Tonight's series was more the regurgitated MSM dogma that says that the only choices Black women in SC have are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Hat Tip to Prometheus 6 for YouTubing it. Courting African-American women voters Of course we couldn't be choosing to vote in our own best interest, but are merely going to choose between gender and race if you believe MSM. I was heartened to see that the Black women in SC are echoing the sentiments expressed on this blog. They like what they hear about Obama, but they just don't KNOW him and his views on the issues that are important to them. HINT HINT! Like Duh. I have already written extensively about this failure this week and I have no desire to go another round with the Obama-lytes in the comments section.
I thought this dreadful ordeal would be over tonight, but apparently due to interest in the series- BLACK FOLKS ARE GIVING NBC HELL- NBC is stretching it out another night to talk about interracial marriage. I am glad it is on a Saturday when most folks don't visit the blog because I know folks are going to act a fool AS USUAL!
It Does Not Suck To Be A Black Woman
Rev. Renita J. Weems has responded to the gloomy tone of the NBC series with this post in response "It Does Not Suck to Be A Black Woman" over at her blog, Something Within. You sure about that Renita... I don't know we may have to deprogram some folk. You can follow our discussion and posts about the NBC Series, "African American Women: Where They Stand" but going to this link.
Please note that we have ESP because this Black women and Obama story was all over CNN and NBC Nightly News today.
You should also check out the second hour of this week's podcast. During the second hour we get into a brawl over Barack Obama's ( AND EVERY OTHER CANDIDATE'S) perceived failure to address the unique needs and concerns of African American women.
By: Symphony, WAOD Contributor This Week's Wagging Finger of Shame Award Goes to Essence magazine editor Tatsha Robertson for being a complete and total embarrassment to Black women everywhere for saying this foolishness on CNN:
"Even though she's Hillary Clinton, they [Black women] see themselves, you know, within her, dealing with the family issues, the infidelity issues."
According to CNN's Chris Lawrence Robertson says Clinton's ultimate embarrassment is her greatest asset. Robertson went on to say:
"She decided, you know, whether she wanted to stay or not, and I really think, you know, people respect that about Hillary Clinton, especially black women. " (SOURCE)
CNN has the video up. . *Man, I didn't want to do that to Essence, LOL. Gina is somewhere falling off a chair, choking off of a snort and shaking her head all at the same time. DOH! -Symphony.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
While Police were recovering and identifying the body of Latasha Norman, Barack Obama was eating fried chicken in Harlem with Al Sharpton and MSNBC was reporting on the recovery of the body of another college student. It goes without saying that the other college student was not an African American woman otherwise, MSNBC would not have reported on her kidnapping and murder.
In the world of television news, air time is the treasure. The more important the editorial decision-makers believe a story is to them, the more air time will be given to the story.
In the world of politics, political capital is the treasure. The more important a politician believes an issue is, the more political capital, in the form of public statements and legislation, a politician is willing to expend.
When I say important. I don't mean private importance, but public importance. You see the editor making the calls about what goes on cable news may privately care deeply about violence against black women, but made the calculation that they cannot do so in their public lives. A politician may care very deeply about violence against Black women privately, but may do absolutely nothing about it in their public lives.
We aren't voting for a man or woman. We're voting for a President-an administration. I ain't particularly interested in their private lives. What I am concerned about is their public life. What do they treasure publicly? We can tell what they treasure publicly pretty gosh darn easily because THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM!
Regular readers of this blog know that the Universe loves to mock me. I vow never to write about something and then the Universe in its infinite wisdom decides to plop something smack dab in front of my face whose irony and hypocrisy literally dares me to comment on it at 4:00AM.
Now Rev. Renita J Weems would probably tell me that I was naïve, but Renita I really did think that all these people would have to hear were the horrific details of the crime and they would be so moved to action that they would literally trip over themselves to speak out publicly about the horrors. I was stupid and yes, naïve.
So when I woke up this morning and read that while police were trying to identify the body of Latasha Norman, Barack Obama was eating fried chicken at Sylvia's with Al Sharpton and later commented PUBLICLY on the Jena 6 in front of a audience filled with members of The Black Elite Establishment at the Apollo theater on the same day I was like “You have got to be kidding me.” The juxtaposition is insane.
The truth is that while our political leaders may feel bad privately they aren't going to speak out about any of these violent crimes against Black women. Because politically the lives of Black women and girls aren't TREASURED only our votes.
That looks ugly doesn't it. It ain't pretty, but it is the truth.
Dogs and boys – TREASURED.
Black women and girls -NOT.
The politicians have done their mercenary political calculations and have concluded that they can get away with ignoring crimes against humanity committed against African American women in this country. Why? Because they don't treasure our lives. In the political world, the lives of six African American teenage boys are worth more than the lives of a thousand Black women and children.
It's time to change the variables in their equations.
We shouldn't have to beg anybody to do what they have a moral obligation to do. The days of black women begging folks for anything OUGHT to be over. We're in the majority when it comes to Black registered voters. We control over 67% of the 850 BILLION of Black America's dollars. We lead the majority of Black America's households. So tell me why we got to beg anybody to acknowledge our humanity and treasure our lives as much as the live of Black criminal defendants?
Violence against Black women ain't going away. Candidates can either deal with it THIS December or they can deal with it NEXT November, but they will deal with it and they will deal with it publicly. It is of no consequence to me when it happens. CALCULATE THAT!
In Loving Memory of Daniyah Jackson
Our Thoughts and Prayers Are With the Family of Latasha Norman
Tonight was Night 4 of NBC Nightly News' "African American Women: Where They Stand" This is why I go to an old school Black doctor in the hood. The neighborhood is sketchy, but I get comprehensive care and she does not play.
HAHAHA Brian Williams said that African American Women: Where They Stand is "high interest."
Black folks are giving them HELL! But hey, at least we are watching.
Y'all touch and agree that, during this holiday season, the demon spirit of egg nog, danish butter cookies, and pecan pie don't undo all my hard work this summer. Although today I DID find an egg nog alternative called "Nog"- it is made out of soy milk and if you close your eyes and hold your nose, it is almost as good.
This is just speculation at this point. I don't want to take us on the roller coaster ride we went on with Nailah Franklin, but I did want to update those who had been following the story of Latasha Norman.
Jackson Police have discovered a body. Right now there is speculation that it is the body of missing Jackson State Student Latasha Norman.
According to reports, a body was found in the area of Brown Street near Tougaloo in Jackson. The coroner arrived on scene shortly after jackson police. WLBT
Now this report filed 31 minutes ago has a police officer saying it was definitely her:
Stanley Cole has been arrested in connection with the death of JSU student Latasha Norman. Cole, who is Norman's former boyfriend, faces murder charges.
