Keepin It Gangsta

Many of us have grown up in one of the many hoods in America. In these neighborhoods or "Hoods" there are many widely held beliefs that are never held up to the light of the truth. One such belief is the "Keeping it Gangsta" mantra that you hear on subways, on the streets, in barbershops, night clubs, etc. Basically anywhere there are young black men. Let’s look at some of the beliefs of those that "Keep it Gangsta" and how their actions are not only far from "Gangsta", but reveals a deep self hate...

Do The lobbyists Own Health Care Reform?

Health Care reform appears to be headed for passage. The Senate and House must now come together to negotiate and combine their separate bills into one. At this moment, it appears that the Public Option is out. The same is true for reimporting drugs from places like Canada which would lower drug prices in America. The proposal to lower the age limit for those who could access Medicare is also out at this time.Many people are saying that it is better to have a flawed bill instead of no bill at all....

New Credit Card Rate has 79.9 Percent Rate

It's no mistake. This credit card's interest rate is 79.9 percent. Stay away from this credit card at all cost. If your credit is not the best, there are other options that will not empty your pockets in fees. The over the top interest rate is how First Premier Bank, a subprime credit card issuer, is skirting new regulations intended to curb abusive practices in the industry. It's a strategy other subprime card issuers could start adopting to get around the new rules. - Read St...

Free After 23 Years In Prison

Another innocent man is free from jail in Texas. Ernest Sonnier was released on Friday, August 7TH, 2009 after DNA testing implicated two different men in the 1986 rape for which Sonnier was convicted. Sonnier has spent twenty-three years in prison, always maintaining his innocence.The release of Ernest Sonnier is just the latest case that highlights the ongoing problem of wrongful convictions in...

Free After 14 years In Jail

After spending 14 years in North Carolina prison for the rape of two teenagers, Joseph Abbitt became a free man again on Septemeber 3, 2009 because DNA evidence has now proved him innocent of rape.In 1991, two sisters were preparing for school when someone broke into their home and raped them both. The girls believed that the intruder was a man who lived 2 doors down, and then picked Joseph out of...

Free After 35 Years in Jail

James Bain used a cell phone from Florida for the first time Thursday, December 17Th, 2009 calling his elderly mother to tell her he had been freed after 35 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.Mobile devices didn't exist in 1974, the year he was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a 9-year-old boy and raping him in a nearby field.Neither did the sophisticated DNA testing that officials...

Free After 28 Years in Jail

An Arizona man is free after serving 28 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.On Tuesday, December 15TH, 2009 a judge in Washington, D.C. ordered the immediate release of 58-year-old Donald Eugene Gates after DNA testing showed he was innocent of the rape and murder of a young woman.Gates was released from a federal prison in Tucson. He left the facility with $75, winter clothes and a bus...

Baltimore Mayor Found Guilty Of Taking Gift Cards

This is another political learning moment for all past, current, and future politicians. If this is your line of work, you must know the laws. Too many capable people who have managed to be elected by the people and come into power find themselves on the wrong side of the law over small amounts of money.Baltimore's mayor was convicted Tuesday on a single charge she took gift cards intended for the...

Microsoft's Poland Ad Eliminates Brother

In August of 2009, a black man was replaced with a white man in a Microsoft online advertisement intended for use in Poland. An Asian man in the ad apparently made the cut, and appeared in both the Polish and stateside versions of the ad.But the ad's creator(s) missed one small detail. The Asian guy miraculously survived, but only a small portion of the black guy remains. They forgot to Photoshop...

Black Couple Removed From Movie Poster

In the UK, the Couples Retreat movie poster was changed to reflect an all white marketing poster. The studio said it regretted causing offense and has abandoned plans to use the revised poster in other countries... A Universal spokesman said the revised advert aimed 'to simplify the poster to actors who are most recognisable in international market...

10 Year Old Will Not Pledge Allegiance To Country

The Arkansas Times reports on Will Phillips, an elementary school student who refuses to say the pledge of allegiance in school because of discrimination against gay people: "I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer," Will said. "I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all." After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up...

