Black Speakers Blog

Tired of Waiting, The Congressional Black Caucus Announces a New Jobs Initiative

2011-08-06T14:24:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of the White House Office of Communications

Men and women across the country have been frustrated for years about the lack of jobs and the dire state of the economy. Now, the Congressional Black Caucus is taking active steps in an effort to increase the number of employed citizens. August 8th, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) along with host Member Congresswoman Marcia Fudge will be kicking off the CBC’s “For the People” Jobs Initiative. This event is starting off in Cleveland, Ohio, and it will be comprised of a job fair and town hall meeting at Cleveland State University. According to a press release provided to Your Black World by Stephanie L. Young of the White House Office of Communications:

Dr. Boyce, Marc Lamont Hill, Steve Perry, Michael Eric Dyson Sign on for New Film, “Hoodwinked”

2011-07-08T08:27:00.001-07:00

CLICK TO READ

Study: Minorities Still Locked Out of Most Institutions

2011-05-05T04:20:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com, Scholarship in Action

I took a look at an ABC News picture of President Barack Obama sitting in a Situation Room with lead advisers watching the assassination of Obama bin Laden. Everyone had a tense look on their face, as 10 years of hard work suddenly came down to the wire. I couldn’t help but notice, as I scanned all the faces across the room, that there were only two women present (Hillary Clinton and another woman in the back), and one bi-racial black man (President Obama). Every other person in the room was a white male.

What startles me the most is that millions of other Americans can look at this picture and see absolutely nothing wrong with it. The “white guy’s club” has always been the status quo in leadership positions.

It appears that this problem doesn’t just exist in government, it exists in academia, corporate America and nearly every other institution in our nation. Most interesting is that no one seems to care or take the matter seriously. Quite a few universities and corporations love to use the word “diversity” as if it were some kind of intellectual toilet paper, but most of them don’t actually practice anything close to what they preach.

click to read

Five Things College Students Do to Ruin their Lives

2011-05-04T10:45:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University, YourBlackWorld.com

As a college professor for the past 16 years, I’ve noticed two things about college: It can be a place to make your dreams come true, and it can also be a breeding ground for your worst nightmares. So, I thought I would compile a list of things that I’ve seen college students do to ruin their lives over the years. Hopefully, you and your child can learn from what I am about to share.

1) Sex, drugs, alcohol and gambling
College is a great place to pick up a lot of really bad habits. The worst part is that people tell you that these things are ok. It’s not that all of these are bad things to do, but at the very least, they should be done in moderation. It doesn’t matter if you are in college: If you have sex with too many people, you are going to catch a disease or get pregnant. If you use drugs, you are going to become a drug addict. If you drink too much, you will become an alcoholic. Gambling can also ruin your life as much as drugs or alcohol. I have several dozen friends with really messed up lives to this day, all of whom started their downward spiral on a college campus. You should not think that because you are in college, you are immune to these problems. If something doesn’t feel right, then you shouldn’t do it. Be mature enough to make smart decisions.

2) Falling for the credit card scams and ruining your credit
There are no serious credit card scams in college, only the little people who stand out in front of the bookstore trying to get you to take their "free money". Credit cards are very tempting when you are in school, especially since you are broke. If you decide to take one, make sure that you are very careful with how much you buy with the card, and that you have a careful plan to pay it all back. Putting yourself in over your head can easily destroy your credit. That is not a good cycle to get into. Not taking care of your student loan obligations can ruin your credit as well. You should manage your debt as best you can, because if you don’t, it can take decades to fix the problems that are created.

Click to read.

Dr. Boyce Spotlight: The Rapper Common Is an Uncommon Talent

2011-04-24T06:34:00.001-07:00

For more information about Common, please visit GreatBlackSpeakers.com

With his Multi-Grammy Award winning music career and his continued work in film, Common has emerged as one of Hollywood's most sought after leading men. He has been seen on the silver screen in films such as SMOKIN ACES, AMERICAN GANGSTER, WANTED, TERMINATOR SALVATION and was most recently in DATE NIGHT and JUST WRIGHT.

Prior to acting, COMMON rose to prominence as one of hip-hops most poetic and respected lyricists having recorded over eight albums. In 2004, he partnered with Chicago native and rap music mega-star Kanye West to produce BE, which went on to garner four Grammy Award nominations. In 2007 COMMON released his critically acclaimed seventh album Finding Forever where it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and it went on to earn a Grammy award. His eighth album, Universal Mind Control, was released in 2008 and recently nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Album. He is currently in the studio working on his upcoming album The Believer.

COMMON is a regularly requested guest speaker known to motivate and empower collegiate minds while speaking at prestigious universities across the Country. In 2007, he launched the Common Ground Foundation, which is dedicated to the empowerment and development of urban youth in communities by helping them to realize their full potential.

Click to read

Creflo Dollar Allegedly Says that Non-Tithers Should Be Shot

2011-02-27T13:48:00.001-08:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard this audio, in which Creflo Dollar appears to be arguing that if you don’t tithe, you should be put in front of a firing squad. I did some research and found media outlets reporting the video, and I can only hope that he doesn’t truly believe this.

Click to read.

Julianne Malveaux Talks About Her New Book, “Surviving and Thriving”

2010-11-25T08:07:00.001-08:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is second-to-none. One of the most respected and prolific scholars in the history of black America, she is truly an intellectual soldier. With a PhD in Economics from MIT, Dr. Malveaux has produced scholarly work that serves as nothing less than a guide book for overcoming the prodigious number of problems being faced by black America today. She is also a champion for women's rights and issues that uniquely impact African American women.
AOL Black Voices had the chance to catch up with Dr. Malveaux to discuss the release of her new book, "Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History," and she had this to say:

1) What is your name and what do you do?
I am Dr. Julianne Malveaux, an economist, author and President of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina.
2) What motivated you to write your book, and what can people learn from it?
When people think of the economy, they rarely think of African American people as important contributors, as thivers instead of simply survivors. There is such inspiration in our economic history and I was passionate about lifting it up.

Click to read.

Syracuse University’s Own Dr. Boyce Watkins on TheLoop21 – 8/20/10

2010-08-20T14:43:00.001-07:00

Obama needs magic to create jobs out of thin air
Fri, 08/20/2010 - 00:00

He's got low approval ratings, but our pro-business, anti-union economy makes it virtually impossible to create jobs ...

Read More
Having a side hustle can keep you afloat

Wed, 08/18/2010 - 00:03

How to achieve financial security in the current economy ...

Read More
The three money mistakes we make when we're in love

Mon, 08/16/2010 - 21:00

Mixing love and money can become a dangerous thing. It's even more dangerous not to talk about your finances with the one you love. ...

Read More
How to end black unemployment forever

Tue, 08/10/2010 - 00:00

Most of us wonder why black unemployment is so high. We wonder why black people are so broke. We need to be entrepreneurs. ...

Read More
Be like Buffett: What blacks can learn from this billionaire

Sun, 08/08/2010 - 20:15

The wealthiest in black America should emulate his investment and humanity ...

Read More

MORE STORIES

Dr. Boyce Watkins: What is Scholarship in Action?

2010-08-16T07:11:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University - The Institute for Black Public Policy

I’ve made it clear in the past that I support the notion of Scholarship in Action. While some know the Syracuse University interpretation of this concept, I have found that in some cases, African American scholarship is left in the margins of academic work. Therefore, I felt the need to expand on this concept with what I call “Black Scholarship in Action,” which is based on the idea of black scholars becoming engaged with the world and doing what is right for our communities.

Here are some thoughts on what Scholarship in Action means to me as an African American Professor:

1) Re-connecting with our communities and using our expertise for the greater good. We have too much brain power and too many problems to allow our greatest intellectual resources to be locked away writing research papers that hardly anyone is ever going to read.

2) Being courageous enough to honestly share our insights with the world, even if they are not popular. Capability without courage makes you socially impotent.

3) Following up our rhetoric with assertive action. There is nothing more to say about that. Talking about something is not the same as actually doing something. We have to make sure we know the difference.

4) Confronting consistent discrimination within academia. Too many universities consistently deny hiring and tenure to African American scholars, and this has to stop. Universities must be held accountable to their data, and if a campus has any department that has not tenured an African American in more than a decade, they should be sued for racial discrimination, especially if it can be proven that African Americans with strong credentials are applying for positions in that department.

Again, these are the Dr. Boyce Watkins perspectives on what it means to be a high action scholar, so your views might differ from my own. But it is my firm belief that The Age of the Black Scholar has arrived, especially if we decide that it’s going to arrive right now. No one can stop us, but us…..so let’s define our own destiny.

Why Did a 13-Year Old Boy Have to Die?

2010-07-30T06:27:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World

Theresa Lumpkin was, until yesterday, the mother of 13-year old Robert Freeman Jr. of Chicago. Her tenure as his parent ended with the young boy was shot and killed on the South Side of Chicago in what many believe to be a case of mistaken identity.
Witnesses say that the murder was deliberate, as the gunman shot the young boy multiple times.
"My baby was just lying there,'' said Lumpkin. "He tried to get up. He tried to fight for his mama. He tried to fight for his life.''
Neighbors who saw the incident did not want their names to be published.
"I was running out [of] the door to say, 'Stop shooting that baby,'" one neighbor said.
Robert had 22 bullet holes in his body, according to doctors. The people of the community say that he was apparently targeted because he had the same complexion, height and hairstyle of another boy who was the actual target. Police are investigating whether the shooting was due to a dispute over drugs or money.
This was the fourth teen shooting in the area this week.

Click to read.

NCAA Exploitation Must Come to an End

2010-06-19T13:49:00.001-07:00

Dr. Boyce Watkins - The Institute of Black Public Policy

I wrote about a new book regarding the NCAA’s alleged exploitation of black athletes, written by University of Georgia Professor Billy Hawkins. In his recently-released book, “The New Plantation,” Hawkins goes out of his way to help us understand that the method by which the NCAA does business is not much different from the mindset of plantation owners of the old south.

The analogies used by Professor Hawkins are thought-provoking and appear to be alarmist at first glance. After all, citizens are commonly comparing nearly every modern-day injustice to slavery in order to make a dramatic point. But in this case, the analogies are appropriate, in large part because slavery is not a dichotomy. Instead, it is actually a continuum, with complete freedom on one end and total servitude on the other. One could even argue that slaves themselves were not completely devoid of freedom, since they could have always chosen to run away, buy their freedom, maim themselves or even commit suicide as a way to escape their condition. The point of this very grim example is not to say that slavery was not entirely horrific; rather, it is to say that something does not have to be entirely horrific to be compared to slavery.

Click to read

African American Faculty Being Shut Out of Universities

2010-06-10T12:24:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

Dr. M. Cookie Newsom

is the Director for Diversity Education and Assessment at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a trouble maker and an angry black woman, which is likely going to cause her serious problems with her colleagues (we talked yesterday about how being angry can get a black person into serious trouble). Dr. Newsom, however, has good reason to be angry. In a recent interview with Diverse issues in Higher Education, Dr. Newsom stated in plain language that most major universities are not serious about diversifying their faculty and that this hurts all students, especially students of color.
"The dismal truth is academe doesn’t really want a racially-diverse faculty," Newsom said during a faculty diversity presentation at the American Association of University Professors’ (AAUP) annual national conference in Washington, D.C. "It’s totally a myth."

Dr. Newson based her conclusions on statistics and data she collected which shows that most major universities are good at documenting plans to increase faculty diversity, but most of it’s nothing but lip service.

Click to read more.

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Is Barack Obama at Risk of Being Labeled an "Angry Black Man?"

2010-06-09T19:30:00.001-07:00

Obama's "Angry Black Man" Criticism: Isn't He Also Half White?

9:36 PMJun 9

Source: Blackvoices Main

In light of all of the interesting analysis that others have done regarding why President Barack Obama can only get so angry about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, I was wondering if any of this analysis makes sense. In fact, most of the ... Read More
BP Shares Get Hammered as Firm May Face Bankruptcy Due to Spill

7:46 PMJun 9

Source: BV Black Spin

Today, the shares of British Petroleum (BP), the company responsible for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, plunged 16 percent in heavy trading. There were nine times more shares traded in the company today than the average daily volume. The added ... Read More
Rev. Jesse Jackson Says Congress Ignoring Jobs Crisis

7:05 PMJun 9

Source: BV Black Spin

In a piece on The Huffington Post, the Rev. Jesse Jackson stated that he is concerned that Congress is ignoring the jobs crisis in America. Over 300,000 teachers are facing layoffs this year, and teen unemployment is the highest its been since 1948, ... Read More

Visit our Other Blogs and Join Our Family!

African American News

Scholarship in Action at Syracuse University

Follow us on Twitter!

The Economy Recovers, but where are the jobs?

2010-06-07T11:03:00.001-07:00

by Dr Julianne Malveaux

Our economy generated about 431,000 jobs last month. Good news? Only if you don't count the fact that more than 400,000 of the jobs were temporary jobs connected to collecting data for the Census. Those jobs won't last for long and when the dust clears the current 9.7 percent unemployment rate, down from 9.9 percent a month ago, is likely to rise again.

Still, those who are desperate for good news are clinging to the fact that there are more jobs out there. What they don't understand is that people are looking for something more than a few months of work here and there. Nearly seven million Americans have been out of work for more than half a year. What has this done to their finances?

Of course the situation is worse for African Americans, even though black unemployment dropped from 16.5 to 15.5 percent last month. The 15.5 percent is a modest estimate of what is really happening. The U6 number in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation report includes discouraged workers, those working part time that really want full time work and others peripherally connected to the labor market. That number dropped last month from 17.1 to 16.6 percent for the overall population. While the BLS does not report the number for African Americans, using the same relationships, the African American U6 number is at least 25.6 percent. That means that one in four African Americans is jobless!

Click to read.

Arizona is Getting a Little Too Much Attention

2010-06-07T07:17:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

Forgive me for saying this, but part me of is getting sick of hearing about Arizona. Most states only get a few days in the news cycle, but since the politicians in Arizona were crazy enough to pass a law to stifle illegal immigration in their state, our news has been seemingly flooded with one story after another about Arizona: A politician in Arizona has links to the KKK, Arizona changes its textbooks to downplay people of color, brown faces are lightened up on a mural in Arizona. It never seems to stop.

OK, I think I get the point: Arizona is a state with racist policies, at least more racist than most. Can we try to move onto something else now?

This isn't to say that there is not a level of seriousness to the illegal immigration situation in Arizona. We've figured that out. The federal government has long refused to properly enforce immigration laws, and the residents of Arizona came up with their own response, one that threatens to undermine the civil rights of every black and brown person in the state. Got it.

To some extent, the national attack on the state of Arizona smells a bit like political narcissism. The collective outrage that some have expressed over the civil liberties issues in the Arizona immigration law has been hardly present during other more serious racial atrocities that have occurred over the past 20 years.

The sense of urgency that President Obama had about the passage of the state's new immigration law has never been matched when confronting the fact that the United States incarcerates over five times more black men than South Africa did during the height of apartheid. Attorney General Eric Holder's investigation into the legality of Arizona's political decisions was never preceded by a similar investigation into the civil rights abuses of unequal funding for inner city public schools. It seems that when civil liberties of a broad Latino base were attacked, the whole country went up in arms. But when black folks have been getting abused, our needs have been put at the bottom of the to-do list.

Click to read

Killer of Black Students Gets 30 years to life

2010-05-24T18:24:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, The Institute for Black Public Policy

Nearly three years ago, two black college students and a friend were murdered in a schoolyard in Newark, NJ. Monday, a jury returned guilty verdicts for three of the murders and one attempted murder after deliberating for less than a day.
Rodolfo Godinez, a 26-year old gang member and native of Nicaragua, was convicted of all charges against him, including multiple counts of robbery, weapons possession and conspiracy. He can get up to 30 years to life for each murder count, and the sentences can be given out consecutively.
"This man will never see the light of day," said Robert D. Laurino, the acting Essex County prosecutor.
Sentencing for Godinez is set for July 8. His lawyer, Roy Greenman, said,"Obviously, there will be an appeal on a number of grounds," but he declined to state the grounds on which he'd be filing.
The prosecution did not assert that Godinez was the one who hacked at the victims with a machete or shot each of them execution-style, in the back of the head. He was argued, however, to be the one who summoned the other gang members to the schoolyard on the night when the murders took place. The murders were particularly chilling because all four of the victims were "good kids" with no criminal history and educational plans for the future.

Click to read

Find more black news at:

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Hundreds Come Together to Mourn Death of Aiyana Jones

2010-05-23T09:28:00.001-07:00

Aiyana Jones Funeral Brings Hundreds To Mourn Loss of Little Girl

12:12 PMMay 23

Source: BV Black Spin

I spoke with The Rev. Al Sharpton about the death of 7-year old Aiyana Jones last Monday. I could hear in his voice that he was genuinely concerned about what happened, and attempting to determine whether or not the police had done anything wrong ... Read More

Julianne Malveaux Questions the Kagan Nomination

2010-05-17T11:53:00.001-07:00

I was among the many who were disappointed that President Barack Obama did not nominate an African American woman to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. After all, there are six white men, two women, one Latina and one white, and a nominal African American man on the Court. Why not an African American woman?
The Black Women's Roundtable, led by Melanie Campbell, was so disappointed that they shared their concerns with the President in a letter that spoke both to the contributions African American women have made and the qualifications of a few good women that President Obama should have considered before nominating Ms. Kagan to the nation's highest court.

I won't even speak on what I perceive as some of the shortcomings of the Kagan nomination. The Solicitor General has earned the support of some colleagues that I fully respect, such as Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree. At the same time, we have to pause at the fact that her definition of diversity is ideological diversity, not racial and ethnic diversity, and that she seemed to make Harvard a more welcome place for conservatives, if not for African American faculty.

