Friday, March 30, 2012

Saturday, March 17, 2012

West: I’m Black by Birth, Not by Choice




      By Ronnie Morrow
In a week of circus like activity for the GOP, Republican Congressman Allen West may have taken the award for the most over the top statement ever given. In a recent sit down with the Florida Representative, CNN anchor John King asked Mr. West how he felt about being a black Congressman during Black History Month.

In light of this month being Black History Month, I feel no way involved with this negro celebration of half accomplishments and borderline Communist agendas. View the list of these “fearless” leaders of black America. Black inhabitants of America knew their place at the table, and knew they could not eat off the same plate of the more than welcoming white men and women of the time. These men, I use that term lightly, like Malcolm X pushed themselves into the homes of innocent white Americans. This action riled up the negro, and scared the living hell out of people. I am no way apart of this community of transported Africans, I myself am an American. I’m a good ol’ boy from the great state of Florida, and a citizen of this great nation. I know God recognizes me as my true self, a proud, strong white man given dark pigmentation. God had to give the blacks at least one intelligent person, so he chose to give me dark skin. I curse my birth as a black man every day. I’m black by birth, not by choice. It will all be sorted out when my name is called, and I step in front of the great white Jesus himself.

In outrage, many black organizations and churches took to the internet. The NAACP posted a Tweet saying “Mr. West is entitled to his own opinion, no matter how outrageous it is.” Many black Americans feel that Mr. West should be removed from his position according to a recent Yahoo! poll.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Walking for the ‘DREAM

             Walking for the ‘DREAM’: Undocumented Cal Students March to DC

“On March 10, four UC Berkeley students plan to walk across the country – from the Golden Gate Bridge to the nation’s capital”. Drawing attention to the plight of more than 2 million youth who would benefit from federal [DREAM Act] legislation that provides a path to citizenship for undocumented students, many of whom grew up in the United States. NAM contributor and photographer Mónica Quesada Cordero interviews the four “Dreamers” and produced this audio slideshow ahead of their 3000-mile march.


   


Thursday, March 8, 2012

KONY 2012

Detroit 300 Declares War On Detroit Gangs For Killing Babies & Seniors 2012

"Niggerization of America" - Cornel West

Charles Ogletree with Soledad O'Brien on Race, Class and Crime at 92Y

Bertina Jones' Foreclosure Fight


Occupy Group Declares Victory In Bertina Jones' Foreclosure Fight With Bank Of America

Occupy Our Homes-DC, a housing-focused group related to Occupy DC, scored a victory in its goal of saving a Bowie, Md., grandmother's home from eviction, reports The Washington Post.

MEET BERTINA: A familiar story to millions of Americans, Bank of America used the financial crisis to take advantage of Bertina Jones. Bertina did everything right. Like millions of Americans, she fell behind on her mortgage after losing her job in wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Hoping to take responsibility for missed payments, she met with Bank of America to renegotiate her mortgage, and was offered a modification in January of 2009. She kept making payments, and while the bank acknowledged it had received her money, it told her that her paperwork was lost. In the Summer of 2010, she was informed that the modification was off the table, and in September, Bank of America sold her mortgage to Freddie Mac which continued with foreclosure.

An hour after some 50 protesters began demonstrating outside of Freddie Mac's downtown D.C. offices on Monday, the company announced that it was working to allow Bertina Jones to keep her home.

Freddie Mac spokesman Brad German downplayed the influence of the Occupy DC rally, telling the Post "the company decided to work with Jones because of the merits of her case."

Jones told the Gazette that it has been "empowering" to work with Occupy DC, after trying for two years to work with lenders to keep her home to no avail.

"I did everything Freddie Mac [and Bank of America] asked me to do," said Jones, 73, who still is living in her Bowie home as foreclosure proceedings work their way through the system. "... I have been so upset, and so stressed out behind this."
On Tuesday, Occupiers protested outside Freddie Mac's Tysons Corner, Va., headquarters. Demonstrator Melissa Byrne told HuffPost that the protesters were there on behalf of Jones, Californian Arturo de los Santos and "tens of thousands" of others facing the loss of their homes.

This demonstration resulted in Jones meeting with lawyers from Freddie Mac. Byrne said that the lawyers told Jones a resolution would be worked out with Bank of America but that the demonstrators aren't ready to claim victory just yet.

"I don't believe anything until a contract's been signed," she said.

In a media release sent out Tuesday, the group said it was "cautiously optimistic" about the meeting between Jones and Freddie Mac, but "the banks have lied before."

Later in the release, the group sounded more unabashed in its optimism: "We are confident that this will be the first of many victories for people in the region who are facing foreclosure."

Fighting Foreclosure: Bertina Jones


Bertina Jones speaking about the experience of foreclosure in a video made by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and the National Coalition for the Civil Right to Counsel.

Full Show 2/21/12: The "National Teach-in to Take Back the American Drea...

Sunday, March 4, 2012

The Power of Song - Africa on the Move - Al Jazeera English

The Power of Song - Africa on the Move - Al Jazeera English

Africa on the Move follows Ivorian reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly as he fights for Africa's poor and marginalised.
Tiken Jah Fakoly is a star - a celebrated reggae singer from the Ivory Coast who sings about the poverty and corruption that has plagued his continent.

Our Black Year



America is talking about
"OUR BLACK YEAR"
Friday, March 9, noon
Live Interview with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux about the message of
"Our Black Year"
and how it can change America.
Malveaux Talks to Maggie re OUR BLACK YEAR
  
Sat - Mon, March 10 -12
C-SPAN presents Washington Post's Krissah Thompson's hour-long talk with
Maggie Anderson about why our money needs to stay in our community. 
Maggie Anderson on C-SPAN After Words 
  
Soledad O'Brien will conduct in-studio interview in NY w/Maggie Anderson about
"Our Black Year"
on CNN's "Starting Point".
BEING SCHEDULED - STAY TUNED 
SOleda O'Brien Talks to Maggie Anderson about OUR BLACK YEAR

 Huffington Post talks about Black economic power as they review Anderson's
detailed account of family's journey living off Black businesses.
Huffington Post Discusses Black Economic Power Because of OUR BLACK YEAR 

Roland Martin talked to activist Maggie Anderson about The Empowerment Experiment and her book
"Our Black Year"
Roland Martin Discusses Our Black Year with author Maggie Anderson
  
 Read what The Washington Post's TheRoot.com has to say about
"Our Black Year"
The Root Reviews Maggie Andersons OUR BLACK YEAR

Alfred Edmond reviews "Our Black Year" for Black Enterprise magazine.  Get your copy of the February issue now! 
Black Enterprise Feb 2012 Features Review of OUR BLACK YEAR 

Tavis Smiley's in-depth interview with Maggie Anderson about new book, how it promotes need to Buy Black in America
TAPED - STAY TUNED FOR AIR DATE
Tavis Smiley Talks to Maggie Anderson about OUR BLACK YEAR


Read and listen as Andersons share
"Our Black Year"
with America on NPR's Marketplace
NPR Marketplace Discusses OUR BLACK YEAR by Maggie Anderson

Listen to the launch of the
"Our Black Year"
national tour from Tom Joyner Morning Show
Tom Joyner Morning Show Launches Our Black Year National Tour
Rolling Out magazine, official media partner for "Our Black Year" announced Anderson's completion of historic book
rolling out is a proud partner to the OUR BLACK YEAR tour