ben - Blogs - TheBlackList Pub2024-03-29T05:47:56Zhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/ben“Rat-A-Tat-Tat Pitter Pat” Pounding Drums & Vibrating Cymbals With Miguel & Kenny Lattimore Drummer Brook Alexanderhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/exclusive-interview-rat-a-tat-tat-pitter-pat-pounding-drums2013-03-12T17:30:00.000Z2013-03-12T17:30:00.000ZSerenadas Penhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/SerenadasPen<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}3828546441,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3828546441,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="502" alt="3828546441?profile=original" /></a>The brightest of stars not only appear as the leading acts in the forefront of sold-out shows and tours but also make up the backbone of the entire act. The musicians who accompany the leading artist are just as important, becoming the family that creates the most memorable performances of all time. You will witness a star-shining moment with one of the brightest, most humble, and down to earth rising musicians you will ever meet in today’s music scene. Cali's Inglewood native Brook Alexander, lead drummer of the mind-blowing act we know to be Grammy Award Winner R&B singer/recording Artist Miguel, has a well defined view of where he's going and what can be accomplished. With the world in his hands and dozens of screaming fans arriving at every show-stopping performance he shares amazing sage knowledge that only a professional and devoted musician can learn through his time performing in the OMG Tour with Usher, Trey Songz, and Miguel and currently R&B singer Kenny Lattimore. You will dive into the mind of the drummer who's discovery by talent manager Ben Ricciardi jumpstarted his path to excellence in today’s contemporary R&B renaissance.</p><p><strong>SP: Brook, Brook</strong>, <strong><em>Brook! </em>Wow it's so hard to keep up with you hot stuff! It's an absolute <em>Hal-le-lu-jah </em>moment to actually have a moment to get to know the drummer who performed alongside this year's R&B Grammy Award Winner Miguel! Thank you for lending your time with us. How are you?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> Thanks so much! I greatly appreciate it. I’m doing quite all right. Ready to see what the year has in store for me. I have a good feeling about it!</p><p><strong>SP: I bet and we want to know <em>aaallll</em> about it too <em>and</em> even more about you! I hear that you’re a California native, the “Hollywood star’s universe”. Where can we place your origins within the land of the stars?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> I was born in Torrance, California but I was raised in Inglewood, California. Growing up in Inglewood was pretty cool. Got to experience a few things, meet some pretty cool people, learned a number of important lessons. It’s where I spent a good amount of my childhood. There were just a few ugly moments that I’ve experienced, shootings and whatnot, but I really can’t say that I’ve witnessed anything TOO crazy. I’m proud to be a native of Inglewood.</p><p><strong>SP: <em>Geeze</em> you must be tough as nails to not consider “shootings and whatnot” to be TOO crazy. <em>Coming from where I’m from</em> (did you catch my Anthony Hamilton voice? lol) ANY shooting would be too crazy for me. You’re quite positive despite your flying bullet experience. You can <em>still</em> show mad love to Inglewood, sweet. As a starter point take us on into how music, specifically the drums played such an integral role in your life.</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> I’ve been playing drums since the age of 2. I got my first drum set when I was 4, but 2 is where it really all started (21 years my goodness! I’m old yo lol!). I can <em>kiiiiiind</em> of play piano also. I’m trying to get better at it, just so I can be able to keep up with all my other homies that are amazing at it. Music was constantly around me at all times. Radio, church, television, everywhere! I just always found it fascinating in some way, shape, or form. It made me feel good (Halle Berry voice). If I wasn’t watching The Power Rangers or playing with my toys, believe:</p><blockquote><p>“ I was somewhere in the house listening to something on the radio/cd player, with two pencils in my hands as my drumsticks.”</p></blockquote><p><strong>SP: Ha! Did I mention he’s a <em>wise-crack</em> too Kool World?!! This guy just did a Halle liner on us. This is what I like about you, easily <em>relatable</em>. Your family is <em>extremely</em> musically inclined from one end to the other so unlike many households just waking up in the morning music fills the air. To step into your home right now what kind of world would I be stepping into?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> My entire family does something musical…My mom sings, my little brother also plays drums, my dad plays organ and keyboards, my grandfather plays piano, my uncles play piano and organ, EVERYONE plays something and it’s amazing! You should see what our family get-togethers look like. On top of everyone being a singer/musician, my grandfather and a number of his brothers are pastors. So we meet up at one of their churches and spend time together. Those joints end up turning into a regular church service lol! One of my older cousins is also in the music industry. She’s actually on tour background singing in the Cirque De Soleil Michael Jackson show, and that’s just ONE of the things she’s been blessed to do in her career. We’re a blessed family I tell you…</p><p><strong>SP: Yes! truly blessed indeed a true musical soiree with the fam. Maybe one day all of you can stop by as the black Van Trapp family and put on a <em>real</em> show. There’s also nothing like a live band at church to set the spiritual mood right as well. I’m sure without a doubt your family supports your choice in career.</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> My family absolutely supports my career choice. They supported me when I decided to leave college to pursue my dream, and they still support me now because they know it’s something that I love. They knew that playing drums was something that I enjoyed, and something I was good at. My mom and dad watched me beat up their furniture. They saw me configure a drum set out of pots and pans, and they acted upon it by getting me a real one. I made a LOT of noise in their house for a solid 17 years, and they didn’t complain one time. When I started getting these opportunities to tour and everything, they were extremely proud.</p><blockquote><p>"I’ll never forget when I did the OMG Tour with Miguel at the Staples Center in LA."</p></blockquote><p>After we finished performing, the crowd was cheering and applauding, and the one person I could hear cheering over every other person in that arena was my mom. I kid you not…I’m so thankful that they noticed my passion. I don’t know what I’d be doing right now if it weren’t for them.</p><p><strong>SP: <em>Oh my Lord!</em> You’re going to make me tear up now. To have your mom rooting for you had to be the greatest feeling. It is thoroughly enjoyable to watch all of you guys—You, Brook D’ Leau, Kelsey, Dru, and Miguel rock out together. How long have you been performing in front of a live audience?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> I didn’t really perform LIVE until I was about 10, when I became the drummer for my grandpa’s church. I was too afraid to play drums in front of people before that age for some reason. And I guess I would say the performance that jump-started the professional journey was this one particular night that I played at this local jam session that they had here in Cali. There was a spot called “Cozy’s,” and people would just come out and play/sing songs all night. One night I ended up playing 3 songs and got to do a solo in one of them. The people loved it, and that’s how I met Ben Ricciardi, who was the one that got me the audition with Miguel. Good lookin’ Ben! Migs was going on tour with Usher very soon, and they checked me out, and a few other guys on drums. I went in, did my thing, and got a call from Miguel saying that he wanted me to go on the road with him as his drummer. I don’t think I’ve ever been that excited since! That changed my life… I’m grateful to Migs for giving me the opportunity, and I’m proud to say that I’ve gotten a chance to work with him on many occasions.</p><p><strong>SP: To think it can happen <em>just</em> like that–<em>extraordinary</em>. Good looking out <em>is</em> right for Ben Ricciardi because if it wasn’t for people like him paying close attention who knows if another chance would’ve ever came along. So the BIG question is will we see you performing with Migs at the one and only 55<sup>th</sup> Grammy Awards?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> I won’t be with him at the Grammys, but my boy RJ Kelly may be with him playing drums. I’ve actually embarked on another journey with Kenny Lattimore recently. But, I’ll definitely be tuning in hoping that Miguel gets a Grammy, which I’m sure he will. He’s more than deserving of it…</p><p><strong>SP: Well<em>…sooky sooky</em> now Mr. Alexander! Kenny Lattimore aint too bad <em>at all</em>. You’re moving up in the world. We will definitely be scoping out this new venture you’re embarking and since we’re on the topic of major headlining acts maybe you can share some of your inside tales of the “life behind the stage”. Anything <em>juicy</em> you can share with us is highly favored –without pleading the 5<sup>th</sup>!</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> Well…. Hahaha! The first major tour I did was the OMG tour. It was Miguel, Trey Songz, and Usher…. I really don’t need to continue LOL! Nah there really isn’t anything “juicy” to tell really. We did the gig, went back to the bus, and headed to an after-party, have a good time with the whole crew, and did it again the next day!</p><p><strong>SP: <em>umhm</em> it’s just that simple, <em>riiight</em>! Don’t worry we can imagine haha. But for real though the after-parties are <em>it.</em> It’s where a roadie like yourself would want to be as a traveling musician. What did you take away from performing and engaging up close and personal with Mr. “Sure Thing” himself?