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08-05-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
MORGAN FREEMAN BROKE BONES IN CAR CRASH: Actor in serious condition after vehicle careens into ditch in Miss.
*Morgan Freeman remained in serious condition at a Memphis hospital Monday following a car accident in Mississippi that flipped the vehicle multiple times and required the "jaws of life" to free him from the wreckage.
"He has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage but he is in good spirits," his rep Donna Lee said Monday. "He is going to have surgery this afternoon or tomorrow to correct the damage. He says he'll be okay and is looking forward to a full recovery."
At 11:30 p.m. Sunday, the Oscar winner was driving down a rural highway in Tallahatchie County, Miss., in a car belonging to his female passenger, when he lost control of the wheel and it flipped several times before landing in a ditch.
"They had to use the 'jaws of life' [hydraulic cutters] to extract him from the vehicle," a witness told reporters. "He was lucid, conscious. He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point." He reportedly told one witness attempting to take pictures of him, "No freebies. No freebies."
Freeman, 71, was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, about 100 miles from his home in Charleston, Tenn. Staff described his condition as "serious."
A spokesman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol said there was no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident, but the cause of the crash was not immediately apparent.
TMZ.com reported that his passenger was 48-year-old Demaris Meyer of Memphis, the owner of the 1997 Nissan Maxima that Freeman was driving. She works as an executive assistant at Fed-Ex and is a very close friend of Morgan's wife Myrna, often seen at their house for get-togethers, the Web site reported.
Freeman's accident is the latest disaster to befall the cast of "The Dark Knight." Heath Ledger, who plays The Joker, died in January from an accidental drug overdose, while lead actor Christian Bale was arrested last month for an alleged assault against his mother and sister, which he denies.
LISARAYE'S HUBBY CHEATING WITH BET'S ROCSI?: Rep for 'All of Us' actress says VJ and T&C Premier were seen 'canoodling' while actress in NY.
*A rep for actress LisaRaye released a statement over the weekend suggesting that her husband, Turks & Caicos Premier Michael Misick, is creepin' with BET's Rocsi of "106 & Park."
According to publicity firm Lynn Allen Jeter & Associates, the two were seen "canoodling" during the T&C Music Festival over the weekend while LisaRaye was in New York.
"Sources have even reported that Rocsi stayed at the Misick home and hosted guests as if she was the lady of the house," the release stated.
In March, Rocsi's name was floated around as the unnamed "American friend of LisaRaye's" who accused Michael Misick of rape, but those reports were never confirmed to be true. The alleged victim was said to have reported the crime to local police before returning to her home in the U.S.
and reporting it to the FBI.
At the time, USA Today reported that a Puerto Rican woman had accused Misick of raping her. Rocsi, born Raquel Roxanne Diaz, was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and is reportedly of Honduran and Chilean descent.
THE JACKSONS TO GET BMI HONOR: Michael, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy to become 'Icons' in Sept. 4 ceremony.
*The Jacksons will be honored as BMI Icons at the 8th Annual Urban Music Awards scheduled for Sept. 4 in Los Angeles.
Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and, joining in 1976, younger brother Randy, will be saluted with an all-star musical tribute during the ceremony to be held at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills.
Whether or not all six siblings will show up for the unofficial reunion remains to be seen.
BMI Icon status is given to artists who have had “a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” Other recipients include James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Bee Gees, Willie Nelson and Carlos Santana, to name a few.
In addition to honoring The Jacksons, the Urban Music Awards will also salute the world’s top R&B, and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers by touting the most-performed urban songs of the past year in the BMI repertoire.
SOLANGE FOLLOWS BEYONCE TO ARMANI: Youngest Knowles takes gig as face of Armani Jeans. Sis currently promotes Diamonds fragrance.
*Another member of the Knowles family has been tapped by Giorgio Armani to sell product. Following her sister Beyonce, who plugs Emporio Armani Diamonds fragrance, Solange has been hired as the "ambassador" of Armani Jeans.
"Armani Jeans expresses my vision of a young, independent, casual lifestyle with a strong and cool fashion sensibility," said Giorgio Armani in a statement. "Solange epitomizes this style perfectly and brings to it that swing so evident in her new single, 'I Decided.'"
The Armani gig comes just as the 22-year-old singer is about to hit the road this fall to promote her upcoming album, "SoL-AngeL And The Hadley Street Dreams," due Aug. 26.