A JPD officer tells News Channel 12 Norman's body was found around 2:00 Thursday afternoon on Brown Street near Tougaloo College in Jackson. The 20-year-old accounting major was last seen November 13th leaving a class on campus.SOURCE
Haven't heard about Natasha Norman? Well that is not surprising. She was a Black woman after all. When we go missing the editorial decision-makers in the newsrooms of America have decided that our kidnappings, rapes and murders just aren't newsworthy.
UPDATE: So I click to MSNBC.COM and there is a photo on the main page and I look at the title and it is about a recovered body. "Police: Corpse likely that of secret porn star" Not about Latasha Norman, but about college student Emily Sander. It is an AP WIRE STORY! AND this story was featured on MSNBC
EL DORADO, Kan. - A body found in Kansas appears to be that of a missing college student who led a secret life as an Internet porn star, police said Thursday.SOURCE
All lives are sacred, but this is just a stark example of the double standard. Two women. Both college students. Both of their bodies recovered. One gets the front page on MSNBC.COM an a segment on MSNBC and the other.... I'm still looking for an AP story on Latasha. Here it is. Oh well.
OH the hypocrisy of NBC doing a series on African American Women: Where They Stand while their website and cable network basically ignore them.
Dunbar Village As we know Jakaris Taylor, who early on felt they had nothing on him, agreed to a 20-year sentence pleading guilty to burglary and two counts of armed sexual battery while wearing a mask. His 35-year-old victim was consulted and "was satisfied with the terms of the deal before it was signed."I highly expect Avion Lawson (HAWK) to speak as well but it may not be necesary considering Taylor has already struck a deal. So why did he get a deal in the first place?
Belohlavek said prosecutors considered Taylor's age of 15 at the time of attack, the lack of DNA evidence against him and his relatively limited role in the assault. His fingerprint was found inside the victim's apartment, while DNA linked other defendants to the home, Belohlavek said.
All the defendants have been offered deals with different prison terms. The next to last paragraph of the article was the most telling for me.
Taylor's mother could not be reached to talk about her son's fate because she is in the Palm Beach County Jail. Jacqueline Minor, 34, has been incarcerated since Nov. 15 in lieu of $6,000 bail on charges of vehicle theft and driving on a suspended license.
I mean really. This is where I will unjustly (apparently) blame women and poor people. We spend a lot of time talking about kids (especially male children) not having a father in the home but truth be told, a lot of kids don't have a mother either.
There is more to being a parent than putting food on the table and a roof over a kid's head. Instilling values is something many people forget, don't have time for, don't realize (add your endless but futile reasons here). And its not just poor parents, its a lot of parents regardless of socioeconomic situations.
I will never poo-poo the absence of a father; I know it takes a man to teach a boy to be a man. But does it take a man to teach a child how to be respectful, kind, and proud? I am a single mother and I work to instill those basic human (not male) qualities in my son everyday.
Many times I have to check myself when I admonish people for not doing better because I'm one of those people who "shouldn't be where they are" and I'm quick to say "if I could do it then so can anyone else" and "stop allowing yourself to be victimized particularly when you're a grown behind woman".
Why do I think people can better themselves? Because I was the product of a single mother (see the cycle), I was a latchkey kid at SIX YEARS OLD, I wasn't raised in the church, my mother couldn't tell you my grades let alone what classes I was taking in high school, I didn't grow up with my father, he was in and out of my life like clockwork (6, 12, and haven't seen him since 18), no one in my family graduated from college, it goes on and on.
But I took responsibility for my education when I was a little kid and I took responsibility for my life as a self-respecting woman and successful person somewhere around 21. After high school I served in the military, I will graduate with honors in May with a degree in International Relations, I'm applying to law schools and as far as I'm concerned the sky is the limit.
But I dont just expect people to better their lives just because I don't want them using my tax dollars blah, blah, blah. I believe it because I believe in peopole and truly think they can. I expect them to succeed because I WANT them to succeed. We can't sit around on the sidelines waiting for livable wages, the end of racism, sexism, and discrimination, etc. before we jump in the fight. You have to strive in spite of.
And yes, some of you hate hearing it (*shrugs* but so) but some people do have a defeatist attitude. You can't help someone who isn't willing to help themselves. And if you give them all the support, resources, and information in the world and they still don't take the first step is it still everyone else's fault?
Jakaris Taylor (apparent daddy to be) may be out of jail "likely in his early to mid-30s" and we wonder what that means. Its punishment but it won't be rehabilitation. Is it right to say he's a lost cause at 16?
So here we are. The subsidizing of those given up on begins. Unfortunately its on the wrong end. People say, "Why should my tax dollars pay for after school programs and other programs for other people's kids?" (Enlighten me. Are there no programs that receive some type of tax dollars either federally, state, or locally that benefits middle class and more wealthy children? Story for another day.)
You're going to pay for their parent's sin of not caring about them one way or the other. We can pay for it on the front end when they are young and more open to change (which can end generational poverty and social ills) or we can pay for them on the back end (after commiting our own sin of ignoring the weakest most helpless in our society--children--regardless of whether they are ours by birth) when they are in jail. And then we will pay for the kids they brought into this world and so on. So, you're going to pay. Its just when and how do you want to do it.
I just talked to Shane, Shecodes and Citoya this week. The planning for the Dunbar Village Townhall meeting, if you will, is going quite nicely. If anyone is interested in taking a trip to West Palm Beach and doing some hands-on activism in mid-January Dunbar Village 2008 will have all the up-to-date information on the itinerary.You can also contact me (not through the comments section) at symphonyep[at]gmail[dot]com
So let me ask this. Gina is a self-described town crier. Now, if you aren't a blogger (or spread the word whatever your medium) who are letting the masses know about the problems and you aren't doing anything in the community are you part of the problem? Or do you believe the best way for society to be great is for you to concentrate on making something of yourself and being successful?
So my sources tell me that some Obama folks are in a tizzy because of a couple of little posts at my tiny little blog. Now you would think they would be in a tizzy over the fact that Senator Obama has been totally and completely silent on Dunbar Village and other horrific crimes of violence against BLACK WOMEN. You know the BLACK WOMEN that are a huge chunk of the voting block in SC. Yeah, those BLACK WOMEN.
