FAMU Homecoming 2007: A Rebirth of Rattler Pride & Spirit

Sunday, October 28
09:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Homecoming Worship Service, Perry Paige Auditorium
07:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Homecoming Fashion Show, Gaither Gym

Monday, October 29
09:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Sprit Run/Walk, “The Set”
11:00 a.m. – 02:00 p.m. Spirit Day, “The Set”
06:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Essence College Tour, FAMU Track
06:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Kick Off Bash, FAMU Track

Tuesday, October 30
11:00 a.m. – 03:00 p.m. Homecoming Health Fair, FAMU Track
12:00 p.m. – 02:00 p.m. Royal Luncheon (by Invitation only), Grand Ballroom
08:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Dorm Step Show (Residence Halls Competition), Gaither Gym

Wednesday, October 31 Orange Day
11:00 a.m – 05:00 p.m. Fashion Fair Total Makeover Madness Event, Grand Ballroom or “The Set”
12:00 p.m. – 04:00 p.m. SGA Bar-B-Que, FAMU Park
12:00 p.m. – 04:00 p.m. BET College Tour, FAMU Park
08:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Comedy/Talent Showcase, Gaither Gym

Thursday, November 1 Green Day
09:00 a.m. - 05:00 p.m. Industry Cluster Meeting (Invitation Only)
03:00 p.m. – 05:00 p.m. Judging of the Buildings (Decorations)
07:00 p.m. – 09:00 p.m. Coronation, Lee Hall
09:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. Coronation Ball, Grand Ballroom

Friday, November 2 Orange and Green Day
08:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Industry Cluster Meeting (Invitation Only)
10:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Convocation featuring Will Packer, Gaither Gym
12:00 p.m. - 02:00 p.m. Young Alumni Giving Luncheon, DoubleTree Hotel
12:00 p.m. - 02:00 p.m. The National Rattler "F" Club Board Meeting / Luncheon, President's House
01:00 p.m. - 04:00 p.m. Battle of the Bands, Bragg Stadium
01:00 p.m. – 05:00 p.m. VIBE Block Party, FAMU Park
06:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Alumni Reception and Gala, Civic Center
08:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Nat’l Pan-Hellenic Step Show, Civic Center

Saturday, November 3
08:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Parade/Judging of Floats, (Frenchtown/Downtown Route)
12:00 p.m. - 03:00 p.m. Pre-Game Reception, Employee Club House
12:00 p.m. - 03:00 p.m. The National Rattler "F" Club Tailgate, Bragg Stadium
03:00 p.m. – 07:00 p.m. Football Game, FAMU vs. North Carolina A & T, Bragg Stadium
06:00 p.m. - until Post-Game Barbecue, Employee Club House
08:00 p.m. - until Homecoming Concert, Civic Center
08:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Gospel Concert, Lee Hall
10:00 p.m. – 02:00 a.m. Old School Jam, Gaither Gym

Sunday, November 4
02:00 p.m. – 04:00 p.m. Rattler Fever Campus Clean Up, Bragg Stadium/”The Set”
04:30 p.m. – 06:00 p.m. Rattler Fever Campus Clean Up “THANK YOU”, Rattlers Den

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What Money Can't Buy

America is a country that makes you want things; the more you have the more you want. Never satisfied. Consumerism plagues and erodes the morality of our communities. What people don’t understand is that things they desire most will all go out of style and become worthless tomorrow. We don’t see that TV, Radio, and Magazines seduce us into wanting things that add nothing of substance to our lives. We must find worth in ourselves, families and communities, not in what we fill our homes with or put on our backs. Don’t be a slave to possessions. SUPPORT THE BLACK -OUT ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007!!

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Quote of the Day

One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

-Dr. Maya Angelou

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In the News

Gayle King Weighs in on Abuse Allegations

*Oprah Winfrey's best friend Gayle King, who helped the talk show host develop her $46 million academy for girls in South Africa, tells People magazine that they have both taken a hands-on approach in investigating the sexual abuse allegations at the school.

"We're definitely working on it," King told the publication Oct. 29 as she entered the G&P Cancer Research Foundation Angel Ball in New York City. "There is still an investigation. We're trying to figure out what is real and what isn't."

Students at the school, in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, have accused a dorm parent of physical and verbal abuse – allegations which Winfrey addressed Monday in an emergency meeting with the students' parents.

"It's just heart wrenching that the situation even happened. It really is," said King, adding that the two traveled to the school twice in one week. In fact, "Heart wrenching doesn't do it justice," she said. (Source)

In Other News:

- Here's another reason why you shouldn't cheat on your wife

- Jena Six Judge recuses himself

- New Orleans district attorney, Eddie Jordan, steps down

- Oil passes record high

- Opponents target Clinton in debate

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In the News

Momma O Begs Academy Parents for Forgiveness

*Oprah Winfrey was in South Africa again Sunday to meet with parents of the students at her all-girls academy and beg for their forgiveness in the wake of sexual abuse allegations at the school.

"I've disappointed you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," the talk show host reportedly told families during the emergency meeting at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg.

A "dorm parent" has been accused of sexually fondling one of the students. Other pupils say they were physically abused by the woman. Another student said the matron grabbed her by the throat and threw her against a wall. There are also allegations that the authority figure swore and screamed at them.

The alleged incidents were exposed when one of the students ran away from the school because the reported abuse had become too much to bear. South African police and the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit have opened an investigation.

Winfrey canceled appointments and flew to South Africa twice in the past few weeks to meet with parents and check in on the investigation. In addition to the matron suspected of being involved, Winfrey also placed the principal and at least one other matron on leave two weeks ago, reportedly for failing to notify authorities of girls' complaints sooner. Only the principal was on paid leave, according to a South African newspaper.

The TV host, who has spoken openly about being abused as a child, gave the students her personal telephone number, e-mail address and her postal address so that they could contact her at any time, day or night.

In Other News:

- 1 in 10 Schools are 'drop out factories'

- Tupac and Madonna...Shut yo' mouth!!!

- Genarlow Wilson speaks to Essence

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Final Call Exclusive: One-on-One interview with West Virginia Race Torture Victim Megan Williams

By FinalCall.com News
Originally Published Oct. 9, 2007
Updated Oct 14, 2007, 10:37 am


The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan sent a delegation consisting of Attorney Abdul Arif Muhammad, editor-in-chief of The Final Call newspaper, Student in the Ministry Abdul Khadir Muhammad of Washington, D.C. and Final Call Contributing Writer Ashahed M. Muhammad to Charleston, West Virginia to determine the facts of the case, and also to minister unto the family of the young woman who was the victim of this heinous and barbaric attack.

What follows is an exclusive interview with Megan Williams and her adopted mother, Carmen Williams, conducted on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at their home. For the first time here you will see, in Megan Williams’ own words, the description of this repugnantly vicious assault.

The Final Call (FC): We know this was a difficult experience for you, but in order for the public to know the full truth of what happened, you have agreed to tell us in this interview. We want you to go as slow as you need and if you have any questions, or feel uncomfortable, just let us know. Tell us the story. Tell us what happened.

Megan Williams (MW): When I first went up there, a girl I knew named Christa, she took me up there, she said we were going to a party.

