Dr. Boyce Watkins: Carol Moseley-Braun Campaign Was Marred by Financial Problems

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

One of the most interesting political events in America was the race to become mayor of Chicago. After yet another seemingly endless regime under the Daley family, black Chicago had a chance to elect one of their own. Carol Moseley Braun, the seasoned politician and history-making former Senator, positioned herself to be the great black hope for the city of Chicago.

Unfortunately, the Moseley-Braun candidacy was simply not meant to be. After a series of missteps, Rahm Emanuel used the power of President Obama’s backing to convince the vast majority of Chicago citizens, white and black, to give him their support. Apparently, unspoken endorsements from Barack Obama and Bill Clinton goes a long way, even if you can’t readily prove that you’ve done very much for the African American community.

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George Desdunes: Cornell University Student Found Dead in a Frat House

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

George Desdunes, a 19-year old freshman at Cornell University, was found dead outside a fraternity house on Friday, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. Desdunes was from Brooklyn and a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
The cause of death has not yet been specified and is expected to be released after the autopsy.

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Creflo Dollar Allegedly Says that Non-Tithers Should Be Shot

by Dr. Boyce Watkins 

I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard this audio, in which Creflo Dollar appears to be arguing that if you don’t tithe, you should be put in front of a firing squad.  I did some research and found media outlets reporting the video, and I can only hope that he doesn’t truly believe this.

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Should Black People Be Offended by the Obama Motown Event?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I have the interesting privilege of being on an email list owned by the White House. Whenever the administration holds an event that they believe to be of interest to African Americans in media, they shoot out an email to all of us. This week, at least two times in my email inbox, there was a message from the White House bragging about the administration’s Black History Month celebration of Motown music.

I saw news of the event everywhere. Most interesting was the image of President Obama dancing with Michelle and his kids with Stevie Wonder, Smokie Robinson, Jamie Foxx and John Legend crooning in the background. The president, who appeared to be doing his best, had the stiffness of a corpse, and the posture of a 92-year old woman, but the nation appreciated his effort.

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Dave Duerson: Said Something was Wrong with His Brain when he Killed Himself

 

This video interview with the wife of former Bears star Dave Duerson who killed himself says that Dave was having problems with his brain before he died.

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Sex, Church and the Single Black Sister: Meet Sha Givens

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

One of the most intriguing things about the black community is the power of the black church. The church is one of our most powerful and impactful institutions. With the power of the black church comes the scandal that we all know about. Books are written about the things that happen in church that we don’t want to talk about, in large part because the black church can be as much of a social institution as a spiritual one.

Sha’ Givens has written a book about single black women in the church and the ways that they can achieve their goals without selling their souls. She is also a young black entrepreneur working to make a mark on the world in which she lives. It is for that reason that Sha’ Givens is today’s Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:

 

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Former NFL Superstar Kills Himself: Was This Due to a Brain Injury?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

This weekend, I was driving through the middle of "Nowhere’s Ville," Indiana, on my way to Chicago. Right as I was approaching South Bend, the home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, I ironically received an email from former Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz. Holtz and I had recently debated whether college athletes should be paid (we disagreed on the topic), but the coach was gracious enough to email me twice since the interview to say that he now considers us friends. I have a tremendous amount of respect for both Holtz and his noble gesture.

Adding to the irony of the trip was the fact that I also received a text message from a friend informing me that former Notre Dame/Chicago Bears football Star Dave Duerson had just been found dead in his condo. So, on a trip past Notre Dame on my way to Chicago, I receive both an email from Lou Holtz and a text message about a former Notre Dame/Chicago Bears star dying that day. Perhaps this was a signal from a higher power that I needed to dig further into the issue.

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The Case of Rodney K. Stanberry – Innocent Man Sent to Prison for Murder?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Dr. Artemesia Stanberry has been relentless in fighting to free her cousin, Rodney K. Stanberry, who appears to be in prison for crimes he did not commit. I first heard about the case from Dr. Wilmer Leon, as we were headed to Missouri last year to rally on behalf of Heather Ellis, a college student threatened with 15 years in prison for cutting in line at a Wal-Mart.

When I first heard about Rodney’s case, I couldn’t believe my ears. From what Dr. Leon was telling me, it sounded like a case of lazy police work, where officers didn’t want to go through the efforts of going all the way to New York to find the true killers. Additionally, like so many others affected by our racially-skewed criminal justice system, Rodney K. Stanberry ended up in prison because he was the most convenient person to incarcerate. This is particularly true in Alabama, a state where the modern prison system has powerful links to slavery.

