Dr. Boyce Watkins Chuckles At Shoe Hurled At President Bush

Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com

While I am never one to laugh about someone attacking another human being, I could not help but notice this video showing a man making very accurate and high velocity pitches at the head of the President. But then again, I can understand the anger of directly enduring the arrogant imperialism that the Bush Administration has shown throughout the world.

Enjoy the video!

FYI: Caitlin Powell, a talented 5th grader in the YourBlackWorld family, has decided that she wants to take the bold step of being a role model to other young children. You can see Caitlin's Corner, the first of a series of webcasts that Caitlin is doing to positively impact the Black community. She is in advanced classes, loves to read and is already talking about what kind of college she wants to go to. She represents what our kids should be all about, and I hope you will support her by watching her video, making comments and having your children learn the lessons of educational empowerment.

BTW: To join our Black Money Advice list, please click here.

Take care!
Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com

ps.
If you want to know how I feel about the situation with Jesse Jackson Jr., my thoughts on the issue are below:

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by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com

I was concerned to find out that Jesse Jackson Jr. has been asked to defend himself against allegations that he is involved in the scandal plaguing Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. I have spent alot of time with the Jackson family, as I've appeared on the show of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. more times this year than I can count. I have never met Jesse Jr., but I have a tremendous amount of respect for his father, as well as his sister Santita and his brother Jonathon, a fellow Finance guy. Jonathon and I spoke for hours about Economic and Financial empowerment in the Black community, and I was very impressed with what the brother had to say. Santita, whom I know better than the other "Jackson kids", has even given me advice on women, life and politics (this was especially relevant when I dealt with my university's backlash during the Bill O'Reilly situations a few months ago). I will always appreciate that.

At risk of not making everyone happy, here are my honest thoughts on the situation involving Jesse Jackson Jr, Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich:

1) I am not sure who said what and who did what during this scandal, since I don't trust much of what any politician has to say. That goes for Rod, Jesse Jr., Barack and everyone else. Part of the reason I will never run for political office is because you are forced to lie and pander in order to get elected. That doesn't appeal to me. I have a strange habit of being honest, and as my mother used to say "Boyce, your mouth will either make you great or get you killed, I'm curious to see which one."

2) I do know one thing: Illinois politics is as corrupt as a crackhead on payday. Isn't the former governor of Illinois in prison also? The thing that worried me most about Barack Obama was that I am skeptical of any politician who rises to the top of Illinois politics. Like an athlete who dominates a sport riddled with steroids, you can't help but wonder if the winner is a little "juiced" himself. If Blagojevich is auctioning off a Senate seat and everyone knows that, it's not easy to accept the fact that the governor chose the winner because of his integrity and experience. While there was no clear winner of this Senate seat, anyone dealing directly with the governor is going to be under clear and logical suspicion.

3) I was incredibly disappointed by the way Jesse Jackson Jr. left his father hanging out to dry (politically speaking) during the Obama "I want to cut his nutts off" fiasco. Don't get me wrong, the words were highly inappropriate. Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. called me the next day and I personally forgave him (after all, they weren't my testicles on the chopping block). I did, however, say that I was surprised that a long-time veteran of the media would make such a mistake and that it is disheartening that our most respected Black leaders still have to go to horrible places like Fox News to get their message out to the Black American public. But I was also saddened to see that his son, for the sake of political expediency, distanced himself as far as possible from his father. When your daddy is bleeding, you don't try to suck more blood out of his body.

I grew up in a world where a son remains loyal to his father, especially when he has done so much for him. So, I had a hard time understanding why Jesse Jackson Jr. would issue a statement detaching himself from his dad, all so he could continue enjoying the benefits of Obama-mania. Now that the "you-know-what" has hit the fan, I wonder how long it might be before Jesse Jr's new political friends start distancing themselves from HIM. No one loves you like family, and any reasonable man should think long and hard before attacking his own relatives in public. I say this as a man with several relatives I'd love to slap. But I have never considered issuing a press release to push the dagger a little deeper in a pre-existing wound of public humiliation.

The lesson I take away from all this is that if you are trying to swim with the pigs, you are going to get covered in slop. Whether Jesse Jackson Jr. is guilty or not, I don't consider him a bad person. The same thing goes for Barack Obama. But chasing the dream and intoxication of power, popularity and American validation can come at a price in this dirty and corrupt game called American politics (especially for Black men). As quick as you rose to the top, you can find yourself at the bottom, so perhaps it is important to remain grounded.