ANOTHER O.J. CO-DEFENDANT TAKES PLEA DEAL: Charles Ehrlich agrees to testify against Simpson at Sept. trial.
*A co-defendant in O.J. Simpson's robbery and kidnapping trial cut a deal with prosecutors that will require him to testify against the disgraced former NFL star, justice officials told the Associated Press Monday.
Charles Ehrlich has pleaded guilty to reduced charges of attempted accessory to robbery and attempted burglary. He becomes the fourth of Simpson's co-accused to agree to a deal ahead of the Sept. 8 trial.
Ehrlich was one of several armed men who accompanied Simpson when they bum-rushed a Las Vegas casino hotel room last September and took thousands of dollars worth of sports memorabilia from two dealers.
Four of the men who tagged along with Simpson that day have now agreed to testify against him. Simpson and another man, Clarence Stewart, have denied charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
Simpson told reporters following his arrest that he had only been recovering personal items stolen from him during the incident. He also repeatedly denied knowing that any members of his entourage were carrying guns.
ISAIAH WASHINGTON CONTINUES WORK IN SIERRA LEONE: New campaign aims to ‘Reach One Million’ children.
*Isaiah Washington is launching a nationwide initiative that seeks to raise $250,000 to help improve the lives of one million children in Sierra Leone
The Reach One Million campaign – spearheaded through his non-profit organization, The Gondobay Manga Foundation – says it will "engage and educate everyday Americans on the plight of the children of Sierra Leone, where 47% of the country’s children under the age of 5 are afflicted with malaria and 28% percent of the population are unable to meet basic food requirements."
Washington's efforts follow the discovery of his genetic link to the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone. The actor made a personal pledge to help the country after visiting in 2006 and witnessing the extreme poverty and needs of the children first hand.
“This is a historical moment in time for me, the people of Sierra Leone, and Africa,” commented Washington. “DNA has memory and we all can do our part to make life a little better for those less fortunate. While I am very much focused on helping the underserved here at home, it’s also important to me now that I know where I come from, to help my people in Sierra Leone as well.”
In 2007, Washington opened the Chief Foday Golia Memorial School near the village of Njala Kendema in the Bagbwe Chiefdom. Currently, there are 300 students out of a total population of 2,150 from six villages in the Chiefdom attending class everyday.
Later this year, Washington will travel back to Sierra Leone where he will receive dual citizenship from the Sierra Leonean government.
The campaign’s official Web sites are www.ReachOneMillion.org and www.myspace.com/reachonemillion.
MEL'ISA MORGAN IS OFFICIALLY A 'COUGAR': R&B singer part of new reality show about over-40 women in NY.
*Mel'isa Morgan, best known for her 1987 remake of Prince's "Do Me Baby," is part of a new reality show being developed about five 40-something socialites in New York City, reports the New York Post's Page Six.
Titled "Cougars: NYC," the show from IiN TV Productions follows five older hotties "living the glamorous life in NYC . . . with men 10-plus years their junior."
Morgan is one of three ladies chosen for the cast so far, along with WOR Radio ad exec Dawn Ellison and Shahla Husein, v.p. of a medical sales company. All three only date guys in their 20s.
A casting call for two more women will be held at a singles mixer at Libations on Ludlow Street Aug. 20, according to Page Six.
Executive producer Elizabeth Mwanga disputes the negative connotations of the word cougar. "Basically, it's meant to symbolize empowerment. This isn't just horny older women chasing younger guys," she told the column. "It's women who are beautiful, successful and hot, who can get these younger guys because they are hot."
PAULA ABDUL CANCELS 'TODAY' GIG…AGAIN: Last time it was due to 'production commitments' this time it's 'Idol commitments.'
*Paula Abdul has once again pulled out of a scheduled concert appearance on NBC's "Today" show, according to Page Six.
She was originally due to perform her single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" back in April, when the Randy Jackson-produced song was released. But she canceled the gig citing "production commitments."
The performance was rescheduled to Aug. 29, but Abdul's camp contacted "Today" producers on Friday to back out of that commitment as well, this time due to "American Idol" commitments.
But one source told Page Six: "Please. She can't perform live. Her voice on the single is so mixed and electronicized you don't know what she really sounds like any more."
MASTER P HAS THE KEY TO MEMPHIS: City honors mogul for his positive change and work with youth.
*Music mogul Percy "Master P" Miller was given a key to the city of Memphis, Tenn. Friday during its first "Let The Kids Grow Day" at Mud Island Amphitheatre.
