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Clarence Thomas, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Sowell, and White Fever
By A. Peter Bailey
In the ongoing campaign against the still powerful forces of white supremacy and racism, black people must be acutely aware of the disease known as  white fever. Unfortunately, far too many of our people  with varying levels of intensity have succumbed to this debilitating malady. Their condition is graphically reflected in
the following statements by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, entertainer Whoopi Goldberg, and Professor Thomas Sowell. In his pre Supreme Court days, Thomas was quoted in the very conservative, very Thomasloving Richmond TimesDispatch as saying ...if I ever went to work for the EEOC  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
or did anything directly connected with blacks, my career would be irreparably ruined. The monkey would be on my back because I m black. People meeting me for the first time would automatically dismiss my thinking as second rate. Goldberg wrote in her book titled Book, Call me an asshole, call me a blowhard, but dont call me an African American. Please. It divides us as a nation and as a people and it kinda pisses me off. It diminishes everything
Ive accomplished... Sowell, as quoted in the Journal and Guide of Norfolk, Virginia, declared Black students with SAT scores of 1000 should not consider going to any black colleges because they will be educationally mismatched.
All of these observations have a direct connection to one made by Negro journalist, George Schuyler in his 1966 book, Black and Conservative. Insisted Schuyler,
A Black Person learns very early that his color is a disadvantage in a world of white folks. This being an unalterable circumstance, one also learns very early to make the best of it. So the lifetime endeavor of the intelligent Negro is how to be reasonably happy though colored. Fortunately, in every generation, significant numbers of our people, buttressed by historical knowledge, vision, courage, and commitment have rejected the belief that the dominance of those who believe in white supremacy and racism is an unalterable circumstance.
Ezekiel C. Mobley, Jr
One who refused to succumb was the late Ezekiel C. Mobley, Jr. 19522006. The Washington D.C. city council recently issued a resolution that demonstrated its deep respect for the contributions of the legendary scholar/activist/public administrator/author who graduated magna cum laude from both Howard University and the Georgetown University Law Center. He was also an administrative fellow at Harvard University and associate editor of the Harvard Public Policy Review when attending that universitys Kennedy School of Government and the receiver of a Master of Science in International/Urban and Regional Planning from the London School of Economics. The Ezekiel Mobley, Jr. Memorial Recognition Resolution honored him for his
exceptional service to the people of the District of Columbia as a public administrator and for being a community activist who mentored young African Americans and Latinos in numerous communities across the country. As an author he wrote Nobody Gave me Permission, the memoir of his activist mother, Ora Mobley Sweeting who, during the 50s and 60s in Harlem, was a friend and supporter of both Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Malcolm X. Ezekiel, like so many unsung others, refused to succumb to the white fever that infected the abovementioned public figures.
Mercenary
Headline in The Washington Post Army Offers Big Cash to Keep Key Officers. Look up the definition of mercenary.
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David Dinkins Columbia University s New Track Star
By Kwesi McDavidArno
I would first like to state that I write this article with great trepidation. I would like to say that I respect the former Mayor David Dinkins as an elder African American. I have crossed his path several times, and he strikes me as an honest and forthright man. However, I must say that my last encounter with the former Mayor was very disappointing.
The encounter occurred at Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringers public hearing on the Columbia University's expansion into West Harlem. Columbia's expansion into West Harlem has been shrouded in controversy. BlackBallot.com writer Keisha Saul wrote a groundbreaking investigative report on the issue for the July 22 issue of The Weekly Report. last month, the New York Post published its own article on the unscrupulous tactics that Columbia has utilized. Mr. Dinkins, a Columbia employee testified in favor of the project. Shortly after Dinkins gave his testimony, I approached him to request a two to three minute interview. However, after being interviewed by another news crew, Mr. Dinkins would not speak with me.
I don't know why the former Mayor did not stop to speak to me. I can't help but feel that it had something to do with the color of my skin. The other journalists were white. Or perhaps it had something to do with Mr. Dinkins's lack of connection with his former constituents.
As he said he would see the video clip, Mr. Dinkins
emailed me his statements from that day, which I have included below. The statements confirm that the former Mayor is totally out of sync with the residents of West Harlem. No one is questioning whether or not Columbia is a quality institution and a benefit to the Harlem community.