Keep hope alive Jesse Jr., you're going to need it.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of "What if George Bush were a Black Man?" He makes regular appearances in national media, including CNN, BET, ESPN and CBS Sports. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com

Your Black World: President Elect Obama – America’s Struggle in Context

President Elect Obama – America’s Struggle in Context

By: Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

With the election of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, Americans have taken a giant leap forward. It has taken this country 219 years to elect its first African-American president (George Washington was elected in 1789). It is imperative that this historic moment always be viewed within its proper historic context.

Since the United States of America was established with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, America has been a country in conflict. Americans have struggled to live up to the fundamental precepts upon which America was founded.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

People of color have struggled for their self-evident equality and unalienable rights since the first "20 & Odd" Blacks arrived on the shores of Jamestown, Virginia, in August of 1619. Those individuals were traded and/or sold into servitude for food and other supplies.

As I think about President-elect Obama and this historic event, my thoughts go to Mt. Vernon, Virginia, the home of the first president of the United States of America, George Washington. I wonder what it must have been like to live at Mt. Vernon in the 18th century. Not in Mt. Vernon as George or Martha, but at Mt. Vernon as one of their slaves. I don't think about the owner of Mt. Vernon; I think about the owned.

While the Washingtons lived there, they extracted from those enslaved people, those human beings, every ounce of effort and energy that they could. This allowed the Washingtons and those who looked like them to eat a little more, stay a little warmer, and enjoy themselves just a little bit more. Can the tortured souls of those slaves now rest a little easier with the success of a President-elect Obama?

As I think about President-elect Obama and this historic event, my thoughts go to the Constitution of this country and three specific provisions. First, Article 1, Section 2, which reads:

"Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons."

This was better known as the Three-Fifths Compromise and was the law of the land until it was removed by the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868.

Second, Article 1, Section 9, which reads:

"The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person."

This provision was included in the Constitution as a compromise to the slave-holding states. The logic being, after 21 years the slave population would be sustainable by natural birth rates and the importation of slaves would no longer be necessary.

Third, Article 4, Section 2, which reads:

"No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, But shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due."

This was better known as the Fugitive Slave Clause and was the law of the land until it was removed by the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865.

These constitutional provisions come to mind since they were the legal and conceptual foundations of the oppression that Africans in America, and later African-Americans, have been subjected to since the founding of this nation.

As I think about President-elect Obama's defeat of Senator John McCain and bask in the comfort of this historic event, I must also fear its backlash. History tells us that white supremacy dies hard in America and its proponents will not take America's victory lying down.

I think back to 1908 and Jack Johnson's defeat of Tommy Burns to become the first African-American boxing heavyweight champion of the world. This led to the search for the "Great White Hope," James Jackson Jefferies. Before Johnson fought Jefferies on July 4, 1910, the crowd chanted, "Kill the nigger." Johnson's defeat of Jefferies ignited numerous incidents of white violence against African-Americans. It set off some of the worst racial violence in American history.

As I think about President-elect Obama's victory in these depressed economic times, I reflect upon the Red Summer of 1919. There were 26 separate riots in communities and cities across the United States where African-Americans were the victims of physical attacks. The riots were sparked by postwar tensions of racism, unemployment, inflation and violence by radical political groups. I think about the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Race Riot of 1921; the burning of the Rosewood, Florida, community in 1923 and so much of the racial violence that was unleashed upon African-Americans from 1917 to 1923. America finds itself today in similar circumstances with wars on two fronts, historic housing foreclosures and record job loss.

As I think about President-elect Obama and this historic event, I remember Dr. King, Medgar Evers, President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Malcolm X. I reflect upon Emmett Till, Goodman, Schwerner, Chaney; and Carol Robertson, Cynthia Wesler, Addie Mae Collins and Denise McNair, the four little girls who were killed September 15, 1963, when the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. All martyrs, who gave their lives as America struggled to live up to the fundamental precepts upon which America was founded. All martyrs, who gave their lives as America struggled to finally elect its first African-American president.

As America celebrates a crowning achievement, the election of its first African-American president in 219 years, it is important to recognize that this did not take place in a vacuum. History is very important. It is a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events. We can not lose site of the history as we celebrate this historic event.

