By Gary A. Johnson

I’ll try and keep this short and sweet.  I know plenty of folks who are “emotionally blinded” that we have a Black President.  So much so, they can see no wrong in anything President Obama does or says.  President Obama arguably has the most difficult job in the world.  I am not up to the task of being President of the United States of America.  He clearly is, and along with that comes scrutiny from supporters like me.  Yes, I said supporter.  I don’t have to agree with everything that the President puts forward on his agenda.  Some of the things on the President’s agenda are not in my best interest.  I can live with that reality.

Everything with me is viewed from a perspective of balance, (which I will try to be in this commentary).  When evaluating President Obama, one must first realize that he is first and foremost a politician.  In fact, he has proven to be one of the savviest politicians in recent history.  President Obama and his supporters have claimed that he is not the “President of Black America.”  I agree.  He is the President of the United States of America accountable to all of the people.

Politicians talk differently to different groups, sometimes when delivering the same message.  I get that.  What rubs me the wrong way is that President Obama appears to be talking to Black America in more of a condescending and scolding tone.  Lord knows there are problems in the black community and not enough folks are stepping up to help provide support and solutions.  Aspects of the black community need to have their assess kicked, taken to the woodshed and then go to a “Come to Jesus” meeting.  You will get no argument from me on that.  Everyone needs to be held accountable, including President Obama.

If the President feels the need to call out the black community, particularly black men in public, then he needs to be prepared to be called out and held accountable on his record and campaign promises.  One one-hand, I get the sense that the President feels the need or obligation to hold the black community to a higher standard.  I can understand that.  My growing annoyance with the President is that it appears that he is holding the black community accountable for the bad things that happen in their communities, but doesn’t hold other groups as accountable for the bad things that happen in their communities.

I could be wrong.  I could also have some “blind-spots” that prevent me from seeing the entire picture.

Earlier this week President Obama president addressed Morehouse College’s graduating class, and said:

“We’ve got no time for excuses — not because the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they haven’t. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; that’s still out there. It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with a billion young people from China and India and Brazil entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything you haven’t earned. And whatever hardships you may experience because of your race, they pale in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and overcame.”

The President also told the Morehouse graduates:  “You have to remember that whatever you’ve gone through pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured – and they overcame, and if they overcame them, you can overcome them too.”

Personally, I would like to see the President hold his top advisers and appointees more accountable.  These men and women are responsible for helping the President achieve his many campaign promises.  With the recent scandals involving the IRS seizing records and phone messages of media, the President’s administration appears to have a problem with transparency to the American people.  In my mind, transparency is closely aligned to TRUST!

Feeling The Heat

The scandals that are in the headlines involve the AP Scandal involving the surveillance of reporters, the IRS tax scandal against Tea Party and conservative groups and to a lesser extent the Benghazi scandal where our Ambassador was killed on September 12, 2012.  With all of the alleged misconduct in his administration, President Obama’s attempt to be above the fray and not having knowledge of anything that will connect him to any wrongdoing, reflects that his administration is out of control.  For the record, I believe this is no different than any other presidential administration.

Is the President holding his advisers accountable?  The President has also made a lot of promises to Black America.   How has he done?

Statistics show that the Black community is in bad shape under the Obama Administration.  The Labor Department reports that the black unemployment rate was at 12.7 percent when President Obama took office. That unemployment rate is now reportedly 16.7 percent — making it the highest unemployment rate for Black since 1983 (Reagan Administration).  Black teens jobless rate was even more staggering at 39.3 percent in July 2012.

PolitiFact.com has compiled more than 500 promises that President Obama made during the 2008 and 2012 campaigns.  The sites tracks his progress on a scorecard they call the Obameter.  I’m not certain of the political affiliation of the site or its neutrality but the site is worth checking out if you want to learn more about the President’s track record for keeping his promises.  You can also click here and scroll down to read the campaign promises that President Obama has honored.

I want President Obama to succeed.  The fact that he is President reflects his success.  I think President Obama, Michelle Obama and their daughters are great role models for America, but he is NOT above being criticized.  The fact that I am irritated at him at times in my mind does not make me a “hater.”  I’m simply questioning the President and his administration’s behavior in an effort to hold them accountable as they promised, something that I believe he would not find objectionable or unfair.

Gary A. Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog. Gary is also the author of the book “25 Things That Really Matter In Life.” 

This week, President Barack Obama gave the commencement address to the young men at Morehouse College.  I was happy to see the president speak to these men, for I’m sure they were inspired by his presence.  The achievements of Barack Obama are nothing short of legendary and inspirational, he deserves to be recognized as such.  Morehouse College President John Wilson should also be commended for his extraordinary leadership.  Dr. Wilson was gracious enough to join the presidents of Spelman and Clark in co-signing the open letter on mass incarceration written by myself and Russell Simmons.

The president’s message consisted of the same themes that I recall hearing from my grandmother:  You have to work twice as hard to get half as much if you are black in America, and racism is no excuse for you to give up.  I agree with this message, and I share similar messages every single day of my life.

The president’s decision to speak in ways that he knew would resonate with Morehouse men and their older black parents was an intelligent political move, without question.   The president’s speeches tend to be more conservative when he speaks to African Americans (I even noticed his use of the word “Lordy” early in the speech), and this is a good fit, since black people are also very conservative. The truth is that many African Americans would be Republicans if the party would just stop being so blatantly racist.

