Sugar Ray Leonard Speaks To His High School Alma Mater!

Sugar Ray Leonard spoke at his alma mater Parkdale High School's graduation yesterday telling the students:

"You have so many doors and opportunities that are available to you that not succeeding is not acceptable." "You must be a fighter in life."

Leonard, now 53, graduated 36 years ago from the high school and went on to have a legendary boxing career. The school that he graduated from was a mixture of blacks and whites back then, and though the demographics of the school have changed, the goals of the students should still be the same to live productive lives while striving for excellence. Good to see that Sugar Ray hasn't forgotten where he came from, and is still uplifting the younger generation. Thanks to the Washington Post for the article.

The Black Men Did It!

Bonnie Sweeten has gained national headlines for alleging that 2 black men abducted she and her 9 year-old daughter in Bucks County Pennsylvania. It turns out that Mrs. Sweeten made the story up, and was found with her daughter in Florida. She's now facing numerous charges and has been extradited back to Pennsylvania. Annette John-Hall writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer that it's "Time To Stop Demonizing "Black Men." She writes correctly that when a crime is being fabricated that the "black man" is usually the fall guy and gives these examples:

It worked for Susan Smith. South Carolina mother. Children missing. The black man did it. Racial tension. Turns out she had driven her "missing" car into a lake to drown her kids.

Charles Stuart, Boston store manager. Pregnant wife murdered in a carjacking. The black man did it. The case ignites fear and door-to-door searches. Except that Stuart did it.

Tanya Dacri from Philly. Child missing. Black men did it. Three of them. It worked until police discovered that Dacri had drowned and chopped up her infant son.

Ashley Todd, John McCain campaign volunteer in Pittsburgh. Accosted at an ATM. A backward B (presumably for Barack) cut into her forehead. The black man did it. She gets sympathy call from Sarah Palin. Todd was sentenced to probation this week, having confessed to her self-mutilation.

Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry even made the following alarming statement:

"It's a terrifying thing for a community to hear that two black men in a black Cadillac grabbed a woman and her daughter. . . . It's terrifying,"

Admittedly black men are not perfect, but they are not at the root of all that is violent in America.

Rodney Rogers Update!

Sometime during tonight's NBA basketball game between the Cavs and Magic, TNT will broadcast an interview that Chris Webber conducted with former player Rodney Rogers who is now paralyzed from the shoulder down due to a dirt bike accident last November. I found this article from SPORTSbyBROOKS.com which profiles Rogers. The interesting part of the article highlights the fact that although Rogers is "financially set" he took a job working for Durham, N.C.'s public works department. The health benefits that he secured has helped pay his medical bills since the NBA's collective bargaining agreement doesn't cover for catastrophic insurance for retired players. Rogers is dealing with his paralysis in an upbeat manner with the help and support of his fiance Faye Suggs.

Twitter Wants To Make Money!

The Houston Chronicle reports that Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams state that they will eventually charge fees for some of the online text based platform's services, which has become the rage over the last year. The company, which has doubled in employees to 43 since January, been linked to buyout rumors, however the co-founders indicate they'd prefer to keep the company privately held for the foreseeable future.

R.I.P. Exodus Tyson!

It was very sad to hear that Mike Tyson's 4 year-old daughter Exodus died yesterday after a tragic accident while at home in Phoenix, AZ. Prayers go out to Mike Tyson and his family for their tragic loss.

Mike Tyson's 4 Year-Old Daughter On Life Support!

This is a very sad story. Boxer Mike Tyson's 4 year-old daughter, Exodus Tyson is on life support in a Phoenix area hospital after being found with a treadmill cord wrapped around her neck. We wish all the best for the family.

2 Bone Marrow Transplant Matches Found For Jasmina!

The New York Daily News reports that 2 matches have been found for 6 year-old Jasmina Anema who has been hospitalized since January with a deadly form of leukemia. If cancer cells are once again undetectable in Jasmina, and either of the donors passes a medical screening, prepping for her transplant will likely begin in a few weeks. Prayers continue to go out for little Jasmina.

