Whatever happens in the life of an African-American is fair-game here. But you are human first, so anything that makes you happy, frustrates you, angers you, worries you, or excites you serves as the fertile ground on which we can have this discussion.
Showing posts with label African American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label African American. Show all posts
According to the 2011 Forbes Billionaire List, Nigeria's Aliko Dangote with a net worth of $13.8 billion is the richest Black person in the world.
The other Black billionaires on the 2011 list are South African gold magnate Patrice Motsepe with $3.3 billion, American Oprah Winfrey at $2.7 billion and Nigeria's Mike Adenuga with $2 billion.
From 2001 to 2003, Forbes listed BET (Black Entertainment Television) founder Bob Johnson, an American, as a billionaire, but dropped him after his fortune was split in his divorce.
Johnson returned to Forbes Billionaire list in 2007 with a net worth of $1.1 billion. In 2008 Johnson's wealth dropped further to approximately $1.0 billion and in 2009 he dropped off the list again after some questionalbe investments.
Nigerian petroleum executive Femi Otedola briefly emerged as a billionaire in 2009, but was not listed as one in 2010 or 2011.
With a net worth of $500 Million, Diddy (aka Sean "Puffy" Combs) was listed as "one to watch" to be on a future Fortune 400 Richest person list.
Arizona Gov Brewer signed HB 2281 into law, a bill that prohibits schools from teaching classes designed to teach students of color about their heritage and history because such classes promote resentment and encourage students to want to “overthrow” the U.S. government. Such classes, the bill says, advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treating students as individual people. Irregardless of this law - it is clear that Arizona shows not value in understanding the diversity of the people that make up the United States.
Well, everyone that allows this bill to stand as is, is forgetting that American History classes do the very SAME thing. In fact, they teach us that Europeans were the "blessed" people and that Native Americans were savages. They neglect to mention how so much land was stolen from the Native Americans by these same people. They taught us that the colonists that were slave holders were "building a nation" without stating that the nation was built on the backs of indentured African people. Biased news reporting continues to depict the slaves, negros, blacks, african americans, etc., as well as other "minorities, as people of lesser value, lesser significance, lesser importance., etc. (In fact, the true minority is the white male - and it is high time we get the definition changed to depict this! But - that's for a later blog.)
All people of color should come forward to fight to outlaw ALL history classes - if this Arizonan law stands. History teaching could continue to be an elective. It certainly is critical to your personal development, and we, the people, should develop and maintain an awareness of our history. But, history serves very little value in your professional development, except that history that is critical to your field of study.
There is one public, all-male, all-African American high school in the city of Chicago. That school is called The Urban Prep Academy for Young men, located in Englewood. The school recently got the attention of Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Public Schools Chief Ron Huberman when they were able to get all of their 107 seniors accepted into 72 different colleges across the country. Huberman had this to say: "All of you in the senior class have shown that what matters is perseverance, what matters is focus, what matters is having a dream and following that dream."
I am going to say some things that will take money out of the pockets of people like myself. But darn it, it has to come out. I have taught MBA and undergraduate business students for the last 16 years, at many major universities. I believe strongly in the value of black entrepreneurship and I believe in the power of compassionate capitalism. The problem, however, is that there are times when I wonder about the power of an MBA.
Fenorris Pearson, a successful black entrepreneur, has shared the same concerns, and I can't say I disagree with him completely.Here's the deal. An MBA can be a powerful tool to learn how to manipulate your way through the complexities of corporate America. Most programs teach you how to analyze charts, create spreadsheets and do all the little things that your boss is going to ask you to do. The problem, however, is that the vast majority of professors teaching MBA courses at major institutions have never actually done the work they are teaching you to do.An MBA student at an Ivy League institution recently told me that when he asked his professors how to actually implement the strategies that they were teaching on the chalk board, the responses from professors were always disappointing. - By Dr. Boyce Watkins, a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, "Black American Money."
CHICAGO (CBS) ― New allegations of brutality by Chicago police have surfaced. In his
lawsuit, one man claims he was beaten during a traffic stop.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports, the suit names two officers and implicates several others. "I thought I was gonna die because I couldn't breathe," said alleged police beating victim Curtis Mason Jr. Blood vessels were broken in an eye and his wrists were allegedly cut by tight handcuffs.
Mason says the injuries he captured with photographs were caused by Chicago police. "In the beginning, that's what I asked them, 'why am I being arrested' and from that point, it turned into, 'why are you continually hitting me?'" he said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A South Carolina man was charged with having sex with a horse after the animal's owner caught the act on videotape, then staked out the stable and caught him at shotgun point, authorities said Wednesday.