On August 10, 2008, The New York Times published an article by Matt Bai entitled "Is Obama the End of Black Politics?" What a ridiculous question. The popular vote was almost too close to call. In spite of all of the success that America has made in the context of race, Senator Obama ran a deracialized campaign for a reason. There are still miles to go before we sleep.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the nationally broadcast call-in talk radio program “On With Leon,” a regular guest on CNN’s Lou Dobb’s Tonight, and a Teaching Associate in the Department of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: wjl3us@yahoo.com.

© 2008 InfoWave Communications, LLC.

African American Scholary Thought on the Direction of Civil Rights

an open letter to Dr. Boyce Watkins

A little personal background...This political process supports an hypothesis that I have submitted to students in classes for nearly 20 years while doing adjunct faculty work. Among other social science coursework, I teach social welfare policy and urban politics. Naturally, the current political culture, with respect to recent history, results in spirited discussion and interesting papers. I also speak as a brother; a baby boomer and; a resident of an almost exclusively black and not too prosperous suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.

The above mentioned hypothesis...It has been apparent to me for some time that African-Americans, for good reasons (and some not so good) do not understand the fundamental differences between electoral politics and protest politics. But, this election due to its duration and complexity, is becoming a graduate course for the community. Friends and colleagues are redefining themselves with respect to the manner in which they and other black folk should demonstrate civic participation. We are volunteering thoughts and feelings to each other unlike anything I have seen since the "rap sessions" of the early seventies.

Rather than applying the "conventional wisdom" that so frequently results in myths and derogatory conclusions, I believe we need dialogue and research that addresses the relationships between black civic/political participation and the existence (absence) of the types of institutions that engineer and support political participation. All the while remembering that African Americans are a minority people and the blueprint for these institutions generally reflects the dominant culture.

Today's political process, at least as we view the percentages of black voters who support Obama, indicates the utility of electoral politics as a factor in creating cultural bonds that offset social and economic divisions. (sounds like another hypothesis in the making)

I hope that of African American academics like yourself and Michael Dyson can assist us as we negotiate the political, cultural and social learning curves related to blacks taking on leadership responsibilities in electoral politics. This is not to place an unbearable onus on you. That would be unfair. The often amorphous, but real, "black community" must become engaged in every respect, by all forms of media to overcome the habit of ignoring its scholars. Your website is so important in that regard.

Barack Obama is living the "Jackie Robinson Syndrome" as he negotiates the dominant cultures' institutions in the absence of black institutions designed to support and strengthen him. Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton forewarned us 40 plus years ago in the classic book Black Power about the need to develop political institutions that are reflective of the culture. Again, I believe there is a a basic assumption to be considered...politics, whether they be electoral, protest or those politics associated with specified public policy, can and will define culture.

Additionally, Black Power's thesis was, in some regards, old wine in new wineskins if the messages of DuBois, Garvey and some others are carefully examined.

So now that we have all been caught unprepared by the politics of today, the leadership of academicians who still have a semblance of a resonating voice, is "so welcomed". We must support you and dialogue with you just as we make every effort to do the same for and with Barack Obama. I hope Obama's organization functions so that he can be reasonably receptive. I worry because I do not see the strong black institutions required to support this idea.

Personally, I cringed twice-over at Obama's politicizing of black fatherhood just as you expressed on your website. I heartily agree with your sentiments about that. I also believe that Obama, as a politician needs the fuel for more cogent commentary and that must come from all of us...ie black educators, researchers, teachers, social workers etc.

In addition, that unfortunate commentary was an example of the need for social science to provide us all with knowledge that countervails the current diatribe that currently prevails about black folks.

Again, I highlight the merits of your website as well as Michael Dyson's book that answered Bill Cosby . I just wish I could receive your beautifully thought out sentiments directly. I will sign on again.

Very Sincerely,

Justin White

Marc and Melissa: All Politics Is Local

Call by Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Princeton University

Marc,

After a week of Presidential politics dominated by everything but a meaningful discussion about policy I have decided to broaden the focus of my political energy a bit. Don’t get me wrong; I am still an undeterred, hopeful and ardent Obama supporter. But I am also reminding myself of longtime Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill’s famous admonition that “all politics is local.”
24-hour network news makes us drowsy about local politics. But most of the fundamental policy choices that affect our daily lives are made and implemented by office holders at levels much closer to the ground than the White House.

For Democrats, the long primary season is draining the political giving budget of many contributors. This could have a big effete on candidates at every level from the dogcatcher to the Senate. I hit that little red “Donate Now” button on my Obama campaign emails, but I am worried that as we battle at the top, we lose the resources to win the undercard.