But instead of focusing on asking his staffers why the Senator's Washington staff said he was going to issue a statement back on August 7,2007, but apparently he didn't, they are sitting around trying to figure out how many people read my blog. Well it's called a sitemeter and if you are really clever, you might discover it one day. You should be more distressed however about my technorati rating after a mere six months. THAT ought to terrify y'all
As far as your concern about how many people read this blog, if you knew anything about blogs, you would know that you should be less concerned about how many people read it as opposed to how influential its reader base is (y'all did notice my picture plopped right next to the Senator's in the December issue of ESSENCE didn't y'all- Y'all got to be more vigilant!) and you can't go by the folks who leave comments either(although they are impressive). I am amazed at who reads this blog. You should be far more worried at a terrible knack I and my readers have for stumbling into newspaper and magazine articles. If you think Dunbar Village and this current unrest in the Black community about Black on Black crime is going to go away, you are in a dream world. People are ENRAGED about the silence on Dunbar Village and other crimes against Black women and children
FYI. Clinton knows about Dunbar Village and has been silent. Edwards knows about Dunbar Village and responded with a request for a donation. Richardson knows about Dunbar Village. About the only candidates we have not contacted are the Republicans, but you know if y'all keep irritating folks, don't be surprise if we put up their contact information for the readers one day. Y'all gone be real embarrassed if a Republican candidate picks up on the absolute RAGE simmering in the Black community about Black on Black crime. We are simply all thugged OUT.
Why Dunbar Village? Well because it is indicative of so many other horrors. We've talked about the 11 year olg girl that was gang raped by at least 20 men and boys. We've told you abut Dangela Dawson, whose home was firebombed.
Now if Barack Obama can't be moved to talk about any one of these horrors, somebody tell me what you have to do to a Black woman or child in this country to get our leaders to open up their mouths and SPEAK?
Just this week following the death of an NFL player, the issue of Black on Black crime bubbled up AGAIN and members of the media are joining me in questioning the immoral indifference to Black victims of crime in this country who are victimized by other Black people.
Jason Whitlock just out and called them "The Black KKK." Clarence Page did an article about Black on Black crime that is still being reprinted in syndication everyday in a new newspaper.
OH and If y'all are scared about the blog, what you really ought to be terrified by are my Dunbar Village videos. Well over 100,000 hits in a month and a half and those are the views I can track. They're viral and I don't even promote them on this site. People are emailing them all over the country. Obama and others are mentioned.
So while you plot your strategy against me and this blog for being Obama haters ( an outright LIE). My question is why you aren't spending your time as Black Women for Obama asking the Senator why he will speak out on behalf of Black women in Darfur and white men in America, but won't speak out about Dunbar Village and other atrocities committed RIGHT HERE in the USA. You might want to point out that he is about to be on the wrong side of history on Dunbar Village. He better call Al Sharpton.
As far as "targeting" Obama. I am not the one writing all these articles about Black women and Obama and the article I referred to is not the first. This blog is about the negative portrayal of African American women in popular culture and I think this inference in MSM that Black women who don't vote for Obama are somehow being disloyal is idiotic and stupid. If he wants Black women's votes, he ought to hustle for them.
Welcome to What About Our Daughters? We serve our truth in a glass and we ain't drinking Koolaid out of it either. I ain't scared of y'all! Bring it!
Sorry ladies, I wasn't impressed. Tonight's segment was much improved, but once again, poorly thought out. The black women's roundtable was interesting and heartfelt, but represented a limited perspective. I am personally trying to escape the big black monolith. I no longer desire to be lumped in with every single black person in the world and I do not wish to be bunched together with every single black woman in the world. After watching the extended segment twice, all I could think was -
Do ALL black women want the same things in life?
Does EVERY black woman have the desire to be married? Don't we all know at least one friend or relative that seriously has absolutely no interest in marriage?
Is EVERY black woman MEANT to be married? Don't we all know at least one friend or relative that is an awful wife?
Is EVERY black woman MEANT to be a MOTHER? Don't we all know at least one friend or relative that is an awful mother?
Is EVERY black woman that is married HAPPY and FULFILLED? Don't we all know at least one friend or relative that is more alone in their marriage than they ever were as a single person?
I think marriage is wonderful...for some people. I think motherhood is beautiful...for some people. I just don't believe that your life as a black woman is somehow lacking, incomplete or a failure if you don't become someone's wife or someone's mother.
Okay Rehema. You redeemed yourself tonight. Rehema Ellis gave us(not us in particular, but bloggers in general) a shout out tonight on NBC Nightly News. Brian Williams had Rahema come to the Nightly News set and Brian and Rahema noted the strong response to the series and that folks were not all ecstatic about it.
I think tonight's was the most “original” piece that NBC has done this week. Sure they regurgitated the same old “Black Women Will Die Old Alone” propaganda, but they managed not to blame us and say we were being to picky and the women that they interviewed weren't irritating in the way that the group they interviewed for the interracial dating panel tapped danced all up under and through my last nerve.
Awesome shout out to Black women who are adopting in historic numbers. I actually thought they were gong to talk about how Black women interact with each other. They highlighted the fact that as a result of the Concubine Conspiracy, entire generations of Black children won't know what it is like to grow up in a two parent household.
But I didn't leave the piece feeling doomed. It actually had a hopeful, poignant bent to it tonight. Rahema looked on the verge of tears. YES I AM GOING EASY ON HER TONIGHT. Y'all know I don't like bullying and I have a soft spot for the underdog and we've given Rahema hell this week. She deserved it after that Monday night debacle, but tonight's piece was much better IMHO.
But I have the feeling that Mara Schiavocampo is about to bring us another bout of “Ignorance personified”. This is what she said on the Daily Nightly, the NBC Nightly News Blog:
And on Friday, I'll be posting a video version of a roundtable discussion on hip-hop's effect on Black women, featuring Irv Gotti, Melyssa Ford, Kevin Powell and Kendra G. Trust me, it's not to be missed. SOURCE
Oh don't worry Mara, we wouldn't miss it for the world. Melyssa Ford and Irv Gotti... Oh I can't wait. My foolishness meter is going berserk right about now.
My only major irritation tonight was that NBC gave a shout out to "Soul Mates" aka “Poor Little Spinster Sistas”. My friend watched that movie and said it had her despondent and in tears. Don't do it to yourself. Do not watch "Soul Mates " alone. Just. Don't Do It.
The core of her message in South Carolina is her argument that Obama, more than Clinton, former North Carolina senator John Edwards or any other presidential candidate, will do more for blacks because he understands them better.SOURCE
This most recent article about Michelle Obama's speech in SC, is the latest in a string of articles by mainstream media that is basically savaging Black women voters. This blog is after all about the negative portrayal of African American women in popular culture. The slander doesn't get any deeper than the ruse that Black women are going to be singlehandedly responsible to keeping a brother out of the White House.
Michelle Obama, 43, is especially challenging other black women, who'll be pivotal in the South Carolina primary. SOURCE
You see mainstream media is setting Black women up to be the villains in the event Barack Obama doesn't win the nomination. Go back and type in Obama and “Black Women” in a Google news search. Don't bother, I did it for y'all!
You see this is the “Political Apprentice” and Barack Obama has been cast as the superbly qualified Kwame and we, “De Ebil Blak Wimmen” are apparently going to reprise the role of Omarosa Manigault-Stalworth-Bently-Louis Vitton.
