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NFL's Hiring Practices: Keeping Diversity Alive
2007-02-09 21:50:05
Two coaches in this year's Superbowl have generated more than their share of attention not only because their teams are good or that they possess exemplary coaching skills, but because out of the six black coaches in the NFL they are coaching two of the best teams to make it into the finals of the Superbowl. Let's admit it. Their race is a big factor in garnering that much attention. Because of the 2002 report of Cyrus Mehri and Johnnie Cochran on the failure of the NFL to consider minority candidates for coaching jobs, the Rooney Rule was established to fill the gap in racial diversity. The Rooney Rule was named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney who helped developed the policy requiring teams to interview at least one minority candidate for every head coaching job, or else face stiff fines. However, an interview does not necessarily means a job. Cyrus Mehri, an attorney who specializes in corporate racial discrimination and also one of the authors of the Rooney Rule,.....
More About: Diversity , Practice , Live , Ring , Hiring

How Mentors Can Help African Americans
2007-02-09 21:50:05
Many Africa n America ns need mentors. They are "absolutely imperative" since they are not always privy to the conversations and unwritten rules of corporate America. That is what Michelle Matthews, the founder of Atlanta-based Matthews Consulting Group, believed. She has said as much in a recent Monster ® article. "A mentor helps maneuver through all that," she said. It's not because African American s are incompetent in dealing with corporate culture and workplace issues. Many of them overcame professional adversity and racial discrimination. However, dealing with those could have been easier for them if they had a mentor to guide them on what to expect and how to deal efficiently with such situations. Matthews further explained that "the protocols and politics that help people get ahead are discussed around the kitchen table when parents are executives." African Americans are often the first in their family to enter corporate America and so have little or no access to such......
More About: Mentor , Men

Oprah Winfrey is Richest Woman in Entertainment
2007-02-09 21:50:05
Oprah Winfrey leads the pack of Top 20 Rich est Women in Entertainment . Forbes Magazine has placed Winfrey's earnings at $1.5 billion. Following her are "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling with $1 billion and Martha Stewart at $638 million. Singers and actresses follow next with Madonna leading at $325 million. She's succeeded by Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, and Jennifer Aniston. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
More About: Oprah Winfrey , Men , Oprah

Black Women and Sisterhood
2007-02-09 21:50:05
I have another blog for women called Sister s. I used the term as symbolic of the universality of womanhood, its issues and aspects of development. However, the word "Sister", I think, is more associated with Black womanhood than the general female population. Black women often call each other "sister" because they were of one blood and came from one "family". It doesn't matter whether a Black woman is poor or rich, educated or not, or that they are bloodkin or not. Black women look at each other as part of one family. Sisters support each other through their struggles in life no matter who they are or where they come from. This strong emotional bond has given Black women everywhere a strong sense of identity. Overcoming adversity in life has given them a higher level of self esteem. When Black women use the word "sister" there is a sense of belonging and a note of pride in their voices. According to Johns Hopkins University sociologist Katrina Bell McDonald, author of Embracing.....
More About: Women , Men , Hood

Florence Mills, The Queen of Happiness
2007-02-09 21:50:05
I wasn't sure I'd blog about someone I only got to know for the last 5 minutes but Flor ence Mills doesn't seem to be a trivial footnote in African American history. She was a Black superstar at a time when African American culture was taking root in America. It was the early 20th century and slavery had ended a century before. Education and work opportunities were opening up for Blacks. Racial discrimination still existed but hope was rising that one day African Americans would become part of the mainstream citizenry. Black Americans were moving out from the South and into the Northern States, building homes and raising families of their own. Harlem, New York was one of the main destinations for Blacks looking to start anew. Harlem was also the center of a cultural uprising in literature and music. Among the notable Harlem Renaissance personages, Florence Mills was a superstar on stage. She was a dancer and singer, and was the first Black performer to head the bill at the Pala...
More About: Happiness , Queen , Ness

Martin Luther King Day
2007-02-09 21:50:05
Today is January 15, Mart in Luther King Day. It's usually celebrated on the third Monday of January each year, but today's date falls perfectly on King's exact natal day, which is January 15. It's interesting to note that it is the only United States federal holiday commemorating an African American and one of only three to commemorate an individual person. The other two federal holidays honoring individuals are: Washington's Birthday (often called President's Day) and Columbus Day. On November 2, 1983, Pres. Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor King. It was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. However, it wasn't until January 17, 2000 that all 50 US States celebrated Martin Luther King Day. On January 16, 2006, Greenville County, South Carolina, was the last county in the US to officially adopt Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday. The Complete Video of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have A Dream" Speech Visit MLKDa...

