Sources, who have asked to remain anonymous, reveal exclusively to Your Black World that the trainer and the student may have been involved in an inappropriate relationship prior to the incident.

Long-time coach, Sue Johnson, was the one who called the girl's aunt, who is her legal guardian, and told her that her niece had been molested. The aunt, who spoke to the local news with her face blurred out, says that her niece is now afraid to even walk down the street alone because she's so afraid of what might happen to her.

Chatman faces one count of sexual battery after turning himself into Natchez police.

"I just want to see him punished for what he did to her, because for the rest of her life she has to live with what he did to her... she's afraid that someone else that she trusts will do this to her again."

When asked whether or not Chatman was still employed at Natchez High School, the interim superintendent Natchez-Adams School District, Joyce Johnson, refused to comment on the situation, telling WJTV that "the district cannot comment because it it a personnel matter."

Kirsten West Savali: Atlanta Metro-Area School District Defends Using Slavery Equations To Teach Math To Third Graders

2012-01-07T19:15:00.001-05:00

Your Black News reports:

Third grade math is not normally the course where students are taught about beating slaves and dehumanizing labor, but two teachers at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Atlanta thought it was a perfectly normal integration.

Chris Braxton told Fox 5 Atlanta that his son came home from school Friday afternoon with a racially inflammatory assignment that featured such questions as:

“Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?”

“How many baskets of cotton did Frederick fill?”

“If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week? Two weeks?"

While the Gwinnett County School District admits the questions were “inappropriate,” they are not disciplining the teachers in any way; in fact, they came swiftly to their defense.

Spokesperson Sloan Roach said “two teachers from the school came up with the questions as part of a cross-curriculum activity,” reports Fox 5. After learning about slavery in social studies, they apparently felt it would be an excellent idea to reinforce the horrific violence of oppression by having their students count how many times African slaves was abused by their owners.

“They were trying to connect what they learned there with the math,” Roach said. This is simply a case of creating a bad question.”

Though Braxton rightfully feels that the questions are racist, the school district defends the teachers against the charges, simply stating that the “bad” questions will not be used again.

I have seen many cases of ignorance and racism in the media, but this is one of the most vile, reprehensible forms of indoctrination. To teach eight-year-olds math by inserting slavery into the equation is evidence that plantation philosophy not only runs rampant in Georgia politics, but in education as well.

There were no other questions that could have been asked? Maybe: How many slave-owners deserved to be lynched for the atrocities they committed against their African slaves?

Answer: All of them.

How callous and culturally insensitive is it to throw out numbers without giving voice to the the enormity of the subjugation that African slaves faced? How absolutely heinous to have children count beatings in their head, diminishing African people to mere human chattel in a classroom setting in 2012?

If we’re going to talk about math, let’s talk about all the wealth that was stolen from future generations of the African-American community during slavery, when every back-breaking second, minute and hour of work translated into profits for white America while our families were beaten, murdered, raped and torn apart?

If African-Americans were allowed to accumulate wealth during slavery, would we still face the highest levels of poverty and unemployment in the country? Why aren’t our future leaders examining that mathematical equation?

These teachers deserve to be fired. Immediately. No, that’s not over-reacting; no, it’s not overly sensitive.

When the Gawker blogger was fired for referring to Kanye West’s new company, DONDA, named after his late mother, as an acronym for “Dis Original Nigga Dresses Aight," I found it difficult to believe that a brother whose current hit is “Niggas in Paris” would be offended. When Rihanna was referred to as a “niggabitch” by Dutch magazine, Jackie, I refused to feel empathy for a woman who uses the words “nigga” and “bitch” on a regular basis. When scholars attempted to rewrite Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn by removing “nigger” and replacing it with “slave,” I passionately disagreed with the artistic and historical revisionism, believing that “slave” is just as---if not more---psychologically damaging as the word “nigger.”

But this…is inexcusable.

If the Gwinnett County School District continues to deflect and minimize the severity of this situation, serving as accessories to the teachers themselves, then it would behoove African-Americans in the district to put two and two together and realize that they don’t give a damn about you, your children, nor their education.