Except this time, the job that is on the line isn't some raggedy stint as Donald Trump's intern, but the position of the leader of the free world. The ultimate career move, and the “Sistas” are standing in Barack Obamas way.
This ain't no coinky dink. This is yet another version of “Black women are the enemy of Black men.” We hear this garbage from the Hip Hop Industrial Complex all the time. A sista' tryin' to stick a brother for his paper!
THIS “Black women are the enemy” talk is dangerous. I have said it once, I will say it a thousand times. You will mistreat something you view as less than human and you might feel bad about it, but if you view something or someone as your enemy, you will destroy it and not feel bad at all, in fact you will feel good about it.
Now imagine those weren't water balloons and imagine that that was not Omarosa.
I knew I was committing heresy when I wrote what I wrote. You see because I am a Black woman, I am supposed to give my vote away for free. I am not supposed to examine whether a candidate's policy positions are in MY best interest. I am supposed to be appeased by a compelling life story or how awesome I think the candidate's wife or HUSBAND is. I am supposed to be swayed and intoxicated by the melodic sounds coming from the gospel concert the candidate threw and amazed by the candidate's saxophone playing. I am supposed to be hypnotized by the candidate's phony southern accent:
You see, Christian conservatives have the power to veto Supreme court nominations. Immigration advocates get to help draft legislation sitting side by side with congressional leaders. Labor Unions get to basically draft treaties (second in supremacy only to the Constitution), but Black women, we can't ask for too much. We most certainly can't ask that a candidate make the case for why we should vote for them other than the superficial, a gospel concert is enough.
I wasn't just talking about Barack Obama. I was talking about people voting for Hillary because they have a crush on Bill Clinton . Or people Voting for John Edwards because he ran down to New Orleans to do a photo op in front of some hurricane carnage ( UM did he bring some heavy equipment and dump trucks with him? How many blocks of debris did he clear out).
The point I was trying to make was that Black women have entirely too much political power, particularly in SC to not have candidates address their needs and concerns with specificity. Not broad generalizations, but specificity. In making that point I merely asked whether African American women would be better off under an Obama administration as opposed to a Billary, Edwards, Richardson, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden or Mike Gravel Administration.
For asking such a question, we've basically been called Black man hating bitter harpies who are picking on Barack Obama. We have been cast as Barack Obama's Omarosas (BOO!). Treacherous, conniving, underhanded, difficult, angry Black women and out to keep a brother down.
Oh I'm sorry I just thought we were electing the leader of the free world. So sorry that his stances on the issues that at the moment are most important to me are irrelevant to my evaluation of him. Gosh how silly of me. There I go being a feather brained female. There I went thinking I was supposed to be making my decisions based on a candidate's stance on the issues that are important to ME and all along I was supposed to forget what might be in my best interest and substitute my judgment for that of complete and total strangers because of course... They know what best for little ole feather brained me. Fiddle dee dee. *Starts looking for a straw fan and a mint julep*
Well for those of you who have been trying to cast Black women as the Barack Obama's Omarosa Society. BOOS ( yes I am clever. I know), we are about to induct a new member. None other that the the Honorable Rev. Dr. Jesse Jackon, Sr. the Fourth.
Democratic candidates are talking about health care and raising the minimum wage, but they aren't talking about the separate and stark realities facing African Americans. SOURCE
Oh my lord Reverend, you mean to tell me that African Americans have unique concerns that a candidate running for high office might want to address specifically? It just can't be so? What about their compelling biographies, impressive spouses, and precocious children? You mean to tell me black folks are supposed to be concerned about specific issues that are of interest to them? Perish the thought.*takes another sip of the mint julep and waves straw fan furiously*
African Americans have, on average, about half of the good things that whites have, and double the bad things. We have about half the average household income and less than half the household wealth. On the other hand, we're suffering twice the level of unemployment and twice the level of infant mortality (widely accepted as a measure of general health). SOURCE
Perish the thought Rev. We ain't supposed to ask the candidates to address these specific issues, they're too busy mapping out policy and position papers for all those other IMPORTANT democratic constituencies. Never mind this big ole block of Black votes that they need to win in both the primary AND the general election ( anybody ever heard of Ohio?)
African Americans are brutalized by a system of criminal injustice. Young African Americans are more likely to be stopped, more likely to be searched if stopped, more likely to be arrested if searched, more likely to be charged if arrested, more likely to be sentenced to prison if charged, less likely to get early parole if imprisoned. Every study confirms that the discrimination is systemic and ruinous. And yet no candidate speaks to this central reality.
African Americans are more likely to go to overcrowded and underfunded schools, more likely to go without health care, more likely to drop out, less likely to find employment. Those who do work have less access to banks and are more likely to be ripped off by payday lenders, more likely to be stuck with high-interest auto and business loans, and far more likely to be steered to risky mortgages -- even when adjusting for income. And yet, no candidate speaks to this central reality. SOURCE
Hmmm, the temperature in Hell just dropped 30 degrees. It might just freeze on over.
Now, 40 years later, it is no longer acceptable for candidates to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to entrenched discrimination and still expect to reap our votes. SOURCE
So, is the Rev. Jackson a Black man hating feminazi shrew? Are you going to revoke his “Black card” too. Is he going to be blamed for singlehandedly bringing down all of the Democratic candidates for merely suggesting that with as much political power that Black people have the candidates ought to be addressing our issues SPECIFICALLY with more than lip service but actual POLICY? Now black women make up the majority of Black registered voters in this country, tell me again why we shouldn't have our issues addressed by candidates?
Now when the GLBT community was up in arms about Donnie McClurkin, Obama couldn't issue statements and have conference calls soon enough, but Black women apparently are not as important as everybody else. We can't be too demanding. We can't ask for too much in exchange for our votes. We don't deserve to be pandered to like every other group of people and demand tangible results in exchange for our votes. We're second class voters. When they count up the vote totals, our votes apparently only count 2/3 as much as Christian conservatives, members of labor unions, members of the GLBT community, environmentalists, immigration activists or opponents, and any other special interest groups that candidates ROUTINELY pander to and guess what, these folks actually get actual LEGISLATION and BILLIONS of my TAX DOLLARS out of these candidates instead of a $20 gospel concert.
To all the Obama-maniacs that have been frothing in the comments section over merely asking a question, you do your candidate a disservice by saying that we must vote for him because he is Black. A prudent action MIGHT have been to answer Shecode's questions and say. “The senator has spelled out his position on this issue. You can read more about it here.” But no, you weren't concerned about answering her question, only in making sure you noted her disloyalty for merely asking them. You were obsessed with telling a group of Black women that being concerned about violence against women and children, our health, and our personal finances are too trivial for the President of the United States to be bothered with. You were too busy trying to label us with the 'Scarlett “O”' - Not Oprah, Not Obama, Omarosa.
