Sunday Praise & Inspiration

A Black Eye For All HBCUs

*This week, a massive brawl broke out in the cafeteria at Alabama State University (a place I know VERY well) between members of the football team and students from Mobile, Al.
*Last week, there was a brawl between Bethune-Cookman and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore girl's basketball team in which some members were expelled from school.
*Last month, there was another brawl at another basketball game involving two HBCUs.
*Southern University is mourning the lost of two of it's students, both killed within the last 3 days. Ferdinand Dorsey was shot to death after an on campus fight and Sheena Barnett was beaten to death and set on fire. Another man connected to that case is fighting for his life right now.

What the hell is going on at our HBCUs?
Is this generation so far gone that even college students behave like thugs on the street?
Are things that much different now from when I was at Alabama State in 1990? I don't recall brawls breaking out at basketball games or people hitting police officers in the head with chairs as happened in the brawl at ASU.(Well, there was that one time when a Que knocked a security guard out for trying to break their line while they were stepping).
But other than that, there really wasn't anything major. Certainly not to the level we see now. By the way, that Que who knocked out the security officer is now a state Senator. For some reason the kids in the above video don't strike me as the political type.
I know there are many great things being done at HBCUs all over the country, but lately, these incidents have given ALL HBCUs a black eye.

Racist or Common Sense?

A few months ago the city of Memphis made national news for having 90 girls pregnant at one of it's high schools. With that being the backdrop, you could imagine the reaction from the mostly white parents of the Shelby County school system when the idea of consolidating the Memphis City School system with theirs came up. The Shelby County schools have excelled academically while the city schools have fallen far behind. I admit that I don't know all of the back room politics of this move. On the surface it appears that the city schools want to merge with the county schools because the county schools will provide the 150,000 city students an opportunity for a better education. I'm one of those people who think kids CAN excel in the city schools. But is it really that simple? Maybe......maybe not.
But now black parents and school officials from the city schools have called the parents and officials of the mostly white county schools racist for objecting to the move.
Is it racist or common sense?
Is it racist to want your children to remain isolated from an environment that makes it possible for 90 girls to get pregnant at one school?
Or
Is it common sense?
It is racist to want your children to remain in an environment where they don't have to worry about fights everyday?
Or
Is it common sense?
My son is a freshmam and attends a Birmingham City (magnet) school. As of this past weekend, there have been 3 fights since the beginning of the school year. On the contrary, a friend of mines daughter attends a Birmingham City school on the other side of town and her school had 3 fights last week. At that same school, on the first day of school, a fight broke out between two girls. One girl was a freshman, the other a junior. They were fighting in the middle of the street when the mother of the girl who is a junior pulled up in her car. Instead of breaking up the fight, she (and her son) joined her daughter in beating up the freshman.
Let me say that again.
The PARENT helped her daughter beat up the other girl, then had the audacity to get mad at the principal who told her she should act more responsible.
My point is this:
It doesn't matter what color you are. As a parent there are certain type of people (black or white) I don't want my children attending classes with.
I don't want my children attending classes with the daughter (or son) of a parent who would join a fight instead of breaking it up.
 I don't want my children going to school with children whose parents will blame the teacher instead of the student (or themselves) for getting a failing grade.
I don't want my children going to school with a student that will hinder them from getting an education because of their loud and unruly behavior.
If all of those things are going on in the Memphis City Schools (as many BLACK parents have said). Why all the accusations about race?
Am I missing something here?
Is this racist or common sense?
The people of Memphis will decide on March 8th. Will keep you posted.

Neo Soul Saturday

Another Senseless Murder

This one comes from Philadelphia and may be the saddest of them all. A 16 year old boy murdered his mother after she took away his playstation game. Yes, you read that correctly! He hit her 20 times with a claw hammer as she slept. After he killed her, he tried to cremate her by sticking her body in the oven. When that didn't work, he took a chair leg and bashed her head in and dumped her lifeless body in the alley behind their home. Asked why he killed his 37 year old mother, the teen said, "I couldn't stand the arguing."
 I don't know how these kids have become so violent. I don't know if the video games, music they listen to or just built up anger of not having a male role model in their lives. I think it may be more of the latter. I encourage all men who read this blog to try to get involved in a mentoring program or something that will attempt to stop the senseless murders that are taking place in our communities.

