Tiger... (SMH)

Sigh...

Discuss. If you so wish...



Read Tiger's "statement."

New Black (Enough?) Barbies

The "Chrissy" doll--that was the closest to a "Black Barbie" that we had as kids when we were in our doll  baby phase. That was...100 years ago. After all this time, you mean Mattel still hasn't gotten it right? Or have they, and we're just being a little too picky? You decide.

From Wall Street Journal 

With so few black dolls on toy-store shelves, many black parents had high hopes when toy powerhouse Mattel Inc. released So in Style, its first line of black dolls with wider noses, fuller lips, sharper cheekbones and a variety of skin shades.

Now, despite the company's efforts to solicit input from a group of high-profile black women, including Cookie Johnson, wife of former basketball star Magic Johnson, some parents are saying the dolls aren't black enough. They complain that five of the six dolls feature fine-textured, waist-length hair; half of them have blue or green eyes...

The criticism over Mattel's new black fashion dolls underscores how difficult it is for large commercial companies to please a widely diverse black community with a single image or two depicting young African-Americans.

"If they had given the dolls short, kinky hair or an Afro, people might have complained that it was too Afro-centric," says Nicole Coles, a 40-year-old mother from Temecula, Calif. "We're so hard and picky."

Mattel nonetheless has taken the comments to heart and plans to expand the line in the fall of 2010 to include a doll with more of an Afro hairstyle..."

Read more of this article, "Are Mattel's New Dolls Black Enough" by Ann Zimmerman, on wsj.com

Obese? Then Lincoln University Says You're Out of A Diploma

Does Lincoln University, a historically Black college, have a right to deny students their college degrees because they've been deemed overweight based on BMI?

From Salon.com

"Since 2006, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania has had a requirement on the books that students with a Body Mass Index over 30 (marking them as clinically obese) cannot graduate unless they take a fitness class that meets three times a week. Now that some students in that category are at risk of not graduating in the spring, it's become national news, sparking a whole new debate around the Obesity Crisis and What We Ought to Do About It.

And like most such debates, it's being framed quite simplistically -- as a matter of public health vs. individual freedoms -- with a number of important questions going unasked. Such as: Does BMI actually give a clear indication of an individual's fitness level?

Lincoln is a historically black university. Much of the coverage I've seen has mentioned that obesity rates are higher within the African-American community, but I have yet to see any that acknowledge research suggesting that may not be the crisis it's made out to be; on average, African-Americans are fatter than white people, but white people as a population statistically begin to suffer obesity-related illnesses at lower BMIs.

A 2009 study "found that an African American woman, for example, may not be overweight or obese even though the BMI formula, which considers a person's height and weight, indicates that she is." Molly Bray, one of the researchers, told the Washington Post that a BMI of 32 would be a more reasonable obesity threshold for African-American women, and the research had similar results for African-American men..."

So the question is actually two-fold: Is Lincoln University right to deny students their diplomas if the student is deemed "obese," and, if they do so, should they measure these predominantly African-American students using the standard BMI or one which considers race?

Sigh...sounds like one big fat mess.

Read more of this commentary, "You Must Be This Thin To Graduate" by Kate Harding, on Salon.com's "Broadsheet."

Is Your 'Black' Name Keeping You Unemployed?

LaQueta vs. Kathy; Patrick vs. Antoine...in 2009, is it still the case that a person's "blackness" can keep him or her from getting a job? Actually, from even getting an interview?! Say it ain't (oops, we mean, it isn't) so.

From The New York Times

"That race remains a serious obstacle in the job market for African-Americans, even those with degrees from respected colleges, may seem to some people a jarring contrast to decades of progress by blacks, culminating in President Obama’s election.

But there is ample evidence that racial inequities remain when it comes to employment. Black joblessness has long far outstripped that of whites. And strikingly, the disparity for the first 10 months of this year, as the recession has dragged on, has been even more pronounced for those with college degrees, compared with those without. Education, it seems, does not level the playing field — in fact, it appears to have made it more uneven.