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> Miguel is probably one of the most interesting people I’ve ever worked with. Working with him was a process… and I’m saying that in the best way possible. He’s the kind of artist that knows exactly what he wants to hear, and what he wants to convey, and if something doesn’t sound right, it’s not going down lol! And I appreciated that because in some situations, I’ve adapted that mentality. I appreciate Miguel’s passion for what he does, and his desire to blow minds while remaining in his own lane and being himself. That inspired me to approach anything the same way. Gotta stay in my own lane. Plus the shows were always crazy!! I’ve also gotten to work with Kenny Lattimore. Kenny is also a great artist to work with. Very humble, passionate, and he looks out for anyone that’s working with him. He understands his purpose in this music industry, and like Miguel, he remains who he is and will not conform whatsoever. Every show I do with Kenny is always a lot of fun. He lets us be us, because he’s doing the exact same thing himself. And working in the studio with him was amazing… it was long! But amazing!</p><blockquote><p>"I appreciate Miguel’s passion for what he does, and his desire to blow minds while remaining in his own lane and being himself. That inspired me to approach anything the same way. Kenny is also a great artist to work with. He understands his purpose in this music industry, and like Miguel, he remains who he is and will not conform whatsoever."</p></blockquote><p><strong>SP: Staying true to one self is the biggest challenge us people, on the outside, have come to realize about the music industry. There’s conformity and we <em>see</em> it with Music Artists especially after the second or third album. One song I can still remember from Kenny Lattimore is “For You”. It was such a big deal leading up to the release of the video and I still remember and love it to this day. With Miguel and Lattimore knowing exactly what they want as Artists, not budging for anyone, there should be a certain amount of freedom as a musician to create music for them…</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> To a certain extent…if the artist wants the music to go a certain route, then that’s exactly how you have to take it. However, we are free to include our own style. They give us the freedom to express ourselves within their project. With my own projects, I could be inspired by anything. Movies, movie scores, people on the street, other styles of music, anything. It has to hit me out of nowhere though. That’s when it works best for me…when it’s not forced.</p><p><strong>SP: I’m glad you touched on “feeling the inspiration” to create instead of just putting out just to put out anything because surely there’s pressure at one point in time one way or another. There’s pressure regardless on trying to live up to and meet the expectations but nothing compares to trying to get noticed and putting yourself out there.</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> What a few people fail to realize, is that if you’re really good at something, you have to share that with people. You have to let people know that you can do what you can do. Expose your gift to the world. I made sure that somebody knew that I could play some dang on drums! I networked, I got out of my comfort zone, and I displayed my gift. When people know that you can do what you can do, then the sky is the limit! Because everybody knows somebody, that knows somebody, that knows somebody! So really, it’s up to you to just simply advertise yourself to the right person/people, and word spreads like wildfire. You have to stand out as well. Show someone that for some reason, YOU, of all people deserve to get the opportunity. Also, anybody can be the best whatever in the world, but if your arrogant, difficult to work with, and unprofessional, your time in any field will be cut short. The talent might get you there, but a good personality and your professionalism will guarantee longevity.</p><blockquote><p>"... if you’re really good at something, you have to share that with people. You have to let people know that you can do what you can do."</p></blockquote><p><strong>SP: Powerful and extremely valuable advice you’ve just given that everyone will take with them forever in whatever their endeavors are. At this point in time the number of requests would be climbing I presume from all your appearances and connections so far. How are you managing your scheduling and gigs at this point in time?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> I actually don’t have a manager or anything. I’ve been getting connected through friends of mine that recommend me for work. At some point I probably will get a manager though. That may take my career to the next level, but for now I’m managing myself.</p><p><strong>SP: Very impressive you’ve been handling all your business on your own. Take heed Kool World, this guy is the real –ish. In terms of the <em>slam, bam, bang</em> of the cymbals and pounding of the drums, what distinguishes your style from another drummer?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> My style is aggressive, yet tender… I’ll go all out, but I’ll do so in a way that the music is still respected. I’m all about taste. I like to have a purpose for everything thing that I do when I’m playing, but on a few occasions I will go completely stupid on you for no reason whatsoever. I guess you could call it… Gumbo LOL! It’s a nice mixture of everything!</p><p><strong>SP: ha! Good ole’ GUMBO huh, just like Danny Wayne. Ya’ll must have connections (wink). The crab are the drum sticks, the cymbals are the sausage, the sound of both together are the rice, and <em>all</em> the other fixins’ represent the wildin’ out! Which brings me to this, I’m sure you’ve thought of what would make the BEST dream performance of all time…</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> Well this is kind of epic… I have WAY too many answers. My Ultimate performance would consist of the following: performing at the Grammies, playing on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve, performing as part of the headlining act at Coachella, playing at the Rock In Rio festival, playing during an American Idol finale, doing an arena tour in which I’m playing for the headliner, and the biggest one of all for me… playing a Super Bowl halftime show. My list of people that I want to perform with include the following!: Jojo, Justin Timberlake, Ciara, Kendrick Lamar, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber (judge me!), Childish Gambino, John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, The Backstreet Boys, Beyonce, Sting, P!nk, F.U.N, Maroon 5, Jhene Aiko, Brandy, Skrillex, Paul McCartney, PRINCE, If he was still here with us… Michael Jackson…I’ll end it right there smh. Also, it’s a dream of mine to work on a movie score. I don’t know how I’m gonna do it, but I’d love to work with Alan Menken, Hans Zimmer, and John Williams. These guys are some of my favorite movie score composers. Fashionable look, honestly I don’t even trip too hard about that. I play in the backrounds yo lol, as long as I look GOOD I’m straight.</p><p><strong>GB: A Mighty List! I love your zest for what you love to do and seeing how far you can go with it. A music score would be awesome. As a Belieber you don’t have to worry about being judged on the Biebs. He has a fly act and if I were you he would be on my list too. And of course with all the fast-paced excitement and thrills there’s the other side of the coin. How do you handle what can be considered the “dark” side of this life?</strong></p><p><strong>SP:</strong> Honestly, when stuff gets tough for me on the road, I pray. Take a while to just be by myself and pray. When you’re on the road for a long period of time, it beats you down. Sometimes you miss holidays, birthdays, funerals, it’s tough! But prayer is a powerful thing. And of course with technology now-a-days, it’s easy to get in touch with your people back home. So reaching out to your family and friends is highly suggested. The music industry is a tough business. On top of it being tiring and demanding, you’ll have to do a bunch of stuff you don’t want to do, and do so with a smile on your face. And you will have a number of bumps in the road. Whether it’s from management disagreements, some political nonsense, etc.</p><blockquote><p>"You all see the lights, the stages, all the fans, the VIP treatment and all that, but at the end of the day we’re still regular people that are just doing our jobs."</p></blockquote><p>Granted it’s an amazing job to have, but you gotta have tough skin and a right mind to be successful in this business.</p><p><strong>SP: Sincere and honest. This surely touched my heart and many others, thank you for sharing your insight. Now you have an opportunity to focus on your <em>own</em> self-made projects. From watching a video with you and your band mate John Whitt Jr. you both have great, fun, creative energy together. Costumes, silliness, and just acting like two big hams. How did it turn out?</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> We initially weren’t even gonna shoot the video for that song we arranged, but we just said what the heck! The song was the focal point though. We just really wanted to do something where we could put our ideas to a song and make it feel more LIVE. It was a good way for us to practice arranging songs for live performances too. We’ve done a few of those together actually. We started a few years back by creating an intro idea for Miguel. We never got to show it to him, but I still think that’s one of the best projects that we’ve done. There is another project that we’ve done that’s up on you tube. It’s just a video of me playing drums to it, but John and I did the same thing to a song from the Avatar soundtrack. To this day, that is still my absolute favorite thing that we’ve done. I honestly don’t think anything else we do can top that lol. I wanted to present something different. Drummers all over the world were doing drum covers of pop, hip-hop, and r&B songs. I wanted to stand out and do something different, so I had the idea to do a drum cover to a movie score piece from Avatar. There were things I wanted to add, but couldn’t do on my own, so I reached out to John and he was more than happy to join in. We changed the game with that one!!</p><p><strong>SP: As a finishing touch tell us what “Success” means to you.</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> Success to me is accomplishing your goals and dreams while still being who you are, and inspiring others in the process, and being an example to an up and coming generation of how to effectively use your God given gift to its fullest potential.</p><blockquote><p>"Fame in my own words is recognition from your peers and the world for something that you’ve done."</p></blockquote><p>And I say “something” because people also become famous for doing the stupidest things ever in life. In my own regards, its respect and appreciation from my peers for my playing and musicianship. It’s definitely possible to be successful without being famous. There’s plenty of people in the world that have been successful and have gotten little, to NO recognition at all for it. And to most, I would assume that they’re ok with that. Fame isn’t important to me at all really. My goal was to be a professional drummer. Sure I greatly appreciate the recognition, especially from fellow musicians. That’s one of the greatest feelings in the world to me. But I never make it a point to think of being famous. I have a job to do. I’ll play my part in the background and that’ll be all for me.