Saturday, April 2, 2011

Malcom X biographer dies weekend before new sensationalized biography is published


Malcolm X biographer, Dr. Manning Marable died yesterday of complications from sarcoidosis (a progressive respiratory disease that Bernie Mac died of as well). His new controversial biography of Malcolm X called, Malcolm X: A Life Of Reinvention will be published this Monday. (Read Excerpt)

His book depicts a more complicated, yet more compelling portrait on the 20th Century icon than The Autobiography of Malcolm X or the movie version produced by Spike Lee.

By most accounts, the book is being received as a serious body of work, as Marable spent two exhaustive decades immersed in research. However, in his book he releases salacious allegations of a homosexual affair that Malcolm had as a young man.

My reaction: I will read the book to see the context and its importance to the narrative - yet, I regret, with the passing of Marable, we will not have the opportunity to ask, why did he feel compelled to include this subject. And if true, so what..

Watch the following video - in his own words he explains the impetus for penning this new biography...

Why Donald Trump for President Is a Joke - by Ed Schultz

Editors Note: The following post is from Ed Schultz of MSNBC TV. The link is MSNBC.

Donald Trump continues to parade himself around the media as if people in this country actually care about his potential candidacy in 2012. I don't think they do. This is a circus and it's fake.

Trump gives public service a bad image. It's not about flash, it's not about wealth, and it's not about hairstyle. It's about doing something for people and being an advocate for the community you represent. Trump, well, he's done none of that... ever.

Donald Trump is no more a serious candidate than me going back to North Dakota in an attempt to get a Senate run going. And I must say, at least they asked me.

Who has shown any interest in Donald Trump being the next president of the United States other than Donald Trump? Nobody.

The Republican Party isn't banging on his door, and the hilarious part of this is that he's trying to court the tea party through the birthers.

Trump is screaming to the public, "Please, pay attention to me! I'm important! I can get on any show I want! I could be president! And I'm thinking about it!"

You know what I say? "So what?"

Have you noticed in all of the interviews he has been giving, that he never has any solutions, no real answers other than verbal bomb throwing?

I'd like to know, Mr. Trump, what's your plan for 15 million Americans unemployed in this country? How about the 50 million uninsured Americans when it comes to health insurance? How about the poor, do you have a plan for them?

Trump doesn't talk about that stuff -- he continues to harp on the fact that he screwed somebody in a land deal and that's proof he can do a great job in foreign relations.

But when it comes down to the devil in the detail of dealing with the issues of the people and making real change, Trump, you don't have it. You've never had it. Money is not a measure of a man's character or success in the arena of public service.

I'm curious, where do you stand on the farm bill? Do you know anything about it? I'd like Donald Trump to tell the American people what state he thinks he can win. Maybe with all his money he can create a state.

Mr. Trump, stop embarrassing yourself.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

New NAACP seeing more gay, diverse chapter leaders as group seeks to increase membership

By Associated Press

WORCESTER, Mass. — The NAACP’s newly revived Worcester chapter elected a 28-year-old openly gay black man as its president this month. In New Jersey, a branch of the organization outside Atlantic City chose a Honduran immigrant to lead it last year. And in Mississippi, the Jackson State University chapter recently turned to a 30-something white man.

Founded more than a century ago to promote black equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is seeing remarkable diversity in its leadership ranks — the result of an aggressive effort over the past four or five years to boost NAACP membership and broaden the civil rights organization’s agenda to confront prejudice in its many forms.

“This is the new NAACP,” said Clark University political science professor Ravi Perry, the new chapter president in Worcester.
“This is a human rights organization, and we have an obligation to fight discrimination at all levels.”
READ MORE

Why Do We Leave Billions On The Table? - by Ben Harvey

Magic Johnson on Black Business:

We have got to, first of all, start owning our own businesses. It's what makes Harlem go or Chicago go or any community go. It's not enough to be passionate about it—the No. 1 thing you have to do is research to make sure there is a business there. No. 2, make sure there is demand for what you are going to have your business in.

And when we own our own business then that dollar touches a lot of hands in our community because that money stays in Harlem, for example, instead of somebody owning a business and taking it out of Harlem. That's why it's important to keep it in your neighborhood because you can give people jobs in your community. It also sends a great message to young people that they can dream to one day own their own businesses in their community as well.



Magic speaks the truth and leads by example. For far too long, our talented, well educated and well resourced believed in order to be successfully one had to escape rather than mine the under-developed riches in the black community.

The prevalent and much flawed mentality that educates our potential business pioneers away from the black community (thank you Carter G. Woodson) is as followed:
The focus is get your education (rightfully so), credentials and resume and then ask mainstream America for a six figure job.

Well the P-Diddys, Russell Simmons, Jay-Zs, Magic Johnsons, and Tyler Perrys of our community are blowing that flawed thinking to smithereens. And in replace, we have a more self-sufficient template we all need to study. They are demonstrating that there are riches and fortunes to be made in our community.

The biggest irony is that one of the first thing newly arrived immigrants set out to do is establish businesses in our community - they know we leave billions of dollars on the table.