Black Stuff

In American society, issues of race and social class are entwined together like a chain of DNA. One cannot have an honest discussion about race without looking at the equally important issue of class since the two are closely linked. Although discussions of race and class are often avoided because these type of issues make people uncomfortable, Hurricane Katrina and the various television newscasts that followed stripped away the curtain to America's dirty little secret: there are many people in American society who have been unable to escape the double jeopardy of being born African American and poor. The four readings by Sklar, et. al., Oliver & Shapiro, Mantsios, and Bartlett & Steele...

The 25th March 2007 marked 200 years since the abolition of slavery act in the United Kingdom. This act brought an end to over 250 years of a cruel and barbaric trafficking of up to 15 million African's during this time, who were taken from their native homelands that were then forced to work on the plantations in the West Indies to meet the ever increasing demand for cheap labour. In this investigation we will attempt to firstly look at British involvement in the slave trade, looking at the fundamental motivations for it from both an economic and sociological viewpoint. Secondly we will look at the factors for the abolition of the slave trade; in particular the efforts made by individuals such as...

Jazz music which is thought to be an art creation of the American blacks during the early decades of the twentieth century has been an important subject of the social history of US. It gained popularity not only as an art form but it also helped the hapless blacks, who were the offspring of the enslaved African origin blacks brought into America by the white settlers to exploit them for their labor needs, to gain a social standing through the power of music. They, with the help of influential jazz music, brought to limelight the miseries that they are suffering because of the racial hatred. Initially the jazz music flourished in the South American region. New Orleans was especially very dear to this...

Ralph Abernathy was the black man most recognized as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s second-in-command. It's easy to see him being King's Vice President, had the good doctor ever attained the White House. In his last speech on April 3, 1968, MLK said, "Ralph Abernathy is the best friend that I have in the world." Abernathy's family has stated he loved them dearly, and that he risked everything for the American Civil Rights Movement - hard as it was. Abernathy had introduced him before King gave his last life's speech. He was the first person out on the motel's balcony when MLK was shot, and they went back to well before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Abernathy was pastor of the First Baptist Church in...

bserved that this philosophy becomes so much a part of the oppressors’ ideologies, that in most cases they are not aware of their guilt. Only when the ideology of oppression has been installed and established from early childhood, the distress patterns of adult oppression are internalized as the norm. Under such circumstances alone is it possible for a person or group to get manipulated into the oppressor’s role, or can a person or group remain in the oppressed role. Class oppression ensures exploitation of the economically weak by the system of divide and rule. The division may be along lines of gender, age, race, physical ability, physical handicap, etc. Exploitation can be stopped...

There is an evolutionary process to the awareness of spiritual thought. Societies that prospered and failed all tell the signs of whether or not the people were aligned with goodness, enthusiasm and encouragement or controversy, racism and selfishness. Understanding how the tone and mood of a society or culture functions is a revelation of sorts that can clarify many misconceptions. What I always thought was amazing was how this Country was founded. I think the development and maturity of this great Country is a lesson that many do not understand. When we speak of our freedoms in the United States what does that really mean? What is Freedom? Who decides our freedoms and does any one have the right...

Following the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, programs were put into place to provide recompense for social groups who were unfairly discriminated against in the past. The programs, formally known as affirmative action, predominantly focus on providing more opportunities for African Americans and women. Intent and Execution While the intent of affirmative action programs was to level the previously lopsided playing field of employment and education, many people argue that is has merely tilted the field to favor the other side. Execution of affirmative action programs has taken many forms, which vary depending on the institution. Employment When hiring, many employers strive to achieve a...

Hasan A. Yahya, Ph.Ds In Arabic there is a proverbs says: the Mosqueto can hurt the lion's eyes. This analysis is a response to the news about Nidal Malik Hasan, according to authorities, a 39-year-old military psychiatrist, went on the shooting rampage at Ft. Hood that left 13 people dead and at least 38 wounded before he was shot by two civilian police officers and remains hospitalized in stable condition with multiple gunshot wounds. While authorities are trying to find a motivation for the attack, retracing the suspect's steps in the last days and months, interviewing colleagues, neighbors, friends and family to glean details about Hasan's life -- and whether he was moved, at least in part, by...

> Make time to acknowledge your feelings on a daily basis. Give yourself time to just be — have a cup of tea or go out into the garden. There are certain items a woman knows she needs in her wardrobe of life skills: ambition, independence, fearlessness, self-belief, a sense of fun. But she will get more 'wear' out of these if she also has empathy - a classic that should never go out of fashion. Empathy is the ability to understand and share what somebody else is feeling. You hear a woman sobbing on the phone to her ex-boyfriend and recall the ghastly break-up that had you in tears for months. Or you see refugees on TV and, having been robbed and left stranded at Madrid Airport with no money...