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Good News: All Black Male School in Chicago Sends 100% of It’s Students to College

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Well, they’ve done it again. Urban Prep Academy of Chicago, an all-male charter school with kids from the "worst" parts of Chicago, is sending 100% of its graduating seniors off to college. The school, founded in 2006, has stated that its continuous objective is to see to it that all of its students go to college. They are succeeding with flying colors.
The school started with kids whose futures had been left for dead by their public schools: Only four percent of the school’s incoming freshmen were reading at grade level when they arrived on campus. But by sending all of their graduating seniors to college, they’ve not only gotten these kids up to speed, they’ve allowed them to zip past every other public school in the entire United States.
"No other public [school] in the country has done this," said Tim King, the founder of Urban Prep.

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Dr. Boyce: Michael Vick Cancels on The Oprah Winfrey Show

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Football superstar Michael Vick initially made plans to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show. But it’s just been announced that Vick is not going to appear on the show, citing personal and professional conflicts that have made the appearance impossible.
"Mike postponed the taping because of the timing of the interview for personal and professional reasons," said Michael Vick’s spokesman Chris Shigas. "He does not have a reschedule date at this time."

Some speculate that Vick may have canceled because other groups have been sending emails and letters to the Oprah Winfrey Show, asking that the voices of Vick’s critics be heard. One of Vick’s strongest critics has been Richard Hunter, a stand-up comedian who also adopted one of Vick’s dogs. Hunter claims that he and others who agree with him have been harassing Oprah’s producers since it was announced that Michael Vick might appear on the show.

 

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Dr. Boyce: OJ Simpson Reportedly Beaten in Prison by Skinheads

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

OJ Simpson has, according to the National Enquirer, been having a hard time in prison. The magazine is claiming that some White Supremacists have been targeting Simpson for bragging about his sexual conquests with white women.
"Inmates cheered as a muscular young skinhead knocked him to the ground, punching and kicking him to a bloody pulp and inflicting injuries so severe he secretly spent nearly three weeks in the infirmary before he recovered."
While the Nevada Department of Corrections is denying that any such incident took place, I know enough about corrections departments to know that their words have as much credibility as Sarah Palin at a Mensa convention.

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Prof. Cornel West Endorses Carol Moseley Braun in Chicago

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

This weekend, Professor Cornel West gave a strong endorsement to Carol Moseley Braun in a heated and controversial race to become the next mayor of Chicago. West didn’t have very many good things to say about Moseley Braun’s leading opponent, Rahm Emanuel. He referred to Emanuel as an outsider and a candidate who is beholden to big business interests in the city and across America.
"I believe a Rahm Emanuel victory would be a slap in the face," West said. "I’m here to support poor and working people – specifically black Chicago."
One of the problems for Moseley Braun, however, is that the media is focused as much on her remarks about Emanuel as they are about the Cornel West endorsement. When she spoke, Moseley Braun made reference to a movie called "The Producers," which satirized the life of Adolph Hitler.

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Obama and Declining Black Family Wealth: Does the Administration Even Care?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

The first decade of the new millennium brought a lot of things that the world didn’t expect: the ability to order a pizza on your home computer, cell phones that allow you to talk to your friends face-to-face, and our nation’s first black president.
One other unexpected event of the last decade is the disappearance of a century’s worth of progress in reducing the wealth gap between black and white Americans. As Rex Nutting at Market Watch so accurately notes, wealth levels of the black family in America have declined dramatically during the past decade, and they show no evidence of getting better any time soon.
According to Nutting, "In a country where access to capital is everything, most blacks have nothing."

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Rapper Sent to Jail for Child Support on a Baby that Wasn’t His: What’s Wrong with the System

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse university – Scholarship in Action 

Hip Hop News 24-7 recently interviewed the rapper J-Kwon about his interesting child support situation. During an interview with Miss Georgia, J-Kwon informed listeners that he’d been paying $2,500 per month in child support for seven years for a child that was eventually determined to not be his.

The artist goes on to say that he was jailed for not making the child support payments, which derailed his entire career, killing his ability to earn income. He also said that when it was determined that he wasn’t the child’s father, the courts provided no remedies whatsoever for him to retrieve the tens of thousands of dollars he’d paid over a seven-year period.

J-Kwon is now saying that he plans to start a foundation for fathers who are having their rights violated by the child support system. I support his initiative, because many of us forget about the millions of fathers out there who are doing all they can to have access to their kids and trying to do the right thing, but are left alienated by deceptive mothers and a court system that would rather see a man in jail than with his own children.

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Dr. Boyce Spotlight: Prof. Njoki McElroy Lives and Speaks Black History

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

During Black History Month, it only makes sense that we connect with those who can help us to get in touch with our history. Professor Njoki McElroy is a story-teller and truth-teller when it comes to the struggles of our people and how we’ve created the reality that surrounds us. Her work is well-respected, and she has written a book describing one of the most significant periods in the history of black people in America. It is for that reason that Professor Njoki McElroy is today’s Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices.