The math doesn’t get any simpler than that.

Third Grade Homework Assignment Contains References to Slavery: MyFoxATLANTA.com

New Book Reveals that Mrs. Obama Was Frustrated with President Obama's Team

2012-01-07T13:56:00.001-05:00

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Is It OK to Question Christianity?

2012-01-06T23:11:00.001-05:00

Yvette Carnell, Dr. Boyce Watkins and Pastor Mika Edmondson discuss the issue.

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Charles Barkley Says that Weight Watchers is a Scam

2012-01-06T13:02:00.001-05:00

Charles Barkley might end up regretting his words about Weight Watchers during a commercial break.

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Yvette Carnell: What ‘Cain’s Solutions Revolution’ Tells Us About Herman Cain

2012-01-06T11:17:00.001-05:00

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Dr. Boyce: Unemployment Data Improves, but Keeps Getting Worse for Black People

2012-01-06T11:11:00.001-05:00

Black unemployment continues to worsen, even as America cheers for the latest economic data.

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Missing Boy's Mother Told Cops She Had No Children

2012-01-06T10:21:00.001-05:00

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Deported Black Teen Returned to Be the United States

2012-01-06T09:30:00.001-05:00

Jakadrien Turner is coming back home after being accidentally deported to Colombia.

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Smart Black Girl vs. Booty-Shaking Black Girls - Which is Going to be More Successful?

2012-01-05T23:15:00.001-05:00

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Video Shows Teen Choking Herself in the Back of a Police Car

2012-01-05T11:30:00.001-05:00

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Was the Mistakenly Deported Team Actually a Victim or Did She Compound the Lie?

2012-01-05T09:42:00.001-05:00

Was Jakadrien Turner really a victim or is there something more to her story? One legal mind says that there probably is.

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Here We Go Again: Georgia Judge Allows 2012 Challenge Of Obama’s Citizenship To Stand

2012-01-04T22:41:00.001-05:00

Your Black Politics reports:

Just when we thought the ‘birther’ movement and it’s ringleader, Donald Trump, were fading into oblivion, the great state of Georgia proves us wrong.

Judge Michael M. Malihi of the Georgia state Office of State Administrative Hearings ruled that President Barack Obama must meet the requirements set forth in the constitution defining “natural born citizenship.”

“The court finds that defendant is a candidate for federal office who has been certified by the state executive committee of a political party, and therefore must, under Code Section 21-2-5, meet the constitutional and statutory qualifications for holding the office being sought.,” said Malihi in his ruling.

President Obama’s attorney, Michael Jablonski, had his argument that the requirements did not apply to presidential elections summarily dismissed by the judge, who said he did not interpret the law in that way.

“Statutory provisions must be read as they are written, and this court finds that the cases cited by [Obama] are not controlling. When the court construes a constitutional or statutory provision, the ‘first step … is to examine the plain statutory language,” the judge wrote. “Section 21-2-1(a) states that ‘every candidate for federal and state office’ must meet the qualifications for holding that particular office, and this court has seen no case law limiting this provision, nor found any language that contains an exception for the office of president or stating that the provision does not apply to the presidential preference primary.”

Constitutional specialists contend that because “natural born citizen” is not defined in the Constitution, at the time it was written the term would mean that both parents were born in the United States. Barack Obama, Sr. was not born in the United States, so they continue to try to dismiss Obama on that technicality.

An evidence hearing has been scheduled later this month.

Not surprisingly, Malihi reveals in his ruling that, “There are similar challenges to Obama’s 2012 candidacy being raised before state election or other commissions in Tennessee, Arizona and New Hampshire as well.”

A judge in Jefferson County, Alabama has set a hearing for a lawsuit also challenging Obama's citizenship and eligibility to be on the ballot in Alabama in November.

It seems as if the 2012 campaign is picking up just where we left off in 2008.

Stacey Nicole English - Atlanta Woman Still Missing

2012-01-04T21:08:00.001-05:00

Stacey Nicole English is still missing.

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Woman Caught Shoplifting - Says She Played Rudy Huxtable

2012-01-04T11:58:00.001-05:00

Does she look like Rudy to you? We don't think so either.

