Teenagers: Doing it and doing it well?

Teenagers are doing it alright, but they are not doing it well.

I read some startling statistics today. According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 4 girls between the ages of 14-19 have an STD and 48% of African American girls between the ages of 14-19 have an STD. What does that say about sex in our society?

In an age where sex education is just as accessible as the oversexualized images on television, one would think that given the information many teens would at least be educated enough to make smart decisions about having sex. Clearly, that is not the case.

In an era where parents are urged to talk to their children about sex, how many parents are actually doing this? Parents and educators can no longer think of sex as a taboo subject, because the youth are suffering. Sex sells and is everywhere from magazine shelves to hidden jokes in family sitcoms to the blatantly sexy lyrics in music. Have people given up on talking to their kids? Do parents think "Oh, they're going to do it anyway?" Someone let me know, because those statistics are serious.

Teenagers are being infected with herpes and will have to live with that disease for the rest of their lives, and some do not even know what herpes is, and other STDs for that matter. One Philadelphia Inquirer columnist stated in his column, The sexually uneducated, recalled a conversation he had with a member of the track team he coaches:

"As a track coach and mentor to young men in the same age category as the CDC study, I have seen many misinformed, yet very sexually active teenagers. One young man, who had at least four years of sex under his belt, argued me tooth and nail that herpes was not a permanent condition. He was adamant that there was a pill that could be taken to make it go away for good. I assured him on the spot that he was mistaken and that we could never share a Gatorade."

Teenagers are out there having sex with little knowledge of the serious consequences that they may have to live with. And with no one out there combating the vivid sexual images and culture of society, the statistics will continue to increase. For some reason, everyone thinks they're immune to catching diseases. The superman or superwoman mentality is having serious consequences.

When I was in middle school, I knew of my classmates engaging in oral sex, fondling, and everything else. Yet, these actions were not seen as socially acceptable, nor the norm for middle-school aged children. Today it seems as all the rules are out the window--even elementary kids are experimenting, while parents and adults remain hesitant to tackle these issues head-on.

Lastly, a sexual education that covers STD awareness and contraception measures is not going to cut it. As a country we need to begin to change the conversation we have about sex to inform those coming behind us on the purpose and meaning of sexual intercourse. I'm not saying that we have to go tell every teenager in America that they need to stop having sex--that's not realistic. What I am saying is that they should be well-informed about what sex is, both physically and emotionally, in order to make an informed decision to engage in the act.

Help Katrina Victims!

So I'm heading to New Orleans in a a couple months to fight educational inequity as a Teach For America Corp member. Since my acceptance and placement, I've been trying to educate myself on the post-Katrina situation there. I'm subscribed to ColorofChange.org's listserv and receive updates. Recently, I went to their site and noticed their campaign advocating for the victims of Katrina. Yes, two years after the tragedy, America still has not done all it can to help those displaced by the storm. Check out this video:



Go to ColorofChange.org and join the fight in telling your Senator to vote for S. 1668 to help Katrina survivors come back home. S. 1668 is the Housing Recovery Act of 2007 that would assist survivors by opening and repairing thousands public housing units. Join the fight against gentrification that is replacing those who once lived in New Orleans with the wealthy elite.

Hot Topic: Obama's Pastor Jeremiah Wright

I've been searching for unique takes on this debate. And I found two columns that I found to be quite interesting. The first is from a columnist for The American Spectator, a conservative journal. The following is an excerpt:

"Ever since Barack Obama delivered his much praised but inadequate race speech on Tuesday, the editorialists have been telling us how much we need a national dialogue on the subject.

Right. It's high time. So here's my contribution:

Rev. Jeremiah Wright's remarks about America were the worst things said about my adopted country since I came here from England in 1962. Louis Farrakhan and Malcolm X are not in the same league as this champion of race hatred from Chicago. Imagine if Senator John McCain had for years been a member of a church where a white pastor said that blacks should go back to Africa where they came from. And McCain were to respond: Well, I disagree with his remarks and I reject what he said but I won't disassociate myself from him, because he has been so important to my life. McCain would be out of the race in the blink of an eye. Yet Obama has not felt the need to distance himself from Pastor Wright.