</p><p><strong>SP: With that frame of mind you will <em>never</em> be dissapointed since "fame" is not your goal-set. But there’s definitely more to your abilities than just back-up so surely there’s going to be many more doors to open and more avenues to explore. This is just the beginning for you for sure. Your time has been absolutely valuable and enlightening Brook. Share with everyone the best way to keep up with the Latest and Greatest.</strong></p><p><strong>Brook:</strong> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/B_Alexander89" target="_blank">b_alexander89</a> and Instagram: <a href="http://instagram.com/brookalexander24" target="_blank">brookalexander24</a></p><p><a href="http://www.gumbumper.com/exclusive-interview-rat-a-tat-tat-pitter-pat-pounding-drums-vibrating-cymbals-with-miguel-kenny-lattimore-drummer-brook-alexander/" target="_blank">Gumbumper Coverage</a></p><p><object width="420" height="315" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/XT_Y5EARSHg?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never" ></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="internal" ></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" ></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XT_Y5EARSHg?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" ></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque" ></param><embed wmode="opaque" width="420" height="315" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XT_Y5EARSHg?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="never" allownetworking="internal"></embed></object></p></div>EVENT ALERTS: Farmers Boulevard Empowerment Week; Caribbean Heritage Month; Black Music Month; NAACP March Against Stop & Frisk; & An Obama-A-Day Keeps the Stupids Awayhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/event-alerts-farmers-boulevard-empowerment-week-caribbean-12012-06-13T14:00:00.000Z2012-06-13T14:00:00.000ZGloria Dulan-Wilsonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/GloriaDulanWilson<div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10697937958373924179" target="_blank"><img alt="My Photo" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9HiRqRhD2pk/S5rhtBSaC9I/AAAAAAAAAC8/AUlXfdUVyGo/S220/Gloria+Dulan-Wilson" height="60" width="80" /></a></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>By Gloria Dulan-Wilson ~<br /> <br /> <br /> Well we're nearly in the middle of June, and this month has just been moving on, NON-STOP. There is so much going on simultaneously, you practically have to be on rollerblades, or clone yourself to do it all. <br /> <br /> Not only is June <span style="font-weight:bold;">Caribbean Heritage Month</span>, celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of our brothers and sisters throughout the Caribbean, but it's also <span style="font-weight:bold;">Black Music Month</span>, celebrating the vast treasure trove of music we have contributed and continue to contribute to the world. This also <span style="font-weight:bold;">Juneteenth</span>, the celebration of the first pronouncement of the Emancipation Proclamation - though slaveholders in Texas and other southern states tried to hide the truth from our ancestors. This is a time for celebration and jubilation. We also lost our beloved Icon, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Michael Jackson</span>, in June, 2009. <br /> <br /> Wow - of course for those of you who are June Geminis, the fact that this month speeds by twice as fast as any other month is perfectly normal to you. Being that you're twins, you are accustomed this break neck pace. My June Cancerians, on the other hand, have a way of mellowing the month out and taking it all in stride. <br /> <br /> That being the case, those of you who are in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Queens</span> will definitely want to participate in this monumental community development event. I received it from my friend, Glenn Greenich, a co-member of <span style="font-weight:bold;">NY CitiWorks:<br /></span> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Farmers Boulevard Empowerment Week to be held from June 14-16, 2012<br /> <br /></span> Empowerment. Oppression. Historically these have been very forceful words that conjure up images and memories of the civil rights movement and similar struggles from the history of nations around the world. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Farmers Boulevard Community Development Corp. (FBCDC)</span> is using these terms in a somewhat different manner for a series of forums being held from June 14-16 called Farmers Boulevard <span style="font-style:italic;">“Empowerment Week.”</span><br /> We put forth that “empowerment” is a conscious decision to settle for nothing less than the best that you deserve and the best that you are capable of. Hence, “oppression” is a pattern of settling for less than your best.<span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> <br /> Are you living an empowered life, or an oppressed life?</span></span><br /> Who are we to ask such an intrusive question, and how does this conversation relate to our mission of revitalizing Farmers Boulevard? Well, take a look at our agenda for Farmers Boulevard Empowerment Week 2012, and please join us in these important discussions about the development of our community:<br /><br style="font-weight:bold;" /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Entrepreneurial Empowerment Forum: New Idea to New Venture Thursday, June 14, 6:30 p.m.</span>: <br /> Presented by Queens Economic Development Corporation in partnership with FBCDC. We have the goal of attracting new and vibrant businesses to fill the storefront vacancies along Farmers Boulevard. We need empowered entrepreneurs to achieve our goal, but this event is open to anyone considering starting a new business venture, whether you plan to locate on Farmers Boulevard or elsewhere.<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> Artist Empowerment Mixer & Forum: First Comes Love, Then Comes Manage Friday, June 15, 7:00 p.m.:</span><br /> This ground-breaking event will be held at the soon-to-be reopened “triangle building” on Farmers Boulevard, which is being redeveloped as an event space. By registration only we are including painters, poets, authors, actors, playwrights, producers, musicians and many other types of artist in the June 15th social mixer and panel discussion about earning an income from your creative talent.<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> Early Childhood Empowerment Forum: As We Rise, They Will Shine Saturday, June 16, 11:00 a.m:</span>.<br /> Farmers Boulevard is a hub for a significant concentration of daycare centers, pre-schools and K-5 public elementary schools. Many of these programs have been experiencing a variety of challenges, including reduced enrollment, budget constraints, need for renovations, and other issues that detract from the teachers' ability to provide a first-class experience to these young children. <span style="font-style:italic;">Our June 16th forum will bring together parents, educators, pre-school directors and community stakeholders</span> to identify the most important action steps and investments that we, as a community, must make to secure a bright start for our young ones. <br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Returning to Work Saturday, June 16, 4:00 p.m</span>.:<br /> There are unspoken numbers of men and women in our local community who are unemployed or underemployed, and several who were formerly incarcerated. <span style="font-weight:bold;">FBCDC</span> recognizes that it is difficult for all kinds of people to find employment in this economy, but minorities and especially those among us with criminal records and without diplomas and degrees have a strikingly challenging battle to fight. The traditional channels of education and job-seeking do not always welcome everyone with these backgrounds, but we must identify the best ways to gain employment and to empower each member in our community to earn a productive living.<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> <span style="font-style:italic;">The Empowerment Week events are free and open to the public, but pre-registration is necessary for the Artist Empowerment Mixer. All events will be held at the African Center for Community Empowerment, 111-20 Farmers Boulevard, St. Albans, except the Artist Mixer which will be held at the Triangle Building.</span></span> If would like to attend any of the forums, please RSVP to <a href="mailto:events@farmersblvd.org" target="_blank">events@farmersblvd.org</a>. Thank you. Visit Us Online at <a href="http://www.farmersblvd.org/" target="_blank">www.farmersblvd.org</a> Follow Us On Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/farmersblvd" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/farmersblvd</a> <br /> Glenn Greenidge, Commercial Mortgage Consultant; Commercial Real Estate Specialist<br /> Unlimited Realty Services, Farmers Blvd Community Development Corp; Money Quest/Cost Segregation Services Inc. <a target="_blank">347 776-7817</a> cell <span style="font-style:italic;">"Ask me how I can create Tax Savings for Commercial Property Owners for 2011 Tax Year</span>"<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> June is CARIBBEAN HERITAGE MONTH</span>:<br /> In June 2005, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. On February 14, 2006, the resolution similarly passed the SenatE. Since the declaration, the <span style="font-weight:bold;">White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month.