My Crazy Football State of Alabama

(Can't believe I'm posting an Auburn picture on my blog)
In the early 1900s, a drug store owner named Mr. Toomer used to litter the oak tree in front of his store with paper to let the locals know the Auburn football team won their road game. That tradition grew into Auburn folks throwing toliet tissue in the tree after winning EVERY game. I know.........I know.......sounds stupid......but every team and fanbase has a stupid tradition. I believe those traditions should be respected regardless whether people think it's stupid or not. That's what makes college football and other sports so great.
Last November, the number one ranked Auburn Tigers came back from a 24-0 deficit to beat my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide, their biggest rival. Auburn fans rolled Toomer's Corner for days celebrating the victory and the chance to play for the BCS National title.
(thoughts of that game is LITERALLY making me want to throw up again)
I'M SERIOUS!
Ok, I'm back..........
A few days later, some mentally disturbed idiot poisoned the tree at Toomer's Corner. A couple of months later he had the audacity to call into a sports radio show and brag about it. I was listening to the show as the guy called in and told the host (Paul Finebaum) exactly what he used to poison the tree. He also gave his name and told people where he lived. Like many others, I thought this fool was just crying sour grapes over the Alabama lost. Turns out he was telling the truth. The tree is now dying and the man who called the show has been arrested and is now facing time behind bars.
Only in the football crazed state of Alabama will something like this happen. YES, we take our football serious, but this isn't a representation of all SEC fans, Alabama fans or the people in the great state of Alabama. But it is a representation of the deep rooted hatred of the greatest rivalry is sports.

It's Christmas Weekend For Gold-Diggers!

Dear NBA All Stars, Athletes and Other Ballers,

I know it's NBA All Star weekend and you're ready to floss your wealth, flash your bling and blow your money. But I think someone needs to tell you guys what you already know, but for some reason always forget this time of year.
This is Christmas weekend for Golddigers!
They have planned this trip for an entire year. They've spent countless hours in the gym. They've spent endless nights on the internet trying to get as much info on you as possible. She already knows your salary, how long you've been in the league, where you went to college and everything about your hometown. And yes, some have even read Karrine "Superhead" Steffans book on how to "please" you.
Some of them may are educated and are doing their own thing. But I guarantee you they're not making $10 million a year, so catching you will be like hitting the lotto. Many of these women aren't trying to break the bank with you. They only want about $15,000-25,000/month for child support. That may not seem like a lot of money right now, but ask Jason Caffey, Latrell Spreewell, Shaun Kemp, Scottie Pippen and others to see how it feels 10 years from now. Not to mention the fact that she could scream rape and sue you for $20 million.
So think about that when the very attractive sister who claims she didn't know who you were strikes up a conversation and she just happens to know someone from your hometown, or someone you went to college with. Don't fall for it, it's a trick. I will hate to see you on ESPN or some other media outlet trying to explain how some "gold digger tricked you" into getting her pregnant,or on CNN trying to defend a rape charge. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Southern States Gone Wild

What in the WORLD has gotten into these people in the south?
The state of Mississippi has a proposal to honor Nathan Bedford Forrest, the founder of the KKK. Some people want to honor the man who started the biggest terrorist organization in the history of the world by having specialized license plates like the one above.Did I miss something? But wasn't this man a General in the Confederate army?  Doesn't that make him a TRAITOR to his country?  
Let's go to the state of Kentucky where the Senate recently passed a bill that would allow the Bible to be taught in the classroom.
Stop right there!
I have no problem with the concept of the Bible being taught. I believe the Bible is the Word of God and I read it daily. But there is no way in the world I think it should be taught in the classroom. Knowing Bible scriptures won't help you get into college and it won't help you pass your SAT and ACT exams.(Well actually it will help but that's another blog for another day). But if the people of Kentucky want their kids to know the Bible, teach them at home or take them to church. Do you want your Pastor teaching your kids Algebra? Then why would you want teachers teaching the Word of God?
Finally, and this may be the craziest of them all. The state of South Carolina wants it's own currency. Yep, you read it right. They want a seperate currency from the United States currency. I don't even know where to start on this one. Matter of fact, I won't start. But you get the picture of what's going on here. This is the new attempt to succeed from the Union. So whenever you hear one of these stories and think these people are just whistling Dixie, understand that there's a bigger agenda behind it.
These Southern states have gone wild!

