It seems like we can’t escape one day without another act of racism grabbing the headlines. If you have young children, it may be difficult to explain the systemic suffering our people have endured and how proud we should be to have arrived at this point in history. I mean, we do have a black family in the White House. But it wasn’t an easy road to this point. It was the … [Read more...]
Univ. of Missouri Black Football Players Fight Racism by Refusing to Play
Graduate students called for a walkout on Monday as protests demanding the University of Missouri president's ouster over racial insensitivity gained steam. Black student groups all semester have criticized President Tim Wolfe's handling of racism on campus. A black graduate student went on hunger strike last week to draw awareness to the issue and black football players … [Read more...]
{Open Letter} 6 Things I Want my Little Brown Children to Know
My heart has been heavy over the state of our little brown children lately. I've started and stopped writing about this McKinney incident several times for different reasons. What can I say that hasn't been said? How can I explain this to my babies? What if this happened to my babies (I probably wouldn't be writing this right now if it was)? How can I protect them? While I … [Read more...]
Customer Gets Catfish with a Side of Racism
By Latoya Cross Liryca Branch, a 33-year-old Black woman, was eating lunch with three coworkers, also Black at Huck Finn’s Café in New Orleans. Nothing out of the norm, there, right? Only an issue ensued when Branch received the bill and saw the word ‘N—–‘ splattered in capital letters across her check in between her food items. Head bow. The level of blatant … [Read more...]
[Video] YWCA Launches Nationwide ‘Stand Against Racism’
By Latoya Cross It seems that everyday, in some way, we are fighting to end racism, social and political injustice. It’s a continuous struggle and a topic that has sparked wide attention and more aggressive approaches as the lives of Black men are under attack and prejudices fuel the motives of many in society. Opening the conversation even more, is the YWCA USA and … [Read more...]
Today Michael Brown is Laid to Rest
It's been over two weeks since unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot six times and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO. Today, the young man will finally be laid to rest. Mike Brown's funeral services will take place this morning just before 11am at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Al Sharpton will speak at the service and some in attendance will … [Read more...]
NBA Bans Donald Sterling for Life: So Now What?
Unless you live in a bubble there is no way you haven't heard of the scandal around Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling. Unfortunately, It seems like we always need a scandal to spark honest nationwide discussions about racism in America. Yesterday, NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, announced that Sterling would be banned from the NBA for life -- an unprecedented … [Read more...]
Racism or Not: “Jungle Fever” Left on Parking Ticket
After enjoying a night out at a local restaurant, an interracial Georgia couple was disgusted and stunned when they discovered a racially motivated note on their valet ticket. Candea and Sam Aarons were enjoying a date night at Spondivits restaurant in East Point, Georgia, and after departing they discovered that someone wrote “jungle fever” on the valet ticket, which was … [Read more...]
What Happens When a White Girlfriend Enters a Black Barbershop?
What’s grown to be a very popular show for creating uncomfortable and controversial situations, ABC’s What Would You Do?, hosted by John Quinones, recently aired an episode that has sparked a lot of conversation about racism in America and the controversy behind claims of “reverse discrimination.” The episode featured “Rachel,” a Black hairstylist working in a Harlem … [Read more...]
Money Monday: The Exploding Racial Wealth Gap. Is it a Case of “The Man” Trying to Keep us Down?
According to a recent report released by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP), when it comes to building wealth, black folk are falling way behind. In 1984 the wealth gap between African-American families and white families stood at $85,000. Twenty-five years later that wealth gap ballooned to $236,5000. In 2009 the average white family possessed nearly a quarter … [Read more...]
Money Monday: You Won’t Believe How This Prominent Business Magazine Portrays Minorities
A barefoot, bug-eyed, black man greedily clenches wads of cash --- It's not exactly the image you'd expect to grace the cover of one of the nation's most prominent business magazines, but that's exactly the type of grotesque caricature Bloomberg's Businessweek portrayed on its February 25th cover for a story about the rebounding US housing market. It portrays four minorities … [Read more...]
Nurse Barred From Treating Infant Due to Skin Color
Imagine being so rooted in your prejudices that you would not allow a medical provider of a certain ethnicity to treat your child. Apparently, this occurs more often that one might think. Recently, a lawsuit was filed against a Michigan hospital after, Tonya Battle, a nurse was barred from taking care of an infant patient because of her skin color. In the complaint, obtained … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Forest Whitaker Falsely Accused of Shoplifting. How Would You Handle the Situation?
We've all suffered it: Shopping While Black. You know, the store employee who casually shadows your every move, the check-out clerk who asks for extra ID before cashing your check, or the salesperson who double counts the number of items you're about to take into the dressing room. Often there is little recourse. Complaints to store management frequently fall on deaf ears as … [Read more...]
Teaching Our Kids About Race, Racism and Diversity
I remember walking my daughter into her pre-school class. It was the usual early morning chaos. There was a large group of the three and four year olds as the classroom teachers start to stagger in. This particular morning, I had my infant daughter with me. One little three year old boy stops playing with his blocks and looks up at me. Then looks at my two daughters — then … [Read more...]
Students Dress in Klan Attire for Class Assignment
When it comes to the classroom curriculum where should a teacher draw the line? In Las Vegas Nevada a teacher allowed his students to dress as members of the KKK for a U.S. History project. The students, both in high school, obtained their teacher's permission to do a narrative in order to “demonstrate their knowledge of American History.” After images were obtained of the … [Read more...]