Memphis City Mayor, Willie Herenton, presented the founder of No Limit Records with the key to the city in recognition of his positive change and commitment to youth education and empowerment.
"No other rapper or entertainer is as committed to the community as Master P and I am proud of him," said Mayor Herenton during the event, which was attended by scores of elementary and middle-school aged children. "Master P changed his life and took the negativity out of his music but stayed true to the hood."
"My mission is to give inner-city kids a jump on education and the best possible start," said Miller. "I want those kids and my own kids to be better than me. I've been luckier than most to have a second chance at life.
We train our kids to be good athletes, why can't we train our kids to be good students?"
Later that day, Master P and his son Romeo signed autographs at a local Wal-Mart where their clothing line, P. Miller, is available. The brand was also a sponsor of the free program, along with Jim Finkl Enterprises, David Banner's Heal the Hood Foundation, and Wal-Mart. Bags of free school supplies were also available for the children.
Among the crowd members was Memphis native Morgan Freeman, who brought along his granddaughter. As of press time, the actor was in serious condition with a broken arm and elbow following a car accident Sunday night in Mississippi.
'THE WIRE'S' OMAR PRIMPS FOR OFF-BROADWAY: Michael Kenneth Williams cast in Vineyard Theatre's season opener, Wig Out!
*Michael Kenneth Williams will go from playing a homosexual thug on HBO's "The Wire," to a character steeped in the world of drag queens in the new Off-Broadway play Wig Out!
Passing Strange's Rebecca Naomi Jones and drag performer Daniel T. Boothe (aka Sweetie) are also in the production, which will serve as the season opener at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th St.).
Wig Out! tells "the story of two competing 'houses' of drag queens, and the loyalties and dreams which pull their members together and apart," according to a press release. "The play is a deeply human and moving story set in a world that is larger-than-life."
The Tarell Alvin McCraney world premiere, directed by Tina Landau, will begin previews Sept. 10 with an official opening Sept. 30, reports Playbill News. For tickets, call (212) 353-0303 or visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.
METHOD MAN FEELS THE 'BURN': Rapper to make guest appearance in USA Network's 'Burn Notice.'
*Method Man has booked yet another TV gig, this time as a guest star on USA Network's original series "Burn Notice," according to allhiphop.com.
The Wu-Tang Clan member plays a music industry executive who believes one of his employee’s is stealing from him. The premiere date of his episode has not been announced, however, the series airs Thursday nights at 10.
Meth, born Clifford Smith, was last seen on TV in HBO's "The Wire" and on CBS's "CSI."
"Burn Notice," now in its second season, stars Jeffery Donovan as Michael Westen, a blacklisted spy in Miami.
RICK ROSS STANDS BEHIND HIS LYRICS: Rapper says songs about being drug boss are true despite reports of his past as a corrections officer.
*Rick Ross says he doesn't care what Smoking Gun says, he was a drug kingpin and his numerous songs about the culture of drug dealing are all from personal experience.
“When I’m making my music and talking about blow, it’s because I did it,” he told Don Diva magazine. “When I say I’m rich off cocaine it’s because I did it."
Last month, TheSmokingGun.com posted documents from 1997 showing that Ross, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts II, worked as a corrections officer. Ross said the information doesn't change the fact that he was still flossin' at the time.
“I was one of the only n***as in the city with a show truck at 19 (years old in 97) on Daytons with TVs doing my own independent thing. I done put a lot of losses in this game,” Ross says. “I done took losses in the street, losses with the music. I’ve been up and I’ve been down; that’s what makes me who I am.”
The real Freeway Ricky Ross, an incarcerated former LA drug trafficker, accused the Miami MC of stealing his name to create a fake street persona. The rapper brushes off these allegations by arguing that his status as a veteran in music and the streets keeps him above having to explain his actions to anyone else.
“I never ratted on a n***a, I never prosecuted a n***a, I never locked up a n***a that is first and foremost,” Ross said. “I always felt being the man that I am and the boss that I am I never owed a n***a an explanation. Every man gotta look his kids in the eye and have a reason for feeding them or not. For that sole reason I believed in the death penalty for rats and informants.
“I surpassed my life goals 18 months ago, but you see where I am now; sitting in a new Benz, $100,000 grand cash in my pocket and a dirty white tee,” Ross stated. “You know I’m strapped to the teeth. We got more bullets than we got dollars. That’s just how it goes and that’s how it’s going to go until the day we die…a n***a don’t like it, get at me. I’m the muthf**kin biggest boss that you seen this far.”
