Ron's Metro DC Rag

GRAY-HAIRED WITNESSES FAST FOR JUSTICE

2010-05-28T17:36:00.001-04:00

GRAY-HAIRED WITNESSES FAST FOR JUSTICE
   We Stand in Wisdom and with courage as the Moral Consciousness of a Nation

   JUNE 21, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC
     10-12 AM - DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
   12:00 TO 1 PM - WHITE HOUSE PRESS CONFERENCE
   1PM TILL SUNDOWN - LAFAYETTE SQUARE PARK
   SPEAKERS, PERFORMERS, PRESENTATIONS
We need our community to support us in this effort to bring national attention to the case of the Scott Sisters and all other women who have been incarcerated wrongly and egregiously over-sentenced, punishing and destroying our families and children.
   FREE THE SCOTT SISTERS!
   ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, OUR LIVES HAVE VALUE, WE MUST SPEAK OUT!
Contact: B.J. Janice Peak-Graham / Marpessa Kupendua
1- 866-968-1188, Ext.2
ghwitnesses@gmail.com

Gil Scott Heron - Washington D.C

2010-05-16T20:06:00.000-04:00

2009-12-29T18:08:00.001-05:00

I Have No Gifts
The Christmas song of 2009!

2009-12-29T18:07:00.001-05:00

Aaliyah live Christmas in Washington

2009-12-29T18:06:00.001-05:00

Vanessa Hudgens Christmas in Washington
Katharine McPhee, Ne-Yo, and Vanessa Hudgens open the Christmas in Washington Special 2007

Christmas in Washington

2009-12-29T18:05:00.002-05:00

Christmas in Washington - Finale Concert Part One

Christmas in Washington - Finale Concert Part Two

2009-11-02T16:25:00.001-05:00

Free the Scott Sisters. Please put the petition on your page and encourage all your friends to sign. We can make a difference when we work together. http://www.change.org/actions/view/free_the_scott_sisters_2 http://www.tagged.com/freethescottsisters Learn more here - JUSTICE FOR ALL http://www.ronsworldlife.com/

2009-10-29T12:08:00.001-04:00

African Americans for Barack Obama Digest, October 29th

Dear friends,

The Senate is closing in on a health care bill with a public health insurance option, a key ingredient of meaningful health care reform.

But conservatives and insurance companies are fighting hard against the public option, so Senate leadership has compromised by including an "opt-out" clause, which would allow individual states to choose not to participate in the program.[1]
There's a real danger here. In the stimulus fight, we saw Republican governors and legislators refuse federal dollars for political gain. The same thing could happen with health care reform, with everday people in states like Lousiana, Alabama, and South Carolina -- states with large Black, poor, and working-class populations -- left out.[2]
That's why I've joined ColorOfChange.org's campaign calling on Congress and the White House to make the public option available everywhere. Please join me:
http://www.colorofchange.org/healthcare/?id=2376-660064
I understand the need for compromise and negotiation, but I also want to make sure that no community gets negotiated away in the process.

Including "opt-out" may be the best way to get a bill through the Senate with a public option--but that won't be the end of the process, and it doesn't mean "opt-out" will be in the final bill. The House still needs to decide exactly what will be in its health care bill. And once both the House and the Senate have passed legislation, they'll have to negotiate with each other, and the White House, to reconcile the differences between the two bills.
That's why we need to make it clear that we're watching and that we will demand a public option that's available in every state. Please join me in sending this message to Congress and the White House, and ask your friends and family to do the same:
http://www.colorofchange.org/healthcare/?id=2376-660064

Thank you.

References:
1. "So what is the 'opt-out' compromise?" Talking Points Memo, 10-26-2009
http://tinyurl.com/yjffquq
2. "Public option opt out denies help to those who need it most," Fire Dog Lake, 10-8-2009
http://tinyurl.com/yks5sxz

2009-10-29T02:55:00.000-04:00

There's an important election taking place for governor in Virginia. Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd, is less than a week away and President Obama just visited the state yesterday to rally support for the Democratic candidate, Creigh Deeds.

We made history when we won Virginia last year, and we did it by talking to people one at a time and bringing new voters into the process. But to really change the way democracy is done in this country, we have to ensure what we started continues to grow. And right now, that means we've got to make sure those new voters we reached stay engaged.

To make sure this movement keeps growing, we've got to follow up. This Saturday, we'll be kicking off our final push straight through Election Day to talk to voters and make sure they know when and where to vote. I need you to come to Virginia in the final four days of this election to build support for Creigh Deeds and turn out voters.

Creigh Deeds's opponent, Bob McDonnell, is offering up the same divisive, cynical politics and failed policies that we fought so hard to put an end to. His record shows a history of backwards views on women's rights, and he's offering the same policies that are to blame for the problems we face. We've got to show that this kind of politics has no place in Virginia or anywhere in the country.

We worked too hard last year to bring new voters into the political process, and we've got to make sure they keep making their voices heard.

As a candidate, Creigh Deeds has embraced this movement by speaking directly and honestly to Virginians about the challenges they face. It's up to you to make sure they know about the choice they face in this election.

Come to Virginia and talk to voters in the final stretch:

http://va.barackobama.com/finalfour

Thanks,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America

"Every Day"

2009-10-09T17:51:00.000-04:00

Community Awareness for Change Conference

2009-09-17T19:47:00.000-04:00

President Obama

2009-09-15T23:29:00.001-04:00

This Thursday, President Obama will be coming to speak in College Park, MD. Following his major address on health reform to Congress last week, we're at an important turning point in our push for real reform, and it's critical that we seize this moment.

So we're inviting folks like you to come and support him. Please join us -- here are the details:

What: Health Reform Rally with President Obama

Where: Comcast Center

1 Terrapin Trail

College Park, MD 20742

When: Thursday, September 17th

Doors Open: 9:00 a.m.

Start Time: 11:00 a.m.

Last fall, when Swiftboaters and special interests attacked President Obama, folks like you came to his defense. We knocked on doors, talked to neighbors, and made our voices heard.