8th Grader Suspended For Haircut

The AP reported that in Hamilton, OH a young Cincinnati Bengals fan has been penalized for clipping. Dustin Reader got the NFL team's stripes and "B" insignia cut into his hair as a tribute to the team's good season. When he showed up to school in the southwest Ohio city of Hamilton on Monday, officials put the eighth-grader into in-school suspension. The school said its code of conduct prohibits...

The Way Some In China View Blacks

Some will argue that the more things change the more things will stay the same. While life in America and in Africa has improved for many people of color, the changes have not come to enough people to change the way many in the world including some in China view Black people.While President Obama made his first trip to China, many in China will have an opportunity to think about their feeling about racial discrimination in their own country and around the world.Hung Huang, a Beijing-based fashion...

NBA Owner Settles Racial Discrimination Housing Lawsuit

The AP reported that the Los Angeles Clippers owner and real estate mogul Donald Sterling has agreed to pay a record $2.725 million to settle allegations by the government that he refused to rent apartments to Hispanics, blacks and to families with children, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. The Justice Department sued Sterling in August 2006 for allegations of housing discrimination in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. Other defendants were Sterling's wife, Rochelle, and the Sterling Family...

Can You Sue If Framed By A Prosecutor

This story was reported on NPR.com. It is too important not to share the entire article because this situation could happen to any of us. Do prosecutors have total immunity from lawsuits for anything they do, including framing someone for murder? That is the question the justices of the Supreme Court face Wednesday. On one side of the case being argued are Iowa prosecutors who contend "there is no freestanding right not to be framed." They are backed by the Obama administration, 28 states and every...

California Lawmaker Resigns Over Taped Sex Talk

Mike Duvall, a Republican assemblyman from Yorba Linda, issued a statement announcing his resignation. the 54-year-old Duvall, who is married with two adult children, "received a 100 percent rating from a conservative advocacy group for his votes on legislation considered pro-family."It has been reported that he was bragging about his sexual exploits while sitting near an open mike in a hearing room....

Milton Milan of Camden Sentenced to 7 Years

Milan became Camden's first Hispanic mayor on July 1, 1997, a relative political newcomer who convinced voters he could turn the city around. His sentencing comes with the city still in a financial crisis and the state considering a takeover of government operations.During his first term as mayor, he was indicted on a 19-count corruption case, and convicted on 14 of those counts, among them:*laundered...

Louisiana Congressman Convicted In Freezer Cash Case

A jury in suburban Washington has convicted a former Louisiana congressman on 11 of 16 counts including bribery in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer.Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat who had represented parts of New Orleans, was accused of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes and seeking millions more in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa. He was convicted of charges...

Obama Not Supporting Public Option?

The U.S. Senate is preparing a vote on health care reform which includes a public option. It is being reported that President Obama is not supporting the public option which is strange because he is on record saying that the public option is the best way to bring competition to the health care insurance industry and ultimately lower costs for Americans.It has been reported that the Obama administration is concerned the votes are not available for the bill with a public option. They are instead quietly...

Rape Victim Denied Health Insurance

Christina Turner was drugged and raped by two men in 2002. After taking anti-HIV drugs prescribed by her doctor as a preventative measure, Turner was denied health insurance. The HIV drugs, Turner was told, raised too many health questions for her insurer.As health insurance reform nears passage, it's stories like this that remind us why we need health care insurance reform in America. The executives and managers of this industry have brought it upon themselves with their practices which never...

Only Black Family On The Titanic

Eighty-eight years after the biggest ship disaster in history, and three years after release of the Titanic movie, the story of the only Black man to perish in the 1912 disaster is being revealed, thanks to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, host to the largest Titanic exhibit ever, and the Titanic Historical Society.Laroche, who was born in Cap Haiten, Haiti, on May 26, 1889, came from a...