Click to read

Terms of the NAACP's Agreement with Wells Fargo

2010-04-30T16:03:00.001-07:00

From Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

In light of the article I wrote challenging the partnership between the NAACP and Wells Fargo, the company accused of predatory lending in the Black community (click here to read the article), I thought I'd publicly share the NAACP lending principles that were sent to me by one of the NAACP spokes people. In spite of the fact that I am not accusing the NAACP of illegal or unethical behavior, I still hold to the fact that the following must be true in order for me to become comfortable with this partnership:

1) There should be public accountability and transparency regarding the nature of the deal between the NAACP and Wells Fargo. That includes the amount of the sponsorship and all WRITTEN contractual commitments between the NAACP and Wells Fargo. Only specific terms in writing are relevant and can be properly enforced.

2) Simply agreeing to stop predatory lending is not enough, since there must be compensation given to the African-American community for tens of billions of dollars in lost wealth due to the racially discriminatory practices of Wells Fargo. If a senior citizen on the South Side of Chicago who lost her home is not given relief from her situation, then this partnership does very little for our community. A person cannot simply apologize for a crime and refuse to commit the crime again; there must be an effort to make right on the crimes that have been committed in the past.

The NAACP Banking Principles on Fairness in Lending are Below:

Mortgage foreclosures, excessive subprime mortgage interest rates, and hindered access to prime mortgage loans have had an inordinate impact on people of color and other historically disadvantaged borrowers. These practices have resulted in adverse effects even beyond the actual borrowers themselves. Home values have been depressed as a result of these practices, and in general people of color and their families have become increasingly vulnerable to loss of shelter, home security, equity, and wealth—even if they do not have subprime loans. To encourage transparency and fairness in the processes associated with obtaining quality loans and improved relationships between financial institutions and people of color and other historically disadvantaged borrowers, the NAACP has developed the following principles.

1. Loan terms will not be determined by a borrower’s race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, language preference, disability, religion/creed, or age, except as otherwise permitted or required by law. Additionally, loan terms will not be determined by factors designed to serve as proxies (e.g., zip codes) for the above categories. Loan terms will not be determined by subjective underwriting without controls to prevent inappropriate bias or discrimination. Similarly situated borrowers (i.e., borrowers with similar underwriting characteristics, including credit scores, debt ratios, loan-to-value ratios, etc.) will receive comparable loan terms on identical or comparable loan products.

2. Every borrower will have the option of selecting a loan product that is appropriate for his or her circumstances. Borrowers will first be presented with loan product choices that are consistent with their financial circumstances. Lenders will determine whether borrowers are eligible for prime loan products and, if so, the borrowers will be presented with prime product options. Additionally, information will be provided to the borrowers about available conventional and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan products in order for the borrowers to fully understand their options. Borrowers with good payment histories and demonstrated improvement in credit performance and other risk factors will be considered by their existing lenders for loan refinancing that result in improved loan terms.

3. Institutions will seek to eliminate policies or practices that encourage biased and exploitive behaviors toward borrowers. Lending institutions will disclose in good faith the loan fees associated with each loan and will conduct periodic audits of files, policies, and practices to ensure an environment—in lending, credit, and payment options—that is free of bias toward borrowers. Additionally, lenders who sell loans on the secondary market to third parties will also observe these fairness principles and will refrain from charging usurious interest rates.

4. Borrowers will be approved only for loans they have a current ability to repay. Borrowers will receive loans that they demonstrate the ability to repay, even in the event of a rate increase. Adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) and other loans will not be underwritten at the “teaser rate,” but rather at the fully indexed interest rate. Standard adjustable rate loan products will be clearly identified as such to borrowers, so they are fully aware of the terms of the ARM loan products and the possibility of interest rate and payment increases.

5. Each policy may be maintained and monitored for its racial impact. Fairness is measured not only in terms of intent, but also impact. Policies will reflect a demonstrated effort to ameliorate negative outcomes based on race or ethnicity. Each institution will have internal controls to determine overall, and within the subprime community of loans issued by the institution, that its neutral practices do not have an unlawful adverse impact based on grounds of race, sex, color, or ethnicity.

6. All borrowers will have access to free information, online and in print, that will help them understand and improve the quality of their loans. The terms of each loan will be provided to the borrower and explained in plain and simple language. The terms of the loan will be in a large font and easily legible to those who are not severely vision-impaired. If the borrower is fluent in Spanish but not English, the loan disclosures and documents will be translated. In the case of other languages, borrowers without access to loan translation expertise will be referred to phone-based or other translation services that are familiar with loan terms and conditions. All borrowers should be able to clearly understand the terms of their loan products.

7. Lenders will work with borrowers to prevent foreclosures. Loan servicers will consider foreclosure to be the “last resort” and will explore all appropriate alternatives before completing a foreclosure sale. Because these matters impact borrowers, their neighbors, and the institution, we believe it wise for the institution to engage in extended good-faith efforts to do all that it can to prevent foreclosures. Lenders and their affiliates will not operate using a business model intentionally designed to profit from a foreclosure.

8. Lending institutions will support and implement the inclusion of diverse suppliers in their contracting and partnership decisions. Financial institutions will establish aspirational and measurable goals and develop supplier programs that ensure the inclusion of businesses owned by women- and people of color wherever contracting and partnership opportunities present themselves. Goals will be, at the very least, to reflect the various racial, ethnic, and gender compositions of the general population.

9. Workforce diversity is important to fair decision making and expanded opportunity for economic development. From the boardroom to the cubicle, the workforce continuum will reflect the diversity of the nation. As financial institutions establish inclusive business policies, so too will there be a measurable effort to employ a workforce that is reflective of the growing diversity of the nation—at all decision-making levels within the institution.

Dr. Boyce Discusses Problems with Henry Louis Gates' Analysis

2010-04-23T18:22:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. recently wrote an interesting piece for the New York Times called, "Ending the Slavery Blame Game." In the piece, Gates effectively argues that the fight for reparations is convoluted and somewhat mitigated by the fact that African elites participated in the slave trade. While describing complex business deals made between some African leadership and the Europeans who brought Africans to the New World, it almost appears as though Gates is saying that this disturbing relationship somehow undermines the right of African-Americans to hold our government accountable for its involvement in crimes committed against our people.

At very least, I am under the assumption that by "ending the slavery blame game," Gates is arguing that we should stop blaming the United States government and white America for the rape, murder, castration, lynching and beating of our ancestors.

Sorry Dr. Gates, but I must respectfully (or perhaps not so respectfully) disagree. If a young girl is sold into prostitution by her own parents, the pimp must still pay for the suffering he caused the young woman. He can't simply say, "Her parents made a deal with me, so you should stop the blame game."

In other words, the United States, as a broad and powerful industrial entity, benefited from slavery to the tune of several trillion dollars. Much of this wealth was passed down from one white man to another, and was always out of the grasp of the black men, women and children who gave their lives on American soil in order to earn it. As a result, the median net worth of the African-American family is roughly one-tenth that of white American families and we have consistently higher unemployment due to our inability to create jobs, since white Americans own most businesses. These facts hold true without regard to how the African-American holocaust started in the first place. They also hold true because wealth and power are commodities that are passed down inter-generationally, and we missed out on all of this because we were slaves. What occurred after we left Africa can and must be considered independently from what happened while our forefathers were in the mother land.

Click to read

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Resident Scholar - AOL Black Voices

2010-04-19T14:18:00.001-07:00

Harvard's Charles Ogletree Describes Sharpton's Link to Obama

President Barack Obama's former mentor at Harvard University, Charles Ogletree, took the time to ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 19th 2010 1:10AM | Comments (8)

The Black Agenda: Wealth-Building Must Top the List - Dr. Boyce Money

I recently attended the "Measuring the Movement" national leadership forum, hosted by Rev. Al ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 18th 2010 7:56PM | Comments (7)

Officer Charged With Beating a Motorist

A police officer in suburban Chicago was caught on video hitting a driver 15 times with his baton ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 17th 2010 7:19PM | Comments (18)

Financial Lovemaking: Tiger, Tiki and the High Cost of Cheating

In this episode of Financial Lovemaking 101, S. Tia Brown and I talk about the dynamics of ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 16th 2010 11:48PM | Comments (1)

Jay-Z Sues Red Sox Slugger David Ortiz Over 40/40 Club Name

It turns out that hip-hop icon Jay-Z has filed a lawsuit against Boston Red Sox designated hitter ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 16th 2010 12:40PM | Comments (3)

Bill O'Reilly Gets Booed at Sharpton's National Convention

I've been spending the last few days in New York at the National Action Network National ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 16th 2010 10:40AM | Comments (13)

President Obama Spends $18 Billion on Jobless Benefits

Congress recently passed an $18 billion bill to extend jobless benefits for those who've been ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 16th 2010 10:18AM | Comments (0)

Police May Have Coerced Boys to Confess to Gang Rape of 7-Year-Old

Two people familiar with the police interrogations of the two young boys accused of gang rape of ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 15th 2010 12:58PM | Comments (10)

Former NAACP President Benjamin Hooks Dead at 85

The world just lost a champion. Benjamin Hooks, who served as executive director of the ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 15th 2010 11:23AM | Comments (45)

Man With HIV Knowingly Infected Women, Set to Be Released From Prison

You may not know the name Nushawn Williams, but it's probably a name you should familiarize ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 14th 2010 9:17AM | Comments (85)

Kennedy Family Member Staying in Prison on Murder Conviction

Michael Skakel is a nephew of Robert Kennedy's widow, Ethel. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 13th 2010 6:04PM | Comments (8)

Mississippi Gov. Says Slavery Conversation is Not Important

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell received some push back for attempting to declare April Confederate ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 13th 2010 9:27AM | Comments (85)

NBA Star Derrick Coleman is Now Broke: $87 Million Up in Smoke

According to the Bankruptcy Beat of the Wall Street Journal, former NBA superstar Derrick Coleman ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 11th 2010 11:54PM | Comments (48)

Michael Steele Tries to Explain Himself to Other Republicans

Michael Steele, in an effort to cover himself before his fellow Republicans, gave a stirring ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 11th 2010 11:33PM | Comments (5)

Suspects Found in Slaying of Newlywed Couple

On April 3rd, Nia Haqq and Michael Muchioki were returning from their engagement party. That ... Read More
By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Apr 9th 2010 4:31PM | Comments (13)

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Black Men Aren't Graduating from College

2010-04-07T16:55:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

Last week, the American Council on Education issued a report on the state of black males in the higher education system. The report reveals some interesting and disturbing trends. It turns out that black men are graduating from college at a rate which lags significantly behind other ethnic groups. When determining graduation probabilities over a six-year period, black males were found to have a graduation rate of 35 percent. This compares with rates of 59 percent, 46 percent and 45 percent for white males, hispanic males and black women, respectively. In other words, black men are a little more than half as likely to finish college when compared to their white male counterparts.

I have been a black man for my entire life now, and I’ve taught at the college level for the past 17 years. So, perhaps I can shed some light on the nature of these problems and how we might work to solve them. Some of the factors are institutional and some are cultural, so prepare to be offended by at least one of the things I have to say:

1) Most American universities refuse to hire or retain African American professors, including many HBCUs: If your professors look like you, you are more likely to relate to that individual and enjoy the class. When I went to The University of Kentucky, Indiana University and The Ohio State University (where I earned my PhD), I didn’t see one single professor who looked like me (and I took A LOT of classes). This made for an incredibly awkward and damn near traumatic educational experience. When I first noticed institutions like Morehouse College presenting images of black males in the front of the classroom, I was envious after realizing what I’d been missing. Rather than finding excuses for firing or not hiring black professors, most universities would be well-advised to stop lying to themselves and become serious about diversity. Yes, black professors are out there to hire if you are looking for them, but many academic departments find a reason to believe that they are not qualified. Just look at the experiences of myself, Cornell West and Michael Eric Dyson as cases in point. Each of us has received significant resistance in our careers because our work is connected to the black community. Our stories are just the tip of the iceberg, since there are thousands of black professors who’ve gone through the exact same experience when dealing with the entrenched racism of academia. Many HBCUs are not immune to this trend, as most of them don’t have very many African American professors (Don’t believe me? Go to the Computer Science Department or Business School at any random HBCU and count the number of African American professors).

Click to read

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Is Michael Steele Going to Ever Confront the Racist Tea Baggers?

2010-03-22T20:48:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

The Tea Party Protesters might need a little bit of brand management to overcome the growing perception that they represent a racist, homophobic, extremist fringe of disgruntled voters. The most recent incident of very bad PR came this week, as a small group of Tea Party protesters gathered on Capitol Hill and yelled "n*gger" and "f*ggot" at members of Congress as they walked past the crowd. The group has taken heat for the actions of those who don't know how to be cordial in their discourse, and it's not good for the Republican Party.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was put in yet another awkward position, trying to defend that which is not defensible. A man who appears to be disrespected at every turn by his own party, Steel dismissed those using the n-word within the Tea Party group as "idiots out there saying stupid things." Of course, Steele was not in a position to dismiss the Tea Partiers themselves, likely because they would have put him in a pile with the other black people they hate the most.

Click to read

Prof. Boyce Watkins Addresses Stanford University NAACP

2010-03-02T06:26:00.001-08:00

From Your Black World, AOL Black Voices

Dr. Boyce Watkins, faculty affiliate at The College Sport Research Institute, is going to speak to the Stanford NAACP on Wednesday, March 3. The topic of the conversation will be “Does the NCAA Represent an Opportunity or Exploitation?”

Dr. Watkins is one of the leading authorities on NCAA compensation. He has advocated for college athletes to be paid, and founded the group ALARM: The Athlete Liberation and Academic Reform Movement. He is also the founder of the Your Black World Coalition, with 60,000 members nation-wide.

TheGrio Speaks – 2/20/10

2010-02-20T11:23:00.001-08:00

Dr. Boyce Watkins

Author and Finance Professor at Syracuse University

Malcolm X's legacy ignored 45 years after his murder

5:20 PM on 02/19/2010

OPINION - Malcolm's legacy has been treated like the neglected step-child of the African-American struggle for freedom and equality...

> MORE
Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Journalist, author and broadcaster.

Tiger's been tamed, now leave him alone

5:03 PM on 02/19/2010

OPINION - Black superstars cause much media and public hurt when they supposedly betray the collective self-delusion of sport as pure and pristine...

> MORE
Glenn Minnis

Sports contributor

Why we should accept Tiger's apology

12:53 PM on 02/19/2010

OPINION - For better or worse, Tiger Woods seemed to want you to know that he's not much different from you or I...

> MORE
Lamonia Brown

President of Gilchrist Entertainment

Hollywood's most overlooked resource: black female directors

8:22 AM on 02/19/2010

OPINION - It took 74 years for the Academy Awards to acknowledge a black female as best actress. How long will it be before black woman is nominated for best director?...

> MORE
Glenn Minnis

Sports contributor

Five things Tiger Woods should say at mea culpa media event

11:31 AM on 02/18/2010

OPINION - What can Tiger Woods do to redeem himself besides just saying 'I'm sorry'?...

> MORE
David A. Love

Writer and human rights advocate

New census prisoner policy could benefit American cities

8:46 AM on 02/18/2010

OPINION - America's prison population could play an important role in the country's redistricting battles, and help reshape America's electoral map...

> MORE
Hazel M. McFerson

Associate Professor of International Studies at George Mason University

Why the US won't 'take over' Haiti

8:17 AM on 02/18/2010

OPINION - There is no need for 'nation-building'. What is required is temporary international guardianship...

> MORE
Clarence Haynes

Writer for VIBE, Newsday, The Source, Publishers Weekly, and Giant Magazine.

Why remaking 'We Are the World' may have been a mistake

9:01 AM on 02/17/2010

OPINION - Something about the remake feels inauthentic, the simplicity of the original has more sway...

> MORE
Dr. Boyce Watkins

Author and Finance Professor at Syracuse University

The stimulus one year later: A bold move that began a jobless recovery

8:14 AM on 02/17/2010

OPINION - Abysmal disparities in economic opportunities prove that equality has not yet been achieved...

> MORE

Fresh from Syracuse - Dr. Boyce on MSNBC’s TheGrio.com – 2/11/10

2010-02-11T03:53:00.001-08:00

Ex-NCAA star's lawsuit may expose league exploitation

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

8:23 AM on 02/10/2010

OPINION - We should also stop allowing the NCAA to earn excessive profits from the images of athletes without compensating them...

> MORE
Obama's decline reflects the perils of democracy

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

8:17 AM on 02/08/2010

OPINION - Obama has been given the simple, yet impossible task of improving the economy while being given no resources in order to get the job done...

> MORE
Haitian children need a future, not a one way ticket out

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:47 AM on 02/04/2010

OPINION - Like ebony fashion accessories, Haitian kids have suddenly come into style...

> MORE
Republicans' fear of a black president reaches new heights

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:03 AM on 02/03/2010

OPINION - The deceitful lies and illogical rants that drive the GOP right now are simply mind-boggling...

> MORE
The pros and cons of Black History Month

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

7:47 AM on 02/02/2010

OPINION - Since most Americans are woefully uneducated on African-American history, it's clear that allocating one month to the topic is not enough...

> MORE
Obama focuses on 'the Benjamins' in State of the Union

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:14 AM on 01/28/2010

OPINION - President Obama used his standard recipe of charisma, charm and vocal rhythm to renew his national agenda...

> MORE
What if Obama gave a State of the Black Union address?

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

8:36 AM on 01/27/2010

OPINION - Obama's State of the Union should be addressed to all Americans. But, it is intriguing to imagine what a speech specifically for African-Americans might sound like...

> MORE
The Supreme Court has sold out the American people

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

7:28 PM on 01/22/2010

OPINION - The 5-4 ruling on campaign financing was arguably the most un-American and destructive decision in recent US history...

> MORE
How to rebuild Haiti after the quake

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:11 AM on 01/19/2010

OPINION - The Haitian people need a future that is worth looking forward to, and one that is devoid of the same old heartache...

> MORE
Would Martin Luther King support Obama?

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

1:15 PM on 01/18/2010

OPINION - Obama and MLK might be "frenemies": Distant friends in public, with a fractured relationship behind closed doors...

> MORE
Destroyed and desperate, Haiti needs our help

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

10:42 AM on 01/13/2010

OPINION - The earthquake in Haiti was not only a global tragedy, it was a wake-up call for all of us to do what we know we were supposed to be doing in the first place...