Now, we need to do it again. This time, he's under attack by Washington insiders, insurance companies, and well-financed special interests who don't go a day without spreading lies and stirring up fear. We need to show that we're sick and tired of it, and that we're ready for real change, this year.

Join us on Thursday to stand up for President Obama and publicly show your support for the big changes that the President is fighting for and that this country needs.

Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, so please arrive as early as possible.

'Roxanne's Revenge'

2009-09-15T23:21:00.001-04:00

Rapper behind 'Roxanne's Revenge' gets Warner Music to pay for Ph.D

BY WALTER DAWKINS - nydailynews.com

Roxanne Shante was a young rap star. When the music stopped, she didn't miss a beat.

Roxanne's revenge was sweet indeed.

Twenty-five years after the first queen of hip-hop was stiffed on her royalty checks, Dr. Roxanne Shante boasts an Ivy League Ph.D. - financed by a forgotten clause in her first record deal.

"This is a story that needs to be told," Shante said. "I'm an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor."

Her prognosis wasn't as bright in the years after the '80s icon scored a smash hit at age 14: "Roxanne's Revenge," a razor-tongued response to rap group UTFO's mega-hit "Roxanne, Roxanne."

The 1984 single sold 250,000 copies in New York City alone, making Shante (born Lolita Gooden) hip hop's first female celebrity.

She blazed a trail followed by Lil' Kim, Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah - although Shante didn't share their success.

After two albums, Shante said, she was disillusioned by the sleazy music industry and swindled by her record company. The teen mother, living in the Queensbridge Houses, recalled how her life was shattered.

"Everybody was cheating with the contracts, stealing and telling lies," she said. "And to find out that I was just a commodity was heartbreaking."

But Shante, then 19, remembered a clause in her Warner Music recording contract: The company would fund her education for life.

She eventually cashed in, earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell to the tune of $217,000 - all covered by the label. But getting Warner Music to cough up the dough was a battle.

"They kept stumbling over their words, and they didn't have an exact reason why they were telling me no," Shante said.

She figured Warner considered the clause a throwaway, never believing a teen mom in public housing would attend college. The company declined to comment for this story.

Shante found an arm-twisting ally in Marguerita Grecco, the dean at Marymount Manhattan College. Shante showed her the contract, and the dean let her attend classes for free while pursuing the money.

"I told Dean Grecco that either I'm going to go here or go to the streets, so I need your help," Shante recalls. "She said, 'We're going to make them pay for this.'"

Grecco submitted and resubmitted the bills to the label, which finally agreed to honor the contract when Shante threatened to go public with the story.

Shante earned her doctorate in 2001, and launched an unconventional therapy practice focusing on urban African-Americans - a group traditionally reluctant to seek mental health help.

"People put such a taboo on therapy, they feel it means they're going crazy," she explained. "No, it doesn't. It just means you need someone else to talk to."

Shante often incorporates hip-hop music into her sessions, encouraging her clients to unleash their inner MC and shout out exactly what's on their mind.

"They can't really let loose and enjoy life," she said. "So I just let them unlock those doors."

Shante, 38, is also active in the community. She offers $5,000 college scholarships each semester to female rappers through the nonprofit Hip Hop Association.

She also dispenses advice to young women in the music business via a MySpace page.

"I call it a warning service, so their dreams don't turn into nightmares," she said.

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said Shante is a shining role model for the rap community. "Dr. Shante's life is inspiring," Simmons said. "She was a go-getter who rose from the struggle and went from hustling to teaching. She is a prime example that you can do anything, and everything is possible."

TOGETHER WE CAN

2009-09-15T14:30:00.001-04:00

...."We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly...I can never be what I ought to be unless you are what you ought to be." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ******************************************

Learn more here - JUSTICE FOR ALL

http://www.ronsworldlife.com/

or, Create a Petition

PLEASE COPY AND POST TO YOUR FRIENDS

TOGETHER WE CAN

2009-09-10T17:51:00.001-04:00

PRAYING FOR THE FIELD OF EDUCATION IN U.S. SCHOOLS

It is incredible to learn that there are actually people in this country who have played into the wiles of Evil who have wrongfully accused President Obama of an inappropriate speech even BEFORE the speech had been made to American Schools. What I want to know is how can someone accuse another person of intending so say something BEFORE he has been able to say it. This sounds not only UnAmerican, and Un-Christian, but also un-intelligent and unfair. Some odeous people were ranting, crying, and shouting they would be removing their children from school -- which is always their right. Just go on and do it quietly and keep the foul stench of ignorance and unrighteousness to yourself, I say. Cacausian Presidents -- many before this African-American President == have spoken to America's students without fury. African-American's never have accused them of intended racism, nor socialism; so why are Cacausian's accusing this president of socialism and worse: politicism. Not one of them has been "forced" to display their entire speech in the press to convince the public that what they are saying is only words of encouragement. No fairly elected American President should have to go through that. But I commend our President that he has the humility to go on and do so to quell the evil-nature of the beast we are being confronted with. The rouse that a lesson plan that asks students to write how they would help the President is malicious. As a former teacher who assigned such topics (though usually students had their own options in my class), this is not only innocuous, but typical; and that it really is a question of how would students desire to help the country regardless of who the sitting president happens to be. It is similar to JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country", which was universally considered a highly patriotic statement.

What is more, we are hearing about a minister in his parish in Arizona who has openly said to his congregation that he wants President Obama dead and for his children to be fatherless. This is coming from a man who is supposedly "of the Cloth." Following that, one of his parishioners was seen at a Congressional meeting carrying an automatic rifle. What is this world coming to?!?!?!?!?!!! What are we teaching our children from our actions and words as parents, church, and community. The field of education must help our children make sense of all of this. Not by teaching politics, but in teaching intelligence, and how to read and think for themselves properly. . That is really the basis of it all.

Again, I beg of people all over this country to pray also against the Evil that is being dispersed through distractors and detractors in this country who are crying out against President Obama with false allegations, against a man who is in the uppermost position our nation, who only wants to encourage our nation's students to study and do well in school. So again, I ask the members of this site to come together in prayer in support of the person that God has allowed to be put in charge of this country at this moment in time. I have just heard a newscast that reports former First Lady Laura Bush has spoken out saying that she thinks President Obama is doing a good job, and is praising First Lady Michelle. I give her high commendations for this objective, Christian-like response of speaking out amid the evil-mongering of the Right, including those who are ill-advised of her own party. We need more Christians to speak out in righteous indignation against the discord that is going on through both parties in this country.