The New York Times has praised Obama's speech as a "profile in courage." That is baloney -- reflecting the gross double standard that has prevailed for decades on the subject of race. The underlying problem is that the liberals who still control so much of the debate quietly agree with much of what Wright said."

He goes on to say several paragraphs down:

"Anti-white discrimination has been legal in this country for 30 years now, even though it is politically unpopular and goes down to defeat when voters are given a voice in the matter.

THE TRUTH IS THAT the African-American establishment benefits from the current system of affirmative action and racial preferences. They feel ennobled by their victim status. White liberals like this arrangement, too, because the cultivation of victimhood and the arousal of guilt feelings is their stock in trade -- practically their raison d'etre. The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof sought to excuse Pastor Wright's mendacious claims that the U.S. government engineered HIV as a death-dealing weapon against blacks. Maybe 30 percent of blacks believe that, Kristof wrote, in extenuation. Perhaps it's time to expose the lies that black leaders spread within their own communities, and not excuse them."

Click here to read the rest of Tom Bethel's, Senior Editor of The American Spectator, op-ed piece entitled, "Obama and His Minister".

In response to his piece, Vince McKnight responds. He offers great insight into what many people leave out in this debate: the history of racial discrimination against blacks in this country and its effect on our lives today. The following is an excerpt from his response:

"I read your article about the Obama-Wright flap, and there is an element to this story that you are missing. Indeed, much of the press is missing this point.

You minimize and trivialize the pernicious, virulent, and lasting effects of state sponsored racism in the United States. I will be the first to admit that the United States of America has made spectacular progress in becoming a more open and just society. However, many white journalists look at the world as it exists today in a vacuum, as if the past has been eradicated by the passage of landmark legislation and Supreme Court cases.

I am a 54 year old African American, Ivy League educated attorney. In my lifetime, I have personally experienced acts that you can't imagine. Moreover, I dare say, that if you took the time to speak to any African American over the age of 45 -- anybody -- and ask them to candidly tell you their experiences with racism in this country, you would understand that this is not a figment of their imaginations, that it had real and lasting impacts, and that no law can fix or undo the harm that has been done."

Click here to read the rest of his response (you will have to scroll down the page to find it, but it's worth it). Then I pose to you, did you agree or disagree with Pastor Wright's remarks? Also, what is your opinion on how the media has framed this debate? Since black voices are not the ones heard in mainstream media because we do not have control over CNN or MSNBC, we do not have shows like Glenn Beck or other political pundits, how do you feel about the silence of black voices in the media? And anything else you have to say about this, just speak your mind.

Hillary: The Movie

Check out this video called Hillary: The Movie.

Hot Topic: Something in the water

So I guess when we're joking with our friends about the children today and we blame it on the water, we're actually telling the truth. If you haven't heard the Associated Press is reporting that there are drugs in our drinking water.

Here's an excerpt from their article, AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water:

"A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health."

Click here to read the rest. Am I the only one wondering when American's will begin to hold our government accountable? Speak your minds.

One Nation Behind Bars

One Nation Behind Bars
By Kevin Lawrence Pitts

“There are two things which will always be very difficult for a democratic nation: to start a war and to end it.” ~Alexis de Tocqueville

Americans often times fail to recognize or even realize the signs of fissures and fractures in the American democracy. A recent example of a small fissure in American democratic ideals was the publishing of a study on recent imprisonment data conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Center which stated that “more than one in 100 adults in the United States is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year and the federal government $5 billion more, according to a report released yesterday.” With an estimated 2.3 men and women in prison/jail America leads the entire world in the overall percentage of citizens that it incarcerates.

At this junction, the facts are very clear, we have mired ourselves in a “War on Drugs”, which was declared in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, that has responsible, in large part, for imprisoning millions and filling our prisons and jails with the bodies of racial minorities. For instance, in the mid-1990s, 7% of African-American males were incarcerated, and the rate of imprisonment for African-American males between the ages of 25 and 29 now stands at one in eight. What makes these statistics even more perplexing is that the vast majority of these African-American males can be classified of “non-violent” offenders. As author Daniel Lazare highlighted in his Nation article entitled, “Stars & Bars”, “In 2002 just 19 percent of the felony sentences handed down at the state level were for violent offenses, and of those only about 5 percent were for murder. Nonviolent drug offenses involving trafficking or possession…accounted for 31 percent of the total, while purely economic crimes such as burglary and fraud made up an additional 32 percent.”

