You know when Chris Rock says, men are only as faithful as their options. (Maybe Chris Rock was speaking from experience since he ended up cheating on his wife.) Well, these men not only cheated they had to admit their infidelity to their wives, the nation and in some very high profile cases, (looking at you, Bill), the world.

Robin Wilson, President of Robin Wilson Home

Before living “green” was the trendy thing to do, Robin Wilson was working to create living spaces where customers’ wellness and environmental impact were top priorities. Suffering from childhood allergies and asthma while growing up in the eco-friendly town of Austin, TX made healthy living a passion of hers from an early age.

In 2000, she walked away from a successful corporate career to become president of her own interior design firm, Robin Wilson Home, focused on eco-friendly and hypoallergenic products.

Her success as an entrepreneur has exceeded her own dreams. In 2004, her design of the Harlem office of President Bill Clinton was profiled in O magazine. She’s gone on to launch her own textile line, and build a full-fledged lifestyle brand.

I asked Robin about what it takes to have the vision to stay ahead of trends and build a brand that stays true to her mission of wellness.

Madame Noire: Can you describe Robin Wilson Home for those unfamiliar with your brand? What differentiates you from your competitors?

Robin Wilson: Robin Wilson Home is a lifestyle brand with two business areas: interior design and brand licensing. We have worked with some amazing clients across the U.S. to design eco-friendly homes and commercial spaces. Plus, we are the first brand to license our name to eco-friendly kitchen cabinetry sold by over 500 dealers nationwide — and made in the USA by Holiday Kitchens. We also have a line of textiles sold on Bed Bath & Beyond’s website and they will be coming soon to select retail stores.

MN: You had a successful career dealing with environmental issues before you started your firm. Why did you want to become an entrepreneur?

RW: I began my career at the Lower Colorado River Authority, a hydroelectric utility in Austin, and then worked at both a San Francisco and Boston-based consulting firms in their energy groups. These firms taught me best practices for corporate governance — but I also recognized that the founders of these firms were passionate visionaries. Since my family has a history of entrepreneurs, it was easy for me to understand the focus and charisma of those individuals. I made a goal on my bucket list to be an entrepreneur by the time I was 30… and was fortunate to see it come true for the past 13 years.

MN: What did the early days of Robin Wilson Home look like? How did you get your business off the ground?

RW: We had the wonderful opportunity to be self-funded due to a windfall received when the firm I was working for went public due to an IPO. I was the only employee and worked as a project manager and designer. The early days were amazing due to freedom from a desk, the chance to be casual everyday, and new projects through word-of-mouth.

MN: Did you know green living would take off the way that it has? 

RW: It was never “green” to me… and I actually refer to our practices as eco-friendly (to your living space and the environment) and wellness-oriented. However, when the articles started to refer to us as in the “green” space, I had to accept the moniker as a way to describe our business. But I remain committed to telling people that the bottom line is “wellness” for you and your lifestyle.

MN: What gave you the courage to pursue a specialty that wasn’t mainstream at the time?

Robin: I live by the motto “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” So my focus has never been about what is mainstream but very much about what I believe is good for my friends and family. 

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It’s a select group of college students who can claim the title of a Rhodes Scholar. This year, a record three African-American female students were just chosen for the honor.

Joy A. Buolamwini, Rhiana E. Gunn-Wright, and Nina M. Yancy will be off to study at the UK’s Oxford University next year. The three women beat out 1,700 other American students who sought the scholarship.

The Rhodes Scholarships are considered by many to be the most prestigious awards given to U.S. college students. It was created in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes, an industrialist who made a fortune in colonial Africa. “Each year, 32 Americans are named Rhodes Scholars. The scholarships provide funds for two or three years of graduate study at Oxford University in Britain,” writes The Journal of Blacks in Education  (JBHE).

Rhodes Scholars are also picked from 14 other destinations around the world for a total of about 80 Rhodes Scholars worldwide annually. Among the famous Rhodes Scholars are United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice; Newark Mayor Cory Booker; Apprentice winner, entrepreneur Randal Pinkett; and former President Bill Clinton.