So I pray: Lord, God, help this nation to avert the tragedy of racism and divisiveness. Too many of us who believe in God and this nation's democratic principles are silent, when we should be either speaking out in grace and peace or in open prayer. Father, we all need Thee now more than ever! Show us the way for Thy Peace, Joy and Praise to exist righteously among the people of this land. Not arguing aimlessly in ignorance. We all need to study to show ourselves approved, workmen worthy in Thy sight. Father, help more of us who follow Thee rightly to have the courage to speak up and speak out in a peaceful, judicious manner against the evils that so easily beset us. For we know Thou are the God of Peace and not Confusion. Lord, we love Thee, we honor Thee and we adore Thee. And we will praise Thy name forever. Amen.

Come and help

2009-09-01T01:34:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday!

Please join us at the DNC this week as we continue to phone bank for healthcare during this last, critical push!

TUESDAY: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpk434
WEDNESDAY: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpk43g
THURSDAY: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpk43l

We look forward to seeing you!
Thanks,
GB

GenerationObama-WashingtonDC

Dear BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

2009-08-26T00:38:00.002-04:00

Alvah J. Lambert

Date: Monday, August 24, 2009, 9:32 PM

Ms. Janitra Patrcik: Dear BET, Why Do You Hate Us?

Dear Debra Lee,

I’m Janita Patrick, a 15-year-old African-American female from Cincinnati. Recently, I watched the 2009 BET Awards and felt the strongest urge to reach out to the program. My family is of the typical middle-class variety; both parents and four brothers. See, I’m a junior in high school (got skipped), so naturally EVERYBODY in my age group watches BET. I’m used to seeing the sagging pants, tattoos, lack of emphasis on reading and respecting women that makes up your videos. People in my class live this out everyday, while teachers tell us that we’re acting just like the people in your shows.

In your shows. That struck me as odd, because I would think that with your show being the primary outlet for black entertainers and musicians, and considering the context of blacks in this country, there’s a social responsibility factor to consider. I would never blame BET alone for the way a great deal of my classmates act and talk and dress. Everybody makes their own choices. However, if anybody is aware the power of television on impressionable minds, it’s the people running the television operations. If you are not aware, then perhaps you shouldn’t be running the operations.

Guess who watches your network the most? Not those who are intelligent enough to discern foolishness from substance, but those who are barely teenagers, impressionable and believing. It’s awfully cruel to plant seeds of ignorance in fertile minds. You know it’s really bad when the co-founder of BET, Sheila Johnson, said that she “really doesn’t watch it” anymore.

I am constantly fighting against the images and messages put forth on your program. What made you think that it’s okay to bring my classmates on stage to dance behind Lil Wayne and Drake to a song talking about boffing “every girl in the world”? Why does reality train wrecks have to be thrown in our faces? Are you aware of the achievement gap going in inner-city African-American communities? A report from America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit group started by Colin Powell, recently stated that 47 percent of high school students in the nation’s top 50 cities don’t graduate. (Fifty-four percent of males of color in Ingham County graduated from high school, compared to 74 percent of white males). This isn’t because of BET per se, but I don’t see any episodes on your show doing anything to counteract this disturbing trend. In fact, your show is a part of this cycle of media depicting us at our worst.

My older brother told me something about profit being the number one goal for every business. I’m not sure I understand what that means, but I do know that your shows have to be entertaining enough to generate viewers, which is how you make your money. But surely our culture is rich enough to entertain without anything extra to “boost” ratings; why the over-the-top foolery? I listen to classmates talk about Baldwin Hills like it’s the Manhattan Project. It doesn’t take much effort to produce a throng of degenerative reality shows, nor does it take much to eliminate socially conscious shows off the air. MTV isn’t much better, but since when does two wrongs ever make a right? It’s one thing for white television shows to depict us in a particular way, but for black television shows to do it is baffling.

Why do you hate us?

All of the values that my parents seek to instill in me and my brothers seems to be contradicted by a more powerful force from the media, and your show is at the forefront. Your network is the only network that features rap videos and shows exclusively to children of my color. I know that you have no control over the music that the artists put out, but you do have influence as to how you air these videos. I’m sure if a stand was taken to use the talent in your organization to actually crank out thought-provoking entertaining shows and videos, then artists will follow suit. Being that they need you as much as you need them.

There was one awkward segment in the BET Awards when Jamie Foxx singled out three black doctors-turned-authors, but the introduction was so powerless that many of the viewers had no idea who they were. Had they been introduced as Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins, three brothers who overcame major obstacles to become a success without the use of lyrics that berate women, the sell of substance that destroy communities or through raps about loose gunplay, then maybe my classmates would have come to school talking about more than Beyonce, T-Pain’s BIG ASS CHAIN and Soulja Boy Tell Em’s hopping out the bed.

But they weren’t introduced like that. It seemed like a throwaway obligatory tribute to appease some irritated fans. It missed the mark. Big time. Ask Michelle Obama if she watches BET or encourages Sasha and Malia to do so. Ask President Obama. It’s a reason he is the leader of the free world, and it isn’t because of Buffoonery Exists Today.

You’d be surprised how smart young black children can be with the absence of Blacks Embarrassing Themselves. If your goal is to deter engaged, forward-thinking articulate black minds, then consider your goal fulfilled. It’s hard-pressed to think that your shows are working to promote cultural betterment. However, it’s quite easy to conclude that the destruction of black children through the glorification of immoral behavior and rushed production is by design. Poison is being swallowed by every viewer who adores your network, and the worse thing is, these viewers - my classmates - are not even aware what they’re swallowing.

There is nothing edifying for black women on your show. I don’t judge people who do throng to your programs though; I mean if a jet crashes right in front of me, I’d atch it too. That’s why I don’t flip by your channel…I don’t even want to be sucked in.