But this wasn't the first time Rodell Vereen has been charged with buggery. He pleaded guilty last year to having sex with the same horse after owner Barbara Kenley found him in the same stable and was sentenced to probation and placed on the state's sex offender list.
Kenley said she noticed several weeks ago her 21-year-old horse Sugar was acting strange and getting infections again. She noticed things in the barn had been moved around - dirt piled up and bales of hay stacked near the horse's stall at her Lazy B Stables in Longs, about 20 miles northeast of Myrtle Beach.
(CNN) -- Divorce causes more than bitterness and broken hearts. The trauma of a split can leave long-lasting effects on mental and physical health that remarriage might not repair, according to research released this week.
Research shows health differences between people who are married and those who have gone through a divorce.
"People who lose a marriage take such damage to their health," said Linda Waite, a sociologist at the University of Chicago in Illinois.
Waite and co-author Mary Elizabeth Hughes, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that divorced or widowed people have 20 percent more chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer than married people. They also have 23 percent more mobility limitations, such as trouble climbing stairs or walking a block.
PARIS, Texas (AP) — State police in riot gear rushed a downtown street to break up a standoff Tuesday between hundreds of black and white extremists who exchanged screams of "Black power!" and "White power!" during a protest over the state's handling of the case of a black man who was run over and dragged by a vehicle.
A skinhead carrying a Nazi flag and a shirtless white man were arrested on a misdemeanor charge of suspicion of disorderly conduct before the protesters separated peacefully, police spokesman Lt. Danny Huff said.
The conflict began with a march by about 100 mostly black activists who avoided a designated "protest zone" near Paris' courthouse and walked to the town square to chants of "Black Power!" and "No Justice, no peace!"
"We're going to be boxed in?" said protest leader Jimmy Blackwell of the Tarrant County Local Organ
I was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in other countries still feeling extremely connected to my heritage. My parents did a great job of making sure I knew a lot about my family, the place I was born, and the problems that face the people of Nigeria. Over the years, being in America has immersed me in Black culture. Seldom is there even recognition of Africans in America, and often times if there is- it tends to be negative.
I once encountered a professor who explained a theory he had that Black Americans have been taught to turn their noses up to Africans, and vice versa. The divide between the two has been implemented and encouraged, used as another strategy by the dominant race to keep Black people from uniting and incapable of taking over. It is another divide much like the dark skinned vs. light skinned fight, the college educated vs. the non college educated, wealthy Blacks vs. the working class, Black Republicans vs. everybody else, Haitians vs. Dominicans...and so on.
James Baldwin discussed the difference between Blacks and Africans in Europe in "Notes of A Native Son" and the unfortunate differences that keep us all- those of African descent- from understanding each other. Although the differences are too often swept under the rug, like most conflicts between races, there are tons of misconceptions and stereotypes about Africans and the continent of Africa.
I came into the first day back to 5th grade in Baltimore with a young British accent (having moved from London the previous year) and a deep tan (having spent time vacationing in Nigeria over winter break) ready for the show and tell portion of class. I had pictures from my trip: of my family's estate, my cousins' school, the family horseback riding on Bar Beach, pictures of the city of Lagos, etc....and they were welcomed with the most outlandish questions from my classmates.
I was asked, "Did you live in a hut?" to which I replied, no- we have houses.
"Do people wear loin cloths?" no, we have clothing. My aunt owns her own clothing line and store.
"Does your uncle hunt lions for a living?" no, actually he works for a major Oil company there.
And a plethora of equally ignorant questions. I cannot blame my classmates for these questions, I blame society. I blame the media for only ever showing one side of Africa (although it is SO VERY IMPORTANT- I am a huge advocate for change in my continent) and for never highlighting the beautiful things about this continent.
Africa is the most underrated continent on Earth. It was a rich and beautiful land stripped of many of it's resources by the Western world, and given no credit for any of its' people's accomplishments. It is home to tons of stolen art, food, mathematical, scientific and medicinal discoveries, and of course- beautiful people.
That being said, I found this YouTube video about the Africa they never show on TV:
On the June 24th broadcast of the ESPN Show, "Outside The Lines," a comparison was made between NBA Star, Shaquille Oneal's recent freestyle-session and Shock-Jock, Don Imus's latest racial tirade. This parallel by ESPN is very disturbing, as a satirical skit by a ball-player - aimed at a fellow ball-player - bears no resemblance to such hate-filled and vitriol-imbued remarks, as that of Don Imus on Monday, June 23, 2008. As expected, FOX News "analyst," Juan Williams, was present to entertain and congratulate the idea:
According to the 2011 Forbes Billionaire List, Nigeria's Aliko Dangote with a net worth of $13.8 billion is the richest Black person in the world. 