> MORE
Bill Clinton's Obama remarks should be a wake-up call

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

3:12 PM on 01/11/2010

OPINION - If the allegations in "Game Change" are true, this is going to destroy the already wounded relationship between the Clinton family and the African-American community...

> MORE
Reid's 'Negro dialect' remark politically incorrect, but totally right

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

7:14 PM on 01/09/2010

OPINION - I don't think that Senator Harry Reid is a racist. Although Reid seemed to think that President Obama could win the election because he is "light skinned"...

> MORE
Is Harold Ford Jr. the next 'great black hope'?

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

8:30 AM on 01/07/2010

OPINION - Meet Harold Ford Jr., a former Congressman from Tennessee who has now become the next Barack Obama, at least in the eyes of enthusiastic Democrats...

> MORE
Single black women should end the blame game

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:05 AM on 01/04/2010

OPINION - I recently watched an ABC News special about black people not getting married. It featured a set of beautiful, intelligent black women who couldn't find husbands...

> MORE
Five ways to get your money right for 2010

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

7:00 AM on 01/01/2010

OPINION - Although we've got some work to do, black folks are always "movin' on up."

> MORE
The most racially charged stories of 2009

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

10:02 AM on 12/30/2009

OPINION - As we bring in the New Year and look forward to a new decade, I thought it might be fun to review the most racially-charged incidents of 2009.

> MORE
Holder should stop patronizing black dads for political points

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:20 AM on 12/28/2009

OPINION - Mr. President, if you cannot also address the good things that black men do, then please do not address the negatives. Both you and Eric Holder are more intelligent than that...

> MORE
NCAA's educational mission is great scam of 21st century

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:41 AM on 12/21/2009

OPINION - For the NCAA, the educational mission of their professional sports league is one of the great scams of the 20th and 21st centuries, no different from the Ponzi schemes of Bernie Madoff...

> MORE
Tiger Woods' rep slips from Obama to OJ

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:12 AM on 12/14/2009

OPINION - Tiger Woods is a black athlete. He isn't "Caublinasian," mixed or any other ethnicity. He is, officially, a black man...

> MORE

Black People Aren’t Getting Married: Dr. Towanna Freeman Has Something to Say

2009-12-12T08:38:00.001-08:00

Dr. Towanna Freeman has a lot to say about why Black People aren’t getting married. In an interview with AOL Black Voices, the leading black news website in America, she was quoted as saying this:

“According to the U.S. Census, 42% of African-Americans are getting married, in comparison to 61% of Caucasians.

There are four contributing factors for this current gap: the evolution of the black professional woman in the workplace; the increased numbers of incarcerated black males; decreased numbers of black males in college compared to black women; and the increased number of single mothers as head of household.

For example, black women are more likely to marry men of equal or greater education and money earning potential. Finding a prospective groom can be a challenge if the black male to black female ratio is 1 in 6 like in many major cities. The workplace and academia are the most probable location to make a dating connection. These are places you spend most of your day and you interact with the prospective and get to know them in a much better way. However, if the number of black males in those environments is too low, the odds are slim for the black love connection. This is one explanation for the increased number of interracial marriages in the U.S.”

Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks with ABC News about Tiger Woods

2009-11-27T17:59:00.001-08:00

Word that Tiger Woods was involved in an early morning car accident likely rattled not just fans, but also the broad swath of major corporations that rely on Woods' star power to sell everything from sports drinks, T-shirts and razors to golf tournament tickets.

Reports say the golf star hit a fire hydrant and a tree near his home.

"I can imagine that the world stopped for Tiger Woods advertisers when they first heard the news and that, literally, their hearts missed a beat," said ABC News sports consultant and USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan.

Woods has earned more than $100 million annually and, according to Forbes, more than $1 billion during his career thus far, thanks, in part, through endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Gatorade, Electronic Arts, TAG Heuer and Gillette. The companies declined requests for comment from ABC News.

Nike, in particular, has been especially dependent on Woods, said advertising expert Larry Woodard, an ABC News columnist and the CEO of the advertising agency Vigilante.

"Nike wasn't really into golf before Tiger Woods came," he said. "He helped them take a pre-eminent role in golf."

The PGA Tour also has a lot riding on Woods -- he drives ratings for PGA Tour broadcasts like no one else before him, allowing the tour to rake in greater advertising revenues and higher TV ratings.

"Tiger brought a lot of color to the sport both on his skin and his style of play and that's something that the PGA sorely needs," said Boyce Watkins, a finance professor at Syracuse University.

In the short term, companies tied to Woods likely wouldn't lose too much cash if Woods couldn't fulfill his immediate endorsement obligations; corporations take out insurance policies to cover themselves in case of such events.

"I bet you any intelligent corporation that deals with Tiger Woods has conditions in place to protect them in the event that something like this were to happen," Watkins said. "You have to confront the fact that a human being is perishable commodity. It is a commodity that does not come without risk."

Click to read.

Dr. Elaina George: The Problems with Obama’s Health Care Plan

2009-11-12T10:52:00.001-08:00

Dr. Elaina George, MD

The health care reform bill (HR 3962) that just passed the House of Representatives is bad on so many levels it is difficult explain. As it stands, it will destroy both the doctor patient relationship and change the practice of medicine as we know it.

We have one of the finest health care systems in the world. It has been built on a foundation of choice. Doctors were free to choose the care that they deemed necessary to treat their patients, and patients were free to seek the medical care of their choice. Initially, the foundation was shaken by the rise of the managed care system with capitation. However, over the past 10 years, capitated plans which limit access to specialists have given way to the rise in power of insurance companies. They have used their anti-trust exemption to craft a system that has used monopoly to increase profits on the backs of both doctors and patients.

Click to read.

Your Black Health: Don’t Eat the Whites in Your Food

2009-10-21T15:41:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Deborah Stroman, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Your Black World

Do you need a simple rule to begin a smart nutrition routine? Try to make a change in your diet by “avoiding the whites” – those additives that supposedly will make your food taste just right or have the right consistency. To live well and be healthy, we need to make changes that may feel uncomfortable at first and possibly illogical to friends and family.

Salt, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, accounts for nearly 150,000 premature deaths every year primarily due to complications from high blood pressure. We do need ~ 6g of salt per day to live. Sadly, the average intake of salt is between 9g and 10g a day! Salt is a commonly occurring mineral, the technical name of which is sodium chloride. It is the sodium part of salt that is important. Sodium helps to maintain the concentration of body fluids at correct levels. It also plays a central role in the transmission of electrical impulses in the nerves, and helps cells process nutrients.

Click to read.

The Corporate Climb: What Matters Beyond Your resume?

2009-10-07T22:44:00.001-07:00

by Fenorris Pearson, CEO – Global Consumer Innovation, Inc.

Education is critical for success, but when everyone has the same education from the same Ivy League schools with the same GPA… how do you stand out? Other factors beyond education – business etiquette, dress, playing well with others, teamwork and dedication are easy to measure and log. But what of those immeasurable traits that count for just as much in the corner office: passion, drive, commitment and stamina?

How can we measure the immeasurable?

When it comes to playing at the top, it’s often the intense, burning desire of the candidate that makes the difference between success and failure. At the end of the day, performance and results are two of the most important traits a top performer can possess. Work harder than your competition, and you’ll win the battle every time.

Another thing that people can’t measure with grades, paychecks, promotions or time cards is what’s inside your heart.

Click to read.

Visit Your Black World for the latest in Black News!

Dr. Wilmer Leon Speaks on the Murder of Derrion Albert

2009-10-04T19:08:00.001-07:00

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III, Howard University, Your Black World

On this past Saturday, October 3, 2009 a 16 year old African American honor student, Derrion Albert was laid to rest in Chicago. This young man was beaten to death in the street while walking from school to the bus stop. Silvanus Shannon, 19, Eugene Riley, 18, Eric Carson, 16, and Eugene Bailey, 18, have all been charged with first-degree murder in Derrion’s death.

As I watched the video of this young man being beaten to death with a railroad tie I asked myself what could compel four young African American men to engage in such a wanton and willful murderous act? How could these young men have such disregard for another human being’s life that they would beat him to his death, in the street, in broad day light? What is the basis of their rage, their anger?

I then asked myself, where are their fathers? I made an assumption and came to the conclusion that their fathers must be absent, not active or engaged in their lives. This antisocial rage, this anger is probably in part a response to their being raised without the benefit of knowing the love of their fathers. If these young men were asked to explain what drove them to this act; they most likely would not be able to articulate a clear response. They probably do not know. If they do know, they would be too ashamed to say.

As a man who was blessed to be raised by two loving parents; I clearly understand the power of love. At the age of 50, I am still blessed to be able to talk with my almost 90 year old father every day (I lost my mother last March); hear his voice, seek his counsel; feel his love. As far as I have been able to come based upon knowing my father’s love, I can’t begin to imagine how dysfunctional I would be without it.

Click to read.

No Property Insurance Can Bankrupt You

2009-09-24T10:26:00.001-07:00

Christopher Chestnut (pictured above)

Your Black World, AOL Black Voices

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

Most of us know very little about the ins and outs of property insurance. Christopher Chestnut is not in that category. As a prominent attorney out of Florida, Mr. Chestnut has taken on multi-million dollar cases and handled some of the most complex lawsuits imaginable. As one of the leading young black attorneys in America, Chestnut has been recognized by President Obama for his outstanding accomplishments.

I spoke to Chris this week about Property Insurance and what it can do to make your life a little simpler. Here is what he had to say:

1) If you rent, make sure you have renter's insurance. Also, make sure your landlord has homeowner's insurance, since renter's insurance only includes the contents that are INSIDE the house

2) Check your landlord's insurance regarding injuries on your rented property. Most people are unaware of the fact that the homeowner is liable in the event that someone is injured on their property. Even if the children across the street climb the fence to get into your yard, you are liable if one of them gets hurt. Find out how your landlord's homeowner's insurance would cover you if someone has an accident.

Click to read more.

What are the Politics Behind Healthcare Reform?

2009-09-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

Dr. Wilmer Leon, Host of “On with Leon” – Sirius/XM Channel 169

Your Black World , Howard University

Listen up as Dr. Wilmer Leon speaks with Dr. Pearl Ford about President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Plan. Click here to listen to the latest exciting episode!

Both are graduates of Howard University’s Political Science Program

Serena Williams, Kanye West, Public Outbursts and Race

2009-09-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

by Dr Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University, Your Black World

From AOL Black Voices and TheGrio.com

Were there any racial implications to the recent outbursts by Serena Williams and Kanye West? Yes, there were. In my latest conversation with Rev. Al Sharpton, we break down these interesting events, all of which occurred during the past week. We can agree, however, that there are certainly things more important than worrying about Serena Williams and Kanye West. But these situations, in light of the backdrop of Obama's comments about Kanye, might provide true teachable moments regarding America's tattered racial history.As I've written before, Serena and Kanye have a lot in common, but nothing in common, all at the same time. Serena's actions were justifiable, given the intensity of the situation and the fact that the line judge made the wrong call. At the same time, most of us can agree that Serena went over the line by threatening to "shove the ball down the f**ing throat" of the line judge because of her mistake. Yes, Serena, you are from the hood. But you don't need to take it back to the hood to make your point to a U.S. Open line judge.

Click to read.

Dr Boyce Watkins on AOL – 9/13/09

2009-09-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

Financial Lovemaking: 2 More Links Between Sex and Money

As part of my series on comparisons between sex and money, we will continue with parts 3 and 4 ...

Read More

Financial Lovemaking: What Sex and Money Have in Common

Some people think that money and sex have nothing in common. Actually, they have everything in ...

Read More

Black 'Lil Monkey' Dolls: A Very Bad Financial Move

I received a call from CNN today about a major corporate mistake. We talk about such marketing ...

Read More

Financial Lovemaking 101: How The Wrong Marriage Can Destroy You

Many times, when I talk about portfolios, wealth and investing, I am talking about LOVE. Money is ...

Read More

Love Gone Bad: Scorned Women Krazy Glue Man's Genitals

OK, if you cheer when you read this story, then you need some serious help. If you squirm when you ...

Read More

Dr. Boyce Money: Soulja Boy's Bad Financial Advice

In his video called 'Rich N*gga Sh*t' (I can't even write the title, because I don't want to ...

Read More

Financial Lovemaking: Tiny, Toya, Weezy and TIP

OK, was I confused when I found out that Tiny and Toya (TI's "baby mama" and Lil Wayne's ex-wife, ...

Read More

Financial Lovemaking: Should You Marry a Professional Athlete?

Many of us remember the nearly $822,500 gambling debt and subsequent arrest of former NBA star ...

Read More

Dr Boyce Money: Would You Date Someone Who Has Been Laid Off?

Would you date someone who doesn't have a job? Many of us would at least think twice about it. ...

Read More

Dr Boyce: Bill Cosby's Book Made Money, But Did He Forget Something?

Meet Delores Jones. Delores is a talented radio show host and women's empowerment speaker out of ...

Read More

Dr Boyce Education: Our Kids are Not Ready for the Future

I have some questions I'd like to ask all of us in an open and strictly rhetorical kind of way: 1) ...

Read More

Dr. Boyce Money: Why It Pays to be a Dangerous Negro

Dangerous Negro is changing the world. A young company founded by strong, intelligent black men, ...

Read More

Dr Boyce Money: What is the Financial Cost of Racism?

I recently did an interview with Charlamagne Tha God (posted below) with 100.3 "The Beat" in ...

Read More

Dr Boyce: The Economic Implications of Obama's Trip to Africa

President Obama is headed to Africa this week in what appears to be a symbolic, one day visit. ...

Read More

Black News: Rev. Al Sharpton Teams up with Dr. Boyce Watkins

2009-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Dr Boyce Watkins, Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition is now slated for a weekly segment on "Keeping it Real with Al Sharpton." The show is currently syndicated in 18 cities across the nation and adding new affiliates each week. Every Monday from 1:15 - 2:15 pm EST, Dr. Watkins and Rev. Sharpton will discuss political issues of the day and matters affecting our nation. To find out more about the show, please visit www.SharptonTalk.net or www.BoyceWatkins.com.

To see Dr. Watkins' latest articles with MSNBC's "TheGrio.com", please visit this link: http://www.thegrio.com/author/dr-boyce-watkins-1/

To see Dr. Watkins' latest work with AOL Black Voices, please visit: http://blogs.blackvoices.com/bloggers/boyce-watkins-phd/

To listen to Dr. Watkins' last conversation with Rev. Sharpton, please click here.

In light of President Obama's recent announcement that African American education should be a top priority for Black leadership, Dr. Watkins will be speaking with Rev. Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and other African Americans on ways to directly challenge the astronomical dropout rates for African American students. Many of these issues are addressed in Dr. Watkins' book, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About College." To start the academic year, Dr. Watkins will be distributing free e-copies of this book to members of the Your Black World Coalition during the month of September, 2009. We will also be reaching out to President Obama to offer support in solving this problem, for we firmly believe that managing the dropout rate is one of the keys to saving our great nation.

For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

What’s with the so-called “Post Racial America?”

2009-08-18T19:10:00.001-07:00

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III, Howard University

In 1903 W.E.B. DuBois wrote in The Souls of Black Folk, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line, --the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea.” In 1968 the Kerner Commission determined "Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—-separate and unequal."

In 21^st Century so-called “post racial” America the problem is still race. African American’s like Derryl Jenkins are still being brutalized by the police in north Minneapolis, MN; shot in the back of the head while handcuffed like Oscar Grant in Oakland, CA; and mistaken for perpetrators and killed by fellow officers like Officer Omar Edwards in New York City.

Many questions still need to be answered about these latest tragedies. What leads these officers to perceive people of color as a threat? Why do the police feel the need to use excessive force first and ask questions later? This takes me to the continual discussion about racism (white supremacy), its perceptions, and emotional responses that people of color deal with all too often.

Click to read.

Dr. Wilmer Leon: Is Healthcare Reform Dead?

2009-08-12T10:06:00.001-07:00

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

According to 2008 U.S Census Bureau data approximately 47 million or 15.8 percent of the U.S. population, were without health insurance during 2006 — a 4.9 percent increase. In 2005, census figures showed that 44.8 million people, or about 15.3 percent of the population, lacked health insurance coverage. According to a report released by the Institute on Medicine, the average cost of family health-care coverage more than doubled from 1999 to 2008, from $1,543 to $3,354.

Based upon these realities, presidential candidate Obama made health-care reform a central theme of his campaign. He promised to achieve universal health care in his first term and to cut the average family's health care health-care costs by $2,500. In the on-going health care reform debate it is very important to remember that as a result of this and other campaign promises, President Obama won the 2008 presidential election with 53% of the popular vote to Senator McCain’s 46% and 68% of the Electoral College vote to McCain’s 36%.

According to a New York Times/CBS News poll taken in June, 85 percent of respondents said the health care system needed to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt. According to a June poll conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute 83 percent of respondents favored and only 14 percent opposed “creating a new public health insurance plan that anyone can purchase.” These numbers indicate that health care reform is very important to the American people.

Click to read.

News: Dr Wilmer Leon Interviews Suzanne Simons

2009-08-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

Dr Wilmer Leon interviews Suzanne Simons about her book “Master of War: Blackwater USA's Erik Prince and the Business of War". Click here to listen!

Dr Boyce: Going to College Should Not Be an “If”

2009-08-09T09:05:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

The following is an exerpt from the book, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College."

Before I tell you all the great things about college, and all the things that are going to happen before, during and after, we should start with a very basic question: why do you want to go to college anyway? I mean, you could be doing a lot of things: playing in the NBA, bustin rhymes with your boys on stage, acting in Hollywood, or just plain old "kickin it". More realistically, you could also just jump right out and get a job after high school. There was a time when that wasn't such a bad thing. My grandmother always tells me stories about the days when a high school diploma went a long way, when a house cost 8 cents, when dogs didn't bite and you could leave your front door open at night. But a lot of things have definitely changed since then, and a person must adjust to the times.