I have aspirations of acquiring a law degree and possibly entering the public sphere, so I can counteract conditions in my community perpetuated by the images on your channel. So I should thank you, because in a weird sense, your shoddy programming is the wind behind my back. And it is my hope that I can accomplish my dreams despite BET’s pictorial messages, because Lord knows it won’t be because of them.

Sincerely,

Janita Patrick

THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY JR.

2009-08-12T01:08:00.002-04:00

Marion Barry is the subject of a documentary on HBO
DAVID CARR Published: August 9, 2009

View Video - THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY JR.
http://florfilms.com/TRAILER.html
Marion S. Barry Jr.
The Washington Post

Marion Barry in front of the White House during a parade in an undated photo. He now serves on the Washington City Council.

A career that has spanned five decades and included four terms as mayor of Washington, a trip to federal prison for possession of cocaine, and his current position as a City Council member in the capital. Throughout it all he has displayed an almost feral gift for retail politics: a quiet sidebar conversation here, a big-clap hug there and always, always, even now at 73, lavishing attention on the women in the room.

After a youth of extreme poverty (which included picking cotton) in Itta Bena, Miss. — “dirt, dirt, dirt poor” he says in the documentary — Mr. Barry became an Eagle Scout and earned a master’s degree in chemistry at Fisk University in Nashville. But his head was turned by the civil rights movement after he got involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and he quit a doctoral program in chemistry at the University of Tennessee. In 1965 he moved to Washington and commenced an enduring affair with a city that was then a ward of the federal government.

Mr. Barry has the reputation of being a less than scintillating interview, and a conversation on Thursday evening did little to change that view. He tends to lean on platitudes and civil rights movement aphorisms to describe his “50 years of public service that served as a blueprint for those who came later” while continuing to blame most of his legal problems on his opponents.

The news media have generally not been friends to Mr. Barry, nor has the federal government, a persistent antagonist throughout his career. He maintains that the United States Attorney’s Office, in enticing him to a hotel room where drugs were present back in 1990, was trying to kill him.

In the documentary directed and produced by Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer, it is clear that age has caught up to Mr. Barry. Afflicted with high blood pressure and diabetes, and having had his prostate removed, he often moves slowly and cat-naps between appearances. Watching him in the documentary is a little like witnessing Willie Mays no longer able to run down a fly ball, but he was completely on his game for the premiere.

Mr. Barry has never been especially enlightening on the subject of himself or his contretemps, and the documentary reflects his absence of self-awareness. But Mr. Barry’s ex-wife, Effi Barry, an elegant and eloquent woman who divorced him in 1993, is a steady and telling presence throughout the documentary. (Effi Barry, who died in 2007, was his third wife. He has been married four times.)Mr. Barry initially had little interest in the project. “He wasn’t friendly, he wasn’t receptive, but eventually, I wore him down.” (Mr. Barry said, “I figured it would be the one time when the whole story could be told.”)
Mr. Oppenheimer, whose credits include co-producing “Devil’s Playground” (about Amish teenagers), said there were protests and counter-protests at the film’s premiere in June at the Silverdocs festival in Washington, with people shouting and arguing about whether Mr. Barry was worthy of a film.“We both watched and said to each other, ‘This is what our film is about,’ ” he said. “The passions that this man’s career has generated continue to this day.”

Mr. Barry’s credentials as an early and effective warrior in the civil rights movement receive significant attention in the 78-minute documentary. A leader of the Free D.C. Movement, Mr. Barry founded a jobs program called Pride Inc. for unemployed black men. He was elected to the school board in 1972 and when the city achieved home rule in 1974 was elected as an at-large council member. He was shot when Hanafi Muslims took over the District Building in 1977 but survived, cementing a reputation for both fearlessness and durability.

With the sought-after endorsement of The Washington Post in 1978, he became the city’s second mayor and was re-elected twice. During the third term rumors began to circulate that he was using cocaine even as the city he ran was tipping over under the weight of a crack epidemic. On Jan. 18, 1990, Mr. Barry went to the Vista Hotel to visit a former girlfriend, Rasheeda Moore, who was working as a government informant. He was caught on tape by the F.B.I. and city police using crack cocaine.

Most political careers would have ended there, but Mr. Barry is not any politician, and Washington’s voters and juries have a complicated relationship with authority. The jury deadlocked on the multiple felony counts stemming from the Vista arrest; Mr. Barry was convicted on a single count of possession for an earlier incident. After serving a six-month sentence he ran for City Council using the slogan “He may not be perfect, but he’s perfect for D.C.” In 1994 he ran for a fourth term as mayor and won.

His successful campaign to return to the City Council in 2004 on behalf of Ward 8 — one of the city’s chronically impoverished areas — serves as a centerpiece of the documentary. Mr. Barry’s public life continued to suffer from steady brushes with the law, including failed drug tests, a conviction for failure to pay taxes, probation violation, traffic offenses and, last month, a charge that he was stalking an ex-girlfriend. (That charge has since been dropped.)“Those are all just distractions, efforts by the government and the media to distract me, to discombobulate me and separate me from the community,” he said. “I was re-elected with more than 90 percent of the vote in 2008, so that stuff isn’t going to keep me down. They know who I am.”

Thank You Kitty

The Poor Are Enslaved In American Prisons

2009-07-25T06:04:00.000-04:00

The Poor Are Enslaved In American Prisons

by Nancy Lockhart, M.J. / January 1st, 2009

America turns its head to those who are incarcerated, especially those considered as brutal and thoughtless. The average American believes that the justice system is perfect and would never incarcerate those who are innocent. This line of logic is grossly inconsistent with reality, as thousands of formerly incarcerated inmates have been freed by DNA-evidence only. Our justice system is failing day by day, minute by minute. One wrongful conviction is one-too-many, and numbers are escalating well into the tens of thousands. Adequate legal representation is available to those who are able to pay; those who cannot, however, suffer. Consequently, inadequate legal representation mostly leads to an inevitable unjust verdict.

As a legal analyst, I’ve observed the legal processes in depth over the years, and watched those with money, resources and networks receive justice within a system allegedly designed to serve all. I’ve observed the poor and unknowledgeable suffer, as finances, resources, and networks are very limited or void!