Another thing about black people is that many of us suffer from the low self-esteem that tends to afflict oppressed individuals.  We’re not much different from the housewife who believes her husband wouldn’t have had to beat her if she had not burned the cookies.  When her husband is out with other women, she is simply thankful that he took the time to pay the rent.   She’s ecstatic about any form of acknowledgement from her husband whatsoever, and when he berates her, she knows that she deserves it.  To some extent, she comes to embrace her oppression as the natural order of things, and the tranquility of her marriage is built upon the idea that his views, needs and status are superior to her own.

When President Obama graces us with his presence, we are simply honored that he took the time to even acknowledge us.   Any symbolic gesture, no matter how scant and meaningless, becomes precious to us, because for some, there is no greater achievement that any black man could aspire to than to get validation from white people.  Had President Obama passed on the presidency and taken a position at an all-black school and educated thousands of black children, we would have considered it to be a wasted opportunity.  Why would such an important man spend his time with us?  The political harmony between black America and the Obama Administration is a carefully-designed relationship in which our job is to shut up and cheer for anything the administration chooses to do with our votes.

Part of this asymmetric partnership with the Obama Administration is that we are actually HAPPY when the president berates us.   We like being told that we don’t try hard enough and that the reason so many of us struggle is because we have come to embrace an inferior set of habits and cultural norms.   We ENJOY the abuse, because deep down, many of us have bought into the myth of white superiority as much as white people themselves.

So, when Obama comes to Morehouse and says, “Stop using racism as an excuse and start taking more responsibility,” we LOVE it.  We also nod our heads in agreement because for the educated elite, Obama isn’t talking about us.  He’s talking about “them.”  You know, those n*ggaz who keep getting sent to prison, who can’t get jobs, and who are killing each other in the street.   They deserve their plight because they don’t work as hard as the rest of us, at least that’s the logic. It’s easy to grab onto the simple answers:  Black men love their kids less than white men do, black women are only capable of raising incompetent children who eat Popeye’s chicken for breakfast, and black people are slightly less human than whites, thus prone to more criminal activity.

Graduates react as President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., May 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Click here to read the entire commentary.

By Harold Bell

If you don’t think it is the American way and there is not a big problem with black men in major media here are some stats for you to chew on as it relates to the television Black Out.

HEADLINE NEWS REPORTERS: 25 (no black men)

FOX NEWS REPORTERS: 42 (one black man)

CNN NEWS REPORTERS: 26 (2 black men)

MSNBC & NBC: 21 (no black men)

CNBC: 11 (no black men)

TOTAL: 125 REPORTERS (3 black men)

60 MINUTES THE NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE TV SHOW IN AMERICA: ZERO black reporters (Ed Bradley never again).  They did have lurking in the shadows a relief pitcher named Russ Mitchell.  He recently told the show to take their job and shove it and switched to ABC NEWS.  The reason, he could not get the producers to air any his stories—too black.  The  60 Minute producers will bring INSIDE THE NFL host James Brown in as a token black every now and then.  He adds a little color to the program–he will go along to get along and he is safe!

Russ Mitchell a popular CBS weekend anchor cleaned his desk out in December 2011.  He took a job at NBC affiliate WKYC television in Cleveland.  Mitchell was wrapping up his tenure as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” weekend editions and the “The Early Show” on Saturday.  He was also a national correspondent for “CBS News Sunday Morning,” the weeknight editions of the “CBS Evening News” and “The Early Show.” CBS 60 Minutes’ contributor Byron Pitts left to work at an ABC affiliate.

Mitchell had been passed over so much at CBS he was beginning to feel like QB Tim Tebow.  First, it was Katie Couric and then it was Scott Pellet as the CBS Evening News anchor.

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In 2012 I received an e-mail from Washington Post sports columnist Mike Wise saying, “Harold you probably belong in the DC Sports Hall of Fame but you have probably pissed the judges off.”  A couple of weeks ago the DC Sports Hall of Fame inducted several sporting personalities into the 2013 hall of fame during a Washington Nationals’ game against the NY Mets.  It was then I discovered who the judges were and I e-mailed Mike that he was right I had pissed the judges off!  The judges were legendary PR man Charlie Brotman and a wannabe legend Andy Ockerhausen a much traveled radio and TV executive. These 2 guys have use black folks as stepping stones to build their reputations and to stuff their own wallets without any returns.

The NABJ (National Association of Black Journalist) is another organization that is crying cry “Foul” calling for a meeting with the Presidents of the major news networks as it relates to the Blackout of black reporters. In its 17 years of existence they have inducted 35 journalists into its Hall of Fame.  The network Presidents are ignoring them with “No comment”  God bless the child that’s got its own and clean up your own house before you try to clean up another’s house!

A few years ago CNN ran a human interest story about a 103-year old black woman who was still driving.  In the closing segment a rap song was heard in the background playing and using the words, “Nigga, Nigga, I am MF Nigga!!!”  The station apologized claiming it was all a “mistake.”  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWXGk86sc8o).  CNN recently released Soledad O’Brien and Roland Martin.