The health of our democracy depends upon our ability to take heed of the rights and dignity of all citizens, even those who have violated our nation’s laws and in this regard we have failed. In what began as reasonable efforts in the past decades to curb the rise of drugs and violence in urban centers across America, has devolved into a war on the lower income communities. This “war” has ripped apart homes, destabilized neighborhoods and has created an even more cyclical and vicious deterioration of entire cities of black and brown citizens.

And the tax payer continues to pay for America’s unhealthy and unwarranted obsession with being “tough on crime”. A New York Times article on the Pew Report highlighted that, “In 2007, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers, states spent $44 billion in tax dollars on corrections. That is up from $10.6 billion in 1987, a 127 percent increase when adjusted for inflation. With money from bonds and the federal government included, total state spending on corrections last year was $49 billion. By 2011, the Pew report said, states are on track to spend an additional $25 billion.”

The financial burden of the prison industrial complex continues to grow and as a nation we must not only ask what will be the final financial cost but what will be the final moral cost for imprisoning so many. Many of whom, upon release will be locked out of the legitimate job market and often more hardened criminals than when they entered the system.

There has been no real significant decrease in violent crime that can be directly tied to our nation’s lust for John Wayne style “eye for an eye” justice yet the imprisonment rates continue to climb. There needs to be a shift in policy and public sentiment that balances the need to punish and detain those offenders who rip apart the community with gun violence, intimidation, and poisonous drugs with the need to reinvest in these offenders through illegitimate and purposeful rehabilitation behind bars. We were brave enough to start the “war on drugs” and start this title wave of imprisonment, let’s be brave enough to re-conceptualize where the war has gone wrong and have the heart to admit that our democracy can no longer stand for such gross injustice.

Hot Topic: America- An Apathetic Nation

My friends and I often ponder just when Americans will begin to stand up and fight for our rights and civil liberties. Maybe this video by puppetgov.com will show you what has happened over the past seven years that illustrates what happens when we don't. Check it out and then speak your mind.




Maybe these lies will make you mad. Check out this video entitled, "How to Create an Angry American," also by the people at puppetgov.com

Hot Topic: Typecasting

I received a Facebook message as a part of the BGLO Scholar group from Gregory Sparks, a scholar in Black Greek-lettered organizations, about the controversy surrounding the Lebron James cover of Vogue and was compelled to send you all the story. Check out the images below:


Here's an excerpt from the blog:

"Tom Withers of the Huffington Post describes LeBron James on the cover of the April cover of Vogue thusly:

LeBron James is striking a pose.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar will appear on the April cover of Vogue, joining actors Richard Gere and George Clooney as the only men to do so in the influential fashion magazine’s 116-year history.

Wearing a tank top, shorts and sneakers from his own Nike clothing line, James appears on the cover dribbling a basketball and screaming as if in game mode while throwing one arm around supermodel Gisele Bundchen with Tom Brady nowhere to be found.

LeBron James is striking a pose, all right.

What Withers does not say is that neither Gere nor Clooney struck a pose remotely close to that of James’. What Withers does not say - nor does anyone else as of yet - is that Tom Brady would never have been asked to pose with his girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen, in full New England Patriots gear.

And Tom Brady never, ever would have allowed himself to be cast as a human ——-

King Kong.

Some people who see the Vogue cover and see the inescapable similarities between King Kong and King James will blame Vogue and/or photographer Annie Leibovitz for the ape-like visage of James, mouth agape, all 6′9″, 260 pounds of his blackness charging out of the cover with Bundchen swept up in his arm and her in her best German-Euro version of Ann Darrow."

Click here to read the rest of Dwil's post, "Lebron James and the Vogue Cover: More 'King Kong' than 'King James'" and also check out this amazon review of the book Typecasting and then speak your mind.

Hot Topic: No Child Left Behind

Under No Child Left Behind, schools that receive a failing grade are penalized in an effort to force schools to increase student proficiency in the subjects of math and reading. However, in many instances, the schools that are penalized are low-income and under-resourced schools who need the federal funds. A recent New York Times article reveals that the government is easing the penalties of failing schools under the law. The following is an excerpt:

"The Bush administration, acknowledging that the federal No Child Left Behind law is diagnosing too many public schools as failing, said Tuesday that it would relax the law’s provisions for some states, allowing them to distinguish schools with a few problems from those that need major surgery."