It is our right under the Constitution to petition our courts for justice. What does this say for a Nation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — Inalienable Rights?

Slavery Is Alive and Flourishing In America

Poor people are enslaved in America’s Prison Industrial Complex. Indigent legal representation unfolds as inexperienced, underpaid and overworked lawyers provide inadequate representation to the poor – resulting in wrongful convictions; thus, enslavement to the prison industrial complex increases. The use of felonious, unethical, and often, illiterate witnesses is an increasing vehicle for wrongful convictions. The financially disempowered are the burden barriers for society’s ills, but those with money and corporate networks never experience this enslavement.

As the poor suffer, prosecutors and law enforcement officers are becoming even more corrupt in their policies. America incarcerates more individuals, especially minorities, than any other nation in the world. Wrongful convictions are on the rise and corruption is escalating. Slavery is alive and flourishing in America. In my years of service to the community, I’ve come across two distinct cases that yield inconsistencies from the onset.

The case of Ali Khalid Abdullah is one of them. Ali Khalid Abdullah was released from prison on August 1, 2008 and has had multitudes of problems dealing with a new society, ever since. Ali describes his experience as “being freed from Prison but not free.” Ali served 19 years in prison for taking action against a drug dealer who had molested an 11-year old. How does a government release prisoners with no assistance, financial or social, and expect positive results? My opinion is, they do not. They expect and hope for recidivism as it is the key to maintaining The Prison Industrial Complex.

The other case is that of two sisters, Jamie and Gladys Scott. In 1994, Jamie and Gladys Scott were wrongfully convicted in the state of Mississippi. A corrupt sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment to convict the Scott Sisters of armed robbery. The case of the Scott sisters is an intriguing one, with transcripts stating that perhaps 9, 10, or 11 dollars was stolen, at most. It’s important to note that no one was murdered or injured. One of the state’s witnesses, a 14 year old, testified that he did not have an attorney present when signing a statement prepared by the sheriff. Jamie and Gladys Scott have served 14 years of double-life sentences, thus far. That’s Double Life Each! The absurdity of their sentencing reaches new heights with the reality that neither of the Scott sisters had prior convictions. Sadly, the cases of Mr. Abdullah and the Scott sisters are becoming an accepted phenomenon in our society.

The Prison Industrial Complex is the 21st century slave master in the minority community, and unless we are made aware and trained to take action, the enslavement will continue to fester more and more rapidly in years to come.

Don’t Wait Until It Happens To You!

For more review the case of Jamie & Gladys Scott

Nancy Lockhart, is a legal representative and community organizer, living in South Carolina. She has worked tirelessly - for no pay - on the case of two Black females illegally charged and sentenced to double life. She can be reached at: nancylockhart@gmail.com. Read other articles by Nancy, or visit Nancy's website.

This article was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 12:15pm and is filed under Anti-slavery, Prisons, Racism.

Gone Too Soon

2009-07-20T12:27:00.004-04:00

Gone Too Soon:

What Michael Jackson Meant To Me

by Charles White

“Gone Too Soon.” Those lyrics from Michael Jackson’s song about a boy who died from AIDS never hit home so hard for me until June 25^th, 2009. When Michael Jackson died, I couldn’t believe it. I first heard the story of him going into the UCLA hospital emergency room on Fox 5 at 5:30 PM ET. I figured he would be fine and out of the hospital the next day at the latest.

Then, I began getting numerous text messages asking me if Michael was okay and if he was dead. I responded by saying that he wasn’t dead and that I obviously didn’t know how he was. My best friend Jack called me saying that he heard on the radio that Michael died in the hospital and my girlfriend Linda called and said the same thing. I firmly told them that that wasn’t confirmed on any news station and that I don’t believe he was dead. Many people called me saying similar things about his death. I became more and more sad, angry, and irritated at their continued communication with me because his death wasn’t confirmed and I wholeheartedly didn’t want to believe it.

Then, NBC 4 confirmed Michael’s death at 6:30 PM ET. I was in pure denial that Michael Jackson was dead. I went to a church service to attempt to escape the idea that he was dead, but the guest pastor discussed his death. I told my mom he had died and went to my room. I started watching his Moonwalker movie on my computer and five minutes into it, I began bawling for a good twenty minutes. I suppose my mom heard me since she came into my room and embraced me until I stopped crying. I told her that I had had enough of dealing with shocking deaths and that I was bitter toward God for allowing Michael to die, and much more for dying from a possible heart attack or prescription drug overdose (as I later learned).

My world was shattered because my idol was gone. I didn’t want to talk to anyone for a long time. I was in denial for a week. My friends on Facebook and Myspace continued to ask how I was doing and say they were sorry to hear about his death. It was, as I said on my Facebook status, the worst day of my life to date.

Michael Jackson meant so much to me. One of my earliest memories is watching Michael’s Moonwalker film on VHS. My older sister Nefie introduced me to the King of Pop because she was a huge fan in the 80’s and saw and met him backstage on his Bad World Tour. She never thought that I’d become a bigger fan than her over time. There’s even a picture of me at five wearing an MJ hat. I first remember hearing his Bad album and admiring his singing abilities.

Next, I was mesmerized by his dance moves. Ever since then, I put Michael on a throne by himself and attempted to imitate his artistic abilities. I went into another world every time I danced; it was my favorite stress reliever. Before my home’s cable was cut off when I was nine, I recall watching his Remember the Time music video. After being exposed to his earlier albums and his songs with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons, I completely fell in love with him as the greatest entertainment artist ever. I often performed his songs when I went to karaoke clubs with my sister.

It took me years to learn the Moonwalk, but I finally learned it in 8^th Grade. That same year, my dance class performed Smooth Criminal for Black History Month and I was MJ #2. It remains one of my most memorable achievements. I bought all of his music video DVDs and learned many song dance routines in my bedroom over weeks of practice. For Black History Month as a high school senior, I performed Billie Jean in the style of Michael’s Motown 25^th Anniversary performance.

