You never know what you’ll see walking through a random antique store. I’m speechless
April 30, 2011
HBCU Student Not Allowed to Graduate Because of Facebook Post
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com – Scholarship in Action
Roman Caple is a senior at St. Augustine’s College. He was set to graduate this weekend until he was informed by the school that he wouldn’t be allowed to walk with his classmates. Caple says that his punishment was due to a Facebook post that allegedly "jeopardized the integrity of the college."
Caple argues that the reaction of school administrators came as a result of his posts following a tornado that hit Raleigh, NC two weeks ago. But he says that most of his comments were meant to be uplifting. One of his posts said the following:
"We all need to set our differences aside and help one another. Falcons we will continue to fly high because that’s what we do. Help your neighbor, if need be, Falcons are one."
What if Kate Middleton Were Black?
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com – Scholarship in Action
If there were a royal wedding being held in Africa, would CNN spend an entire week covering it? If not, what does that say about race, if anything at all?
I couldn’t help but feel entirely disconnected from the ceremony that was being shown all over our television sets at the same time hundreds of people were being killed in an Alabama tornado. I kept wondering if the fantasy of the British fairytale had more relevance to news producers than the reality of death and devastation.
Report Says that Obama’s Father Was Forced Out of Harvard University
BOSTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s father was forced to leave Harvard University before completing his Ph.D. in economics because the school was concerned about his personal life and finances, according to newly public immigration records.
Harvard had asked the Immigration and Naturalization Service to delay a request by Barack Hussein Obama Sr. to extend his stay in the U.S., "until they decided what action they could take in order to get rid of him," immigration official M.F. McKeon wrote in a June 1964 memo.
April 29, 2011
Detroit’s NAACP Honors Kid Rock and His Confederate Flag
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
The NAACP of Detroit has committed what appears to be an incredibly sad act by giving it’s Great Expectations Award to Kid Rock during it’s annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner. It’s ironic that the NAACP is giving an award to someone who regularly uses the Confederate flag during his concerts. The civil rights supporter in me doesn’t understand the NAACP’s actions, but the Finance Professor in me understands their actions perfectly.
Here are some questions for the NAACP as they honor one of their greatest heroes, Kid Rock:
1) If Kid Rock were not a donor to your organization, would you have given him this award? Probably not.
Black Americans Not Getting Good Financial Advice
by TEWire
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspapers
Originally posted 4/27/2011
Only two out of every 10 African-Americans are on a path to achieve their retirement goals, according to a six-month-old survey of Blacks conducted by a major wealth manager.
Dr. Boyce Watkins on the Huffington Post – 4/29/11
Rocky Clark Is Dying From a Lack of Health Insurance
Posted April 26, 2011 | 06:25 PM (EST)
I woke up thinking about a person I met just two weeks ago. I was thinking about this man because he is going to die unless we find a way to help him. He is paralyzed from the neck down, has one working lung and that lung has enough blood…
Fighting the Arrest of Tanya McDowell: Educating Your Child Should Not Be a Crime
773 Comments | Posted April 24, 2011 | 10:28 PM (EST)
When I heard about the case of Tanya McDowell, the homeless mother sent to jail for sending her 5-year-old son to the "wrong" school district, I immediately thought back to the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar not long ago. I wondered how the world has gone mad…
GOP Rep Says Black People Don’t Work as Hard as Whites and Expect the State to Take Care of them
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com – Scholarship in Action
Republican State Rep from Oklahoma Sally Kern seems to think that black people don’t work as hard as whites and that we are more likely to go to prison because we think the government will take care of us.
“We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them."
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April 28, 2011
My Visit to See Rocky Clark
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Today, I stood in the presence of a true soldier. I went to the hospital in Chicago to visit Rasul “Rocky” Clark, the young brother who was paralyzed 10 years ago in a football accident at the age of 16. Rocky was paralyzed from the neck down, only able to move his head and nothing else. His legs and arms are thinner than anything I’ve ever seen, he can barely breathe, and he’s dying right now because his insurance company decided to kill his policy.