However, is this really solving one of the complexities in our nation's schools system? Click here to read the rest of the article, "U.S. Eases 'No Child' Law As Applied to Some States", and then speak your mind.

Obama's speech about much more than race

To say I was moved would the the understatement of my lifetime. This speech was by far the most honest and relevant testimonial on the state of race relations I've had the opportunity to witness. This is by far the most important speech delivered on this country's soil in more than forty years. Rest assured, win or lose, your children will watch, read, and relive this moment. This speech will be memorized and recited in classrooms along side the Declaration of Independence, King's "I Have a Dream", Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman", Act 3--Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, Old Major's address to his fellow farm animals in Orwell's masterpiece, and any other major speech that has embeded itself in the American psyche. But enough of my brown-nosing...what are your thoughts?

Thank you for Someone with some common sense

Hello Righteous Minds fans,

Please watch the video clip below in its entirety. The fam here at Righteous Minds always wants our readerbase to be well informed. The following depicts the horrendous freefall in ethics that the Hillary Clinton campaign has taken. Please read the post below this for a recap of that!



Once you finish watching this let Righteous Minds know your thoughts!

Hillary Clinton's Campaign Strategy: Divide and Conquer

The latest divisive techniques of Hillary Clinton's campaign are at it again. Check out Geraldine Ferraro's response as to why she believes that the only reason why Barack Obama is where he is today is because he is Black.

The latest scandal is one of Hillary's top fundraisers stating "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." In an earlier interview when asked, "Why Obama was the front-runner?" She responded by stating "...because he is black."

First of all, I am sick and tired of Clinton's campaign trying to diminish Obama's credentials. Coming from a working class family, Obama has fought his way to the top. Becoming the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review. That in itself if a testament to the type of person he is. He also was a community organizer, a professor at the U of Chicago, served on the Illinois legislature for seven years, and finally won a seat in the Senate. So do not try to trick me into thinking that he is not ready.

Check out these presidential stats:
Theodore Roosevelt : New York’s governor for two years and William McKinley’s Vice President for a few months before becoming president
Woodrow Wilson: New Jersey’s governor for two years before being elected president.
Franklin D. Roosevelt: The only president to serve for four terms was New York’s governor for four years.

None of them served in the Senate. The experience issue is a non-issue. It is just another tactic from the Clinton campaign book to dupe gullible Americans into not voting for someone who is not only qualified, but has the character and integrity to propel this country to the next level.

Statistically speaking, he is not supposed to be where he is now. Coming from a small-town in Kansas, he fought his way to the top. How dare anyone question whether or not he has the drive or qualifications to be where he is? He has worked hard to fulfill his American Dream. He is no different than any other college student from a low-income family who beats the odds and makes it out on top.

Additionally, is this how far we have come? Is this what the presidential nomination race has turned into? Do candidates have to spread lies, create controversy, and tear apart the very nation they are supposedly trying to bring together? I've followed the race faithfully and I can honestly say that Hillary Clinton's campaign is divisive.

First we had one of her supporter's stating his full name in a speech in South Carolina to associate him with Saddam Hussein and spark fear among gullible Americans. Another questioned whether Obama was a drug dealer because of his honest admittance of drug use while in High School in his own biography. Then we had pictures of him in an African country wearing the garb of that country and people begin to question his faith. Now we have one of her top fundraisers stating that he would not be where he was if he was not Black. How can someone who says she wants to change this country, allow such politics to consume her entire campaign? It's appalling and hypocritical.

I've concluded that Hillary's campaign strategy is to divide and conquer. She does not want to unite Blacks and Latinos; she wants to pit them against each other. She does not want to unite the rich and poor; she wants pit them against each other. She does not want to unite Republicans and Democrats; she wants to pit them against each other. She does not want to unite Blacks and Whites; she wants to pit them against each other.