If you want to increase your chances to getting a good job one day, then getting a solid education under your belt is a great place to start. Once, I asked a friend if she was going to college. I think that she was the kind of person that wanted to make the quick money, rather than spend 4 years investing in her education. In her mind, it was all about making money right away, and college would be a waste of 4 years for her. When I asked her if she was going to go to college, she said "I like money too much to go to college". I said to her "I like money too much not to go to college!" So the fact is this: you need degrees to get to the cheese! To lay it down in concrete terms, a census bureau survey showed that college graduates earn nearly one million dollars more during their lifetime than people with high school diplomas. What would you do with your extra million?

Sure there are exceptions. I went to college with guys who never graduated and left early for the NBA to make more money than most of us will ever make. However, this is clearly the exception. For every Kobe Bryant or Allen Iverson, there are literally millions of other students who are not quite good enough to make the big money. For every Vivica Fox or Jenifer Aniston, there are a lot of women out there in Hollywood with roaches crawling across the bathroom floor. I am not saying this to stamp out the dreams you may have, it's a reminder that you should pursue higher education no matter what you decide you want to do. This guarantees that you will have something to fall back on in case your plans don't turn out quite the way you thought they would.

Click to read.

News: Dr. Wilmer Leon: Breaking Down Obama’s NAACP Speech

2009-08-04T19:00:00.001-07:00

Drs. Mack Jones, Robert Smith and Wilmer Leon do an in-depth analysis of President Obama’s speech to the NAACP. Click here to listen!

Chicago Cops Beat Man Driving With Black Women

2009-08-04T07:57:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO (CBS) ― New allegations of brutality by Chicago police have surfaced. In his

lawsuit, one man claims he was beaten during a traffic stop.

As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports, the suit names two officers and implicates several others.
"I thought I was gonna die because I couldn't breathe," said alleged police beating victim Curtis Mason Jr.
Blood vessels were broken in an eye and his wrists were allegedly cut by tight handcuffs.

Mason says the injuries he captured with photographs were caused by Chicago police.
"In the beginning, that's what I asked them, 'why am I being arrested' and from that point, it turned into, 'why are you continually hitting me?'" he said.

click here to read more

Rev. Eugene Rivers and Dr. Boyce Watkins on MSNBC

2009-08-03T10:59:00.001-07:00

Click here to watch Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University with Pastor Eugene Rivers on MSNBC.

Roland Martin, Dr Boyce Watkins Fight it out on CNN

2009-08-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University speaks with Roland Martin and Rick Sanchez of CNN. The conversation gets quite heated. Click here to watch the video!

Your Black News: CNN American Morning Talks with Dr Watkins – 7/29/09

2009-07-29T11:24:00.001-07:00

Click here to watch Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University on CNN American Morning with Dr. Michael Fauntroy

Rev. Jackson, Sharpton, Watkins, Ogletree Meet to Discuss Gates

2009-07-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Click here to listen to Rev. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Dr. Boyce Watkins (Syracuse University) talk with Harvard Law Professor, Charles Ogletree

Deborah Stroman: Is Higher Ed a Right or a Privilege?

2009-07-28T06:30:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Deborah Stroman

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Get Real! That’s my kind response to the critics of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) recent academic reform policy that eliminates the minimum SAT and ACT scores for admission. This well-thought out and crafted course of action finally gives colleges the academic freedom and independence to do what they do best – make decisions as to which students they want on their particular campus. Not the NCAA, the athletic leagues, or any other sport-related governing body has the right to tell an academic institution who is most deserving of the opportunity to sit in their classrooms and learn. Although our country promotes a spirit of education for all, the reality is that higher education is for the privileged. And those with the financial resources receive more access and resources. With a wink and a nod though, the student-athlete can oftentimes bypass this necessity if one possesses the talent to throw a tight spiral or shoot a silky-smooth jumper.

Click to read more.

Anderson Cooper Speaks with Dr. Boyce Watkins – 7/25/09

2009-07-27T15:01:00.001-07:00

Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University and Anderson Cooper discuss the case of Harvard Professor, Henry Louis Gates. Click here to watch the video!

Your Black News: Montel Williams and Dr. Boyce Watkins Discuss Henry Louis Gates

2009-07-27T07:15:00.001-07:00

Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University spoke with TV and radio show host Montel Williams on Monday. The conversation focused on race and racial profiling. They are going to also speak on financial advice in the future.

Roland Martin, Boyce Watkins Talk Gates

2009-07-26T07:09:00.001-07:00

COOPER: Professor Watkins, do you believe this is an issue about race, or do you think this is an issue of two people with -- with big egos or clashing egos?

WATKINS: I think that the answer is that we don't know.

And that is the problem, that we were making bandwagon assumptions based on things we didn't know. Look, either Sergeant Crowley violated procedure or he didn't. If he did violate procedure, he either violated it because Skip Gates was black or for some other reason.

But the truth is that we can't read this man's mind. And, so, the truth -- the reality is that this could have happened to someone of another ethnicity, potentially, particularly when you look throughout Sergeant Crowley's record.

And I assume that he wouldn't be teaching classes on racial sensitivity if he had a record of arresting black men for no reason. Now, I'm not trying to say that this did not happen in this case. I'm not anybody is a liar.

But what I'm saying is that we can't use this case as a -- some sort of poster child for racial-profiling issues across America, because there is real racial profiling that goes on, on places other than Harvard University, because I guarantee you this much.

MARTIN: Anderson...

WATKINS: Skip Gates is a guy who knows he is Skip Gates.

And being a black professor at Harvard, with all the money that Skip has, I guarantee you he has probably got more privilege than most white Americans have anyway.

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: Anderson, race -- race is involved, because you all -- look, when you step back and say, here, you have an African-American professor in his home. The cop comes there.

The black officer said, I think it may have been -- differently if it was an African-American cop with this actual black male here. What we have to learn here is, what is going through a black man's mind when this kind of thing is happening?

Again, people say, well, it needs to be overt. Well, people all self-perceive things differently. What is implied? What is inferred? And, so, here, he is standing here saying, this is how I am interpreting this.

We cannot dismiss that and say, well, that is not relevant. It is relevant, because it happens every day. People make assumptions. Women make assumptions based upon, well, is this happening to me because I am a woman? Is this happening to me because I am Hispanic? COOPER: But some assumptions are correct and some assumptions are not.

MARTIN: Absolutely. But that's why we can't...

WATKINS: Right. Absolutely.

Boyce Watkins speaks on AOL – 7/22/09

2009-07-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Latest

Dr Boyce: Henry Louis Gates and His Arrest at Harvard

E-MAIL|SHARE

I don't like our nation's criminal justice system. Every statistic reeks of racism, and the prison ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (2)

Dr Boyce Money: What Can Michael Vick Do Now?

E-MAIL|SHARE

Previously, I did a piece on Michael Vick and discussed ways in which Michael can get his ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (2)

Are Hip Hop Artists "Bo-Jangling" for the Dough?

E-MAIL|SHARE

I was on the phone with an artist in NYC the other day. I asked her why she hasn't released an ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (3)

Dr. Boyce: Michael Vick is Finally Free

E-MAIL|SHARE

Michael Vick is finally out of prison. He is not just being transferred from one prison to ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (9)

Dr Boyce Money: Steve McNair's Missing Will

E-MAIL|SHARE

My heart was broken when I read about the murder of NFL great, Steve McNair. My heart went out to ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (10)

Dr Boyce on AOL – 7/16/09

2009-07-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

Dr Boyce: Lil Wayne Is Willing to Murder Newborn Babies?

E-MAIL|SHARE

I spent the weekend in New York City doing all the things that a father dreams of doing with his ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (38)

Nicole Spence Moves Beyond her Wendy Williams Experience

E-MAIL|SHARE

I've had the chance to interact with Wendy Williams on a regular basis over the past 3 years. ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (1)

Dr Boyce Money: Would You Date Someone Who Has Been Laid Off?

E-MAIL|SHARE

Would you date someone who doesn't have a job? Many of us would at least think twice about it. ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (20)

Dr Boyce: Bill Cosby's Book Made Money, But Did He Forget Something?

E-MAIL|SHARE

Meet Delores Jones. Delores is a talented radio show host and women's empowerment speaker out of ... Read More
Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (66)

Dr Boyce – the latest – 7/16/09

2009-07-15T09:59:00.001-07:00

Lessons from Sonia and Barack

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

7:50 AM on 07/13/2009

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Partisan politics aside, Judge Sonia Sotomayor and President Barack Obama present themselves to the world as middle-aged poster children for everything that can be right in Black and Latino America. I'm not talking about their political achievements...

> more
What Obama needs to do in Africa

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

8:41 AM on 07/09/2009

Obama looks on during the G8 Summit (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) In a recent interview with AllAfrica.com, President Obama said: "I'd say I'm probably as knowledgeable about African history as anybody who's occupied my office. And I can give you...

> more
Dumb kids create a bad economy

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

8:22 AM on 07/08/2009

One of my favorite magazines is "The Economist." A recent issue of the magazine had an intriguing article about American kids and how we've essentially prepared them to destroy our nation. National productivity is a grave concern for the U.S.,...

> more
BET brainwashing our kids

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:03 AM on 07/02/2009

I write this article at the risk of offending my daughters, who are all in the "We think Lil Wayne and Chris Brown were sent by God" age group.

> more

Does Bill Cosby Have as Much Personal Responsibility as we Think?

2009-07-12T13:44:00.001-07:00

by Delores Jones

Recently, I listened to yet another radio debate about the manner in which Bill Cosby talked about the plight of some black people at least 5 years ago. Economically speaking, I too would be considered one of the working poor in the African American community mentioned, however, some of the words used to describe the behavior associated with this class of people did not fit me or others that I personally know. In fact, I am a highly, educated single mother with a master’s degree in social work. I also hold a bachelor’s of broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, arguably one of the finest J-Schools in the nation. I’ve been employed, unemployed, underemployed, upset, bewildered, disappointed, depressed and even disgusted.

Interestingly, none of the books I’ve read about “lower economic people” who are believed to be “failing the civil rights movement by not holding up their end of this deal,” invited me or others to the table to discuss individual situations or the people I encounter as a social worker who are simply trying to make this thing called life work the best way he or she knows how. Just because a school is open does not mean what is being taught is adequate. Just because there is a hosptial near by doesn’t mean I am welcome there or can afford to be seen there. In fact, recently I learned that I need a major operation but I don’t have insurance to cover the projected $20,000 cost. Did I mention, I work full-time?

Click to read.

To obtain Delores Jones for a speaking engagement, please contact us with the following information:

1800-934-7110

information@yourblackpublicity.com

Dr. Deborah Stroman: Speaks on McNair, Health and More

2009-07-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dr. Deborah Stroman

Sheeessh! By the news events of the past few weeks, one would have thought that it was time to grab our belongings and head to hills. Can anyone be trusted in this information age of hustle, fast-talk, get-rich deals, and quickie-relationships? Here’s a bit of timeless advice for those desperately seeking peace-of-mind and still holding on in hope for a brighter tomorrow –

1. Don’t seriously date someone that doesn’t have as much as you to lose financially in a relationship (especially if you’re already married). Yes, this tip may appear narrow-minded, elitist, and tough to swallow but the facts reflect reality. Mr. McNair more than likely lost his life not because the alleged killer was not cute enough or highly cultured, but rather she got a taste of the good life that she had never previously experienced. The young lover was not an observable regular in the high-income bracket circle. Her self-defined love and feelings for this once-in-a-lifetime fling would not permit her to let go. She probably rested on the “if I can’t have him, no one else will” sentiment to end their lives tragically. It is highly doubtful that a businesswoman with millions (who was rejected by a rich lover that would periodically spend his mint on her to woo her) would take her own life and risk the chance to meet another stud athlete with bank and street cred.

Dr Boyce on AOL – 7/11/09

2009-07-11T13:39:00.001-07:00

Dr Boyce Education: Our Kids are Not Ready for the Future

I have some questions I'd like to ask all of us in an open and strictly rhetorical kind of ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (2)

Dr Boyce Money: Why It Pays to be a Dangerous Negro

Dangerous Negro is changing the world. A young company founded by strong, intelligent black men, ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (6)

Dr Boyce Money: What is the Financial Cost of Racism?

I recently did an interview with Charlamagne Tha God (posted below) with 100.3 "The Beat" in ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (1)

Dr Boyce: The Economic Implications of Obama's Trip to Africa

President Obama is headed to Africa this week in what appears to be a symbolic, one day visit. ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (5)

Dr Boyce: Did Stevie Wonder's Daughter Attempt Suicide?

MediaTakeout is reporting that the 27-year old daughter of Stevie Wonder (Takiyah) attempted ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (7)

Dr Boyce: My Call From the Obama Administration

I got a call the other day from someone in the Obama Administration. I get a sense that key ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (59)

Dr Boyce: My Encounter with Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh

Last week, I received a phone call from the producer for "The Jim Reith Show" here in Syracuse. ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (2)

Michael Jackson Being Attacked: Latest Updates on His Will

We recently heard about Congressman Peter King referring to Michael Jackson as a "pedophile and a ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (13)

Michael Jackson's Will Being Contested Heavily in Court

We've continuously discussed the financial situation wtih Michael Jackson, as well as that for his ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (1)

Dr Boyce Money: Love Investments Matter More than Money

When I came up with the concept for Financial Lovemaking, I became an intense student of life: I ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (7)

Steve McNair's Legacy as an NFL Great: Dr. Deborah Stroman

Most of us know about the tragic death of NFL great Steve McNair. On this episode of "The Bottom ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (6)

Breaking News: Steve McNair Shot and Killed in Nashville

Image: Dr Boyce Watkins with Steve McNair in 2004 Media outlets are reporting that former NFL MVP ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (51)

Michael Jackson Update: Celeb Insider Talks about Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's financial and family situations are getting more complicated by the second. As we ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (4)

Dr Boyce: Rapper Drake Learned Lessons from BET Awards

Some have seen the discontent I expressed about the most recent BET Awards. But I am not the only ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (51)

Dr Boyce: Congressman Compares NBA Age Limit to Slavery

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Congressman Steve Cohen has chosen to take on the NBA's ... Read More
Posted by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (15)

Black News: Kids Kicked out of Swimming Pool for Being Black

2009-07-09T13:21:00.001-07:00

What is the economic cost of racism? Children from a predominantly black daycare were kicked out of a white country club pool for no apparent reason. Some argue that it was because they were black.

Click here to listen!

Dr. Wilmer Leon on Sarah Palin’s Sudden Departure

2009-07-09T03:22:00.001-07:00

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

On July 3^rdthe democratically elected governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin announced that she will not seek re-election as Governor. Effective July 26^th, she will “transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell.” Governor Palin is resigning. The woman who tried to convince all of America that she was capable of being just one heart beat away from being the leader of the free world has thrown in the towel. It’s one thing to decide that you will not seek re-election; it’s another to “transfer authority” before the end of your first term. Eighteen months before the end of her first term, the sledding began to get tough and the “musher” quit!

During her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Governor Palin tried to belittle then Democratic Party nominee, Senator Obama’s work as a community organizer by saying, “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.” Apparently, those “actual responsibilities” are no longer relevant. If she is unable to persevere and deliver on her commitment to her constituents in Alaska, how can she be expected to, as she said, “work hard for others who still believe in free enterprise and smaller government; strong national security for our country and support for our troops; energy independence; and for those who will protect freedom and equality and life...?” The hypocrisy is nauseating.

Boyce Watkins: Michael Jackson’s Kids and Their Money

2009-06-30T06:16:00.001-07:00

by Dr Boyce Watkins

"Stuntin like my daddy" was the first song on the album, "Like Father, Like Son," issued by Lil Wayne and Birdman in 2006. "Stuntin" is a hip hop term synonymous with "flossing," blinging," and "balling." It means that you've engaged in excessive spending to ensure that you have the finest of everything and are even willing to live at the edge of your means in order to present appropriate status symbols to the world. Anyone who follows hip hop knows that you should never take financial advice from a rapper. In light of the recent passing of their father, I sincerely hope that the children of Michael Jackson didn't hear the Lil Wayne song, since their daddy's financial "stuntin" before his death has left the children with a conflicted economic legacy.

On one hand, we shouldn't feel sorry for Michael Jackson's kids, at least not financially. Their father's amazing talent gives them a brand that is literally worth well over a billion dollars in future royalties and licensing fees. Michael Jackson may have died physically. But financially, he is still a viable and overwhelmingly powerful corporate entity.

Click to read.

Dr Boyce Watkins: What We Can Learn from MJ’s Debt

2009-06-29T06:35:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Janet Jackson honors Michael at BET Awards

Doctor talks to police about Jackson's final moments

Let's remember what Michael did for us

Michael Jackson is not dead. No, he's not on a deserted island chilling with Tupac and Elvis (who some believe faked their deaths), but he is certainly alive in corporate and social spirit, impacting millions of people.

Michael will make 1000 times more money in death than most people make when they are alive. But similar to when he was alive, massive amounts of cash will have to be generated in order to counter the enormous debt that Michael created while he was doing his thing.

Reports have stated Michael Jackson's debt to be as high as half a billion dollars, enough to make some major corporations blush. What's worse is that this debt was not created via a series of sound financial investments: it was conceived by building personal amusement parks, buying rare monkey statues, and rocking his way from one expensive store to the other.

Michael's spending became his addiction. Financial needs could have been what led to him agreeing to do 50 concerts in London this year (a tour he was preparing for just before his death), when he may have not been able to handle one. It was starting to get sad watching Michael perform, similar to watching Muhammad Ali after he'd spent 10 years dealing with Don King. While the 50-year old Michael Jackson may have given a great performance, it would probably be something less than what we've come to expect.

Click to read.