Mike Greenberg is the co-host of the Mike & Mike radio and television morning sports talk show heard weekdays on ESPN and ESPN radio.  He was heard during the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday saying “Happy Birthday to Dr. Martin Luther Koon!”  He also claimed it was a mistake.  It is here the double standard occurs.  During a debate ESPN’s Rob Parker referred to Washington Redskins superstar Quarterback Robert Griffin III as a “cornball brother.”  Parker also noted that Griffin had a white girlfriend.  ESPN suspended him and then fired him!  The crime didn’t fit the punishment according to ESPN’s track record.  The only comparison is the punishment for distribution of crack cocaine and cocaine distribution.  One sentence is given for a black distributing crack and another sentence for a white distributing cocaine when they are both the same?  Justice & Just Us!

The cloak and dagger racism and greed in America media has cost this great country the respect it once had worldwide.  Boxing promoter Don King said it best, “The media use to report the news but now they create the news” at our expense.

I would like to make one thing perfectly clear, there is nothing wrong with Charlie Brotman and Andy Ockerhausen supporting folks that look like them because that is who they are comfortable with.  My problem is they use us for their financial gain but exclude us from their payrolls.  The bigger problem is that other blacks use us for their financial gain and exclude us from their payrolls also.  They never reach back—enter the likes of John Thompson and others like him in our community.

For example; the Washington football player Doug Williams was the first black QB to win a Super Bowl and be named the MVP in 1988.  When he arrived in DC to play for the Redskins he contacted me.  I was recommended by his mentor and friend the late Bob Piper.  He suggested to Doug that I be his media and community contact person.  Doug is one of the nicest pro athletes I have ever known, second only to  Washington linebacker, the late Harold McLinton.

Piper told Doug, “Harold will keep all the riff-Raff and Players Haters at arms length.”  Doug and I became good friends but not the kind who hung out and called each other everyday, that was not my style.  Doug was a regular guest on my radio show Inside Sports and participated in my community out-reach program Kids In Trouble Inc.  He played Santa Claus following in the footsteps of linebackers, Harold McLinton and Dave Robinson (2013 NFL of Fame inductee).  DC is known to be a town that can chew up pro athletes and spit them out in a hurry.  The athletes fall prey to the beautiful women found in every night club in the city and the player-haters lurking in the shadows.  They come in all colors, shapes and sizes.

During the run to the 1988 Super Bowl Doug fell victim to temptations of the city.  He got caught in the bright lights and blink of DC.   I now realized how difficult it was for him to be same guy I met coming into DC and expected him to be the same guy going out.  I have known only one man who could have handled that kind of success—Muhammad Ali.

Major media took over and guys like George Michael (The Sports Machine) became Doug’s go-to guy and there was the childish rivalry between him and Sugar Ray Leonard of who was the most popular guy in town.  There was conflict with his mentor and coach the legendary Eddie Robinson.  It was a circus that I wanted no part of and I moved on.

This leads me back to Brotman and Ockcerhausen.  Doug and his friend former NFL QB Shack Harris started “The Black College Football Hall of Fame” in Atlanta, Georgia in 2010.  There have been 3 inductions into their hall of fame and I have never been considered.  My point, if Doug and Shack don’t think I meet their requirements, therefore, I am not worthy of their hall of fame and I look like them.  Why should I be upset with Brotman and Ockerhausen because of a perceived slight and I don’t look like or think like them?

Dave Aldridge is a former Washington Post sports columnist.  He is now a TNT NBA sideline reporter and one of the nicest guys in sports media.  I remember him calling me several years ago upset because I had disagreed with him in a blog commentary on a column he had written on the tragic murder of a Washington football player in his Miami home.   He was very emotional, he said, “I thought we were friends?” He was hurt and felt the criticism was unfair.

He also blurted out during the telephone conversation, “I nominated you for NABJ Hall of Fame.”

I tried to explain to Dave that it was not personal and when he decided he wanted to be a journalist that criticism would follow from friend and foe.  His biggest and most important job would be being able to distinguish between CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM and DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!

I give Dave a lot of credit for picking up the telephone and calling me out.  Unlike his Washington Post and ESPN colleagues Michael Wilbon, John Thompson, Sugar Ray Leonard, etc. they would rather talk behind your back and defend their point of view.  Evidently, they choose the wrong career paths, sports!

You would think if anyone understood my plight it would be the NABJ, Doug and Shack because they have been there and done that!

My impact on sports talk media has been global, every radio and television sports talk show you see and hear is a copy of the Original Inside Sports format, and those sports media outlets include, ESPN, SPORTS REPORTERS, OUTSIDE THE LINES, HBO REAL SPORTS, etc.

The alumni of Kids In Trouble and Inside Sports can be heard and seen on national and local media outlets around the country.  Pro athletes’ involvement in the community started with Kids In Trouble and Inside Sports!

The NABJ, Doug and Shack’s behavior has become the norm in the black community.  They cry foul when they are the victims, but take on the characteristics of the oppressor with their success.  We have become a community of EXCLUSIVENESS instead of INCLUSIVENESS!

The bottom-line, I am hoping that I will be a first ballot inductee into the only hall of fame that really counts– God’s Hall of Fame, that is wishful thinking and he ain’t even mad at me.

