Young Baby Killed in His Car Seat by Bullets: Violence in Urban America

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

Rashad Walker Jr. was just 20 months old when he died. The young child was killed in the back of his mother's minivan in Syracuse, NY. when he was shot by up to 10 bullets that hit the vehicle at 4:30 pm this past Sunday. The child was asleep at the time, according to the Syracuse Post Standard.
Walker died at 6:45 pm, in the hospital and he was not the intended target. His mother was holding him when paramedics arrived on the scene.
The story of Rashad Walker is clearly one of the most tragic incidents we've read about all year. It takes us back to the police shooting of Aiyana Jones, the 7-year old in Detroit who was shot while sleeping during a police raid. This story is also personal to me because I live in Syracuse, a city that (like so many others) continues to be plagued by gun violence.

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NY Daily News vs. Al Sharpton: Politics and Propaganda

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

It’s not easy fighting for civil rights and running organizations that stand up for the freedoms of the oppressed. If you’re good at what you do, your enemies will try anything to take you down. On top of that, many of the people you are fighting for, via self-hatred, may be skeptical of your efforts and willing to partner with oppressive forces to undermine your work. Even worse, your constituents may not have the means to help you face the massive financial responsibility that comes with serving your community. Freedom damn sure ain’t free, and most leaders have the receipts to prove it.

I don’t get as many calls for help as Rev. Al Sharpton, but I get my fair share. The most difficult thing about receiving these requests is that you want to help everyone, but are constantly struggling to find the resources to get the job done. If you ask for help to pay the cost of the trip, people think you’re somehow trying to swindle them or earn an unnecessary profit from the work you do. The truth is that everybody’s got bills to pay and the bigger your name, the more people think you’re made of money.

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Study Finds that a Third of South African Men Admit to Committing Rape

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

A study commissioned by the Medical Research Foundation, a group funded by the South African government, has wielded some disturbing findings about violence against women. According to the study, more than 1-in-3 men of Johannesburg have committed rape at some point in their lives. Roughly seven percent of the men sampled admitted to participating in a gang rape.
The study also found that over 51 percent of the 511 women surveyed had been victims of violence from men. Also, 78 percent of men admitted to committing a violent act against a woman. One fourth of the women in the survey said that they'd been raped, but only about four percent of these rapes are reported to police.
These findings are similar to a 2008 study that found that 28 percent of the men in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces had committed rape against a woman or girl. Also, one-third of the men said they did not feel guilty for what they'd done. Two-thirds of the men claimed to have committed rape out of a sense of entitlement, and others raped out of boredom or a desire to punish women who'd rejected them.

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Congressional Black Caucus Under Attack from Other Lawmakers: What Does That Mean?

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

Last week, I found myself speaking about Rep. Charlie Rangel more than ever before. In case you haven't noticed, the future of the seasoned lawmaker has come into question in light of investigations alleging him to be involved in a slew of ethical violations. Sunday, I had a conversation with Rev. Jesse Jackson on the air regarding exactly what's going on with Rangel and his political career. Then Monday, Rev. Al Sharpton and I talked about the broader scenario as it relates to black lawmakers. Just when I thought we were done speaking about investigations against black people in Congress, the conversation turned toward Maxine Waters and the slew of other CBC members currently being investigated.

Defending (or not defending) one black lawmaker after another led me to a moment of pause, where I asked the question that's been asked before, but perhaps not vocally enough: Why are so many black lawmakers being targeted for investigations anyway? According to the late Ron Walters, the most respected black political scientist in the country, "it is curious ... that in over 30 of the probes the new Office of Congressional Ethics was considering, the only active investigations were on black Congresspersons."

 

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Sarah Palin Says that North Korea is Our Ally

That's the question being debated afterSarah Palin said in an interview withGlenn Beck Wednesday that North Koreawas a U.S. ally.

When asked by Beck how she would handle a situation like the one that was developing in North Korea, Palin responded: "This is stemming from, I think, a greater problem when we're all sitting around asking, 'Oh no, what are we going to do,' and we're not having a lot of faith that the White House is going to come out with a strong enough policy to sanction what it is that North Korea is going to do."

It is unclear whether Palin is talking about sanctions against North Korea, or U.S. sanctioning -- i.e. approving or supporting -- its actions.

Palin continued: "Obviously, we gotta stand with our North Korean allies," when Beck interrupted and corrected her to say "South Korea."