The issues of concern, and the issues that Dinkins totally ignored, are the questions of affordable housing, Black and Latino displacement from or gentrification of the community, and the building of a biotech facility. Columbia plans to house a biomedical research level3 lab right in the heart of the community and in dangerous proximity to the Hudson River.
Based on the controversy surrounding this issue and his obvious conflict of interest being a Columbia employee , the least Mayor Dinkins could have done for the constituents who elected him and made him was to stay impartial.
Remarks by David N. Dinkins
Manhattan Borough President Public Hearing:
Columbia University Manhattanville Rezoning
Community Board 9 197A Plan
 Some of you know me, and know that I have some history representing this community and trying to make life better for people who live and work here.
Back in the early 1990s, while I was Mayor, the City and local community developed a series of plans to attract responsible growth to the blocks between the Henry Hudson Parkway and the Broadway IRT viaduct.
Unfortunately, those plans didnt work out.
I have studied the Universitys Manhattanville proposal and Im convinced that it can and will be a good thing for both the University and its Harlem neighbors.
In my dozen years on faculty at Columbia, I have seen firsthand how essential it is to the Citys future that we have great urban universities as engines of not only educational, but economic opportunity.
And Ive seen how todays leadership of Columbia takes very seriously the fact that it is Columbia University in the City of New York...and in the community of Harlem.
Of course, I know towngown partnerships are not without their stresses and strains, and the relationship between the Harlem community and Columbia University hasnt always been good.
I was one of those picketing Columbia back in the 1960s, so I know the history and appreciate the concerns that some Harlem residents may have about the University.
But we should give each other credit where credit is due, and not lose sight of just how much has changed since then...and the ways in which the partnership has benefited the partners.
We should acknowledge the hundreds of public health and human service programs...the educational and cultural exchanges...the workplace experiences and entrepreneurial opportunities that are here because the university and the community have worked together to make them happen.
From the Mailman School partnerships with Geoffrey Canadas Harlem Childrens Zone to address childhood asthma and obesity ...to Columbia University Medical Centers staffing of Harlem Hospital...
From Columbias oncampus Double Discovery Center a program that has given generations of local students a better chance to go to college...to the creation of a new public school for math, science and engineering...
From cultural partnerships like the ColumbiaHarlem Jazz Project ...to the kind of conversation on affirmative action I moderated at the Schomburg Center just a few months ago, cosponsored by Columbia and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund...
From cultural partnerships like the ColumbiaHarlem Jazz Project ...to the kind of conversation on affirmative action I moderated at the Schomburg Center just a few months ago, cosponsored by Columbia and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund...
From the thousands of people who live in the community and work at Columbia in good jobs with good benefits...to the millions of dollars in University contracts that now go to local and minority owned businesses.
Twothirds of the people who make a big institution like Columbia work are the payroll administrators and lab technicians...the trained electricians and master carpenters...the clerical staff and dining managers.
Working New Yorkers continue to find opportunity at places like Columbia at a time when many such jobs in the private sector are moving elsewhere.
Those are just a few of the many connections that make good partners of the Harlem community and Columbia.
They are the kinds of opportunities that I believe will only grow with the 6,000 new University jobs in Manhattanville.
No commercial developer can guarantee that.
I continue to see New York as a gorgeous mosaic and believe that places like Columbia are important parts of what makes our City unique.
If were serious about preserving New York as a place where a diversity of people can come to pursue important ideas and find economic opportunity, then we want to make a place for Columbia to continue to be a part of this community instead of taking its building projects and the jobs that go with them somewhere else.
Columbia University could have no better partners in this venture than the people of Harlem ...and it works the other way around as well.
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Reparations: Do We Get It Now
By Anthony C. Rucker
With all the atrocities and miscarriages of justice African Americans have complained and marched about from Rodney King to Katrina to Jena, Louisiana I still dont think we get it.
We think we live in a place other than an America that kidnapped and enslaved us for centuries and has still not admitted the heinousness of their acts. These acts are unjustified crimes against
humanity and America has yet to apologize for them. America has apologized for the internment camps during World War II , calling them a result of
"...race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership," and has paid reparations to surviving internees. As of October 11th, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a
resolution that labeled the Ottoman Empires World War I massacre of Armenians as genocide. In international law a crime against humanity is an act of persecution or any large scale
atrocities against a body of people, and its the highest level of criminal offenses. Yet to this day, the most well known act of genocide against any people of any ethnicity is the African slave trade and there has not been one single solitary act carried out to address it.