Harold Bell is the Godfather of Sports Talk radio and television in Washington, DC.  Throughout the mid-sixties, seventies and eighties, Harold embarked upon a relatively new medium–sports talk radio with classic interviews with athletes and sports celebrities.  The show and format became wildly popular. Harold has been an active force fighting for the rights of children for over 40 years with the help of his wife through their charity Kids In Trouble, Inc.   To learn more about Harold Bell visit his official web site The Original Inside Sports.com.

By William Reed

The sequester is but a bump on the road to America’s real ruin. For those who don’t know, the U.S. is no longer “the greatest nation.” Nor does it even make the list of the 10 most prosperous countries in the world.

Whether Black or White, middle to upper class, urban, rural or suburban, most Americans operate under the assumption that the U.S. still ranks as No. 1 in the world.  Yes, the U.S. remains the world’s largest economy, and we have the largest military by far, the most dynamic technology companies and a highly entrepreneurial climate.

However, Blacks who still preen at the thought of Obama being the “commander in chief” are going to have a “rude awakening” when it’s all over. A sobering 2012 index analyzed 142 countries in eight categories: economy, education, entrepreneurship & opportunity, governance, health, personal freedom, safety & security and social capital. The index shows that the U.S. is no longer “the top dog” rather, 12th in prosperity; 3rd in oil production; 7th in literacy; 27th in math; 22nd in science; 49th in life expectancy; 178th in infant mortality; 3rd in median household income; 4th in exports and 39th in income inequality.

The first step in solving any problem is to recognize there is one. As we move toward the future, it’s important that we note that the decisions that created today’s growth – decisions about education, infrastructure and the like – were made decades ago. What we see today is an American economy that has boomed because of policies and developments of the 1950s and ’60s: the interstate-highway system, massive funding for science and technology, a public-education system that was once the envy of the world and generous immigration policies.

The economic bottom is falling out while the Black middle class waddles down “discount aisles at Walmart.” We are the group at the highest risk of economic downturns, but over the past 50 years, Blacks have bought into a mindset of dependency. Ninety-three percent of Black Americans recently voted for a continuation of that dependency on government for handouts from food stamps to welfare. Democratic leadership has caused Blacks to collectively accept the fact that America has become a debtor nation.

Suck it up. Let’s acknowledge that the big government agenda the Democrats have pursued over past years has stunted economic growth and led to staggering levels of wealth decline among Blacks. Cartoon character Pogo provides great insight: “We’ve met the enemy and they is us.” Our plight today is based on our past practices to “go along to get along.”

Much of America’s forward growth depends on the results of the 2014 congressional elections and 2016 presidential campaign. What kind of decisions will the masses of Blacks make about being open to the messages of Republicans?  In his book, America the Beautiful, fiscally and socially conservative figure, Dr. Benjamin Solomon “Ben” Carson, Sr., an African-American neurosurgeon and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, pushed himself into the forefront of the public’s attention. In his book, Carson provides new perspectives on our educational system, capitalism versus socialism and our moral fabric, to which people should be attentive.  America the Beautiful is an incisive manifesto of the values that shaped America’s past and must shape her future, the book calls upon us all to use our God-given talents to lead and improve our lives, communities, nation, and our world.

America can be great again. Good leadership is what we need. All that’s required is leadership that will fight for moral values, stand up for what is right, and strike down the wrong laws for the right reasons. Maybe it’s “mainstream” Blacks have adopted that cause them to accept leadership that has followed the same path of profligate spending and reckless disregard of the long-term economic drain for short-term economic gains.  We have opted for mediocrity and self-indulgence and we have reaped the harvest that we have sown.

We become great again by becoming an informed and educated electorate, making the right decisions to go forward.

William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org.

By H. Lewis Smith

In a Comedy Central TV special, comedian D. L. Hughley lobbies the EPA to have Black African-American males declared an endangered species. Although DL Hughley’s “The Endangered List” reduces the severe possibility of the Black man’s impeding extinction to a comedy skit, this is a very serious and weighty matter. The problem with attempting to bring attention to substantial issues using comedy is that the issue will be taken as a joke, fall upon deaf ears and blown off nonchalantly as a fictitious story made up just for kicks. As such, those at the crux of the joke—Black America in totality—will also be taken as a joke. DL’s approach is reminiscent of White America’s belief that Black people are light-hearted fools who are happy with the way things are.

There are many contributing factors which lend to the very real possibility of Black American males becoming extinct. Some of the primary factors include black on black crime that ends all too often in tremendous amounts of bloodshed and death or life-long prison sentences; as well as mediocre to poor health due to unhealthy eating habits; carelessness about or a reactive (rather than a proactive) nature toward tending to one’s health; self-destructive, reckless lifestyle behaviors; and having no or limited access to medical care. Other situations that will effectively sponsor this sad affair include women using abortions as a form of birth control—which further leads to increased reproductive and mental issues; rampant drug abuse throughout the entire race; and same sex marriages. All of these issues are bound to have an adverse effect on population growth.

Speaking of population, grippingly, the United States holds less than five percent of the world’s population, but it possesses almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners. Interestingly, America is supposed to be the most civilized and organized country in the world, operating under the premise of the so-called justice system, yet America’s prison population is the largest in the world.