During college I continued to love Michael, which made me unique at my school because many were ambivalent about him. During the first week in my dorm, I performed Beat It for my suitemates and new friends. In my sophomore year, I entered the talent show and performed an MJ medley of Jam, Bad, Rock With You, and Thriller to a raucous crowd. I won the grand prize. To encapsulate my MJ infatuation, I purchased MJ’s Ultimate Collection with the money I won. This was admittedly obsessive since I owned all of his albums beforehand. Moreover, after watching his Dangerous world tour DVD, I was mesmerized by his performance and creativity.

Over the years, I never stopped liking Michael even in the midst of his personal life problems. In addition, I defended him whenever people ridiculed, insulted, or teased him. When I learned about his comeback tour, I was stoked. I was so looking forward to his This Is It concerts because I wanted to see him perform one last time. The worst thing about his death to me is that he won’t ever get the chance to shine on stage and prove himself again as the entertainer of entertainers. He meant everything to me as an artist. He was the reason why I started dancing and singing.

I appreciated MJ’s songwriting, production, and business skills as well. His lyrics were so personal, his instrumentation so crisp, and who but the King of Pop would buy half of the Beatles’ song catalogue? He was extremely savvy in many ways. He was my true idol, icon, and role model all rolled into one man: a musical genius. It’s difficult to pick my favorite Michael Jackson song since there are so many. If I had to choose one, I’d choose two: a fun and an inspirational song. I love Billie Jean because of the introduction of the Moonwalk. I feel that Man in the Mirror is one of the best non-religious inspirational songs ever. Because of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, I will always start “…with the man in the mirror…” and take a look at myself “…and then make that change!!!”

Back off of Barry

2009-07-17T03:32:00.001-04:00

Back off of Barry

Del Waters followed Barry for years. Now, he says, it’s time to stop

Monday, July 13, 2009

By Del Walters - EbonyJet.Com

Few people in Washington know Marion Barry better than I do. As an investigative reporter for the ABC affiliate here, I spent five years waiting for him to come out of door, exit cars and spent countless hours pouring through every document that bore his name. That said, I feel it is necessary to ask, if not beg, my fellow journalists to move on. Not because I think Marion isn’t guilty of most of the crimes he is accused of, he is. It is instead because he has become a whipping boy in a system that has far bigger problems.

Marion Barry is an aging politician whose better days died in a hotel room where he was busted smoking crack cocaine with a woman who, along with the FBI, set him up. He went to rehab, to jail and then returned to the city and ran for political office again. Everyone outside of Washington wonders why? He runs because he isn’t qualified for any other job.

There is a political dead end in Washington for politicians. Once you become mayor the Peter Principle takes effect. There is no Governor of Washington D.C., or Senator and its Congressman can’t vote. So once your achieve the office of Mayor it is downhill from there. If you resign in scandal it’s over. The problem is, how does a washed up politician with all of that fame and fortune support himself, his family? No one paid Marion Barry millions of dollars to write his political epitaph as so often is the case.

There is also Marion Barry the man. During his trial it was revealed that he abused crack, heroin and alcohol. He also abused countless women. His body is shot; plagued by a lifestyle that betrays all who follow it. A recent kidney transplant served as proof. Effi Barry, his longtime wife who stood by his side passed away and all others are gone too. He is, in a very real sense, already trapped inside the nightmare his own actions created.

Since the episode inside the Vista Hotel, where he was busted using crack, the following politicians have been involved in some sort of scandal. Bill Clinton, David Vitter, Mark Sanford, Elliot Spitzer of New York, James McGreevey of New Jersey, and the list goes on and on and on and on. As I have written in previous articles Spitzer was arrested by the same FBI in the same city around the corner from the hotel where Barry was arrested and yet I recently saw him on a major network serving as an analyst on why Wall Street needed to be policed. Talk about redemption.

None of us can forget the name of Marion Barry’s paramour, Rasheeda Moore, but what is the name of the woman Mark Sanford went to visit in Argentina? What happened to those headlines? Did we forget that Sanford was one of those who stood up and declared Bill Clinton an embarrassment? Or have we forgotten that Mark Sanford was one of the few Governors who turned down the stimulus money because he preached fiscal responsibility at the same time he couldn’t keep his own house in order?

Then there is Sarah Palin. Here is a woman who was one heartbeat away from the Presidency. She resigned because she couldn’t take 1/100th the pressure that Marion Barry took. She said it was tough on her family, and her state. No one has suffered more than the family of Marion Barry or the people of the District of Columbia who for years have had to suffer through the humiliation. Palin is now headed to the speaker’s circuit and a $7 million dollar book deal.

So why do I defend Marion Barry’s right to be left alone when his actions dictate otherwise?

Quite simply there are bigger fish and larger problems to fry. When I too believed that Marion Barry was Public Enemy #1, an elderly woman approached me inside Ben’s Chili Bowl and asked me if I was the reporter who was harassing her mayor? When I said yes, she smacked me over the head with a rolled up paper. Moments later, when she returned, I thought she was coming to apologize. Instead she smacked me even harder. Her words never left me. She asked me if I would pursue other politicians of different persuasions as aggressively as I did Barry if I got the chance. I promised her I would.

When George W. Bush came to Washington my investigative unit set out to apply the same standards to the Bush administration as we did the Barry administration. Suddenly and without explanation my job of 22 years came to an end and my investigative unit was done away with.

Barry embarrassed himself, a city and all those around him and pays for it each and every day he lives. If this latest episode where he was accused of stalking someone were news, half of Congress would have to be locked up. I know, it was my job to know, and as an old woman with a rolled up newspaper reminded me, it was also my job to be an equal opportunity pain in the butt of politicians.

So on that note I ask only one question. Who did more to harm America, Marion Barry or George W. Bush? If it is Barry then reporters should continue to cover him everywhere he goes. If not, where is George W. Bush these days? And Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld?

Del Walters is the Producer/Director of Apocalypse Africa Made in America and an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter.