Your Black Legal: Protecting Those who Testify

2009-06-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Photo: Elliot Milner, Attorney at Law

Many of us have read about the traumatic beating of a woman in broad daylight in an Oakland beauty salon. The woman chose not to testify, in part because she feared retaliation from her attackers. The protection of witnesses is a serious issue and solutions are necessary. Elliot Milner, an attorney, had this to say:

“This is a complicated issue, and there is no easy solution. Most police departments only provide protection in the most extreme cases, and this is usually a very rare occurrence. I am a proponent of self-help. I'm not speaking about vigilante justice, simply saying that if people in urban(and any other) communities want to make sure that their neighbors who speak out against those who commit crimes are not harmed, then it is necessary for people in the community to take the initiative to let it be known that they will not tolerate harm being done to innocent citizens who simply seek to have those doing wrong held accountable.

I completely understand that is easier said than done. However, community intervention is a must. The police(in Oakland or any other city/town) are not going to protect you. Even if they have the desire to, most police departments do not have the funding or personnel to accomplish that. In several cities, groups of men in urban communities have taken to policing the streets of their neighborhoods. It is imperative that people in the community show that they are not afraid and will not be imprisoned in their own homes, as is the case in some neighborhoods. Also, participating in dialogue with individuals who may be "in the street" or committing crimes is a must. The more you isolate a person or group of people, the more likely they are to react negatively to you.”

Technorati Tags: oakland salon beating,black attorneys,african american attorneys

Elliot Millner: Tyler Perry vs. Spike Lee: What’s Really Going on?

2009-06-21T09:11:00.001-07:00

by Elliot Millner, JD

Although I realize that we live in the internet-age, which means even the simplest of criticisms can be blown out of proportion, I am disappointed to see how some Black people are unable to intelligently respond to constructive criticism, even when it is not directed at them.

The person who is the latest target of the "He's just a hater" orchestra is none other than renowned filmmaker Spike Lee. In a recent interview that he did with Ed Gordon, Spike dared to criticize some of Tyler Perry's work(specifically Meet the Browns and House of Pain) and made references to the shows as "coonery" and "buffoonery" and compared them to Amos n' Andy.

For the record, let me say that I agree with a lot of what Spike Lee said. Although I liked a couple of the Madea plays that I saw years back(even though I generally have issue with Black men parading around in dresses, even for comedy-but that's another topic), these two shows don't do anything for me. That's just me, and I do realize that comedy is subjective; what's funny to one person is not funny to another. However, any person familiar with the historical 'coonery' and 'buffoonery' that Spike Lee was referring to(reference Bamboozled if you haven't seen it) would be hard pressed to argue his point that some of Tyler Perry's characters do harken back to that era. If "Mr. Brown" isn't the prototypical coon-type character, then what is? This is not to single Tyler Perry out, because there are other examples, and some of them aren't actors(Flavor Flav).

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: spike lee,tyler perry,black news,black celebrities

www.yourblackgossip.blogspot.com

www.yourblackcelebrities.blogspot.colm

www.blackbloggers.wordpress.com

Your Black Attorneys: The Troy Davis Case: Things you need to know

2009-06-20T06:53:00.001-07:00

by Elliot Milner, JD.

" I have faced execution and the torment of saying goodbye to my family three times in the last two years and I may experience that trauma yet again; I would not wish this on my worst enemy and to know I am innocent only compounds the injustice I am facing."- Troy Davis, from Georgia's death row, on facing a fourth possible execution date.

For those who are unaware, Troy Davis has been on Georgia's death row for about 18 years, after being convicted of murdering police officer Mark McPhail(Mr. Davis has maintained his innocence from the very beginning).

It would take pages to give all of the details of Troy Davis' case, however I will say that there was no physical evidence found(including a murder weapon) connecting Troy Davis to the killing of Officer McPhail; he was convicted largely on the basis of inconsistent and often contradictory eyewitness testimony. The vast majority of those prosecution eyewitnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony implicating Mr. Davis, and one of those who hasn't is Sylvester Coles, the main alternative suspect presented by the defense during Troy Davis' trial. In addition, there have been multiple allegations of police coercion and the usage of unethical interrogation techniques.

(For additional information on Troy Davis' case, or to get information on how to act, check out www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/troy-davis and http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/.).

Troy Davis' ordeal has been going on for nearly two decades now, and is nearing its end, one way or the other. He has had numerous appeals denied(most recently in April 2009), habeas corpus petitions denied, stays of execution granted and expired, and also had one request for clemency denied by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles(the same board that would decide any future request for clemency regarding Troy Davis).

Technorati Tags: troy davis,black men in america,african american men,black attorneys,african american attorneys,black lawyers,african american lawyers

Dr Boyce: Michael Eric Dyson and Barack Obama Need to Talk

2009-06-17T13:49:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

When I heard the controversial and heated comments about President Obama that were made by my respected colleague Michael Eric Dyson, I felt like a 2nd grader running outside to see the fight between two middle school kids. Both Barack and Michael are men I've grown to appreciate, and I love them for their strengths as well as their imperfections. Michael was the reason I became a public scholar during graduate school, as I would watch the words flow out of him like an MC in the booth dropping his hottest album. The man is good, damn good.

Barack Obama needs to listen to the words of Michael Eric Dyson. In fact, he should give Dyson as much, or more respect than he gives me or any other black public intellectual in America. Dr. Dyson, no matter how you perceive his critique of President Obama, represents a form of insight that you are not going to find in politics, the pulpit or anywhere else. At the same time, I will confess that his words may also come from an impure place that lies within the darkest part of our souls. In other words, Dyson, Tavis, Barack, Jesse and every other ambitious man in America is always going to be tempted by the "Demon of Playerhaterology". Men are naturally competitive, and no man likes to be disrespected. Obama, as a condition for his employment, is often asked to disrespect other leaders across America who represent the essence of meaningful black thought. That's going to create a long list of enemies.

Click to read more.

Read more Black Politics at www.YourBlackPolitics.Blogspot.com.

Dr Boyce Watkins: America’s Pending Retirement Crisis – Are you prepared?

2009-06-15T10:57:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University

www.TheGrio.com

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But then again, it must not bother me very much, since I am going to give you a big pile of bad news right now. Given that I earned a Masters Degree in the "morbid science" of statistics, I figured I would start the day by fulfilling my occupational expectation.

The first piece of bad news is that you are going to die. One day, your heart will stop beating and the 2.5 billion breaths you'll take during your lifetime will come to an end. Hopefully, it won't be painful, but I can't guarantee that. The truth is, however, that death might not be the worst part of it all.

The toughest news is that before you die, you are likely going to experience a long, slow period of physical and psychological decline called "old age". In conjunction with this decline, you are going to see your financial resources dwindle as quickly as the muscles in your body. Not only will the scale of your resources decline, but your expenses will likely mount as you go to one doctor's visit after another, all with the hope of delaying the inevitable. That period of life is called "retirement", and most Americans are not financially prepared for it.

Now that you are sufficiently depressed (there's no point in lying to you, I'm not very good at that), I will give you some facts to chew on. I also hope that in light of these realities, you will engage in something that the rest of America is not doing: preparing for retirement. While retirement planning has always been important in the past, it has never been more important than it is for you right now. The Perfect Economic Storm is coming, one in which all the scary clouds merge together into one big ball of fiscal devastation that can only be created by God himself. When your financial meteorologist (me) gives you that information, it's your decision to get your family prepared. Let's break down the components of the storm, shall we?

Click to read more.

Technorati Tags: black money,black wealth,african american money,african american wealth,black scholars,black professors,black news headlines,african american news

Dr. Wilmer Leon: Sotomayor and America’s Racial Hypocrisy

2009-06-14T19:33:00.001-07:00

Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

Howard University

On Tuesday May 26^th, President Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Before the President announced his selection he stated he was not just looking for someone with just “ivory tower learning”; he wanted “intellectual firepower” as well as a “common touch” and a “practical sense of how the world works”. He also used the word “empathy” several times. It did not take long for the critics to weigh in and challenge the nomination.

What is troubling about the criticism is that most of it is intentionally not directed at judge Sotomayor’s record as a jurist and opinions that she has rendered. Most of the criticism is deliberately based upon select statements made in speeches or lectures, as was the case with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. They have been contextualized in the most inflammatory way possible in order to scare white people.

Technorati Tags: black scholars,black professors,african american scholars,african american professors,dr wilmer leon

Did Wells Fargo Discriminate? Chris Richardson Breaks it down

2009-06-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

Dr. Christopher Richardson

Dr. Christopher Richardson, one of the world’s leading experts on predatory lending and banking, comments on a recent report that Wells Fargo, one of the sponsors of the State of the Black Union event held every year, is being sued by several government agencies due to accusations of financially exploiting and deliberately misleading the Black community. Dr. Richardson’s comments are below:

Click to read on African American Money.

Technorati Tags: black money,black wealth,african american money,african american wealth,black professors,black scholars,african american scholars

Chris Metzler Breaks Down Obama’s New Appointment

2009-06-12T07:50:00.001-07:00

Dr. Christopher Metzler

President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to be a Justice on the United States Supreme Court has brought to the surface the lingering resentment that so many White men in America have harbored since the end of slavery. Moreover, it has denuded the souls of white folks who have now become part of a race. It has also revived White men as victims and given voice to the intellectually dishonest rhetoric of "reverse" racism while also race-baiting the White House, albeit one headed by a Black man.

Of course, we understand that race is a social construction. That is, there is no biological basis for race. Rather, in the context of the United States, race has been formulated and given meaning by society and the courts who wished to connote difference and the privileges and insults thereto appertaining. That formulation for so much of our history defined Whites as superior and numerical racial minorities as inferior thus justifying different treatment.

First, it is not an understatement to say that many White men in America have opted out of the conversation on race. In fact, in most conversations about race, racial minorities are the ones who are presumed to be affected by racism because of America's toxic relationship with race. White men in particular enjoy the visible and invisible privilege of being both White and male and thus, until now, have seen no reason to be considered part of a "race."

The White men of whom I write have decided that they will pick the carbuncle of race in an attempt to protect their white privilege at all costs. Hoisting the White man's burden are Rush, Tancredo, Hannity, Dobbs and Gingrich; the "unelected" leaders of the party. The elected leaders (especially those with significant Latino voters) and the languid "head of the party" (Michael Steele) will collude with them by saying nothing.

Dr. Christopher J. Metzler is associate dean at Georgetown University and the author of The Construction and Rearticulation of Race in a Post-Racial America.

Technorati Tags: race,racism,black america,black scholars,african american scholars,christopher metzler,black politics,african american politicsl

Former NY Yankee Transitions to Business: How He did It

2009-06-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Jason Robertson is a man of many gifts. As an young man, he was an All-American baseball player, drafted by the New York Yankees straight out of high school. He was also listed by Essence Magazine as one of the most eligible bachelors in America for his good looks and success. If that were not enough, Jason retired from baseball and re-invented himself as a leading, award-winning entrepeneur.

Besides being a model of success for his 3 sons and celebrating his engagement to fiance Marshawn Evans, Jason is on a mission to teach other young men how to make the transition from successful athlete to outstanding businessman. Black Voices got a chance to catch up with Jason.

1) What do you do for a living?

I own an industrial packaging company. We sell corrugated boxes, bags, films, pallets, and we also provide warehousing and storage.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: jason robertson,black men in america,black athletes,black men,african american men,black sports,african american sports,black news,african american news

Syracuse University Professor Boyce Watkins Joins NBC

2009-06-07T18:15:00.001-07:00

Dr. Boyce Watkins, a Finance Professor at Syracuse University, will be joining NBC to do financial analysis and commentary. Through various forms of television and online media, Dr. Watkins will do regular financial segments and articles on a variety of financial and socio-political topics.

One of the financial segments will be "Financial Lovemaking", based on his book "Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good". He will also do "The Dr Boyce Breakdown", a segment in which he analyzes complex socio-political issues and breaks them down so that regular Americans can understand them. This is part of Dr. Watkins' plan for Scholarship in Action, in which he is working aggressively to ensure that all Americans embrace financial literacy and that African Americans find the path to true equality. Dr. Watkins has been consistently calling for more publicly engaged Black scholarship, so that African American scholars can be on the forefront of controversial issues within the Black community.

In addition to being a faculty member at Syracuse University, Dr. Watkins is a regular contributor to AOL Black Voices, where his column "Dr. Boyce Money" is among the most popular on the website. AOL Black Voices is the most visited Black news website in America, with 114,000 readers per day. He also does regular work with NPR, CNN and other media outlets, in addition to scholarly research and teaching.

For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Technorati Tags: black scholars,boyce watkins,black news,african american news,black professors,african american professors

Black Scholar News: Dr. Christopher Metzler Analyzes Sotomayor

2009-06-02T22:03:00.001-07:00

Dr. Christopher Metzler (Georgetown University) analyzes the appointment of Obama’s new Supreme Court Justice. Click the image to watch!

Technorati Tags: christopher metzler

Our Black Finance Expert Breaks Down Obama Legislation

2009-05-31T13:12:00.001-07:00

Click the image below to hear what Dr. Boyce Watkins has to say about the new credit card legislation signed by President Barack Obama:

Technorati Tags: barack obama,black scholars,credit card legislation,black professors,african american money,black money,african american wealth,black wealth

Black Women Speak on Ursula Burns: First Black Female to run a Fortune 500 Company

2009-05-26T20:09:00.001-07:00

With Ursula Burns being recently appointed as the first Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company, the Black community had a lot to say. Most importantly, Black women and men in academia, law, and the professional world shine light on various points of view that should be considered as the nation celebrates the achievements of Burns and the Xerox Corporation.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux – President of Bennett College for Women:

“Glass ceilings are shattering and sisters are celebrating this amazing milestone. After the dust clears, let’s focus both on the glass ceiling and the sticky floor that suppresses the wages and salaries of most working women.”

Dr. Mary Stoddard, Attorney at Law – Stoddard, Parks & Associates, PLLC:

“Having the first black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is greatly past due. The value of a segment of the population that has been the fundamental cornerstone to the growth and development of this country is long due our nation. Because one black female has been bestowed the job, that does not remove the many who are qualified and denied the opportunity because they are a black woman.”

Click to read more comments.

Technorati Tags: ursula burns,black women,julianne malveaux,african american women,black money,african american money

What is the “Wizard of Oz” Syndrome?

2009-05-12T20:42:00.001-07:00

by: Lawrence M. Watkins

Last weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to go home to Louisville and attend the Kentucky Derby. Growing up, I was not allowed to participate in many of the Derby festivities. My father was a Major with the Louisville Metro Police Department and was often over security for the city’s Derby festivities. Because of this task, he was subjected to a lot of foolishness through the years during Derby in order to serve and protect the city’s patrons. Therefore, he insulated me from most of the damaging behavior that comes with having an extra 200,000 people in the Louisville metro area of only 700,000 residents. This year was only my second “true” Derby experience and it was completely different from the Derby with which my father was familiar. I was excited to get the weekend rolling!

As I boarded my plane from Ithaca, NY all I could think about was how much fun I was going to have at all of the VIP events and all of the interesting people I was going to meet. Thanks to an awesome friend, my girlfriend, Kandice, and I were given some box seats to the Derby and tickets to all of the VIP galas. I was afforded the opportunity to spend hours with some of the top entertainers, athletes, and business moguls in the nation. I quickly became disappointed, however, as I transitioned from dreaming about talking to ‘Deity XYZ’ to actually speaking to him in person.

After exchanging small talk for a few minutes, I asked each person one simple question, “What are you passionate about?” My goal was to attain deeper insight on what made them successful. After proposing the question, each individual looked at me for a moment with a perplexed expression. After a much anticipated silence, most of individuals said, “Wow . . . No one has ever asked me that before.” As people answered this question for me throughout the evening, I slowly became saddened and disappointed by their responses. I was shocked by the amount of times I heard “making money”, “ballin’”, and “I have no idea” as simple responses to the question asked of them. I then asked myself a vital question . . . Is there really anything more to life than fast cars, chartered jets, and high class sporting events?

Click to read more on the Black Authors Blog

The Power of Entrepreneurship

2009-05-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

by Genma Holmes

When I am asked advice about to grow a business, I always reference my experiences at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Conference (BEEC). As I plan my business strategies at the beginning of the year, BEEC is always at the top of the must do list. Even when times have been lean, I have managed to find a way to attend the ONLY entrepreneurial conference that helps make me money.

For the last few years, I have been able to get my fellow brothers in the pest control industry to the conference as well. Each passing year, we have become more determined to work together on larger contracts and grow our companies together. What I have learned the most by attending the conferences is the power of collaborating and working together for the greater good. Being in an industry where there are few women in leadership roles and even fewer minorities as key influencers, it is even more evident to me the power of connecting with others who are visionaries and rain makers.

When you are in the presence of those who want to see you succeed, who teach you to think successfully, and who create venues to help you not only network but to close the deal, you are affected in a positive way. You leave the conference WANTING to be successful. And when you are hungry enough and have drive and ambition, you will walk in your destiny no matter what the economic barometer says.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: genma holmes,black women,african american women,black money,african american money,black wealth,african american wealth

Get Your Paper Straight: Dr Boyce and George Kilpatrick on the Value of Education

2009-05-07T06:33:00.001-07:00

Get Your Paper Straight: Dr Boyce and George Kilpatrick discuss the economic value of education. Click the image to listen!

Technorati Tags: black money,african american money,black wealth,african american wealth,black news headlines,african american news,black scholars,african american scholars

Dr Marc Lamont Hill Goes to Columbia University

2009-05-05T02:23:00.001-07:00

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY hip-hop scholar Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and I are sitting side-by-side on a Friday-afternoon Acela to Washington where he will be on a too-large panel giving a report card to President Obama.

Hill is Philadelphia's best-known and most visible African-American academic specializing in hip-hop, youth culture and controversial opinions.

The panel, at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, draws about 225 interested citizens, more than 95 percent African-American. Most have grievances about America and no panelist hands Obama a straight A grade. Hill gives him a C.

I take a seat in the back of the fifth-floor hall, one row in front of a Beyonce-beautiful woman in a skin-tight, let's-go-clubbing dress and push-up bra.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: marc lamont hill,black scholars,black public scholars,black public intellectuals,black professors,african american professors

Syracuse Professor Boyce Watkins Joins AOL Black Voices

2009-04-28T07:35:00.001-07:00

Syracuse, NY – Dr. Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University has recently joined America Online as a financial writer and expert commentator. He will be the resident Financial Expert for AOL Black Voices, the premier Black news website in America, with over 100,000 readers per day. Dr. Watkins has been on the faculty at Syracuse University for 8 years and has worked with many major media outlets, including CNN, BET, ESPN and CBS Sports. He is also the author of “Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good”.