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Lauryn Hill’s Daughter Selah Marley Is Stunning as a Model

2012-01-04T11:29:00.001-05:00

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The New Faces of Black Weight Loss

2012-01-04T11:21:00.001-05:00

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Yvette Carnell: President Obama Says He Kept His Campaign Promises - I Disagree

2012-01-04T11:10:00.001-05:00

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Oprah's Return Gives Her Network a Boost

2012-01-04T10:44:00.001-05:00

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Nick Cannon Hospitalized with Kidney Failure

2012-01-04T10:31:00.001-05:00

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Chris Brown Will Be Doing No Interviews During 2012

2012-01-04T09:58:00.001-05:00

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A Black Church Gets Ownership of a KKK Store

2012-01-04T09:22:00.001-05:00

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Is This Police Officer Planting Drugs in a Suspect's Car?

2012-01-03T19:32:00.001-05:00

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Mitt Romney Compares President Obama to Kim Kardashian

2012-01-03T19:25:00.001-05:00

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Black Life Coaches: How to Shake the Midday Blues

2012-01-03T16:59:00.001-05:00

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Concert Promoter is Kidnapped When Nas Fails to Show up in Angola

2012-01-03T16:43:00.001-05:00

Patrick Allocco says goons came and kidnapped him when Nas took the money and didn't perform in Angola.

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Rick Santorum Characterizes Black People as Being on Welfare

2012-01-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

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FAMU's Board Puts Together a Plan to Stop Hazing on Campus

2012-01-03T09:22:00.001-05:00

The death of Robert Champion has led FAMU's Board of Trustees to act.

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Rapper 50 Cent Signs Major Deal with Pepsi

2012-01-03T08:44:00.001-05:00

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Finally: TV One Sheds Light On The “Black and Missing” In New Series

2012-01-02T22:46:00.001-05:00

By: Kirsten West Savali, Your Black World

Many people in Black America have expressed anger, shock, frustration and disappointment for the lack of coverage for missing Black people in America.

While it seems that every missing white woman and child is plastered across newspapers and TV screens, often, black women and children disappear without a trace, with no one but their families being aware that they’re gone --- until it’s too late.

Well, TV One heard that frustration, and premiering January 18, the docu-drama, “Black and Missing” will highlight the stories of the nameless Black faces who fly under the radar.

“[Black and Missing] will put names and faces to people of color – young and old- who have disappeared without a trace. Each riveting episode features a dramatic and emotional tale that places the viewer within the lives of the missing person, along with reflecting the pain of their loved ones, while confronting dead ends at every turn,” says the TV One website.

Hopefully, there will be a happy ending for the family of Phoenix Coldon (pictured above), a 23-year-old woman who backed out of her St. Louis driveway on December 18, 2011, and hasn’t been seen since.

This is definitely a move in the right direction, and much respect to TV One for having their finger on the pulse of the Black community. Now, we won’t have to wait on that Nancy Grace episode that never comes.

Dr. Boyce Video - Dr. Jennifer Caudle Explains How to Push to Get The Right Information from Your Doctor

2012-01-02T09:16:00.001-05:00

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Medical Student Identified as the Woman Who Jumped Off a Bridge

2012-01-02T09:08:00.001-05:00

Tosin Oyelowo had a bright future, but decided to end it all.

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Dennis Rodman Set to Coach a Topless Women's Basketball Team

2012-01-01T19:23:00.001-05:00

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Deion Sanders and His Wife Will Live in Same House, Daughter Blasts Step Mom on Twitter

2012-01-01T09:03:00.001-05:00

The drama for 2012 will be full steam ahead for Deion Sanders and his wife, Pilar.

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Soledad O'Brien Gets a New Show on CNN

2011-12-30T10:29:00.001-05:00

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Dr. Boyce: Five Questions (Black) People Are Asking about the Michael Jordan Engagement

2011-12-30T00:11:00.001-05:00

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Revisionism Is Safe: Court Rules Tuscon Ethnic Studies Program Violates State Law

2011-12-30T00:03:00.001-05:00

By: Kirsten West Savali, Your Black World

The Tucson’s Unified School District has been battling to protect their ethnic studies curriculum which offers specialized courses in Mexican-American, African-American and Native-American studies.