Mother of Metro Victim Files Law Suit

2009-07-14T04:37:00.002-04:00

Mother of Metro Victim Files Law Suit

By Dorothy Rowley - AFRO Staff Writer

(July 8, 2009) - The mother of one of the nine people killed on June 22 when two Metro trains in the District of Columbia collided, has filed a wrongful death law suit against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as well as Alstom Signaling Inc., which provides computerized train traffic control.

According to the suit filed this week in District of Columbia Superior Court, Carolyn B. Jenkins contends that her 29-year-old daughter Veronica DuBose – who was crushed to death in the mishap – died as the result of negligent operation of the rail system, its failure to discontinue use of the outdated and unsafe rail cars, negligent maintenance and inspection of the braking systems and a dysfunctional train traffic control system.

Jenkins is being represented by the District offices of The Cochran Law Firm. DuBose, a certified nursing assistant, left behind two children ages 7 and 20 months. She had been riding on the train that crashed into the stationary train ahead of it.

The filing document states that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) warned WMTA in 1996 and 2006 that the unsafe rail cars should be replaced or retrofitted to improve "survivability" in the event of a crash.

However, WMATA chose not to follow NTSB's recommendations. The document further states that when the train control computer system was tested last week at the same location as the crash, it failed to detect stationary trains on the track.

"Veronica Dubose's family [which includes her father Erwin DuBose] has suffered a terrible tragedy and loss for which they can never be fully compensated, but we will make every effort to see that justice is done," said Stephen D. Annand, the law firm's managing attorney.

David E. Haynes, also with the Cochran Firm, added that, "knowing that this tragedy was preventable makes it particularly egregious."

Trinidad Shooting

2009-07-14T03:30:00.003-04:00

Federal Investigation Launched in Trinidad Shooting

District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, in the wake of a recent meeting with U.S. Park Police Chief Salvatore Lauro, has announced a federal investigation into the shooting death of 24-year-old Trey Joyner in the Trinidad community. As a result, Park police confirmed that the six officers involved in the shooting will remain on leave while the matter is being investigated.

"The independence of the investigation satisfies our most important goals of learning what occurred and establishing responsibility so that appropriate remedies can be identified," Norton said following the meeting. "Typically, the best investigation of a shooting involving a police officer is done by an agency with the greatest credibility, and the Civil Rights Division (CRD) of the Justice Department fits this need here."

Norton added that she was pleased the CRD had already contacted Lauro, offering an

independent evaluation and that his department had readily agreed, so she did not have to pursue a federal investigation on her own.

According to Lauro, the CRD investigation in no way suggests police believe there had been any wrongdoing. Instead, "We just want to be as transparent as possible," Lauro said. The incident that claimed Joyner’s life occurred on the evening of June 8 in the 1200 block of Holbrook St., NE, near Gallaudet University and involved several Park police who were part of an FBI Safe Streets Taskforce.

It remains unclear why police opened fire, but reports state officers responded to a call in the area around 8 p.m. regarding a male with a gun. The victim was spotted by police and multiple officers reportedly shot and killed him.

Shortly after, an angry crowd of about 200 gathered in protest.

Witnesses said the victim, who was well known in the community, exited a car and his gun dropped out of his waistband. They said he turned his back, at which point, plainclothes police opened fire.

Investigators said they recovered a gun at the scene. Witnesses further stated Joyner

never brandished a gun or threatened any of the officers.

Witnesses also said they heard at least seven gunshots. Joyner's sister Quston Joyner

said he was executed. "It's such a shame it took six officers to bring him down and shoot him while he had his back turned," Quston Joyner said later in a broadcast interview.

Trinidad is among several areas in the District that are targeted for the installation of crime fighting cameras.

Several shootings there last year prompted police to set up checkpoints in which motorists were stopped and asked why they were in the area. However, under threat of a class action law suit, the checkpoints were quickly discontinued before later being re-instituted at various points.

The Partnership for Civil Justice announced that it had filed a FOIA request today seeking answers concerning this shooting.

In a release, the Partnership writes:

“In response to reports that a resident of the District was shot in the back and killed last night in the Trinidad neighborhood by undercover federal law enforcement agents, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund filed a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) today demanding disclosure of the directives and policies authorizing and implementing the program through which the officers were operating.

Few D.C. residents are aware of the existence of this FBI-led undercover law enforcement operation through which plain-clothed Park Police officers opened fire in the midst of a D.C. neighborhood. The fact of this operation, shrouded in darkness, came to light in reports published today that the officers involved in the above-referenced incident were working as part of an MPD and federal “inter-agency task force dubbed Operation Safe Streets, which addresses violence throughout the region and is overseen by the FBI.”

The FOIA request was submitted to the MPD, the Mayor’s Office, the FBI and the National Park Service’s Police.”

2009-06-23T22:15:00.001-04:00

RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD! - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY OTHG!

THE FULL TOWN MEETING ON FATHERHOOD & PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Thank you Kitty

The Truth Hurts

2009-06-18T03:49:00.002-04:00

The sad thing about this article is that the essence of it is true. The
truth hurts.. I just hope this sets more Black people in motion towards
making real progress. Chris Rock, a Black comedian, even joked that
Blacks don't read.

Help prove them wrong! Read

Please Note:

For those of you who heard it, this is the article Dee Lee was reading
one morning on a New York radio station. For those of you who didn't
hear it, this is very deep. This is a heavy piece and a Caucasian wrote it.

Dee Lee, CFP
Harvard Financial Educators

Dee Lee

THEY ARE STILL OUR SLAVES We can continue to reap profits from the Blacks without the effort of physical slavery Look at the current methods of containment that they use on themselves: IGNORANCE, GREED, and SELFISHNESS.

Their IGNORANCE is the primary weapon of containment. A great man once said, "The
best way to hide something from Black people is to put it in a book." We now live in
the Information Age. They have gained the opportunity to read any book on any subject through the efforts of their fight for freedom, yet they refuse to read. There are
numerous books readily available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com, not to mention their own Black Bookstores that provide solid blueprints to reach economic equality (which should have been their fight all along), but few read consistently, if at all.