Hillary Clinton knows that the only way she can win is through divisive means. She wants Blacks to vote for Obama and Latinos to vote for her. She wants the wealthy to vote for Obama and the working class to vote for her. She wants Blacks to vote for Obama and Whites to vote for her. She feeds off of the drama and divisiveness that plagues our country. She feeds off of the drama, the fear-mongering, and controversy because she knows that is how she will win.

She wants the media to focus on the amount of Blacks voting for Obama instead of the amount of Whites voting for her and who will refuse to vote for Obama because he is Black. Blacks are not voting for Hillary based off her race or gender, they are not voting for her because they believe in the policies of Obama and what his campaign stands for.

I could go on, but I really want you all to comment on this. I just had to vent a little (well maybe a lot).

What can we do to combat the senseless acts of violence taking place in our communities?

Eve Carson, 1985–2008
Carolina loses a special person

I don't know how wide-spread this news is, but its a big deal here in North Carolina. Last week the student body president of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, was murdered. When I first heard the story was thinking, wow I wonder who would want to hurt someone like that. This young woman was pre-med and a humanitarian. Then I found out that the police are calling it a "random act of violence".

That really hit a chord with me. It scared me and made me realize how important it is to cherish the people around you. It further made me question what type of society we are living in when a person can randomly murder another person and leave the body lying in an intersection. I won't subject you all to all of the details of the crime, but if you are interested, I am including a link to a CNN news story.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/03/10/unc.killing/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

So now, I am posing this question to you all: what steps do you think should be taken to help prevent such random and/or senseless acts of violence from continuing to happen in our communities? Do we need tighter gun control? Harsher sentencing for criminal offenders? Better education? Any combination of these things--or something totally different? Or is there nothing that can be done?

Post your thoughts by clicking the link below.

Also, please pray for the UNC community as well as all of the people who knew and loved this young woman, Eve Carson.

Hot Topic: Obama, Working Class Whites, and Racial Sensitivity

Today in the Washington Post, there is an interesting article about working class whites and their role in the presidential election. Here's a snippet:

Ronald Walters, a University of Maryland political scientist who tracks racial trends and is writing a book on Obama, thinks Obama's strong support from blacks made it easier for some whites in Ohio and Texas to vote for Clinton.

"There's some of that," Walters said in an interview. He pointed to exit polls from Ohio, where 62 percent of all whites lack college degrees and many are anxious about their jobs in a weak economy.

"This is a racially sensitive group," he said, referring specifically to whites who earn less than $50,000 a year and did not attend college.

"They are the quintessential Reagan Democrats," he said. "They feel they've been left" and their resentment can have social and racial overtones.

Ohio exit polls support Walters' view. Eighteen percent of white Ohio voters said race was an important factor in their decision, and of that group, three in four voted for Clinton

Check out the rest of the article, here.

No matter which way you slice it, race is playing a role in the election. Many are quick to shed light on Blacks who are voting for Obama, but on the same token there are many whites who will not vote for Obama based off of his skin color. Righteous Minds readers, let us know what you think about this.

Hot Topic: Collapse of Teen Job Market & Its Effect on Minorities & Low-Income Youth

A recent report by the Center for Labor Market Studies at NortheasternUniversity sheds light on the shrinking job market for teenagers. In the report it states that "the teen employment rate last year was only 34.8%, the lowest annual average employment rate for teens ever recorded since the end of World War II." The following is an excerpt:

"The success of teens in finding any type of job last year, however, differed considerably across schooling, race-ethnic and household income group. Those teens from low income families (incomes under $20,000) who were Black or Hispanic fared the worse in the U.S. labor markets. For example, only 19% of low income Black teens worked during 2007 versus nearly one-half of their more affluent White counterparts living in families with incomes above $60,000."

Check out the rest of the article here.

Besides fast food jobs, and those at grocery stores, where else can teens look for jobs? Think about it, if the jobs aren't there teens, especially those in low-income communities, will create their own jobs (ie. the drug market) to survive amongst the shortage. What are your thoughts on how this shrinking job market is effecting teenagers especially minorities and those from low-income communities?