FC: When Christa took you there (the trailer home in Big Creek in Logan County) what did she do?

MW: She said she had to make a run and she would be right back. She didn’t come back.

FC: Do you believe Christa was involved in arranging this?

MW: (Nodding.)

Carmen Williams (CW): Yes, it was a setup, she left her there. When Megan was in the hospital, Christa called and I answered the phone. Christa was asking, ‘how is my friend?’ I told her that she wasn’t a friend of Megan’s because she left her. Christa then hung up the phone. We have not seen or heard from Christa since that time.

The police investigators say they are trying to locate her for an interview, but have not been able to find her.

FC: There were some news reports that you had a relationship with one of the defendants, Bobby Brewster. Is this accurate?

MW: We were just friends. It was nothing like that.

FC: No dating relationship between you and defendant Bobby Brewster?

MW: No. They kicked me in the head with steel toed boots, they hit me in the head with several objects, I remember seeing a knife, and they tried to cut my foot off. They told me that is what they did to Kunta Kinte when they cut his foot off so he couldn’t run and that is what they were going to do to me.

FC: When exactly was this?

MW: It was like in August. When she (Christa) dropped me off up there, that’s when they started beating on me, and calling me names. When they were hitting me and stabbing me, they called me n----r, they said ‘this is what we do to n----rs up here’ and they said they were going to kill me.

They didn’t feed me, didn’t give me no water, they said when they came back they were going to finish me off. They made me eat rat poop, dog poop and human feces. I had to do it to stay alive. They were taking my head and drowning me in a toilet, taking it back out and putting it back in (starting to cry). They were stabbing me in the leg, and I was screaming for my mom, and they would cover my mouth up.

They made me pick green beans out of the garden, they made these switches into a braid and they were whipping me as I was picking the greens. They made me pick weeds out of the garden and they were calling me n----r and said they were going to take me out to a creek and cut my throat and throw me in a river. All I was saying is I wanted to get back to my mom, and they were like, ‘you ain’t ever going to see your mom ever, ever again, never.’ I wanted to get back home so bad.

FC: When they were forcing you to go out into an open field was this a secluded area where no one could see you?

MW: Nobody seen me, nobody knew where I was at; it was a wooded area.

FC: At any time did you try to scream for somebody to help you ?

MW: Yep, they kept kicking me and stuff and saying that if I screamed again they were going to cut me and all kinds of stuff.

FC: Describe what was going through your mind when you first realized that Christa might not be coming back?

MW: I was scared and frightened.

FC: Megan, you went with an associate to this place for a party, did you know where she was taking you?

MW: No.

FC: When you got there, did you know where you were, did you know the house?

MW: No.

FC: After you got to the “party,” how long was it before you realized that Christa was not coming back?

MW: A couple of days. She said ‘I’m going down to my friends house and I’ll be right back’ two days went by and she never came back up, I got worried and then they said she wasn’t going to come back and get me, and that no n----rs were allowed up there, and they were going to kill me.

FC: What kind of party did you see?

MW: They were just up there doing drugs, it was not a party.

FC: What kind of drugs?

MW: They were making Meth. (Methamphetamines)

FC: Anything else besides Meth?

MW: Crack.

FC: They were actually doing these drugs, were they trying to make you do drugs?

MW: No. I wouldn’t.

FC: Did you start praying to God for help?

MW: Yes, I was asking Him to get me out of this. The only thing I was thinking about was my mom.

FC: Did you ever try fighting back?

MW: I did. I fought back when they would cut me, and they had me taped up with duct tape around my neck, my hands and feet, and when they left to get drugs and stuff, they said they were going to finish me off; they were going to take me down to a river, cut my throat and throw me in it, and I would never get to see my family ever again. (Continue Reading)

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Quote of the Day

Of my two handicaps, being female put many more obstacles in my path than being black.

-Shirley Chisholm

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Honey Hush: Andre J on the Cover of French Vogue

Well, you can just label me speechless!!! It will appear that the lovely Ms. Andre J. has made the cover of the latest edition of French Vogue. Now you know Anna Wintour would never go for something like this at American Vogue. It's a miracle when she puts a black woman or any other woman of color on the cover so you know she is never going to put a black drag queen on the cover. All I can say is "You go, Girl!!!" I ain't mad at ya.

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Timbaland f/ OneRepublic - Apologize

I know I can't be the only person feeling this song. This is just one of those songs I can't get out of my head. This song is off of Timbaland's latest album Shock Value.


Timbaland - Apologize (feat. One Republic)

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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month!!!

Domestic violence is one those subjects that I don't having any firsthand experience with, but I do have a friend, who is more like a sister, that went through it. For the longest time I blamed myself for what happened to her. I felt as though I let her down as a friend. I left her to go to college and by my leaving she was left to fend for herself. I mean in my mind I know there was nothing I could have done to prevent what happened to her, but it still doesn't remove the guilt I feel when I look at her. Maybe if I had been around I could have noticed the signs and gotten her the help that she needed, but I wasn't there and that is something that I will have to live with.

The way I found out that her boyfriend was beating her was completely by chance. I knew she would have never just volunteered the information to me had I not forced it out of her. I had just come home from school for spring break. As soon as I laid eyes on her I could immediately tell that there was something different about her. The once beautiful and vivrant person that I called my friend wasn't there anymore and in her place was an empty shell of a body that housed no soul. I asked her what was going on and after some long prodding she finally confided to me what was happening in her life and I was completely stunned. I didn't know whether to break down in cry or round up my people and go and lynch that fool. The entire situation was crazy. She told me about how he one time he had beat her in the alley behind her house and dragged her by hair while pouring soda on her or the time he punched her in the face while she was holding her daughter. But the thing that she told me that completely left me stunned was how he had kicked her in the stomach when she was pregnant causing her to lose the life that was growing inside her. The entire situation left me sickened wit a feeling of complete helplessness. I was so angry. I was angry at him for what he had done to her, but I was also angry at her for allowing him to do it. The entire situation reminded me of Eve's song 'Love Is Blind'. It was right around the time her song dropped that my girl was going to her situation.

That was almost ten years ago. Although my friend was able to get out the situation she has never been the same. That bright light that use to shine from her eyes is just a twinkle of what it use to be. The girl with all the hopes and dreams has now been replaced with someone else. When her ex beat her he didn't just damage her body he damaged her soul and crushed her spirit. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her, but I will be by her side every step of the way. You see when a person is involved in a violent relationship it doesn't just affect that person and his/her immediate family. It affects the friends and anybody else who loves and admire that person. So although I wasn't there when she was going through it I can help her get through it. She is one of the fortunate ones to go through domestic violence and live to tell the tale.

So this one is for you friend. You continue to be a beacon of hope for me. I pray one day you can see your beauty the way the rest of the world sees it. Although he tried to destroy you he did not kill you. You are still here and God has a purpose and a plan for you. So don't ever give up on your dreams. Keep striving and believing. Hold your head up high. You are a survivor and you are still here. I love you my sister.

If you are in a domestic violent relationship or know of someone in one please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). There is no need to be silent.