Q-TIP SAYS TRIBE WILL NEVER RECORD AGAIN: Rapper squashes all hope of any new material with Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed.
*Following a reunion performance by A Tribe Called Quest Sunday night in New York, Q-Tip said the group will never record another new album again.
The rapper took the stage at Jones Beach Amphitheatre with Tribe members Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed in what became their third reunion in four years, reports Contact Music.
The trio, however, is not even considering a reunion album that would feature all new material, Q-Tip affirms.
"It will never, ever happen. We don't want to be one of those groups that comes back 15 years later and puts out an album that's not that good. It's why the Beatles never got back together," he said.
TRIAL OF OPRAH'S DORM MATRON POSTPONED: Tiny Virginia Makopo now due back in court on Oct. 22.
*The trial of a former dorm matron accused of abusing students at Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa has been postponed until the fall.
Tiny Virginia Makopo was arrested in October 2007 on 14 charges including assault, indecent assault and soliciting underage girls to perform indecent acts. The trial opened in Johannesburg last Tuesday (Jul 29) with Makopo entering a not guilty plea to all charges.
On Friday (Aug 1), the judge at Sebokeng Magistrate Court ruled the trial will resume on Oct. 22 - when testimony from the alleged victims will be heard, reports Contact Music.
State prosecutor Etienne Venter says: "I'm a bit sad. We were hoping to finish all six victims by now... We're going to try and see if we can finish all six of them in those three days."
If found guilty on all 14 charges, Makopo faces a minimum of 10 years in prison. She is currently free on bail.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Moses Gunn items; Dickinson hates on. M. Obama; Afflecks and Damons love on B. Obama; D-Rod's car impounded; Snoop in Bulgaria.
*The University of Kansas department of theater and film has acquired a collection of memorabilia from late actor Moses Gunn, best known for his role as a Harlem crime boss in "Shaft." Gunn received an Emmy nod in the 1970s for playing an African chief in TV's "Roots." His widow, Gwen Gunn, bequeathed the items to KU, where Gunn attended as a graduate student.
Currently, a portion of the Gunn items are on display in the lobby of Murphy Hall.
*Former model-turned-reality show fixture Janice Dickinson is hating on Michelle Obama, who was announced over the weekend as part of Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List. "Oooh, she made a best-dressed list; whoop-ti-doo," Dickinson told the New York Daily News. "Michelle should stop trying to emulate Jackie O and choose an American designer to establish her own way of dressing. Since her husband is talking about change, she should change the way she dresses. I'd be happy to assist if they had the balls to call me."
*Speaking of the Obamas, a recent Miami fundraiser for presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama attracted two famous expectant couples. Ben Affleck and his pregnant wife Jennifer Garner showed up to the private $1,000-per-person VIP reception at club SET with Affleck's BFF Matt Damon and his pregnant wife Luciana. "Jennifer Garner gave the first speech supporting Obama, and she was very witty, clever and funny," says a source at SET. "She was followed by her husband Ben, then Matt Damon. The men gave serious political speeches on how the country needs change."
*Dennis Rodman's Mercedes S600 was impounded yesterday after a woman driving the car was pulled over by police in West Hollywood for having no tags. His ride was snatched when police found out his registration hadn't been paid in a year and a half, reports TMZ.com. Rodman's reps tell the Web site that he thought his registration had been paid by his former business manager a long time ago.
*Snoop Dogg will perform for the first time in Bulgaria in its capital of Sofia on Sept. 18, organizers Balkan Entertainment Company announced. The show will be held at the Zimen Dvorets na Sporta (Winter Palace of Sport) in Studentski Grad. Tickets have been on sale since July 29. The price of the first 1000 is 30 leva, the rest will be sold for 40 leva. The price jumps to 50 leva at the door.
EUR FILM REVIEW: America the Beautiful
Scathing Documentary Explores America's Unhealthy Obsession with Beauty
Film Review by Kam Williams
Did you know that Americans spend more money on cosmetics annually, $45 billion, than all of the developing countries combined do on healthcare? What's up with that?
Are we really that ugly and in need of makeovers, or is something sinister afoot? According to Darryl Roberts, women have been duped by Madison Avenue into setting unrealistic expectations for themselves.
Darryl is the director of America the Beautiful, a scathing indictment of the beauty industry which systematically dissects the issue from both inside and out.
