Don't I Know It

Clinton-Obama Quandary for Many Black Women

Just Call Her Dopey

And the hits just keep on coming:

Marion Jones Admits Doping Before 2000 Games

Will Stern Show Thomas the Door?

Would that Fox Sports columnist Michael Rosenberg were right: In light of yesterday's revelation that Isiah Thomas is guilty of sexually harassing former colleague Anucha Browne Sanders, Rosenberg is betting on--and calling on--NBA commish David Stern to take action against the not-yet-disgraced-enough-for-my-taste Knicks head coach. It's clear enough to everyone who's ever read anything about Madison Square Garden chief James Dolan that he will do nothing to punish Thomas for his bad behavior... which leaves us with Stern, who has the opportunity, and hopefully the will, to make it clear that the NBA will not tolerate such behavior.

If Stern can indeed step forward and make the call, and force Thomas to ride the bench for a few games (if not indefinitely), then we might be able to say there is some version of justice in the world of professional sport. But if he can't (and I for one am not sure that he can or will), then... well, let's just say I won't be supporting the NBA very much at all, in print or in person. Hopefully, though, Stern takes a page from football chief Roger Goodell's book, and sticks to a hard line on what's kosher and what's not when you work for his league.

Must Listen: Young African-Americans Speak Out on HIV

Guess what? AIDS may be a global problem, but it still happens here in the United States, too. And if you're person of color, it happens a whole lot. African Americans may represent 12 percent of the total U.S. population, but we were estimated to account for 50 percent of the HIV and AIDS cases diagnosed among adults in 2003.

Think that's bad? Well, if you're a woman of color it gets even worse: black women account for nearly 66% of HIV cases amongst women despite being only 12% of the US population of females.

Stunned? Me too. Want more information about the realities of the disease in the US, and how some pretty remarkable young African Americans are dealing with the epidemic? Check out this program on NPR featuring super-fly journalist Michel Martin. Her guests have a lot to share, and may just convince you that when it comes to HIV, it's not just folks in the third world who are continuing to suffer.

O'Reilly Meets Blacks, Eats Their Food

Thanks to Media Matters--and my mother--for tipping us off to this juicy little tid-bit: apparently Bill O'Reilly thinks Black people curse a lot. And are generally crass. And use profanity to request service. All the time.

I'm not even going to attempt to go further than that in describing what he said; I'll just let you read it here. Keep in mind that this was his response after dining at the famous Sylvia's Restaurant up in Harlem, with Al Sharpton.

O'REILLY: I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks... There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, "M-Fer, I want more ice tea."

Maybe it was just that folks were on their best behavior because they saw him coming. Or maybe not. But I seriously don't know how any media figure can be so continuously stupid and still be revered by millions. It's moments like this that remind me just how hard it will be for Barack, and maybe even Hillary, to win the election...I guess it's really true what they say: there is no finish line when it comes to achieving equality. Days like today make it feel like we've barely even gotten out of the blocks.

It's Not Just Jena

If you watched last night's primetime Emmy Awards, you will have noticed that this year marks the 30th Anniversary of the airing of Roots--the epic mini-series that finally brought the history of black America into millions of homes, black and non-black alike.

Now, wouldn't it be nice to think that 30 years later, the bigger racial battles were behind us? It would be, but we can't--as episodes like those in Jena, LA and now, Tuscaloosa, AL prove.

No one's hanging nooses from trees in Tuscaloosa (not this week, anyway), but as the NYT is pointing out, there's a racialized battle going on down there that Thurgood Marshall would weep to see: the rezoning of the Tuscaloosa public school district has effectively put segregation back on the map in Alabama (assuming you believe it ever left). To quote from the article:

After white parents in this racially mixed city complained about school overcrowding, school authorities set out to draw up a sweeping rezoning plan. The results: all but a handful of the hundreds of students required to move this fall were black — and many were sent to virtually all-black, low-performing schools.

Umm... did it occur to no one on the planning board that this might be a problem? Is this a case of, we don't know our American history? Or was it more a decision based on the arrogance of the (shrinking) majority--something along the lines of, "We are accountable to no one"???

Either way, it should be interesting to see what this Times articles does to help the case of the children who have been impacted by the decision. It's been great to see how the media spotlight has moved things forward microscopically for the boys of Jena...

Bill Maher, Mos Def and Cornel West Talk Jena 6

I've mentioned the Jena 6 to you before; nice to see it getting some national coverage here and there. This is a travesty, and a miscarriage of justice we all speak out about. As Mos Def put it, "That shit is whack"--and it's time to get off our rears and do something about it.

Visit ColorofChange.org to learn more about how you can help.

Pokey Gets a New Gig

Deposed LSU women's basketball coach Pokey Chatman has found a new place to build a championship caliber team: Russia.

Nice to see that the Russians are more forgiving than we are here in the States.