I'm Boycotting All Award Shows Until Frankie Beverly Is HONORED

The opening tribute to Aretha Franklin at the Grammys,was alright "I guess". It was nice to see people honoring the Queen while she was still living. But can someone tell me why Frankie Beverly and Maze has never been honored with a tribute on ANY award show? I will put his fan base up against any other rock star, hip hop icon or R&B legend you can find, and I guarantee you, you won't find a more loyal group of people. I was first introduced to Frankie Beverly and Maze over 30 years ago at the age of 8 by my dad. Since then I've seen him in concert at least 50 times (if not more).Playing his music during family functions has become a family tradition which hopefully my son will take into the future. I don't know the politics behind the scenes but I can't understand how these award shows can honor people who doesn't have a full 20 years of work under their belt and ignore Frankie Beverly and Maze. So from this day forward, I will no longer watch the Grammys, AMAs, Soul Train Awards, BET Awards, VH- Honors or any other show until Maze featuring Frankie Beverly is HONORED with a Lifetime Achievement award for their contribution to the music industry.

Is The Pepsi MAX Super Bowl Commercial Racist?

Over the last few days, "some" black women have been going off about this commercial, claiming that it's racist and depicts all black women as "Angry Black Women". Personally, I thought it was pretty funny and don't see what the big deal is. Is it any different than some of the stuff we see on television or the movie screen? And forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't the part of the commercial where the woman gets upset because her man is watching another woman accurate? Many of you would be upset if your (black) man cheated on you, but if he cheated on you with a WHITE woman, "some" of you would react the same way (if not worse) as the woman did in the commercial.
Honestly, I think the person who came up with the concept behind this commercial is a genius. It may not convince more people to buy Pepsi MAX, but at least people are talking about the Pepsi MAX Super Bowl commercial, including Rush Limbaugh. THIS clown is unbelieveable! Read more about that over at http://www.thenewblackwoman.com/
 It would be nice if the people who feel this commercial is offensive to black women, felt the same way and voice the same kind of opposition to some of their favorite reality shows.

I'm Not Calling Steve Harvey's Ex Wife A Liar, But............

I've never been one to say I told you so.
But..............
(wait for it)
(wait for it)
(WAIT....for it)
I TOLD YOU SO!

I told you that woman was lying! I tried to tell all of you that something didn't sound right about her claims that Steve Harvey left her broke, homeless and STOLE their son away from her. This woman went on show after show and did video after video.......all in an effort to slander this man, his wife, get a book deal and help Shanae Hall promote her book that was suppose to be an answer to Steve Harvey's book. But all of that ended when the judge in her divorce case decided to lift the gag order.
Turns out everything she said was a bald face LIE!
-She said Steve left her without any money.
*Court records show that he paid her $40,000/month for 4 years. Then at the end of the 4 years, he gave her a lump sum payment of $1.5 million.
-She claims that she was kicked out of her home.
*Court records show Steve signed over 3 properties to her.
-She claim that he STOLE their son and brainwashed him (SMH).
* Court records show that she willingly  put her son on a plane without Steve knowing.
 (In other words, she gave her son away)
I'm not making light of their situation. Honestly, we all should pray for both, Steve and his family, and his ex wife.
But what I AM making light of, is all of you out there in the blogasphere and social media that called ME stupid, naive and said that I was taking his side because I was probably the same way-(yeah, I saw your FB page and read the blogs that you didn't think I read).
This is the problem with our community. We look for the worst in people. And don't let them get on their "religious high horse" as some of you described it, then we will talk about them and call them everything but a child of God!
Many of you criticized the title "relationship expert". Steve Harvey doesn't call himself that, others do. And even if he did, so what?
You don't see white people questioning Dave Ramsay's expertise on finances even though he went through bankruptcy, had a car repo'd and blew a couple of million dollars. But we will throw someone under the bus over an accusation made by a bitter, scorned ex wife?
Please!!!!!!!!
We as black people are sometimes our own worst enemy. Instead of building people up, we wait for them to fall!
See the court documents for yourself.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbossip.com%2F341244%2Fput-on-blast-steve-harveys-attorneys-prove-mary-harvey-is-a-bold-face-liar1200%2F%3Fsms_ss%3Dfacebook&h=e891f