Rocky’s mother, Annette, has stood by her son day-in and day-out every single day since the accident. She has a bed right next to him in the hospital and repeatedly told me that “I’m not gonna leave my baby.” Every normal day seems to be abnormally tragic, with nurses cleaning bacteria out of Rocky’s one remaining lung, and the young man quietly repeating the words, “Mama, I can’t breathe.”
Oprah Winfrey Asks President Obama about the Birth Certificate
Your Black World Reports
On a recent appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, President Barack Obama was asked about the birth certificate issue. The president recently released his birth certificate to the public in order to squash growing controversy about his birthplace.
"Why did you wait so long, though?" Oprah asked. "When it first came up, were you thinking, I hope I was born here?"
Black Unemployment Reaches Depression Levels in Many Major Cities
by Janell Ross, Huffington Post
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the decade leading up to the Great Recession, Wanda Nolan grew accustomed to steady progress.
From an entry-level job as a fill-in bank teller, she forged a career as a commercial banking assistant, earning enough to become a homeowner. She finished college and then got an MBA. Even after the recession unfolded in late 2007, her degrees and her familiarity with the business world lent her a sense of immunity to the forces ravaging much of the American economy. Nolan was an exemplar of the African American middle class and the increasingly professional ranks of the so-called New South.
But in September 2008, everything changed.
A bank human resources officer called her into a private conference room. “All I heard was, ‘Your position has been eliminated,’” says Nolan, 37, who, despite being one of the more than 13 million officially unemployed Americans, still spends most days in her self-styled banker’s uniform of pearls and pants and practical flats. “My mind started racing.”
More than two years later, Nolan is still looking for a job and feeling increasingly anxious about a future that once felt assured. Her life has devolved from a model of middle class African American upward mobility into an example of a disturbing trend: She is among the 15.5 percent of African Americans out of work and still looking for a job.
For economists, that number may sound awful, but it’s not surprising. The nation’s overall unemployment rate sits at 8.8 percent and the rate among white Americans is at 7.9 percent. For a variety of reasons — ranging from levels of education and continuing discrimination to the relatively young age of black workers — black unemployment tends to run twice the rate for whites. Yet since the Great Recession, joblessness has remained so critically elevated among African Americans that it is challenging longstanding ideas about what it takes to find work in the modern-day economy.
Millions of people like Nolan, who have precisely followed the oft-dictated recipe for economic success — work hard, get an education, seek advancement — are slipping backward. Even as they apply for jobs and accept the prospect of a future with less job security and lower pay, they remain stalled in unemployment.
Trading down has become a painful truth for much of working America, but this truth becomes particularly stark when seen through the prism of race. Only 12 percent of all Americans are black, but working-age black Americans comprise nearly 21 percent of the nation’s unemployed, according to federal data. The growing contrast between prospects for white and black job-seekers challenges a cherished American notion: the availability of opportunity and upward mobility for all.
April 27, 2011
Quote of the Day: The “After-Birthers”
Quote of the day: "The birthers are now going to have to change their name since the birth certificate has been release. Instead of being called ‘the birthers,’ they are now going to be called ‘the after birthers," because they simply aren’t going to quit." – Mark Thompson, host of “Make it Plain with Mark Thompson”
The Impact of Fatherless Homes
Please watch this PSA that shows the devastating impact of fatherless homes on the African American community. The video is incredibly powerful.
Technorati Tags: black fathers,african american fathers
Forbes.com: Tanya McDowell Pleads Not –Guilty
NORWALK, Conn. — A homeless single mother who lives in her van pleaded not guilty Wednesday to stealing nearly $16,000 worth of education for her son by enrolling the kindergartener in her baby sitter’s school district.
Tanya McDowell, 33, was arraigned in Norwalk, where she was arrested April 14 on felony charges of committing and attempting to commit first-degree larceny.
Prosecutors say McDowell used her baby sitter’s address to enroll her son in Norwalk schools in the fall but should have registered the boy in nearby Bridgeport, a significantly poorer urban district and the location of her last permanent address.