Eve f/ Faith Evans - Love Is Blind (unedited version)

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National Blackout Day: November 2, 2007

WARREN BALLENTINE "THE PEOPLE’S ATTORNEY" IS CALLING FOR ALL AFRICAN AMERICANS TO PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL BLACKOUT"

WHO: Warren Ballentine "The People’s Attorney" and radio Truth Fighter is calling forNational Blackout throughout America.

WHAT: Warren is calling for a National Blackout that is necessary for African Americans, and is long over due. Especially with all the present injustices that are being allowedand accepted in America right now. From the situation with Mychal Bell and the Jena 6, Genarlow Wilson, Megan Williams, and all of the nooses being hung all of America lately. Until we have federal legislation regarding hate crimes as African Americans we need to band together to show our "Economic Power" by refusing to spend ANY money from fast food restaurants to gas.

WHY: As African Americans we spend an estimated 715 billion dollars a year, and if we were to stop spending for one day that will be 2 billion dollars that will not be in the system. However we ask that you don’t make a mad dash to the stores days prior or the days following. If the stores have a major increase in sales right before or right after the Blackout than we will create the impact we need.

WHEN: Friday, November 2, 2007

WHERE: Nationwide Blackout for ALL Americans

Syndication One, a joint venture of Radio One, Inc. [NASDAQ: ROIAK and ROIA] and REACH Media, Inc., is designed to develop African-American targeted programming. While there are more than 1,200 talk shows currently available to radio audiences nationwide, there are few programs that offer listeners a daily dose of ideas, issues, analysis and information targeted to the African-American audience. Syndication One offers its listeners timely, relevant, probing and entertaining programming, addressing a wide range of issues from a broad spectrum of viewpoints.

Radio One, Inc. (www.radio-one.com) is the nation's seventh largest radio broadcasting company (based on 2006 net broadcast revenue) and the largest radio broadcasting company that primarily targets African-American and urban listeners. Pro forma for recently announced transactions, Radio One owns and/or operates 60 radio stations located in 19 urban markets in the United States. Additionally, Radio One owns Magazine One, Inc. (d/b/a Giant Magazine) (www.giantmag.com), interests in TV One, LLC (www.tvoneonline.com), a cable/satellite network programming primarily to African-Americans and Reach Media, Inc. (www.blackamericaweb.com), owner of the Tom Joyner Morning Show and other businesses associated with Tom Joyner. Radio One also operates the only nationwide African-American news/talk network on free radio and programs "XM 169 The POWER," an African-American news/talk channel, on XM Satellite Radio.

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Quote of the Day

For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?

-bell hooks

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LaLa Brown Found Murdered!!!

It is true what they say the good do die young. Ms. Lala Brown was on the brink of greatness before her life was snuffed out. If you are not familiar with her name I'm pretty sure you know her voice. She was the female lead singing with Lyfe Jennings for his song S.E.X. LaLa was only 21 years old when she and her producer/boyfriend were found murdered in the basement of their studio. She leaves behind a daughter, Amirrah. You can learn more about her on her myspace page.

MILWAUKEE - A familiar voice to Milwaukee R & B fans has been silenced.
Twenty-one year old Yolanda "La La" Brown and her producer, 22-year-old JeTannue Clayborn, were found dead in their recording studio Friday night.

Milwaukee police say both were found in the Loud Enuff Productionz studio at 55th and Lisbon. Both had gunshot wounds and had been dead at least a day before being
discovered. They were reportedly dating.

JeTannue's mother, Dina Chambers, describes him as energetic, with an eye toward making music his career. "He loved music. He loved people. He was very kind. They called him "Koo Laid" because every time you saw him, he was smiling."

Autopsies were scheduled on both Clayborn and Brown, but the results have not been released. (Source)

Update:

Yolanda Brown's family also set up a trust fund for LaLa's
5-year-old daughter Amirrah Airreal Brown. Donations can be sent to:
William
Lee or Maria Brown
3322 N. 38th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53216

Lyfe Jennings f/ Lala Brown - S.E.X

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Make-up Tutorial: Smoky Eye

If you know me then you know I love everything there is to love about makeup. I view makeup as art. I find that some people hate makeup because they don't know how to apply it correctly. So whenever I find something about makeup and how to apply it correctly I will be sharing it with you guys. Here is another video by Eve Pearl. This time she is giving the process of how to create that perfect smoky eye.

Product Recommendations to Achieve Look:

Mascara:

I believe Great Lash by Maybelline is the greatest mascara ever. You can never go wrong with the pink and green bottle. I use this product in blackest black. You can find it at pretty much any drugstore and you won't break the bank in the process since it is a little less than $6.

Eye Shadows:

For those Savvy Sistas that don't want to break the bank some of the best eye shadow I have found for women of color is the HIP line by L'Oreal Paris. These eye shadows will run you about $7 apiece, but don't let the inexpensive price fool you there is nothing cheap about these shadows. The color will pretty much last approximately 6-8 hours a day. The HIP product line can pretty much be found in any drugstore.

For those Savvy Sistas who have a little more money in the bank to spend you can go with the Laura Mercier Limited-Edition Eye Color Quads which you can purchase from Neiman Marcus for $38. This is an excellent product that will give you that sultry smoky eye that you crave.

Eyeliner:

L'Oreal Paris' HIP line provides an excellent eyeliner called Color Truth Cream Eyeliner, Black. With it's applicator brush, it is relatively easy to use. This product can be purchase at most drugstores at a price of $11.99.

MAC cosmestics has an eyeliner that I absolutely love (well, honestly I love everything at MAC but that's a whole other post). This is the Technakohl Liner in GraphBlack. This liner is a mechanical-pencil style liner which gives very long wear. It will run you $14.50 on the MAC website, but I promise you it is worth it.

Flash Lashes***:

When it comes to flash lashes MAC makes some of my favorites. The lashes that I tend to purchase from MAC are the 1Lash and the 3Lash. I go with these two because I like the natural look of them. I can wear these two at work and not feel as though I am over doing it. They will cost you $11 but they are worth it.

Shu Uemura is like the go to brand in reference to false lashes. You can't go wrong with these lashes. Although they are a bit pricey (the Smoky Layers Lashes above will set you back $25) they are definitely worth it. They will give you that dramatic look that you crave while making your eyes pop. I like to wear these lashes at night when I am going out on the town with my girlfriends. You can purchase these lashes at Neiman Marcus.

***Writer's Note

If you are not use to putting on false lashes I will suggest you have a professional do them, but if you want to experiment with the process yourself I will suggest you go to a Sally's Beauty Supply Store or perhaps your local drugstore and buy some $2.00 lashes to play with before you start using the more expensive ones.

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Open Letter To Juanita Bynum

I received this in an email from one of my friends and I felt the need to share if with you all. So read it and tell me what you think. I personally think the person make some interesting points.

Dear Juanita Bynum:

My theology causes me to align with those on the underside of a society. As Matthew 25 teaches, wherever we can identify the poor, the abused, the marginalized, and those living under the weight of structural and systemic injustice, we can find God working on behalf of the "least of these." This is why my heart goes out to you. Credible reports corroborate your story of being a victim of domestic violence. And, if this is true, you have experienced a heinous act that all too many women are forced to live with and endure on a daily basis.