NAACP 54th Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner!

The NAACP held it's 54th annual Fight For Fund Dinner yesterday in Detroit. Rev. Jesse Jackson was the keynote speaker, and Rev. Al Sharpton an Aretha Franklin were among the honorees. Jackson stated the following during his speech:

"One hundred years later, we're free, but we're not equal," "The banks are too big to fail; the neighborhoods are too small to matter. Don't be silent."

It's hard to believe that Rev. Jackson has essentially become irrelevant in our community. I guess when you become a millionaire on the backs of your people, becoming irrelevant is just reward.

How Will It End?

Peter Vecsey's take on the embattled Jayson Williams who was hospitalized yesterday after he was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital after he went into a suicidal rage at a New York hotel. Jayson Williams obviously has a ton of demons that he's trying to overcome. This story probably will not end well.

Lynn Nottage Wins 2009 Pulitzer For "Ruined"!

Congratulations to Lynn Nottage for winning a 2009 Pulitzer for "Ruined" which chronicles young women who have been raped and brutalized, casualties of the decades-long war in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Thanks to the Los Angeles Times for the article.

Former NBA Player Kenny Anderson Wants Another Chance!

Former NBA player Kenny Anderson admits that he's made mistakes in his personal life, but he longs for a job at coaching basketball at some level. Kenny has fathered 7 children by 5 different women, and has been slapped with a palimony suit by another woman, but wants to be forgiven by potential employers for his transgressions and given an opportunity to display his coaching talents. Presently working with high school players and giving motivational speeches, Kenny should eventually be given a chance to prove his worth to someone. Thanks to the New York Daily News for the article.

Dr. J Finally Making Amends With His Daughter Alexandra!

Julius "Dr. J" Erving possessed perhaps some of the greatest physical skills ever given to a human being as he tantalized legions of fans during his Hall of Fame basketball career. In retirement he's still considered an ambassador to the sport and his colleagues still look at him with reverence. During his career, while he dazzled us all with his acrobatics, and portrayed himself as the consummate family man, Erving has acknowledged now that he had some bumps in the road as many of us do.

The story of Julius Erving and his daughter Alexandra Stevenson has been well chronicled by now, but in short Stevenson, now 28 was conceived by Erving and Alexandra's mother Samantha out of wedlock, and Erving didn't meet her in person until last year. Alexandra, gained notoriety in 1999, when she reached the semifinals of Wimbledon, and due to the uncanny resemblance, the whispers began to be heard that she was Erving's biological daughter. Living in the public eye, brings with it unwanted cameras into personal lives, and Erving initially denied being her father, before finally acknowledging the truth.

Julius Erving finally was able to see his daughter play tennis in person this past week, and although she lost her match, it was another step in the developing relationship between father and daughter. Obviously 27 years of time cannot be recaptured, but Erving, now 59, is attempting to make amends with his daughter for the time that's been lost. Hopefully time will be on their side, and they'll have many years to forge a loving father/daughter bond.

R.I.P. John Hope Franklin!

Black historian pioneer John Hope Franklin died Wednesday of congestive heart failure at Duke University, he was 94. Franklin is considered one of he great scholars of the black experience and contributed research to the Thurgood Marshall legal team with Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 case that barred the doctrine of "separate but equal" in the nation's public schools.

Franklin's other accomplishments included: being the first black department chair at a predominantly white institution, Brooklyn College; the first black professor to hold an endowed chair at Duke; and the first black president of the American Historical Association. We owe an eternal debt to Mr. Franklin.

R.I.P. Altovise Davis!

Altovise Davis the widow of Sammy Davis Jr. dies Saturday after suffering a stroke. She was 65 years old. She's survived by her son Manny Davis.

Praying For Jasmina!

