Hot Topic: Apology from Congress

Many gave thoughtful comments on my article about slavery in Maryland. Well now, Congress is debating giving their own apology. Many called this worthless, more time should be spent on educating our youth, eradicating the fact that disproportionate people of color are locked up behind bars, and that asthma causes inner city and homeless students to miss school to the point where NCLB is truly irrelevant.

all these statements, I agree with in theory. but there has to be something in an apology....Otherwise, why do we demand it so much in our daily lives?

Let us know your thoughts. The article is here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-02-27-slavery_N.htm

Hot Topic: Discipline by Spanking may be "Risky Business"

I came across this article today and thought it was interesting. Apparently some studies have found a link between being spanked as a child and "risky" sexual behavior later in life. If this is true, should that influence our decisions to use corporal punishment to discipline our children? Check out the article and let Righteous Minds know what you think.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-27-spanking_N.htm?csp=34

Hot Topic: Zeitgeist Movie

A couple months back my friend sent me the link to the Zeitgeist Movie. It has 3 parts. The following is the 3rd part of the movie and it reveals how the american dollar is worth less and is just a piece of paper, why the american was started, the central bank, the debt and credit system, the chips that will control your freedom, the north american union, why 9/11 was staged, how this technique has been used before many times, the vietnam, world war 1, world war 2, the vietnam war , hitler, nazi, facism, where the world is heading and much more. It's long, but it is definitely an eye opener. I highly suggest you watch this movie out because it will blow your mind:

Zeitgeist - (Men Behind the Curtain) - Part 3

Have We Forgotten the Women of Plums?

I know that this blog tends to be about current political and social issues, but I believe that in order to make progress, sometimes we need inspiration from the past. Recently I was given an assignment in my Literature by Women on the Plantation course that required us to do a book review. Originally, I was going to do a novel but as time progressed, the subject matter was very uninteresting….I frankly did not care about the troubles of plantation mistresses with their “unruly, lazy” slaves. So then I came across a book entitled The Women of Plums which is a compilation of poetry by slave women. The following is the first poem of the book:

To Market, to Market

Arthur Mason’s Shopping List,
November 6, 1804

One Black Angus
One Yew
two Hogs
one Spinning Wheel
one Dresser Mirror
one nigger wench & child
(pay no more than $2,000)
twelve Silver Spoons
four Tea Cups
four saucers
six China Plates
one Pewter Tea-pot

Bill to be paid in full to Tydus Wellington,
Sixth of November, eighteen hundred and four.

I was speechless, my book had fully captivated my attention and although somewhere in my memory I believe I’ve come across this poem before, this time I was at a loss for words. My major forces me to notice the little things about literature such as the fact that the people on the list were lower cased which furthers their identity as property and they were also given a cost listed as “no more than” as if there is no way possible they should be worth more than the listed amount. This poem introduced poem after poem of riveting imagery and reflections of a past that I think we sometimes too soon forget. I congratulate the progress that African Americans have made but it seems like somewhere along the way the “talented tenth” has come to the conclusion that we have in many ways arrived. They dismiss any idea of slavery and feel no need for black unity across class barriers, but let’s not forget that we all came from this….

Happens that I be a slave woman,
maybe that makes me property,
not a human bein’ like all
you who come to buy me.
see if I’m sturdy, can hold ground,
can withstand the elements, bear fruit
when the seed is in me, like the Lord’s land,
sing for my supper when the seasons come,
give death the mortgage on my bones.

Don’t come near me! Stay away!
I’m not buyable yet,
I’m a bit unleavened.

Unleavened….yes, I think I can understand.

Blessings.

HOT TOPIC: Credit or Debit: Are your financial accounts safe???

This article in BBC News discusses an ever emerging problem with the Chip and Pin system. Criminals are becoming better and better at hacking these machines, accessing our pin numbers, and replicating our cards. The article discusses how banks do not like to accept the fact that these machines are being hacked; they suggest that we left our pin numbers out for someone to steal them, deeming us at fault. So, despite its convenience and ever growing popularity, plastic is becoming a major nuance to consumers. Have any of you been victims of credit card or debit card fraud? If so, please share your experience; (i.e. what the bank did about it; were you reimbursed) and for those of us who are lucky enough to not have been victims, Do you view this as an area of concern? Share your thoughts.

BBC News article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/7265437.stm

HOT TOPIC: Excessive Force: Police on Trial for Sean Bell's Death

This is an update to the case of Sean Bell; the groom to be, who was shot by the NYPD after his bachelor party. The facts of the case are disturbing, he was shot at 50 TIMES and killed. For those unfamiliar with the 2006 case this is an eye-opener; for those who are familiar, just a little reminder and update. What do you think? How are we going to combat police brutality in our communities? (R.I.P. Sean Bell)

Lend us your thoughts here at RIGHTEOUS MINDS.