Michael Vick Pleads Guilty

Not that this is any kind of surprise, but Michael Vick has just agreed to enter a guilty plea on the dogfighting charges pending against him. I thought I'd be happier to hear news like this, happier to watch all those apologists turn crimson and turn tail. But actually, I just find myself a little depressed at the waste of it all: another black man--one who had a real shot at "making it," as we like to say--is likely going to jail, and a whole slew of animals have had their lives ruined. When and where does all the stupidity end???

Black Journalist Shot Dead

Given the state of the Fourth Estate--it's elite stature, its more recent synonymy with lunches at Michael's and hobnobbing with the stars--it's become pretty easy to foget that digging for the facts can still be a deadly job. Case in point: Chauncy Bailey, an editor at the Oakland Post (and formerly a beat reporter for the Oakland Tribune) was just executed, right here in the good old US of A, in what police are calling a targeted ambush.

What a waste...

The Harlem Book Fair is THIS Weekend!

It's a little late notice, I know, but if you happen to be anywhere near New York this weekend I highly recommend checking out the Harlem Book Fair. It's legendary in these parts, and unlike other book related events it features food so good, and so Southern fried soulful, you'll think you're in back in Dixie. And the book stuff is pretty dope too: this year Walter Mosley, Amiri Baraka and Eloise Greenfield are being honored; there will be tribute to Octavia Butler and Ossie Davis; and newly crowned CNN talking-head/ former Congressman J.C. Watts will be on hand to talk to you about how literacy and crime are linked (is it ok that I still don't like Watts? I really think it is.). Despite Watts' appearance, I'm still gonna say this event is bound to be a good time. Check it.

6 Black Students on Trial in Jena, LA--Jim Crow Justice at Work?

Don't know any more about this than what is outlined in this letter (which was posted on my Yale Black Alumni list-serve), but it's a story I haven't seen elsewhere and clearly needs some attention.

Last fall in Jena, Louisiana, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the "white tree" on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as a "prank," more Black students sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney then came to the school accompanied by the town's police and demanded that the students end their protest, telling them, "I can be your best friend or your worst enemy... I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen."1

A series of white-on-black incidents of violence followed, and the DA did nothing. But when a white student was beaten up in a schoolyard fight, the DA responded by charging six black students with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

It's a story that reads like one from the Jim Crow era, when judges, lawyers and all-white juries used the justice system to keep blacks in "their place"--but it's happening today. The families of these young men are fighting back, but the odds are stacked against them. Together, we can make sure their story is told, that this becomes an issue for the Governor of Louisiana, and that justice is provided for the Jena 6. It starts now. Please add your voice:

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2557-65951

The noose-hanging incident and the DA's visit to the school set the stage for everything that followed. Racial tension escalated over the next couple of months, and on November 30, the main academic building of Jena High School was burned down in an unsolved fire. Later the same weekend, a black student was beaten up by white students at a party. The next day, black students at a convenience store were threatened by a young white man with a shotgun. They wrestled the gun from him and ran away. While no charges were filed against the white man, the students were arrested for the theft of the gun.2

That Monday at school, a white student, who had been a vocal supporter of the students who hung the nooses, taunted the black student who was beaten up at the off-campus party and allegedly called several black students "nigger." After lunch, he was knocked down, punched and kicked by black students. He was taken to the hospital but was released and was well enough to go to a social event that evening.3

Six Black Jena High students, Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor, were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high -- between $70,000 and $138,000 -- that the boys were left in prison for months as families went deep into debt to release them.4

The first trial ended last month, and Mychal Bell, who has been in prison since December, was convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery (both felonies) by an all-white jury in a trial where his public defender called no witnesses. During his trial, Mychal's parents were ordered not to speak to the media and the court prohibited protests from taking place near the courtroom or where the judge could see them.

Mychal is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31st, and could go to jail for 22 years.5 Theo Shaw's trial is next. He will finally make bail this week.

The Jena Six are lucky to have parents and loved ones who are fighting tooth and nail to free them. They have been threatened but they are standing strong. We know that if the families have to go it alone, their sons will be a long time coming home. They will lose precious years to Jena's outrageous attempt to maintain a racist status quo. But if we act now, we can make a difference.

Please add your voice to the voices of these families in Jena, and help bring Mychal, Theo, Robert, Carwin, and Bryant home. By clicking below, you can demand that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco get involved to make sure that justice is served for Mychal Bell, and that DA Reed Walters drop the charges against the 5 boys who have not yet gone to trial.

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2557-65951

Thank You and Peace,

-- The ColorOfChange.org team

National HIV Testing Day is TODAY!

Did you know that each day, more than 13,000 people across the globe are newly infected with HIV? Or that here in the US, HIV is the largest killer of African-American women ages 25-34? Or that the rates among all US women have skyrocketed in the last 20 years, from 8% of total infections in 1985 to more than 27% today?

Well, if you didn't know, now you do. And, as we say in the African-American tradition, when you know better, you do better. So today, in honor of National HIV Testing Day, go out there and do better. Get tested. Tell your friends to do the same. Donate time or money to one of the many good organizations out there that are doing work on behalf of people with AIDS. And educate yourself: check out this piece from the National Women and AIDS Collective to learn more about the ways in which women are left out of the picture when it comes to funding the war on HIV.