</span> This year marks the seventh anniversary of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month. <br /> <br /> <span style="font-style:italic;">The campaign to designate June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month, was spearheaded by Dr. Claire Nelson, Founder and President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies,</span> to ensure that America is reminded that its greatness lies in its diversity. Caribbean immigrants from founding father Alexander Hamilton, to journalist Malcolm Gladwell, who have shaped the American dream, Shirley Chisholm and Una Clarke New York City Council; Yvette Clark, US Congressional Represent from Brooklyn's 11th CD; to the Mighty Sparrow, and so many others <span style="font-weight:bold;">Celebrate June... Caribbean American Heritage Month<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> JUNE IS BLACK MUSIC MONTH:</span><br /> In 1979 President Jimmy Carter named June Black Music Month. President Obama recenty announced it to the public as African American Music Month. It is a time to appreciate all that our musical talents, past, present, and future, have added to this rich culture. <br /> <br /> That said, I, selfishly, chose to honor <span style="font-weight:bold;">MANDRILL</span>, a group whose music spans rhythm & blues, Latin, Jazz, Caribbean soul, including calypso and reggae. <br /> The group, which now celebrates it's <span style="font-style:italic;">42nd year</span>, has consistently gone above and beyond the mundane when it comes to music, with as much appeal to our contemporary artists as they had to us Black in the day. Such songs as <span style="font-style:italic;">Fence Walk, Ape Is High/Git It All, Lord of the Golden Baboon,</span> are as danceable to day as they were in the 70's. <br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">MANDRILL</span> continues to tour, as they stated in their recent interview on 900 AM WURD, Philadelphia, (<a href="http://www.900amwurd.com/" target="_blank">WWW.900AMWURD.COM</a>) hosted by Richard M. Cooper, Ph.D. MSW. <br /> <br /> The Bad Boys from Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy (do or die) deserve much props for their continued commitment to excellence and quality through music and lyrics. They have shared the stage with legends such as <span style="font-style:italic;">Roy Ayers, Gil Scott Heron, the late Jon Lucien, Miles Davis, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Bootsie Collins, Tito Puente, Earth Wind & Fire, The Eagles, Santana, James Brown, Deep Purple and David Bowie, Randy Weston, War,</span> among so many others. <br /> <br /> According to Kenneth Mallory, of the Washington Afro-American: “Mandrill’s music has shaped Rock & Roll history.” <br /> <br /></span> <span style="color:#c00000;font-weight:bold;">To The Wilson Brothers: Lou*, Ric, Carlos and Wilfredo more power to you - in 2012 and beyond!!</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> <br /> To their many fans, if you happen to be on the West Coast, mark your calendars for <span style="font-weight:bold;">MANDRILL LIVE IN CONCERT 2012,</span> Presented by Mandrill on SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 @ 7:30 P.M. at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater. Hollywood will pulsate with excitement when MANDRILL, pioneers of Funk and World Music, comes "outta da bush!!" <br /> <br /> For those of us on the East Coast, who want to see more of the group, start requesting - no, demanding - that they be included in the upcoming events, such as Summer Stage; and concert tours - are you listening <span style="font-weight:bold;">LIVE NATION?</span><br /></span> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">NAACP SILENT PROTEST MARCH AGAINST STOP AND FRISK: Sunday, June 17th</span><br /> <br /> This Sunday, we'll be marching from Harlem in a disciplined silence, determined to put an end to racial profiling. And though we will march in silence, our voices will be heard loudly in New York City and nationwide thanks to thousands of supporters like you. Last week, the NAACP asked supporters across the country to serve as the voices of their silent marchers, who will walk to end "stop and frisk" this Sunday. Thousands submitted messages to appear on banners and posters. Now they just need someone to carry them. These words are strong, they are bold, and they say exactly what our silence on Sunday will mean. We're missing only one thing: YOU! Those of you who are either victims of "stop and frisk" tactics, or have friends or relatives who have been through this humiliation, must join the NAACP's protest march to put an end to this travesty.<br /> <br /> NAACP President Ben Jealous shared the startling statistics last week: In 2011, New York City police made more stops of black men between the ages of 14 and 24 then there are black men between 14 and 24 living in the city. <br /> <br /> This Sunday the NAACP is doing something to stop this. Thousands of supporters will silently march through the streets of New York to protest the "stop and frisk" policy. <span style="font-style:italic;">And millions across the country who know our children are being profiled and targeted because of the color of their skin will support them.</span><br /> <br /> Their words will be my voice as I march in silence this Sunday. Take a stand against the profiling and targeting of our children—march with us to end "stop and frisk" on Sunday: SKIN COLOR IS NOT PROBABLE CAUSE TO STOP AND FRISK A BLACK YOUTH!!!<br /> Get involved. For details log onto: <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://action.naacp.org/march-with-us" target="_blank">http://action.naacp.org/march-with-us</a></span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Pick up a poster and walk with me, Hazel Dukes, in the NAACP's silent march through New York to end "stop and frisk" on Sunday, June 17th.</span><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> Last, but not least, June is the month that I officially launch "Obama A Day",</span> which will include something positive about our President that will be included in every Blog I write from now on. I am also urging my fellow Bloggers, writers, BLACK journalists, ministers, activists to do likewise, as a <span style="font-style:italic;">pro-active</span> measure against all the hate, lies, and garbage spewed out on an ongoing basis by the Rep-ugh-blicans, Koch Brothers, Tea Baggers, and corporations that would drag us back to the bad old days of segregation, racism and lynching. <br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">This is my Obama-A-Day report for Wednesday, June 13, 2012<br /></span> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">White House Report from June 2, 2012</span> - in case you missed it:<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Extraordinary People</span></span>: On Tuesday the President awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to 13 extraordinary individuals. These people came from all walks in life, ranging from a doctor to a musician, the President said that each has made his or her mark on America, “Together, the honorees on this stage, and the ones who couldn’t be here, have moved us with their words; they have inspired us with their actions. They’ve enriched our lives and they’ve changed our lives for the better. Some of them are household names; others have labored quietly out of the public eye. Most of them may never fully appreciate the difference they’ve made or the influence that they’ve had, but that’s where our job comes in.”<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">A Step in the Right Direction:</span> President Obama also signed a bipartisan, Import-Export Bank reauthorization bill to help strengthen our economy. “Soon, there are going to be millions of new customers for our goods and services in Korea, in Colombia and Panama. That way, even though we got some Hyundais over here, we’re also going to have some Chryslers and Fords and Chevys in Seoul that are imported from Detroit and Toledo and Chicago.” The President also took this time to reiterate that more needs to be done in order to fix our economy and particularly focused on the need for Congress to get to work on the “To-Do-List” that President Obama has been pushing for over the past month."<br /> <br /> If you know of something positive, empowering, endearing, significant that our President has done, please feel free to share it with me and the rest of your friends, family and associates. Don't keep it to yourselves. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Remember, an Obama-A-Day keeps the stupids away.</span> Don't let corporations brainwash you into thinking that because they have more money they can determine the outome of the presidential election. Remember <span style="font-weight:bold;">DOLLARS DON'T VOTE, PEOPLE DO.<br /> <br /></span> If you have an 18 year old in your household, make sure he or she is registered to vote. Instead of just a birthday card, give him or her a Voter Registration card as well. And hand deliver it to the Bureau of Voter Registration. We are each and all responsible for making sure President Barack Obama is re-elected to continue the good work he has started.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Stay Blessed &<br /> ECLECTICALLY BLACK<br /> Gloria Dulan-Wilson<br /> <br /></span></div><div><div><span>Posted by <span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10697937958373924179" title="author profile" target="_blank">Gloria Dulan-Wilson</a></span></span> <span>at <a href="http://gloria-dulan-wilson.blogspot.com/2012/06/event-alert-farmers-boulevard.html" title="permanent link" target="_blank"><abbr title="2012-06-13T06:51:00-04:00">6:51 AM</abbr></a></span> <span><span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=8661755859413500477&postID=8599434101698705350" title="Email Post" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18" /></a></span></span><a href="http://gloria-dulan-wilson.blogspot.com/2012/06/event-alert-farmers-boulevard.html" target="_blank"></a></div><div><a href="http://gloria-dulan-wilson.blogspot.com/2012/06/event-alert-farmers-boulevard.html" target="_blank">VENT ALERT: Farmers Boulevard Empowerment Week; ...</a></div><div><a href="http://gloria-dulan-wilson.blogspot.com/2012/06/event-alert-farmers-boulevard.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://gloria-dulan-wilson.blogspot.com/2012/06/simultv-and-blogworld-expo-something.html" target="_blank">SimulTV and BlogWorld Expo – Something Great to Wr...</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>Roland Martin Is Not GLAADhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/roland-martin-is-not-glaad2012-02-09T05:29:48.000Z2012-02-09T05:29:48.000ZRaynard Jacksonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/RaynardJackson<div><p><b>February 9, 2012</b></p><p></p><p><b>Raynard Jackson</b></p><p>I originally had absolutely no intention of writing about the recent flap surrounding TV personality Roland Martin, but because of the unfair treatment he has received; and his seeming inability to defend himself, I feel compelled to speak out.</p><p>Martin is a syndicated newspaper columnist, a political analyst for CNN, and host of his own TV show on TV One. During last Sunday’s Super Bowl, he tweeted: “Ain’t no real bruhs going to H&M to buy some damn David Beckham underwear! ..If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the sh@t out of him! ” and “I bet soccer fan Piers Morgan will be in line at H&M in the morning to get his hands on David Beckham’s underwear line! LOL.”</p><p> This was in reference to a TV ad with soccer star David Beckham shown wearing nothing but his underwear.</p><p>But, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (better known as GLAAD) had to rear its ugly head and do what they do best—defame others! According to GLAAD’s website, their mission, in part is:…”promotes understanding, increases acceptance and advance equality.”