The article is here:

http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/headlines/belltrial225

Rethinking Poverty’s Power over Education

As we move deeper into this election season there undoubtedly will be much debate over America’s dedication to public education. Most of the debate will center upon one-dimensional attacks on President’s Bush’s much maligned educational program, “No Child Left Behind”. While these attacks on Bush’s marginally effective yet misguided educational policy are by no means unwarranted, most of his critics have failed to take into serious consideration poverty’s ever-darkening shadow over the minds and educational experiences of urban America’s youth.

In a recent column by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman entitled, “Poverty is Poison” referred to an American Association for the Advancement of Science study which was one of a few new and intriguing groundbreaking studies that delve deeper into psychological affects of poverty. The study stated that “children growing up in very poor families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones, which impair their neural development. That effect is on top of any damage caused by inadequate nutrition and exposure to environmental toxins”. Martha Farah one of the neuroscientist involved with the AAAS study stated that, “The biggest effects are on language and memory”. Traditional wisdom regarding education has formed an indelible image in our nation’s collective conscious and has compelled us to believe that our nation’s education failures are primarily an institutional dilemma. But progressive research is beginning to demonstrate that it’s our nation’s inability to engage in a sincere and robust debate around the suffocating poverty that has defined the lives of so many in urban America, is what has handicapped our ability to remedy our educational woes. As more and more studies are published it’s becoming apparent that resources and attention need to be reallocated towards creating new and creative ways to rebuild how education “outside the classroom” is perceived in America’s urban centers.

For instance, a study was done by a team of child psychologist in Kansas on language acquisition and was recently profiled in a New York Times Magazine special on education. The team of scientist studied forty-two families with newborn children in Kansas City and for three years they visited each family and recorded each verbal and non-verbal interaction that occurred between the child and the parent or parents. The team of researchers then transcribed the family’s interactions and analyzed each child’s language development over time and each how the parents communicated with their children. The language differences they uncovered were astounding. In terms of vocabulary they uncovered that growth differed sharply by class and that the gap between the social classes became apparent early. The study stated, “by age 3, children whose parents were professionals had vocabularies of about 1,100 words, and children whose parents were on welfare had vocabularies of about 525 words.

The children’s I.Q.’s correlated closely to their vocabularies. The average I.Q. among the professional children was 117, and the welfare children had an average I.Q. of 79.” When the researchers looked deeper they found that this data was inexorably tied to number of words and the quality of the words spoken to the child. In professional homes parents spoke an average of 487 “utterances” to their children every hour contrast that figure with welfare homes, where the children heard 178 utterances per hour. In terms of the quality of the words spoken to the children the NY Times article highlighted the study’s discovery that “by age 3, the average child of a professional heard about 500,000 encouragements and 80,000 discouragements. For the welfare children, the situation was reversed: they heard, on average, about 75,000 encouragements and 200,000 discouragements.”

The data above is overwhelms the mind and without doubt is discouraging to any liberal or conservative who, with all the best intentions at heart, seeks to find honest, true and fiscally responsible solutions to our nation’s education problems. The AAAS study and Kansas University study should be a painful reminder for our nation, that if we want to sincerely address and transform Baltimore City Schools so they can graduate more than 39% of its students in four years, it will take more than just a financial commitment from our nation’s highest levels. For this transformation to be succeed it will take a significant paradigm shift in black and brown urban communities that must begin with strengthening families understanding of how crucial the health of the domestic sphere is to their child’s cognitive development. But if America continues to ignore the acute social and economic ills (i.e. crime, joblessness, fatherless homes, and illicit drug use) that contribute to the factors that rip urban units apart then any community roots work will be for naught. As a nation we can no longer be naïve and pray to political messiahs for institutional “change”; all of us must turn to our families and begin to actualize a new educational revolution that’s founded upon positive and loving communication with our children that will unfold not just in a classroom but right in our living rooms.

~Kevin Lawrence Pitts, M.A.

Hot Topic: What if Obama was 0-For-10?

Everyone knew the race to the White House would not be easy, but coming from a landslide win in Iowa many believed Sen. Barack Obama's momentum would continue into New Hampshire. Pictured left is Michelle Obama comforting her husband at New Hampshire rally after his loss. Following that loss, many began to question whether he could make it to the White House and if Iowa was just an illusion. Now Sen. Obama is leading in delegates, states, and his momentum in building. Currently he is 0-For-10, going into Texas and Ohio battlegrounds. But what if the tables were turned?