I Just Don't Get It Mr. President

WHY!?
Why would the President agree to do an interview with Bill O'Reilly or anyone from FOX? They're not a news organization, they're a propaganda machine. Not only are they a propaganda machine, they are purposely trying to destroy his presidency. That was never more evident than yesterday when the President sat down to do an interview with Bill O'Reilly. I knew things were going to go wrong when O'Reilly started out with an overly congratulatory statement about the President stepping in to help a Fox news reporter in Cairo last week. I knew right then that O'Reilly was setting the President up for an insult or a complete lack of respect. He did both, by cutting the President's sentences short, interrupting the Prez and just appearing to act like Mr. Obama was this naive little boy who just happened to stumble into to something he wasn't prepared to deal with. But nothing, NOTHING was more disrespectful than this man asking the POTUS, "How does it feel to have so many people HATE you?"
When the President tried to answer, O'Reilly jumped in and said, "But they HATE you!"
The President tried to laugh it off and smile it away. But personally, I'm tired of him laughing things off and smiling things away. This may be my 10th time saying this in the last 2 years, but I wish this President would show a little fight.
Yeah, I know, I know, "he's too classy for that."
Whatever!
If he wants to control the tenor of the conversation in this country, he needs to start fighting back. Or better yet, learn how to recognize a trap before he walks into one.
I just don't get it!

Sunday Praise & Inspiration

Neo Soul Saturday

Old School Friday Night

Another Senseless Murder

So it continues, the senseless murder of someone attempting to live and enjoy life. Saleha Huuda, a 21 year old cheerleader at the Univeristy of Florida, body was found in a field in a rural outside of Gainesville. Her ex boyfriend, Antonio Drayton, 24 and an accomplice 42 year old Cassandra Kimbrough was arrested and charged with first degree murder, grand theft and abuse of a human body.
*What in the world was a 42 year old woman doing with this 24 year old man? I've heard of Cougars, but isn't that usually when an older woman dates an attractive young dude who has it going on?*
The two cowards in this case murdered this young lady then set her body on fire in an effort to conceal evidence. Drayton was accused back in September of breaking into Saleha's apartment and beating her up after she broke up with him. He served no jail time because Saleha refused to testify because she feared for her life.
I have no words for this one. I don't understand why some men (and women) just can't let it go and move on.
This is why I couldn't be a judge. I would sentence these two people to the exact same type of torture they put this girl through; tie them up , take them to a field and set them on fire. Ooops......my bad.......I'm TRYING to do better but the old me sneaks out every now and then. Will keep you posted on this case.

At Some Point Common Sense Should Come Before The Story

This picture doesn't began to tell the story of the chaos on the ground in Cairo. If it weren't for photographers and journalists, we wouldn't be able to witness this historic event that's taking place right before our eyes. But it's time these photographers and journalists began to think about their safety. For the second time in two days, CNN reporter Anderson Cooper has been attacked. Other reporters have been beaten, stabbed and one threatened with being beheaded. I applaud them for covering this story.  If it were me and my producer walked into a meeting and said, "Mod, we need you to go to Egypt and report what's happening on the ground." I can honestly say I don't think I would go, especially if I was a trust fund baby like Anderson Cooper. I've always admired Anderson, but at some point common sense should come before the story.

What's Wrong With Halle Berry?

