on the black hand side

FAMU Marching 100 Photo Used in Article on Hazing at Dartmouth

Roland Martin Reports published an article on hazing at Dartmouth University, “Dartmouth Hazing: Faculty Condemn ‘Moral Thuggery’ In Letter To Administration.” So why is the accompanying graphic for the article a photograph of the Florida A&M University Marching 100? The article does not address the hazing death of FAMU drum major Robert Champion.  

Screen shot of Roland Martin Reports. Article on hazing at Dartmouth. Photo of FAMU Marching 100 used.

 

The Huffington Post website, referenced in the article on Roland Martin Reports,  includes a photograph of a building one can assume is on the Dartmouth campus.

Screen shot of The Huffington Post website on same article.

 

Note this article was originally posted in early February 2012. I came to know of it only tonight via a friend. 

I make no secret I am a  Florida A&M University alum. I do not condone the brutality that lead to the death of Robert Champion. I fully understand my alma mater will be portrayed in a negative light for quite some time. Some criticisms will be justified and must be addressed by the University administration and the entire FAMU family. 

Yet other situations may arise that are controversial, sensationalistic and unfair such as the use of an unrelated photograph of the Marching 100 with an article on hazing at Dartmouth.

 

The Aftermath: Breaking the Black Man and Dis-connecting the Black Community [VIDEO]

I surfed across this very powerful video of the Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. He is speaking at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina on September 13, 2005. You may not like Mr. Farrakhan and you may not agree with him either. If you are black, no matter where you were born, I dare you to watch this video in its entirety.

  

Farrakhan is on point about tactics used to break down the black man in the presence of the black woman and the black child. He is on point about how we have lost the sense of community that our common melanin used to endear. He is on point about how, in a sense, we are worse off today than we were during slavery.

Please share this video with as many black people as possible. 

 

 

Hat Tip: Black Blue Dog

 

 

Bishop Eddie Long and the Scandal that Will Not Go Away

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Bishop Eddie Long and the New Birth Baptist Church are seeking recovery of approximately $900,000 from three of the five plaintiffs in the infamous sex scandal lawsuit in which Bishop Eddie Long was accused of molesting the young men among other things.

When news of the lawsuit broke and the young men identified, they initially proclaimed the lawsuit was not about money so the financial settlement and accompanying confidentiality agreement appeared to paint a different picture of their motives. It also caused many people to believe that Long was guilty of the horrendous charges.

A few months after the settlement, it appears three of the five plaintiffs have violated the confidentiality of the settlement. Yes, first there were four young men but a fifth young man quietly joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff. Now, Jamal Parris and Spencer LeGrande are writing a tell-all book, as is plaintiff #5, Centino Kemp. The flamboyant Kemp has been in the media discussing his entertainment career as well as a book titled, “First Lady” detailing his relationship with the Bishop.  

This latest move to by Bishop Long and New Birth to recover settlement funds already disbursed is expected. One should also expect this situation to dominate the news when the books are released and the authors hit the interview circuit. Oh yeah, if there are books, there could a movie in the mix also. This situation is about to get even more messy, folks. Stay tuned. 

 

Tallevast, FL: Environmental Racism, Corporate Greed and Waiting for People to Die [VIDEO]

This is another instance of environmental injustice in the United States. I know all of the residents in the video. They deserve better treatment than that shown to them thus far. Where is the outrage and support from environmental and civl rights organizations? It seems as if the powers to be are waiting for the residents to die so the problem will go away. I think not.

Waka Flocka, Voting and Crimes Against Our Children [VIDEO]

First there was T-Pain, now Waka Flocka. This video is sad on so many levels. I don't know who Waka Flocka is or what Waka Flocka means but I do know that here is a young man, obviously a celebrity since he's being interviewed on 106 & Park, who cannot hold an intelligent conversation. He could have been nervous but that doesn't explain the vocabulary and grammar issues.

It's easy to make jokes about this interview and some of the comments about this incident on YouTube are brutal but it's so not funny. From family to community to the educational system to the record company he works for --- this is so wrong. It's child abuse...neglect...fraud and a number of other charges we should be ashamed of as adults.

Artists like Waka Flocka are emulated by other young people, pushed through or kicked out of our educational system and neglected by family and community. Like many young people, he has potential but for whatever reason, we didn't nurture him. It's not too late for Waka Flocka and many other young people in our communities, so what are we going to do?

In case you forgot...

Get out and vote on November 2, 2010!

West on Racism and the NAACP [VIDEO]

Brainwashed: Black Inferiority/White Superiority [VIDEO]

“You’ve been misled. You been had. You been took.”  --- Malcolm X

Tom Burrell has written a powerful book, Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority, that exposes and explains why the black collective finds itself in a current condition of dysfunction. It was difficult to put this book down because Burrell’s perspective is different from many books on this same broad subject.

Burrell’s perspective as a marketing and public relations expert is straight forward, eye-opening and raw. Our mental conditioning must be addressed before blacks can ever realize true, substantive progress as a people.

Brainwashing is not just a victimization of blacks although blacks seem to be the most damaged by it. Whites have been brainwashed, as have women, men, Latinos, Asians, etc., etc., etc. Pick a group, any group and you have been brainwashed too.

Shout out to Roland Martin of the Tom Joyner Morning Show for interviewing Tom Burrell and turning me on to this book. I've purchased a few as gifts. We'll discuss this book in more detail. Get a copy and Stop the Brainwash!

 

Zeta Tau Alpha Brings Diversity and Controversy to Sprite Step-Off [VIDEO]

Apparently, there's been a bit of controversy over the naming of the all-white step team from Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity (yes, they are a women's organization) of the University of Arkansas as 1st Place winners of the national Sprite Step-Off competition. What was up with the booing after they were named winners? Come on, people.

 

After the announcement and complaints by blacks, competition sponsors said there was a discrepancy in the scoring and named Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority of Indiana University as co-winners and awarded them $100,000 also.

Here's the performance by Alpha Kappa Alpha.

 

Now, let's be real. Undoubtedly there was some novelty and surprise for ZTA to be in the competition but a few seconds into their routine and it was obvious they brought their "A" game. Their showmanship, execution and overall peformance was tight.

 

The historical significance of stepping based on African boot dance and the obstacles blacks overcame for the right to a formal education are not discussed nearly enough. If it took a group of white girls from Arkansas winning a historically-black contest to instigate that discussion then it's all good. Be on notice that Zeta Tau Alpha has raised the bar in stepping. So to all participants, just raise the bar higher next year or stay home.

 

 

Must Read on Blacks and Financial Illiteracy

Butch Graves' commentary in the February 2010 edition of Black Enterprise is a must read. If we don't take our financial health seriously we are definitely doomed. No exaggeration. Check it out.

Financial Illiteracy Will Make Us a Permanent Underclass

by Earl "Butch" Graves, Jr.

These days, I’ve become increasingly alarmed by the growing pattern of recklessness and neglect that seems to govern the management of our personal finances. Recent actions—or I should say inaction—by large numbers of African Americans have prompted me to suggest taking a bold step and declare a state of financial emergency. I make this assertion not for dramatic effect but to bring attention to the need for us to take corrective measures. If not, this self-destructive behavior will continue to threaten the future of our families for generations to come. [More]

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.