on the black hand side

Roland Martin Keeps it Real

Much has been said about the latest political gaffe involving Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He's a racist and should resign….he's not a racist…double standard…blah…blah…blah. Regardless of your take on this situation, let's not allow a crucial issue to go unacknowledged by mainstream media and thus far it has.

Political commentator Roland Martin was very clear, bold and courageous when pointing the plethora of black faces in the media addressing the Harry Reid situation and the dearth of black presence on any other issues as if race is all black folks can talk about. Now I can't write what Brother Martin said verbatim. I can tell you it was concise, clear and on point. Let's hope the folks making decisions about the perspectives allowed on the air didn't miss that message.

America's racial issues can be diminished if more perspectives are shared with a greater, more diverse audience. People are a lot more alike than they are different. It's my experience that talking with folks who are different from me breaks down barriers. It also diminishes the power of the few to control the many and maybe that's why we're so disconnected in the first place.

Roland Martin, thank you for speaking the truth.

Power to the People.

The More Things Change: Lessons from Iceberg Slim [VIDEO]

A friend sent this video to me. It’s interesting in the dialog and the fact that it’s from a movie in the 1970s called Trick Baby. I remember the hype about the movie although I’ve never seen it. It’s written by a pimp, Iceberg Slim.

 

Some things haven’t changed though. In general, black folks are still in the same position --- too many uneducated, too many incarcerated, etc., etc., etc.  Why? A number of reasons but unity, self-determination, supporting black-owned businesses, preserving culture, teaching black history, etc., etc., etc. Same issues. Different day.

We don’t need anyone to give us the answers to solving our issues. We just need to do what we need to do --- support ourselves and stop allowing our communities to be used and abused. Will you sacrifice for the greater good to make that happen?

 

Chris Brown and Rihanna: Exploitation Under the Guise of News and Anti-Domestic Violence

Is it just me or are you a bit disgusted by the barrage of media coverage and privacy violations in the domestic violence saga of Chris Brown and Rihanna? Now don't think this is any attempt to justify or diminish the horrific beating Rihanna endured but if there was concern about both of these young people overcoming this; there were be more consideration and respect for their privacy. Sure, they are celebrities and relinquish some privacy but this is a sensitive issue, pull up already, please. Domestic violence needs to be discussed and dealt with when it occurs however exploiting the Chris-Rihanna situation is not cool.

Whoever is responsible for releasing the photos of Rihanna's bruises should be prosecuted but the reality of the media is that these things happen as long as someone can get paid for information. Who cares about Rihanna's pain, humiliation or anger --- right? Let's just put the young sister out there like that and then make sure folks pass the photos around in e-mails to their friends. It's just wrong.

It's also wrong for mainstream media television shows and media outlets to continue blasting this situation as a lead story when there have been no additional developments. Instead of exploiting Brown and Rihanna, how about using the situation to reach out to women, and some men, who are victims of domestic violence? Hello, throw these folks a lifeline so they know they are not alone and there are organization that can help them.

For now, I am done with the Chris Brown-Rihanna drama. Am I praying that she doesn't go back to him? Yes, but I prayed that prayer days ago and in the end it's up to her. We don't have to like her decision; just respect it and keep it moving. Am I praying that Chris Brown gets help for his uncontrollable anger? Most definitely. Brown has serious personal issues that he needs to deal with and right now. The mantra that no publicity is bad publicity is not the case for him when it comes to beating down women.

The reality is that the Chris Brown-Rihanna situation is no more tragic than the domestic violence that may be occurring to your friend, neighbor, family member and even you. Just because this young couple generated a slew of publicity and other situations don't; make sure you do not allow yourself to be abused. If you are an abuser or feel that you have the potential to become one; get help now.

Help is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 170 languages through interpreter services. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.

© 2009, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

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Justice Watch: The Case of Troy Davis

Troy Davis sits on death row in Georgia for the murder of Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Davis was convicted, in 1991, based on eyewitness testimony and without any physical evidence.

All but two of the nine eyewitnesses have recanted, citing pressure by law enforcement to accuse Troy Davis. One of the two eyewitnesses who hasn’t recanted is suspected of actually committing the crime.

Troy Davis has received support from many in the United States and throughout the world. His case has been stayed three times with him coming within twenty-four hours of execution twice.

