Forget Rev. Wright: Condi talks tough about race in America
Wow. Who would have thought this would happen. Over a month ago a post by Roland Martin was made on Anderson Cooper’s blog about Condoleezza Rice and her feelings on race in America. Rice in a discussion with the Washington Times called racism a “birth defect” of America, and said that black Americans have loved the nation even when it didn’t love us. I’ve posted the link and the post below for you to read.
I’m proud of Leezzy for speaking the truth. We jump on her a lot about her political policies and being in love with Bush, so in all fairness it’s only right to give her props on this. Like Martin, I do wonder why this didn’t get more press coverage. Isn’t she saying something similar to what Rev. Wright preached in his sermon? Where are the audio clips and Youtube videos of this discussion? Where the hell is Fox News when you need them? Oh wait, they’re busy trying to distract the public from hearing the real issues in this country (economy, health care, energy, etc).
Race is a big issue in this country whether we want to believe it or not. If anything, this election year has taught us that. My hope is that we can all come together in dialouge and come up with solutions to make this country better.
Source: Anderson Cooper 360: Roland S. Martin
Sen. Barack Obama has called for a national discussion on race in America, and one of the folks who sure didn’t hold back when asked was Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
In a discussion with the editorial board of the Washington Times on Thursday, Rice called racism a “birth defect” of America, and said that black Americans have loved the nation even when it didn’t love us.
The Times reported:
“Black Americans were a founding population,” she said. “Africans and Europeans came here and founded this country together — Europeans by choice and Africans in chains. That’s not a very pretty reality of our founding.”
“As a result, Miss Rice told editors and reporters at The Washington Times, “descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that…”
“That particular birth defect makes it hard for us to confront it, hard for us to talk about it, and hard for us to realize that it has continuing relevance for who we are today,” she said.
Rice later said: “America doesn’t have an easy time dealing with race,” Miss Rice said, adding that members of her family have “endured terrible humiliations.”
“What I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn’t love and have faith in them — and that’s our legacy,” she said.
Wow, was all I could say to that.
What was even more stunning was the relative lack of coverage on this issue.
I was told CNN’s “The Situation Room” did a piece on her comments Friday. But when I surfed the Net to see follow-up stories in other papers, it has pretty much been ignored, except for some briefs.Why would the mainstream media be so dismissive of Rice’s comments? Imagine if Rev. Al Sharpton or Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. said such a thing. Do you think they would have gotten ripped?
The fact of the matter is that Rice was right on the money with her comments, and should be commended. She spoke honestly and openly about the issue, and deserves credit for speaking the truth.
I just wish my colleagues in the media would do a better job at advancing the issue of race in America and our sordid history.
We went bonkers about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but when Rice, the nation’s chief diplomat, spoke truthfully, it barely made a ripple.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright Preaches at Friendship West
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Community, Society & Culture
This past Sunday Rev. Jeremiah Wright preached at Friendship West Baptist Church for the 25th Pastoral Anniversary of Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III. I heard a portion of the service on the radio, but thought I’d point to you a first-hand account of what happened on that day. Shawn Williams, author of the Dallas South Blog is a member of Friendship West and as always gives us the real deal in his post “A day of Jeremiah Wright: In Dallas church this morning, Detroit NAACP Banquet Sunday evening”.
In the part that I heard, Rev. Wright talked about all of the places and events that he’d been “uninvited” since the 30 second clips were posted on Youtube. He was comical, yet real about the things going on in our community. While I may not agree with everything he’s said in his sermons, I think it’s refreshing to hear a pastor speak out against the unjustices in the world. When has pointing out the wrongs of this country (in an effort to make it better) been unpatriotic? I’ve always thought that was called “tough love”.
Why the Black in Black Media
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Blog Entries, Society & Culture
A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a discussion about the black media and it’s importance in today’s society. The host was fellow blogger JW Richards, of the Mandrake Society Radio and playwright, Kristina Patrice. I enjoyed hearing their opinions on the topic and it turned out to be a good show. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Miss USA Winner from Missouri City
First it was the Moutras, now it’s Miss USA. Crystle Stewart, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Texas, was named Miss USA on Friday. As Miss USA she said she would like to dedicate her life to international philanthropy. But the best thing is that she is a native of my hometown Mo. City, TX. I like to see people from the neighborhood represent and this is one of the many examples where I get to brag on my city. I’ll definitely have to keep an eye on her accomplishments as Miss USA and I wish the best for her.
What Kind of Life Insurance Should I Buy?
This is one question that has always baffled me because I’ve heard so many different opinions on the best type of life insurance to purchase. I’ve seen in more than one instance what happens when you don’t have enough and it’s not a pretty picture. Funeral arrangements aren’t cheap and it’s a tough situation when the burden falls on a loved one left behind. Not only do they have to deal with the loss, they also have to find a way to get you buried.
I think a lot of people tend to overlook life insurance because they feel it’s either not important or too expensive. The reality is that it’s something we shouldn’t live without. A quality $250,000 20-year term policy for a healthy non-smoker can cost under $300 a year (a little under $6 week). If you have some health issues the price goes up, but that’s all the more reason to buy it.
I personally have a mix of term and universal variable life insurance. I’ve heard all the arguments for and against this, but for right now this is our current strategy. If I die, it’ll be enough to cover my arrangements, pay for the house and start my kid’s college fund. With my next son on the way, it’s something that I’ll have to revisit when he gets here (only 2 more weeks). Having these policies adds a little more comfort in knowing that they’ll be fine if I’m no longer here.
It’s a grim topic to discuss, but death is inevitable. So why not be prepared? Read “What Kind of Life Insurance Should I Buy?” along with the comments when you get a chance. There’s some good information there that will start you on the path to finding the best type of policy for you.