A number of statistics are available breaking down the make up of the prison population, and a few particularly stand out: The prison population grew by 700 percent from 1970 to 2005. According to the 2010 census and Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), blacks comprised 13.6% of the US population, yet accounted for 39.4% of the total prison and jail population in 2009. Statistics further dictate that one in every 15 Black/African-American men are currently incarcerated, and that, at a minimum, one in every three black men can expect to go to prison at some point in their lifetime. As for other races, only one in every 106 white males are incarcerated, and one in every 36 for Hispanic males are locked up. The prison industry has become big business.

Young men of color have a disproportionate number of encounters with law enforcement, indicating that racial profiling continues to be a problem. This is just one example of White America feeling like it has an unmoving commitment to fulfill its quota of jailing black men, and don’t be deluded about it, the prison cells will be filled by any means necessary. A report by the Department of Justice found that Blacks and Hispanics were approximately three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop than white motorists. African Americans were twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police.

When considering all the emotional stress and the effects it has on the human mind and body, it’s little wonder that young black males have the shortest life span of any group in America—another factor contributing to the group’s human extinction.

Add abortions into the mix and the odds of extinction increase exponentially.Black America accounts for roughly 13 percent of the population and has 37% of the abortions.Eighty percent of Planned Parenthoods are located in minority neighborhoods, and the purpose of its existence is controversial to say the very least.Founder Margaret Sanger’s belief and acceptance of Eugenics has given her the reputation of advocating Black genocide.One thing is certain there is an extermination of black babies taking place, and Planned Parenthood is right in the midst of it all.

So, why these statistics? Why do “experts” speculate and actively pursue this type of continual demise for the Black community? How is that not only does the black man make up more than a third of the current prison population, but even greater, more negative predictions for disaster are made about him before he can even set foot to make a mistake? And if current trends continue the way they have been going, why is it that in the face of this type of report and revolting expectation, Black America continues to lead ill-fated, self-deprecating lives?

First off, causes leading up to the Black man’s ill-fated situation does not strictly hinge on issues of poverty, unemployment, and drug abuse, etc. all of which are prevailing concerns in the black community. Rather, these factors are symptoms, not the cause; but these symptoms have heavily contributed to the state of Black America and Black men. Even further, though, Black America continues to lean on the systemic crutch as an excuse for allowing these symptoms to uncontrollably plague the community, which too, must be addressed.

Blacks are in their current position because they have been socially engineered into their dilemma. Most Black/African-Americans have been systematically locked into a NO-WIN situation.Black people, collectively, DO NOT own a significant amount of anything to be able to control their own lives. Whites in America control almost 100% of the income, wealth, power, resources, businesses, privileges and all levels of government. In knowing this, it seems strongly impossible to compete against such overwhelming odds.

Since 1860, inherited wealth has been locked into the white culture. This means that all the wealth and power in this country for the past 400 years has been systematically piloted into the hands of the majority white society, and, thus, blacks come into the world with 0 per cent wealth.To add insult to injury, mentally-crippled black folks, who account for the majority of the black community, use their poverty or victim card as a free pass to ignorance. They are content with proudly walking around poking out their chest, boasting how they OWN the n-word (n**ga/n**ger), claiming this as their wealth. Such imbecility makes one want to throw up.

Rather than Black America continuing to fall like marching soldiers over a cliff head first into the lifestyles that have been handed them by a system meant to destroy the race, Black America—especially the Black men who are supposed to be the leaders of the community, must come to their senses and find methodical and strategic ways to circumnavigate this detrimental landscape. It is up to Black America to lasso the chaos as much as possible to make sure Black America sups its full portion of life’s glories even though the cards were never dealt with black people in favor.

In many ways, the Black male is thriving (socially and economically) as he never has before, but he faces, at the same time, an assortment of conditions. These conditions, experts say, indicate that the species “is definitely threatened” and possibly endangered. This threat of extinction is real, and, yes, Black America to some extent responsible for its own demise.

Black/African-Americans are the only group on earth who do not think in terms of GROUP survival, although at one time we did.But now, totally consumed by individual successes and “getting my own”, Black America has allowed itself to be blinded by the entrapment of integration which has obliterated all instincts for group survival.

Black America must decide that extinction will not be a truth, move from living in captivity—mentally and physically in jails and prisons, and turn attention and real effort to fixing the root causes rather than wallowing in the symptoms. Black Americans are the only ones who can solidly work toward re-establishing itself as a pure and unified race who refuses to be wiped away from God’s green earth by self, man or any other man-made force. A good place to start is the pursuit of self-respect and respecting each other, referring to one another as n**ga/n**ger is not a sign of respect but that of self-hatred, contempt and acceptance of a diminished image; no matter how use of the term is rationalized laying claim to it in ANY manner is self-defeating.

H. Lewis Smith is the founder and president of UVCC, the United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc. (www.theunitedvoices.com), and author of “Bury that Sucka: A Scandalous Love Affair with the N-Word”. Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thescoop1.

Newlyweds Dudley Payne III and Paige Johnson
Photo credit:  Matt Blum

Earlier this week, the Reliable Source column in the Washington Post reported on the wedding of Paige Johnson and Dudley Payne III.  According to the Washington Post, their courtship and engagement stayed under the radar because the two have been so busy with other pursuits.  Johnson, 27, who walked the aisle in a Monique Lhullier gown, has been a competitive equestrian rider since she was 5, training in Virginia and Florida, and traveling to competitions around the world.  Payne, 30, has an insurance brokerage business but his real passion is golf; he competes at serious amateur tournaments almost every weekend.