With former Republican State Schools Chief Tom Horne claim that the program promotes “ethnic chauvinism” and teaches Latino students that they are “oppressed” by white people obviously influencing the decision, Judge Lewis Kowal ruled Tuesday that the program violates state law, agreeing with the findings of Arizona's current public schools chief, John Huppenthal.

On May 11th, 2010, Governor Jan Brewer signed into law a measure that prohibits classes that “advocate ethnic solidarity among Latinos and promotes resentment toward white people.” In addition, it is alleged by conservative opposition that the curriculum is designed primarily “for one ethnic group and promoting racial resentment, instead of treating students as individuals.” Huppenthal agreed after he inherited his position Horne, and Kowal’s ruling strikes a blow to educational equality in the state.

Kowal will withhold ten percent of the district’s funding, or approx 15 million dollars, if it does not comply. He claims that while the court encourages diversity, the Mexican-American classes specifically were incendiary.

" …teaching oppression objectively is quite different than actively presenting material in a biased, political and emotionally charged manner [against white people], which is what occurred in [Mexican-American Studies] classes," Kowal wrote.

In a written statement, Huppenthal, a Republican, said that he is, of course, satisfied with the judge’s decision”

"In the end, I made a decision based on the totality of the information and facts gathered during my investigation – a decision that I felt was best for all students in the Tucson Unified School District." he wrote.

The Tucson curriculum encouraged cultural self-identification of U.S. ethnic students who, generally, read about themselves only as oppressed. To abolish this program, which is also available to the white students the school district is trying to protect, is doing them a grave disservice.

Because one day, they are going to have to dwell in the real world outside of Arizona, where people don’t have to present their freedom papers just because they look different, and education is not filtered and diluted for those committed to preserving a fallacious version of United States history.

Yvette Carnell: Why Stanley Crouch is Wrong about Black People and Soul Food

2011-12-29T14:55:00.001-05:00

Yvette Carnell explains why Stanley Crouch's approach to the soul food issue is sad and just a wee bit igorant.

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Dr. Boyce Spotlight: Meet Erica Crump - Author of the Exciting New Book, "Miscellaneous Blues"

2011-12-29T13:58:00.001-05:00

Erica Crump, the author of "Miscellaneous Blues," describes how she pursued her dream of writing.

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Jamie Foxx, Tyler Perry, Martin Lawrence Being Sued by Prison Inmate for Stealing Movie Ideas

2011-12-29T13:07:00.001-05:00

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You have GOT to See This: Carlton Explains Why Aunt Viv Went Nuts on the Fresh Prince

2011-12-29T12:59:00.001-05:00

Carlton from The Fresh Prince gives an extraordinarily candid description of what happened with Aunt Viv on the show. Aunt Viv recently called Will Smith an asshole and Carlton has something to say about that.

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Hilarious Video: Sh*t Black Girls Say - Takes the Nation by Storm

2011-12-28T10:47:00.001-05:00

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Michael Jordan Gets Engaged

2011-12-27T19:40:00.001-05:00

Michael Jordan gets engaged to his longtime girlfriend.

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It Gets Worse: Aunt Viv Says She Would Never Reunite with an A**hole Like Will Smith

2011-12-27T18:06:00.001-05:00

Janet Hubert doesn't seem to realize that it's been 15 years since that show was canceled. Maybe she just needs to let it go.

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Rapper Jim Jones Reportedly Attacked by Masked Gunmen in Detroit

2011-12-27T16:20:00.001-05:00

The rapper Jim Jones appears to have a few enemies. Thanks to the artist Trick Trick, he was able to evade his enemies in Detroit.

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Teacher Stabs Another Teacher 16 Times with a Screw Driver

2011-12-26T23:26:00.001-05:00

Ronette Ricketts is probably going to jail for a very long time.