Maybe if Obama started addressing SUBSTANTIVE issues of specific concern to Black women in SC folks wouldn't be wringing their hands over Hillary. Whether you like it or not, a whole lot of black folks remember the Bill Clinton years as a Golden Age of Black America. The country experienced some economic prosperity, everybody owned some dot com stock. Black folks were all up over and through the Clinton administration. Quite frankly, you can say what you want to say about Bill Clinton and his policies, but he has never appear uncomfortable standing in front of Black people and having a conversation. Maybe what people tune in to is Bill Clinton's comfort level with Black folks. What's Obama's? Black folks know Bill Clinton. They don't know Obama... yet.
If he wants their votes then make the case. He's a lawyer! Make the case! Build the case on something other than biography. We aren't trying to hurt him. We're actually trying to help him by pointing out that he ain't gon' win SC on bio. You got to overcome CLINTON, BILL CLINTON and you ain't going to do that with bio, an impressive wife and precocious children.
Hillary has given him more than enough to beat her, but Obama's people think so little of Black women that they would rather focus on style than substance. Fine! Be that way, but PLEASE don't blame Black women and their “animus” towards Black men as one comment stated. If he loses, he loses because he didn't make the case for why Black women would be better off under an Obama candidacy. If he loses, he loses because he ran a crappy campaign. Tell me why he didn't beat back "I Got A Crush on Obama" and say "RESPECT MY WIFE!" Tell me why I know more about his stinky socks and leaving out the butter than I do about his policy positions? Tell me why Michelle, who spent all summer reminding us that her husband was not all that, now wants Black women to entrust our futures to the same man that apparently won't clean up after himself. Don't blame Black women for the polling in SC, blame his campaign strategists.
I didn't say I wouldn't vote for Obama. I just said if I do, I am not going to engage in the FICTION that just because he is a Black man that I am going to be better off under his administration than I would under any other administration.
If I would be better off, then by all means SHOW ME! Show me some policy. Show me some legislation. Show me some concrete acts he's taken in the past other than you like his biography. Show me the list of Black women taking a prominent role on his staff. I am not picking on the man. I was merely responding to yet another news article, setting Black women up as electoral spoilers, that popped up in my news feed.
The truth is that if Obama is in any kind of decent position come mid January, I predict that he is gong to get a HUGE chunk of the Black vote in South Carolina. I don't care WHAT folks are telling reporters in barbershops and beauty shops.It IS going to be hard to walk away from the possibility of having an African American living in the White House.
However, I am SOOOOO sorry that my impertinent questions are arising at an inopportune time, but I didn't bring up the Obama Black woman conundrum, Michelle Obama did!
Who wants next?
To all of those who can't stand the idea of questioning candidate's on their attention to the needs of the African American community, you are going to be VERY DISTRESSED to find out that there is an ENTIRE blog dedicated to Black Accountability. GASP. Oh Yeah, we aren't the only ones who think Black folks need to start holding all politicians accountable. Hat Tip to Francis Holland and the Afrospear Google Group for the heads up on the article.
For those who missed night two in the NBC series "African American Women: Where They Stand", here is the link: Black women and breast cancer To see the full interview of Dr. Funmi Olopade, you can watch it here. Experts on black women, cancer The moral of the story is Black women need to look into participating in clinical trials.
If Want to Know Why the Series is Disappointing Blame Mark Whitaker
Somebody find us Mark Whitaker's email. He is responsible for the tragedy that was last night's piece and the gist of this series which is basically "NBC to Black Women: It Sucks to be UUUUU":
Mark Whitaker, senior vice president of NBC News, who happens to be African-American, came up with the idea. He suggested that if we look at the major accomplishments of the nation's 13 million African-Americans in education and in the workplace we would find women leading the way. He then asked us to take a look at what the consequences of that achievement are.SOURCE
Who the heck asks about "CONSEQUENCES" for achievement? So inherently in this man's mind, if Black women are doing well then there must be a down side. Now wonder the series looks the way it does. For real. Get his email! I think we should speak with him about CONSEQUENCES! What ever happened to BENEFITS or PROGRESS? So sisters were doomed going into this series.
Now on to the "controversy". Folks I have been perusing The Daily Nightly, which is the NBC Nightly News blog, and the average posts around there get like 5 or 10 comments. Guess how many comments are on the posts about this series on Black women???
I have read almost all of the blog entries that we've received. Many of them were complimentary. But some were angry or disappointed in Part One, which I wrote, saying it had not lived up to all of their expectations.
Poor thing. I almost felt guilty, but the piece was shallow and regurgitated stats I'd already heard elsewhere while being touted as in depth and what possessed her to refer to the success of Black women in college as an achievement gap? I gave her a pep talk. She seemed beat down.
Response to Night One
So far there are 111 responses to the first night and they weren't all positive. HAHAHA I am being generous and I see some of my readers have been chilling out at the NBC Nightly News Blog. I recognize WAOD rhetoric when I see it. That's great. We're conquering the world.
Response to the Announcement of the Series
Even more folks have chipped in their two cents on the thread announcing the series. About 200 have weighed in so far.
Series Web Page- Web Extras
If you can't get enough from the broadcast, the web site dedicated to the series has a bunch of video content.
For the WAOD guide on how to view this series and some questions you might want to ask, please read "Be Revolutionary not Reactionary" by WAOD Contributor, Professor Tracey.
MSNBC - African American Women: Where They Stand – 0 for 2
Professor Tracey, WAOD Contributor
For the second night in a row, MSNBC presented another disappointing “investigative” segment with information about black women that could have been discovered by simply googling “black women and breast cancer.” I am now officially wondering how much “research” and “investigation” is actually being made in connection with this series.
What didn’t they talk to anyone connected to the National Black Women’s Health Project? This organization celebrates their 25th anniversary in June. My mother who invokes the memory of the Tuskegee Experiment every time I criticized her for not participating in medical clinical trials focusing on black women, has regularly participated in NBWHP’s clinical trials.
Why didn’t they talk to anyone that is actually working hard to get black women the medical care that they desperately need? Black radio personality, Tom Joyner is entering into the sixth year of his annual “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day”. The Susan G. Komen Foundation has specifically targeted black women to get free mammograms. All black sororities from the AKAs to the Zetas regularly put on local and national programs addressing black women’s health.
A real investigative report would have addressed the following questions –
Why are black women NOT participating in medical clinic trials?
Why are medical doctors using medical research collected from white women to treat black women?
What OTHER facts are contributing to breast cancer being such a devastating disease for black women? Weight issues? Too much stress? Being single and fighting a serious disease?
What kind of preventive measures would specifically help black women avoid or successfully lessen their chances of getting breast cancer?
Are there support groups for black women who are breast cancer survivors?
Borrowing Attorney Mom’s sidebar:
I did not have high expectations for this series, but this is a new low. Since when did a paltry five minutes of news reporting over the course of two days qualify as investigative reporting? Rahema Ellis should be feeling the heat as should anyone else connected to producing this half-assed series.