Do we get it yet Our genocide is so widespread and so deeply entrenched in what is called the progress of the world that taking responsibility and paying reparations for it would put a black eye on the morality of the world as well as change the balance of its economic power. Spain, Holland, Denmark, France, and Great Britain would have to ante up. Not to mention the Vatican that said enslaving Africans was spiritually acceptable and grew wealthy off African enslavement. In 1998, the Vatican said ...As far as possible, reparation should erase all the
consequences of the illicit action and restore things to the way they would most probably be if that action had not occurred. When such a restoration is not possible, reparation should be made through compensation or equivalent reparation.
That means we would get back Africa, the most mineral rich continent on the planet. Lets quit fooling ourselves reparations are never coming in the form of a willing or legislative act. At most what we should expect is remuneration, a
monetary payment that would act as punitive damages for our suffering. The monetary value of 500 years
of mass slaughter and kidnapping.
We are continually ignored and denied the dignity of an apology, the satisfaction of justice, and a return of what was taken from us because morally, politically, socially, and economically, these things would condemn everyone who would took part, switch the focus of global control to our favor, and totally destroy the ethical and moral high ground that the beneficiaries of these crimes claim as a basis for their position in todays existence. If at any point the people of the world acknowledge our enslavement for what is was, they would automatically acknowledge their guilt and blatant disregard for truth and justice. They have to maintain the idea of us being a mongrel people, minimize our contributions, and globally portray us as lessthan to maintain their piece of mind.
Do we get it now
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Ooops She Did it Again. And Again.
Britneys Fall From the Limelight
By Danielle Young
We have all seen her. Whether it was when she drove with her infant son on her lap, walked into a gas station bathroom barefoot, or shaved her head bald ...Britney has fallen off her rocker. And cameras have been there every step of the way to document her faults.
Everyone has seen child star after child star struggle to keep their shine in the Hollywood glare, but Britney has put her designer sunglasses on and expertly handled her youthful fame. From Mouseketeer to Me Against the Music, Britney Spears has blossomed from a cute preteen on the silver screen to sexy pop star lip locking with Madonna. Who would have ever thought that this Pop Star Princess would be seen on countless magazine covers going through a divorce from a subpar husband, flashing her naughty bits to the paparazzi, or even worse, losing her kids No one saw it coming. At least I didnt.
Before I continue to recount her downfall, lets talk about what Britney has accomplished in her life. And maybe, just maybe, it will bring some understanding as to why she is does the things she does.
While most little eightyearold girls are brushing their dolls hair or are off in a land of make believe, Britney was being thrust into the world of performance. Mickey Mouse Club, performingarts schools, and Star Search helped Britney get exposure and eventually made her a household name by the time "Hit Me Baby One More Time" was released. Britney soon became one of the most famous women in the world. According to Zomba Music Group, since her first album, Britney has sold over 83 million records worldwide, 31 million of those in the U.S. With more fame and fortune coming in left and right, Britney turned into a cash cow, making movies, endorsement deals, and fragrances while touring to promote her music.
With all this accomplished, how does one end up hitting rock bottom Rehab and selfinflicted public humiliation seem to be the themes to Britneys Hollywood fairy tale. What could be the cause of her behavior You could blame the demands society puts on someone in the public view. Were in the position of audience and celebrities are the stars of the show that we watch. Its a show for us, but life for them. We place them on the proverbial pedestal and hold them in such high regard,
that sometimes we forget that they are indeed human, too.
How many times have you made a mistake in life: from choosing the wrong man to be your baby daddy, to drinking way too much on a girls night out These are typical mistakes in the lives of many young women around Britneys age, yet we scold her and shake our heads in disappointment at her behavior. Granted, the choices that she has made in life have not been the best, but she is a human being. The eraser would not have been invented if life were without mistakes.
We all know Britney has serious issues, but the woman needs some sort of support system and definitely some time away from the flashing lights. Shes even resorted to pushing her mother away. When Lynn Spears, Britneys mother, expressed her concern with Britneys reckless behavior, Britney demanded that her mother back off.
