Isaiah Washington's "mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore!" Why? Because ABC officially fired him. [E!]
There are "questions" as to whether a slave passageway (used so that guests did not have to see them entering and exiting the main house) found under George Washington's presidential home in Philadelphia should be included in a new exhibit. [MSNBC]
The French Africa is soon to be Chinese Africa. I guess just plain Africa is too much to ask for. [IHT]
James G. Clark, the former Alabama sheriff responsible for Selma's infamous Bloody Sunday in 1965, died Monday at 84. Unlike many Southern whites alive at that time, he retained his racist beliefs until he died. [UPI]
Some members of the CBC are looking to gingerly extricate themselves from Congressman Jefferson's corner. [Politico]
John Amos should have no problem recruiting a group of young, black men to participate in a "terribly exciting" documentary project he's working on. He wants to shackle some Bloods and Crips inside the slave ship Amistad and sail the Middle Passage. And film it!
Actually, it may be a tougher sell than I originally thought.
"Amistad America is launching its vessel this month (June 21) to sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia to England in conjunction with Great Britain's 200-year commemoration of the abolition of slavery," Amos tells the columnists. "Once it reaches England, Captain Pinkney — the first African-American to solo circumnavigate the globe in a sailboat — will take command and sail the boat to slave ports on the West Coast of Africa, Barbados and various other ports.
"Can you imagine the impact it would have on, say, four young men from conflicting gangs, like two Bloods and two Crips, who have been involved in a negative lifestyle, to take them on the Amistad to let them realize the history they're involved with and the historical opportunity that's been given to them? Let them get exposed to what their ancestors went through so they can have a better appreciation and realize the obligation they have to try and live a good life and fulfill their potential as human beings. Amistad America is totally receptive to it, and I've already spoken to a couple of other organizations. It's a terribly exciting project."
I don't care how many crimes a guy has committed, I don't think I wish the Middle Passage on anyone. But if it gets of the ground, Amos can promote it as Scared Straight, 17th century-style.
Like Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama is deeply, profoundly, immeasurably sorry for the role it played in American slavery. Georgia's still not sure, but it should jump on the bandwagon, lest influential voters get the idea that they aren't sorry.
Obviously, apologizing for slavery is the cool thing to do. And I don't know if it's because it is currently trendy or because these proclamations are coming from politicians who may preside over people still struggling from slavery's after-effects but did not have any direct involvement in the institution itself, but all of these apologies annoy me. Pandering is rarely sincere. Neither is succumbing to peer pressure. Instead of a making a declaration, maybe these state governments should put more resources into righting slavery's wrongs, something no one has managed to completely accomplish since it was abolished.
If attending a hip hop summit motivated the NYPD to follow Alicia Keys, then Danny Glover better check his phone for taps. The very political actor is accepting $18 million dollars from Venezuela, led by the Bush-hating Hugo Chavez, for a movie about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian revolution.
Toussaint Louverture is a towering figure in the region's history. A freed slave of African descent, he led thousands of slaves in successful campaigns against British, Spanish and French troops before being betrayed, captured and exiled. He died in 1803, just before his followers succeeded in establishing the island's independence. William Wordsworth wrote a sonnet about him.
Glover said he wanted to educate the US about the story. "It's been essentially wiped out of our historic memory, it's been wiped clean."
The actor is chairman of the TransAfrica Forum, an advocacy group for African Americans and other members of Africa's diaspora, and a vocal critic of the Bush administration. Along with the singer Harry Belafonte, Glover is the best known celebrity supporter of Mr Chávez, whom he considers "remarkable". He is a regular visitor to Venezuela.
Chavez hopes the movie will drive home a negative message about imperialism and Western oppression. That's all well and good, Chavez, but is there nothing more practical the country of Venezuela could use $18 million for?
Anyway, I'm kind of surprised that there haven't been more movies about Louverture and the slave uprising in Haiti, considering its historical importance. But beyond being informative and entertaining, I'm not sure what this story will do to affect public opinion. If our slave history isn't enough to drive those messages home, why would Haiti's?
Ever wonder why black people love Chinese food? It seems pretty obvious to me. [J-ville]
Apologizing for slavery is the new black. [BaltSun]
Coolio's aging "gangta image" was enough to impress one Scottish fan, which isn't saying much. [Scotsman]
Nelly is in talks to host South Africa's version of Pimp My Ride, a full time job that makes me wonder about his career prospects here in the states. Not so good, I would imagine. [EUR]
Wal-mart's getting sued, again. For discrimination, again. [PG]
We're Paying Higher Interest For Our Gaudy Luxury Car With 22-Inch Rims. No Fair!