Officer MacPhail was murdered and that fact should never be forgotten. Troy Anthony Davis did not commit that murder but someone did. Law enforcement, not at the local level, must re-open the investigation of the murder of Officer Mark Allen McPhail. His family deserves the truth and his murderer should serve out the proper penalty.

Troy Davis’ family deserves justice also. He was unjustly arrested in 1989, incarcerated, tried and convicted in 1991. Witnesses have recanted. Let the man go free.

For more information and to take action in helping Troy Anthony Davis re-gain his freedom, go to Amnesty International USA.

 

 

Video by: Citizen
Music by: State Radio

 

© 2009, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

Vote for this blog for Best Pop Culture Blog and Best Blog About Stuff in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards.

 

Happy Birthday, Dr. King: A Change Has Come

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that the United States is undergoing a transformation, right now, as I write this. The spirit of unity, respect, inclusiveness and sacrifice will be needed to carry us through the difficult times still to come. The spirit that Barack Obama embodies and spread throughout the world is reminiscent of that of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is such an exciting time for this country and let me just say, black people, in particular. Barack Obama’s election brings about a sense of pride that is difficult to explain to others. For the first time in my life, black Americans appear to really be included in this country. I have never seen so many black people carrying an American flag who were not in the military or an athlete celebrating an Olympic victory. Now, I’m not trying to get into an argument with anyone because I think the Obama presidency will affect each of differently in some respects, depending upon our personal story, but it is what it is.

When Barack Hussein Obama raises his right hand to take the oath of office as president of the United States tomorrow, it will be because of the tremendous sacrifice and courage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Of course, it goes without saying that Dr. King’s legendary status was earned because of the support, courage and sacrifice of many like-minded people of all races also.

On this spectacularly awesome celebration of the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 2009, this historic celebration could only be the result of destiny…divine intervention…call it whatever you like.

 I’d like to think Dr. King would also like for us to move beyond the issue of black pride in our first black president and work for the betterment of this nation world. I’d like to think Dr. King would like for us to get more involved in our community consistently, not just on this Day of Service. He’d like for us to become more involved politically and in building our community and raising our next generations.

I’d like to believe that if he could speak to us today, Dr. King would say that he would like for us to be judged by the content of our character and not by our gender, sexual preference, socio-economic status or color of our skin. We are not quite there yet but we have made another step in that direction. Let’s keep on keeping on. Power to the People.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King!

 

© 2009, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

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America on the Verge of Change for the Better

Check out this awesome video I was pointed to by fellow blogger Jim Legington. Share it with friends to spread Barack Obama's message of Unity and Change. If you are eligible to vote and haven't done so, please vote right away!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

     

© 2008, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

Vote for this blog for Best Pop Culture Blog and Best Blog About Stuff in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards.

   

 

 

Surprise…Surprise…R. Kelly Found Not Guilty

I'd promised myself I wouldn't blog about the R. Kelly case but I just had to release my anger and disappointment. R. Kelly was found not guilty. We should have expected that, I guess. For the last six years, Kelly's attorneys successfully delayed the case from going before a jury.

In spite of the fact that Kelly is a pedophile; the jury found him guilty of child pornography. The alleged victim denied she was the girl on the tape although friends and relatives said it was her. Kelly's lawyers injected doubt that the man in the tape was Kelly. This is all such a shame.

R. Kelly's behavior reflects a pattern of his attraction to young females; folks seem to forget he married the late singer Aaliyah when she was just 15 and he, 27.

No doubt someone was likely paid off because of this trial. The description of the acts on the videotape is disgusting as are other allegations of Kelly's sexual relations with young girls.

The truth is Kelly knows his involvement with the alleged victim. He knows if the other allegations of his involvement with young girls are true. He has to live with the truth and the truth will either set him free or imprison him in his shame.

The civil-rights era, punctuated by the King slaying 40 years ago, bred a singular slogan of defiance

BY LEONARD PITTS JR.

lpitts@MiamiHerald.com

LEONARD PITTS JR.

Elmore Nickelberry, left, then a Memphis sanitation worker on strike, was shocked at the King slaying: 'I was mad. It hurt me.' His son Terence displays a slogan made famous by the 1968 sanitation strike. CARL JUSTE / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Share your thoughts on this article and see what other readers are saying. Click here to comment.