What is your name and what do you do?
Njoki McElroy, PhD. I am a storyteller, professor, playwright, performer and author. My new book is entitled 1012 Natchez: A Memoir of Grace, Hardship and Love (Brown Books)

 

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Jamail Johnson, the Omega who was shot, Died a Hero

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Jamail Johnson, the Youngstown State University student who died at an off-campus party Saturday morning, has been reported to have died trying to save his friends from gunfire. Jamail was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
The Trumbull County Conservative Examiner says that when the gunmen began to shoot, Johnson ran toward them and pushed them out of the house. This, according to observers, saved the lives of dozens of other students. He even fought with the gunmen after being shot.

The two alleged shooters, Columbus Jones Jr. and Braylon Rogers, 22 and 19 years old respectively, are facing charges for aggravated murder.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Lou Holtz Debate Paying College Athletes

 

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Worshipping Biggie and Pac: Why We Need to Let That Go

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

As the son of a preacher, I know how to avoid sacrilegious statements when I see them. I don’t use God’s name in vain, and I don’t make nasty jokes about Jesus. But if hip-hop had a bible, it would start with the commandment that "Thou shalt not compare any living rapper to the great Biggie and Pac."

If you even briefly mention that any artist in America comes close to "the great ones," you are quickly slapped with a "shut yo mouth" by hip-hop heads who tell you that you’re out of your damn mind. There is no living artist, at least not under the age of 30, who dares compare himself to Biggie and Pac, who’ve effectively become the God and Jesus of the hip-hop world.

Let’s be clear: these artists were legendary in their talent level and deserve massive amounts of respect. But the idea that they are better than every hip-hop artist since is likely due to our stunning capacity to practically worship dead artists rather than a truly fair comparison of musical impact. Since Tupac Shakur died, he has been transformed into a visionary and a saint, when the truth is that he could be just as trifling as Lil Wayne, TI and the other artists who are living today. I was a huge fan of both Biggie and Pac when they were alive. I listened to Pac every morning before heading to campus, and I bumped Biggie when I rolled in my hooptie. They were like Burger King and McDonalds or Coke and Pepsi: two dominant versions of virtually the same product (gangsta rap). I never chose one over the other, because both of them were great.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Ed Gordon Discuss Kelley Williams-Bolar

Click to watch Dr. Boyce Watkins and Ed Gordon talk about the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, the Ohio mother who was sent to jail for sending her kids to the wrong school district. 

Two Thirds of Black Women Offended by the Pepsi Max Ad with the “Angry Black Woman”

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

In a recent survey taken at YourBlackWorld.com, two-thirds of the female respondents said that black women should be offended by the recent Pepsi Max Super Bowl ad featuring the violent African American female. In the survey, when asked, Do you feel that African American women should be offended by the Pepsi Max ad featuring the "angry black woman?", 63.7 percent of the black female respondents said "yes," while 32.4 percent of the male respondents gave the same reply.
When asked if African Americans should boycott Pepsi because of the ad, women were more than twice as likely to advocate for a boycott than men. Thirty-seven percent of all female respondents to the survey said that a boycott is necessary, while 16.2 percent of male respondents agreed.

 

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To see the survey results graphically, please click here.

Jamail Johnson: Student Murdered, 11 Injured at Omega Psi Phi House Party

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Two men opened fire after an argument occurred at an Omega Psi Phi fraternity house in Youngstown, Ohio this weekend. The two men shot multiple rounds into a crowd of people, killing a student and critically injuring a 17-year old with a head wound. The student who was killed was shot while trying to break the two disputing groups apart. The university said six of the injured were students.
The murder victim was 25-year old Jamail E. Johnson of Youngstown. Most of the 11 injured were shot in the foot. The men were arrested and charged with aggravated murder, shooting into a home, and felonious assault, according to Chief Jimmy Hughes of the Youngstown Police Department.
"These guys were in the location for a little while before the shooting occurred," he said. "Something happened that they became unhappy. They had some type of altercation."

 

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Dr. Boyce: Pepsi Max Super Bowl Ad and the “Angry Black Woman”

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

There is no bigger corporate money-maker than the Super Bowl. That’s when potential sponsors are lining up to pay amazing amounts of money to advertise, primarily because they know this is the only televised special of the entire year when consumers actually enjoy watching the ads.
In addition to being able to promote their wares to the world, advertisers often find themselves caught in the middle of controversy. Sometimes, the controversy is hilarious, like the little black boy who slapped the man dating his mother for taking one of his Doritos. This year’s most interesting ad may have come out early in the game, and it has been brought to you by Pepsi Max. You may want to call this ad "The Angry Black Woman."
In the commercial, a black woman is keeping her husband on a diet. When he eats the wrong food, she gives him an evil look and kicks his leg hard under the table. When she sees him standing over a pie about to eat it, she angrily slams his face into the pie. When she catches him sneaking a bite of fattening food in the bath tub, she violently grabs the food from his hand and stuffs a bar of soap into his mouth.