In his role with AOL Black Voices, Dr. Watkins will provide analysis on the economy, employment issues, celebrity finances, and money management. He will use his unique style of informative, compelling, yet down to earth financial analysis to promote financial literacy within the Black community. The site will syndicate his popular financial series' "Financial Lovemaking", co-hosted with S. Tia Brown (formerly a Senior Editor with "In Touch Weekly" Magazine) and "Get Your Paper Straight", a radio segment hosted with George Kilpatrick of Power 106.5 and WSYR radio.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: aol black voices,black news,african american news,black money,african american money,black wealth,african american wealth

Dr. Christopher Metzler Analyzes Recent Supreme Court Decision

2009-04-25T19:09:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Christopher Metzler, Georgetown University

As we worried about whether Michelle Obama should have touched the Queen, whether Bo (the White House dog) will be as famous as Barney and whether Levi Johnson of Sara Plain fame practiced safe sex all of the time, the Supreme Court of the United States was wading into the racial water with an American public that is now ensconced into "post-racial" cocoon because of the election of Barack Obama.

This week the Roberts court heard the case of Ricci, ET Al. In this case, several white and one Latino firefighter in New Haven Connecticut asked the Court to decide whether the city violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the United States Constitution by throwing out a promotion test in which the plaintiffs but no blacks scored high enough to be promoted. The rather clinical legal questions are:

Whether the city's failure to certify the results of promotional exams violated the disparate (or different) treatment provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Whether the city's failure to certify the results of the promotional exams also violated Title VII since Title VII makes it unlawful for employers to "adjust the scores of, use different cutoff scores for, or otherwise alter the results, of employment tests on the basis of race."
Whether the city's failure to certify the results of the promotional examinations violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

As clinical as these legal question are, they have significant real life political ramifications. Although the plaintiffs in this case are firefighters, the decision will affect employment law, affirmative action, diversity and they way in which employers and others seek to remedy the lingering effects of discrimination. The reality is that not everyone believes that discrimination still occurs in America since slavery has been outlawed, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has been implemented and President Obama occupies the White House. Regardless of the position one takes on these issues, the significance of the Court's decision cannot be underestimated for many reasons, a few of which I have outlined below.

First, the Roberts court has not spoken on race in any significant way and is eager to do so. Of course, it is Justice Kennedy who will ultimately decide this case and both the liberal and conservative blocs of the Court will work to craft a decision which he can sign onto. The difficulty for the liberal wing of the Court is that this case is as much an ideological case as it is a legal one. Good old fashioned liberal ideology will require a decision which reaffirms the need for government to be zealous in forming race-conscious decisions. In order to uphold the city's decision, the liberal wing will have to convince Kennedy that the city's decision to refuse to certify the test results was based on the fact that the test impacted Black fire fighters negatively and worse because it ensured that none of them would be promoted.

Click to read from Dr. Metzler and other Black Scholars by clicking here.

Technorati Tags: black news,black politics,black experts,black professors,african american professors

Black Politics: Obama’s Boycott of the Racism Conference

2009-04-21T20:23:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Christopher Metzler, Georgetown University

As President Obama shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, he was willing to take the political heat. He said that he was not concerned about the politics of the hand shake and more concerned about extending an open hand to nations hostile to the U.S. The open hand, it seems, is not so open after all. The President announced that, like the Bush Administration, the United States will boycott the world anti-racism conference (Durban II), which opens in Geneva today. According to the President, "I would love to be involved in a useful conference that addressed continuing issues of racism and discrimination around the globe. We expressed in the run-up to this conference our concerns that if you adopted all of the language from 2001, that's not something we can sign up for. "Hopefully some concrete steps come out of the conference that we can partner with other countries on to actually reduce discrimination around the globe, but this wasn't an opportunity to do it."

He is not willing to take the political heat in this case because there is language criticizing Israel and the West in the final document. As the world celebrates the election of the first Black President, the United States boycotts the world conference against racism. Symbolism, it seems has met political reality.

On this issue, it is difficult to reconcile the President's rhetoric with his actions. The President has repeatedly said that his policy is to talk with those with whom he disagrees. He is talking to Chavez, to Ahmadinejad, to Medvedev and Kim but cannot talk to human rights defenders about the best way to address the continuing significance of racism world wide? Surely the message cannot be that the United States does not believe that the right to be free from racism is not a basic human right.

Technorati Tags: christopher metzler,black scholars,african american scholars,black professors,african american professors,barack obama,black politics

Tia Brown Breaks Down Respect in the Workplace

2009-04-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

This week I look at issues of respect from both co-workers and your nearest and dearest.
I am 28-years-old and work in an office full of 45-56 year-old women. My issue is how to talk to them when they say things I do not like without being disrespectful. - Young & Angry In The Office

Dear Young & Angry In The Office,
I’m a firm believer of showing deference to elders, however the office isn’t the place to act out societal roles— you’re there to do your job. I firmly believe that the only way to get respect is to demand it. Some people have that certain thing about them that ensures people, whether they’re older or younger, never test them. Other people have to go get it. So how do you command respect? First, you always make sure that you’re on top of your game, for the work environment that means being efficient, punctual and dependable. Second, you have to speak up for yourself and address every infraction in a stern, tactful, professional way. That may mean giving a soliloquy about respect (such as, “we’re all on equal footing here, I give respect and I expect it,”) or taking people aside an individual when they say something that you deem is inappropriate. Only you can determine which approach will work best. Overall you want to make sure that you leave personal roles at home, these ladies are not your aunties, and they’re your co-workers –who likely take issue with working with someone 20 years their junior – so treat them as such.

My fiancé and I are planning a big, lavish, wedding and we have restricted our families to only inviting a certain number of people, so as not to exceed my parent’s budget. My fiancé’s family is insisting on inviting many more people than they are allotted and it has caused the price of the reception to soar. Do you think that I should demand that his family pay for some of the reception, or at least the head count of the additional people that they are inviting, or does that break some etiquette rules? – Breaking the Bank for the Big Day

Dear Breaking the Bank for the Big Day,

Etiquette was out of the door once your future in-laws stepped on your toes and didn’t respect your parents’ budget. Since they —like many others—love to plan with other people’s money I would like to tell you to just make them pay for their extra guests, but that could potentially cause long-term strife with your hubby-to-be. Consequently, you need to speak with him first and make sure you’re on the same page about the finances and the numbers. If both families were given an equal amount of guests then it is up to him to make sure that he stands firm by your side when you speak with his family. During the conversation make sure to reiterate that the day is you and your fiancé’s, but you understand why it is to the family, but your parents – who are paying – have given you a budget and it is disrespectful to expect them to pay any excess. Let them know the precise number of people that they are allowed to invite and that any extra guests must be pre-paid for by specific date if they are to be seated. You can also opt to include your parents in on the meeting. I doubt that your future in-laws will speak recklessly or be callous about spending your parents’ money in their faces. With that said…standing firm is only possible if you are financially independent of your in laws. You don’t want to play hardball with someone who’s helping to pay your rent/mortgage or watching your kids for free. So make sure that you’re in a position where you can’t be penalized for standing up for yourself – and your parents – or you may end up paying a bigger price later.

Technorati Tags: s. tia brown,black advice,black columnists,black women,african american women

Black Money: Why Financial Predators Usually Have Black Prey

2009-04-14T17:42:00.001-07:00

Why Financial Predators Usually Have Black Prey

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.DrBoyceMoney.com

I talked to my good friend Ryan Mack, CEO of Optimum Capital Management, the other day. Ryan wrote an interesting piece about The Rushcard, a new prepaid debit card offered in a partnership between Russell Simmons and Unifund, a company that typically makes its money from bad debt collection. I read the piece curiously, as I have been learning how the Rushcard works, why it exists and who might benefit from the service. On the flip side, there is the larger concern that someone might be taking advantage of those who have the least access to capital, largely African Americans in poor communities.

The Rushcard is a prepaid banking card with no credit check that allows consumers to deposit their paychecks onto the card, as well as make purchases and withdrawals as if the card were a regular Visa. Russell (a self-proclaimed “philanthropist”, a title likely used to pre-empt any accusations of fraud or exploitation) also argues that the card helps marginalized Americans to seek out the American dream.

I didn’t know that the American dream was to hold a piece of plastic. Credit cards have created an infinite number of American nightmares as they tend to breed excessive consumption. But one can certainly argue that this card deals with one serious problem in the Black community: a lack of access to capital and banking services. Many people in urban America can’t get bank accounts. Many more have bad credit, can’t get rental cars or find themselves leaning toward check cashing services to liquidate their paychecks. Russell, “the philanthropist” has apparently taken it upon himself to solve this problem.

I can say, as a Finance Professor, that the Rushcard would likely not make money if it were not filling a critical need. The problem, however, is that those who “help” individuals in need may end up abusing their power. One can argue that a pimp is “helping” a young homeless girl by giving her a place to live. A loan shark can say that he is “helping” a family get the money they need by lending the funds at exorbitant interest rates. A man who sells water for $10 a sip is “helping” a man in the desert get what he needs to survive. So, there is a thin line between “helping” someone vs. exploiting a given need or weakness.

I became quite concerned when I saw the long list of complaints from those using the Rushcard. Those who wrote the comments I saw on a blog about the Rushcard seemed to have serious problems with the customer care behind the card. In his article, Ryan does an interesting comparison between the fees of the Rushcard vs. those of a typical Bank card:

Rushcard vs. Typical Bank Card
Activation Fee: Rushcard = $19.95 Typical Bank Card = Free
Convenience Fee: Rushcard = $1.00 Typical Bank Card = Free
ATM Cash Withdrawal: Rushcard = $1.95 Typical Bank Card = Free (At Branch)
ATM Balance Inquiry: Rushcard = $.50 Typical Bank Card = Free
Bill Payment: Rushcard = $1.00 Typical Bank Card = Free
Inactivity: Rushcard = $2.95 Typical Bank Card = Free
Refund of Rushcard/Bank Card via Check: Rushcard = $5.00 Typical Bank Card = Free

So, if these numbers are any indication, it appears that the Rushcard is not a very good investment. Most reviews that I’ve seen recommend against using the card, since it appears that users are paying a premium for the Baby Phat design on the front. What’s more disturbing about the Rushcard is that Russell does not seem to be nearly as determined to fulfill his role as a “philanthropist” when it comes to helping African Americans overcome the underlying cause of the very problems he claims to be fixing. As Ryan explained it, “It’s like telling someone with a cavity that they should chew with the other side of their mouth.” The Rushcard offers few options to help people repair their credit, and I have personally found most of Russell’s financial literacy initiatives to be quite limited in impact.

While we cannot blame Russell Simmons and others for profiting from the lack of financial literacy and access to capital in the Black community, there are things we can do to encourage Russell to do the right thing. First, the Obama administration can and should implement programs to help those with poor credit obtain bank accounts. Every American should have access to a bank account, and services such as direct deposit should not be a luxury. Secondly, the Banking industry should stop passing over profitable investment opportunities in the Black community. Perhaps if Russell had more competition, his fees might go down. Third, there is no greater cure for money problems than good old fashioned financial literacy. Most victims of financial exploitation are not even aware that the exploitation is taking place. Financial literacy should be taught in every public high school in America, since it might actually be the one class that students actually use.

Russell Simmons is not necessarily a philanthropist, but he is not the devil. He is merely a symbol of a larger problem. The problem requires long-term solutions, and a high cost piece of plastic is certainly not one of them.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University. He makes regular appearances in national media, including CNN, BET, ESPN, and CBS. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Technorati Tags: black money,black wealth,black financial experts

Ranking: The top 10 Black Public Intellectuals in America

2009-04-11T08:34:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.com

I wake up with strange thoughts on my brain. This morning, I woke up thinking about which Black scholars I feel have given the most to the Black community. My respect and appreciation for all Black scholars (even those who do not have PhDs) is without limit. But there are some that I feel have gone out of their way to be progressive enough to think outside the box and to have a true and real impact on the Black community.

I do not believe that scholarly contributions to the Black community are defined by writing a bunch of research papers that no one ever reads (although I’ve done plenty of that in my own career as part of my job description). I don’t think your contribution is captured by whether or not you have a chair at Harvard University (interacting with 4 or 5 privileged Black students a year) – although it’s okay to have a chaired position at Harvard. Much of the elitism of academia has always been a turnoff to me, since I believe the proof is in the potato salad. If your work is affecting real Black people and changing real Black lives, then you have my respect. If you are sitting in the ivory tower, claiming the masters house and hiding behind artificially constructed, racially-biased historical privilege which allows you to presume that you are better than everyone else, then you will have to be on someone else’s list. My belief is that a scholar should have SCHOLARLY IMPACT – which can be measured by the breadth and depth of impact your work has had on your target audience, as well as the size and scope of that audience. A journal with 50 readers per year does not possess sufficient breadth, depth or quality of impact to merit a meaningful career, in my opinion. Sure, it’s fun to publish in those journals, but after that, you may want to get out here and make a difference in that scary place called “the real world”.

Of course my opinion is not the only one out there. But I must confess that I was shocked at how many of our intellectual leaders aren’t leading anyone: many of us are quick to follow and promote the questionable norms created by our academic predecessors. We in academia are not much different from politicians who forget to serve their constituents, or pastors who, in their own quest for personal power, neglect to serve their Lord. Such small thinking is incredibly dangerous in Black America, since we really need our scholars to solve vital problems in our communities. We must accompany our capacity with sufficient courage to speak openly and honestly about the issues that affect those we love. In physics, force equals mass times acceleration, which means that we must connect our scholarly mass with social acceleration to create the necessary force to solve real and meaningful problems.

My dissertation chair (Rene Stulz at Ohio State University), is one of the leading 3 non-Black Financial scholars in the world (as measured by the number of publications in our so-called premier academic journals). He thought I was insane for choosing the career path that I picked, especially since he seemed to believe that he'd laid out the golden path for me as a Financial scholar (you know, all that Ivy League professor, top journal stuff that makes a small group of people think you’re special). But what I had to explain to Rene was that God has given me a different path: one in which I had to disengage from the pettiness of academia and pursue a more powerful purpose. The challenges of Black America call for active, interdisciplinary thought that is not afraid to challenge ideas created on an undeniably skewed racial foundation….we can’t afford be like everybody else – the waste is just too great. Rene still looks at me like I’m crazy when we see one another, but I respect his choices and I think he respects mine.

Now, onto the list of my favorite Black scholars – the list is in no particular order and if a certain scholar is not in the top 10, that doesn’t mean I don’t respect that individual. But there are some prominent names missing from the list, and I’ll let you guess why they aren’t there:

1) Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (Columbia University) – Marc impresses me as the brightest young mind of the 21st century. Marc is not just as sharp as a butcher knife, he is also a true brother who really understands the problems of the Black community. I cannot tell you how much Marc struggled to build his career, it was tough to watch. But Marc is not just brilliant, he represents the essence of that concept called “Survival of the fittest”. The best is yet to come.

2) Peniel Joseph (Harvard University/Brandeis University) – Peniel, who wrote a book on Barack Obama recently, is not just a brilliant scholar, but a great person. His work is second to none and his analysis on PBS is right on point.

3) Cornel West (Princeton) – Who can forget Cornel? Our great academic father deserves respect for opening the door to the possibility of pursuing true Black scholarship that is relevant to the world around us. Cornel’s battles at Harvard prepared me for the challenges I would encounter here at Syracuse. This man will be in the history books and he deserves to be there.

4) Michael Eric Dyson (Georgetown University) – Michael (we call him “Mike”) was the reason I became a publicly engaged scholar in the first place. I remember watching him on BET in the 90s with my jaws dropped, saying, “Damn, I wanna be like that guy!” While I eventually developed my own style (Mike and I differ in many ways), I can say that Michael’s commitment to hip hop culture and his amazing swagger simply cannot be stolen or emulated.

5) Dr. Fritz Polite (U. Tennessee) – Fritz is one of the leading advocates for Black male athletes in America. He also carries the kind of strong and assertive style that should embody all progressive Black male intellectuals. Many of us have the ability to be strong, but we choose to walk in fear and silence. Fritz does no such thing.

6) Dr. Billy Hawkins (U. Georgia) – Billy’s recent commentary about Black male athletes was one of the most powerful and poignant statements I’ve seen in a while. I love it when Black men attack an issue head-on, instead of skirting around it for fear of losing our jobs. In order for there to be progress, men must be willing to take the lead. The fight is not with our muscles, it is with our minds. Intellectual athletes like Billy Hawkins are far more impactful than Black male professional athletes, who have unfortunately relegated themselves to psychological and financial slavery.

7) Dr. Juan Gilbert (U. Auburn/Clemson University) – President of the Brothers of the Academy (the largest group of Black male PhDs in America), Juan is an amazing visionary and a powerful guide to young Black students. He is also one of the premier computer scientists in the world and a highly impactful scholar.

8) Dr. Julianne Malveaux (President – Bennett College) – The only thing you can say about Julianne is “deeyamm”. She, along with Michael Eric Dyson, were the two greatest reasons for my becoming a publicly engaged scholar. Also, as the only other publicly engaged scholar who deals with Financial issues, I have learned a lot from Julianne as a mentor, colleague and friend.

9) Dr. Wilmer Leon (Howard University) – Wilmer is the host of “On with Leon”, an XM satellite radio show. As an expert in Black Political History, Wilmer has been highly impactful when it comes to educating the Black community on critical socio-political issues. His meticulous, educational style of information sharing should be given a larger platform.

10) Dr. Christopher Metzler (Georgetown University) – Chris wrote an article about Academic Imperialism that simply knocked my socks off. I called Chris on the phone to talk with him, and found him to be the kind of Black scholar we need in America today. Educated at Oxford, Chris has exactly the type of global perspective that we need from African American intellectuals.