I am a man.

If you met me, you would regard it as a self-evident truth. But there was a time it would not have been.

See, I am a black man.

And for most of the years of America's existence, the terms were regarded by many as mutually exclusive. You could be black or you could be a man. You could not be both. Last month marked 40 years since striking sanitation workers in Memphis, virtually all of them black, composed a defiant response:

I AM A Man … the verb capitalized and underlined for emphasis on signs they carried as they marched for fair wages, for better conditions, for their own dignity.

Friday marks 40 years since that era came to its bloody end. Standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where he had gone to support the sanitation workers, Martin Luther King was shot and killed.

Forty years later, here I am, a man - a black man in an era where black men, like other men, struggle to define manhood itself. Is it defined by strength? By toughness? By sexual potency? By money?

Forty years ago, it was defined by a single act of courage, black men saying what was unsayable and daring anyone ever to deny it again.

I am a man.

Kwame Kilpatrick should resign

It has taken me some time to write about this issue because, quite frankly, I'd hoped that Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick would have come to his senses and resigned by now. Sadly and selfishly, Kilpatrick refuses to back down and accept responsibility for his actions. The litigation against him and former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, will proceed.

Kilpatrick blames the media and almost everyone else for his troubles except himself. It's a damn shame. Since Kilpatrick has tried to flip the script and make himself the victim, it appears that the world will be forced to watch his once promising career trashed and any good that he has done for Detroit rendered meaningless.

Kilpatrick's re-election was a surprise based on much criticism from Detroit residents. His charisma resulted in his re-election despite the daunting odds. Will his magic hold out again? That remains to be seen but one thing is certain -- Detroit has been forever scarred by the salacious nature of this latest scandal.

A city once the Mecca for many as the motor capital of the United States and the home of some of the most talented entertainers in the world in the empire called Motown built by Berry Gordy. Now the city has been reduced to overwhelming poverty.

No matter how he tries to frame it, Kilpatrick's problems are not racial. First, there is the serious issue of perjury. Hello. Perjury is lying under oath. No matter who you are; you can't get away with that. To make matters worse; add in the adultery with his chief of staff and the thousands of text messages, millions paid out of the city's dwindling coffers because of wrongful termination of an employee and the implication of the mayor in the murder of a stripper who allegedly performed at the mayor's mansion. This all seems so unreal.

Even if Kilpatrick doesn't care how low he takes the city of Detroit with him because of his latest troubles, even if he is very concerned about his freedom --- as he should be, he must think about his children and how they are being affected by this. Christine Beatty has children also. The children are the innocent ones in all of this madness.

Kwame Kilpatrick must stop blaming others, accept responsibility for his troubles and move on from his latest troubles. He can start by resigning.

President Bush supports the Olympics in Beijing as thousands die in Darfur and Tibet

How anyone can think about celebrating athletic accomplishments in an environment of murder and destruction is baffling. Here's a post from the Save Darfur Coalition. Since our computers are being monitored; let me just say hello to whoever is checking this out; there will be more tomorrow.

The violence in Darfur is getting worse. More than 80,000 Darfurians have been displaced in recent months and increased fighting has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

Right now, China should be focused on getting peacekeepers on the ground in Darfur. Instead they appear to be monitoring our computer systems.

We cannot let China turn away from the genocide in Darfur. China must use its influence to pressure the Sudanese government to stop the violence.

Click here to tell Liu Guijin, China's "special representative to the Darfur issue," to use his power to help deploy UNAMID peacekeepers and end the genocide before more lives are lost.

As a member of the UN Security Council, China has enormous leverage over the peacekeeping mission. However, instead of using its leverage to advance peace, China continues to defend Sudan's interests, expand trade, and bolster the Sudanese government's military capacity.

We can't be fooled by the aggressive propaganda campaign launched by China in advance of the 2008 Olympics. While China has made a few modest steps forward, these efforts have not improved conditions in Darfur.

China's "special representative on the Darfur issue," Liu Guijin, must do everything in his power to push the Sudanese government to allow the swift, full and effective deployment of the UNAMID peacekeeping force. Click here to send a message to Liu Guijin today.