Having said this, I now must express my concern. I am scared that your actions in recent weeks are rendering you about as credible to the cause of fighting domestic violence as O.J. Simpson. Let's begin with your, er, umm, performance on TBN. While I can appreciate the efficacious dimensions of prayer and praise, there is also a time for well thought action and spiritual sobriety.

For instance, I did not understand your illogical and irresponsible assertions such as "on that ground that night I slipped into my purpose." You were a victim of domestic violence, period! There was nothing atoning or redemptive about what happened to you. And all that rhetorical jargon about not breaking the covenant with your husband and being spiritually submissive only recirculates the very notions of power and abuse that fosters domestic violence in the first place. Rather than doing the "Harlem Shake" to Byron Cage that night, why didn't you use your platform to present the phone numbers to domestic abuse hotlines and women's shelters? Or how about providing resources for women who currently find themselves in violent relationships. Say what you will about Bishop Jakes' response, or lack thereof, to your situation, at least he didn't turn tragedy into a praise-a-thon.


But to be fair, I know you may have gotten caught up in the moment. It was a highly emotional time for you. But this is why you need to be careful. There are real forces that seek to dismiss the issue of domestic violence in the church in general and discredit you in particular. You should know this. So wouldn't you think that making statements such as "Juanita Bynum will be for domestic violence what Martin Luther King, Jr. was to civil rights," just might come across as a little self-serving and solipsistic? Moreover, what is up with not being able to discuss your story during an interview on Tom Joyner last week because you had already sold the exclusive rights to Essence magazine? These sorts of comments and actions only add fuel to the flames of skepticism for those who already believe that you are more of a Profiteer than a Prophetess.

But all is not lost, Sister Bynum. Not yet at least. There is still hope that you won't have to go out like Britney Spears. So allow me to offer a few suggestions that may help you regain both your focus and perspective: First, rethink your desire to be the "new face of domestic violence." You say this with pride as if you are on a season of America's Next Top Model. This is neither a popularity contest nor a time to exploit the situation. Rather, this is a time that you can use your status to introduce America to the almost one million women that are victimized annually who cannot hold a press conference at posh hotels nor recover from their wounds with a deluxe spa package. Lift them up. Tell their story.

You missed what could have been a powerful, informative and educational moment on TBN. What if you had told the story of a 35 year old Haitian immigrant that was beaten, raped and sodomized along with her son in the Dunbar Housing Projects of Miami while neighbors closed their windows to her screams for help? This is the face that America needs to see in order to indict us concerning our culpability and complicit silence. Or try lending your support to the case of Megan Williams in West Virginia that was senselessly raped, tortured and maimed by six white supremacists earlier this month. While we have googled you and Bishop Weeks to keep up with your drama, these are the stories that need to be discussed and written about. So shame on us for being all too consumed with you. And shame on you for not redirecting our attention to the suffering of others.

Second, suspend your mentoring class and go get mentored yourself. If you are sincere about your interest in being a victim's advocate, obtain real anti-violence and awareness training from specialists in the field. Learn the litigation procedures that are already in place and even the appropriate language that should be used. There is no need for you to call your own session of Congress to introduce the Juanita bill, when you can sign your name and support legislation that advocates are already pushing forward. Moreover, to be frank, your hyper-spiritual cliché phrases and homiletic tropes that "move the crowd" on TBN may prove contradictory and quixotic outside of the very insular world of televangelism. I would hate to see you on Oprah trying to jump up and get your whoop on because the "anointing got so' thick up in here." And if you are going to be a credible domestic violence counselor, you can't encourage women by tel! ling th em that you got "beat down to get your breakthrough." If you are going to extend your influence Juanita, you are going to have to do better than falling back to your familiar.

Finally, take a sabbatical from the media. We know that you are a gifted televangelist. And we know that you are trying to make ground on Paula White (trust me, I am cheering for you). But everything in your life does not have to play out in front of a microphone. You have twisted, flipped and spun this event in every way possible. Your credibility and integrity are both on the line, my dear sister. And times like these call for decorum and tact not a whoop and a homily. Be still and know that God is still God. And if you handle yourself accordingly, others will rise up to fight your battles in public. There are too many who find what happened to you horrible and despicable. And, more importantly, there are too many who realized long before your unfortunate occurrence that domestic violence just can't be talked about, it must be fought against.

Be blessed, Juanita.

One Luv,

JLW

P.S. Please scrap the book idea!

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Tyler Perry Opens Door for Black Films

By Steven Zeitchik
Hollywood Reporter
Updated: 2:57 p.m. ET Oct 17, 2007

NEW YORK - Tyler Perry’s triumph at the box office with “Why Did I Get Married?” has heartened the growing number of studios looking to crack the market for black films.
But those studios also could face an unlikely problem: Tyler Perry.

The number of distributors and producers making movies that star and target blacks is climbing at an unprecedented clip. They’re reversing a pattern of studio indifference that for years allowed smaller players like Lionsgate, which has seen a box office gross of about $145 million from the three previous Perry films it has distributed, to enjoy a windfall.

“There’s probably not one new story to tell that hasn’t been told about white people,” said Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper. “But there are so many stories that haven’t been told yet about people with brown and black faces.”

Screen Gems, the Sony-owned mid-budget label, is opening two black-targeted comedies in the next three months: the holiday picture “This Christmas” and the Ice Cube vehicle “First Sunday.”

For all the carping about how Hollywood doesn’t give Perry respect — though of course he often gets respect in articles about how he doesn’t get respect — it’s also a fertile time for black movies.

At Our Stories Films, the Weinstein Co.’s co-venture with BET founder Robert Johnson, several projects are in development, while sister unit Dimension is prepping “Comeback,” a sports comedy drama with Ice Cube.

Even specialty divisions are getting in on the act. Fox Searchlight may have had a disappointing result with Chris Rock’s “I Think I Love My Wife,” but it’s still casting in New York for a potential Notorious B.I.G. biopic and is readying a sequel to the Cedric the Entertainer vehicle “Johnson Family Vacation.”

The evidence of the growing clout of the black audience? A minority filmmaking summit last week, where bigwigs such as Warner Bros.’ Barry Meyer and Peter Roth turned out to address filmmakers. (Continue Reading)


Now all of a sudden Hollywood wants to recognize the Black market...SMH. It's amazing when we start supporting each other how mainstream America starts to take notice. This happened with Hip Hop and now it is happening with films about us by us.

I know a lot of playrwrights are mad at Perry and call his stuff the Chitlin' Circuit or the like but I say why be mad at the brother. Just respect him as the trail blazer that he is his. You don't have to do exactly what he is doing, but you can still follow his path while prodding out one for yourself. There is a growing need for more stories about Black and Brown faces. We don't need Hollywood to tell our stories when we can tell our own stories. There is more than enough space for all of us to be successful. We just have to learn how to support each other in our different endeavors.

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Quote of the Day

The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.

-Tupac Shakur

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Farrakhan urges renewed efforts among blacks

Associated Press

ATLANTA - In a rare public appearance, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan urged black Americans on Tuesday night to separate from mainstream culture to establish and support their own community.