Ok, that’s “Boyce’s Top Ten”. I put together this list based on the scholarly impact of my colleagues, rather than how many publications they have in specific journals or the university with which they are affiliated. This is the kind of list that is built on courage. In my opinion, if you’re not out there doing YOUR thing, then you’re not out there doing ANY thing. We’ve spent all of our time doing THEIR thing, and now it’s time to start doing OUR thing.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Genma Holmes Speaks on the Urgency of NOW

2009-04-10T18:18:00.001-07:00

by Genma Holmes, YourBlackWorld.com

Last month, $2.7 million in federal stimulus money was awarded to the Nashville Career Advancement Center. Partnering with Meharry Medical College and the Oasis Center, 600 jobs created for teens needed to be filled through the grant. A sign up sheet was passed around at the Oasis Center board meeting asking for volunteers. This sounded like such a unique event that I could not help but put my name down.

I imagined all the possibilities and the huge difference this venture would make in the lives of so many teens. An idle mind is the playground for the devil; I can hear my grandfather muttering. Daddy kept folks busy by wearing us out down with work. This was his quick fix for the long hot days of summer and it kept us out of trouble.

With Daddy's words in my head, I volunteered not knowing what to expect. Information about the job fair was sent to schools and the media, but we had no way of knowing how many teens would attend. We are going to be ready for the unexpected I was told by our fierce leader, Hal Cato. I sensed from his tone, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. The forecast was uncertain for the weekend and a first time job fair for teens had no room for the unknown.
Upon my arrival at Youth Opportunity Center @ 8:15am, I found the command center tent packed with teens. They came early and I sent up a prayer for the volunteers to get here soon. The job fair was scheduled from 10:00-3:00. By 9:00am, young people were everywhere. They were hungry for jobs. I looked outside and my heart skipped a beat and swelled with joy. As far as the eyes could see, folks were in line to snap up the ultimate teen prize, a summer job. It looked like an American Idol audition with kids from ages 14-19 wrapped around the building. How many jobs do we have, I questioned myself and everyone around me? After taking a second and third look outside, I wondered if we were "Jack" and the fast growing lines were going to become gigantic beanstalks.
Some of the vendors that participated at the unprecedented event were: Publix's, the Frist Center, BCN, Goodwill, Youth United, Metro Health Department, Hands on Nashville. Applications from Foot Locker, the Gap, Hobby Lobby, Aeropostle, Subway, Hibbet Sports, Sports Authority, Arby's, Shoe Carnival and a host of others were available for the teens to fill out and turn in. We even had a room filled with computers for writing resumes and several volunteers to assist. No details to finding a summer job were overlooked.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: black news,black social commentary,african american news,black politics,african american politics

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill Asks: Is Obama Advisor Summers on the Take?

2009-04-10T11:18:00.001-07:00

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Columbia University

Matt Tabibi wrote an interesting piece on Larry Summers, President Obama’s chief economic adviser. One of the main critiques is that he accepted major payoffs speaking fees from corporations that would soon demand billions of taxpayer dollars. He writes:

So I guess that $45,000 speaking fee from Merrill Lynch wasn’t technically a bribe because Summers wasn’t named to Obama’s economic transition team until Nov. 24 — a full 12 days later. I’m sure Larry Summers had absolutely no inkling whatsoever that he was going to be one of the key advisers to the new administration on Nov. 12.

It likewise makes perfect sense that Merrill Lynch, a company just months removed from having to be rescued from bankruptcy by an 11th-hour, pseudo-state-subsidized buyout by Bank of America, would decide to spend $45,000 on a speaking appearance by Summers because, well, they really valued his economic expertise and his proven ability to rally the troops with his stirring rhetoric.

It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that a) it was eight days after a Democrat was elected to the presidency; b) Summers had a long history of being one of the key policymakers in Democratic Party politics; and c) Merrill was absolutely not going to survive more than a few more months unless taxpayers forked over another 20 billion or so to cover the giant hole in Merrill’s balance sheet that was, at that time, still being hidden from Bank of America and its shareholders.

And how about that $135,000 appearance for Goldman Sachs in April, when Summers was already involved with Democratic Party politics again? That wasn’t a surreptitious campaign contribution at all!

For the rest of the story, click here.

Technorati Tags: marc lamont hill,black scholars,black professors,african american scholars

Are Black Athletes Driving Ms. Daisy Again?

2009-04-10T09:59:00.001-07:00

Dr. Billy Hawkins, University of Georgia

Excerpts from the forthcoming book – The New Plantation: The Internal Colonization of Black Male Athletes

It should not take a long stretch of the imagination to see how Black male athletes contribute significantly to the athletic labor class at predominantly White National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Institutions (PWI’s); thus, to the overall bottom-line of the revenue generated. Their presence as starters and their representation on the top football and basketball programs in the country speak volumes to PWI’s need for Black male athletes. Tables 1 &2 illustrate the contribution Black male athletes make for some of the top athletic programs in the nation.

Within this current economic configuration, another area to consider is the contribution Black male athletes are making towards “Title IX sports”[1]: those sports that are added to meet gender equity requirements, which undoubtedly are played mostly by White women (e.g. rifle, golf, equestrian, rowing, bowling, and lacrosse). According to Welch Suggs:

…Only 2.7 percent of women receiving scholarships to play all other sports at predominantly white colleges in Division I are black. Yet those are precisely the sports – golf, lacrosse, and soccer, as well as rowing – that colleges have been adding to comply with Title IX.[2]

Therefore, since Title IX has provided very limited opportunity for Black females but additional opportunities for White women to compete and Black male athletes make-up the greater percentage of the revenue generating sports that contribute to athletic departments’ revenue, and thus their ability to support these additional sports, a reoccurring historical relationship between the White female and Black male has been resurrected. I refer to this contribution and connection as the “Driving Miss Daisy” syndrome.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: billy hawkins,black scholars,black athletes,black male athletes,african american scholars

Tia Brown: Should You Give Your Ex Another Chance?

2009-04-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

This week I take on the challenging decision on whether to give an ex another chance and how to make friends when you’re the new kid on the block.

Should you give an ex a second chance? Or third chance or etc…? – One More Chance in NYC

Dear One More Chance,
Only you can decide whether an ex is worthy of another shot at love, but there are a few things you should ask yourself. First, are you revisiting this relationship because you genuinely believe this is the love of your life or due to loneliness? The single scenes can be fun, but really taxing and dating an ex is a quick fix because of the instant gratification-but as time passes you’ll start to remember why things tanked. Secondly, has this person improved on the issues that caused the split? If they’re still lazy, unfaithful or just plain ugly— in their ways— why will it work this time around? Lastly, what’s different about you? Hopefully you’ve worked on any issues that you had that contributed to the demise of the relationship. After pondering these questions you’ll be able to conclude whether rekindling this romance or keeping the flames doused is best.

How do you make ‘girlfriends’ in a new city? Male friends are easy to make or come-by. As I have moved a couple of times since college, I have found it challenging to create sincere girlfriend relationships. I have met women that I like and have clicked with, but what do you say…can I get your number? – In Search of Sisterhood

Dear In Search of Sisterhood,
Instead of focusing on making new friendships try putting more energy into strengthening the ones you have. Whether it’s bi-weekly calls or weekly emails, communicating with someone who “gets you” will help take the sting off of being galpal-less in a new place. Sadly, as people get older they can become more cliquish and settled in their routines, so many tend to be less welcoming - but that doesn’t mean you’ll be downing Cosmos solo forever. Try joining organizations, classes or activities that pique your interest. Your new membership will be personally fulfilling and allow you to meet other ladies who share similar hobbies. If you meet someone you hit it off with don’t be afraid to make the first move – get those digits! Set up a time to meet her for coffee, dinner or exercise class to get to know each other better. If the person brushes you aside more than twice let it go, she’s just not that into you. Move on to the next galpal of your dreams. True friendship isn’t something that can be forced; it’s either there or isn’t.

Technorati Tags: black love,african american love,black gossip,black advice

Roland Martin Gets His Own CNN Gig

2009-04-10T07:36:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.com

People have asked me what I think about Roland Martin getting his new gig on CNN. I can only say that IT’S ABOUT TIME! I’ve been waiting and hoping that CNN would choose a Black personality to brand that matches all the other personalities they’ve chosen to back financially. Their original choice of DL Hughley as the first African American personality to grace their airwaves was incredibly disrespectful, as he turned the historic election of President Obama into a modern day minstrel show.

When I first met Roland, he rubbed me the wrong way, in large part because I secretly wondered if he would ever stop talking to me (I tend to go to a quiet space when making media appearances, to help me focus on seeking truth in my commentary). But I eventually learned that Roland is a righteous Black man who believes in what he is saying, and like my other homeboy Marc Lamont Hill, Roland has made tremendous sacrifices in order to get to where he is today (you have no idea how much sacrifice is made behind the scenes). I’ve appeared on shows with Roland and I find him to be the most intriguing media personality to hit the national airwaves in quite a while. Roland sent me supportive text messages during my feud with Bill O’Reilly and he has always shown me love when I’ve stopped through WVON, his home radio station.

I respect Roland Martin and I am damn glad to see him finally get his shot. It is my greatest hope that this temporary filler will turn into a show of his own. He is a helluva lot better than Glenn Beck!

Technorati Tags: roland martin,black news,african american news,roland s. martin,marc lamont hill

Black Love: George Kilpatrick Interviews Iyanla Vanzant

2009-04-08T17:12:00.001-07:00

Click the image below to hear Your Black World's George Kilpatrick interview the amazing Iyanla Vanzant. Iyanla Vanzant is a well-known spiritual leader and life coach. You've seen her appear with Oprah Winfrey, Essence Magazine and in many other venues across America. Iyanla Vanzant is considered by many to be one of the great speakers and motivators in America.

In the interview, you get a chance to hear George Kilpatrick, one of the great radio show hosts in America, get direct inspiration from Vanzant, who has become a black woman that inspires the world. Iyanla is changing the world, Your Black World.

POSTED BY YOURBLACKWORLD STAFF AT 12:47 AM 0 COMMENTS

LABELS: BLACK AMERICA, BLACK WOMEN, GEORGE KILPATRICK, IYANLA VANZANT, OPRAH WINFREY

Your Black News: Cynthia McKinney Speaks

2009-04-08T09:49:00.001-07:00

Hello!!!

First of all, I'd like to announce that I'll be on www.wpfw.org radio in the morning at 7:00 on Hodari's show. I'll be on live from Haiti. I hope those of you who can will tune in.

Of late, I'm been approached by four types of voters: one voter type knew about our Power to the People campaign and enthusiastically supported it. They find themselves in the position of not wanting to say, "I told you so" too loudly, but certainly say it among themselves and to each other.

Increasingly, though, there's another type of voter that is contacting me, expressing "Buyer's Remorse" for having supported candidate Barack Obama. These voters can be futher subdivided into three categories: those who voted for Obama, not knowing very much about our Power to the People campaign; those who voted for Obama, knowing a lot about Rosa, me, and the Power to the People campaign, but who chose instead to vote for Obama out of fear of a McCain/Palin White House; and finally, those who knew about our Power to the People campaign and were hostile to it because they were suspicious that our campaign was designed to deny the White House to candidate Obama--the spoiler campaign. Fortunately and hopefully, because of the integrity with which we ran our campaign, those in this latter category are few in terms of their numbers in communication with me.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: cynthia mckinney,black politics,african american politics

Black Male Athletes and the NCAA

2009-04-08T06:20:00.001-07:00

Dr Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University, tells BBC World News that the NCAA has done a terrible job of seeing to it that African American players graduate. He also explains the massive multi-billion dollar wealth extraction taking place via college sports. Finally, Watkins mentions that the NCAA does a poor job of allowing Black coaches the chance to coach the sport to which Black males give so much. Click the image to listen!

Technorati Tags: ncaa,paying college athletes,pay for play,black athletes,black coaches,african american athletes,african american coaches

Black Lawyers: Police Brutality and When It’s Over the Top

2009-04-07T15:46:00.001-07:00

By Leland C. Abraham, Esq.

By now, I am sure most of the readers of this article have heard about the incident in King County, Washington in which a police officer beat a 15 year old girl. For those who are not familiar with the specifics, I will explain them to best of my ability. A young black girl had a friend who decided to take her mother’s car without permission. The friend picked up the young black girl and they went “joyriding.” The mother of the girl’s friend reported the car as stolen. The police eventually caught up with the young girls and took them into custody. Apparently after the arrest, the young girl and the arresting officer, officer Schene, entered into a verbal exchange. This verbal exchange continued until they arrived at the police station. Once at the police station, the girl was escorted to a holding cell. Once in the holding cell, the girl was asked to remove her shoes. She removed one shoe and kicked it in the direction of one of the officers. With the door to the cell still ajar, Officer Schene and his partner rush into the cell and Schene brutally attacks the young girl while the other officer holds her down. All of these actions were caught on a surveillance tape mounted inside the holding cell. The attack included punches and pulling of hair. After the attack, the young girl complained of breathing problems. She was escorted to the lobby of the jail and paramedics were called to come and attend to her.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: black attorneys,black lawyers,african american attorneys,african american lawyers

Dr. Christopher Metzler Speaks on Changing Tenure

2009-04-06T19:57:00.001-07:00

Dr. Christopher J. Metzler, Georgetown University

There has been a cacophony of voices calling for the elimination of tenure in higher education. Many of those voices are ultra conservative ideologues who are using the tenure debate to excoriate what they see as a liberal-leaning academy. There is a more vexing question that is conveniently absent from the tenure reform debate. That question is the role that race plays in the decision of tenure committees in denying tenure to Black scholars. I am not suggesting that all decisions to deny tenure to Blacks is racist. I am suggesting that the committees making the decision to deny, the departments that support the decisions, the deans, provosts and presidents who uphold denial must ask themselves whether they have homogenized the tenure process, already structured around amorphous standards of scholarship and service, such that it is more likely than not that Black scholars and our scholarship will forever be relegated to the intellectual margins.

My concern is that those denying tenure are more concerned about whether their decisions are legally defensible than whether the decisions are just. That is, how many of the people who make the decisions to deny, acknowledge and act upon the structural and racial biases built into the promotion and tenure systems of most universities? Some would argue that there is no need to do so as the issue of denial is about quality and not about race. But, if this is the case are these committees suggesting that Blacks on tenure track were hired as quality scholars and then after years of teaching, researching and providing service magically become mediocre? Perhaps if they were being honest, they would say that in far too many cases, faculties hire Blacks on tenure track because of pressures — real or perceived — stemming from the underrepresentation of Blacks on the faculties of predominantly White universities, including some of the most liberal ones. In some cases, so-called diversity programs, which grant additional funding to departments to hire (not promote) more Blacks, result in an erosion of the faculty sourcing strategy therefore resulting in denial of tenure and thus termination. Do universities that employ this parochial and patronizing approach to diversifying faculties really believe that this is just? To be sure, the deliberately vague terms of “scholarship” and “quality” affects Whites who are denied tenure as well, it simply affects Blacks differently and worse.

The nature of teaching and learning in colleges and universities continues to change as the student body, and indeed the society, becomes more multicultural and multiracial. The promotion and tenure process at most colleges and universities is a bastion of pettiness, cultural antagonism and ethnocentric backslapping. The ideology and the discourse of tenure approval must become one that praises public intellectuals in all media (including new media), not one that promotes cultural disrespect for the scholarship of Black scholars thus justifying and rewarding the continuation of a community of scholars so stepped in intellectual snobbery and caste warfare that even the mention of new media and scholarship invites public disdain and mocking. To be sure the denial of tenure to any faculty member is as much a failure of the faculty as it is of the individual faculty member. But it is the faculty member denied tenure that must exit the university unceremoniously, while the members of the search committee who selected them selects another group of new faculty often with the same results. Search committees must take a more active and honest role in hiring faculty members who will ultimately succeed, not fail. This requires that the people on these committees understand and can articulate what scholarship is in a way that is specific, measurable, inclusive and achievable.

Black scholars also bear responsibility for our failure. Some of us see racism where there is none, and others fail to see it until we are denied tenure. Black scholars like all scholars have an obligation to provide quality scholarship. However, given that so much of Black America simply do not participate in the system of education, governance and the academy, we have to use public engagement scholarship to critically analyze and respond to the “Negro problem of 2009 and beyond.” This is not to suggest that all Black scholars become critical race theorists or produce Black scholarship. It is to suggest that whatever our discipline, we apply the framework of that discipline to the engagement of our communities — on campus and off. Further, those of us who accept the diversity scholarships to hire (but not promote) us must ask ourselves whether we are willing participants in our demise and thus intellectual sharecroppers.

Have we become so content with being window dressing in the halls of academe that we will never own our intellectual mindshare but simply rent it out to the academic overseers? Why do we continue to play the game when we know that the deck is stacked against us? Is it because we see no alternative? Why is it that some of us who are on tenure committees judge the scholarship of our Black colleagues in a much harsher light? Why is it that despite having tenure some of us on these committees refuse to challenge the decisions in the context of cultural standardization? It is doubtful that there is critical mass on tenure and promotion committees at colleges and universities who will adopt my thesis because the tenure process is mostly about cultural standardization, and that standardization does not benefit Black scholars. Mark Bauerlein has it correct when he writes, “The very system that academics invoke to fend off critics has become part of the problem. Ideological bias has seeped into the standards of professionalism. Peer review isn’t just the application of scholarly and scientific norms. It’s a system of incentives and rewards, and success depends entirely on what peers say about you. They examine your teaching and scholarship and deliver an inside opinion, and the process is easily corrupted.”

Black scholars and all scholars who are truly committed to justice need to insist that the rules for tenure and promotion resists cultural standardization, become specific, particular and transparent or that tenure be abolished in favor of a system that rewards quality, inclusive scholarship and service. Many institutions including so-called liberal institutions are simply not taking the opportunity to expand the definition of scholarship and quality in a way that is substantively equal. Making the case for tenure in 1940, the American Association of University Professors opined, “College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations.” In 2009, the peer review system at so many of our educational institutions has become infected with rank censorship and a fiefdom controlled by ostensibly liberal “royalty” who use a warped allegiance to the ever-illusive quality as a proxy for race-based decisions.