</p><p>Allow me to interpret what they mean. They want to promote understanding as long as they agree with your viewpoint; increase acceptance of their lifestyle; and advance equality that provides them a “special” legal status before the law!</p><p>GLAAD’s knee-jerk response to anyone who is a public figure that says anything that they disagree with is to call on that person to be fired; and then request that person meet with them. Why would anyone that you made lose their job be interested in meeting with you?</p><p>But doesn’t that go against their very mission—“to promote understanding?” Isn’t it more logical to call for a meeting with a person before you demand that their employer fire them? Shouldn’t you dialogue with a person before you start questioning their motives and intensions, if your true goal is to “advance understanding?</p><p>In the immortal words of semanticist, S.I. Hayakawa, “meanings are in people, not in words.” In short, words have no intrinsic meaning other than meanings that are internalized by each individual. For example, if I walked up to a female and told her that her dress was “stupid,” she would be either flattered or insulted. If she understood the language of Hip-Hop, she would be flattered; if she didn’t, then she would be insulted. “Meanings are in people, not in words.”</p><p>Just as disturbing as GLAAD’s demand for Martin’s firing was CNN’s suspension of Martin indefinitely. According to CNN, “Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”</p><p>But most disturbing is the loud silence from within the Black community, I know first hand that many of the so-called Black “leadership” were quick to call Roland to get on his TV show or to get him to write a supportive newspaper column about one of their causes. But, now that he is in trouble not one voice is to be heard supporting him. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Ben Jealous, Marc Morial, the Congressional Black Caucus—your silence is so loud!</p><p>They have allowed a few vociferous people to tar and feather one of their own. This is the real tragedy of this whole incident. I am totally embarrassed by the lack of courage from these Black “leaders.”</p><p>Roland, you are now learning who your real friends are and they are not as many as you thought. I am totally disappointed that you even issued an apology (but we all know that CNN forced your hand on that). Do you really need the money from CNN that bad that you are willing to back away from your own innocent words? If you do, I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.</p><p>Just a side note here; why is it that GLAAD called on CNN to fire Martin, but did not make the same request from TV One, the network he has his own show on. Could it be that since TV One is a Black owned network, that somehow it is not viewed as having any value? Just a question!</p><p>Roland, remember these are the same Blacks who said absolutely nothing when Jim Clyburn was forced out of the House leadership to make room for Steny Hoyer. Again, the people he and you helped the most, said the least when you needed support</p><p>Gays don’t deserve special protection because of their sexual preference, but they do deserve equal protection because of their humanity. </p><p>GLAAD talks about promoting understanding and equality and at the same time set out to destroy any public figure who disagrees with them. Roland has never done this!</p><p>I have sometimes criticized Roland for some of his liberal positions on issues, but he is a very decent person and has worked for years to bring equality to those whose voices many times go unnoticed. There are two things for sure; I am not happy and Roland Martin is not GLAAD.</p><p><i>Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.excellstyle.com/"><i>www.excellstyle.com</i></a><i>), Freedom’s Journal Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.freedomsjournal.net/"><i>www.freedomsjournal.net</i></a><i>), and U.S. Africa Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.usafricaonline.com/"><i>www.usafricaonline.com</i></a><i>).</i></p></div>SUPREME EDUTAINMENT PRESENTED BY: BRO. CADENCEhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/supreme-edutainment-presented-by-bro-cadence2011-12-22T16:19:02.000Z2011-12-22T16:19:02.000ZBro. 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value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F22746019&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=e70404" ></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque" ></param><embed wmode="opaque" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F22746019&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=e70404" allowscriptaccess="never" allownetworking="internal"></embed></object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/bro-cadence/malcolm-x-vol-2-bootleggd-copy">MALCOLM X VOL.2 BOOTLEGGd COPY</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/bro-cadence">BRO. 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src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=13574894-659" allowscriptaccess="never" allownetworking="internal"></embed></object></p><p style="text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:impact, chicago;color:#ff0000;">CLICK PICTURE BELOW TO PURCHASE CD OR DOWNLOAD:</span></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=DYDPHH8G6JE78"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3828532807,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="634" alt="3828532807?profile=original" /></a></p><p> </p></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;color:#ff0000;" class="font-size-5">THE OFFICIAL NGUZO SABA MIXTAPE</span></strong><object width="335" height="85" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=13522665-203" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param 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If you do, you know you must show some type of government I.D. to get on a plane or enter into a government building.</p><p> </p><p>To my knowledge, I have never heard anyone claim they were discriminated against if they were not allowed to fly or enter a government building because they didn’t have an I.D. To the contrary, people know the rules in advance, so therefore they comply. </p><p> </p><p>I don’t know anyone (young or old, Black or white) who doesn’t have any form of government sanctioned I.D. (driver’s license, passport, etc.). </p><p> </p><p>Even grandma, who is retired and needs to cash her check, has some form of government I.D.</p><p> </p><p>I think most of us can agree that it is a good thing to make people provide “legitimate” I.D. before getting on a plane or entering into a government building, or cashing a check.</p><p> </p><p> I don’t think many people would consider this an intrusion or inconvenience. There is a safety component to this requirement that helps protect everyone.</p><p> </p><p>So, to ensure the safety of the general public, the government has mandated these requirements in order to participate in certain activities.</p><p> </p><p>So, can one argue that if one doesn’t have these forms of government I.D. that they have been discriminated against? Secondly, if one doesn’t have any form of I.D., should the government be obligated to pay the cost to get them?</p><p> </p><p>Again, I challenge my readers to identify one person that they know personally that doesn’t have some form of government I.D.</p><p> </p><p>If you agree with me that the government’s requirement that one have “legitimate” government I.D. to get on a plane or into a government building; how can you then argue that to require the same in order to vote in political elections is discriminatory against the poor and minorities?</p><p> </p><p>Poor people fly on airplanes and enter into government buildings like everyone else.</p><p> </p><p>These are the absurd arguments being made by the radical liberals like Al Sharpton, Ben Jealous, and radical liberal organizations like the N.A.A.C.P., the Congressional Black Caucus, etc.</p><p> </p><p>If it’s racist to require I.D. for people to vote, then it must be racist to require I.D. to board a plane or enter a government building!</p><p> </p><p>Liberals never want to match a government program with any type of individual responsibility. They constantly argue the extreme. They claim minorities are adversely affected by requiring I.D. in order to vote. According to them, the poor can’t afford the cost to pay for proper I.D. They argue that grandma doesn’t have her original birth certificate; therefore it is much harder for her to get her I.D.</p><p> </p><p>If the laws only applied to minorities or the poor, then I would agree with the liberals; but the law applies equally to rich and poor, Black and white.</p><p> </p><p>Why do liberals constantly argue that if something is difficult or that you are required to actually do something in order to get a benefit, it somehow is discriminatory?</p><p> </p><p>Again, I challenge my readers to name me one person they know personally who doesn’t have a government I.D. </p><p> </p><p>Those who may not have a government I.D. are statistically negligible. So, to make policy based on the exception is crazy. It is not difficult to get a government I.D. and to argue differently is simply not the plain truth.</p><p> </p><p><i>Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.excellstyle.com/"><i>www.excellstyle.com</i></a><i>), Freedom’s Journal Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.freedomsjournal.net/"><i>www.freedomsjournal.net</i></a><i>), and U.S. Africa Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.usafricaonline.com/"><i>www.usafricaonline.com</i></a><i>).</i></p></div>Leave It To Cleaverhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/leave-it-to-cleaver2011-09-22T06:41:46.000Z2011-09-22T06:41:46.000ZRaynard Jacksonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/RaynardJackson<div><p><b>September 22, 2010</b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b>Raynard Jackson</b></p><p> </p><p>Last week, as I was riding the local train in Washington, DC, I began to ponder on the thoughts that had begun to flood into my mind.</p><p> </p><p>I was president of my senior class at Soldan High School in St. Louis, MO. I had a lot of my friends who worked hard to get me elected. So, during this train ride, I wondered how my classmates would have responded if I decided to put all my energies into helping another school across town?</p><p> </p><p>I also pondered what would happened if members of a fraternity or sorority helped elect one of their friend’s as national president; and then they never showed up at any of their own meetings. But, they seemed to always find time to attend other fraternity’s or sorority’s meetings.