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Where are the Black Professors at White Universities?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

During a four-year college career, most students take roughly 40 courses. Personally, I went to graduate school for another 7 years after college, taking an additional 40 – 50 more classes. During my entire undergraduate, masters and doctoral experience, I never had one single African American professor.
This experience made the educational process incredibly uncomfortable for me. I never experienced the privilege of my white classmates, who had teachers they could relate to, work with and connect with on a meaningful level. I did meet one African American professor (I never took his class) named Dr. Tommy Whittler. He is the sole reason I became a professor today because he was the first faculty member who’d ever taken time to mentor me as a human being.

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Sharpton and Watkins Discuss The Importance of Black Media

Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks About The Power of Black Radio With Rev. Al Sharpton

White Man Threatens Black Boys for Talking To His Daughter: Should He Go to Jail?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Millry, Ala., is a town where racial tensions have allegedly been running high for a very long time. The boiling point was hit recently, when a white father came to the town’s high school and threatened one of the black players on the basketball team.
The infuriated parent told one of the boys that if any of them made contact with his daughter, he would "kill him and his black friends," at least that’s what was reportedly told to Latisha Mitchell, the step-Mother of one of the players.

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Mitchell claims that her son was only friends with the man’s daughter and that they would text message each other. TheNAACP took notice of the man’s racial threats, and the town is in an uproar. There is even conversation about the Ku Klux Klan planning a retaliation against local residents who held a meeting to discuss what had occurred.
Since the incident, the father has been banned from school property, but some parents are saying that the father should be arrested for his public threats.

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Chad Holley Videotaped Beating Getting National Attention

 

Chad Holley is brutally beaten by police, although he’d clearly surrendered before the beating.  Click here to see the video.

Diddy Speaks on Behalf of the Kelley Williams-Bolar Case, Governor Vows to Investigate

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

It appears that the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar is getting the kind of traction that can make a difference. Since we first wrote about Kelley on AOL Black Voices, the entire nation has taken notice. Change.org and ColorofChange.org have launched petitions that have garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures. Also, the story has gained national attention as a clear example of all that’s wrong with the educational system in America.
In case you haven’t seen the story, Kelley Williams-Bolar is the single mother of two who was sent to jail for sending her children to a school outside their district. In addition to being sent to jail, Williams-Bolar would have a felony record and not be able to ever teach again in the state of Ohio.

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Prof. Watkins Speaks with Dr. Khalil Muhammad from the Schomburg

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

One of the men for whom I have a great deal of respect is Dr. Khalil Muhammad, the new Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Professor Muhammad is currently a scholar of African-American history at Indiana University.
Professor Muhammad’s selection for the post was not without controversy. Some thought he was too young and unknown to be granted such a serious and prestigious post. I don’t agree with the criticism, but only time will prove us all correct. From my meetings with Professor Muhammad, I found him to be sharp, insightful and down-to-earth. He is a scholar who fully understands, respects and appreciates the gravity of his appointment and the importance of The Schomburg.

 

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What to Make of CNN’s New Managing Editor?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Heads were turning this week as CNN announced that it was hiring Mark Whitaker as it’s new Managing Editor. Whitaker, who is African American, once served as the Washington Bureau Chief for NBC News. He took his position at NBC after the sudden death of Tim Russert in 2007. He was also editor at Newsweek from 1998 – 2006.
The Managing Editor position was created when the CNN/US President, Jon Klein, left the network in September of last year. CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton said that Whitaker would be chosen as "an executive vice president and managing editor of CNN Worldwide to lead collaboration across all platforms and elevate CNN’s unique journalism and analysis."
"Our aim is to position a strong managing editor, working closely with the head of each CNN network and Web site, to generate reporting and analysis that consistently stands out, sparks conversation and captures the true meaning and relevance of the events in the news," Walton said in a public statement. "Mark is a distinguished journalist and news executive who is experienced in leading large enterprises, and I am pleased that he will help direct our long-term editorial approach and strategy."

 

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Terrie Williams, Dr. Boyce Watkins Talk about Black Depression

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Many of us are familiar with author Terrie Williams and her popular book "Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting." I decided to bring Terrie back into the studio last month to discuss the black community’s denial when it comes to dealing with mental illness, specifically when it comes to managing the spike in depression during the holiday season.
The video was shot before the holidays, but was delayed due to production problems. But the holiday season will always be here, and so will depression. The video is below, enjoy!

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