The oppressed have become the oppressors.

Dr. Christopher J. Metzler is Associate Dean at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies and the author of the book, The Construction and Rearticulation of Race in a “post-racial” America.

Technorati Tags: black professors,black scholars,african american professors,african american scholars

Dr Boyce Watkins Has some Harsh words for HBCUs

2009-04-05T18:44:00.001-07:00

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.com

I recently saw a study stating that our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are not graduating Black students at the same rate as non-Black institutions. This study was particularly disturbing, since many consider HBCUs to be a place of protection and support for students of color. We shouldn’t jump to immediate conclusions based on the results of the study, since piling all HBCUs into one category would be silly. Some universities have more rigorous admissions standards than others, and many top HBCUs do an excellent job of graduating students.

I was not able to attend an HBCU for college, since I had both bad grades and an empty wallet. I later hoped to teach at an HBCU, but getting a position with one is not as simple as you might think. During recent visits to a couple of prominent HBCUs on the East Coast, and speaking to many of my colleagues in the profession, I figured out what might be going on. I expected that my visits would be overrun by African American professors, all in support of strong, progressive Black scholarship. I assumed that those nurturing young African American students would be, for the most part, African American as well.

I was wrong.

Not only was I wrong, I was DEAD wrong. In fact, for many HBCUs, African American professors are as rare as popsicles in a forest fire. This is especially true in Schools of Business. To say that I was shocked and confused would be an understatement. I was devastated and curious to find out why African American professors have disappeared from HBCUs. How could HBCUs be given so much credit for nurturing young African American minds when there are few African American minds available on campus in the first place? Were Black professors choosing not to apply for positions with these schools? Were our most brilliant Black scholars forgetting about HBCUs and abandoning them?

It turns out that, in many cases, it is actually the other way around.

You see, in academia, there are cliques. Many of these cliques are formed around the ethnic background of the scholar. Some scholars protect those in their cliques and ensure that academic cronyism works in their favor. When African American scholars apply to many HBCUs, they are rejected for hire by someone who is not African American. The applicant is arguably at a disadvantage because they are not in the gatekeeper’s clique.

In other words, many of the primary decision-makers at American HBCUs are not African American, and they are refusing to hire African American faculty. So, rather than sending your African American child to learn from other strong African American professors, your child may go through his/her entire 4 years without having a single Black American professor in class. The nurturing support you expect your child to receive from people who look like him/her may instead be coming from BET or Maya Angelou books. HBCUs have, in some cases, become America’s next great plantation, where, like NCAA sports or our public school system, the product is Black, but African American managerial influence is kept outside the gate.

Does this mean that HBCUs are not a good investment for your child? Absolutely not, it depends on the institution. I am a huge fan of HBCUs and I feel that some HBCUs, such as Spelman and Morehouse, are better than any university on the earth when it comes to creating intelligent and empowered students of color. Am I saying that only African American faculty should teach at HBCUs? Of course not. Some of the greatest minds in the world are non-Black. What I am clearly saying is that if you are sending your child to an HBCU because you assume they will be taught by African American professors, then you may want to do a double take…..the African American professors may not be there.

So, when I see that HBCUs are not graduating African American students, I am not surprised. It may be the case that they are unable to graduate Black students for the same reasons that the public schools don’t graduate our kids either. The mentors left in charge of our children are, in many cases, not from our own community. So if you want your child to learn from other African Americans, be sure to check the stats – don’t judge the book by its color.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Technorati Tags: hbcus,historically black colleges and universities,african americans,black news,black scholars,african american news,african american scholars

University of Kentucky Drags Black Scholar’s Tenure Lawsuit out 31 Years

2009-04-04T20:35:00.001-07:00

By ERIC KELDERMAN

Joseph M. Hayse's three-decade quest for tenure is littered with bodies. It has outlived the careers of most of the people involved — and several of the people themselves.

In 1979, Mr. Hayse filed a lawsuit against the University of Kentucky that has turned into a legal Ping-Pong match anecdotally described as the longest-running court battle in the Bluegrass State, and perhaps the lengthiest tenure dispute in the country.

On paper, at least, Mr. Hayse, 71, has won favorable court rulings from the state's circuit, appeals, and supreme courts. But he has not won tenure, and his suit lingers on. So does his anger at the university.

"I just hate to let them off the hook," says Mr. Hayse, who retired in 1999 after nearly 21 years in a state-government job.

His wife is angry, too. "It ruined his career," she says. "It's not that we can't survive, but I always thought ... he couldn't fulfill his whole potential."

"I think they're going to keep going at it and going at it until he dies," she continues. "I know the university is a big body. It's like fighting a monster; a big dragon."

Mr. Hayse, so far, is winning the war of attrition. The dean who was found to have improperly denied Mr. Hayse's tenure applications died more than a dozen years ago, two of the university's general counsels have succumbed during the long-running dispute, and the university's president at the time of the original suit is now deceased. Two other presidents have also come and gone: Both are retired.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: black scholars,black professors,african american scholars,african american professors

Dr Boyce Watkins: John McCain Wants to Pardon Jack Johnson, why?

2009-04-01T16:15:00.001-07:00

Dr Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.com

I just saw an article in which Senator John McCain recently wanted to pardon Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champ in American history. His actions confuse me, as McCain was one of the last holdouts on the Martin Luther King holiday a few years ago. Also, McCain would not like Jack Johnson if he were alive today, for his spirit of defiance of America’s 400 year commitment to racism is similar to the one that scholars such as myself carry today. In other words, we are his ideological grandchildren, and John McCain doesn’t like people like me.

I find men like McCain to be even more perplexing because they are the first to get in line to support symbolic gestures, such as pardoning a man who was convicted nearly 100 years ago, but are happy to endorse tougher sentencing laws and more prisons which incarcerate hundreds of thousands of Black men today. It has been statistically proven that, beyond any doubt, Black males are more likely to be incarcerated for the same crimes, less likely to have adequate counsel and more likely to receive longer sentences for these crimes. Now, we are in an era in which American corporations own stock in prisons and have a profit motive for excess incarceration, which is incredibly dangerous. What’s worse, millions of families are destroyed by the justice system endorsed by John McCain, with these men finding insurmountable institutional hurdles to their re-entry into society.

I grow weary of those who chastise Black men for speaking out against racism, yet show up to sit in the front row of every Martin Luther King Day function. There are even those in my own university who once hated Jim Brown and love him 30 years later. All the while, they hate Boyce Watkins without realizing that he and Jim Brown come from the same tradition. Such reactions show that history only repeats itself and that some Americans are quick to follow the lead created by their forefathers.

Perhaps dead Black men are the ones McCain is willing to pardon first, since they cause him the least trouble. But the truth is that rather than hating us while we’re alive and honoring us in death, you’d be better off showing enough vision and open-mindedness to respect our point of view in the first place. That is supposed to be what America is all about.

Rest in peace Jack Johnson. I gave you a pardon long ago.

Technorati Tags: boyce watkins,black men in america,black men,african american scholars,black scholars,syracuse university

Syracuse Professor Says NCAA Needs Reform – Baltimore Sun Times

2009-03-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

The voice on the other end of the phone is passionate, and he’s becoming more passionate by the second. His words grow louder and they fly out faster.

“I grew up in the streets,” he says. “I’ve seen pimps in action. I look at the NCAA and I say, ’Wow, these guys would make excellent street pimps.' What they say -- and I mean this in all seriousness - is what a street pimp would say to a prostitute.”

This isn’t some radio shock jock speaking. Dr. Boyce Watkins is an assistant professor of finance at Syracuse University. He’s in town tonight, delivering a lecture at Loyola College titled, “The Business of College Sports: Is the NCAA Playing Fairly?”

I ask him to explain tonight’s message a bit.

“The model under which the NCAA currently operates was designed without excessive commercialization in mind,” Watkins explains. “Since that time, you see where this amateur sports organization has become effectively a professional sports league that refuses to pay its employees.”

Ahhh, one of those you’re thinking. Kick sports off campus! Tear down the arenas! Set flames to the football field!

But Watkins insists he isn’t against college sports. In fact, he loves them. So I feel a bit better. See, March always brings about conflicted emotions. I love filling out the brackets and love following the tournaments -- even though there’s an undercurrent of hypocrisy, unfairness and disparity that fuels the whole show.

I admit: For me, there’s a sense of guilt.

The NCAA is in the middle of an 11-year, $6 billion contract with CBS to broadcast tournament games. Coaches on the sidelines make seven figures a year, even though no one’s tuning in because they want to see what color tie John Calipari’s wearing. And shoe companies are pouring money into universities across the country by the truckload -- but the kids who have to wear the shoes don’t see a dime of it.

Click to read.

Black Scholar Boyce Watkins Challenges NCAA to Reform Itself

2009-03-25T11:44:00.001-07:00

Here is the schedule for coming media appearances related to the call for NCAA reform by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University.

Boyce Watkins to discuss NCAA and Black athletes on WBCP Radio, Champagne, IL - 3/27/09

Boyce Watkins to appear on Gtown Radio - 3/26/09

Dr. Boyce on NPR to discuss NCAA - 3/26/09

Dr. Watkins to appear on XM Satellite Radio - 3/27/09

Dr Boyce in the Baltimore Sun-Times - 3/25/09

Dr. Boyce discusses the NCAA at Loyola College in Maryland - 3/24/09

Technorati Tags: black athletes,black news,black scholars,african american news,african american scholars

The NCAA vs. Black America: Why The Black Folks are Losing

2009-03-21T20:14:00.001-07:00

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor of Finance at Syracuse University. He frequently appears on CNN, ESPN, and other news networks to discuss his innovative ideas for reforming college athletics. Bleacher Report was thrilled to have an opportunity to interview Dr. Watkins about his belief that college athletes should get paid.

1) People often say that the opportunity to receive a free education
is enough compensation for college athletes. What's wrong with that argument?

A free education is valuable, no one knows that better than a college professor. The problem is that we can’t assume that $30,000 per year is fair compensation for any job. If Tom Cruise stars in a blockbuster film, he is going to kick your butt if you try to pay him $30,000, even if you throw room and board in with it. In America, you get paid what you’re worth.

I see many athletes who are literally responsible for bringing $20M per year into their campuses, yet their mothers are starving to death or homeless. This should be a shame for us all, since I’ve never seen a D-I college coach’s mother go hungry.

2) If colleges could pay athletes, the wealthier schools would appear to have an advantage. Do you think there would need to be a salary cap or other measures put in place to ensure some parity in college sports?

I am not opposed to the idea of a salary cap, although I haven’t seen a salary cap for coaches. My goal is not to support preferential treatment for athletes, I only endorse fairness. I don’t see why coaches and athletes can’t have the same rules. They are all under the same pressure to win, they are both treated as professionals and expected to produce as professionals. This pressure doesn’t come from the fact that their campuses love sports so much, it’s because CAMPUSES WANT THE MONEY. They are pushing these guys much harder on the court and the field than they do in the classroom, because good grades don’t pay university bills; only big wins bring in big paychecks.

But in terms of a salary cap, I would not be opposed to that. The NCAA is lucky, since they are the only multi-billion sports league that can get away with paying their players 1/100 of what they are worth. Players would be ecstatic to play for $150,000 per year, which is far less than the millions many of them would earn in a fair market system. The money wouldn’t have to come from university budgets, they could start by sharing the money coaches get from shoe deals. After all, the players are the ones we pay to see and they are the ones wearing the shoes. But as a general rule, the Finance and free market capitalist in me doesn’t like the idea of any kind of government regulation restricting wages. I am sure coaches wouldn’t like a cap on their wages either.

3) Do you think that recruits should be offered contracts by schools
based on the performance they showed in high school? How would one individual's contract differ from another?

I don’t think that we know all the answers to these questions, but one thing is true: The market knows ALL ANSWERS to ALL QUESTIONS. In other words, if a player is the next Lebron James, then the schools know what he can do in terms of revenue generation. I say let them bid it out and the highest bidder wins. Seriously, who is to say that Rick Pitino is worth $3 million per year? Nobody says it, there is a negotiation and the price that he gets is what he is worth. The beauty about the free market is that when the market is fair, open, and efficient, no one gets more than what they are truly worth, since no one pays more than the value of the commodity.

What I love about the NCAA (who expends a tremendous amount of money on their propaganda machine) is that they do a good job of making it seem that paying the athletes would be excessively complicated and nearly impossible. The problem is that they find a way to get around the complications when it’s time to bring in a coach for $4M dollars per year. The market works out all complications, because you either get the deal done, or the game doesn’t happen. They have a lot of PhDs working for them, and we are smart enough to help them work out the complications of their contracts.

The reality is that anyone who exploits someone else, whether it’s the NCAA or a pimp on the street, is always going to find a good excuse for keeping their money in their pocket. I say this as a financial expert. I am sure that when Billy Packer or Dick Vitale show up for their multi-million dollar paychecks, they wouldn’t want to hear any reasons that their money isn’t available. For some reason, they expect athletes and their families to accept these excuses.

4) What should be done regarding sports that bring in very little revenue such as golf, tennis, and track? Would the contracts for these athletes be substantially less?

Yes, they would be. That’s the way things work in the real world. I am a professor, and some could argue that educating our youth is far more important than being a Hollywood actor. However, I will always make less money than (and not be attractive enough to date) Angelina Jolie. I accept that.

I find it most ironic that when individuals expect payment equity among young athletes, as well as gender equity, they almost never mention the necessity of such equity among the coaches.

Again, going back to a fair market, if an athlete brings revenue to the university, he/she should have the same rights of negotiation that coaches, administrators, corporate sponsors, and everyone else getting paid from his/her labor. If you simply release the rules and let the market work, you will get the result you are looking for.

5) How would you like to reform the horrendous academic environment in college athletics?

I agree, the environment is horrific. I’ve seen athletes admitted to college with no expectation that they are ever going to consider graduating. Money is a drug, and a drug addiction can make any of us lower our standards. Universities are no different, as many of them abandon their academic missions in exchange for the opportunity to earn a few million dollars off the next superstar from the ghetto.

We must remember that incentives roll downhill. A coach with high graduation rates and a low winning percentage would be fired, while a coach with low graduation rates and a high winning percentage is given a raise and promotion. This shows blatant disregard for the value of academic success. I see universities giving coaches blank checks for controlling every aspect of their players’ lives in order to get them ready to play, but they throw their hands up and negate their responsibility to see to it that these young men and women are getting educated. The excuses are interesting: “We can’t make them study if they don’t want to!” At the same time, the same coach who claims that he can’t make the athletes study miraculously finds a way to get 80 grown men awake at 6 am for intense weight lifting sessions. They are able to motivate the athletes to do what coaches deem to be most important.

I don’t completely blame the coaches for these contradictions, I blame the campus. Coaches understand that they are not going to be rewarded for academic achievement. Winning, however, is key to their job security. Campuses should take the lead in putting oversight in place that insures that academic progress is the most important part of any athletics program. That means that if a player has practice the night before an exam, he/she misses practice. If they have an exam during a game, they miss the game (even if it is a million dollar game on ESPN). THAT, my friend, is the life of a student athlete. Right now, college athletes live the lives of professionals.

6) If you were named President of the NCAA, what other changes might you make other than compensating athletes?

I am hesitant to be an armchair quarterback on the NCAA, primarily because I believe that many of the administrators in the NCAA know that what they are doing is wrong. In fact, Walter Byers, the former executive director of the NCAA has reversed his position and stated that athletes should be paid. Honestly, anyone with common sense realizes that if you earn millions for someone else, you deserve more than a college scholarship. I believe that Myles Brand, in spite of the propaganda exercise performed by he and CBS Sports last year (in an attempt to refute my analysis), knows that he would never allow himself or his coaches to operate under the same constraints, penalties and exploitation placed on athletes and their families (especially if his mother were getting evicted, as many of these players come from poverty). In fact, I found it quite ironic that nearly every participant in the CBS sports special was earning at least a few hundred thousand dollars per year while simultaneously explaining to athletes and their families why they shouldn’t get any of that money.

Beyond paying the athletes, I would make a decision: either the NCAA is going to be a professional organization or an amateur one. It’s not going to be a hybrid. A truly amateur organization doesn’t have coaches earning as much as $4M dollars per year. Coaches earn no more than, say, $80,000 per year.

An amateur organization doesn’t fire losing coaches with high graduation rates and reward winning coaches with low graduation rates—any coach hired by the NCAA is expected to not only teach at the university, he/she is expected to ensure that academic achievement is first and foremost in the life of each athlete.

The rules should disappear: why can’t players transfer to other schools without being penalized? Coaches leave in the middle of the season all the time. Why is it illegal for athletes to receive compensation from outside entities? Coaches take money from whomever they please. Athletes are given the same responsibilities as adults, told to behave as adults, yet we put rules in place that treat them like children. Again, anyone who exploits another human being, whether it’s the NCAA or a corrupt warlord in a third world country, is going to place constraints on you and then guise his/her motivations by claiming that the rules are in place for your protection. That is the consistent theme of the NCAA’s justification for controlling their student athletes. But their desire to protect the athlete goes out the window when an athlete gets into trouble, loses his/her eligibility or loses his/her scholarship for not being able to perform on the field.

The NCAA needs to redefine its mission and be honest with the world. Right now, it is an elephant with bunny ears, swearing that it’s nothing but a harmless little rabbit. The truth is that the NCAA is exactly what it appears to be: a professional sports league. So, rather than allowing me to become the head of the NCAA, I would rather be the head of the House Ways and Means Committee, which initiated an investigation into the NCAA and began to question its non-profit status. A bureaucratic beast that has grown so deformed with contradictions needs to be deconstructed and rebuilt in a model of fairness. As it stands, the NCAA exists in stark contrast to the values most of us embrace as Americans. I’ve seen it up close over the past 15 years and it bothers the heck out of me.

Check out Dr. Watkins' website http://www.yourblackworld.com/. Your Black News. Your Black Life. Your Black World.

Technorati Tags: black athletes,black familes,african americans,black scholars