</p><p> </p><p>I know, I know. The thought of that happening would be unimaginable and unthinkable, right? </p><p> </p><p>Wrong!</p><p> </p><p>Cause that is exactly what is happening before our very eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Blacks are 13% of the American population and gave Obama 96 % of their vote in 2008. They are the second largest voting block in the country (behind the white population, who is 74 % of the population). </p><p> </p><p>Obama has done everything in his power to ignore the Black community and finally, some of the Black community’s frustration is spilling over in public. What took you so long?</p><p> </p><p>As I have said in previous columns, the White House has made a political calculation that they can ignore the Black vote and suffer no consequence. “Blacks will get mad and do nothing.”</p><p> </p><p>While I am elated that Blacks are finally speaking out, the question is—what are they going to do?</p><p>If the recent comments from members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is any indication, I am not very optimistic!</p><p> </p><p>They have been quoted in several newspaper interviews ranting and raving.</p><p> </p><p>John Conyers (Congressman from Michigan) said about Obama, “We want him to know that from this day forward . . . we’ve had it... We want him to come out on our side and advocate, not to watch and wait.” Or what?</p><p> </p><p>No one in America fears ignoring the Black community. What are members of the CBC going to do if Obama doesn’t change his approach towards them?</p><p> </p><p>When the CBC kicked off their jobs tour during the August recess, Obama did the same thing-- in Iowa. That shows you how much Obama thinks of Blacks and jobs!</p><p> </p><p>In the immortal words of the Doobie Brothers, from their hit song from the 70s—What a Fool Believes, “But what a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power, to reason away. <br />What seems to be is always better than nothing at all.”</p><p> </p><p>The CBC and the Black community want to believe in Obama’s presidency; but there is nothing tangible he has given them to believe in. “But what a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away. What seems to be is always better than nothing at all.”</p><p> </p><p>So, members of the CBC have begun to blame the Tea Party for the high unemployment rate in the Black community. People of good will within the Black community must call out these members of the CBC for what they are—race baiters. You can’t blame the Tea Party for Obama ignoring his own people.</p><p> </p><p>In 2009 and 2010, Obama controlled the House and the Senate. He had the votes to ram through any legislation he wanted—and he did nothing. Can you blame that on the Tea Party also?</p><p> </p><p>Look at what CBC Chairman, Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) said, "If (former President) Bill Clinton had been in the White House and had failed to address this problem, we probably would be marching on the White House…There is a less-volatile reaction in the CBC because nobody wants to do anything that would empower the people who hate the president."</p><p> </p><p>I found Cleaver’s statement to be extremely offensive to my sensibilities and he should have been called out on these statements. Where was Al Sharpton, Marc Morial, or Ben Jealous? Total silence.</p><p> </p><p>So, let me make sure I understand Cleaver and the rest of the CBC. The Black community’s agenda is predicated upon the skin color of the person in power? Because Obama is Black, he should not be criticized by other Blacks for ignoring us because we are Black?</p><p> </p><p>So, in a kind of perverted way, you have the first Black president using race to hurt his own (by trying to prove to whites that he is not going to be a “Black” president); and you have the CBC using race to allow the president to get away with it (not criticizing him strictly because he is Black).</p><p> </p><p>Boy, I now have a headache. So, it’s ok for Blacks to use race to hurt other Blacks; but it’s not ok for whites to use race to hurt Blacks? </p><p> </p><p>Blacks somehow believe that by not criticizing Obama on his lack of constructive engagement with the Black community that somehow their problems are going to get dealt with through osmosis? </p><p> </p><p>I guess, if you leave it to Cleaver! </p><p> </p><p>“What a fool believes……”</p><p> </p><p><i>Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.excellstyle.com/"><i>www.excellstyle.com</i></a><i>), Freedom’s Journal Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.freedomsjournal.net/"><i>www.freedomsjournal.net</i></a><i>), and U.S. Africa Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.usafricaonline.com/"><i>www.usafricaonline.com</i></a><i>).</i></p></div>Open Letter To Tom Joynerhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/open-letter-to-tom-joyner2011-07-07T05:33:21.000Z2011-07-07T05:33:21.000ZRaynard Jacksonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/RaynardJackson<div>July 7, 2011Raynard JacksonI have known Tom Joyner (nationally syndicated radio host) for many years. We are not hanging out buddies, but we have always enjoyed talking and joking with each other. He is an “old school” soul who has done a lot of good in his life. But, in recent years, his very public fight with Tavis Smiley (journalist) and now Cornell West (college professor), threatens his standing in many communities (not just the Black). So, I decided to use this week’s column as an open letter to Tom.Tom, it is well documented that you and Tavis Smiley (and now Cornell West) have had a very public falling out with each other. I have not been privy to all the details of the dispute, only what is being reported in the media and through some of our mutual friends—but I have no first hand knowledge of anything; so my comments will be offered with that as my backdrop.Word on the street is that the falling out started during the presidential campaign in 2008. Tavis was clearly not a big supporter of Obama’s and was more of a supporter of Hillary Clinton’s. You were unabashedly quite vocal in your support of Obama.So, after Tavis resigned (or you fired him from your radio show—I don’t know which one is more accurate), I thought the beef between the two of you would be over. Boy, was I wrong.Last week you continued your public feud with Smiley and West and raised the rhetoric to an unhealthy level. To lay the blame at their feet for what Mark Halperin called President Obama is a bit of a stretch. This is what Joyner said, “But I’m even more disgusted with Smiley and West, two brothers who I did have expectations of - and thought I knew. These two have done much worse than what Halperin has done because they set the tone for it, opened the door to it, and must take much of the blame for creating a climate that would make a white, professional journalist feel comfortable verbally and vulgarly attacking the first black president of the United States.” (for the entire quote, go to <a href="http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=blog_inner/29954/1573138/Cheriewhite/1">http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=blog_inner/29954/1573138/Cheriewhite/1</a>).Halperin is editor of Time Magazine and a regular guest on MSNBC TV network. Last week, on live TV, he called President Obama a “dick.” He was immediately suspended indefinitely from the TV network (he did issue an apology).Well, Tom, I could make the same argument against you about your blind support for Obama. It is well documented that I, as a Black Republican, voted for Obama in 2008. I was hopeful that he could and would deliver on the promises he made as a candidate; but just as important, use the historic nature of his presidency to bring a different perspective to some of the issues that have plagued the Black community. This is what I hear in West’s criticism of Obama. Smiley seems more angry and hateful and therefore I kind of tune him out. But West’s criticism is in sync with what I have been writing in my columns for the past two years.So, Tom, can you really make a thoughtful argument for Obama’s reelection without injecting the name of Bush, Republicans, or racism?Can you justify why Obama would meet with Marc Morial, Ben Jealous, or Al Sharpton, in February of last year to discuss the high unemployment rate in the Black community? These are three people who have never created one job. Did you not find this insulting? Do you think the president would have met with non practicing Jews to discuss Judaism?Can you explain to me why you and the president support amnesty for the estimated 30 million illegals in the U.S.? Especially when around 7 million of these illegals will enter the workforce and compete with other low and under skilled people (mostly Blacks). If you are concerned with the high unemployment rate in the Black community, how then does this make sense?Can you explain to me why you and the president are spending so much political capital pursuing a gay rights agenda even though most Blacks are against it?But, when it comes to issues of particular concern to the Black community, the president’s response is, “I am president of all of America, not just a narrow special interest group.”Where has the president expended any political capital on behalf of issues of particular interest to the Black community? So, the gays get all sorts of gay rights, Hispanics get a Supreme Court Justice, amnesty, and the D.R.E.A.M. Act; and Blacks folks get “I’m president of all of America.”So, Tom, while you have done a lot of good in your life, especially with raising $ 55 million for Black college students, this does not give you a pass on your moral obligation to educate your listeners, not indoctrinate!You are without doubt an apologist for Obama, but the worst thing you can do is continue to lead your audience into blind support for the president.In your profession, if you don’t deliver certain demographics, you get fired. Next year Obama will face a similar standard. I challenge you to lay out your argument for Obama’s reelection based on substance, not race.For you to continue to spew misinformation or incomplete information to your audience is more damaging than anything someone with a white hood over his head has ever done.If you truly believe in liberalism (as you claim) when will you allow a free flowing exchange of information from both parties to take place on your show and in your town hall meetings?You have made a name for yourself in the area of education, but when will your bring that reputation to your radio show?Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (<a href="http://www.excellstyle.com">www.excellstyle.com</a>) & USAfrica Magazine (<a href="http://www.USAfricaonline.com">www.USAfricaonline.com</a>).