Eugene Robinson, op-ed columnist for the Washington Post wrote an interesting article about how the Democratic race would look if Sen. Obama was 0-For-10 instead of Sen. Clinton. Below is the first paragraph from the article:

Humor me while we conduct a little thought experiment. Imagine that Barack Obama had lost 10 contests in a row. Imagine that he now trailed Hillary Clinton substantially in the number of Democratic primaries and caucuses won, in total votes cast, in pledged convention delegates, in the overall delegate count, in fundraising and in the ineffable attribute called mojo. Imagine that Obama was struggling, at this late hour, to come up with the right message. What would the conventional wisdom say?

Check out the rest of the article, If Obama went 0-For-10..., and let Righteous Minds know your thoughts.

About time? A Year long course to Investigate Maryland's role in Slavery

I thought I would never see the day. As some of you may know, last year the state of Maryland wrote a letter that stated that they had "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery. Many people on the flagship campus, University of Maryland, College Park, were disturbed that our president, Dr. C.D. Mote had very little to add to this discussion by way of an apology. Given the fact that UMCP was founded by Charles Calvert, who was a slave owner who donated some of his land to found the university, UMCP's ties are dripping in slavery.

Well Dr. Ira Berlin, Professor in the History Department here in UMCP, has decided to take this topic a couple of steps further. Renowned author of Slaves Without Masters: The Free Negro in the Antebellum South (1975) and Generations of Captivity: A History of Slaves in the United States(2002) has decided to turn this into a year long project for undergraduate students.

You heard me right, starting Fall 2008, 30 students will have the opportunity to take a year long course with Dr. Berlin studying Maryland's role in slavery. Call me a nerd, whatever, but I wish I was one of these 30 students. Come May 2009 perhaps Dr. Mote will have more to say since they will present their research to him.

I am excited and look forward to hearing about this project, and trying to sneak into a class. (Remember ..."Education is a companion which no misfortune can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate, no despotism can enslave.")

So my question for you, would you sign up for this year long class and what would you hope to get from it?

information from this article found in the Washington Post.

The Democratic Dilemma

The race is tight. The jabs are slowly returning. The two greatest benefactors of Affirmative Action are facing off against each other for the democratic nomination. It is an incredible feat. Who would have thought this could be maybe no less than thirty years ago, maybe even twenty. Can you imagine how many times politicians and whites from the reconstruction era have turned over in their graves as they watch from their bed full of flames what is occuring on earth. Whatever might become of the democratic nomination, we should all applaud the fact that a black man and white woman ascended to the top of the party. This truly speaks to how progressive our nation might possibly be becoming and we should embrace the fact that we millions of people have been able to put their beliefs and their hearts into two politicians that look nothing like them, one way or the other. Whoever gets the most votes from these delegates should be extremely grateful of the opportunity presented to them, an opportunity to represent the demo....

Excuse me? Are you telling me even IF someone has the most delegate votes they still may fail to represent the democratic party in the upcoming national elections? How? Superdelegates? Unheard of!!! This is outrageous! I don't even know what superdelegates are!!!! (no, really, even after someone explained it to me I'm still curious as to why they have so much power). I thought this was a democratic nation. That constituents count. That WE matter. So why are you telling me even if my boy Barack O-bamma wins, there is still a possibility that Bill-ary might come out of the Democratic National Convention as the democratic nominee. If you don't know me by now, you'd know that I don't like Bill-ary at all because she implements Rovean tactics into her campaign, her husband did nothing for the majority of African Americans during his tenure (contrary to popular belief), and she is a capitalism/corporate groupie. And if she is chosen to represent the democratic party, the same person whose tactics she has adopted, Karl Rove, is the same person who is going to eat her and her campaign alive. I think she'll do more to hurt the nation than John McCain should he be elected.

I digress. The issue at hand is it's clearly obvious that Obama has momentum in his favor right now (as I write this I do not know the results of Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Washington), and that the longer he campaigns in a state, the more votes he gains. This bodes well with such a long time to go before Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Hillary has fired her campaign manager and is trying to attack Barack for plagiarism when she commits the same fraud. All signs point to the possibility that Barack will win the popular vote and the most delegate votes. What is scary, however, is that even if he does get both, there is a chance that the democracy that we live in will be for naught and that these so called super delegates may alter the outcome of what so many people went out and voted for with a simple endorsement for Hillary. And she has already started lobbying them mercilessly.