America fell in love with lil Miss Spears but apparently has turned its back on her after all she has done over the last year or so in the public eye. As Britney gets older, she channels the young and carefree spirit that she missed out on as a child because she was thrust into stardom so soon. She didnt have the chance to fully enjoy her younger years. Yes, she has a lot of growing up to do, and, unfortunately, she has to do that while cameras take it in from every angle and deliver it to our computer screens, magazines, and televisions. Thats not an easy task to accomplish. Britney needs to wake up and realize that as an adult, she cannot take on the carefree spirit of a child and carry on as if she has no responsibilities. That also will not be an easy task. Many everyday people think fame and fortune will solve most,
if not all of their problems, but it doesnt. So I ask you, what is the price of fame
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HBO TV Star Felicia Snoop Pearson Visits Medgar Evers College
By Eddie Ellis
Brooklyn, NY, October 11 On November 9, 2007, Felicia Snoop Pearson, recently published author, and star of the acclaimed HBO hit series The Wire will be the featured speaker at The NuLeadership Challenge Forum, at the Medgar Evers College School of Business, City University of New York. Ms. Pearson will be appearing in the second of a six part series of criminal justice challenge conversations produced by the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions at the college. The forum entitled A Conversation with Felicia Snoop Pearson, is being produced in conjunction with Grand Central Publishing and Abandoned Nation. Atlantic Records recording star Saigon, one of todays hottest young hiphop artists, and Chino Harden, a youth activist and former gang member, will also be appearing on the program with Ms. Pearson.
Felicia Snoop Pearson, whose first book, Grace After Midnight a Grand Central Publishing hardcover due out on November 1, 2007, is a leading character on the Peabody Award winning, HBO series The Wire. With chilling realism, she portrays an androgynous street assassin who defies the traditional roles of sexual preference and gender in the tough neighborhood of East Baltimore; yet her real life story is even more remarkable. Grace After Midnight describes Felicia's life on the streets of Baltimore, growing up in the very neighborhoods she portrays on the series. It is a tale of horror, violence, and anger, charting the life of Felicia, who was born a crack baby, slinging drugs at age 14, busted for killing another woman in an act of self defense, and then imprisoned. In the end, however, it is a tale of redemption as Ms. Pearson comes to terms with her life while serving a sentence for manslaughter; thus the process of reconciliation begins.
Mindful that she has been given a second chance at life, Felicia is using it wisely. Partnering with youth advocate Jamie Hector, founder of GBU Give Back University and co-star of the HBO series The Wire, she travels to innercity schools around the country to talk with students about the decisions that affect their lives. Her constant theme has been that young people need to think carefully about choosing their friends and the types of activities in which they engage. Using her celebrity, Felicia Pearson is urging young people to think critically, perhaps for the first time, and providing them with the tools to do so. She is making a difference in the lives of the youth she reaches.
The NuLeadership Challenge Forum, a sixpart series of public discussions, features various public figures who are challenging the existence of poverty and violence in urban communities through innovative socialjustice initiatives. The Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions at Medgar Evers College is the first academic center in the country whose faculty is composed of formerly incarcerated professionals. Their work in research, curriculum and program design, and training is concentrated in the field of criminal justice, yet merges that discipline with community economic development as a possible answer to many innercity problems.
Hiphop recording artist Saigon, whose debut album The Greatest Story Never Told , which will be released on Atlantic Records in early December, also spent time in prison and emerged a powerful voice for what he calls the abandoned nation. His insight and experience are found in the lyrics of his music: hard hitting, cuttingedge social commentary, as real as the streets that produced him. His Abandoned Nation, a crew of socially conscious brothers who all did time in prison, and are now in the street blending the power of hiphop with their passion for social justice in unique and positive ways.
Saigon joins Felicia and Chino Harden, a former gang banger who now counsels at risk youth as director of field operations for the Prison Moratorium Project PMP, a youth activist group, organized by the Center for NuLeadership. PMP advocates for less reliance on incarceration and more on education. Together, Felicia, Saigon, and Chino represent the voice of formerly disaffected youth, who speak to us in a language rarely heard in academia, or the community, but is so sorely needed. We would do well to pay attention.
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