</div>Blacks and the Economics of Votinghttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/blacks-and-the-economics-of2011-04-15T07:12:49.000Z2011-04-15T07:12:49.000ZRaynard Jacksonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/RaynardJackson<div><p>April 14, 2011</p><p> </p><p>Raynard Jackson</p><p> </p><p>How long will the Black community continue to allow the Obama administration and the Democratic Party to insult them and then blame it on Obama not wanting to be perceived as a “Black” president?</p><p>Let me give an example. You have invested in a business project, Obama Inc.</p><p> </p><p>There were 4 classes of investors: class W, which comprised 74% of the total stock; class B, which comprised 13% of the total stock, class H, which comprised 9% of the total stock; and class G, which comprised 4% of the total stock.</p><p> </p><p>How would you respond to the CEO of Obama Inc. if he says the rate of return (ROI) payout would be as follows: those who invested in class W stocks would be paid first, followed by, class G, then class L and the last to be paid back would be class B.</p><p> </p><p>Well, any sane businessman would expect to be paid by order of the largest to the smallest investor. If you were part of the class W stock (74%), you should be paid first and work your way down to the smallest investor. This is normal and logical in the world of business.</p><p> </p><p>Only in politics and with the Black community is this standard not adhered to.</p><p> </p><p>In my above example, the class W stock represents the percentage of white voters from the 2008 presidential election (74% of the total electorate, of which Obama received 43% and McCain received 55%); the class B stock represents the percentage of Black voters from the 2008 presidential election (13% of the total electorate, of which Obama received 95% and McCain received 4%); the class H stock represents the percentage of Hispanic voters from the 2008 presidential election (9% of the total electorate, of which Obama received 67% and McCain received 31%); the class G stock represents the percentage of gay voters from the 2008 presidential election (4% of the total electorate, of which Obama received 70% and McCain received 27%).</p><p> </p><p>Despite receiving 95% of the Black vote (who were the second largest shareholders in Obama Inc.), Obama has made a calculated decision to reward the gay and Hispanic communities ahead of the Black community (the smallest and second smallest shareholders in Obama Inc.). In business, the CEO (Obama) and its board of directors (the Democratic National Committee) would be sued for fraud. But Obama knows that Blacks will only complain and do nothing.</p><p> </p><p>The gay community stopped giving money to Obama and the Democrats because Obama didn’t deliver on any of his campaign promises to them—recognizing gay marriage, repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and giving spousal benefits to gay couples who are federal employees.</p><p> </p><p>The Hispanic community threatened not to vote for Obama or the Democratic Party if they didn’t get amnesty for those in the country illegally and passage of the Dream Act.</p><p> </p><p>But, when asked what he would do specifically for the Black community, Obama said nothing—“he is the president of everyone and a rising tide lifts all boats!”</p><p> </p><p>Despite being the second largest shareholder in Obama Inc., the Black community cannot point to a specific program or policy directed towards them and their issues. How do you justify dividend distributions to other shareholders, but not your second largest?</p><p> </p><p>Privately, the supposed Black leaders like Al Sharpton, Marc Morial (Urban League), Ben Jealous (N.A.A.C.P.) all agree with me; but they don’t have the guts to speak out publically because they still want to get invited to the White House and take pictures with Obama.</p><p> </p><p>It took Obama almost 1 ½ years before he met with the Congressional Black Caucus; and what did they do? They got mad! Obama has yet to meet with any Black businessmen to discuss the disproportionately high unemployment rate within the Black community.</p><p> </p><p>Just like no one fears angering Obama, no one fears angering the Black community. Obama has made a political calculation that there is nothing to lose by ignoring the Black community and everything to gain—including white voters!</p><p> </p><p>Obama believes that if he doesn’t do anything specifically for the Black community that somehow people are going to forget that he is Black. </p><p> </p><p>The number 1 rule of politics is to reward your friends and punish your enemies. I didn’t realize that Blacks were enemies of Obama.</p><p> </p><p><i>Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.excellstyle.com/"><i>www.excellstyle.com</i></a><i>) & U.S. Africa Magazine (<a href="http://www.usafricaonline.com">www.usafricaonline.com</a>). </i></p></div>Letter to Dr. King
Originally Published: Jan. 31, 2005
January 17, 2011
Raynard Jackson
You didn't know me when you were here,But through your words I feel you are near.I was too young for the demonsthttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/h2letter-to-dr2011-01-17T06:11:37.000Z2011-01-17T06:11:37.000ZRaynard Jacksonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/RaynardJackson<div><h2>Letter to Dr. King</h2><h3>Originally Published: Jan. 31, 2005</h3><h3>January 17, 2011</h3><p><b>Raynard Jackson</b></p><p><br />You didn't know me when you were here,<br />But through your words I feel you are near.<br /><br />I was too young for the demonstration,<br />But I learned about you in my education.<br /><br />You said we all were created equal,<br />But maybe now we need a new sequel.<br /><br />Because I don't know what happened to the dream,<br />Nor the members of your team.<br /><br />Yeah, Andy's made a name,</p><p>Jesse got some fame.<br /><br />But what happened to the vision?<br />Seems it's been lost to indecision.<br /><br />Do we continue to blame whites for our plight,<br />'Cause it's easier than to stand and fight?<br /><br />Do we need integration to survive?<br />We did pretty good without it, to my surprise.<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Should we attend college at an HBCU,<br />Or go to Harvard, Princeton or even Purdue?<br /><br />You said we should not be judged by the color of our skin,<br />Does that apply to the political party I'm in?<br /><br />Some ask me, "How can you be Black and Republican?"<br />Because, like you Dr. King, I believe in the "I CAN"<br /><br />You were invited to the White House for conversation,<br />Because everyone saw your dedication.<br /><br />Now we call the president bad for blacks,<br />But look at how these leaders act.</p><p><br />They call him evil and a racist man,<br />Though his cabinet shows he understands.<br /><br />Did you ever dream of a Black secretary of state?<br />We've come a long way from that era of hate.<br /><br />Did you dream of a Black national security advisor?<br />Maybe white folks have gotten a little wiser.<br /><br />To put Blacks in a position where a lot fail,<br />Because most of the time we excel.<br /><br />Lenny Wilkens in the NBA,<br />DeWayne Wickam at USA Today.<br /><br />Barack Obama in the Senate;<br />Ran because he thought he could win it.<br /><br />Dr. Ben Carson with the knife,<br />Saves life after life.<br /><br />But how did we come to this place,<br />Where we now curse our own race?<br /><br />Rappers call our women bitches and ho's,<br />Where it will stop, God only knows.<br /><br />Our teenagers are committing crimes,<br />And getting locked up for a helluva long time.<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Who is there to show them the light,<br />'Cause their fathers are nowhere in sight<br /><br />So our women accept living with anger,</p><p>Which is only one letter short of danger.<br /><br />I have kept my nose clean and finished school,<br />But, I am becoming the exception to the rule.<br /><br />Marriage before kids is how I was raised;<br />Why are women so amazed?<br /><br />Having a family is a serious thing,<br />No kids without a wedding ring.</p><p><br />We have allowed drugs to devastate our lives,<br />Preachers, where are your righteous cries?<br /><br />We have cursed Bill Cosby’s name,<br />When he should be in our hall of fame.<br /><br />Dr. King, please explain your dream,<br />I am not sure if it's what it seems.<br /><br />Everyone is now invoking your name,<br />Just to get political gain.<br /><br />Some say you would be for gay rights,<br />Was that really part of the fight?<br /><br />Some say you would be Republican or Democrat,<br />But neither is born out by the facts.<br /><br />You just wanted the powers that be to be accountable,<br />Because back then, the mountain seemed so insurmountable.<br /><br />We have more education in our head,<br />But more of our people are ending up dead.<br /><br />We have more freedom to move around,<br />But our quality of life seems to be going down.<br /><br />Among our people are so many divisions;<br />Whatever happened to your heavenly vision?<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Dr. King, if you were here today,<br />I would be ashamed of what you would say.<br /><br />We have strayed so far from the path.<br />How much longer can this stuff last?<br /><br />We must get back to the dream,<br />But, please tell us what does it mean?<br /><br /><i>Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (</i><a href="http://www.excellstyle.com/"><i>www.excellstyle.com</i></a><i>) & U.S. Africa Magazine (<a href="http://www.usafricaonline.com">www.usafricaonline.com</a>). </i></p></div>Jim Clyburn-edhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/jim-clyburned2010-11-18T05:15:57.000Z2010-11-18T05:15:57.000ZRaynard Jacksonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/RaynardJackson<div><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">November 18, 2010</font></span></b></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000"></font><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><br clear="all" /></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Raynard Jackson</font></span></b></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">In the immortal words of civil rights legend, Fannie Lou Hamer, when will Blacks become “sick and tired of being sick and tired?” </font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Once again the Democratic Party has shown its disdain for the Black community and Black Democrats, as usual, just sit back and continue to allow it to happen.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Blacks vote Democratic upwards of 92% during presidential elections and about 90 % during congressional elections. Can Blacks actually say they have received a sufficient return on their investment for that level of support? Of course not. So, why do Blacks continue to allow Democrats to marginalize and disrespect them?