New Years Eve Watch Night Services

Many of you who live or grew up in Black communities in the United States have probably heard of "Watch Night Services," the gathering of the faithful in church on New Year's Eve.The service usually begins anywhere from 7 p.m. To 10 p.m. And ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some folks come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For others, church is the only New Year's...

Fourteen Year Old Develops New Surgery Procedure

An African American teenager named Tony Hansberry II is only in ninth grade, and he has developed a new technique for sewing up hysterectomy patients. The technique for patients after hysterectomies stands to reduce the risk of complications and simplify the tricky procedure for less-seasoned surgeons. - Read St...

From Foster Care To A Million Plus In Scholarships

Derrius Quarles is an example of how we can overcome adversity and not allow our personal story to impact us negatively. It is possible to become more than your circumstances dictate if you desire more from life. As long as people are willing to work hard, study hard, play hard, and not allow temporary setbacks to become long term obstacles, people will have a very good chance to have the best life...

People of Color Denied Refinancing At Higher Rates

New federal data shows that last year blacks were nearly twice as likely to be denied when applying to refinance a home mortgage as whites. About 61 percent of refinance applications from black borrowers were denied, an eight percent increase from 2007. Less than a third of whites were denied.About half of all refinance applications from Hispanic borrowers were denied, a slight increase from last year. Whites, on the other hand, saw their denial rates drop two percent, federal data gleaned from...

America's Economic Transformation

What changed in the early 1970s to reverse the great postwar income convergence? Charles Hugh Smith writes a great article explaining how a number of factors come into play, some more important than others. Three factors stand out: globalization, the emergence of a financial economy, and changes in government policy. He goes into each one of the three factors in very clear detail. - Read The St...

Middle Class Under Assault?

While the wealthy in America have increased their wealth over the years, the middle class have experienced stagnant wages along with big increases in expenses. It is easy to find people who are on both sides of this argument, but many indicators appear to point to the fact that the middle class is barely managing instead of thriving.According to Charles Hugh Smith, here is how Elizabeth Warren, chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel that is monitoring the TARP bailout funds given to banks, jumped...

Wall Street Is On Fire Again

The folks on Wall Street know how to make money even after showing the world that they can also lose money. Thanks to the Federal Reserve, Federal Government, and the U.S. Taxpayer, Wall Street has been able to socialize losses and privatize profits.Wall Strret and Big banks have received the bulk of the bailout money. A short while ago, people were wondering if the end to Wall Street as we know was near. Firms like Goldman Sachs are now preparing to pay bonuses of approximately 23 billion at the...

Will The U.S. Recession End?

According to Mike Whitney, working people are not being crushed by accident, but according to plan. It is the way the system is supposed to work. Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke knows that sustained demand requires higher wages and a vital middle class. A careful reading of the FRBSF’s Economic Letter shows why the economy will not bounce back. It is mathematically impossible. We’ve reached peak credit; consumers have to deleverage and patch their balance sheets. Household wealth has slipped $14...

One In Five At School Are Homeless

The Daily news has reported that 1 out of every 5 students at PS 636 located in Brooklyn, NY are homeless. Fortunately, the school was able to hold on to a grant from the Federal government that allows some students to attend an after school program until 6 PM. This is fortunate because they obviously need the after school program and many schools are being asked to scale back on these programs due to the deep recession the country is experiencing. - Read StoryThe real issue is why are these kind...

Big Baby Denied Health Care

Rocky Mountain Health Plans denied the family of baby, Alex Lange health care because the the child is too fat. This is a baby that is only feeding on breast milk. This is a true story. - Read M...

Reversing Credit Card Fees

It is very easy to pay a whopping $50 to 75 a month for missing a credit card payment or being even one day late with the payment. It is difficult to justify sending a company one's hard earned money for these reasons. This is simply giving money away that most people need for other monthly expenses.The late fee and finance charges can really add up quickly if one does not pay attention. There is one way to have these fees reversed at times. If you have not received your credit card statement in...