Hot Topic: The Wire

Recently, Time, published an article written by the writers of HBO's hit television show The Wire. Entitled, The Wire's War on Drugs, the article discusses how the writers view the governments "War on Drugs" as a failure and they charge us to end it. The following is an excerpt:

"We write a television show. Measured against more thoughtful and meaningful occupations, this is not the best seat from which to argue public policy or social justice. Still, those viewers who followed The Wire — our HBO drama that tried to portray all sides of inner-city collapse, including the drug war, with as much detail and as little judgment as we could muster — tell us they’ve invested in the fates of our characters. They worry or grieve for Bubbles, Bodie or Wallace, certain that these characters are fictional yet knowing they are rooted in the reality of the other America, the one rarely acknowledged by anything so overt as a TV drama.

These viewers, admittedly a small shard of the TV universe, deluge us with one question: What can we do? If there are two Americas — separate and unequal — and if the drug war has helped produce a psychic chasm between them, how can well-meaning, well-intentioned people begin to bridge those worlds?

And for five seasons, we answered lamely, offering arguments about economic priorities or drug policy, debating theoreticals within our tangled little drama. We were storytellers, not advocates; we ducked the question as best we could."

Click here to read the rest of the article.

As The Wire comes to a close, what will viewers take from this real-life drama. Will people view it as entertainment or as a look into the lives of inner city youths? And if they do choose the latter, will people be moved to change anything?

Hot Topic: The Black Market

Video Vixen Dreams and Young Black Girls

After seeing the short movie above, I was inspired to write my blog on the topic of video vixens. These plastic surgery women with carved figure eight physiques, grey or hazel contact colored eyes, are scantily clad in the latest Apple Bottom jeans and boots with the fur. They dis"grace" the covers King and Black Male magazine. Today, women are willing to sell their souls and self-respect for fifteen minutes of fame. Take Flavor of Love for example. The show, in its third season, brings together these women who everyone already knows are not looking for love, but will slander, verbally abuse, and embarrass themselves on national television with the hopes of getting their own spin-off of I Love New York. With all of this emphasis on physical beauty and one's ability to publicly display her sexual prowess, I have to think about how these images are effecting the dreams and aspirations of young black women.

Media depictions of Black women are negatively effecting the psychological minds of young Black girls. Black school girls are growing up with dreams and aspirations of being the next video vixen on the 106 and Park Top 10 countdown instead of inspiring to be pioneers like Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Shirley Chisholm. Instead of using their God-given intellect, they are focusing on their God-given physical assets. At school dances, young girls are emulating the bumping and grinding and eye candy demeanor of video vixens. What is happening is the entertainment world and reality are mixing to create a cloudy vision of morality. Young girls are not being taught what is acceptable behavior in society. Instead they are watching these videos and degrading shows daily. As a result, the mental images are being ingrained into their psyches and displayed in their every day lives.

Insecurities permeate the minds of these young Black women. The stress of trying to fit a white standard of beauty too often breaks their self-confidence. This emphasis on physical beauty and sexual exploration does not empower women, but constantly breaks them down leaving more room for a competitive nature to flourish. These young girls are comparing themselves to the likes of Angel Lola Love and Melissa Ford -all of whom have had plastic surgery-instead of embracing their inner and outer beauty. They should be aspiring to continue the legacy of Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Maya Angelou, and other Black female powerhouses of the past and present. Yet while the media pushes video vixens to the forefront, simultaneously the legacies of Black women are pushed to the wayside. And Sara Barton's story is forgotten.

It frightens me to listen to young girls when they say they aspire to be video girls. What ever happened to aspirations to be doctors, lawyers, and teachers? In school, the video girls strutting the hallways are crowned the queens of the scene while those focusing on attending college are teased and mocked for their educational success. In school women are fighting each other now more than ever. Even more Black women are being incarcerated within the juvenile justice system. Additionally, abortion has become the number one killer of African Americans. An old saying goes, "Behind every Black man is a strong, Black woman." However, too many of our Black men are in jail and becoming victims of the system. What does that say about the video vixen ideology that has consumed many Black women?

Even if one observes the interactions of young Black girls and guys in elementary, middle, and high school, one can see the effect the music videos, songs lyrics, and media portrayals of African Americans are controlling their lifestyles. How artists interact with video girls in the videos is displayed at school parties, walking down the hallways, and in classrooms. The oversexualization of Black women in the media is having a negative effect on how guys approach girls and what they deem as appropriate means to get a ladies attention. I even notice this when I am out and a guy reacts negatively and proceeds to call me a "Bitch" or some other degradation because I refuse to give him the time of day when he approaches me like I'm a piece of meat.