Some controversy was stirred with the following comment attributed to Payne’s father BET Co-Founder Bob Johnson.  Johnson was quoted as saying,  “This guy is the perfect guy for Paige.”  In another quote Johnson said,  “He’s a true gentleman.”  Before proposing last year, Payne took the old-fashioned step of inviting his fiance’s billionaire father to Café Milano to ask for his only daughter’s hand in marriage.

Author Christelyn Karazin wrote an interesting article titled “BET Heiress Marries a Rainbeau! Just Goes to Show Rich Folks Want Ratchet For Eveyone Else EXCEPT Their Own” posted on the website Beyond Black & White.com.

In her article Karazin wrote, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m THRILLED for Paige. I just wish that EVERY little black girl was cherished and protected and married off to a “perfect guy for her,” not just the daughters of rich men who are responsible for advocated a lifestyle that grants the exact opposite to “ordinary” black girls.”

Karazin further wrote:  “This is the ultimate irony. Bob Johnson, co-founder of BET, a vehicle that has single-handedly tarnished the name of black American women all over the world, wants a “gentleman” for his daughter. Funny, because he’s made his fortune convincing black women that thugs, drug dealers, and gold teeth should be the standard of sexiness and allure for us mere-mortal regular black chicks.

You can read all of Christelyn Karazin’s article by clicking here.

What do you think?  Do you care? 

By William Reed

CNN contributor Roland Martin, who departs the network on April 6, has been named the National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) 2013 Journalist of the Year. In today’s American media there are a number of Black faces on the screen as anchors, pundits, and hosts. But none represented the views and interests of Blacks as well as Martin. In NewsOne’s poll to select the nation’s Top 10 Black News Pundits, Martin came in at No. 1.

Martin is an “under 50” award-winning journalist. Primarily known for his work with CNN, Martin is a nationally-syndicated columnist, television host, and radio and television commentator. The award follows a February meeting between the NABJ and new CNN honcho Jeff Zucker to discuss concerns over Zucker’s vision for the network. So, as Martin makes his exit from CNN, NABJ’s Board of Directors appear to be making a public endorsement of Martin by giving him their most coveted award, “celebrating the accomplishments of Black journalists and those who support Blacks in the media.”

Many African Americans have reacted negatively to CNN’s failure to renew Martin’s contract, but not all have. Some have said, “good riddance,” citing what they considered his arrogant personality. But among so many in the media that feel obliged to “hide their Blackness” Martin has singularly been front and center on Blacks and their issues. ”No other African-American journalist brought more news and analysis to Black communities about the most important stories than Roland Martin,” said Vanessa Williams, former NABJ president and an editor at The Washington Post.

Martin has enjoyed an enviable career as a multimedia journalist, becoming a respected and trusted voice in print, on air and online,” said NABJ President Gregory Lee, Jr. “He is unapologetic about his quest to provide well-rounded coverage of the African-American community, and to provide unique insights to diverse audiences across the many platforms on which he is asked to contribute on a regular basis.”

Throughout his career, Martin has contributed much for his race. A lifetime member of the NABJ, Martin served as national secretary of the board from 2009 until 2011. Surrounded mostly by Whites in network news settings, Martin is comfortable “being the Black in the room.”  Early in his career, Martin was a radio talk show host for Chicago’s Black Talk radio station WVON-AM. He is the former executive editor and general manager of The Chicago Defender, one of the nation’s oldest Black newspapers. During the 1990s, Martin was a contributor on the BET Sunday morning news program Lead Story.  He was the founding news editor for Savoy Magazine, and the founding editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com.

As he departs CNN, Martin, no longer has a “cross-over audience.” Some African Americans will talk about protesting CNN’s treatment of Martin and rally crowds in front of CNN offices. In reality, more of us need to channel our remotes to the Black-owned network to watch Martin host TV One’s one-hour Sunday morning news show, Washington Watch. During weekday mornings, millions hear him on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.

In what may well be the perception of the majority of Americans, during an interview with Rush Limbaugh, who openly criticized the TV One television network, saying it isn’t worth “salt,” and called Martin, “angry”,  more Blacks should support Martin’s “anger.”  Studies say that network news conveys more stereotyped impressions – a narrower range of positive roles – for Blacks than for Whites.  Representations of Whites in network news are more varied and more positive than that of Blacks. These studies’ findings raise questions about journalists’ ability to “represent” the “reality” of Black America. The reality is that Martin has represented that “reality.”

Black Americans need to recognize news organizations are businesses, and that they can alter the field with their eyes and ears by tuning into Black programming. The more people who watch, Washington Watch, the higher TV One’s ratings will soar and the higher Martin’s chances will be of making the same, or more money, than he did with CNN.  William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org

By William Reed

In American politics, many object to power flowing through blood rather than through the ballot. A “dynasty” is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Among Blacks, some prominent families regard politics as business operations.

Blacks elected immediately after the civil rights era, gained office as mayors or to the House of Representatives in majority-Black areas. Younger Black politicians are now seeking to win political posts of governor or senator in which they would represent much larger and diverse groups of voters.  In theory, having a parent already in politics provides political base younger politicians can use to reach wider multi-racial constituencies.