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Julianne Malveaux Talks About Her New Book, “Surviving and Thriving”

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

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is second-to-none. One of the most respected and prolific scholars in the history of black America, she is truly an intellectual soldier. With a PhD in Economics from MIT, Dr. Malveaux has produced scholarly work that serves as nothing less than a guide book for overcoming the prodigious number of problems being faced by black America today. She is also a champion for women's rights and issues that uniquely impact African American women.
AOL Black Voices had the chance to catch up with Dr. Malveaux to discuss the release of her new book, "Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History," and she had this to say:

1) What is your name and what do you do?
I am Dr. Julianne Malveaux, an economist, author and President of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina.
2) What motivated you to write your book, and what can people learn from it?
When people think of the economy, they rarely think of African American people as important contributors, as thivers instead of simply survivors. There is such inspiration in our economic history and I was passionate about lifting it up.

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Why Has Obama Granted Zero Pardons Since Getting Elected?

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

This week, the president made me laugh. That was saying a lot at the time, given that I was exhausted from traveling across the country for Thanksgiving. The source of my entertainment was the president's annual turkey pardon, in which he pardoned four turkeys, thus saving them from the fate that typically befalls turkeys at this time of the year. Being endangered and running from extinction, I figured that this is one thing that turkeys and black men have in common.

One of the things that got my attention was a very telling statistic about our president. After being in office for 22 months, the president has not granted or denied a single pardon. The only other president in recent history to have granted such a small number of pardons this deep into his presidency was Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins: How to Set Goals and Achieve Them

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

I felt that today would be a good day to talk about living life to the fullest.  I'm no expert on this, but I've learned a few things over the years that I can share with you.  One thing I can say for sure is that most of us are not reaching our potential, as we find that the words "woulda coulda shoulda" dominate our daily dialog.

Well, life is too short to be mediocre, so it's time for you to start being your best.  Here are a few tips on how to reach your goals.  The list is simple and to the point, and I suggest you read it every day of your life:

1) Always have a goal: Life is no fun if you aren't striving for something.  A man or woman without any goals in life is effectively just waiting to die.  Rather than making your life about simple survival, you may want to find a way to give it some purpose.  Keep the list of goals with you at all the times, so you can always remember what you're meant to do.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins: It’s Time to Confront Deadbeat Parents….All of Us

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

My entire life, I've seen the costs and consequences of parents who don't want to pay to take care of their own kids. My father abandoned me when I was child, and to my knowledge, paid zero or close to no child support. Over the years, I had two relationships with women who had children with men who'd had forgotten that their kids existed. That led to me paying child support for my own child, in addition to the children of other people who were ignoring their responsibility. In fact, to this day, most of my "adopted children" need money from me every other week to pay for things that their parents should be paying for. I admit that sometimes, it's draining.
I'm not the only one who goes through the challenge of paying for deadbeat parents. All across America, quite a few people have either been abandoned by deadbeat parents, paid the price for deadbeat parents or become a deadbeat parent themselves (you know who you are). It occurs in every community, so we cannot pretend that black people are the only ones who do this. But for some reason, there is a code of silence when this kind of behavior occurs in the black community, especially when the father is the perpetrator of this heinous crime. I say it's time for this to stop.

 

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Black Scholar News: Schomburg Center Chooses Elijah Muhammad’s Great Grandson to Lead

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

Khalil Gibran Muhammad appears to be a great choice to head the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. A 38-year old assistant professor of African American History at Indiana University, Dr. Muhammad has already achieved a great deal in the world of black scholarship. His book, "The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America," has done quite well, and he is respected by quite a few black scholars across the nation.
Muhammad also has pedigree: He is the great grandson of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, legendary leader of the Nation of Islam. Therefore, his scholarly work with a predominantly white institution (Indiana University, which is no stranger to racial problems, I went to graduate school there) is supplemented by his connection and deep commitment to issues that affect real people in his community.

 

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The Things We Do at Church: Facebook Pastor Had an Affair with His Male Assistant

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

Apparently, the words "thou shall not use Facebook" don't quite trump the words "thou shall not have a three-way sexual relationship with your wife and a male assistant." The Rev. Cedric Miller became a national name last week after demanding that his entire New Jersey congregation delete their Facebook pages. The move was thought to be an incredibly bold statement about the impact that Facebook has on relationships, where old boyfriends/girlfriends never quite go away.
To the surprise of many, it turns out that Rev. Miller may have his own reasons for wanting Facebook out of his life. There are reports that the pastor had a three-way sexual relationship with his wife and a male assistant at the church. Rev. Miller, who heads the Living Word Christian Fellowship Church in Neptune Township, New Jersey, confirmed the information, which had been printed in a local newspaper.
The 48-year old pastor also demanded that all 50 of his married church officials delete their Facebook pages or quit their leadership posts. He told married members of his church to share their login information with their spouses. He said that he plans to leave Facebook this week himself.