So Marc, I am asking you and our readers to make suggestions about key races across the country where they think we ought to focus. Who are the candidates for the Mayor, Governor, Congress, School Boards and city and county office that you think can make a big difference in our communities? Where else should we write our $5 or $500 donation checks to make sure that the “silly season” in US Presidential politics does not distract us from making change where we can really impact people's lives.

Ok, I’ll start. One top pick for me is Kevin Powell’s challenge to Edolphus Towns in the 10th Congressional District of Brooklyn.

Marc what are your picks?

Melissa


Response by Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Temple University

Melissa,

For me, the most important non-presidential race to watch comes from Ohio’s 10th Congressional District, where incumbent US Representative Dennis Kucinich is facing a serious challenge.


Since taking office in 1998, Kucinich has been one of the most consistent and principled voices in the Congress. From his persistent opposition to the Iraq war to his uniform challenge to free trade, Kucinich has consistently forced his Democratic colleagues to live up to their progressive promise. Although he was shunned by the mainstream media, Kucinich played a significant role in the 2008 Democratic primary, forcing the mainstream (read: corporate) candidates to answer tough questions about critical issues. More than any politician that I've ever encountered, Kucinich is sincere, ethical, committed, and unwavering in his advocacy for Left-wing values.

Unfortunately, while Kucinich was operating on the national scene, local opponents were plotting on his Congressional seat. By the beginning of 2008, four well-funded candidates attempted to unseat Kucinich in Democratic primary by painting him as an absentee congressman. Although Kucinich was able to defeat them through a twelfth hour fund raising effort, the battle is not over. In November, he will be facing former Republican State Representative Jim Trakas in another close contest.

A Kucinich loss will have a devastating impact on the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio, and the entire nation. If we truly care about the future of a Left-wing movement, we must aid his re-election.

Can I count on your help?

The Rev. Wright is Wrong

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE THE REV. WRIGHT IS WRONG: IT IS GOD'S WILL THAT WE USE COMMON SENSE Most people who have any interest at all in Sen. Obama's campaign for president are scratching their heads over what could possibly be governing Rev. Wright's decision to go public at this time. When I first learned that the reverend was being interviewed by Bill Moyers, I naturally assumed that he and the Obama campaign had decided upon a strategy of allowing the American people to see who the reverend really is, in order to offset the media portrayal of him. While I could understand the rationale behind such a move, it seemed to me that it was an extremely risky endeavor, and ill advised. Then I learned that not only was Rev. Wright being interviewed by Bill Moyers, but he was also going before the National Press Club, and all on his own accord, without bringing Obama into the loop. It was only then that I realized that we had a loose cannon on our hands, and we were also facing yet another political disaster. I've learned a lot about my people during this campaign, but nothing has come into focus more clearly than the penchant for some of us to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Within an hour after Obama first announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination you could hear the crabs stirring restlessly in the barrel. Then the first claw reached out, in the person of a supposedly enlightened Black talk show host–What kind of brother are you if you think announcing your candidacy for presidency is more important than coming on my infomercial? Then the next claw , from a so-called Black intellectual–I just want to know two things- how much do you love your people, and where you getting your money. Then came the Black politicians, pundits, and self-serving businessmen--and from there it became an absolute self-hatefest. Thankfully, due to the thinly veiled dismissive remarks of our "First Black president", the people in the community began to see through the ignorance of our failed leadership, and came to rally around this impressive young brother. But unfortunately, we found that a history of envy, self-service, and egomania is a tenacious foe, and will only die after a slow, lingering, and agonizing struggle. If we'er ever going to correct this situation in the Black community, instead of trying to defend our Black icons who behave inappropriately, we must refer back to the wisdom that we learned in order to survive on the street, and simply call a hat a hat. And in this case, the hat that Rev. Wright is sportin' is one of unabashed self-service. Rev. Wright knows full well that his previous remarks have severely undermined Sen. Obama's pursuit for the Democratic nomination. He also knows that we are now at a crucial point in the nominating process. So why would he--literally, and in God's name--choose this moment to lose his mind? His answer to that question is as lame as they come. He said, "They're talking about my momma", the Black church. His response was reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's lament about her yearning need to save America, and it came off just a phony. The Black church doesn't need Rev. Wright's defense–it was doing just fine under circumstances much more dire than we find ourselves today, and beyond that, it survived for countless generations before there even was a Rev. Wright, so he's gonna have to come up with something better than that. Wright also pointed out that it doesn't matter what anyone says, whether they be pundits, the news media, or politicians, if it is God's will for Barack Obama to become the next president, he will be the next president. I'll come back to the validity of that statement in a moment, but if it is Wright's conviction that God has the ability to protect Obama, even from a mouth like his own, why does he think God needs his help to protect the Black church? While Rev. Wright is clearly a learned man, it is just as clear that he's highly selective in the Biblical passages that he chooses to adhere to. How does his behavior square with the Biblical prescription to treat others as he would like to be treated, for example? If he was in Obama's position–a hare's breath away from becoming President of the United States–I wonder if he would want some loose cannon of a preacher strutting around on stage antagonizing voters to milk his thirty minutes of fame? I don't think he'd like it at all. But the reverend tries to justify his distraction by pointing out that while Obama is a politician, he, Rev. Wright, speaks for God, and as mentioned earlier, indicates that if it's God's will for Obama to be president, nothing can stop it. But he's wrong. All it takes is one silly old self-serving preacher to, indeed, stop him in his tracks, with just one thoughtless turn of a phrase, because God helps those who help themselves–and at this moment in history, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is of absolutely no help whatsoever. I always point out to my religious friends that we can only know God's will by what he has done, and what he has done is made birds to fly, fish to swim, and man to think. Yet, in this current situation, Rev. Wright has conveniently chosen to go spiritual on us in lieu of his common sense–and that's in spite of the fact that next to life itself, common sense is the most precious gift that God has bestowed upon man. If the reverend disputes my contention, I invite him to try jumping of the building he spoke so eloquently in and see if God intervenes. God gave us common sense to handle such matters. The simple fact that God blessed man with a mind, is prima facie evidence that it is his will that we use it. That's what Obama's doing. His candidacy alone is God's answer to the prayers that lingered on the lips of a million slaves. And even as Wright struts across the stage promoting his own image, Obama is hard at work desperately trying to find an answer to the prayers of millions of our contemporaries across this land, and around the world–people who are praying to save their homes, to find a job, to put their kids through school, and others, who simply pray that their children survive a brutal and unjust war. So Rev. Wright, while your delivery is extremely witty, and your words are quite eloquent, I'd appreciate it much more if you'd refrain from preaching us your sermon and start living us one. Eric L. Wattree wattree.blogspot.com 