Too often Black America discusses the problems facing Black males, but the struggles of both males and females are connected. If we do not begin to teach our youth about their history, the story of Sara Barton and others who paved the way so that we would not have to take our clothes off will be forgotten. Black women are the creators of Black families. The future depends on our enduring strength and resiliency.

Hot Topic: In Election 2008, Don't forget Angry White Men

Let Righteous Minds know your thoughts on this very provocative article

Someone, please, give a person with White Guilt a hug!!!

White people, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I simply do not have all the answers about Black culture, nor can I answer every question you have ever had about what’s it is like to be Black. However, if you still feed the need to pepper me with questions, let me tell you what I am not:

I am not a gangster…

I am not a thug. I am not even that mean. I am really just a big teddy bear.

I do not own a gun. I have never owned a gun. I have no idea how to use one. It looks heavy and complicated, so no thank you. However, I can play the hell out of the violin.

I do not have children, nor do I expect any in the near future. Honestly, I cannot afford them and I have no desire to pay child support. I do not have “jump-offs” whom I call only when I need physical satisfaction. I just do not lie that well and cannot really bring myself to tell that harsh a truth. I have never been a pimp or a player. It just seems like way too much work. No, I am not lazy, but I would rather put my effort into endeavors to will generate more than an orgasm.

I did not drop out of school. I do not know many people who did. I cannot relate to what it is like being uneducated in a digital world. I am not functionally illiterate. I did not have 80 students in a classroom. My high school did not have regular shootings and I did not walk through metal detectors to get to class. In fact, my schools were filled with people just like you and who ask the very same questions.

No, I am not a first generation college student.

Yes, I know my father.

No, my mother is not a crackhead and, while they had a hand in my upbringing, my grandparents did not raise me in lieu of my parents.

I have never sold drugs. I do not know how to “cook” crack. I cannot tell the difference between heroine and cocaine and I do not honestly understand the compositional difference between the two.

I have never been to prison. I do not live with my mother. I am not paid by the hour. I do not have a hustle nor have I sold anything on public transportation, though I respect anyone who can make a living doing so.

I am not the bullshit you see on TV so I cannot answer your bullshit questions.

I speak for many Blacks and Browns from Shanghai to Guadalajara who are sick and tired of being the sounding board and bearer of the burden of white guilt. So while I’m at it, let me tell you what I already know.

I am sure you are a fine person who does not have a racist bone in your body.

I am sure the one time you said the “N” word you were not aware of the meaning and how it offends Black people and that you have never said it again.

I know you are really curious about why rappers talk so negatively about women and how they use the “N” word with such ease. In all honesty, so am I.

Yes, I know seeing Roots for the first time really moved you emotionally and that you never knew slavery was that bad. I am sure you were shocked to find out that your family owned slaves. I know you denounce (and reject) the practice and, if it were you, would never have participated in the practice.

I am sure the checks you write monthly to the African orphans do a world of good.

I know the visit you made to the First Baptist Pentecostal Revolutionary Congregation this side of the Mississippi Church of God in Christ was both enjoyable and confusing. Sure, the music was great, but the dancing, running, and passing out would have almost anyone befuddled.

I know you thought welfare was easy money until you realized just how expensive it is to be poor.

And so on…

We get it White people. Overall, you are good people who simply do not realize just how bad things are. We only ask that you pass the burden of your guilt from us and act normally when you see us. Do not give us high-fives in the boardroom. More often than not, we will respond to our first names, last names or some combination thereof. You can resist using informal, urban greetings to us in an effort to be friendly.

If you really, truly desire to learn about different cultures, take a trip to experience them. Think of it in the same manner as your trip to see the Taj Mahal or your summer vacation in Egypt—it is a learning experience. Head down to your local community center, work with some kids and, while helping through whatever endeavor they have embarked upon in your presence, ask them a few questions to gain some insight.

Volunteer at a homeless shelter.

Ask your coke dealer why he sells drugs for a living.

Take a class.

Read a book.

But do not assume that because you get a response to your curiosity from a person of color who was pinned (and may have felt obligated) to answer your question that you have some additional insight. You simply have an opinion and opinions are like…well you know the rest.