While their numbers are few, there have been other black Rhodes Scholars, such as Alain LeRoy Locke. He was awarded a scholarship in 1907 and went on to become a major philosopher and literary figure of the Harlem Renaissance. “It is generally believed that at the time of the award the Rhodes committee did not know that Locke was Black until after he had been chosen,” reports JBHE. The next African-American Rhodes Scholar wasn’t selected until 1962, when John Edgar Wideman, now an author and professor at Brown University, was chosen. Other African-American Rhodes Scholars include Randall Kennedy of Harvard Law School; Kurt Schmoke, former mayor of Baltimore and now dean of the law school at Howard University; and Franklin D. Raines, former director of the Office of Management and Budget and former CEO of Fannie Mae. The first African-American woman selected as a Rhodes Scholar was selected in 1978, Karen Stevenson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The new awardees are already off to a great start. Buolamwini, a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and  computer science major, is currently working at the Carter Center in Atlanta. She has founded or co-founded three businesses. At Oxford, she wants to obtain a degree in African studies. Yale University graduate Gunn-Wright holds a Bachelor’s degree in African American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. She has been working at Women’s Policy Research and plans a Master’s degree in comparative social policy at Oxford. Unlike the other two, Yancy is a still in school. She is senior at Harvard University where she majors in social studies. She has interned at CNN, the Center for American Political Studies and in the British House of Commons. She is also a member of the Harvard Ballet Company. Yancy plans on pursuing a Master’s degree in global health science as a Rhodes Scholar.

Go girls!

Someone once told me that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery. That was a long time ago, back when I was still wearing overalls and those clear sandals with the glitter on them, but it still rings true. Prime examples are when other cultures tan their skin, lock their hair, wear baggy garb and more. Over the past few decades, some of our favorite white celebrities and public figures have decided to do everything from rap, do black hair, wear grills and array of other very interesting things. A lot of these moments had us laughing more than we thought we would, and because of that, they deserve some recognition. Here’s a few white celebrities having some very “black” moments. And before you get your panties in a knot, these folks were having good, positive fun. Nothing offensive.

Source: Screened.com

Natalie Portman

Before showcasing ballet skills as the black swan in Black Swan, SNL featured Natalie Portman, Harvard graduate and acclaimed actress, as a fiery and explicit rapper who took turned an innocent interview into a three minute opportunity to endorse drug and alcohol usage, threaten about a dozen people with bodily harm (and to go number two on their face), send love to Eazy-E and reject her fans. Done in good fun, the petite actress’ attempt at gangster (or “gangsta”?) was generally well-received.

Although their lives can sometimes seem “perfect” and un-relatable from the outside, the lives of celebrities are probably more normal than you think. Take a look at these 8 celebs who were adopted, some even rising from terrible pasts to create incredibly prosperous futures…

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Black people have a pretty interesting habit of claiming white people who show extra love to the collective of blacks in America. The white person in question usually doesn’t even have to be famous. Think about how many times the “cool white guy” gets tons of love from black women, whether he is a star or commoner. The fellas show him love, too if he really is a cool dud. When someone questions how he became so popular with their crew, they say “nah, he’s cool with us.” Here are some white men and women with a nearly universal affinity for black culture.

by Amma Bonsou

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) has earned an international reputation for its commitment to finding tangible solutions to some of the world’s most complex challenges. Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the event provides a platform for world leaders and members of the private and public sectors to interact and pledge resources to tackle specific socioeconomic issues.

This year, the CGI Annual Meeting took place in New York City starting on September 20th 2011. The participants addressed a myriad of issues like climate change, effective disaster preparedness and the problem of child brides.

During the special session on disaster preparedness, Valerie Amos the UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, explained that when a natural disaster hits, it is important for donors to support the work of established and experienced organizations to help deal with the crisis be it a food crisis, flooding or drought. The panel acknowledged that whilst some countries are better prepared than others to deal with natural disasters, real success has also been achieved by partnering with private corporations. In New Orleans for example, the St. Bernard project is working with Toyota to reconstruct homes in Wards that have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The collaboration has improved the efficacy in reconstructing homes by 30%.

In Haiti, Fonkoze USA is working to rehabilitate Haiti by providing access to microfinance to over 56,000 women. Through effective partnership with CGI sponsor Swiss Re, Fonkoze was able to subdue the impact of torrential rains that hit Haiti in May 2011 by extending money to the microentrepreneurs within two weeks of the disaster. This rapid response helped the women get back on their feet and contribute to the growth of their economy again. Results like these have encouraged participants to renew their commitment to share resources inorder to assist resource poor areas.

Another priority of the 2011 CGI meeting was the launch of a new global partnership to end child marriages. The initiative called Girls not Brides is a concerted effort by the Ford Foundation, The Elders, The Nike Foundation and the Novo Foundation to reverse a global tradition where girls under the age of 18 are forced into marriages. These organizations have pledged to raise US$3 million to establish facilities and to seed activities to end child marriage in priority countries such as Ethiopia and India. They have also committed to create a network of donors to support programs to end child marriage worldwide. Archbishop Desmond Tutu emphasized that the alarming increase of child brides negatively impacts gender equality, maternal health and poverty but there is a desperate need to intervene to give the young girls a better future. World Bank statistics indicate when a girl in the developing world receives seven years of education, she marries four years later, and she has 2.2 fewer children. Moreover, girls completing secondary school in Kenya would add US$27billion to the economy over their lifetimes. These compelling figures have galvanized the CGI to provide resources that will improve the conditions in the affected regions.