How's the Kool-Aid?

by Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Princeton University

As much as I hate to admit it, you are right. At least partially.

I openly confess that, after Tuesday’s speech, I was momentarily swept up in Obama-rama. As I said to you publicly, I assumed that Obama would follow traditional political crisis-relief strategy by repudiating Jeremiah Wright, accepting no direct responsibility (but expressing regret that others were offended), and insisting that we move on to more important matters.

At the start of the speech, Obama seemed to be following that script by making unsettling remarks about “stalwart allies like Israel,” “the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam,” and the need for patriarchal family structures. But once he got his perfunctory centrist kowtowing out of the way, Obama delivered one of the most complex, sophisticated, and powerful speeches in recent political history.

Instead of merely assuaging white racial anxieties, Obama’s words forced the entire nation to come to terms with its demons. Although he unequivocally denounced Jeremiah Wright’s remarks, Obama refused to reduce him (or his own white grandmother) to a racist caricature. Also, through his evenhanded analysis of both structural inequality and individual responsibility, Obama raised the stakes for racial discourse in American politics.

So yes, I was definitely cheering for Obama on Tuesday. To be honest, I secretly root for him every time he wins a state or scores a political victory over Clinton or McCain. Still, despite my sentimental attachment to the brother, I have not drunk the Kool-Aid.
by Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell- Princeton University

To drink the Kool-Aid is to believe that Obama gave that speech out of moral exigency rather than political desperation. After all, Obama had painted himself into a corner by running a “race neutral” campaign that implicitly promised not to make whites uncomfortable about things like white skin privilege or systemic racism. Once Wright’s comments became public, Obama was forced to defend his own position. Although his response was far more principled and sincere than I could have imagined, I doubt that he would have made it if it weren’t his best political option. More significantly, I do not believe that he would compromise his own personal ambition in order to realize the grand racial vision that he articulated on Tuesday. So, while I give him mad props for his courageous address, I’m still not a supporter.

That said, I still haven’t decided how I’m going to vote in next month’s Pennsylvania primary. My gut tells me to sit the election out and vote for Nader in November. But as we’ve learned from this controversy, anything can happen in a month.