Wednesday, September 30, 2009

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. Out of all the fathers that are gainfully employed, how many are trying their hardest to keep their children active in after school activities that add value to their lives. Keeping youngsters busy is one of the best ways to lower the risks of them finding trouble.

Derrion was obviously at the wrong place at the wrong time because all reports to this point say that he was not a target. We cannot say the same for the other teenagers who decided to go after him in such a brutal way.

There are too many children in the America's school system dying every year. Many of the kids involved in the killings are involved in gangs, drugs, and guns. Too many of them are not employed and have given up on school. Unfortunately, following the wrong path and making one bad decision in life after another is normal for them. It would be interesting in knowing exactly how the lives of these kids would be different if their fathers where involved in their life in a loving and nurturing way and the fathers were also gainfully employed.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

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 possibly breaking into the house and ultimately arresting Gates who owns the home.

After the backlash from the media and many Americans for criticizing the police, President Obama decided to have a beer summit at the White House with himself, the arresting officer, and Professor Gates. The President goes further in judging Kanye West and there is no backlash whatsoever from the media or Americans.

Many people want to know if the police are above criticizing or was the situation with Professor Gates being arrested at his own home a grey area which is why so many folks jumped on the President for becoming involved in a local policing issue.

Although Kanye West did not do the right thing the night Taylor Swift won her award, he realized his mistake and publicly stated so. As humans, there is good in realizing an error in judgement and admitting it.

Friday, September 18, 2009

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 reality that some employers are willing to discriminate against one racial or cultural group in favor of another. Employers must remember that people of all races and colors are entitled to equal treatment in the workplace." - Read Story

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 Story

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 Story

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 Story

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 Story

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 white French people born to white French parents.Read Story

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 Americans that have a life expectancy rate that is lower than some third world nations.

The average life span for African-Americans in Louisiana today (72.2 years) is shorter than that of Colombians, Vietnamese and Venezuelans. The average life span of an African-American in New Orleans is 69.3 years, nearly as low as life expectancy in North Korea.

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 Mexico
Texas
Arkansas
Arizona
Oklahoma
Nevada
Tennessee
Kentucky
Georgia

Most Conservatively Religious States:

Mississippi
Alabama
South Carolina
Tennessee
Louisiana
Utah
Arkansas
North Carolina
Kentucky
Oklahoma
 

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