GREED is another powerful weapon of containment. Blacks, since the
abolition of slavery, have had large amounts of money at their disposal. Last year they spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas, out of their 450 billion dollars in total yearly income (2.22%).
Any of us can use them as our target market, for any business venture we care to
dream up, no matter how outlandish, they will buy into it. Being primarily a consumer
people, they function totally by greed... They continually want more, with little thought
for saving or investing.

They would rather buy some new sneaker than invest in starting a business. Some even neglect their children to have the latest Tommy or FUBU, And they still think that having a Mercedes, and a big house gives them "Status" or that they have achieved their Dream.
They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in poverty because their greed holds them back from collectively making better communities.

With the help of BET, and the rest of their black media that often broadcasts destructive images into their own homes, we will continue to see huge profits like those of Tommy and Nike. (Tommy Hilfiger has even jeered them, saying he doesn't want their money, and look at how the fools spend more with him than ever before!). They'll continue to show off to each other while we build solid communities with the profits from our businesses that we market to them.

SELFISHNESS, ingrained in their minds through slavery, is one of the major ways we can continue to contain them. One of their own, Dubois said that there was an innate division in their culture. A "Talented Tenth" he called it. He was correct in his deduction that there are segments of their culture that has achieved some "form" of success. However, that segment missed the fullness of his work. They didn't read that the "Talented Tenth" was then responsible to aid The Non-Talented Ninety Percent in achieving a better life.

Instead, that segment has created another class, a Buppie class that looks down on their people or aids them in a condescending manner. They will never achieve what we have. Their selfishness does not allow them to be able to work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together, their selfishness lets their egos get in the way of their goal Their so-called help organizations seem to only want to promote their name without making any real change in their community.

They are content to sit in conferences and conventions in our hotels,
and talk about what they will do, while they award plaques to the best
speakers, not to the best doers. Is there no end to their selfishness?
They steadfastly refuse to see that TOGETHER EACH ACHIEVES MORE (TEAM) They
do not understand that they are no better than each other because of what they own,
as a matter of fact, most of those Buppies are but one or two pay checks away from poverty. All of which is under the control of our pens in our offices and our rooms..

Yes, we will continue to contain them as long as they refuse to read, continue to buy anything they want, and keep thinking they are "helping" their communities by paying dues to organizations which do little other than hold lavish conventions in our hotels.

By the way, don't worry about any of them reading this letter, remember, 'THEY DON'T READ!!!!

Where’s the Interracial Love?

2009-05-19T14:00:00.004-04:00

Where’s the Interracial Love?
By Charles White

Since 2000, interracial marriage has been legal in all 50 states. While interracial dating has been on the rise since then, interracial marriage hasn’t become as vogue across the country. Where are more of the interracial unions hiding? I contend that the old culture and traditions still abound in today’s society.

Historical facts show how stubborn and fearful America was in allowing interracial relationships, even after slavery was abolished. Interracial unions were forbidden in most states and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of these laws in 1883. Amazingly, it took 52 years for the country to completely legalize interracial partnerships. Maybe part of the reason why we haven’t seen a significant rise in these marriages is that it took years between each state to finally legalize it.

Since its legalization, statistics show that interracial coupling has been on the rise. The number of interracial marriages has risen: 310,000 in 1970, 651,000 in 1980, and 1,161,000 in 1992, according to the 1993 U.S. Census. Interethnic marriages rose from 0.7% of all marriages in 1970, to 1.3% in 1980, and 2.2% in 1992. In addition, recent studies report that 57% of teenagers have dated someone outside their race. With the fact that people took the time to legalize it and interracial dating is becoming more acceptable, why aren’t interracial marriages more popular today? Is it really still taboo?

Opponents of interethnic marriage argue those who marry outside their race betray their families and deny their cultures. African-Americans believe that this type of marriage desecrates the black community foundation. Whites contend it because the rise in interracial births, combined with increased immigration, will supposedly make them a minority by the middle of the twenty-first century. This “browning of America” will lead to the annihilation of European-American culture.

These viewpoints are shallow. It’s sad to think that two people of different ethnicities would marry to anger their families and not out of pure love. Furthermore, most American blacks are mixed anyway, so our cultural foundation is of more than one race. The white opponents view exposes the ridiculous fear that the pure European-American race will end because of mixed babies.

Proponents of interethnic relationships feel interracial romance is a step toward eliminating racial hatred. The increasing births of interracial children will lead to a society where race will not matter because everyone will blend into one race: the human race. More importantly, the color of people’s skin shouldn’t matter when it comes to love.

I’m a racially mixed American, with African-America, Native American, and Caucasian in my blood. I’m proud of and I embrace my heritage. In addition, I’m dating an Italian woman. We’re dating because we enjoy each other’s company; not to upset others. We see the fun we have together; not our skin colors. Interracial relationships are a wonderful thing and interracial marriage should express that sentiment. People need to stand up and break down the walls of tradition and show the world that interracial love is alive and well.

My Passion

2009-05-19T13:53:00.000-04:00

My Passion

Some say passion is FELT
Some say passion is HEARD
But if you really want to EXPRESS YOURSELF

Don't say a WORD

My passion is PEACE

My passion is VIVID
My passion is LIFE
My passion is VISION

My passion is a GIFT
My passion is FREE
Found hard to RESIST

My passion is SWEET

Though my passion is PLEASURE
My passion is PAIN
We all know without BOTH
True growth won't SUSTAIN

My passion is not RIGHT
My passion is not WRONG
Yet my passion will IGNITE

Because my passion is STRONG

Much more than a CLUE

My passion is KEY
My passion is You
My passion is Me

My passion is RICH
My passion is PURE
My passion is It -
And It is PROCURED

My passion is POWER
My passion is MORE
My passion is KNOWLEDGE
Now ...

MY passion is YOURS...

Peace & Blessings

Gangsta's Paradise

2009-05-19T13:48:00.000-04:00

Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise

A War For Your Soul

2009-05-19T03:20:00.000-04:00

A War For Your Soul-regular version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.

None Of Us Are Free

2009-05-19T02:35:00.001-04:00

Solomon Burke _ "None Of Us Are Free"

Ron's American World

Tell Me Why

2009-05-19T02:34:00.000-04:00

Tell Me Why- Declan Galbraith (with Lyrics)