Christian Coalition Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

In early 2002, The Christian Coalition settled a racial discrimination lawsuit. A federal court sealed terms of the lawsuit settlement, but The Washington Times reported Jan. 3 that "sources involved in the negotiations" said the African-American employees who brought the suit will receive $325,000 and in return agree not to talk about the case publicly. Twelve black employees sued the Coalition last February, charging a pattern of racial discrimination at the organization's headquarters in Washington,...

Hoosier Lottery Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

In May 2009, The Hoosier Lottery settled a lawsuit filed by 8 fired African American employees. The settlement was 2.75 million dollars. The settlement will be paid with lottery proceeds. - Read St...

Racial Discrimination Obviously Goes Both Ways

Governor Patterson of New York was sued by a Senate photographer who claimed that he lost his job so an African American can be hired. The state settled the case for 300k. - Read StoryMany people will say that this should not be an issue and the lawsuit should have been thrown out because this kind of situation has been happening to Blacks and other people of color in this country for too long. The truth is that the law is the law and what is right from wrong is very cle...

Kodak Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

Kodak agreed in July 2009 that they will pay more than $21 million to settle a pair of racial discrimination lawsuits filed by current and former African-American employees. The lawsuits were filed in 2004 and 2007 by an African-American group of Kodak workers accusing Kodak of discriminating against African-American workers when it came to job hiring, pay and promotions. - Read St...

Cop Beats Special Education Student

An Illinois cop was caught on tape beating a special education student. This incident started because the student did not have his shirt tucked in his pants. - See VideoThis video clearly shows the abuse of power that takes place at times. Fortunately for this student, there is video to back up his claims of abuse at the hands of the offic...

Subprime Mortgages Can Be Very Risky

Subprime mortgages became very one of the main reasons that America has experienced a real estate crisis. Subprime lending (near-prime, non-prime, or second-chance lending) in finance means making loans that are in the riskiest category of consumer loans. These loans can dramatically increase in how much a borrower has to pay monthly to a lender. These increases can easily become difficult for a borrower to handle and the borrower could place himself at risk of losing their home (if it is a subprime...

Fathers and Gangs

In Chicago recently, a 16 year old honor student was killed. The teenager, Derrion Albert was supposedly walking to a bus stop when he got swept up in a mob street fighting. The young man was beaten to death and it was all captured on video. What motivates teenagers to use a 2 by 4, fists, and feet to beat another individual?It would be interesting to find out how many of the kids involved in this death of a teenager are being raised by their fathers, and how many of the fathers are gainfully employed....

President Obama, Professor Gates, and Kanye West

President Obama recently weighed in on the Kanye West and Taylor Swift MTV awards show situation. He basically called Kanye a Jackass for his stunt while Taylor was receiving and accepting her award. What is interesting is that it became a big, negative media story in many parts of the country when President Obama weighed in on the Professor Gates arrest. President Obama mentioned that the police officers acted stupidly for going to Gates home to check out a call they received about unknown men...

Previous Little River Golf Club Owner Settles Racial Lawsuit

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), had charged that the previous owner of the Little River Golf Club located in Charthage, NC unlawfully discharged six African-American employees because of their race and national origin. In August 2009, a racial discrimination suit filed against the previous owner of Little River Golf Club has been settled out of court. According to the regional attorney for the EEOC's Charlotte District office, Lynette A. Barnes said that "it is an unfortunate...

Nike Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit for 7.6 Million

In July 2007, The Nike Company reached a $7.6 million settlement in a class-action race discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of 400 black employees of the company's Chicago Niketown store.The lawsuit, filed in 2003, claimed managers at the retail store used racial slurs to refer to black workers and customers. They also said the store segregated black employees into lower-paying jobs as stockroom workers and cashiers rather than giving them lucrative sales jobs. - Read St...

Kroger Settles Discrimination Suit for $16 Million

In June 2008, the grocery chain Kroger Co. agreed to pay $16 million to settle a racial discrimination and harassment lawsuit.The suit claimed that Kroger blocks the promotions of black employees and pays them less than white workers. - Read St...