The democratic party will fall apart should this happen. Not only will democrats lose their faith in a party they thought would support their vote, but it will also weaken the party once they disassociate themselves and the republican party lays down their assault on the Clinton campaign team. These super delegates should hold no more weight than a regular delegate and should not impact and overturn a vote that so many of their constituents went out of their way to cast. It is time to retire old election techniques so as we throw away the power of the super delegates, we should celebrate true democracy and then work on tweaking the electoral college as soon as the former is completed. With that said, view the candidates positions, go out and vote, and wait for the results. If you're for Barack, go out and vote so there won't even be confusion about who the Democratic party wants to elect. He is the best chance for the Democratic Party to remove the GOP from the Oval Office...

Hot Topic: Becoming a Black Man

This article is about a Black, lesbian woman who recently made the transition to become a Black man. Whatever you may think about homosexuality and transgendered persons, this article gives excellent insight on the different challenges racism presents to women of color versus men of color. Check out the article below:

Becoming a Black Man

FYI: Colorlines is a great publication. Take a look at their other articles.

Hot Topic: Supreme Court dismisses spying...WITHOUT giving an explanation

This BBC news article discusses how the U.S. government has been tapping our phone calls and monitoring our emails ILLEGALLY since 9-11 when communicating internationally. Now the U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed the ACLU's arguments in favor of the government.

Read the article here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7253404.stm

Voice your opinion and leave a comment.

Hot Topic: "Whites not ready for Black President"

Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black.

Check out the MSNBC article below:

Clinton Ally: Some whites 'not ready' for Obama

And let Righteous Minds know your thoughts.

Hot Topic: Health care Plans

When I traveled to South Carolina before their caucus I was able to canvass the community and talk to many people about the issues that are important to them. The number one issue was health care. The number one reason why people do not have health insurance is because it is too expensive.

Here's Senator Clinton's Health care plan: click here

Here's Senator Obama's Health care plan: click here

Here's also an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal that offers a little insight.

Health care is a major issue in the country. Many countries have figured out ways to make health care universal. Senator Clinton wants to mandate universal health care, while Senator Obama wants to first lower costs and then provide universal health care. Issues are important in this election. We have to make ourselves aware of these issues and think critically about what not only sounds well, but will also pass in the legislature and work for the good of the American people. Let the Righteous Minds bloggers know what you think. Sound off.

What would it mean???

“And even though it seems heaven sent,we ain’t ready to see a black President” -Tupac Shakur, “Changes”

The quote above has exemplified the sentiments of America for as long as this country has existed. For 232 years, the American Presidency has belonged to one distinct fraternity. A fraternity that consisted of men whom shared the same skin color, religion (besides Kennedy), and basic genetic make-up. Up until this year’s heavily contested Democratic Primary, there has never been a minority candidate with a serious opportunity to capture the Presidency. What would it mean to have a black President?

A black man as President would mean that America (although still plagued with racism, prejudice, bigotry, etc.) has grown enough as a nation, to accept the fact that minorities are as competent as whites in America. It would mean that if a black man can be the head of the nation, why not the head of a multi-million dollar corporation. If a black man can hold the most powerful Office in the World, then there should be no Office unattainable. The rudimentary notion of Barack Obama winning the Presidency is NOT that he is a black man, rather the principle that Americans were able to IGNORE the fact that he is a black man, and elect him to the Presidency as the BEST representative. It is not the color of his skin that matters, it is the disregard of the color of his skin which becomes so fundamentally important.

Barack Obama as President would mean that we are that much closer to achieving Dr. King’s “Dream” of equality. It would be a step towards removing the invisible ceiling that limits minority advancement in America, and a breaking of the red-tape which binds minority progress. A black President is not just an achievement for African-Americans, it is an achievement for America as a whole. A step towards enlightenment and a display of respect for one’s countrymen regardless of race. It illustrates an attempt by Americans to honor people of ALL backgrounds, by considering them as viable candidates and listening to what these candidates have to say, without prejudging them.

The fact that Barack Obama has been able to achieve as much as he has is utterly remarkable. No one is asking America to choose Obama to breakdown stereotypes and ill contrived beliefs about minorities; that becomes merely a consequence of choosing the best candidate for the job. Listen to the message, then ask yourself; If I were color blind, who would I choose?

Are your political views "private"?

I was listening to the radio on my way to class last week and the radio personalities stuck up a discussion that made my "righteous mind" begin to wonder...

The DJs were discussing the on-going primary elections, and in the midst of outlining issues stated by each candidate in their respective campaigns, stumbled upon the issue of whether it is appropriate to discuss or share one's political affiliations and views. Specifically, one DJ declined to state an opinion with regard to the social issues addressed by the candidates because she said, among other things, that she feels such beliefs are private.