Nearly eight months after delivering what was thought to be his farewell speech, a smiling Farrakhan strode onstage at the Atlanta Civic Center to an applauding and cheering audience of nearly 5,000. He warned the crowd not to be distracted by the successes of recent decades.

"We have to come out of the thinking of a slave and come into the thinking and acting of free men and women," Farrakhan said. "We cannot depend on others for what the horrible condition of our people demands now that we do for ourselves."

Farrakhan, 74, ceded leadership duties last year because of illness after nearly three decades. He had surgery for prostate cancer in January.

Tuesday night's address was the keynote speech for Farrakhan's Holy Day of Atonement, which also commemorated the 12th anniversary of the Million Man March, held Oct. 16, 1995 in Washington.

Farrakhan cut a healthy-looking figure Tuesday in a gray and gold pinstriped suit, a wide smile flashing often under the trademark side-part in his wavy, black hair and thin-rimmed glasses.

The fiery orator spoke for nearly 2 1/2 hours, touching on issues including the disparities blacks face in areas such as education, health care, voting and incarceration, the Jena Six case in Louisiana, last weekend's arrest of Atlanta rapper T.I. on federal weapons charges, the war in Iraq and the Michael Vick federal dogfighting case.

He criticized both the black middle and upper classes and white America, and said that separation from a world of materialism and individualism was the only way the entire black community could progress.

In addition to racial disparities, violence committed against blacks at the hands of other blacks is also a threat — and one that did not exist during the struggle for civil rights, Farrakhan said.

"I want to talk to my gang-banging family," he said. "You make it very difficult for me. In the '60s we knew who the enemy was. But in 2007 you are the enemy. How can I do what is right by you while I watch you do wrong by one another?"

High-profile examples of success like Oprah Winfrey, Sen. Barack Obama, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice give blacks a false impression of success, Farrakhan said.
As a result, middle class black America has gotten too comfortable with the trappings of the American dream, he told the approving audience.

"A life of ease sometimes makes you forget the struggle," he warned. "It's becoming a plantation again, but you can't fight that because you want to keep your little job."

The success of a few is negated by the continued poverty of millions of blacks in America, Farrakhan said, adding that now is the time to stop the cycle of poverty and violence.

"It's time for you scared-to-death Negroes to bite the dust," he said. "Our people must be free. This peaceful coexistence with the murder of our people has to stop."

The rally of thousands of black Americans in Jena, La., last month was a wake-up call, Farrakhan said.

"We should let the world know that we're tired," he said.

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Quote of the Day

Ye can lead a man up to the university, but you can't make him think.

-Finley Peter Dunne

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Tolerance

Tolerance is the disposition to tolerate beliefs, practices, habits and people of appearances differing from our own. Tolerance means understanding the importance of these differences in our viewpoints, lifestyles and customs. We do not have to agree with everything we see, hear or read. However, we should be able to listen to other people who ideas may not agree with our own. To be tolerant does not mean we take on the beliefs and attitudes of others, it just permits us to look at things differently and not judge.

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Bill Cosby on Meet the Press

Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint was recently on Meet the Press this past Sunday. Mr. Cosby was there to promote his new book Come On, People: On The Path From Victims To Victors. I must say Mr. Cosby had some pretty interesting things to say. I am pretty sure Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is not going to agree with the things that he was saying, but I have to admit that I agree with him. I think Mr. Cosby has paid enough dues to be able to say pretty much what he wants to say. Although I might not agree with some of the things he has done or allegedly done in his personal life it doesn't take away all the positive things he has done in the black community.

I also like what Dr. Alvin Poussaint had to say about the N-word. It was very enlightening and one I'm sure will be the topic of many conversations. So please watch the following videos and tell me what you think. Do you agree or disagree with Mr. Cosby?

Part 1/3


Part 2/3


Part 3/3

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Quote of the Day

Ninety Nine percent of all failures come from those who have the habit of making excuses.

-George Washington Carver

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Quote of the Day

Sometimes you struggle so hard to feed your family one way, you forget to feed them the other way, with spiritual nourishment. Everybody needs that.

-James Brown

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In The News

Al Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work to raise awareness about global warming.

In a statement, Gore said he was "deeply honored," adding that "the climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

The former vice president said he would donate his half of the $1.5 million prize to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a U.S. organization he founded that aims to persuade people to cut emissions and reduce global warming.

The White House offered an initial reaction to the Nobel win by President Bush's 2000 opponent. "Of course, we're happy that Vice President Gore and the IPCC are receiving this recognition," said deputy press secretary Tony Fratto.

During its announcement, the Nobel committee cited the winners "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change." (Source)

Other Headlines:

- 17 year old rapes and kill a 99 yr. old woman. What the hell is going on in the world today...SMH

- Kobe Bryant is being placed on the chopping block

- Black Columbia Professor Reacts to Noose Incident

Read more »

Mychal Bell Ordered Back to Jail

(CNN) -- A black Louisiana teenager at the center of the racially charged "Jena 6" case was ordered Thursday to spend 18 months in a juvenile facility, after a judge ruled he had violated his probation for earlier juvenile convictions, a source with knowledge of the court proceedings said.

Mychal Bell, 17, who was freed two weeks ago after his adult criminal conviction for beating a white classmate was overturned, was sent to the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria, Louisiana, the source said.
The decision came at the end of a two-day juvenile court hearing that was closed to the media and public.

Carol Powell-Lexing, one of Bell's attorneys, said the judge's decision would be appealed.
Bell was freed on $45,000 bail on September 27, after an appeals court threw out his conviction on battery and conspiracy charges in adult court and remanded the case to juvenile court.
But Judge J.P. Mauffrey agreed with prosecutors that Bell had violated the probation he was given for four previous juvenile offenses, including two simple battery charges, the sources said.
Bell had been placed on probation until he turned 18.
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton, who has championed Bell's case, denounced Thursday's decision as "revenge" by the judge and called on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco to intervene.

Demonstrators in September took to the streets of the small town of Jena to protest how authorities handled the cases of Bell and five other teens accused of beating white student Justin Barker in December 2006. The incident was a culmination of fights between blacks and whites.
Many said they were angry that the students, dubbed the "Jena 6," were being treated more harshly than three white students who hung nooses from an oak tree on Jena High School property.

The white students were suspended from school but did not face criminal charges. The protesters said they should have been charged with a hate crime. (Source)

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Kimberley Locke and General Mills Partner Together To Encourage Women of Color to Take More Active Role in Breast Cancer Dialogue

Curb recording artist and second-season “American Idol” finalist, Kimberley Locke has teamed up with General Mills to encourage the Black community to take a more active role in breast cancer prevention. Kimberley, a long-time supporter of breast cancer awareness, has added her personal story to General Mill’s recently launched online community PinkTogether.com, and also has created a public service announcement (PSA) to encourage African Americans, in particular, to engage in the conversation.

Please listen to Kimberley’s message at http://pinktogether.centralcast.net/ and help her encourage others to join this community of hope.

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Savvy Pearls of Wisdom

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- by Marianne Williamson

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Quote of the Day

Can't nothing make your life work if you ain't the architect.

