A new report doesn’t sit well for the World Bank, which claims that it’s goal is to help alleviate poverty. For decades, there have been cries that the bank doesn’t do a very good job of serving black, brown and poor countries. A recent report shows the depth of the racism within the organization and how people of color are not allowed to participate in the functional activities of…
Newark Mayor Cory Booker on Tuesday began his food stamp challenge, living on the groceries he can buy for about $30 a week. That’s the amount that New Jersey residents receive if they qualify for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as the food stamp program is officially known. It comes out to $4.32 a day, Booker said. Booker’s food stamp challenge was born out of a conversation he had…
For some, the politics of race trumps all other forms of politics when it comes to choosing who is going to lead the nation. This rule may apply whether you’re referring to Republicans who can’t stand President Obama for being black or for those who support all of the president’s policies because they feel he is one of them. The possible appointment of Susan Rice as Secretary of State has…
Some of these folks make you shake your head in both awe and disgust. A country music singer by the name of Trace Adkins blew up the Twitter-verse by wearing a confederate flag as his earpiece on national television. The fashion statement was made during the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting, and has led to charges of racism against the singer and the network that gave him a platform. The…
by Dr. Julianne Malveaux When I think of Thanksgiving Day, I think of family, gathered around a table that groans with turkey and dressing, green beans and candied yams, mac and cheese or whipped potatoes, and lots of other goodies. I look forward to seeing folks I haven’t seen in awhile, savor the food and fellowship, bring in the late evening over coffee and pie. Nobody is rushing out to…
Nelson Mandela is 94 years old, but he’s lived enough for all of us. His life has had the ups and downs of a hero, and millions have been helped and inspired by his extraordinary sacrifices. Mandela’s greatness was immortalized this week when his face was put on currency that is now in circulation in South Africa. These are the first South African bank notes to carry the image…
This past Sunday on “Meet the Press,” the presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin said the following, “Latinos, women and young people — that is the new governing coalition.” OUCH. To be sure, there are Black folk in each of those categories. But since President Obama’s victory on Election Day, I have been troubled by the paltry attention paid to the record turnout amongst African Americans to make Mr. Obama only…
The investigation of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. for possible misuse of campaign funds has expanded to include his wife’s conduct, which has become a subject in continuing plea negotiations, according to two people familiar with the case. Federal prosecutors are reviewing evidence suggesting that Sandi Jackson was complicit in the alleged misuse of campaign funds to decorate the couple’s Washington, D.C., home, according to the people familiar with the investigation….
A resignation from Congress and jail time are reportedly part of a tentative plea deal U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) is currently considering. CBS Chicago reported Saturday that veteran criminal defense attorney and former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb is negotiating a deal that tentatively includes the congressman pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds, resigning for health reasons, repaying any campaign contributions that went toward personal expenditures and — almost…
Why was a West Virginia McDonald’s flag flying upside-down at half-mast? The flag appeared this way right after Tuesday’s election. The store owner says it was a simple mistake. However, many people are not buying it. The day after the election, drivers on route two in Follansbee were surprised to see what was flying outside of the McDonald’s in town. The U.S. flag flying at half staff and upside down;…
At the Franklin School in Philadelphia, a mural of President Obama caused quite the fevered outrage among conservatives. One person tweeted, “Unreal: Obama mural inside polling place in Philly. No wonder they are kicking out GOP officials.” In response to the uproar, a judge ordered the polling place to cover the image of Obama, which was expected. It makes perfect sense that this mural should be covered. What doesn’t make…
You would think people would learn. Gun sales spiked in the run up to the 2008 election because many local yokels felt that President Obama would take away their guns. He didn’t. But faced with the prospect of Obama getting reelected, or if defeated, passing anti-gun legislation during a lame duck session, second amendment fanatics are headed back to the gun store. These largely unfounded fears have led many gun…
As the 2012 presidential election closes in, we can all see that the race is close. President Obama has maintained his coalition from 2008, but it’s questionable that he has a broad enough appeal to get back into the White House. The economy has been the leading point of contention, and the primary reason that some voters have chosen not to support the president this time around. “He has…
The conservative yearning for the days of the Confederacy has no end. Speaking on a conference call for the ’40 Days to Save America” plan, Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert decided to inject slavery into the conversation: We strayed away at different times, Andrew Jackson’s time was not a great time, at different times slavery was a blot on our existence, but the trouble is we have never as an entire…
Rep. Jon Hubbard of Jonesboro, Arkansas has gotten some national attention for recent remarks that he made about slaver in his new book. The book, “Letters to the Editor: Confessions of a Frustrated Conservative,” lays out some of Hubbard’s thoughts about America, race and all the other things that guys like him get frustrated about. One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Hubbard basically said that slavery was…