Several scions of Black political families that came to high political office by virtue of birthright are on the decline. New York Gov. David Paterson, whose father Basil is a powerful figure in Harlem politics, left his appointed office in disgrace.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Malik Kilpatrick is now a resident in the Federal Correctional Institution at Milan, Mich.  A former Michigan state representative, Kilpatrick, was recently found guilty on 24 of 30 federal corruption charges. In 1996, Kilpatrick was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives after his mother vacated the seat to campaign for Congress. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick represented Detroit in the Michigan State House from 1979 to 1996 and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996 to 2010.

Jesse L. Jackson has a family that has benefited from his impact on politics.  The son that was first elected to Congress in 1995 now faces a prison sentence ranging from 46 to 57 months.  Jesse Jackson Jr., was convicted for spending approximately $750,000 in campaign money on high-end items, including a Rolex watch and furs. The extended Jackson clan includes Jonathan and Yusef. Jonathan Jackson is a business professor and entrepreneur. He owns a Cricket Wireless franchise operation, and is a partner with Yusef, in a Chicago-based Anheuser-Busch distributorship – River North Sales and Service, LLC.

In Memphis, the Ford name became legend as Whites moved from the city to the suburbs. By 1974, the percentage of Black voters had increased enough for three sons of a local funeral director to win an unprecedented electoral victory: John was elected to the state Senate, Emmett was elected to the state House, and Harold became the first African American from Tennessee elected to the U.S. Congress in the 20^th century. In 1996 when Harold, Sr., decided not to seek a 12th term in Congress, Harold, Jr., easily won the race, taking office at age 26. “Junior” was only 30 years old in 2000 when he gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. He ran for the U.S. Senate seat but lost. Scandal and corruption followed the Fords ascent in politics.

William Lacy Clay, Sr., was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968. In 2000, Clay, Sr., retired from the seat after 32 years and Clay Jr., known as Lacy Clay, became the U.S. Rep. for Missouri’s 1st congressional district.

Carrie P. Meek was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1978 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. Kendrick Brett Meek lost the U.S. House seat that his mother had handed him in his 2010 bid for the Florida Senate seat. Kendrick was the U.S. Representative for Florida’s 17th congressional district from 2003 to 2011, after having served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1995 to 1998.

Representative Donald M. Payne, from New Jersey, died of cancer in March 2012 after serving in the House for 23 years. He was 77. His son, Donald M. Payne, Jr., was elected to Congress in November 2012. Brother, and uncle, William D. Payne served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998-2008.

Black voters have to discern if there’s a disconnect between the agenda of Black political leadership and their constituent communities. Will Black voters ever shun political dynasties revolving among husbands and wives, brothers, sisters and children in the guise of serving the public?

William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org

SANKOFA: A West African word meaning to retrieve the past in order to live in the future.

February, the nationally-recognized, officially-designated month to observe, celebrate, and praise much of Black America’s achievements and contributions to weaving the fabric of the American civilization has come and gone. It seems that beyond this 28-day stretch, though, the significance of black history is likened to a barely-visible flicker in the dark night, with it rarely being the topic of any on-going conversations and/or daily teachings to present full and balanced truths to the misinformed populous at large.

It further seems as though much of America—including Black America—has been pacified with only this month-long appeasement; however, those who value the black race and understand the significance in Black America’s past, current, and future contributions know too well the benefits all would experience if black history was integrally and fully incorporated into daily life, practices, and traditions at the onset of and throughout one’s life as are Euro-centric ideals. Many claim that Afro-centric ideals are loftily incorporated into daily teachings, but if this were the case, there wouldn’t be a need for Black History Month and Black studies in colleges and universities.

Most black and non-black students alike from kindergarten through college are presented, if any at all, a distorted, slanted and fabricated view of history as it pertains to Black/African-Americans’ contributions to World and American history.   The video Black African History and BLACK Empires You Were Never Told About  addresses the existence of Black Empires that’s generally excluded from the pages of history.

When it comes to an unbiased presentation of history, a monolithic truth problem exists. While unscrupulous White scholars, archeologists, anthropologists, and philosophers paint one picture, Black historian scholars along with the more circumspect White scholars paint another as shown in the above video and in Africa You Will Never See in HIS-STORY books (crucial info).

Black historians are generally discredited not just by White scholars but also by cloned White scholars with black skin. Black/African-American inventors, statesman, professionals, explorers, scientists, architects, artists, writers and musicians— despite their enormous contributions to society—are often times excluded from American history—albeit athletes, entertainers and musicians are generally acknowledged. Cerebral accomplishments, with the exception of a sprinkled few who cannot be denied, for the most part, are conveniently excluded.

REAL Black history encompasses both World and American history, including pre- and post-American slavery days. As such, if blacks limit their perspective, knowledge, and acceptance of black history to the incidences that occurred in America, then the truth is that these blacks sadly do not share in the bounty of having a rich, thriving culture and history founded upon dignity, progressivism, and self-sustenance that existed in Africa prior to the American and European slave trade.

Aspects of American history revolving around Negro, Colored, and African Americans to all intents and purposes began after the Civil War and/or with the debarking of the first slave ship. The terms Negro, Colored, and African American bound and conveniently confine Blacks’ identity to that as descendants of slaves, thus, eternally disconnected from any other past history. They are left without a compass to navigate and return to any geographical ties in the mother land.  There is no such place as “African” America and the terms Negro, Colored do not relate to any land, history or culture other than that of subjugation, strife, inferiority and indignity.