BY: SHECODES, WAOD Contributor (Open letter to Barack Obama from SheCodes) Dear Mr. Obama,
It looks like a few of your minions "ardent supporters" have begun invading the WAOD comments section, all worked into a frenzy because Black women have woken up and are asking some pointed questions about you and the other presidential candidates.
Some of them are ‘baffled’ by our decision to abandon the old paradigm of childlike obedience to (and hero-worship of) black male politicians. After all, shouldn’t we be groveling in gratitude to any educated brother that would deign to ride us like the obedient mules we were trained to be?
So why are we supposedly giving you, Barack Obama, a hard time? (read: asking a few, simple, intelligent questions are always automatically be construed as ‘a hard time’ or ‘racially traitorous’ if you are black and female)
The reason is simple: many of us have grown weary and disillusioned of ‘gospel talking’ politicians who will talk about Jesus, their wives, the weather, jazz music, and black loyalty… but come election day -- immediately and WITHOUT FAIL shove black women to the utter back of the priority bus – if we are allowed inside that bus at all.
So our question is the same: HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT from the other politicians? Why should black women (equal emphasis on ‘women’ as ‘black’) vote for you? What about our Daughters extends an open invitation to you, Mr. Obama, and any other political candidate to the Black Women’s Roundtable, Thursday evenings, 8:00 central. We don’t want to hear about how you just luurve collard greens or how you just watched ‘American Gangster’ with your kids.
Can you answer the following questions:
1) What are you going to do to decrease Black on Black crime? And yes, we mean DECREASE it, not just ‘slow down the rate of increase’. Do you even have a plan to clean up the crime-addled Dunbar Villages in America?
2) Phillippe Dauman is presiding over a brutally vicious, calculating and defamatory assault on the collective reputation and self-esteems of Black women. He wants the FCC to create legislation that will allow him to buy our newspapers, magazines, radio stations and even more TV channels to spread his stereotypical and harmful opinions of us. Are you going to stop him or not? It’s a yes or no question.
3) What if anything, are you willing to do to improve the physical health of Black women (hint: we have major problems with hypertension, heart disease, uterine fibroids, diabetes, depression, obesity, sickle-cell anemia, breast cancer and HIV.)
4) Would you fund research that will study the socio-economic health of black women, and present recommendations to change whatever forces are causing the 70% OOW rate, the 39% and counting never-wed rate?
5) How are you planning make a college education an affordable goal for more black women and girls?
6) How are you going to end the war on young black girls – namely the sexual molestations, the rapes, the hyper-sexualized imagery and the predatory sexual advances of older men?
7) What would happen to entrepreneurial funding and grants for minorities and women if you were to be elected?
So Mr. Obama, check us out at our Roundtable. We’ll even mute Professor Tracy and myself if you want. To be quite honest, most of us (including myself) are still looking for an excuse to vote for you, but haven’t seen anything yet except Oprah and your wife. If you are really as concerned about us as your minions "ardent supporters" say that you are, then you can at least address our concerns in person.
Sincerely,
SheCodes
Aside: Black women everywhere are cutting the apron strings, my brothers – it’s for your own good. Trust us! It’s time to be men and sink or swim on your own merit. We aren’t asking Barack anything that we aren’t asking the other politicians.
Special thanks to villager, who has at least attempted to answer our questions, minus the 'race-loyalty' sermon.
Quote of the day: “Don't alter the course of your future over a fried chicken dinner and some fancy handshakes.” – Rashawn, WAOD reader
UPDATE:For those of you who actually have lives, and can not read through all of the comments, I have created a quick, 'abridged' summary of the comments. It is comment #78, November 27, 2007 4:08 PM.
The most important purpose of the conference is to share knowledge. The conference will promote intellectual, social, and cultural development of the blogging community by bringing bloggers of color together. Blogging While Brown is an opportunity to meet other bloggers and blog readers of color for the first time, discuss current issues of interest to bloggers of color, network with individuals and organizations interested in leveraging online activity with offline results, and learn about the latest technology that will assist bloggers with publishing their work and improving their readers experience by fully engaging in the newest media technology.
Blogging While Brown is currently accepting proposals for workshops that will appear at the conference.
Three Conference Tracks
Track No. 1 - From the Screens to the Streets: News, Politics, and Social Justice- This track will feature sessions related to blogging about current events, activism, and bloggers who are leveraging their online resources to get offline results.
Track No. 2 - Blogging Building Blocks-This conference track will feature sessions related to the nuts and bolts of blogging such as technology, blogging widgets, the business of blogging, monetizing blogs, increasing blog traffic, legal issues, design, layout and improving the reader experience.
Track No. 3 - The Blogs of Our Lives-This conference track will feature sessions related to entertainment, gossip, lifestyle and social networking, how not to get sued, artist promotion, and the blogs that are our favorite guilty pleasures.
Who may submit workshop proposals?
Any and all individuals interested in bloggers of color and the issues or interest to them should submit proposals. Individuals from for-profit and not-for-profit entities may submit proposals for consideration provided the proposed workshop supports the theme, goals or workshop subject areas of the Conference
Once again MSM is trying to convince the winners that they are losers. Now in every other part of the world BILLIONS of humanitarian dollars are expended to educate women and it is considered a success when it happens, but ONLY in AMERICA can black woman getting an education be presented as a tragedy or be couched in terms of what Black men aren't doing.
Well as promised, NBC Nightly News began a five part series that was supposed to be about African American women, but ended up, as usual, being all about African American men. How the heck did that happen. All these wonderful stats about Black women were immediately juxtaposed by some negative statistics about Black men. they should have called the series "African American Men: Where They Stand". Now if Black men outnumbered Black women in college, would Brian Williams have referred to the phenomenon as an achievement gap?
This piece didn't say anything I didn't already know. SO MUCH FOR Investigative Reporting. Reading a couple of Back issues of Essence magazine does not qualify as research. BOOO Double BOOO! GO tell Brian Williams what you thought over at the Nightly News Blog.
64% of Black college students are Black women. Heard that before
The number of Black women businesses increased by %75 in the last five years while only 29% for Black men. NEWSFLASH maybe the number is going up slower for Black men because Black women are playing catch up.
Now this stat is central to the entire point of this blog and our slogan "Defund the War on Black Women": of the $850 BILLION Black folks control in this country, 62% is controlled by Black women. So somebody explain to me why we are begging anybody for anything? Tell me why we couldn't basically tell corporate America to stop subsidizing our degradation and have them act on it.
I don't have anything else to say about it other than I want that 30 minutes of my life BACK. Professor Tracey laid out a very through analysis in her post Be Revolutionary Not Reactionary.