This shocking expose' not only offers insights from the perspective of impressionable teenage girls, some of whom freely admit to hating their own appearance, but also from the point-of-view of actresses, academics, talent scouts, photographers, fashion designers, TV personalities and runway models, all of whom, it seems, have long since capitulated to the narrowly-defined appreciation of only one idealized body type.
The picture is designed to drive home the point that the airbrushed and digitally-altered standard of beauty popularized by advertisers and the mainstream media are unattainable, because not even the models in the magazine ads and TV commercials look like that. Nonetheless, the manipulation instills a sense of dissatisfaction which in turn leads to a craving for ever more makeup, diet aids and plastic surgery in the elusive quest to measure up.
Like a black version of Michael Moore, Mr. Roberts appears on camera, annoying everyone he meets by posing some variation of the probing question of the day, namely, "Does America have an unhealthy obsession with beauty?" Most of the responses he elicits from celebrities, unfortunately, are vapid remarks which reflect a superficial shallowness or simply shrugs which might best be interpreted as, "This is the way things are. Get used to it."
But what would you expect from the likes of a Paris Hilton or a Jessica Simpson? Ditto CosmoGirl! Editor-in-Chief Susan Schulz and the E! Channel's Ted Casablance, each of whom has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Other interviewees include Aisha Tyler, Martin Short, Mena Suvari, Julianne Moore and Tisha Campbell.
However, the contributions of all of the above are easily overshadowed by those of Gerren Taylor, a statuesque former supermodel who skyrocketed to fame a half-dozen years ago at the tender age of 12. Although the 5'11" tall, African-American teenager has continued to blossom into quite an attractive young woman, she no longer is hired to strut her stuff up catwalks in New York, L.A. and all over the world, but now sends her days in a classroom as a high school senior.
She and her mother, Michele, allowed Darryl to follow them around during their last desperate effort to revive Gerren's career. Today, she's virtually-unemployable, because a size 4 is apparently too curvy for the leading designers. America the Beautiful is at its absolute best when sensitively illustrating the emotional toll the rejection has taken on Gerren's fragile psyche.
If a still gorgeous supermodel can so easily lose her confidence, just imagine what the effect the pressure to attain perfection must be like on the self-esteem on girls with ordinary looks.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity and some sexual references.
Running time: 105 minutes
Studi First Independent Pictures
To see a trailer of America the Beautiful, visit: http://youtube.com/watch?v=N8i1kEje950
THE BRIDGE: Reparations—A Bad Idea
By Darryl James
*Right about now, some silly Negroes are angry at Senator Barack Obama, because he made it clear that he is not in favor of Reparations.
If he said only that he was against the movement, the resulting anger would almost make sense.
However, since the presidential candidate offered a pragmatic option, the opposing Negroes should go right back to their useless program that will never come to fruition and choke on the lack of progress.
To be clear, I consider the press for Reparations to be without motion and a complete waste of time and energy.
It is no question that America--the evil empire that raped, robbed, sold, used as free labor, beat and killed our ancestors--owes us and should pay. What is in question is whether the nation ever will.
The simple answer is “no.”
Noted journalist Tony Brown once said: "I don't know what white folks owe us, but one thing I do know is that they won't pay."
And, since they won’t pay, why not focus on something that we can actually get?
Pushing for Reparations takes the focus from the real work needing to be done.
Senator Obama wants to focus on improving schools, health care and the economy, which are the real issues that will positively impact African Americans.
"I have said in the past — and I'll repeat again — that the best reparations we can provide are good schools in the inner city and jobs for people who are unemployed," said Obama.
Really, what thinking person could argue with that?
And, what is the alternative—a Reparations campaign that will never come to fruition?
We never got our forty acres or a mule--why would we get anything else?
If we begin to embrace reality, which is that racism rules everything around us, we will understand that we have nothing coming and perhaps we will then begin to take control of what is already in our hands.
What is in our hands is the ability to focus on repairing the holes in the fabric of our own community.
Perhaps if we demonstrate that we have self-respect, self-determination and that we can create and sustain our own internal economy, the nation would respect us and deal with us with positive results.
But, really, even if America ponied up and sent checks to individuals, what would really change?
That would be nothing.
The individuals who get the checks would use the funds for individual pursuits and remain on the same program they were on before.
If checks went to institutions, we know that those institutions would proceed with infighting to decide who gets to misappropriate the funds in the style of Ben Chavis and the NAACP.
And things will become even worse after the checks are cashed.