Whether it is responding to global disasters or repressive social practices, the CGI’s success can be attributed to their commitment to work with grassroot organizations and community leaders to implement change. Their strategy has led to significant results. Over 50 million children have received access to educational programs. More than 10 million people have better access to capital and financial services and clean energy has been generated to power 400,000 homes. These accomplishments underscore the relevance of the Clinton Global Initiative because it creates a unique platform to change ideas into action.

A Pennsylvania family is seeking answers for why their son is being held in a prison in South Korea for an alleged theft. Sandy and Bob Fisher are the parents of Private First Class Andre Fisher, an African American soldier stationed in Camp Casey, South Korea who was arrested in February for allegedly stealing $88 from a taxi driver. Fisher maintains is innocence and states that the only evidence against him is a grainy surveillance video that showed a hooded man; no face can be seen from the video. Despite his non-guilty plea, Private Fisher was convicted by the courts in South Korea and is now serving a two-year prison sentence.

The family is outraged and is demanding some form of communication from the U.S. government and or military officials. Their attempts at reaching officials at Camp Casey have been unsuccessful.

If South Korean jails are anything like the movie Midnight Express then we need to get Andre Fisher out of there as soon as possible. Many of the blog/forum boards that I’ve read regarding this story are focused on race and how this is another example of America turning its back on young black men. Interestingly enough, Fisher’s family and friends who are advocating his release are white. But it does beg the question – would this story be more newsworthy if Fisher was the Hollywood prototype – a blonde haired, blue eyed patriot?

As concerned citizens we have a right to know why one of our soldiers is sitting in a foreign prison for two years for allegedly stealing $88. We also have the right to know if Fisher was afforded proper representation. Bob Fisher, states “My son told me the commander saw the video and told him you’re guilty– and handed him over to the South Koreans.”.

What’s also interesting is that South Korea has a record of being extremely lenient with their citizens offering up laughable sentences for more serious crimes. Korean men have received sentences as light at 10 months for rape yet Andre fisher was sentenced to 2 years for theft. Something isn’t right here.

I share in the outrage of the parents who are upset because their government and military officials are offering no information about the condition of their son and circumstances surrounding his conviction. The Fishers have started a public campaign, utilizing facebook, news outlets and reaching out to government officials in order to put pressure on the U.S. government and military officials to reveal more information about their imprisoned son’s case. While I don’t expect Bill Clinton to head over to South Korea and have the South Korean government pardon Private Fisher (he’s not a famous journalist or anything), I do think at bare minimum the family has a right to know what happened to their son.

What do you think about this case?

Follow nativenotes on Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr or check out some his writings over at Notes of This Native Son

By J. Smith

Former President Bill Clinton said what we’ve all been thinking in regards to the latest Republican efforts to limit voter ID laws. He compared the proposed legislation that would block some convicted felons from voting to the Jim Crow laws and poll taxes of the Civil Rights Era, Black Voices reports.

“I can’t help thinking since we just celebrated the Fourth of July and we’re supposed to be a country dedicated to liberty that one of the most pervasive political movements going on outside Washington today is the disciplined, passionate, determined effort of Republican governors and legislators to keep most of you from voting next time,” he said on Wednesday.

He specifically called out Florida Governor Rick Scott who is currently trying to reverse longstanding re-enfranchisement rules, which would allow felons to vote after concluding their probation, BV reports. “Why should we disenfranchise people forever once they’ve paid their price? Because most of them in Florida were African American and Hispanics who tended to vote for Democrats. That’s why,” Clinton said.

Aside from “paid their price” sounding way too similar to a slave purchasing his freedom, Clinton is obviously right. But then again, efforts on the far political Right to stop people of color from voting are almost always obvious; no subtly in their game.  From poll taxes to grandfather clauses and literacy tests, the tactics to steal the minority vote are both thinly veiled and particularly pandering.

The methods in which they attack are always aimed at longstanding community weaknesses that are presented as basic necessities to qualify to vote, like being a decent reader (literacy tests), colorism (grandfather clauses), socioeconomic status (the ability to pay a poll tax) and prison. But with the Voter ID laws, their vehement argument that the changes would protect voter fraud is so flimsy; I wonder why it is even up for debate.

Black Voices cites PostBourgie, who writes, “Oddly enough, requiring a photo ID to cast a vote would only be effective in preventing individuals from impersonating other voters at the polls – an occurrence that is, according to a study released by the Brennan Center, more rare than getting struck by lightning.”

But the odds that this racist, self-serving legislation will pass are, unfortunately, much better. Kansas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Indiana and Texas all have strict photo ID laws. Jim Crow 2.0.