* Finally, so I won’t get sued. I am not offering financial advice. Find a professional in the industry to help answer your questions. This website and the Internet should only be used as informational sources to help you build the right questions to ask a pro. Do your research.
White Teen Sues U. of Texas Over Race-Based Admissions
Just this past week a teen in Sugarland, TX decided to sue Texas-Austin because she was not accepted for admission into the University. Problem is she is suing based on racial discrimination…oh, yeah she also happens to be Caucasian.
If this case sounds like deja vu then that’s because it has happened before. In 1996, Cheryl Hopwood was the first person to win a lawsuit against an institution of higher learning based on race since Cal v. Bakke in 1978. The resulting aftermath of that lawsuit meant that race-based admissions and scholarships were no longer allowed in Texas. I remember that lawsuit well because one of my scholarships was race-based along with several friends of mine. I remember the Hopwood case spurring the exodus of minority students from Texas to Oklahoma (see OU’s football record from 1997-present). Later Grutter v. Bollinger reversed the Hopwood Decision.
I’m actually not 100% for race-based exceptions. I think in some instances they are used with too much liberty and without boundaries or criteria like the ones sometimes used in corporations. Policies such as these have hearts the right place but they are not managed or policed properly. The core difference with race-based admissions in colleges and universities versus the corporate sector lies with the schools themselves. A corporation’s ability to recruit and secure a diverse talent pool is only as good as the organization itself. Many corporations fall well short of the mark and most have only recently begin to realize that only the healthiest, most successful corporations have a racially diverse structure from the top down. For a university it has to be a core competency. Universities need a diverse student body to further their research initiatives as well as to attract more prospective students. Public universities need to maintain a diverse student body, but those students also must be able to maintain the rigors of college life. It’s a very thin tightrope for universities; diversity, challenging curricula, financial well-being, and maintaining a respectable dropout rate.
Read more
Monday Motivation – Struggle in Business
Owning your own business can be difficult at times. Situations pop up that you don’t expect and at times it can really bring you down. Here’s some good advice from the Donny Deutsch show, as he interviews the CEO of Skechers, Robert Greenberg. Even if you aren’t in business this same advice can be used in your personal life.
Texas Black History Preservation Project
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Society & Culture
There’s a new project being started by Roxanne Evans and Michael Hurd called the Texas Black History Preservation Project, where they will cover almost 500 years of the black experience in Texas. Being a native Texan, I’m happy to see something like this and I’m sure many will benefit from their efforts. There’s a lot more to Texas than people realize and they have a big undertaking in collecting all of the history for their book.
They’ve posted a 30-minute audio interview for you to learn more about the project and they are seeking any information you may have regarding your family and their roots in Texas Black History. Here’s more information from their website describing the project:
That’s what the Texas Black History Preservation Project intends to ask thousands of African Americans with Texas roots over the next few years as we put together the most comprehensive documentation ever undertaken for the Black experience in Texas. We’re talking about almost 500 years of history, dating from 1528 when a Moor servant, Estevanico, waded ashore at what would become Galveston Island with a group of Spanish explorers.
Our series – in book and DVD form – will provide in-depth interpretive essays and profiles for the series, but we also want to include undocumented family histories and other stories relating to Black history in Texas that have yet to be told. We will aggressively seek out and collect those stories and hope you will help us.
Black Texans have made significant contributions in shaping this state and it is our intent to make as many of the stories created along the way more accessible through this series of books. We’ll talk about lawmakers and public officials, preachers/the Black church, educators, Black colleges and universities, fraternities/sororities, athletes and coaches, entertainers, media (Black newspapers, journalists, radio stations, etc.), and much, much more.
Through the course of this project, we fully expect you will find your families, your friends, your neighbors … you’ll find yourself.
Over the next few years, we hope you’ll get in the habit of checking in with us here to chart our progress and help us uncover the rich history of African Americans in Texas.
So, what’s your story?
Dick Cheney Was Right About Iraq
I wonder if people are making as big a deal about this video as they did the Jeremiah Wright one. Probably not. Check out this interview with a younger-looking Dick Cheney about going after Sadaam and Iraq. He was right on the money with his stance. Oh wait. This interview was done in 1994 before he was Vice President. He’s seems confident in his reasoning. I wonder why he didn’t tell his boss how he felt.
Here Come the Newlyweds Winners
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Entertainment & Sports, Society & Culture
I’m normally not a big reality TV person but ABC’s Here Come the Newlyweds sucked me in this year. It’s a show where seven just-married couples compete for a nest egg worth over $400,000 to kick-start their new lives together and help them realize their dreams. Each couple faces a variety of mental and physical challenges which will test the love and passion they have for one another as well as their competitive spirit. At the end of each episode, the field will be narrowed as the couples vote to send one couple home. The stakes get higher as the potential nest egg grows, until one couple ultimately wins the grand prize.
One of the final couples were Crystal and Johnnie Moutra, from my hometown Mo. City, TX. He proposed to her at a Houston Rockets game and they currently live with their parents. I got to say this was the couple that had me coming back to watch this show every week. Johnnie was comical and it was nice to see a young black couple do their thing on national television. In the finale, Johnnie made a class-act move by not taking advantage of a situation that could have given them an edge in the final decision. They truly played the game the way it should have been done, the whole way through.
I wish the best for this couple. They grew a lot during the duration of the show and it’s good to see some hometown heroes win it all. When it comes down to it, love can conquer all. As always you can watch the episodes on the internet. I think that’s all the reality TV I can handle for a while.
Update: I didn’t know the show was filmed last year. They are expecting their first child, a boy, due April 27. Read via the Houston Chronicle website.
Update 6/2/09: I was able to get an interview with Johnnie & Crystal Moutra for the blog. Check it out here!
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