"Being a Black Man"--Interactive Series on WaPo

I have no idea how long this remarkable series has been running, but I just found out about it via one of my list serves today. It's an interactive experience that's not only thoroughly engaging and moving, but also multifaceted (see the inclusion of gay black men AND women in this conversation for proof).

Kudos to the Washington Post for taking up the life and times of the black American male like it matters... it's about time somebody did.

More Proof George Bush Hates Black People

In case you forgot that the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ even exists within this administration, here's a good review from Talking Points Memo's Muckraker of what the NYT is reporting the division has been up to since Bush, Ashcroft, Gonzalez, et al have been minding the farm. (Here's a hint: black people lose.)

Pro Condies On the March

Today's cover story over at Salon is, unsurprisingly, about the 2008 election. The Republican slate of candidates, to be more precise. The shocker? The candidate they're focusing on is actually not a candidate at all--or at least not at the moment. But if the people at ThinkCondi.net have their way, that won't be the case for long.

That's right: there's now a movement to draft Condoleezza Rice to run for President in the same way that Eisenhower was drafted so many years yore (did you even know that happened?). No matter that the Condster has made it pretty clear she ain't running; these folks have fired up a bus and plan to drag her kicking and screaming into the race.

Would that be a good thing? A bad one? I don't know. As an African-American woman I'll tell you that I'd love to love Condi--but my fear of all things Satanic keeps me from making the leap. That said, I do think it would be fabu to have her in the race, not least of all because perhaps it would deflate some of the "can a woman lead effectively" talk that you get when you have only one female candidate in the ring.

So upon reflection, yes, Condi fans, keep up the hard work. [ A quick note to the ThinkCondi team: you're going nowhere without some dope campaign buttons. Take a cue from your allies and print you some up, right quick.]

Michelle Obama in the Spotlight

From today's New York Times, a profile and video offering on the wife of Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. As much as I like Obama, I must say I like Michelle even more, and sometimes have that same feeling when watching her stump for her husband that I did watching Kerry Kennedy Cuomo stump for hers--i.e., that SHE ought to have been the one running, rather than playing the role of back-up singer (though In the Cuomo/ Kennedy Cuomo case the imbalance was much greater, for sure).

In any case, I'm hoping that Michelle will continue to get ample face-time as this race continues. My only gripe: can we stop talking already about how she's "meaner" and "tougher" than he is? There are more options for black women, certainly, than being either the coddling mammy or the stone cold butch... How about we let Michelle be the three-dimensional person she is? A radical notion, I'm aware, but one with striving for.

Simmons Cops Out

Not that we should be surprised, but Russell Simmons seems to have come up with a means of "solving" the language problem in rap & hip-hop without having to do any of the hard work himself. Thanks to Jessica, my attention was brought to an article running on MSNBC today, outlining Simmons' proposal that the words "bitch", "ho" and "nigger" be cleansed from versions of songs that are played over the airwaves. This doesn't mean, of course, that the words will be removed from the songs entirely (which might force Simmons to do something real about the epidemic of misogyny and homophobia in the content he produces); they will just be wiped out, by someone other than Simmons and his cronies, from any song that plays on the radio, et al.

As the brilliant Joan Morgan rightly points out, this is a crap move by Simmons, and may actually do more harm than good by giving the hip-hop community the idea that they've "cured" an ill simply by covering it up (and yet still producing, and making oodles of money off of the content, in the meanwhile). Makes my stomach turn for realz, y'all.

Bye, Bye Donnie I...

And now it looks like the other show--I mean shoe--has dropped: CBS has cancelled Don Imus' radio show, effective immediately. As my mother was saying yesterday, it was an inevitable move--with corporate sponsors taking a stand and pulling out left and right it was only a matter of time before the networks jumped ship as well. I'm glad this part is done with, but I do hope that folks won't take this to mean that the issues are behind us--in fact, they're just as big today as they were yesterday, and the day before that, and on and on, as my friend Rich Kim points out so beautifully in his post on The Notion (the blog at The Nation). So let's be satisfied that one lesson has been taught about what we'll accept over our airwaves, but let's not imagine that now the fight is over. In fact, just the opposite is true: now is when the hard work actually begins.

Farewell, Eddie Robinson

At Jessica's request, I'm posting this article about legendary football coach Eddie Robinson, who died last week at the age of 88. Robinson coached the Grambling football team for 57 seasons and was successful enough to send more than 200 players to the NFL over those years, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune (Grambling, in case you don't know, is a historically black college based in Louisiana).

By all accounts, Robinson was more than just a coach to his players--he was a life-changing father figure who provided black men with an opportunity to better themselves when few others existed. That nearly 5,000 turned up to honor his memory at his funeral is a testament to how many lives he touched, and the impact of his work on society at large. As Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana put it earlier today,

"When [Robinson] walked on that field in 1941, it wasn't flat, it wasn't even, it was slanted up sharply. It's not level yet, but because of his life it's getting there and we all are beneficiaries of that."

Despite all this Imus nonsense, amen to that.