First, too many Black folks will get their hopes up, taking emotional stock in a goal that can never materialize.
Second, America’s attitude toward the condition of Blacks will grow stone cold.
Senator Obama realizes all too well the potential for the latter to occur. He made the following statement in 2004, responding to a questionnaire from the NAACP:
“I fear that Reparations would be an excuse for some to say: ‘We’ve paid our debt,’ and to avoid the much harder work.”
The much harder work is in trying to improve the worst of us, so that even the best of us become better.
According to Senator Obama, "If we have a program, for example, of universal health care, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because they're disproportionately uninsured. If we've got an agenda that says every child in America should…be able to go to college, regardless of income, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because it's oftentimes our children who can't afford to go to college."
Notice how Obama referred to “our children,” and not just “children.”
I highlight this piece of language because it is clear that he cares about African Americans and that he identifies with that group.
It is also clear that many of the goofy Negroes in America believe that such concern and identification means that he should follow whatever group of loudmouth Negroes who happen to show up, including the morons who want him to press for Reparations.
I’ll say this again for the Negroes who don’t get it: Senator Obama is running for president of the United States, not president of Black people.
What this means is that he must pursue broad issues to improve the lot of as many Americans as possible, which will inadvertently improve the lot of many African Americans.
It also means that he would be a hot ass fool to embrace polarizing issues such as the Reparations movement, which will more than likely never materialize.
Even if Reparations made sense and even if it were possible to achieve, the push must come from average African American citizens, not from a man who seeks to lead the entire nation.
Not all Reparations lobbyists are goofy.
Kibibi Tyehimba, co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America is smart enough to know how politics works.
"Let's not be naïve,” said Tyehimba. “Senator Obama is running for president of the United States, and so he is in a constant battle to save his political life," said "In light of the demographics of this country, I don't think it's realistic to expect him to do anything other than what he's done."
True indeed.
I’ll take my reparations in the form of a nation progressive enough to elect an African American, which will improve our image on the world stage and accordingly improve our standing.
Reparations in the form of payments to individuals or questionable institutions has failed and will continue to fail.
Senator Barack Obama has a better idea, which is to focus on things that impoverished Black Americans can intrinsically benefit from.
Anything else is just a bad idea.
Darryl James is an award-winning author of the forthcoming powerful anthology “Notes From The Edge.” Discounted Autographed and Numbered Pre-Release copies can be ordered at www.darryljames.com. He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and this year, will release his first full-length documentary. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES: Apology For Slavery: How Convenient, But What Does It Really Mean?
Anthony Asadullah Samad
*The U.S. House of Representatives issued an apology for slavery last week. Something some people have waited for some ten lifetimes, something others thought would never happen; what was once a significant event that would lead to progress in Racial Americana went largely under-reported. A slow news cycle that “went racial” in the race for the Presidency, in the same week went silent on the apology for slavery. Though slavery ended (officially) in 1865, Black Americans weren't officially made citizens until 1868, with the passing of the Fourteenth Amendment. This year is the 140th anniversary of the social equality amendment. Political equality didn't come about until the passing of the 15th Amendment in 1870. Many subscribed, and I am one of them, that equality has never come about, largely because there was no repair of the conditions slavery produced. Many of the vestiges of slavery are still present in our society today. The income and wealth disparities, individual and institutional, that manifested itself out of essentially 300 years of free labor have never been made up. Some doubt that the disparities could be made up, as I'll address momentarily, so what does this convenient apology for slavery really mean?