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Woman Who Sent Fake WMDs and Anti-Semitic Monkey to Politician is Shot Dead by Police

2011-12-26T18:35:00.001-05:00

Jameela Barnette seemed to be very upset with the Jewish community when she died.

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Teenagers Playing "Knockout" - A Deadly Game Attacking Random Citizens

2011-12-26T11:39:00.001-05:00

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Lil Kim Releases Hot New Promo Shot for 2012

2011-12-26T11:13:00.001-05:00

Lil Kim looks ready for the world in her new promo shot for 2012.

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Mega Pastor's Wife in Battle to Take Over Her Late Husband's Church

2011-12-25T16:02:00.001-05:00

After the death of the late Zachery Tims, his wife Riva Tims has been battling with Paula White supporters for control of the New Destiny Christian Center.

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Basketball Wife Evelyn Lozada Accused of Helping Baller Boyfriend Hide Money from Bankruptcy Courts

2011-12-25T08:28:00.001-05:00

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Police Secure Arrest Warrant for Slim Dunkin's Alleged Killer

2011-12-25T07:43:00.001-05:00

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Drake Wants to F*ck Up the Artist Who Put This Tattoo on a Woman's Head

2011-12-25T07:25:00.001-05:00

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The Media Ruins the Christmas Surprise for Sasha and Malia

2011-12-24T21:23:00.001-05:00

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Suspect Identified in the Murder of Rapper Slim Dunkin

2011-12-24T12:59:00.001-05:00

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Fox News Calls Pres. Obama "a Skinny Ghetto Crackhead"

2011-12-23T13:58:00.001-05:00

Brent Bozell of Fox News felt the need to compare Pres. Obama to a "Skinny Ghetto Crackhead." Wow.

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Dr. Boyce: What I'd Like to Get Black People for Christmas

2011-12-23T10:36:00.001-05:00

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Man Who Gagged/Bound His Daughter in Facebook Picture is Now in Jail

2011-12-23T09:13:00.001-05:00

Andre Curry is in big trouble after these pictures appeared on his Facebook page.

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Dr. Boyce - New Study Shows that Black Men Don't Benefit from Mentorship in the Same Way as Whites

2011-12-22T10:04:00.001-05:00

A new study says that black men don't benefit from having mentors in the same way that whites do.

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FAMU student who was killed Had Major Bleeding in Back and Shoulder

2011-12-22T08:16:00.001-05:00

Robert Champion, the FAMU student who was killed in a homicide, was in terrible shape after the beating that killed him.

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Missing Arizona Girl, Jhessye Shockley, Presumed Dead, Mother Remains “#1 Focus”

2011-12-22T02:31:00.001-05:00

Your Black News reports:

The nation has been on high-alert, frantically looking for a trace of little Jhessye Shockley since her disappearance over two months ago from the Phoenix, Arizona suburb of Glendale.

Now detectives have reported that it is believed that the girl has been dead at least that long, murdered and then dumped in a trash bin before being reported missing by her mother, Jerice Hunter.

Glendale police Sgt. Brent Coombs confirmed Wednesday that Hunter is still the “No. 1 focus.”

“We’re in what we believed to be the worst-case scenario from the beginning,” Coombs said.

Hunter was arrested on a child abuse charge last month related to Jhessye, and at that time, authorities said they doubted they would find the child alive.

Prosecutors were hesitant to pursue the child abuse charge because if convicted, they assert that she would not have been able to be charged with her daughter’s murder if, indeed, she was determined to be responsible.

Detectives now believe that Jhessye’s body is in a land-fill outside of Phoenix, and say that they are going to be as meticulous as possible while searching for her:

“There’s such a scientific method behind trying to pinpoint a location within a particular cell within that landfill. It’s a very difficult thing to do,” he said, also noting that decomposition is an issue. “The reason we’re taking such a long time is we want to be as confident as we can be prior to starting any operation that we’re going to do the very best job we can.”

Reporting her missing on Oct. 11, Hunter told police that she left the house to run errands for her older children, only to return home to find Jhessye gone.