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood....I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."-Martin Luther King, Jr., August, 28th, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was deeply inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's peaceful protests in India, which were influential in freeing nearly a fifth of the human race. And so, he used Gandhi's approach of non-violence to begin a movement for eliminating racism (A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Denise Noe, 1/14/07). For...

Shirley Sherrod admitted to using her position to deny a loan to a farmer because they were white, albeit 20-years ago, and she admitted it was racist and she had come to terms with her own racism. Well, that one act was one of racism in her position; it was unacceptable. Either way, she did that. And she was speaking to others who may or may not have done or are currently doing the same. This was a speech, where she addressed racism, and admitted "reverse-racism" was a problem. She is right - it is! And she admitted she did that. I suppose since it was a long time ago, we could forgive her, but in doing that it may have ruined that farm families life! They shouldn't forgive her. I don't. If we are...

Ida B. Wells is considered one of the most prominent African-American political leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But where did her political aspirations begin? Miss Wells, later to be known as Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an African American civil rights leader and women's rights activist who is probably best known for her effort in the anti-lynching movement. She was not very well known and physically was a small woman at only 4 feet 6 inches tall and 96 lbs. She had an abrasive, in your face, type of person calling things the way she saw them. You could count on her to tell the truth, despite what that truth might have been. Born in Mississippi in 1862, she was educated at Rust...

To Kill a Mockingbird and "The Crucible" are two classic American works that, though set centuries apart, have a remarkable amount in common: both use children as a means of exploring the social mechanisms behind wrongful persecution in small-town America. Admittedly, there are significant cultural differences between the two stories (the whole racism-vs.-witchcraft thing jumps to mind), but what really stands out is how different the take-home message of each story is. Let's take a look. Set in 1930's Alabama, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated from the point of view of Scout Finch, who is a mere six years old when the story begins. Her and her brother's formative years involve a trial...

If you want to get a degree or PhD without going out of home, distance learning is the perfect solution for you. It is not possible for an average person practically to take off from work for a long period, in order to pursue a degree. This is because many adults have to work in order to make both ends meet. Focusing on these people, the distance learning has opened the doors of higher education to the ones around the world. Experience often trumps a degree. But in order to get more job security and more money, it is better to have experience along with a degree. It is anyways better than having experience alone or having degree alone. Some employers prefer experience to degrees. This is because...

Supposedly the financial world almost collapsed. This lie has much currency. A worldwide write down of speculative real estate assets and financial instruments totalling perhaps $1 Trillion or a mere 2% of the world's economy, was Armaggedon [an ancient hebrew word that has nothing to do with the world's demise]. Government created problems – forcing banks to lend to people with no proof of income; cheap interest rates for too long; and a flood of money – is now blamed on 'markets'. How ridiculous. Governments and politicians create the problem, then come in to 'fix it'. It is laughable. The 'housing crisis' so overblown and exagerrated, had no chance to destroy the financial system, the world's...

Whale Rider - 2 Stars (Average) "Whale Rider" is the story of an 11-year-old Maori girl who must overcome the prejudice of her grandfather and tribal tradition to fulfill her destiny and become the leader of her ancient aboriginal tribe in New Zealand's North Island. Only the eldest son becomes the designated heir to carry forward the timeless knowledge from one generation to the next, but "Pai" (Paikea played by Keisha Castle-Hughes) is determined to do so in spite of the odds. Pai's twin brother, who was supposed to fulfill the role as the next tribal leader, dies at birth with their mother. Her father is so distraught that he leaves the island and tradition, and it is left to her grandfather Koro...

The real secret lies in the African American community as a whole race that no matter what they would never quit trying to get to the top. They exemplify the meaning of the words Don't Quit because as people they never stopped striving, never stopped clawing and swimming upstream. As people of the human race; all people should be willing to do whatever it takes no matter what too achieve personal and spiritual success on many levels. Now success is different for every person on the planet, but as I see it for the African Americans success is more than just money it is about being equal under God just as it says in the Pledge of Allegiance. One Nation under God! This is what this country has been...

Hasan Yahya, Ph.Ds Have you sent an important  message to any Arab or Muslim embassy in Washington D.C and got a reply or even acknowledgement? I know for sure, that  duties of Diplomatic relations which embassies usually perform is an essential part of any ambassador, and any embassy team, administrative, political, or commercial should perform the job well. Furthermore, I know that one of the principles or objectives of the Ambassador is to oversee his embassy’s staff, to do a good job. And to protect the State or government position in foreign lands. And to plan strategies to enhance the embassy’s job abroad. For many observers, Arab and Muslim Ambassadors are usually and traditionally...