-Terry McMillan

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BREAKING NEWS:Student Opens Fire In Hallway of East Cleveland High School

(CNN) -- At least two people were injured Wednesday in a shooting at SuccessTech Academy, a high school in downtown Cleveland, said Andrea Jackson, press secretary for Cleveland's mayor.
Two students were taken to hospitals, she said. One was taken out of the school on a stretcher but was conscious.

Police are looking for a 14-year-old male in connection with the shooting, according to reports.
Cleveland fire, police and EMS are at the scene, as is Mayor Frank Jackson.
CNN affiliate WKYC reported five people were wounded.

• One student shot in the arm
• One teacher shot in the lower chest
• 14 year old shooter under arrest
• Principal called out a Code Blue (specific code to alert that shots have been fired in Cleveland area schools) over the PA system to warn the school
• School started through a Gates' Foundation Grant
• Gunman entered school with guns in both hands and walked down the hall firing them

UPDATE:

• 14 year old shooter is being reported as dead
• Success Tech High School is the name of the school
• Now reporting five victims. 2 teachers and 2 students (may or may not include gunman who is being reported as deceased)
• School has been secured
• Gunman is believed to be a student who had been suspended from school
• Victims have been taken to Metro Health Hospital
• Gunman identified as 14 year old Asa Coon

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African Queens: Candace - Empress of Ethiopia (332 B.C.)

Alexander reached Kemet (Ancient Egypt) in 332 B.C., on his world conquering rampage. But one of the greatest generals of the ancient world was also the Empress of Ethiopia. This formidable black Queen Candace, was world famous as a military tactician and field commander. Legend has it that Alexander could not entertain even the possibilty of having his world fame and unbroken chain of victories marred by risking a defeat, at last, by a woman. He halted his armies at the borders of Ethiopia and did not invade to meet the waiting black armies with their Queen in personal command.

The Romans met several queens of Meroë whom they thought were named "Kandake" (KAN-DA-key). They did not realize that "Kandake" was simply the Meroitic title meaning "Queen" or "Mother of the crown prince". Our modern female name Candace (now pronounced Kan-das) comes from this ancient Nubian royal title.

The Kushites gave special honor to their queens because they believed that the kings, who were sons of these women, were also sons of the great god Amun. In other words, they imagined that these ladies were actually wives of the god and mothers of the living gods (the kings). If a king died, his wife might rule alone while her son was growing up. The people would worship her like a goddess.

When the Romans went to war against Kush in 24 BCE, they reported that the Kushite army was led by a "Candace" who was "a very masculine sort of woman and blind in one eye." We can understand this strange description when we see how the artists represented the queens. They were massive, powerful women, covered with jewels and elaborate fringed and tasseled robes. They often appear carrying weapons in one hand, preparing to kill bunches of small enemy figures which they hold in the other.

- Test Your Knowledge of the Great African Queens

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Michelle Obama In Car Accident and Other News

(CNN) – Michelle Obama, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, escaped injury Tuesday when her campaign van was involved in an accident in Hampton, Iowa. A motorcyclist who struck the van was injured.

The accident happened as she was en route to a campaign stop. A motorcycle collided with the van on U.S. Highway 65 in the central part of the state.

The Obama campaign said in a statement, "The motorcyclist was transported to a nearby hospital, and Barack and Michelle's thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time. Neither Mrs. Obama nor any members of the campaign staff were injured in the accident."
Police identified the motorcyclist as Timothy Scott Emerson, 41, of Iowa Falls, Iowa. He was taken by medical helicopter to Mercy Medical North Hospital, where a nursing supervisor said he was treated and released.

A report from the Hampton Police Department said the van carrying Michelle Obama was trying to make a left turn when it was struck. The motorcycle, which was three vehicles behind the campaign van, attempted to pass and struck the left side of the van, the report said, while traveling on the wrong side of the road.

The campaign event she was headed to was canceled.

In Other News:

- Noose discovered at Columbia University

- When it rains it pours for Michael Vick

- Madison Square Garden is getting sued all over the place

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Quote of the Day

I think, though, as African-American women, we are always trained to value our community even at the expense of ourselves, and so we attempt to protect the African-American community.

-Anita Hill

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To My Brothers

I am not a Bitch, Hoe, Slut, Skeezer, Tramp, Rat, Trick or any other label you wish to place upon me. I am your wife, your mother, your daughter, your sister, your lover, your protector, your backbone, and your friend. Honor and Respect me for the queen that I am. I do not hate you, but somewhere along the way you began to hate and resent me. I have only loved and wanted the best for you (maybe you will see that one day). Until that day I will continue to love you and maybe one day you will return that love to me.

-TheIcon

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Allison Samuels of Newsweek Writes About Race & Gender: We're Not Gonna Take It

Louis Lanzano/ AP

Will 2007 be remembered as the year black women said "Enough is enough"? At no small personal cost, Anucha Browne Sanders stood up and demanded an end to the kind of abuse African-American women regularly tolerate from some black men. We are not "bitches" or "ho's," to be harassed sexually or otherwise, she declared.

It was a brave thing for an African-American woman to do. Our community is reluctant to talk openly about the problem of black men mistreating black women. Our leaders will rise up in unison against Don Imus for his detestable slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team. Yet they remain silent when Isiah Thomas says it's less offensive for a black man to call a black woman "bitch" than it is for a white man. Black leaders are justifiably in an uproar over the Jena Six, yet none rushed to West Palm Beach, Fla., this summer when an African-American mother in a public housing project was gang-raped. Nor did they talk about domestic violence when self-help minister Juanita Bynum told police in August that she'd been beaten by her husband, which he denies. Even rapper R. Kelly—still awaiting trial on charges of having sex with an underage girl in 2002—gets a free pass.

"We have to say 'No more'!" says author Terry McMillan, who's made a career writing about the complicated and sometimes strained relations between African-American women and men. "No other culture disrespects their women the way our culture does, and it has to stop. Black men have to start taking responsibility for being a part of the reason black women are so disrespected in the first place." McMillan has never shied away from challenging the ways black men portray women in film, videos and rap songs, but plenty of blacks—men and women alike—are loath to point fingers publicly. (For his part, the Rev. Al Sharpton finally weighed in late last week on the Browne Sanders dispute, threatening a boycott of the Knicks until Thomas apologizes for the "bitch" comment.)

The reasons for the silence are complicated, but mostly it's about not wanting to make things tougher for black men than they already are. (For the record, this reporter is conflicted about adding to the woes.) More black men are in jail than college, they face unemployment twice that of white men and they are subjected to plenty of negative media attention. So any additional attacks from black women are seen as betrayal. "We have enough people eager to attack us that we don't need to do it to each other," says rapper and actor Ice Cube, who was publicly taken to task by the Rev. Jesse Jackson for making fun of civil-rights icon Rosa Parks in the comedy "Barbershop."

Yet without open dialogue, nothing is solved. Two years ago, when Spelman College, a historically black women's campus in Atlanta, invited rappers to discuss misogyny in hip-hop, most of the big names declined. "So where does that leave us?" asks Beverly Bond, founder of the group Black Girls Rock, a nonprofit dedicated to raising young black girls' self-esteem. "There's not been a lot of willingness to talk about this until now, with Imus. It's a shame it took that, but finally rappers—if they are honest—understand the damage."