</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Jim Clyburn, Congressman from South Carolina and current Majority Whip in the House of Representatives (making him the 3<sup>rd</sup> highest ranking person in the Democratic Party) was seeking reelection to his leadership post until he was forced to withdraw last Saturday night. </font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">In the House, the leadership positions are: Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi), Majority Leader (Steny Hoyer), and Majority Whip (Jim Clyburn).</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Since the Democrats lost the elections, they have become the minority party, thus will lose the Majority Leader position. As opposed to finding a new leadership position in the minority, Hoyer decided to challenge Clyburn for this position.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Not one word of protest from the first Black president of the U.S. Not one word from the first female Speaker of the House. Not one word from Hispanic members of Congress who constantly want Blacks to support their bids for amnesty for their people. </font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">On Saturday night Clyburn was forced to withdraw from his bid to become Minority Whip so that Hoyer could assume the same position. In exchange, Pelosi created a “new” leadership position so that Clyburn could have a position at the leadership table.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Are you kidding me?</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Why is it that the Democrats always ask the Black candidate to back out of a race and not the white candidate? This is the same party that makes a regular point about how “racist” the Republican Party is supposed to be.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Why didn’t Pelosi force Hoyer to drop out of the race? She could have created a “new” leadership position for him. This is the same party that, in September, tried to force current Congressman from Florida, Kendrick Meek, to drop out of his race to become the first Black elected U.S. senator from Florida. The White House asked Bill Clinton to pressure Meek to withdraw from the race and support the governor of Florida, Charlie Crist. Mind you that Crist is a white Republican turned Independent. Meek resisted the pressure and said no.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">So, the Democrats care so much for the Black community that they wanted Meek to drop out of the race and endorse a de facto Republican. Again, where were the voices of the most loyal voting block within the Democratic Party?</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">What makes me most angry is the total silence of those in the Black community. Clyburn has spent 4 years as Majority Whip. During this time, Clyburn has done favors for many Democratic groups that have come to him for help. Where were the voices of outrage from these groups? Why didn’t they promise holy hell if the Democrats didn’t keep Clyburn in his leadership position?</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Where was Marc Morial (head of the National Urban League)? Where was Al Sharpton (head of the National Action Network)? Where was Ben Jealous (head of the N.A.A.C.P.)? Where were groups like the National Medical Association (Black doctors), National Council of Negro Women, Leadership Council on Civil Rights, National Newspapers Publishers of America (Black newspapers), The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, The National Association of Black Accountants, The National Black M.B.A.s, NAFEO, or all the Black Universities? </font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">I will let you in on a little secret. The reason why the Democrats continue to insult the Black community is because we allow them to. Democrats fear no retribution from Blacks. Obama has met with the Hispanic Caucus on several occasions to discuss amnesty for illegals. How many times has he met with the Black Caucus? Maybe 1 time! Obama fears the Hispanic community (and their votes); but has absolutely no fear of losing the Black vote; therefore, he felt no need to intervene in Clyburn’s race or any other issue of particular concern to the Black community.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">To my Republican friends, this is a classic case for the value of diversity. Clyburn and Hoyer are both equally qualified for the position of Minority Whip. So, if all other things are equal, you have to give the nod to diversity, lest you have an all white leadership team!</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Everyone knows that I am a Republican. But, why is it that I seem more upset and insulted by the actions of the Democratic Party, than Black Democrats? </font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Clyburn is a very decent man and a great political strategist. I know he has been helpful to all of the above groups and individuals. He has extended himself tirelessly to help with their causes. But, yet none of these groups came to his defense. </font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">Blacks should have made it clear to Obama, Pelosi and Hoyer, that there would be hell to pay if Clyburn was challenged. Blacks are the most loyal voting block in the Democratic Party and they have nothing to show for it.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><font color="#000000">When all is said and done, there’s more said than done.</font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;color:#0000FF;font-size:12pt;">Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (</span></i><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;"><a href="http://www.excellstyle.com/"><i>www.excellstyle.com</i></a><i><span style="color:#0000FF;">) & U.S. Africa Magazine (<a href="http://www.usafricaonline.com">www.usafricaonline.com</a>). </span></i></span></p></div>Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan, Updatehttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/dr-yosef-benjochannan-update2009-02-12T13:00:00.000Z2009-02-12T13:00:00.000ZTheBlackListhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/TheBlackList<div>Greetings Family,
How are you? I am a little tired but I am okay. It is a busy time for me. African-American Heritage Month or Black History Month or whatever you choose to call this time of year is very demanding, and the scholars tend to really push themselves during this time. Last weekend I lectured in Detroit and Chicago and right now I am in the middle of an Ohio lecture series. I am trying to get at least a few hours of sleep every night. My diet could be a lot better but I am drinking a lot of water and trying to walk at least a little bit everyday. Which brings me to the point of this morning's email. This is an update on some of our greatest scholars, several of which have health challenges lately.
Dr. Richard King, psychiatrist, author and researcher on melanin, is back in the Intensive Care Unit. Brother Richard has had some health challenges of late but seems to be doing a little better. We will update you as time goes along.
Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, a great scholar and mentor of mine, and the world's leading authority on the African presence in early America, remains largely in seclusion. Periodically I exchange messages with Jaki Van Sertima and she keeps me updated on Ivan's health status.
Dr. Yosef A.A. ben-Jochannan, Egyptologist, remains in a Bronx nursing home. <b>He surely does not want to be there and, indeed, nobody is happy about it.</b> But, based on a personal visit and long talks with his daughter and primary care giver Ruth ben-Jochannan, he is doing okay. He has bunches of visitors and people are trying hard to put him in a better place. He also now has a private room. Many people have asked me about sending money to him. <b>If you want to send something just let me know and I will give you his daughter's mailing address. It is her home address and I won't just post it all over the Internet. So, if you are serious, let me know and I will tell you where to forward your contribution.</b>
Another senior scholar that I've had a bit of a relationship with and would like to have more is Dr. Edward Robinson in Philadelphia. Happy to say that Dr. Robinson seems to be doing fine.
I also met last night here in Kent, Ohio Dr. Edward Crosby -- one of the founders of the Pan-African studies department at Kent State University. While getting up in years he remains committed to the struggle. It was a real pleasure to meet him.
Well, I will leave it at that for now. I promise to keep you posted.
African love,
<b>Runoko Rashidi Okello
<a href="runoko@yahoo.com">runoko@yahoo.com</a></b>
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LatestEvents-TheblacklistPub/~6/1"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LatestEvents-TheblacklistPub.1.gif" alt="Latest Events - TheBlackList Pub" style="border:0;" /></a></div>Dr. Ben - Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan, needs your support and lovinghttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/dr-ben-dr-yosef-benjochannan2009-01-11T01:00:10.000Z2009-01-11T01:00:10.000ZKWASI Akyeamponghttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/KWASIAkyeampong<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3828505701,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" width="3072" height="2304" /></p>
Dr. Ben and J, Irving
<p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3828505813,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" width="3072" height="2304" /></p>
Damon reading to Dr. Ben
I just received these pics and thought you might like to see.
We must take care of our scholars who showed us the path lost.
<i>:Agnes Johnson
</i>
<b>fyi pictures are forwarded from their visit
From J. Irving and Damon
Operations & Organization
100 Blacks In Law Enforcement Who Care</b>
Dr. Ben is in Room 301 at
BAY PARK CENTER FOR NURSING AND REHABILITATION, LLC.
AKA Hebrew Nursing Home
801 CO-OP CITY BLVD,
BRONX, NY 10475
Phone 718 239 6444
His birthday was yesterday and he is 91 years young.
He needs visits, He requests his books
He requests conversation
<b>visiting hours are from 11am to 8pm</b>
Take 5 train to last stop (Dyer and Light)
Take a cab or walk a long block under the train trestle to Boston Road.
Cross the street to bus stop in front of mini mall.
Take the BX 30. Bus will take you to Drieser Loop and the hospital is across the street on the left
<i>:Agnes Johnson</i>
<b>See Runoko Rashidi's letter -
WHAT DO WE DO FOR THE ELDER SCHOLARS IN NEED?</b>
<a href="http://theblacklistpub.ning.com/group/calltoaction/forum/topics/what-do-we-do-for-the-elder">http://theblacklistpub.ning.com/group/calltoaction/forum/topics/what-do-we-do-for-the-elder</a></div>