Luther Campbell Raises Just $250 for His Mayoral Campaign
Your Black World Reports
It looks like the phrase “Too legit to quit” doesn’t quite apply to Luther Campbell. The former leader of “2 Live Crew” has raised a reported $250 for his campaign to run for Mayor of Miami. Campbell was hoping that a recent fundraiser would bring him $5,000 to $10,000, but he was wrong. Campbell is now $150,000 behind the fourth-highest fundraiser, Jose "Pepe" Cancio.
Students Fight to Save HBCU in Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Eye-level watermarks, gutted buildings and rows of mobile classrooms linger as reminders of the flooding from Hurricane Katrina that nearly wiped out Southern University at New Orleans in 2005.
Now the predominantly African-American university faces what students and administrators view as a new threat: Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposal to consolidate the school with the nearby, mostly white University of New Orleans.
Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton discuss Tonya McDowell and the Birther Movement
In the episode below, Your Black World Coalition founder, Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network discuss the Birther Movement and whether or not it’s racist. They also discuss the case of Tonya McDowell, the homeless mother who was arrested for sending her child to the wrong school.
President Obama Releases His Official Birth Certificate
Your Black World reports
President Barack Obama has officially released the long form of his birth certificate in response to the questions about whether or not he was born in the United States. Originally, the president had only released the short form copy, which led to speculation that he was born abroad.
Are Black Children In Danger While In Their Mothers’ Wombs?
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Tricia Fraser filed suit last Tuesday against a Texas-based pro-life group that used her daughter’s face on a billboard that ran in Harlem earlier this year. Beneath the face of her child were the words “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.”
In the lawsuit, Fraser claims that the use of her daughter’s image was “defamatory, unauthorized and offensive.” She also said that it was racist. The image was obtained legally, however, as Fraser had allowed her daughter to be photographed by a modeling agency.
A Black Prof Discusses Racial Bias in Financial Decisions
Your Black World reports
Have you ever tried to get a loan, and felt that you weren’t being treated the same as if you were white? What about watching that promotion at work being given to the white guy down the hall when you were the one slaving night and day for 20 years? Well, this feeling is not uncommon. A recent survey at YourBlackWorld.com showed that nearly 90% of African Americans feel that they’ve experienced some kind of discrimination in the workplace. In spite of our having a black president and attorney general, new laws have not been introduced to help people of color fight discrimination in the workplace.
Another prominent type of discrimination is the racial bias in other kinds of financial decisions. Millions of black people were victims of predatory lending during the recent financial crisis, leading to a massive decline in black family wealth over the last decade. Additionally, the ability to build a business, get government contracts or do other things to create financial security for your family can be impacted by the color of your skin. Prof. Stephanie Yates Rauterkus at The University of Alabama Birmingham speaks on the topic in the video below.
Click here to watch the video
To join the Your Black World Coalition, please visit YourBlackWorld.com.
April 26, 2011
NAACP Signs On to Help in Tonya McDowell
PRESS RELEASE:
(For Immediate Release)
CONTACT PERSON: Scot X. Esdaile: tel. 203-668-4562
WHAT: Press Conference
Where: Crosland Attorney-Law Firm
1150 Summer Street, Stamford CT – (for directions call
(203) 921-1782
When: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.
Why: See below
Dr. Boyce Spotlight: Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe Works to Save the Black Male in America
As I mentioned last night on the Bev Smith Show, saving the black male in America is one of the most critical problems being faced by our community today. Over the last 30 years, black males have been subject to mass incarceration (mostly due to drug felonies after the Reagan Administration opened the door for the crack cocaine epidemic), subject to massive handgun violence (as guns followed the flow of drugs), and poor educational systems (we know how bad inner city schools are in America). As a result, many of these men are poorly equipped to become good husbands and fathers later in life, leading to the suffering of an entire community. The majority of black homes are fatherless, and our boys are bombarded with media that tells them to emulate the behavior of self-destructive hip-hop stars, or to toss away educational opportunities in exchange for an athletic lottery ticket. Something needs to be done.
Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe and his organization are working to solve these problems. Fighting for the black male is not popular in a society that is designed to destroy us. But even if society wants to see us dead and gone, that gives us no excuse to endorse the idea of killing ourselves and each other. It is for his outstanding work in the black community that Dr. Bledsoe is today’s Dr. Boyce Spotlight on Your Black World:
1) What is your name and what do you do?
Tonya McDowell in ColorLines magazine
From Colorlines Magazine
A homeless Connecticut mother has been arrested and charged with larceny for allegedly stealing her son’s education from a public school police say he had no right to attend. Tanya McDowell is a 33-year-old Bridgeport resident who used her babysitter’s address in Norwalk, where the schools were better, so her five-year-old son Andres Justin Paches could go to school. A.J. was enrolled in Brookside Elementary School’s kindergarten from September to January. They’ve been living out of her van.
CNN Kills the Birther Movement Once and For All
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com
Let’s hope that the Birther Movement is on its way out the door. If it isn’t completely out the door, it’s on its death bed. CNN has engaged in an all-out assault on the Birther Movement by doing a detailed investigation on whether or not President Barack Obama was born in the United States.
In the video below, the network goes to the extreme to settle the question once and for all. Personally, I found the investigation to be quite compelling. There are others, however, including Donald Trump, who’ve spent all of their time engaging in their own investigations and coming to “very interesting” conclusions.
Yahoo News Writes about The Tonya McDowell and Kelley Williams-Bolar Cases
From Yahoo News
Education activists are rallying around a homeless woman who may face jail time for enrolling her son in kindergarten under a friend’s address. Supporters say the woman’s story is yet another dismaying example of inequality in the U.S. education system.
Tanya McDowell, a homeless single mother from Bridgeport, is charged with first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny for signing up her 5-year-old son to attend nearby Norwalk schools under the address of a friend. (Her son went to the school for four months. Her friend has been evicted from public housing for letting McDowell use her address.) McDowell may face up to 20 years in prison and a $15,000 fine if convicted.
Gwen Samuel, a Connecticut education activist, is organizing a press conference to try to get the charges dropped and raise awareness about parents who are criminally prosecuted, rather than dealt with individually by the school district, for using false addresses.
Tavis Smiley Breaks His Silence About Obama
Your Black World reports
Talk show host Tavis Smiley spoke publicly about President Obama this week on the Today Show, as he promoted his new book about how to overcome failure. The host, Ann Curry, gave Smiley an opportunity to discuss his concerns about the Obama Administration, and this is what he had to say:
Donald Trump Says Obama Was Not Qualified for the Ivy Leagues
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
It appears that Donald Trump just won’t give up. In an interview this week with the Associated Press, “The Donald” said that President Obama was a poor student who didn’t deserve to be admitted to Harvard University. Trump doesn’t actually have proof of his assertions, but that’s never stopped him before.
"I heard he was a terrible student, terrible. How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?" Trump said to the Associated Press. "I’m thinking about it, I’m certainly looking into it. Let him show his records."
April 25, 2011
Student Gets Life in Prison after Harvard University Murder
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
When most of us think about Ivy League universities, we picture places of higher learning, tranquility and inspirational endeavors. Most of us don’t think about students getting shot over bags of marijuana. But it still stands that Jabrai Jordan Copney is going to prison for a murder that took place on the Harvard University campus.
The murder occurred in 2009 and Copney has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The jury took three days to come to its conclusions, and sentenced the 22-year old Copney to spend the rest of his life in prison. He was also convicted of possession of a firearm, but not of armed robbery.
April 24, 2011
Kelley Williams-Bolar Reaches Out to Support Tonya McDowell (Video)
From Dr. Boyce Watkins, The Your Black World Coalition
This week, I spoke with Kelley Williams-Bolar, the mother who was arrested in Ohio for sending her child to the wrong school. The fight is not over for Kelley (who I am going to speak with again on Monday). The state is still working to prosecute her father, an aging man who had a stroke. She says that in spite of her father’s health condition, local prosecutors are still trying to harm their family on their malicious charge.
