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1. Do you agree with the statement that now the Democrats have control of Congress that there is a bright future for Black America
  Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Indifferent
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2. How strongly do you support the following
Establishing a deadline to bring the troops home from Iraq
1 2 3 4 5
Imposing a National Draft as suggested by Rep. Charles Rangel
1 2 3 4 5
Congress restoring Federal funding to Public Housing
1 2 3 4 5
Impeaching Dick Chaney for theft related to Enron and Halliburton
1 2 3 4 5
Electing Sen. Hillary Clinton President in 2008
1 2 3 4 5
If you stongly agree check 5. Select only one choice.
3. Do you believe that the Congressional Black Caucus will provide strong leadership for Black America
Yes
No
Maybe
Not Certain
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What is a Blue Dog Democrat 
By Kwesi McDavid-Arno
 The 2006 midterm electoral victory for the Democratic Party stands to empower the
Black Congressional Caucus.
Five of its members should become Chairs of several
key House committees. When the Democrats take over the House in January 2007, Black Representatives
Charles Rangel NY of Ways and Means,
John Conyers Jr. MI of Judiciary,
Alcee Hastings FLof Intelligence,
Bennie Thompson MS of Home Land Security and
Juanita Millender-McDonald CA of House Administration
will most likely assume Chair duties.
 If these members of the Black Congressional Caucus gain the Chair positions of the
committees it seems they are slated to lead, this would be a historic moment in
Black electoral power. There is, however, a potential obstacle.
Blue Dog Democrats are a powerful coalition of
conservative Democrats, whose roots are in the South.
Some question if the Blue Dogs are more Republican in nature than Democratic. Currently,
there are three African American Representatives of the Blue Dog Coalition Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee, Rep. Sanford Bishop and Rep. David Scott of Georgia. One of the founders, former Representative, Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, defected from the Democratic party to the Republican party in August of 1995.
 Blue Dog Democrats will be an obstacle for the Black Congressional Caucus if the conservative group chooses to seriously address the ills of African American life in America. Bush has
Left Everyone Behind
with his education policies. The State of
African American Education
is in crisis mode with on-time graduation rates lower than 50 percent in Detroit, Baltimore, New York, Milwauke,
Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Denver and Houston. Furthermore, with the end of Federal Public Housing
funding and local municipalities selling the properties to private reality interests, a great
Black Homelessness crisis looms.
Blue Dog Democrats, whose numbers almost equal those of the Black Congressional Caucus, have vowed to
keep America a conservative country.
With the Black homelessness crisis looming and the prison population booming, it will be interesting to see which side of the fence they sit on.
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China Opens Summit for African Leaders,including 40 heads of state
Comeback for Trent Lott I had to shake some of the hands that held the daggers.
Four American security guards were abducted from a supply convoy gunmen made off with a total of 14 kidnap victims, 19 trucks and one security vehicle
Israel is not interested in stability, and only seeks to perpetuate destruction and bloodshed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
Support for Hizbullah strong as everI really love them more. They gave us something we didn't have. Forget the destruction, they gave us dignity. For fifty years the Arab world suffered defeat, defeat, defeat. This is the first time we are the victors.
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African American Political Gains 2006
By Justin Mitchell
 The veritable silence of the mainstream media
with regard to AfricanAmerican issues became more apparent last week during
the midterm elections when several of our political gains went largely unnoticed.
Few AfricanAmericans probably had any idea that a black man by the name of Erik
Fleming ran against incumbent Trent Lott in Mississippi and won 46 of the vote,
a major achievement in a state that is 36 black and, as recent remarks made by representative
Charles Rangel seem to suggest, exists almost entirely as a lingering specter of racial oppression in the Afrcan
American imagination.
You might, on the other hand, have heard tenuously of Tennessee Representative Harold Ford s bid for the state senate.  If you blinked during this coverage, however, you might have missed references to the racist ad run by his conservative enemies featuring a white blonde woman suggestively inviting Ford to call her. Ford, nevertheless, proved a formidable opponent to Republican Bob Corker, winning 48 of the vote.
And, finally, perhaps the most significant gain is the election of the first AfricanAmerican governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick. Patrick is only the second AfricanAmerican to reach this office, but, alas, even this event was greeted with almost no fanfare, further proving that AfricanAmericans are in desperate need of a viable source for alternative news.
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Ancient African Texts Discovered in Timbuktu
By Beth Beatrice Smith
 Researchers have recently discovered texts, some from the 13th Century, buried under the sand in Timbuktu, Mali. These manuscripts prove that Africas written history dates back at least as far as the European Renaissance, and some say the texts will force recognition of Africas intellectual history.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that in an attempt to conceal the texts written in ornate calligraphy from Moroccan invaders, European explorers, and French colonialists, Malian families stashed the texts under mud homes and in desert caves. Twenty-five thousand of the ancient texts are now being housed in the Ahmed Baba Institute in South Africa.
 Galla Dicko, Director of the Institute, described the manuscripts as covering all the fields of human knowledge law, the sciences, medicine. In a letter on good governance, Malians penned a warning to intellectuals not to be corrupted by the power of politicians. South Africa joins the United States and Norway in efforts to preserve the manuscripts which have survived centuries of extreme heat and exposure to termites. South African President Thabo Mbeki says the preservation of the manuscripts will restore the self respect, the pride, honor and dignity of the people of Africa.
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Spoken WordThe New Hip Hop Movement
By Danielle Young
 Hip Hop has traveled far since Afrika Bambaataa and Dana Dane, but it has also struggled to remain a movement. The genre of Hip Hop used to mean so much more than swagger, bling, or cars. Just having heard some Big Daddy Kane or MC Lyte, you could guarantee that today was a good day.
Hip Hop became popular because it offered unlimited challenges. There were no real set rules, except to be original and to rhyme on time to the beat of music. The ultimate goal was to be perceived as being def good by ones peers.
Hip Hop today is not just a catchy beat, its a form of expression that finds its roots imbedded deep within ancient
African culture and oral tradition. That newest form of verbal acrobatics is called spoken word. Hip Hop Pioneer and
Mogul, Russell Simmons introduced mainstream America to a form of raw Hip Hop spoken through rhythmic beats and filled
with literary devices and profound statements, political opinions, encouraging words, etc. This crossover has proved effective, as many recording artists have cosigned to spoken words effectiveness. Mos Def, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Kanye West, Talib Kweli...these artists have given Hip Hop lovers a whole new genre to embrace. They have brought the soul back into Hip Hop. Spoken word artists like Shihan The Prototype and Black Ice take part in this crossover as well. Their poetry could easily be seen as Hip Hop. When they spit rhymes about the perils of this world, political and social issues. That is what true Hip Hop represents. Whether or not it is to a tight beat, it still speaks to the ears of a generation that missed out on cultural music experimentation of Afrika Bombaataa. Many recording and spoken word artists hold on tight to the culture that influenced their Hip Hop vibe.
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