College-educated black men, especially, have struggled relative to their white counterparts in this downturn, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for black male college graduates 25 and older in 2009 has been nearly twice that of white male college graduates — 8.4 percent compared with 4.4 percent.

Various academic studies have confirmed that black job seekers have a harder time than whites. A study published several years ago in The American Economic Review titled “Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?” found that applicants with black-sounding names received 50 percent fewer callbacks than those with white-sounding names..."

Read more of this article, "In Job Hunt, College Degree Can't Close Racial Gap" by Michael Luo, on nytimes.com

In the News: Peru Apologizes to African-Origin Citizens

Wonder what prompted this. Unfortunately there's always something behind these "apologies." (Call us skeptics, we can't help it.)

From BBC News

Peru has apologised for the first time to its citizens of African origin for centuries of "abuse, exclusion and discrimination".

The government said racially-motivated harassment still hindered the social and professional development of many African-Peruvians.

A public ceremony will be held to apologise to African-Peruvians, who make up 5-10% of the population.

Their ancestors were brought as slaves to the region by Spanish colonisers.

Women's and Social Development Minister Nidia Vilchez said the government wanted the apology to promote the "true integration of all Peru's multicultural population," Associated Press news agency reported.

The time of the ceremony was not mentioned in the declaration published in the official newspaper El Peruano.

Read more details on bbc.co.uk.

Pictured above: The "Peru Negro" dance ensemble, celebrating African-Peruvian heritage.

Take Note: Is the Media Obsessed with Bad Black Moms?

Appreciate the writing, and thinking, of scholar Melissa Harris-Lacewell--even when we may disagree with her view on a particular topic. Here, her opinion on "Bad Black Mothers" as portrayed (and perpetrated) by the media.

From TheNation.com blog "The Notion"

"Bad black mothers are everywhere these days.

With Michelle Obama in the White House, consciously and conspicuously serving as mom-in-chief, I expected (even somewhat dreaded) a resurgence of Claire Huxtable images of black motherhood: effortless glamour, professional success, measured wit, firm guidance, loving partnership, and the calm reassurance that American women can, in fact, have it all.

Instead the news is currently dominated by horrifying images of African American mothers.

Most ubiquitous is the near universally celebrated performance of Mo'Nique in the new film Precious. Critically and popularly acclaimed Precious is the film adaption of the novel Push. It is the story of an illiterate, obese, dark-skinned, teenager who is pregnant, for the second time, with her rapist father's child. (Think The Color Purple in a 1980s inner-city rather than 1930s rural Georgia)

At the core of the film is Precious' unimaginably brutal mother. She is an unredeemed monster who brutalizes her daughter verbally, emotionally, physically and sexually. This mother pimps both her daughter and the government. Stealing her daughter's childhood and her welfare payments.

Just as Precious was opening to national audiences a real-life corollary emerged in the news cycle, when 5-year-old Shaniya Davis [pictured above] was found dead along a roadside in North Carolina..."

Read more of this commentary, "Bad Black Mothers" by Melissa Harris-Lacewell (pictured right), on thenation.com.

In the News: House Passes Health Care Reform Bill

Slow and steady...makes history.

From CNN.com

The House of Representatives on Saturday night passed a sweeping health care bill by a vote of 220-215.

With the passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, proponents of health care reform took an important step forward, but turning the bill into law remains uncertain.

It's unclear when the Senate will vote on a version of the health care legislation debated in that chamber. If the Senate passes its bill, the House and Senate bills would have to be reconciled into one document and voted on again.

The House Democrats needed 218 votes to ensure passage of the bill. On Saturday, it appeared the vote would come down to the wire, as the intentions of some conservative Democrats remained unknown.

In the final tally, 219 Democrats voted for the legislation, and 39 voted against it.