Have you ever noticed that there are almost no fantasy adventure books for children and young adults with Black characters in them? What happened to all the Black kids? Where are the Black heroes and heroines? Think about it. There are many excellent novels for young people with Black characters; however, they are almost all realistic stories that take place at the time the book was written or during a former, historic time period. Scarred by centuries of invisibility and false information in nonfiction and negative portrayals in fiction, it is no wonder that writers from the Black community take full advantage of the novel format to teach the truth about the cultural context, experiences, and...

-- End Ad Box ---> What’s the deal with so many white music artists singing black music? Why do white artists who sing black music get better promotion than black artists? Why is R&B music now synonymous with Hip-Hop? These are some of the hot topics that often come up in private conversations with my industry associates and colleagues. I will attempt to shed some much needed light on these delicate, sensitive and somewhat controversial issues. To really understand the phenomenon of white music artists singing R&B, you should begin with an examination of the motivation and purpose behind the establishment of “black music divisions” at record companies in the 60’s. While the success of...

 People love reading about the private lives of celebrities, and ladies are at best when they discuss about the celebrity gossips. Who would not like to have a peak into the lives of famous Hollywood stars? African American celebrities are the hottest on the popularity list, and they often top the most famous celebrity chart. There are many sites for celebrity black gossip online. You would find some interesting facts about the Hollywood's best black actors including Halle Berry, Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, Eddie Murphy, and Denzel Washington.    If you want to have the most recent and accurate news about the celebrities, you need to find the sites that offer most timely, perfect news and reviews...

Sorting through the Internet to select a company to do business with is a snap. But, what about those people who really want to know who they are doing business with? The Internet provides more of a challenge in this instance. If the desire is to try and make every purchase or nearly every one count toward bolstering the black community, many shoppers turn to black business listings. Eligible companies that take the time to get themselves listed are taking a great step toward future and continued success. Black business listings are nothing more than online directories that identify black owned businesses. In many cases, black business listings are rather extensive and include every type of business...

The importance of the thirteenth amendment is massive because it has ensured the abolition of free and lifelong slavery in America. If you look back at the 1800 or before, you will come to know that slavery in the United States was legal and men were purchased and sold for forcing them to do menial drudgery without getting paid. The condition was at that time very pathetic and those who fell victims to the servitude received painful physical and mental tortures, unhealthy foodstuff and utter negligence. At that time, many leaders were found fighting for the civil rights. In between the Dred Scott Decision sparked the revolution and demonstration against the white community for encouraging the...

Most people familiar with Leukemia know that a bone marrow transplant is the final option to cure the Leukemia. A Leukemia patient must find a matching donor so their body does not reject the stem cells taken from the bone marrow of the donor. Usually the matching donor is of the same race or descent as the patient. A German usually matches with perhaps an American of German descent. Or a Chinese American might match with a Chinese donor and so on. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of matching donors in minority patients. Therefore, if an end stage Leukemia patient is unable to find a matching donor, the result could be death. This is especially true in the African American community. About 8% of...

If you listened to Barack Obama's explanation of his relationship with his former? minister, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, you were probably impressed by the way he handled the podium and spoke so eloquently. You may have been taken in by his words, especially when he started his speech with "We the people." If he had done his homework and reviewed the Black movement over the last forty-five years, he should have said, You the people. [My italics] Why? Because the self-anointed, movers and shakers of the Black Movement, like Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, do not appear to want to be part of "We the people." Their rhetoric and hypocrisy have kept the racial divide as wide as the Grand...

Over the years there have been many great black leaders News Makers. This fact has caused me to wonder if there was one dominant trait that separated them from others. With that question in mind I decided to find the dominant trait that was present in some of Americas top Black News Makers past and present after which I put those traits into a test so people can see if they posses these same News Maker traits. The test is located at but don't go yet first read the article. Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave from Maryland who became known as the "Moses of her people." Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led thousands of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, which...

I took private lessons in trumpet for a few years while growing up. I remember that I had to practice playing the trumpet between 30 min and 1 hour everyday. Then sometimes I would add another 30 min of composition time. How did I spend those 30 minutes? Fundamentals of Music Well I practiced the rudiments of music like scales and arpeggios (chords). I also spent some time in improvisation. In addition, I spent time playing exercises. These exercises would slowly get harder as I mastered them. Then there was time spent playing songs. For a time I also had some breath exercises to improve breath control and power. All of these things helped to make me a better trumpet player and a better musician...

Some of the greatest piano players in history became known for their proficiency in jazz. Technicality and a heavy reliance upon the ability of the musician to improvise makes jazz piano one of the hardest styles to learn. That does NOT mean, however, that it can't be learned, but to get to the highest rungs a pianist must have lots of talent, a great ear, and the ability to improvise. The birth of jazz music in the early 1900s was a significant period in musical history. Many of those who are considered among the greatest jazz pianists of all times were pioneers of the genre during this period. Jazz evolved from musical styles that African slaves brought to America. Therefore, its inception can...