A teenager accused of taking part in the gang-rape and assault of a West Palm Beach woman and her 12-year-old son has agreed to plead guilty to charges of burglary and sexual battery and will testify against three other teens allegedly involved in the crime. SOURCE
He'll get 20 years so he'll be back on the streets before he is 40:
In exchange for pleading guilty to two counts of sexual battery by multiple perpetrators with a firearm while wearing a mask and burglary with assault or battery with a firearm, Jakaris Taylor will serve 20 years in prison with credit for the 130 days he's been in jail. SOURCE
If you watch the NBC with Brian Williams series on black women this week, instead of being passive and having the various expected emotional reactions of anger, disappointment, sadness, etc…Get a pen and a pad and take notes! Think about how statistics on black women’s lives are being shaped and presented in the news segments. Is there an alternative view? Is this truly a REAL problem ONLY affecting black women? Why exactly is this particular issue viewed as a PROBLEM for black women? What is a possible solution(s) to the particular issue?
Just a few preliminary observations of my own –
Black Women and Education
Does it really matter that black women outnumber black men in undergraduate education? A degree is a degree. Every statistic supports that a woman’s earning power increases with a college degree. You go to college to earn a degree, not to find a man. The real question is why don’t these same numbers appear for black women in the pursuit of advanced degrees? What is happening that black men still earn more masters and PhD degrees than black women when we out-number them in terms of undergraduate education?
Black Women and Entrepreneurship
The issue is NOT that an education prevents black women from going into business for themselves. The REAL issue is that most black women with degrees go into the workplace with low paid jobs that offer little in terms of future promotion or executive mentoring. Black women are NATURAL entrepreneurs; you only need to go to a local church to find a black woman hustling something; Avon, Tupperware, baked goods, etc…. The truth is black women are NOT encouraged to start their own businesses and are not exposed to the information needed to successfully start a business. This is a FAKE problem for black women and completely easy to solve.
Black Women and Inter-Racial Dating
So what!!! There are 13 million black people in the United States and less than 140,000 black women have white husbands! This small percentage is NOT an ethnic group changing or family structure altering statistic. Let’s talk about this when 500,000 black women have white husbands and a million black women are dating outside the race. Until then, the real question is why in the 21st century are black women still waiting for the “approval” of anyone to go on a date? I will date anyone in the entire rainbow coalition as long as they treat me with respect, dignity, and compassion!
Black Women and Marriage
If this segment brings up the tired argument that black women are over-educated or too picky, and not willing to marry blue-collar black men, TURN OFF THE TELEVISION!!! My questions are - Do black people date? I mean real dates, not dollar menu meals and sex. Where exactly can the average black woman go to find a potential marriage partner? Not at the club or at church for that matter. Does the average black person have the EMOTIONAL, SPIRTUAL, and FINANCIAL means to enter into such a complex and challenging union such as marriage? Does every black woman want to be married? I’ve never had the wedding girl fantasy. I enjoy being single and dating. I’m not sure that I would be the best wife. How about you? What about black gay women? Isn’t it time we stop acting like this group of black women doesn’t exist?
Hip Hop and Black Women
Does hip hop exhibit hatred of black women? Yes! Next question, please! Name one entity in current existence that supports black women? Corporate America? The criminal justice system? The healthcare industry? The black church? The educational system? The government? Tell the truth, if you are a 30+ year-old black woman, single and childless, how EXACTLY does hip hop music and culture TRULY affect your everyday life? Is hip hop in your top ten daily life problems to tackle each day? You can hate how the music and the images negatively reflect and attack black women, but does hip hop REALLY impact your life more than any of the other industries list above?
Black Women and Health Issues
The overall health issues and stress factors facing the average Black woman are already at the crisis stage. Of all the issues they are planning to cover, this one is the most important. I hope instead of bombarding us with depressing statistics about black women’s health, that they will present numerous pro-active plans to improve black women’s physical and mental health. Like black women going into business for themselves, improving black women’s health is an issue that is also completely solvable.
Black Women and Politics
As far as I can see there is NOT one presidential candidate that gives a damn about black women. Who represents us and our concerns? Are we challenging political leaders and activists to meet our needs? We need to start locating, promoting, and supporting candidates at all levels that have our issues as one of their primary concerns. We have a political voice and the potential power to make an impact; the only question remains are we willing to use it?
Just one black woman’s opinion here. What do you think? Personally, I am sick and tired of being defined by others. I am an extremely successful black woman and I have had enough of being told what I don’t have. Let’s look for the good things in our lives and go after what we want in a positive and pro-active manner. No more whining or waiting to exhale in 2008!!! Let’s get ourselves together and make it clear that black women are not going to take anymore mess of any kind and shame on those that get in the way!!! Then, next year’s NBC series could be “what in the hell has gotten into black women and how do we stop them before they take over the world!”
I thought it was just Roland Martin that was obsessed with Black women voting for Barack Obama, but apparently Barack Obama has suddenly gotten interested in Black women too and he sent no less than Michelle, the Obama that ought to be running for President, to SC to basically say as much.
Seems Michelle Obama wants Black women to vote for Barack Obama instead of Billary Clinton ( come on y'all, Y'all know the love is all about Bill and not Hill. Who are we kidding.).:
Michelle Obama, 43, is especially challenging other black women, who'll be pivotal in the South Carolina primary, to consider whether they're torn between the two leading Democratic candidates because they identify with Clinton as a woman, admire her experience or loved Bill Clinton as president, or because racism has shaded their instincts. SOURCE
The truth is that the most powerful Black women on planet earth live in South Carolina right now. Michelle Obama wants their votes, my question is why should they give it to her husband other than he appears to be a nice guy?
Now on some things I have to agree completely with Michelle. Of all the reasons NOT to vote for her husband, one of them should not be because you fear that if he wins his life would be imperiled.
"I know it's also about love," she said. "I know people care about Barack and our family. I know people want to protect us and themselves from disappointment and failure. I know people are proud of us. SOURCE
Are y'all serious with that foolishness? The very nature of being the President of the United States carries great personal risk. That's why we got that whole section of the Department of Treasury dedicated to keeping the POTUS safe.
I mean under that reasoning, Harriet Tubman would have stayed a slave because the risk of running away was great. The risk of returning repeatedly was even greater. We are not a the descendants of a bunch of shrinking violets! Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth. Suck it up Black people! Y'all act like we ain't ever faced perilous times and survived. Middle Passage anybody? Foolishness! Somewhere our great-great grandmothers are just steaming at these folks in SC. You think they had security details protecting our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers in the Jim Crow South? Get a grip already. I know we're raised believing that it is our solemn duty to "protect" Black men, but seriously, he'll be fine. NEXT!