Kelley also specifically mentioned to me that she would like to help Tonya McDowell, the homeless mom in Connecticut who was arrested recently for sending her five year old to a kindergarten outside her alleged home city. She chose the school in Norwalk Connecticut because it has a good reading program, while the schools in Bridgeport (where the state alleges that her child belongs) are among the worst in the state.
We are going to Connecticut to rally for Tonya sometime in early May, preferably before her court date. I’ll keep you posted. If you’d like to show support for Tonya’s case, please sign our petition by clicking here. You can watch the video below to hear the words coming out of my very own mouth.
Sincerely, Dr. Boyce Watkins
April 23, 2011
Malcolm’s Daughter Walks Off Interview When Asked About Her Father’s Sexuality
Your Black World reports
It appears that Malcolm X’s daughter did not take well to piercing questions from Michel Martin on a recent NPR segment. Ilyasah Shabazz walked off the interview after being asked one too many questions related to the release of a new book about her father’s life. The interview transcript is below:
MICHEL MARTIN, host:
You might have heard about a controversial new biography of Malcolm X, "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention" was written by prominent African-American scholar, Manning Marable, who died on April 1st just days before the book was released. The book has gotten a lot of attention, in part, because of that unfortunate circumstance. But also because the book makes some provocative assertions about the activist’s life and death, including some assertions about his early years, speculations about his personal relationships and the circumstances of his murder.
Gov’t Tells Snoop He Can’t Sell His Destructive New Drink
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Sixteen separate states are stepping in the way of Snoop Dogg’s latest big money venture with the Pabst Brewing Company. Attorneys General from Arizona, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, Utah, California, Idaho and Connecticut stood against the release of Snoop’s drink in their territories. Additionally, Guam’s attorney general and the city attorney general of San Francisco all signed a resolution stating that the drink Blast by Colt 45 is dangerous and being marketed to young people.
The drink contains 12 percent alcohol and is sold in 23.5 and seven ounce containers. It is said to have as much alcohol as five beers in one can. There are several fruity flavors for the drink, including: grape, raspberry watermelon, strawberry lemonade and blueberry pomegranate flavors.
April 22, 2011
Black Republican Allen West Calls Obama a “Low Level Socialist Agitator”
Your Black World reports
Allen West, a Republican Congressman from Florida, engaged in some interesting black-on-black political crime this week by referring to President Barack Obama as a “low level socialist agitator.” During an interview with Laura Ingraham, West attacked the president in ways that are rare for an African American.
The Congressman referred to President Obama as a “low level socialist agitator” and said that he displayed “dictator like arrogance” during his budget speech last week. West then went on to Fox News and stood by his remarks:
Man Gets $85K for Being Falsely Accused of Rape
From Philly.com
Eugene Robinson wants the world to know that he is not a rapist.
Ever since police mistook him for a wanted sex offender in 2008, he’s told anyone who would listen that they have the wrong guy.
Now, after a three-year struggle to clear his name, Robinson, 60, can breathe easier, even chuckle at the horrific mix-up that landed him in jail for a year and prompted his fiancee to leave. Earlier this month, city lawyers admitted that police made a mistake and agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Robinson.
"I’m not an angel," Robinson said. "Don’t claim to be an angel. I’ve done some things, but see, I would never violate a woman. Even in my worst days, I would never violate a woman."
Robinson’s Kafkaesque nightmare began Aug. 4, 2008, when he opened up the Daily News and saw his mugshot under the headline "WEEK’S MOST WANTED."
Donna Brazile to Meet with Cornel West to Discuss President Obama
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
The black political grapevine recently informed me that respected political strategist Donna Brazile plans to meet with Professor Cornel West at Princeton University. The meeting was apparently arranged in response to the “moral outrage” that West has expressed toward the Obama Administration over recent weeks. The disappointment came to a head during a highly-publicized feud between Prof. West and Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC.
Dr. West’s outspoken demeanor couldn’t come at a worse time for President Obama and his party. As the Democrats work to smooth talk their way out of a year of tone deaf behavior toward a suffering African American community, West comes in as one of a small number of major black public figures willing to rain on the presidential party.
