The Obama administration’s decision to charge a white man with a hate crime for allegedly punching a black man as part of the knockout game has led to criticism that it is applying the law unevenly. Click on the link below to read more.
As recent American report says that black fathers are at least as involved with their kids as other men in similar living situations. Click on the link below to read more.
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Last Sunday, MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry opened her program over the weekend with a commentary about the Affordable Care Act’s colloquial moniker: “Obamacare.” She said that the word was originally created as a “derogatory term,” designed by white men as a way to delegitimize President Barack Obama and his achievement. However, she said that the term will soon be synonymous with all of Obama’s accomplishments and she urged her audience to use the term with pride.
“I want to talk today about a controversial word. It’s a word that has been with us for years, and like it or not, it’s indelibly printed in the pages of American history,” Harris-Perry opened. “A word that was originally intended as a derogatory term, meant to shame and divide and demean.”
“The word was conceived of by a group of wealthy white men who needed a way to put themselves above and apart from a black man; to render him inferior and unequal and to diminish his accomplishments,” she continued.
“At first, he rose above it, hoping that if he could just make a cause for what he achieved, his opponents would fail in making their label stick,” Harris-Perry added. “But no matter how many successes that he had as president, he realized there were still many people for whom he’d never be anything more than that one disparaging word.”
She said the president eventually embraced the term, and so should Obama’s supporters. “Because he knows that of all his victories over two terms in office his legacy is ultimately going to be remembered for this one single word,” the MSNBC host declared.
I mean, what do you call the president who rescues the U.S. auto industry? Obamacare. What do you call the president who finally eliminates Osama bin Laden? Obamacare. What do you call the president who ends Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Say it with me! Obamacare.
Heard the one about the president who pulled us out of the greatest recession since the Great Depression? Yep. Obamacare. And what about the one, you know, about the president who reduced drug sentencing disparities? Obamacare.
She closed by noting that “Obamacare,” is no longer the “derogatory term” it was originally conceived to be. Like the historic accomplishments above, the ACA will soon be widely regarded as a celebrated accomplishment.
All you need to watch the show live is to go The Dr. Vibe Show Homepage at http://thedrvibeshow.com/ today at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 p.m. Pacific. You can also provide your comments and questions during the event via Twitter (@drvibeshow#DrVibe) and at our Facebook Fan Page at “The Dr. Vibe Show” Facebook Fan Page
Middle class black men may lead thoroughly integrated, middle-class lives, but they get occasional reminders that none of that counts. Click on the link below to read more.
What if Kwanzaa was re-purposed to be a true celebration of the African-American experience? What if the African words and images were replaced with the symbols, terms, and markers of black America? Would making these changes make it more appreciated and valuable to blacks, as well as the nation in general? Click on the link to read more.
A Philly Drummer playing a Global Beat, Christopher A. Norris is an award-winning journalist, online content producer and professional drummer endorsed by TRX Cymbals. An American businessman, Norris currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Techbook Online Corporation, overseeing a strategic initiative of mobilizing local, regional, national and global communities by encouraging the production, safeguarding and dissemination of diversified contents in the media and global information networks.
Rashaun Williams and Isaiah Thomas served on an all-black-male panel last month in Philadelphia where the driving question was: “HOW do we engage culture to transform perception; hold media accountable for depictions that reinforce negative associations; and reset the vision of race for this and future generations?”
Both attempting to save the world – one through sustainability and the other through policy – Williams and Thomas represent 21st century thought-leaders who use their words to spread social change and leverage their actions for social impact.
Thomas, the youngest democratic City Council candidate in Philadelphia’s history, coaches an award-winning basketball league and serves as a mentor to countless youth – both in the league and in the community. With a new son and a young wife, Thomas is working tirelessly to ensure his family, friends and those in the city of brotherly love have a strong, reliable and hard-working elected official representing them in City Hall. Thomas has confirmed with Techbook Online his plans to campaign in the 2015 local election. Rashaun is DJ leads weekly classes with high-school aged youth, aiming to inform them of sustainable soil management practices and encourage the development of innovative, sustainable project-based learning activities.
The youngest BMe grantee in Philadelphia, Williams is sending sustainability through a culture-shock as he fuses animation, activism, technology, place-making and education into a future-proofed model called TechKnowledge G!™.
Neither Thomas nor Williams fit the narrative of what society says a young black man should be, but they do, however, fit the description. Regardless of their defining physical features, the two things that make these men such as threat turns out to be their greatest strength: young and black.
Both willing to work around the clock to “get the job done,” these brothers are a small window into the diversity of leadership that exist with BMe, a growing network of 3000+ inspired black men and their friends who everyday are working together to build strong communities.
Our conversation included:
– Chris sharing a little about himself
– The Tamayo McDuffy case background
– Chris’s thoughts on how the Philadelphia media treats Blacks and the lack of diversity in America media companies
– Chris’s concern about many Black media are not “changing the narrative”
– Chris’s launches BOLD (Board Of Leaders and Doers) and BOLD’s vision
– Rashaun and Isiah provided some background about themselves and how each of them met Christopher
– Each of their takes about the state of Philadelphia for African American
– Their thoughts on the challenges African American men are facing in Philadelphia especially “stop and frisk”
– Why Isiah wants to get involved in Philadelphia politics
– How their collaboration with each other made them better
– Who inspires them and what inspires them?
– What has BMe meant to each of them?
– Their thoughts on the state of Black America
– Rashaun shares what he thinks that young people should be utilizing social media for
– Rashaun and Chris share their words for Black America and for Black men
“Be Different, Be Great, and Never Stop.” is the motto that Brandon Frame not only lives by but also embodies. Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, Brandon has always had a vision for achieving his goals. As a graduate of Morehouse College, Brandon unites his passion for business and education together as he continually creates avenues for youth to develop into positive and upstanding men and women. His website, The Black Man Can has become a pinnacle point for the Black community and society. TheBlackManCan is read in all 50 states and over 15 different countries. He currently serves as the Director of Business Partnerships and Program Development at High School Inc., in his home town of Hartford, Connecticut.
In January of 2013, Brandon released an interactive journal for Black boys and Men titled Define Yourself, Redefine the World: A Guided Journal for Black Men & Boys”. Brandon has received numerous awards and honors and was most recently awarded the 2012 Excellence in Education Award from Black Street Black Celebration Awards.
In 2013, he received an official citation from the State of Connecticut for TheBlackManCan Institute and was named Top 40 under 40 by The Hartford Business Journal. Brandon’s work has been featured in Jet Magazine, PolicyMic, Black Enterprise, The Grio, NBC New York and Fox Connecticut.
During our conversation, Brandon talks about:
– Brandon shares where the vision of The Black Man Can come from
– Why did he turn his back on a successful career in corporate America to do The Black Man Can and what did his family think of his decision
– The importance of his grandmother and mother in his life
– What was it like for him not meeting his father until he was eighteen years old?
– Some of the journey of The Black Man Can and what people can find by going to the website
– Some special moments during the journey
– How has the state of Black men changed since The Black Man Can started?
– What are young Black men sharing with him?
– Coach Michael Taylor joined the conversation and shares his optomistic thoughts about the future of Black men
– “Black men must embrace the paradox of living in America.” Coach Michael Taylor
– how he came up with The Black Man Can Institute and the four city tour
– What are mothers telling him about their Black sons?
– The effect of hip hop and social media on young Black men
– “Coat your mind with knowledge so it is not penetrated by foolishness.”
– Where does America stand in regards to young Black men?
– What does the Black community need to do to help young Black men?
– What The Black Man Can has coming up in the future
– His words for Black men