Jhessye’s older sister testified that her mother was lying, according to court documents, and that not only had she not seen her sister since September, but that her mother was cleaning her shoes and a closet that she kept her in a few days before reporting her missing.

“(She) reported that Jhessye’s hair had been pulled out and described Jhessye as not looking alive and that she looked like a zombie,” the document said. “(She) said that the closet where Jhessye had been looked like a grave and smelled like dead people.”

The teen further claimed that her sister had black eyes, cuts and bruises, and was deprived of food and water while she was in the closet.

In October 2005, Hunter was arrested with her then-husband, George Shockley on child abuse charges. She pleaded “no contest” to corporal punishment, serving four years in prison before being released for parole in May 2010. Shockley is a registered sex-offender and remains in a California prison.

Child welfare workers removed all of Hunter’s other children from the home after little Jhessye was reported missing, and to date, Hunter refuses to submit to a lie-detector test.

NFL Player Gives Entire Salary to Sends Kids to College

2011-12-21T12:37:00.001-05:00

NFL Superstar Braylon Edwards wants kids to be educated. He's putting his money where his mouth is.

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What’s That Horrible Stench? A New Study Says Gonorrhea

2011-12-21T00:32:00.001-05:00

The Journal of Sexual Medicine has published a study by the Institute of Cytology in Russia. The data found that men infected with gonorrhea emit a "putrid" odor according to the women who took part in the study.

The scientists got the idea from female rats, whom use their sense of smell to avoid diseased males when searching for potential mate. So they gathered thirteen men infected with gonorrhea, sixteen men with no infections and five men who had been successfully treated for gonorrhea. The scientists then took samples of saliva and underarm body odor from all the men. It was concluded that the odor from the infected men was considerably stronger than their healthy counterparts.

Gonorrhea is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States, with over 700,000 cases per year according to the Center for Disease Control Prevention. Symptoms take days, weeks and sometimes there aren't present. People with gonorrhea may experience some, all, or none of the following symptoms:

Men:

Discharge from the penis

Burning sensation while urinating

Tender or swollen testicles

Women:

Burning sensation while urinating

Abnormal vaginal discharge

Abdominal pain

Unusual vaginal bleeding

Men and Women:

Anal itching

Soreness

Bleeding

Painful bowel movements

Eye infections

Blood infections

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If you have any of these symptoms or are sexually active without the use of condoms you should be tested as soon as possible.

Do You Agree? News One Editor Says “Kwanzaa Is Wack”

2011-12-20T23:51:00.001-05:00

Your Black News reports:

Now this in an interesting perspective.

Adisa Banjoko, West Coast Editor for Black news site, News One, asserts that Kwanzaa is a superficial, misleading, inauthentic representation of African-American culture:

“…. the reality is that Kwanzaa was created by an FBI informant named Dr. Maulana Karenga. Straight up! That’s an actual fact. Beyond that, stuff like corn that is used in a lot of the rituals is not even native to Africa. A friend of mine noted “it’s truly corny,” writes Banjoka.

In case someone tried to pull his “Black card,” Banjoka makes sure to throw in that he does in fact “love Africa,” apparently just not the one holiday in this country created to honor her diverse culture, dedication to family, self-worth and community building:

“Look, I love Africa and what it means to be Black. I love almost everything African (aside from the tribal fighting and the needless murder and rape of women across the continent). But Kwanzaa is not African. I never knew an African (from any part of the continent) who was like “Yo Adisa, bro you wanna slide thought to the Kwanzaa fest playa?” It has never happened! They don’t get down like that.”

He further compares Kwanzaa to a “bad weave” that everyone knows is not real.

While I can agree that inauthentic representation of a culture is no representation at all, maybe it would be more beneficial to actually open dialogue that demands a more honest depiction of African culture, as opposed to critiquing it’s legitimacy without offering any solid ideas on improving and broadening its scope.

Just an idea.

Weigh in readers: Do you celebrate Kwanzaa? If so, do you feel that it honors Africa --- or makes a mockery of her culture?

Dr. Boyce: How the Obama Presidency Has Transformed Black Political Thinking

2011-12-20T18:59:00.001-05:00

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