Rep. Joe Cao (R-Louisiana) was the only Republican who voted in favor of the bill.

See a PDF of the bill

Read more of this article, "House Passes Health Care Reform Bill," on cnn.com

Take Note: Today in Black History: Shirley Chisholm Becomes First Black Woman Elected to Congress

"Unbought and unbossed..." 'Nuff said.

From Civilrights.org

Today marks the anniversary of Shirley Chisholm's election to Congress in 1968. Chisholm, a Democrat who represented New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983, was the first Black woman elected to Congress. In 1972, Chisholm became the first Black woman from a major political party to run for president...

Chisholm first ran for the New York State Assembly, where she served from 1964 to 1968. When asked why she became involved in politics, she said, "The people wanted me." She then decided to run for Congress in 1968 with the slogan "unbought and unbossed," which accurately reflected her strong personality.  She won the congressional seat in an upset victory over Independent candidate James Farmer and Republican candidate Ralph Carrano.

Chisholm was well-known for her uncompromising politics.  Shortly after her victory, she was assigned to the House Agricultural Committee., but she challenged it because she felt that it did not allow her to adequately represent her constituents in New York City. As a result, she was reassigned to the Veterans' Affairs Committee. She was also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Shirley Chisholm passed away on January 1, 2005, but she remains a civil rights icon renown for breaking barriers in the world of politics.

"I want history to remember me not just as the first Black woman to be elected to Congress, not as the first Black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a Black woman who lived in the 20th century and dared to be herself," Chisholm said.

Read more about Shirley Chisholm and other powerful leaders at civilrights.org

A Harsh Review for "Precious"...But Is It the Harsh Truth?

From New York Magazine

"Some readers (and a posse led by Latoya Peterson at Jezebel) are angered by my review of Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. They believe my language reflects deep and both conscious and unconscious prejudices toward African-Americans, obesity, and the so-called “underclass.” Defending myself against those charges (as well as outright abuse) is bound to be a losing battle, but I respect the feelings of Peterson and many of her commenters (the least abusive, anyway) and am sick at the thought that my attempts to evoke this movie have been viewed so harshly — and, I believe, unfairly.

When a filmmaker in or out of Hollywood makes a movie about a victimized African-American girl, you can expect him or her to cast an actress who is thin and light-skinned with big round eyes to make everyone — black and white — want to identify with her. Lee Daniels, in filming Precious, has gone to the opposite extreme. He presents a heroine, Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), who is, in the context of mainstream American culture, on the bottom rung status-wise. That is not my prejudice; it is reflected in every aspect of our society, from job opportunities to magazine covers. (Outside of Oprah, who has spent millions to lose and keep her weight off, it’s hard to think of another overweight African-American cover girl — until now, anyway.) It is unjust, it is mean, it is destructive, it is inhuman, but it is true. It’s also the whole point of the movie (even more so than the novel)..."

Read more of this article, "When Push Comes to Shove — and Shove Back, Hard" by David Edelstein, on nymag.com

Take Note: Farai Chideya Looks Back on Obama Year One

From The Huffington Post
What do a car jacking, a historical election and the cessation of a radio program catering to the African-American community have in common? Writer, author, political observer Farai Chideya looks back...

"A year ago today, I was in NPR's Los Angeles studios, providing commentary for the network's election night special. I'd worked a double shift, first as the host of the African-American focused show News and Notes, then rolling on into the coverage of returns and looks at ballot initiatives like California's Proposition 8. After Barack Obama was announced the winner of the U.S. Preidency and we wrapped up the special, I drove down Jefferson Avenue in Los Angeles ... and almost got carjacked. I've rarely spoken about the incident, but it's time for me to examine its resonance as I look back on the last year of American life, of black American life, and of journalism..."

Read more of this story, "Obama Year One. Good for Journalists? A Story of Fear and Hope" by Farai Chideya, on huffingtonpost.com