On a May 28, 2006 Barry Bonds succeeded in hitting his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth's homerun record and now second to Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball (MLB) all-time home run record of 755, it is representative in a number of ways of the present state of MLB. Specifically, the state of the game's future in the African-American community comes to mind. And it might be an appropriate time to reexamine the decline of participation of the black athlete in baseball, which is a far more multi-faceted problem than commonly expressed. While there is a dearth of interest among young boys and teenagers in the black community participating in organized baseball, the reasons most often provided are...

President Obama has been praised numerous times for his pragmatism, and his ability to see the world from multiple perspectives. Indeed, he does not appear to see this world as black and white, rather areas of gray. This should not be surprising due to his upbringing or his education as a lawyer. After all, "everything is negotiable" is the battle cry! Yet, for all these supposedly wonderful attributes, one thing stands out in my mind as a "miss" on all these praises of a neutral president. You see, nothing may be either black or white in the eyes of Barack Obama, but it should be noted that when the media or the polls lean one way, so too does the President. And so I ask, when did the media become...

-- End Ad Box ---> The state of relations between Blacks and Whites in the U.S. still suffers greatly, and a lack of recognition and understanding by the public and the government only exacerbates the problem. For decades, the U.S. government has been repeatedly accused of neglecting this problem by not properly addressing its components - which are oftentimes vividly played out in schools, on the streets, in the media, and in the workplace. One of the loudest complaints by Americans is that Congress and the Federal Government have never waged war against racism. While billions are spent fighting terrorist regimes thousands of miles away from the U.S., the government has allowed race relations...

Continued racism events would not continue; in which a litigious society uses misguided capitalistic justice producing various events, which should have been abolished, if due-process laws were implemented. Unfortunately, misguided capitalistic justice produces bewildered injustice. For instance, recently a Chief Executive Officer finds amusement in comparing the Honorable president's wife as a subhuman monkey. Furthermore, a scholar and African American University Professor find himself arrested for using an alternative entrance method. In addition African American children are denied entry toward swimming pool activities as an individuals pigment may cause disturbance toward a swimming clubs...

A White shock jock calls a college basketball team predominately made up of young Black women the derogatory term, "nappy headed hoes." Black people are outraged nationwide. They rally together. Pressure by sponsors, activists, community leaders and the clerisy is placed on the networks and radio stations that have business dealings with this White man. After arm twisting, threats and clever use of the media, they force the networks and radio stations to cave into the pressure. Subsequently, the White man loses his job. Victory at last! We have overcome. But, the celebration is short lived. The same Black people that rallied to get the White man fired realize that they have some momentum. The world...

God in Bible versus Allah in Quran-1   The Bible discloses the word of the LORD God that came to the Prophet Hosea. The LORD God said to him, "Go, and take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness. The LORD God commanded Hosea to take an adulterous wife, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD. Hosea obeyed the LORD God and married an adulterous woman; and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the...

O Nations, Come near, to hear and Listen in Bible versus Quran (2) This is the second article of the series (1-3):" O Nations, Come near, to hear and Listen in Bible versus Quran".   Herein are the statements that the Lord God Love wants all the nations to hear and to listen to. In the Bible (Isaiah 34:6-11), the Lord God Love says that: The LORD' sword is bathed in blood, The LORD' sword is covered with fat The LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah and The LORD has a great slaughter in Edom. Edom's land will be drenched with blood, Edom's dust will be soaked with fat. The LORD has a day of vengeance The LORD has a year of retribution   In addition, Lord God Love gives some prophecies about Edom, they...

Civil War general and Mexican American War veteran, Ulysses S. Grant, became the eighteenth president of the United States in 1869 and served two terms as a Republican. Among his presidential accomplishments are:o The 1872 Treaty of Washington resolving a dispute with Great Britain regarding damages made to American shipping during the Civil War by Confederate raiders built in British shipyards.o The 1870 Enforcement Act rendering the Ku Klux Klan powerless in the Reconstruction South.o The 1875 Civil Rights Act extending federal protection to black civil rights in the area of public accommodations. The above accomplishments were made in an administration that came to be known for it indecisive...

Those who feel equally strongly that the public schools should continue to emphasize the assimilation of minorities into society and the modern economy by focusing on the core intellectual and cultural values of the Western world. Those who hold this position still believe in the notion of the "melting pot," our best-known assimilation metaphor. Although it was originally intended as a metaphor for leveling the sociocultural and racial playing field in the United States, the melting-pot concept has been criticized for being discriminatory in practice. (The author once asked the Black civil rights leader Jesse Jackson Jr. whether he believed in the melting pot-to which Jackson responded that in his...