Regarding this “America will never elect a Black president” foolishness. You mean in the same way that a Black man would never win the heavy weight title of the world or the way a Black man could never win the 100 yard dash or the way a black man could never be the CEO of Time Warner or a Black man could never be a billionaire or the way a Black person could never win an gold medal at the winter Olympics? Anybody ever heard of Johnetta Flowers. Who knows what America will or won't do. There was a time when people thought that If you sailed too far to the West, you would fall off the Earth- those folks were wrong too.
"I'm asking you to believe in yourselves. I'm asking you to stop settling for the world as it is and to help us make the world as it should be." SOURCE
Michelle was a lot more diplomatic about it, but basically what she is saying is that y'all need to stop being a bunch of self defeating Black folks.
“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”Harriet Tubman
Thank You Harriet! That slave mentality is so 20th century. Our playing small does not serve the world. So what if you vote for him and he loses. Big deal. I vote for people who don't stand a rats chance in Hades all the time. Besides, I got $20 $5 that says Billary faces just as much of a hurdle in the general election as any other Democratic candidate including Barack Obama. If you are going to NOT vote for someone because they might lose, then Billary Clinton would seem the logical choice for NOT getting your vote based on your reasoning. Let that mess go. Please.
So now that we've dealt with the foolishness, let's get down to the nitty gritty.
The core of her message in South Carolina is her argument that Obama, more than Clinton, former North Carolina senator John Edwards or any other presidential candidate, will do more for blacks because he understands them better.
Now see, about right here is where Michelle and I part ways. Sorry Michelle...I must take umbrage with that notion.
Will Black America be better off under an Obama administration than it will under a Billary Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden, Gravel Administration? Hmmm Michelle, I have my doubts.
Just to be clear, I am not aware of any of these candidates making any principled stands on behalf of Black women . No, Hillary does not get credit for Bill's administration. Besides, have you ever heard of Lani Guinier? ( case closed).
Somebody, point to some legislation sponsored by Billary, Obama, Dodd, Edwards, Biden, or Kucinich on behalf of Black women. Really quick now! *crickets chirp*
So now that we have established that not a single Democratic or Republican candidate for President has drafted, enacted, or at least talked about any legislation, initiative, or catfish fry to benefit Black women, what are we left with? The superficial.
Let's state the obvious: Barack Obama is Black *GASP* I never knew that! Shocked. Absolutely shocked! [sic]
But IF (Huge “IF”)I vote for Obama, it won't be because HE is Black, it will most likely be because he's married to a Black woman and is the father of little Black girls and hopefully THAT will make him slightly, remotely, tangentially interested in the future for Black women. Although based on his campaign so far, we can't be too sure can we.
From our dealings with his STAFF, they appear to be rude OR outright frightened of Black women (check for yourself- you have to get past the initial volunteer for the foolishness to start flying Obama For America number, 866-675-2008) and THAT does not bode well for Black women in an Obama administration, but I don't think we'd fare any better in a Clinton administration either. I mean at least Barack Obama didn't act as if he was possessed by the ghost of Hattie McDaniel when he got up to speak in Selma, unlike some other candidate (look at this foolishness here):
Patronizing much? Bill, seriously, get 'ya wife please and cease the fake southern accent. Double boo!
So VOTE FOR OBAMA..... Because He's married to Michelle.
Not because he has drafted any legislation providing for a comprehensive clean up of the wreckage of Katrina still lying strewn around New Orleans. HE HASN'T
Not because he is leading to the fight to provide federal grant money to research about heart disease, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, prostate cancer, AIDs, hypertension or any other diseases afflicting Black women at alarming rates. HE ISN'T!
Not because he has spoken about forcefully about violence against Black women. HE WON'T! We can't even get him to have an intern type up a two line statement about the Dysfunction that has beset West Palm Beach, FL in the aftermath of the Dunbar Village crime. He won't even pick up a phone and call Alphonso Jackson/Johnson of HUD and light a fire under him.
Not because he raised any alarms or put pressure on regulators regarding sub prime mortgages BEFORE Black women basically sold their souls for trillions of dollars in ARMS. HE DIDN'T!
Not because he has vowed to include African American women at the highest levels of his administration. Have y'all heard such a pledge? *crickets chirping* HE HASN'T!
Does Barack Obama care about Black women and children on a POLICY or LEGISLATIVE LEVEL? Sadly, my answer is... MAYBE...NOT!
It isn't necessarily his fault. Black women share the blame. Because unlike other groups, we don't come up with our own agenda. How the heck do they know how to pander to us if they have no clue what we want. Right now, pandering to Black women consists of going to a bunch of Black churches, throwing gospel concerts and getting endorsements from a bunch of random famous Black folks.
Why do we sell our votes so cheap? YEAH IS SAID SELL! The labor unions don't want a gospel concert. The corporate donors won't settle for a couple of visits to church. The government contractors won't be satisfied by an endorsement by some preacher? Their support has a price. They expect something in return other than a candidate's good intentions. Black women, we give away our support for FREE.
The Black women of South Carolina have the greatest political capital on the face of the planet, until January, and then these candidates, like locusts, will move on to feast elsewhere. If Black women don't extract concessions and promises out of them, but instead settle for a bunch of gospel infused theater, then whose fault is that? We set the price for our support, and you will NEVER get more than what you ask for.
All you Obama maniacs, spare me your comments to the contrary. You might want to spend your time asking him about Dunbar Village. Until he does what his STAFF said he would do related to Dunbar Village, I really ain't trying to hear about how Obama is going to do more for Black women than any of these other folks running for president. Stick with the superficial arguments, they are much stronger.
So the best I can manage is “Vote for Obama Because He's Married to Michelle!” I wish I could say more, but Barack hasn't given me much to work with.
Just to be clear. I ain't a fan of any of them other than Mike Gravel, and that has nothing to do with whether or not Gravel would make a decent president, but because quite frankly, he's entertaining to watch. Check out Gravel doing his own “ alternative “ debate after the Chicken Noodle Network kept him from participating in a recent Democratic debate. I love it! "She's IGNORANT! She's IGNORANT!" - Train wrecky goodness.
For those of you interested in going on a road trip to SC for the MLK holiday and the CBC Debate in Myrtle Beach to raise awareness about Dunbar Village, join the WAOD Action Center.
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Michelle Obama Watch Now Live!
Please direct your concerns, complaints, or praise about the media's treatment of Michele Obama to MichelleObamaWatch.com.
Be sure to check out the shop with the "Defund the War on Black Women" logo as well
For More Information About Dunbar Village
Our Dunbar Village Archived Posts. ----
View the fliers handed out at the NAACP and Al Sharpton press conference declaring the Dunbar Village suspects were being treated "unfairly."----
Read the National Action Network "response" to the criticism from bloggers.---
Listen to the podcast with the NAACP representatives respond to questions about their involvement in the press conference debacle.---
NAACP says Black on Black crime "not a part of their mission".---
Follow it all on the Dunbar Village Blog or review our all of the previous posts about the NAACP- Al Sharpton press conference debacle.
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