Reparations is still one of the most “touchy” subjects in the American public discourse, and it really no longer splits along racial lines as it once did. For instance, last week, Barack Obama reiterated his position against reparations, largely because it is an unsolvable dilemma that can never really be rectified. Not only is there no political will to address repairing the state of slave descendants, the quagmire of proving who would be “entitled” to slave reparations and what that would look like is even less compelling to sort out. Slavery is viewed as not just the reduction of human lives (and its natural rights) to chattel property (with no rights at all), but also the intense labor discrimination that not only took contract rights and wages from its subjects, but sexually exploited women for labor commodity sakes and reduced their life expectancy of all forced under the system of absolute control. What convolutes any discussion about slavery are the indebtedness issues that are framed in black and white. Those notions must be dispelled and resolved because all Blacks weren't slaves, and only 25% of Whites, at any given time in the history of America's enslavement period, owned slaves. Then there is the issue of where do you start counting from? 1555, or 1619? And where do you end? 1865, or until the direct descendent of a slave--which would be today? Then there's the question of what should one receive? Money. America doesn't have enough money. Really. Of the many turn of the millennium studies on reparations that have been done in the last ten years, just for slavery in United America, the minimum would be $4.1 trillion (African National Reparations Organization) in unpaid labor for black people born within the borders of the United States. Economist Larry Neal, in 1990, looked at slave labor expropriated between 1620 and 1865 and put a 1983 value at $9.7 trillion (adjusted for six percent interest compounded). Adjusted for inflation, Economist David Swinton put the number ten years later (1993) at $16.3 trillion, which he said at the time was more than all the wealth of America. That number in 2008 (15 years later) would exceed $30 trillion, which is why you understand America could never repay Black America for slave reparations, if it was just about money. There is also 300 years of lost opportunity costs, when the economic subjugation of segregation is factored in (which the apology also includes) where the absence of wealth and wages excluded Blacks from land grants, homesteads, schools, businesses and inherited wealth passed from generations to generations. The apology took so long because it was seen as opening the door to this conversation. Are black people who are descendants of slaves entitled to reparations? Absolutely. Will they ever receive reparations? It's doubtful. But then we thought we'd never see the prospect of a black President either, so anything is possible. But why the apology then, right now? It is a real effort to promote racial healing in this country? After repentance comes retribution in most wrongs where apologies are extended. This one appears empty since there is little political will for reparations.
The Congressional Black Caucus had been demanding an apology for slavery for over three decades now. But their demand was viewed as being tied to the hidden motive of opening the door to reparations (which it was). Now Tennessee Congressman, Steve Cohen, the only white member of the House to represent a majority black district (six black candidates split the vote to replace Harold Ford, Jr. and Cohen walked up the middle) brings forth an apology resolution, which he actually introduced last year (2007), it suddenly gets traction in the House. The Senate has stated that it will not consider the House's apology resolution. Cohen also happens to coincidentally be in a run-off for his seat against a single black candidate, Nikki Tinker. And there, coincidentally, happens to be a black major party (presumptive) nominee, and white people want to know--can reparation ever become a realistic policy proposal in an Obama administration. Just another hurdle for Obama to address (and he has), and another reason to suspect that it was the only way reparations will ever be addressed. Now that we know Obama doesn't support it, where does the reparations discussion go from here? Noodle that one a minute.
But at least we got the apology out of the way. Yeah, right.
Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D., is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of the book, Saving The Race: Empowerment Through Wisdom. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: You Are What You Eat Part 1 of 2
*Every time I open my email a portion of it is filled with junk I delete after reading the first sentence and wouldn’t think of passing on to anyone else. Occasionally there’s information which turns out to be important enough to share with others. Today is one of those instances.
After verifying the information as part of a Johns-Hopkins University study, I’m willing to share what I’ve learned about cancer. The American Hospital Association says cancer is the second leading cause of death in America behind heart disease. Although a cure for cancer has yet to be developed, the prevention of some forms of cancer seems too good to be true. While most people might say ‘if it seems too good to be true it is,’ I’ll let you decide for yourself.
I’m not a doctor and don’t intend to take the place of yours. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I don’t have to be a physician to come to that educated conclusion. So this is my latest effort to educate everyone who has taken the time to read my column.
Some forms of cancer are due to external factors and can be prevented by avoiding risk factors. To avoid skin cancer don’t overexpose your body to the sun. To avoid lung cancer don’t smoke or chew tobacco. It’s that simple. But forms of cancer that start from the inside have their own prevention methods, as well.
According to the Johns-Hopkins report, everyone has cancer cells in their body the same as they have germs. It’s not the presence of cancer cells, but the amount of cells that matter. On standard tests there must be a few billion cancer cells concentrated in a certain part of the body for a doctor to declare that a person “has cancer.”
And when doctors tell cancer patients there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it simply means tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have been reduced to an acceptable or safe amount.
Using the previous qualifications, the average person develops dangerous amounts of cancer cells in their bodies at least six times in their lifetime. Most of the time they don’t realize it, because of infrequent doctor visits and the fluctuation in the amount of cancer cells in the body.
If a person’s immune system is strong, cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors without medical intervention. But if a person “has cancer” it indicates the person has deficiencies in his immune system due to genetic, environmental or lifestyle factors. Although genetic and environmental factors aren’t always controllable, a person’s lifestyle – their diet and social habits – are controllable. And making those changes could mean the difference between life and death.