Halle Berry is about to get involved in what looks like will be a nasty custody battle with her ex-husband. Well, first let me say this, I think we all can agree that Halle Berry is one of the most beautiful women on earth.
*looks at picture again*
YEP! I think we can agree to that!
But am I the only one getting tired of hearing about Halle and her drama with the men in her life?
First it was Wesley Snipes who she accused of cheating on her. She said Wesley slapped her so hard, it left her deaf in her left ear.
Next it was Eddie Murphy who she accused of cheating on  her.
Next it was R&B singer Christopher Williams who was accused of cheating on her.
Next it was David Justice, who she actually married but later divorced because she accused him of cheating on her.
Next it was.......
Wait! Who was next? Oh yeah, I remember!
Next it was Shemar Moore
Then it was Eric Benet'. She married him too but later filed for divorce after accusing him of cheating on her and being a sex addict.
There were several other men in between those men but those are the ones I remember.
Now it's Gabriel Aubrey, the father of her child. She has accused him of being verbally abusive, racially insensitive and not able to be trusted around their daughter. At least she hadn't accused him of cheating on her. (not yet anyway)
Poor Halle! As beautiful as she is, she can't find a good man either. It must really be hard out here for a sista, huh? But there's one problem with Halle and all of her former lovers, husbands and cut buddies. (For those of you who don't know what a 'cut buddy' is, it's when you have someone specifically to.........) NEVERMIND! I'm getting off the topic!
But all of these men have something in common. She didn't leave THEM. They all left HER! Which brings me to the question; What's wrong with Halle Berry?
It seems like whenever she ends a relationship, she always portray herself as the victim. She always want people to think that the men took advantage of her and did her wrong. I know she's beautiful and fine and sexy and fine and beautiful and....my bad. But it's usually those beautiful and fine women who have the lowest self esteem and are the craziest people on the face of the earth.
LORD HAVE MERCY!
I can tell you from personal experience, that is true!
Anyway, I wish Halle the best with her custody battle. But at some point, Halle needs to fix the common denominator in all of her relationships. In other words, if all of her relationships are ending the same way......maybe....JUST MAYBE.......the men aren't the problem!

Diddy Has Some Choice Words For President Obama

I was a huge Bad Boy fan back in the day.
B.I.G ,Craig Mack, Mase, Faith Evans, 112, Total.
What y'all know about Total?
Can't you see......what you do to me.......our love was meant to be......you were meant for me.....
That was the JAM! 
Unfortunately many of those artists are no longer with Bad Boy because "somebody" doesn't like paying their artists.....or should I say, taking care of their people. So I was kind of thrown off when I read an article over at the Huffington Post about Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Sean Combs.......WHATEVER he's calling himself nowadays criticizing the President for not having done enough for Black people.
  "He owes us. I'd rather have a black president who was man enough to say he was doing something for black people one term than someone who played the politics game have two terms."
"It's something he might not get (re)elected for" is what he was quoted as saying.
You know, Puff has a point. People should help those who paved the way for them. They should expect those people to make sure they're taken care of......have jobs, financial security and come to their aid when they're down.
But while Sean Combs was criticizing the President for turning his back on his supporters or not doing enough to help them, I wonder if he has thought about helping someone who paved the way for him?
As I write this blog, DJ Kool Herc, one of the pioneers of rap music,one of the people who made it possible for Puff Daddy to have the format to criticize the President, is in a New York hospital, sick, without insurance and unable to pay his medical bills. If Puff wants people to take his criticism of the President seriously, maybe he should go pay DJ Kool Herc a visit, tell the doctor he's taking care of the bill and write DJ Kool Herc a check that will allow him to get the proper medication he needs to get healthy again. It's not like he doesn't have the money.

Is Black History Month Serving It's Purpose?

Happy Black History Month!
Life Every Voice and Sing!
Blah........blah........blah.......
Every February we go through the motions of telling our children small facts about black people and ask them trivia questions like:
"What was the Underground Railroad?"
"What year did Dr. King give his 'I Have A Dream' speech?"
"Who was Malcolm X?"
"Who was Hiram Revels?"
When they answer the questions we clap our hands, pat them on the back and tell them how important it is they know their history. Then on March 1st it's back to business as usual and we don't say another word about the contributions of Africans to this country until the first day of February the following year. In many ways, I think the recognition of this month has become a crutch in our community. We don't discuss our history and we sit quietly while others ignore it. Let me ask you a question: How many times have you turned on the History Channel and watched anything concerning black people in America? Other than the "Rise and Fall of the KKK" where they show clips of us during the Civil Rights movement, how many times? Seriously, how many times? I'll tell you since I may be the only geek who watch the History Channel......ZERO!
You know why?
Because they think we're cool with our 28 days fame, which brings me to the question;
" Is Black History Month Serving It's Purpose?"
If so, HOW?
If not, WHY are we still recognizing it?

Oh by the way, Hiram Revels was the first African-American elected to the senate. He was from the state of Mississippi and served from 1870-1871.