Jasmina Anema turns 6 today, but is in the fight of her life suffering from a very rare form of leukemia that is spreading too fast for the chemotherapy to fight it. Celebrities such as Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, and Paul Pierce have reached out on Jasmina's behalf in an effort to spread the word that she's in need of a bone marrow transplant. Jasmina is adopted, and complicating the donor search is that African American are underrepresented and our DNA is more varied. Jamina's mother indicates that at this point it's "a one in a million shot."

Here's sending out prayers to Jasmina Anema. Thanks to the New York Daily News for bringing further awareness to this heartwarming story.

Molinaro Forces Out Appointee For Forwarding Racist E-Mail!

The New York Post reports that Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro forced out his appointee to an Education Department parent council for forwarding an e-mail containing racist jokes. Salvatore Ballarino defended the e-mail as being a joke, however it contained the following:

In that e-mail were photos of then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain during a presidential debate, with invented dialogue superimposed in writing near their heads. McCain's "jokes" included references to black people hanging from a tree and equating black babies to excrement.

Good move, Mr. Molinaro!

Farrakhan Speaks On President Obama!

Minister Louis Farrakhan spoke over the weekend at the Nation of Islam's annual Savior's Day convention in Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Minister told nearly 14,000 followers that "There's an energy among our people that has never been seen before, never produced by any man or organization before," "But we must not allow our people to live in a false world of euphoria. We must accept our responsibility to build our communities."

Farrakhan's words should resonate amongst the entire black community. Feeding off Obama's energy, we will have to make it on our own, as we attempt to keep our communities from falling into further turmoil. We don't have a stimulus package that will rescue us from sure oblivion for our communities. Now is the time to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and make it work any way that we can.

Recovering From The Effects Of Iraq!

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports on Iraq veteran Charley Williams Jr., who is still recovering from the effects of injuries sustained while serving in Iraq. A former 13 year veteran, Williams Jr. has lost his marriage, and now takes 9 prescription pills just to keep some semblance of normalcy as a result of his injuries. Still only 36 years-old, Williams Jr. suffered a traumatic brain injury while at war, and now becomes forgetful. He's also deaf in one ear and sufferers from post traumatic stress disorder. Even with all of these ailments, he's just considered to be 80 percent disabled.

Stories like Charley Williams Jr. need to be told more often, because the effects of war have impacted 31,00 other Americans.

"State Of The Black Union 2009"

The 10th Annual "State of the Black Union" symposium, moderated by Tavis Smiley will be held tomorrow in Los Angeles and broadcast live on C-SPAN beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Stephanie Robinson, who now provides commentary on the Tom Joyner Morning Show on Thursdays is expected to be a panelist.

It will be interesting to see how "our folks" think black people are doing in this extreme time of need for all of us. More importantly, does anyone really have any solutions.

New York Post Offers Apology!

The New York Post issued an policy regarding the controversial cartoon that was published in the paper this week depicting police shooting a chimpanzee in an effort to have someone else write the next stimulus bill. The Post issued the following apology:

It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill.
"Period.
"But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism.
"This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.
"However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past - and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback.
"To them, no apology is due.
"Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon - even as the opportunists seek to make it something else."

The Rev. Al Sharpton led protesters, who picketed outside the paper yesterday. Sharpton is not fully accepting the paper's apology.

"They made what could have been a noble gesture ignoble by trying to attack people at the same time they're trying to apologize to them. It's not opportunistic to say 'I've been offended.' This makes it hard to take them seriously."
"They've done a number of cartoons on me over the years, and I've never marched on them. They just don't get it."

This story obviously has more legs than I thought it would have with all of the other issues going on in our country. Hopefully Sharpton will get the result that he's looking for in leading the protest. The depiction a chimp possibly being the first black president is clearly offensive, if that's the intent, but President Barack Obama is a month into his presidency and people are losing their minds over editorial cartoons. The fact that we have a black president means that we've come a long, long way. This probably won't be the worst editorial that we see regarding our new president over the next 4 years, and Sharpton may want to toughen up and get ready for it.