NAACP Report on Gulf Coast: Healing Is Nowhere Near Being Complete
“My Name is 6508799”
State of the Gulf, One Year After the Oil Drilling Disaster
This numbered moniker is how a participant at the Destin, Florida Town Hall meeting with Gulf Coast Claims Facility Administrator Kenneth Feinberg introduced herself.
For many residents residing in communities along the Gulf of Mexico, they feel as if their lives have been reduced to a number in the Gulf Coast Claims Facility database which holds so much power over life, livelihood, health and overall wellbeing.
One year after the Gulf Oil Drilling Disaster of April 20, 2010, thousands of Gulf residents not only have not been “made whole” from the disaster, but many have faced elevated levels of toxins in their bloodstreams, community conflicts, destruction of families, culture erosion, loss of property, including homes, cars, boats, etc., and, for many, an end to their way of life for the foreseeable future. Only a fraction of Gulf residents truly believe that the systems that have been set up to serve them have made demonstrable strides towards “making it right”, as has become the mantra representing the aim of recovery and restoration processes.
Based on dozens of interviews with affected communities and the organizations that represent them, a review of consensus documents and other reports from technical experts as well as organizations representing thousands of gulf residents, and examination of response systems set up to address the Gulf Oil Drilling Disaster, this report tells the illustrative stories and shares the analysis of the pervasive unmet needs and gaps in the response system one year after the Deepwater Horizon Macondo Well explosion took 11 lives and dealt a crippling blow to the ecosystem, including the communities, of the Gulf of Mexico.
Gay College Students Launch Assault on Chick-fil-A for Being a Christian Company
From Yahoo News
What does a chicken sandwich have to do with Jesus? Gay students on a few college campuses apparently believe Chick-fil-A, the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States, is serving up a lot more than waffle fries with their sandwiches.
Gay students at some universities, along with a Georgia-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy group, are petitioning their schools to drop Chick-fil-A as weekly food vendors — because the restaurant chain openly promotes traditional marriage and other Christian values.
Black Cop Sues Harvard for Racism
BOSTON — The Harvard University Police Department passed over a black officer for a number of promotions and superiors routinely made racist remarks about blacks and Latinos, according to a federal lawsuit.
The complaint by Officer George Pierce, a veteran patrolman who is black, said he applied for open sergeant positions a number of times only to be passed over for less-qualified, non-black employees. The reason Pierce didn’t get promoted was his race, the lawsuit alleged, citing various instances when Pierce sought a sergeant spot but was turned down.
“Throughout Pierce’s employment at Harvard, Harvard and the department have created and maintained a pervasive racially-biased environment within the department,” the lawsuit said.
April 21, 2011
Donald Trump Says He’s Finding Surprising Information about President Obama’s Birthplace
Your Black World Reports
Donald Trump is still pushing his birther agenda against President Barack Obama. The real estate mogul recently told CNN that Americans will be “very surprised” by the results of his investigation into President Obama’s birthplace.
"We’re looking into it very, very strongly. At a certain point in time I’ll be revealing some interesting things," Trump said.
Your Black News: President Obama Holds a Townhall with Facebook
By Peter Nicholas, Washington Bureau
April 20, 2011, 8:05 p.m.
Reporting from Palo Alto—
Hoping to rekindle excitement among younger voters, President Obama spoke at a town-hall meeting hosted by Facebook on Wednesday and asked for help in beating back "radical" Republican budget proposals.
He sat on a stage next to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who served as moderator and funneled largely friendly questions to a president who makes extensive use of social media in reaching out to voters.
Zuckerberg confessed to being nervous, but the two bantered easily. Obama made a light reference to the 26-year-old’s billionaire status. In describing his tax plan, Obama said that he and "frankly, you, Mark," can afford to pay "a little more in taxes."
Taking questions submitted through Facebook and from an audience of company employees, Obama advised listeners not to get frustrated by protracted debates in Washington. He conceded that some of his 2008 voters might be asking why progress on many issues hasn’t come sooner. But he urged them not to give up on his agenda.