But can a radio host's firing or a basketball legend's loss in court continue to give rise to the voices of women that the Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston once referred to as the "mules of the world"? "I was glad Imus got fired, and I was glad that a black woman won the case in New York," says 16-year-old LaTisha Johnson of Inglewood, Calif. "But I don't see that changing the boys I know or the rappers I see on TV. They don't think it's wrong, and a white man getting fired doesn't change that." But perhaps a black woman talking about it will. (Source)

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In the News

Hillary Clinton Spar With Questioner Over Iran

Sen. Hillary Clinton engaged in a verbal tussle with a questioner over Iran Sunday at a town-hall style meeting after he said the New York Democrat had authorized the president to invade Iran.

Sen. Hillary Clinton campaigns in North Hampton, Iowa, Sunday.

At the event in North Hampton, Iowa, a questioner took issue with Clinton's recent Senate vote calling on President Bush to formally call the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. He argued that such a distinction confers the president with the ability to invade the country.

"Why should I support your candidacy . . . if it appears you haven't learned from your past mistakes?" Randall Rolph asked, referring to Clinton's vote to authorize the president to use military force against Iraq. (Continue)

In Other News:

- "Diddy, you are the father!!!"

- Chrysler to cut 1500 non-union jobs

- No Survivors found in plane wreakage

- A great champion takes a mighty fall

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Quote of the Day

The power of the white world is threatened whenever a black man refuses to accept the white world's definitions.

-James Baldwin

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Quote of the Day

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.

-Bill Cosby

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Aron Ranen's Black Hair Documentary

This is definitely something we all need to think on. As a person who grew up with a beautician as a mother, this was very surprising and enlightening to me. Hopefully it will do for you what it did for me. The next time you go out and purchase your weave you really need to take into account where your dollars are going.


Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4



Purchase the entire documentary at www.blackhairdvd.com

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Michelle Obama Speaks Truth As She Addresses Brookland Women of Victory

Can you say Future First Lady? This is definitely a bad chick and one Savvy Sista. Mr. Obama is very fortunate to have her by his side.

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Quote of the Day

No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.

-Alice Walker

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Mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes. We need to be aware of this fact and not raise anymore hell about somebody else’s mistakes than we do our own. It seems like in today’s culture if you make a mistake, you are crucified for it. Especially celebrities, these celebrities are not making any more mistakes than any one of us have made, or is capable of making. We need to recognize that the only perfect being is God. Mistakes help us make corrections.

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Did you Know???

On this day in 1904, Daytona Normal and Industrial School (Later Bethune Cookman College) opened in Daytona Beach, FL one of the south’s leading institutions for training teachers. Founder Mary McLeod Bethune will later say the college was started on “faith and a dollar and a half.”

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Quote of the Day

If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.

-Harriet Tubman

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Book Review: What I Know for Sure by Tavis Smiley

This book has the name that captures you from the start. “What I Know for Sure”, because everyone always want to know something for sure.

Tavis has a straight from the heart talk about his life experiences which makes him the man he is today. In this book he shares the poverty, the ambition, the pain and atonement that shaped his world.

I enjoyed reading this book; it gave me inspiration and educated me at the same time. The book was concise and easy to read; as Tavis delved into his life so intimately.

The book begins with Tavis as a young boy who lived in a trailer with his nine siblings; attended predominantly white schools; and a strict Pentecostal church. He grew up feeling like an outsider because of the color of his skin, and his family’s economic status.

Tavis had a love for words and while in his English class, he came alive when hearing Dr. King’s speech “I Have a Dream” for the first time. He understood the power and the symbolic language used in it. Dr. King’s other speeches touch Tavis as well, he stated, Dr. King’s words “reflected my pride in the courageous brilliance of a leader outspoken in conveying our purpose and passion”. He talks about how Dr. King influences his life on so many levels. First by showing him words have meaning and that words are powerful.

Tavis writes; it was the love and support of his family that sustained him. But that trust and support was shattered when his father, in a moment of rage, beat him with an electrical cord, sending him to the hospital. Tavis was placed in foster care for a time, and it took him years to bridge the emotional gap between him and his parents.

Tavis rose above all circumstances, winning oratorical championships which led him on a different path. He understood the importance of an education and was determined to be enrolled and stay at Indiana University even without the financial support he needed. He briefly entered the political arena working with Mayor Tom Bradley’s Administration in Los Angeles. Determined to help poor and under represented African Americans. Later he became a Radio Commentator and a TV Talk Show Host and realized it was a way to influence public discourse and issues concerning African Americans. Tavis tells of him being fired from BET after being accused of disloyalty; he joins and then leaves NPR, which he scorns as “a private club for educated white people.” While at BET, he was insulted on-air by Russell Simmons, survived a bad romance and traveled to Cuba and met Fidel Castro.

“What I Know for Sure,” immediately pulled me in. I was deeply moved by his honesty and his courageous spirit that ultimately made me think about my life and what I can accomplish. What I know for sure is that this book is a great read for anyone facing adversity or challenges in their own life and need a little inspiration.

Thanks Tavis.

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

NEW YORK, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- African-American women have larger tumors and are more likely to have breast cancer spread to nearby lymph nodes, compared to whites, a U.S. study found.

Dr. Alfred Nougat of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City and Russell McBride of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health hypothesized that long-known racial differences in cancer survival between blacks and whites could be attributed to differences in tumor size and the number of lymph nodes with disease.

They analyzed clinical and demographic characteristics of 256,174 U.S. women with breast cancer -- 21,861 African American and 234,313 white -- diagnosed from 1988 to 2003 that showed that African-American women were more likely than white women to be diagnosed with tumors greater than 2.0 cm and to have at least one lymph node with disease, however, racial differences in lymph node involvement were apparent only in tumors smaller than 3.0 cm.

The study, published in the Sept. 15 issue of the journal Cancer and available online, found after adjusting for tumor size and lymph node status as well as demographic factors, African-American women were still more likely to die of breast cancer up to 56 percent higher than whites. (Source)

For decades, researchers have tried to understand why breast cancer in younger black women is such a significant public health problem.

Black women have fewer breast cancers than white women, but their mortality is worse. Black women under the age of 50 have a 77 percent higher mortality rate from breast cancer than white women of the same age.

Results of a study led by scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of Public Health and Medicine and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer suggest one reason for these differences.

When younger, premenopausal, black women get breast cancer, they are more than twice as likely as older women, black or white, to get an aggressive breast cancer subtype, the study found. They are also much less likely to get the least aggressive type. A report of the research appears in the June 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The present study adds an important piece to a large puzzle," said senior study author Dr. Robert Millikan. "Previous studies showed that many breast tumors in younger African American women are very fast-growing and hard to treat. (Continue Reading)

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Quote of the Day

None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody - a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns - bent down and helped us pick up our boots.

-Thurgood Marshall

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A White Woman's Opinion of Black Women and a Brothers Response

Wait Sisters, don't get mad yet. Please keep reading. I love it when a brother speaks up for his African American Queens!!

Enjoy.