 

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James Carville Accuses President Obama of Having One Testicle

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

Political analyst James Carville, known for being a man who doesn't hold back on his words, made a comment about President Barack Obama that was heard around the world (well, at least they heard it on CNN). At a breakfast event recently, Carville said, "If Hillary (Clinton) gave up one of her balls and gave it to Obama, he'd have two."
Of course Carville was asked if he would apologize for his remarks, which he may or may not have expected to end up on national news. Instead, he refused, saying that his comment was a joke and that there was no need for further analysis. He didn't seem willing to elaborate on what he meant when disrespecting the president's manhood, but his decision not to back off sends a signal that he's not always happy with the president's policies.
Carville, an Obama supporter (well sort of), is a highly progressive and well-respected political consultant. He has helped to anchor the success of campaigns in all areas of politics, going back to the 1986 gubernatorial win of Roberty Casey. He achieved national prominence after helping Bill Clinton become President of the United States in 1992.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins: Does Obama Have Bragging Rights with GM IPO?

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

President Barack Obama gained some bragging rights this week. The emergence of General Motors by way of a$20.1 billion dollar initial public offering (IPO) was a shot heard around the world. The IPO is the largest in American history, and largely unexpected by most of the financial community.

Just a year ago, General Motors found itself suffocating under the stigma of receiving a government bailout, and the Obama administration was heavily criticized for providing $36 billion in taxpayer funds to keep the company afloat. The argument by Obama was that allowing GM to fail would cause the loss of hundreds of thousands of American jobs, something that the president wasn't willing to tolerate. In an uncomfortable spurt of patriotism, the president's camp took the bold step of bailing out the company that many thought should be allowed to fail.

President Obama certainly has both the right and need to brag about the rise of GM. In the same way Republicans were quick to blame him for allegedly worsening the economic downturn, they must also allow him to soak up the credit when good things happen. Whether we are faced with good or bad economic times, the president is usually given more responsibility than he deserves. Such is the nature of politics.

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Kanye West Should Never Have Apologized to Bush

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

One of the proudest moments in my life as a political observer was when Kanye West did something that almost no other artist or entertainer would be astute or courageous enough to do.  In 2005, as people were dying in the streets of New Orleans, West used the powerful platform provided to him during a Hurricane Katrina telethon to make the statement heard around the world:  ”George Bush does not care about black people.”

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Dr. Boyce Watkins on CNBC: Cutting Taxes for the Rich is a Very Bad Idea

 

Watch Dr. Boyce Watkins explain on CNBC that extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy is bad for America.   Click here to watch

October Brings a Slight Dip in Black Unemployment

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

How one analyzes the black unemployment numbers for the month of October really comes down to whether you see the glass as being half empty or half full. On one hand, most of the indicators of black unemployment went down, but they still remain remarkably high relative to the numbers for white Americans.
According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, black unemployment dropped by .4 percentage points, from 16.1 percent to 15.7 percent. The number is still nearly double that of white unemployment, which lies at 8.8 percent.
Black male unemployment actually saw the steepest decline among all race/gender groups, dropping from 17.6 percent to 16.3 percent. The number is still 83 percent higher than white male unemployment (which is 8.9 percent).
Black women saw a slight increase in their unemployment rate, which went from 12.6 percent to 12.7 percent. The unemployment numbers for black women are 74 percent higher than those for white females (at 7.3 percent, lower than any other group in America).

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Sarah Palin’s Latest Stunt Reminds Us That She’s Not Fit to be President

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

Most of us know by now that Sarah Palin has as much chance of becoming president as Jesse Jackson has of joining the KKK. She has a tremendous following, but only a tiny amount of political credibility, making her a cross between Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and a kid who keeps failing ninth grade. In fact, rather than simply emulating Coulter, Palin is applauding her at her very worst moments, which is a very bad move for even the strongest conservative.

Recently, Palin put one of the final nails in her presidential coffin by "favoriting" a tweet by Ann Coulter. In the tweet, Coulter mentioned that she was excited about a sign outside a church that said:

"The blood of Jesus against Obama history made 4 Nov 2008 a Taliban Muslim illegally elected president USA: Hussein."

 

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Fighting for the Rich is the Republicans First Agenda Item

 

Dr. Boyce appears on CNBC to ask why the Republicans are already fighting to extend Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.  To watch the video, please click here.

Spike Lee Criticized for Selling Vodka: Yes, He Should Be

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

The New York Daily News is claiming that director Spike Lee has been getting bashed by New York teens for his affiliation with Absolut Vodka. Lee apparently designed a logo for the vodka company themed after Bedford-Stuyvesant, a well-known and respected neighborhood within the Brooklyn community. Apparently, some of the teens feel that it's a bit hypocritical for Lee to make films that uplift black people, while simultaneously working with major corporations to convince us to drink more liquor.
"I've seen his movies. I was a really big fan. But he lost respect from me," said Shenel Gunnis told the New York Daily News. "You're not supposed to be promoting stuff like that in areas that can barely afford food."

 

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