Is there a cover up governed by archaeological, government and historical circles to hide true identities; and if so, why?

Black historian scholars along with some erudite White historians raise interesting and begging questions relative to Black Civilizations and its place in World history. Facts seem to suggest that there is a deliberate attempt to obliterate the contributions of Black Civilizations from the pages of history, but as historians and scholars continue to study past developments, there are factors that cannot be denied or erased that place Blacks on the grand stage of history: The African Moors in Spain and Return To Glory.

Along with many archeologists and anthropologists, notable figures such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau, Madison Grant, and, most recently, the authors of the book “Bell Curve” published in the mid 1990’s have all influenced minds and help paint a distorted picture of history in their advocating of White Supremacy. If White America does not feel threatened and knows without a shadow of a doubt that they are the most progressive and supreme form of being on this earth, why is there an overwhelming need to build a case for superiority of one group and the so-called inferiority of another? Why is there a need to fabricate and/or hide parts of history?

If there is anything mentally inferior about today’s Black American people, it is their inability to rise to the statuesque of their forefathers ( Great Kings and Queens of Africa) by accepting a baser image of themselves conveyed through the use of the n-word and referring to self as a n**ga/n**ger.  A n**ger is a contrived image that was forced upon Blacks’ enslaved ancestors, browbeating them into acceptance which the naïve and paternalistic modern day descendants obediently and meekly embrace as an acceptance of their downfall from grace.

Society is asked to believe that white people gratuitously developed Egypt and, as an after thought thousands of years later, decided to develop Europe; and while supposedly developing Egypt, they benevolently built a Sphinx with Afroid features, that millenniums later, at Napoleon first laying his bewildered eyes upon the momentous monument ordered his troops to shoot off its nose.  For what ever reason it has been a common practice to deface the Afroid features of Egyptian artifacts and statuettes then later deceivingly create drawings of these same artifacts with European facial features.  The defaced artifacts and statuettes are on display in Egyptian museums today, further contributing to the fabricated lies conceived to smother the existence of a people all in the name of honoring stolen legacies.

Just as clarity to clear up the aforementioned suggestion, the cold facts are such that: Western civilization (Greco-Roman culture) begins somewhere around the 8^th century BC.  Alexander the Great invaded Egypt 332 BC leading to the eventual fall of Egypt. From 5^th century AD (Dark Ages, Middle Ages, the Renaissance on into the 16^th century AD), European culture was in developmental stages.  In contrast, Africa was experiencing its third Golden Age through the civilizations of Mali, Ghana and Songhay. The Great Pyramid and Sphinx were thousands of years old by this point in time.

Eventually, after being invaded by foreigners, Egypt gradually transformed from being a Black Civilization to what it is today. To fully understand such a transformation, one must look no further than America’s own back yard to the Olmec Heads. Though the Olmec Heads are of Afroid features, people are expected to accept the hypothesis advanced by amoral white archeologists and anthropologists that such features, along with other clues, are meaningless and to ignore the obvious as to who the Olmecs truly were.

The reader is encouraged to view the following videos, and thereafter, undertake their own research and apply due diligence to learn how it is that the Mayans, Aztecs, Incans, Hispanics, and Native American Indians are possibly all descendants of the Olmecs: UNTOLD BLACK HISTORY: “Blacks” were the 1st Americans !!!THE Undeniable Evidence  and Olmec Heads 1/5.

Three questions:  When Columbus first set foot on this land who all did he REALLY encounter? And second, would the Moorish American Treaty of Peace Friendship 1787 have anything to do with this encounter?  Third, if so, what were the implications, significance and need for a treaty with Morocco on the behalf of Moors?

The entire Black American population owes it to self and their forefathers to unearth the truth; Black America has been bamboozled and hoodwinked long enough. To determine a real future for Black America, the entire race of people must learn about and embrace their past far back across the water to use that as a foundation and a source of life for future progress. Black America must not wait to learn about Black history when it is convenient for the rest of America, but must remain owners of their own enlightenment, keepers of their own achievements, and missionaries of their own salvation.

H. Lewis Smith is the founder and president of UVCC, the United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc. (www.theunitedvoices.com),  and author of “Bury that Sucka: A Scandalous Love Affair with the N-Word.” Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thescoop1.

Brought to you by the folks at SHOUT! Factory, a group of people dedicated to preserving the legacy of artists like James Brown.

In a career that spanned six decades, James Brown profoundly influenced the development of many different musical genres.  For many years, Brown’s touring show was one of the most extravagant productions in American popular music. At the time of Brown’s death, his band included three guitarists, two bass guitar players, two drummers, three horns and a percussionist.  The bands that he maintained during the late 1960s and 1970s were of comparable size, and the bands also included a three-piece amplified string section that played during ballads.  Brown employed between 40 and 50 people for the James Brown Revue, and members of the revue traveled with him in a bus to cities and towns all over the country, performing upwards of 330 shows a year with almost all of the shows as one-nighters.   In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2000 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

James Brown is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”  Brown died on Christmas Day 2006 from heart failure.

James Brown Channel