Now, I can see how, as a radio personality, expressing one's political affiliations on-air may be somewhat inappropriate, but too many people feel the same way... and I think that's a problem. Our generation--that is young adults--don't discuss the important political issues enough!

I believe this way of thinking is based on the idea that each individual should have the opportunity to come to their own conclusions about important social issues that prevade politics without being unduely influenced by the opinions of their peers or superiors. And that is a premise that I agree with. But I also believe that we need to discuss important social issues in order to be better informed and make BETTER POLITICAL DECISIONS.


Plus, people usually talk about things that are important to them. I think the lack of dialogue among our generation with regard to social and political issues has rendered such issues unimportant to too many of us. While we have turned out in record numbers to support candidates in the current presidential campaign, this turn out has been the exception instead of the rule. The lack of conversation about affordable health care, the economy, sufficient education and educational facilities, and international relations leaves a large portion of our peers uninformed and oblivious to the fact that OTHER PEOPLE ARE DECIDING OUR FUTURE.

Beliefs about political issues may be personal--and by that, I mean held close to one's heart and reflective of one's life experiences and perspectives--but they shouldn't be private--and by that I mean concealed from others. Of course, there are appropriate (and inappropriate) venues to discuss such beliefs, and maybe such beliefs shouldn't be discussed with EVERYONE you know. But at the same time, if we remain silent, issues that are important for the success of our generation will continue to be over-looked by our peers.

So, with that said, I hope everyone reading this will take some time to figure out what issues are important to them and where they stand with regard to those issues and the current presidential campaign. But I ask that you don't stop there--ask some of your friends what they think? Strike up a dialogue. Generate an opinion, then do something with it. It's no longer ok for us to remain apathetic. And keeping your opinions on these important issues to yourself is only breeding apathy.

Think about it like this--during the next presidency many of us who are in college will graduate and come into the "real world", start families and have SERIOUS income taxes, and need health care (among other important issues). If we start discussing these issues amongst ourselves now, we are more likely to make an informed decision about who to vote for, and thus more likely to have our needs met.

Obama to George W.: Thank You for poor governing!

Usually, when the leader of an organization leaves his post, he writes two letters and a short note for the new incumbent. The short note instructs the new leader to open the first letter when the first major crisis occurs and to open the second letter only in case of a major emergency AFTER opening the first letter.

Eventually, the new leader will inevitably have a crisis and will heed the advice of the note and open the first letter. It will instruct them in some fashion of the following: "Blame everything on me and fix it as best you can." They'll gratefully accept the offer and do as instructed. Should another major crisis occur, the incumbent will open their predecessor's second letter that will likely say: "Start writing two letters."

In January next year, I think it possible that George W. will write only one letter to Obama and it will say "You're Welcome."

Think about this and digest it slowly: If Barack Obama wins the presidency, he will have George W. Bush to thank for it.

For most parties, the Bush administration has left a nasty taste in our mouths. He started his run in a cruel and unforgiving way--he stole an election. Nearly 51 million Americans (and many from the other side) recognized immediately that for this man and those closest to him, winning was everything and morality was out of the window. Fast forward seven years and we all know the history. It's not his politics as much as his smugness that turns us off. We want better from our leaders. We want our presidents to create a culture of acceptance and unity despite our differences. I submit that Obama's success has been born from Bush's failure as a leader. Had he not been who he was, Obama's message would likely be falling on deaf ears.

In many ways, Obama's reflection on the Reagan administration is apropos. Reagan's message was very similar when facing Carter. We've fallen on hard times (stuggling economy and high gas prices--go figure), the security of our nation is at risk (brewing conflicts in the Middle East--go figure), but WE can recover and become a better nation (my friends this, my friends that...). It was a culture of ineptitude that bred the potential for Reagan's success and it's a culture of corruption and non-cooperative politics that has opened the door for Obama.

Obama's argument is largely cultural, but also one of style. When I hear the buzzwords of change and optimism, I'm hearing "Don't vote for me because I want to do it differently than Hillary. Vote for me because I want to do it with grace and a smile." Not just being right, but doing it the right way. That's a major shift in political ideologies and, I hope, one for which Americans of all races, genders, and creeds are finally prepared to accept.

Despite the tragedy that has been the Bush administration and the despair many have felt over the past seven years, I find some solace (and can appreciate the Creator's sense of irony) in knowing that the man whom Kanye West once said did not care about Black people will be replaced by our nation's first president of African descent. I find it further ironic that he will have beaten the "first Black president's" wife to do so...