Blacks are charged higher auto loan rates. This sucks even more when you consider the fact that we're usually buying cars — and accessories — that we can't afford in the first place. [KCS]
Black ballet dancers aren't rising in the ranks of any dance company except Alvin Ailey's. One of the ingenious and ridiculous reasons offered for this problem (which is easily a result of equal parts class/access issues and discrimination) is that black women are more "earthy." [IHT]
According to the Village Voice, Jim Jones is to Cam'ron as Chingy is to Ludacris. Ouch. [VV]
American Girl dolls are great because they come in most colors (Asian is conspicuously absent), but why does the one black one have to have the back story of a runaway slave? [RGJ]
Blacks and whites are split over wanting Barry Bonds to break Hank Aaron's homerun record. Ah, the racial turmoil I avoid by ignoring sports. [BET]
Yesterday I told you about how the Queen of England may be "expressing regret" for the toll blacks and Native Americans had to pay for the "founding of America" when she visits Virginia today and tomorrow. And the state of Virginia passed a resolution apologizing for the state's role in slavery months ago, starting a slow but steady stream of politically-motivated apologies among the former slave states. Apologies are nice, but what do they really mean? As a recent Time article points out, when we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, which one could call the 400th anniversary of America, although we all know there was an America, replete with inhabitants and vibrant culture, long before English-speaking settlers decided to steal it, we are celebrating the birth of a slave culture that still affects Americans of all colors today. CONTINUED »
The Queen is coming to Virginia! The Queen is coming to Virginia! Oh, right. The British monarchy is a nearly obsolete, totally irrelevant (to us, anyway) institution that Americans neither care about nor let affect their lives? Well, it is a little interesting, isn't it? No? What if I told you Queen Elizabeth II may be apologizing for Britain's role in slavery when she crosses the pond to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown? For a woman who barely had it in her to make a statement expressing regret that Princess Diana died, it would be a pretty big deal. CONTINUED »
Find your Ancestor's name on a list! I'm not sure where you'll go from there.
If your ancestors came from a British colony, you might be able to find your slave ancestors on a new Web site. By December, the names of 3 million slaves from 19th century slave registers dating will be posted on Ancestry.co.uk. [NZH]
What do you do when you have a 37-year-old rapper stuck to your couch? Amy knows. [STLP-D]
Black youths are exposed to 77 percent more alcohol advertisements than other teens. If that's true, why are they they least likely to drive drunk? [BVN]
Coretta Scott King can't get a portrait hung in Georgia's state house, but Israel's naming a forest after her. [Yahoo]
Is rap the downfall of civilization or the great equalizer, bringing youths of different races together? Make up your mind, media. [LAT]
Snoop isn't the "kind of bloke" Australian immigration officials want spending five minutes in their country to present at the Australian MTV Awards. What are they afraid of — that he'll smoke up all their weed? [IHT]
Edward Brooke, the nation's first black senator since Reconstruction, urges blacks to continue to seek higher office. [BU-DFP]
Bill Cosby's writing a book called Come On People, which shares a theme with his recent most controversial statements (in case you missed it, we all suck). Too bad the only people who would buy such a book are not the people he's trying to reach. [PBP]
A survey says African American and Latino teens care more about community violence than whites. What a brilliant sociological discovery! [SFGate]
The University of Virginia jumps on the slavery apology bandwagon. They must not have asked themselves "What Would Thomas Jefferson Do?" [RTD]
I'm so glad Brown v. Board of Education was good for something
This weekend, students at a Georgia high school attended their first integrated prom. They danced all night to Motown hits, and the girls made sure not to mess their beehives as they did the pony and the mashed potato. [CSM]
No, you really do have Indian in your family. [DMN]
Blacks will have an estimated spending power of $1 trillion by 2010. I expect we won't only see commercials geared toward us on BET anymore. [LWeekly]
A-Rod and Mims: partners in hotness/flyness. [NYT]
Detroit's moping because Black Enterprise left it off the Top 10 Best Cities For Blacks list. Damn those pesky quality of life factors! [DFP]
Alabama's ready to apologize for slavery. Georgia's still not sure it's sorry. [WVEC]
Which one is the master and which one is the slave?
Using a master -slave metaphor to describe the relationship between blacks and the Democratic party is a great way for Republicans to bring votes to their side. [Source]
NAACP is launching a campaign to eliminate negative portrayals of blacks in the media. This campaign will surely lead them directly to VH1. [Source]
To the Latinos who want to get an offensive shock jock fired, I have two words for you: Al Sharpton. Get your community one of those and the work just does itself. [Source]
A South Carolina county elects their first black GOP chairman. Is this where the master-slave metaphor comes in handy? [Source]
Do we live in a country where people are finally starting to be held accountable for their actions? Eh, let's not get our hopes up. [Source]