Coca-Cola Settles Racial Bias Case

In the largest settlement ever in a racial discrimination case, the Coca-Cola Company agreed in November 2000 to pay more than $156 million to resolve a federal lawsuit brought by black employees. Read St...

FedEx Settles Racial Discrimination Suit

In April 2007, The package delivery company FedEx said that it had agreed to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit against its express unit, FedEx Express, for $53.5 million. - Read St...

L'Oreal Found Guilty Of Racial Discrimination

L'Oreal, the French cosmetics company was told by France's highest court in June 2009, that they had used a policy that was illegal under the French employment law. The company was found guilty of racial discrimination for considering black, Arab and Asian women unworthy of selling its shampoo. The court was told that the word went out to hire sales people the colors of the French flag which are red, white, and blue. The expression is widely recognized in the French recruitment world as a code for...

Life Expectancy for African Americans in New Orleans Rivals some Third World Countries

A Portrait of LOUISIANA: Louisiana Human Development Report 2009, shows that Louisiana ranks 49th among U.S. states and Washington, D.C. on the American Human Development Index, with wide disparities within the state. This new study examines disparities by parish, race, and gender in Louisiana, and calls for action to address the acute human vulnerability that persists today, four years after Hurricane Katrina.It is hard to understand why in America today, there are cities where there are African...

Teen Births Highest in Southern Bible Belt States

A new study by LiveScience.com states that states in the U.S. that have the most conservative religious beliefs tend to have more teenagers giving birth every year than teenagers living in other states. States With Highest Teen Birth Rates: Mississippi New MexicoTexasArkansasArizona Oklahoma Nevada Tennessee KentuckyGeorgia Most Conservatively Religious States:MississippiAlabamaSouth CarolinaTennesseeLouisianaUtahArkansasNorth CarolinaKentuckyOklah...

Lockheed to Pay 2.5 Million in Racial Discrimination Case

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced on January 2, 2008 that its largest settlement for an individual racial discrimination case for $2.5 million is against Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, MD. - Read St...

U.S. Only Number 37 in Ranking

Here is a rankng by country of the world health systems according to the World Health Organization. The main message from this report is that the health and well-being of people around the world depend critically on the performance of the health systems that serve them. There were several performance indicators used to measure health systems in the 190 member states 1 France 2 Italy3 San Morino4 Andorra5 Malta6 Singapore7 Spain8 Oman9 ...

High Health Insurance Costs

Almost everyone in America knows that health insurance reform is necessary in the country. The costs of health insurance continues to rise annually at rates that are much higher than the rate of inflation. As a matter of fact, according to the Henry Kaiser Family Foundation, 2008 Annual Survey on Employee Health Benefits, health insurance costs have increased more than 100 percent over the last 10 years.American paychecks are not rising anywhere near as quickly, and Americans are struggling to keep...

Trespassing

Everyone wants to feel safe in their communinty. In the name of safety, are brothers ready to give up some of their rights as a resident of a community. Would you believe that there are some brothers who have been arrested and/or received a trespassing ticket as a resident of a particular housing complex.This issue has been raised by retired NYPD detective Carlton Berkley who is currently running for a City Council in District 9. Mr. Berkley is also a co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement...

Gates and the Police

Most of are now aware of the arrest of the African American Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his own home recently. Even the President who calls Gates a friend has spoken publicly about this unfortunate but very common incident for many of us.Why do Latinos and African Americans seem to be the ones in the news because they were arrested when they believe it was not warranted? Professor Gates was basically arrested in his own home for disorderly conduct. Was the actions of the professor...

We Are All Connected

In our world, we are all connected. When we see someone we don't know, but looks like us, we still greet them with a "Nod," a "How ya doin," or a "Wassup." Why is it that this comes so natural for so many of us? One reason is the reality that we are all connected together. Connected together by bonds that far outweigh our differences. Bonds that can be visual, spiritual or emotional. Brothers Connected is the start of a journey that began a long time ago. It is an opportunity for Brothers to share...

Banning Interracial Marriage In 1967

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