It seems that an article was written to Sister 2 Sister magazine by a Caucasian woman who requested a response from black men. I'm so glad she got what she asked for (and more) !!!

Dear Jamie:

I'm sorry but I would like to challenge some of your Black male readers.

I am a White female who is engaged to a Black male-good-looking, educated and loving. I just don't understand a lot of Black female's attitudes about our relationship.

My man decided he wanted me because the pickings amongst Black women were slim to none. As he said they were either too fat, too loud, too mean, too argumentative, too needy, too materialistic or carrying too much excess baggage.

Before I became engaged, whenever I went out I was constantly approached by Black men, willing to wine and dine me and give me the world. If Black women are so up in arms about us being with their men, why don't they look at themselves and make some changes.

I am tired of the dirty looks I get and snide remarks when we're out in public. I would like to hear from some Black men about why we are so appealing and coveted by them.

Bryant Gumbel just left his wife of 26 years for one of us Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, the model Tyson Beckford, Montell Williams, Quincy Jones, James Earl Jones, Harry Belafonte, Sydney Poitier, Kofi Anan, Cuba Gooding Jr., Don Cornelius, Berry Gordy, Billy Blanks, Larry Fishburne, Wesley Snipes...

I could go on and on. But, right now, I'm a little angry and that is why I wrote this so hurriedly. Don't be mad with us White women because so many of your men want us. Get your acts together and learn from us and we may lead you to treat your men better. If I'm wrong, Black men, let me know.

Disgusted White Girl, Somewhere in VA

RESPONSE



Dear Jamie:

I would like to respond to the letter written by A Disgusted White Girl.

Let me start by saying that I am a 28-year old black man. I graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in Atlanta, Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management. I have a good job at a major corporation and have recently purchased a house. So, I consider myself to be among the ranks of successful black men.

I will not use my precious time to slander white people. I just want to set the record straight of why black men date white women. Back in the day, one of the biggest reasons why black men dated white women was because they were considered easy.

The black girls in my neighborhood were raised in the church. They were very strict about when they lost their virginity and who they lost it to. Because of our impatience to wait, brothers would look for someone who would give it up easy without too much hassle. So, they turned to the white girls.

Nowadays, in my opinion, a lot of brothers date white women because they are docile and easy to control. A lot of black men, because of insecurities, fears, and overall weaknesses, have become intimidated by the strength of our black women. We are afraid that our woman will be more successful than us, make more money than us, drive nicer cars and own bigger houses. Because of this fear, many black men look for a more docile woman. Someone we can control.

I have talked to numerous black men and they continuously comment on how easy it is to control and walk over their white women. I just want to set the record straight. I want A Disgusted White Girl to know that not all successful black men date white women.

Brothers like Ahmad Rashad, Denzel Washington, Michael Jordan, Morris Chestnut, Will Smith, Blair Underwood, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Samuel L. Jackson, and Chris Rock all married strong black women And, to flip the script, there are numerous white men, in and out of the spot light, who openly or secretly desire black women over white women. Ted Danson, Robert DeNiro, and David Bowie to name a few.

I just don't want a disgusted white girl to be misinformed Stop thinking that because you are white that you are some type of goddess. Remember, when black Egyptian Queens like Hatsepshut and Nitorcris were ruling Dynasties and armies of men in Egypt, you were over in the caves of Europe eating raw meat and beating each other over the head with clubs. Read your history!

It was the black woman that taught you how to cook and season your food. It was the black woman that taught you how to raise your children. It was black women who were breast feeding and raising your babies during slavery.

It is the black woman that had to endure watching their fathers, husbands, and children beaten, killed, and thrown in jail. Black women were born with two strikes against them: being black and being a woman. And, through all this, Still They Rise!

It is because of the black women's strength, elegance, power, love and beauty that I could> never> date anyone except my black Queen. It is not just the outer beauty that captivates and draws me to them. It is not the fact that they come in all shapes, sizes, colors and shades that I love them.

Their inner beauty is what I find most appealing about black women. Their strong spirit, loving and nurturing souls, their integrity, their ability to overcome great obstacles, their willingness to stand for what they believe in, and their determination to succeed and reach their highest potential while enduring great pain and suffering is why I have fallen in love with black women.

I honestly believe that your anger is geared more toward jealousy and envy more so than snotty looks. If this were not so, then why do you continuously go to tanning salons to darken your skin? If you are so proud to be white, then why don't you just be happy with your pale skin? Why do you continue to inject your lips, hips, and breasts with unnatural and dangerous substances so you can look fuller and more voluptuous?

I think that your anger is really a result of you wanting to have what the black woman has.

BOTTOM LINE: If I were looking for a docile woman, someone I can walk over and control, I would give you a call. But, unfortunately, I am looking for a Virtuous Woman. Someone that can be a good wife and mother to my children.

Someone who can be my best friend and understands my struggles. I am looking for a soul mate. I am looking for a sister and; unfortunately, you do not and CANNOT fit the bill.

No offense taken, none given.

Signed, Black Royalty

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In The News

By Nolan Strong
A number of rappers and activists will support Mos Def's call for a National Student Walk-Out tomorrow (Oct 1) in support of the Jena 6.

In addition to Mos Def, rappers Common, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, M1, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Idris Elba, Pharoahe Monch, the Malcolm X Grassroots, the National Hip Hop Political Convention, The Hip Hop Association and student leaders from over 100 campuses will support the Jena 6 by walking out of class at 12:00 noon (Central time).

The rappers and activists are asking students to peacefully walk out of class and rally either on campus or at other designated areas, in protest of the case.

"This is the time for Black people to support the Jena 6, and call attention to the unequal treatment the criminal Justice system is dishing out not only in Jena Louisiana but across this nation," Mos Def said. "We all live in Jena. "

A list of demands created by the organizations will be read at each of the organized rallies around the country.

The group is calling for all charges against the Jena 6 to be dropped, to prevent Judge Mauffray from presiding over Bell's juvenile court hearings, that the Jena School District superintendent be removed from office and more.

The "Jena 6" are six black students who were charged with assaulting a white teenager at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana after a series of racially motivated incidents.

The students were initially charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit attempted murder in connection with the December 4 beating of a white student.

The incident was the culmination of months of racial tension following a black Jena High School student’s request to the principal sit under an oak tree that was a frequent hang out for white students.

A day after the request, sat under the tree, three nooses were found hanging from the branches. Although the school’s principal recommended that those responsible for the nooses be expelled, the three white students were suspended for three days for the action, which was labeled as a "prank."

Soon after, Justin Barker, a white student, was jumped by a group of students who knocked him unconscious while stomping and kicking him.

Criminal charges were later directed towards the Jena 6, although the parents of the Jena 6 said they heard Barker was hurling racial epithets earlier.

On Thursday (September 27), Mychal Bell, the last of the "Jena 6" behind bars, was released from custody after a juvenile his bail was reduced to $45,000.

Over 15,000 demonstrators protested how the case was handled, claiming the black teens were being treated more harshly than the three white students who hung the nooses.

For more information visit http://www.mxgm.org/.

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Quote of the Day

I'm sick and tired of black and white people of good intent giving aspirin to a society that is dying of a cancerous disease.

-Ralph Abernathy

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