When cancer is diagnosed, most people look to chemotherapy, a widely accepted method of fighting the disease through radiation treatments. It involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells to destroy them.
The side effect is that healthy cells, tissue and organs are destroyed in the process, including bone marrow, the intestinal tract, the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs.
If chemotherapy is successful the radiation could weaken a person’s immune system even more making him more susceptible to infections. Sometimes the radiation doesn’t kill the cancer, but causes it to mutate and become resistant or even impossible to destroy.
That’s when some patients turn to surgery, another well-known treatment for cancer. If it’s successful, surgeons can remove the infected area. But sometimes surgery doesn’t keep the disease from spreading to other areas of the body.
New medical studies suggest the best way to battle cancer cells in the body is to starve the cancer by depriving it of the foods that make it grow and multiply.
Next week I’ll share with you the most common foods that help cancer growth in the body. It turns out some of us could be poisoning ourselves.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in Dallas, Texas. Send your questions and comments to her at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com.
TURNER’S TWO CENTS
By Cameron Turner
THUMBS-UP FOR “THUNDER’S” BLACKFACE
*You can breathe now. Ben Stiller’s new comedy “Tropic Thunder” does not represent the second coming of Al Jolson. Directed, produced and co-written by Stiller, “Tropic Thunder” is a wacky send-up of big budget Hollywood movies. The ensemble cast features Robert Downey, Jr. as a celebrated, but self-important movie star who undergoes a medical procedure to make himself look black in order to play one of the leads in a blockbuster war flick. When I first heard about this film earlier in the year I got real nervous. I knew it would either be thoughtful satire or racially offensive garbage. Fortunately, it is the former.
“Tropic Thunder” is over the top in many ways, but Downey doesn’t exaggerate perceived black mannerisms or speech patterns to cartoony proportions. (So he doesn’t come off like a character from a minstrel show, “Amos ‘n Andy,” “Flavor of Love” or an old UPN sitcom.) That’s because the actor Downey plays, Kirk Lazarus, isn’t deliberately trying to caricature blackness. He’s actually attempting to be real. But because he relies on clichés (including the “Jeffersons” theme song) he can only look ridiculous. Co-screenwriter Eytan Cohen said, “The joke is that he’s not doing anything authentic.”
So, “Tropic Thunder” actually ridicules Downey’s character for the phoniness of his portrayal and for having the nerve to think that he’s entitled to play a black man. There are some great moments when rapper-turned-actor Alpha Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) puts Lazarus in check verbally. Ultimately, Downey’s arrogant actor is skewered in much the way that Archie Bunker was on “All In the Family.”
“Tropic Thunder” is an ambitious project with its share of flaws (the laughs are scattered and the plot rambles) but the white man-pretending-to-be-black storyline is right-minded and skillfully-handled.
MORE THAN BACKPACKS
Props to rap star Young Jeezy who spent this past Saturday handing out backpacks stuffed with school supplies, clothes and sneakers to Atlanta school kids. Jeezy’s one of several high profile rappers helping our youngsters get ready for school with donations to families and schools across the country. These are righteous efforts, but are they undermined by hip hop’s emphasis on thug life?
We all know that our federal and state governments spend shamefully little on money on public schools, but that isn’t the only reason that black and Latino students continue to perform poorly. The painful reality is that many of our kids grow up in a culture that does not place a priority on academic success or the pursuit of knowledge. Indeed, our children can actually suffer social punishment for being “too smart.” Black and brown kids who love learning, earn top grades, read for fun and speak grammatically-correct English are often mocked, marginalized and bullied by their peers and, at times, by the important grown-ups in their lives.
This anti-academic social orientation took root in our culture long before hip hop hit the scene. But today’s rap, with its glamorization of all things “street,” validates this tragic thinking and fuels its expansion with the unprecedented power of pop culture. Rappers who want to help our children succeed in school (and in life) should help broaden hip hop’s style, themes and imagery to big up intelligence, knowledge, hard-work, self-discipline, honor and love of community. This could do more to help kids than all the backpack giveaways in the world.
Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.
THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
“Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life.” – Mark Twain
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Aug. 5: Rapper Adam Yauch (MCA) of the Beastie Boys is 44.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Independent author Jenna Marie Christian's wants you to know her mission is to Inform, Entertain, and Uplift her community. You can support her at: www.missjenaamarie.com
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Aug. 5, 1892: Harriet Tubman receives a pension from Congress for her work as a nurse, spy, and scout during the Civil War. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)
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