African American Slaves and Christmas
2007-02-09 21:50:05
The Christ mas holiday for some slaves was a welcome break from all the usual toil of their lives. As Christmas approached, many slaves could feel the lightness of the holiday atmosphere. For others, Christmas only signified a break from the daily hard work that they had endured throughout the year. While each slave-owning household was different, most slaves received at least several days off to celebrate with their families. For Thomas Jefferson's slaves at Monticello in Virginia, they were given a break for several days, and some slaves were allowed to visit other plantations or nearby towns. Special rations were also distributed. As Frederick Douglass remembered, the holiday was a time in which slaves could do as they wished. While he recalled that many slaves did have the freedom to see their families, participate in sport activities, such as wrestling, boxing, running, and hunting, getting drunk was the most encouraged activity by slave owners. According to Douglass, "those...
More About: America , Africa , American

The First African American President?
2007-02-09 21:50:05
"Running for the presidency is a profound decision ? a decision no one should make on the basis of media hype or personal ambition alone ? and so before I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be sure that this was right for us and, more importantly, right for the country." These words are from Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in a statement on his presidential exploratory committee website. For a man who said he had trouble even renting a car to attend the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in 2000, Obama's filing of a presidential exploratory committee, a step that allows him to immediately raise money for his formal announcement of his candidacy, affirms his decision to run for what the Chicago Tribune called as the "longest and most expensive presidential campaign in history." There's no surprise there. With possible opponents as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, the upcoming elections is going to be a hot race to the Oval Office. Obama's....
More About: America , Africa , President , American , African American

African American Beauty
2007-02-09 21:50:05
In a 2004 paper, "Emulated Through Images: The Globalization of Misconstructed Africa n America n Beauty and Hip-Hop Culture", written by Kerri Reddick-Morgan from Georgia State University, the ideals of Black and White beauty are briefly but concisely discussed and compared based on evidence found in popular media and throughout history. The author presented a strong diatribe against the misconstrued notion of "white is beautiful" that many girls, not only African American s, around the world are adhering to. Fashion and modeling magazines, TV shows, and movies have presented the ideal African American beauty as having a slim figure, fair skin that can pass for white, and straight black hair. To quote: "In the U.S. specifically, many Black women were faced with a beauty ideal that did not resemble the reflection in the mirror. Many entrepreneurs began and sustained successful businesses based on selling the white ideal to the Black woman. Skin lightning became a common practice in the...

Phillis Wheatley: First African American Poetess
2007-02-09 21:50:05
It's not enough that an Africa n America n woman possesses beauty but also must be of higher intellect and has a sweet temperament. I'm not referring to a meek creature but to a person with personality and intelligence - an ideal woman so to speak. One such African American woman embodies these qualities and more so admirable when she lived at a time when women of color weren't considered equals in society. She is Phillis Wheat ley, the first African American poetess. Here are samples of the dark beauty of her poetry: AN HYMN to the MORNING ATTEND my lays, ye ever honour'd nine, Assist my labours, and my strains refine; In smoothest numbers pour the notes along, For bright Aurora now demands my song. Aurora hail, and all the thousands dies, Which deck thy progress through the vaulted skies: The morn awakes, and wide extends her rays, On ev'ry leaf the gentle zephyr plays; Harmonious lays the feather'd race resume Dart the bright eye, and ...
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The Color of Hunger
2007-02-09 21:50:05
Is the face of eating disorders only white and middle class? Not even close, according to Becky Thompson, a professor of African-American studies and sociology who studies eating problems from a multiracial perspective. Thompson is the author of "A Hunger So Wide and So Deep: A Multiracial View of Women's Eating Problems" (University of Minnesota Press, 1997). The book culminates her unique research, based on eighteen multiracial women's struggles with anorexia, bulimia, dieting and compulsive eating. Thompson's subjects are African American, White, biracial, Latina and Jewish; their classes and sexual orientations vary. The link? They've grown up with a variety of stresses--racism, homophobia, sexism and abuse--which Thompson pinpoints as the true catalysts of many body problems. So why the shroud of silence? Shame makes it especially difficult for women who don't fit the "profile" to speak up and seek help. For many ethnic women, healing from body problems goes hand-in-han...
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Dark Beauty - "Black is Beautiful" Movement
2007-02-09 21:50:05
The "Black is Beautiful " movement rose in the 1970's to rid of the notion that black people's natural features, skin color, and hair were inherently "ugly." "Black is Beautiful" asked that men and women stop straightening their hair and attempting to lighten or bleach their skin, claiming they were trying to "look more white". They would rather look white than be considered having natural dark beauty. The prevailing idea in America culture was that black features were less attractive or desirable than white features. This idea even existed in the black communities and led to practices such as paper bag parties. The "Black is Beautiful" movement is largely responsible for the popularity of the Afro. Today it lives on in cornrows, dreadlocks, and many other hairstyles that were unfamiliar to African Americans prior to the 70s. Most importantly, it gave a generation of African Americans the courage to feel good about who they are and how they look. Until now the movement has not f...
More About: Beauty , Men , Dark

African American Basketball and The Phat 5
2007-02-09 21:50:05
The Africa n-America n player in major college basketball was a rare occurrence 50 years ago. Bill Russell (San Francisco), Wilt Chamberlain (Kansas), and Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) are legendary players of that time who became icons of the game. They also paved the way for today's stars. In 1950 Earl Lloyd, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, and Chuck Cooper were the first African-American players to play in the NBA. Harry "Bucky" Lew in 1902 was the first African-American player to play professional basketball with the New England Basketball League. The 5 winningest college basketball programs of All-Time Kentucky, N. Carolina, UCLA, Kansas, and Duke have been major contributors for the black players in big-time college basketball and the NBA. Elton Brand, Cory Maggette, and Daniel Ewing are all former Duke players who play for the Los Angeles Clippers. Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz was selected as an All-Star reserve for the Western Conference for the 2007 NBA All-Star game in Las......
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