All Articles Tagged "dnc"
Are We As A People Really Better Off Now Than Four Years Ago?
As I read through the latest outrage at the moment, aka, the hoopla over new rapper Chief Keef, I keep hearing Georgia Anne Muldrow and Erykah Badu lyrically asking, “what if there were no n****rs, only master teachers?”
For those who don’t know, Chief Keef is the Chicago teenager (above photo, to the left), who started out of as just another YouTube rapper and has now become one of hip-hop’s most buzzed about artists. Not only has he just inked a deal with Interscope Records, but he also has caught the attention of such hip hop mavericks as Kanye West, who hopped on a remix of his song, “I Don’t Like.” He is also being investigated for a possible connection in the shooting death of fellow Chicago rapper, Joesph ‘Lil JoJo’ Coleman (above, to the right), who may I add, was only 16.
Keef, who was born Keith Cozart, drew the attention of law enforcement after laughing off the murder of Lil JoJo by saying via Twitter, “Its Sad Cuz Dat N—– Jojo Wanted to Be Jus Like Us #LMAO.” He is also known for promoting and supporting gang culture including dancing around in his music videos with what appears to be automatic weapons and tweeting the hashtag “#300” — a known reference to the Black Disciples. And at 17 years old, Keef has already faced numerous criminal charges, including a weapons charge, which has already landed him on house arrest.
The response to the rise of Keef has been rather swift, most notably from fellow Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco, who publicly criticized Keef for perpetrating the hoodlum lifestyle, which runs parallel to the culture of violence already running amok in the streets of Chicago. Many folks I have encountered have agreed with Lupe, claiming that Keef, and others of his elk, are a burden to the community. “These n****rs are the reason why our community is the way it is,” has become a commonplace mantra in the minds of some black folks. But truth be told, I see plenty of Chief Keefs in my community all the time. And when it comes to what’s wrong with the community, there is enough of that blame to be shared all around.
Young people, particularly young black people, have longed played witness to serious and lethal violence within their own communities. When I graduated from high school, the murder rate in Philadelphia was around 4oo deaths per year. My nephews and niece, who only a month ago, learned of the shooting death of a teenager only steps away from their front door have already grasped the finality of death, even before they can mature enough to witness adulthood. Recently, I saw a bunch of little kids, between the ages of 9 to 11, roaming the street around 12:30 in the morning like a bunch of aimless orphans. Unfortunately, seeing hordes of parentless children at odd hours of the night has become so much of the norm that I didn’t even bother to flinch. The reality is that long after Chief Keef’s moment in the limelight has faded – whether it be from gang violence, the prison industrial complex or crossing over to the mainstream – the community will still have a violence problems. If we don’t get a handle on it, there will be someone else, someone younger, to take his place. Exhibit 1: 13-year old Lil Mouse.
But even as the threat of losing an entire generation (i.e. the children) grows uncomfortably near, many of us have become stagnated in prayer, hope, apathy and the wait for change to come. I noticed this much last week when all eyes were fixated on the Democratic National Convention. Collectively, African-Americans are more involved in the political process than most other minority groups, supporting a one-party system by as much as 90 percent. However, we have yet to see the fruits from all of our labor or loyalty. Nevertheless, when Rahm Emanuel asked us whose leadership we wanted in event of “an unforeseen crisis, challenge or conflict,” we don’t bother to question whose leadership is in charge as a teachers strike looms and blood runs red in the streets of Chicago. We smirked and laughed alongside former President Bill Clinton, who worked his arithmetic mojo while reaffirming President Obama’s commitment to the work requirement in welfare reform, a policy called by most a dismal failure. And as the RNC’s mantra/question – “Are you better now than four years ago?” – blared from our television sets, many of us couldn’t wait to nod our heads in the affirmative, even when the reality – at least for us – suggests otherwise.
This Chick: Ann Coulter Was Ignorant As Usual With The DNC Commentary On Twitter
Source: EurWeb
Conservative pundit Ann Coulter was in her usual form last night, firing off several tweets directed at Democratic National Convention speaker Sandra Fluke and Presidents Clinton and Obama that have been roundly criticized as racist and sexist.
Fluke, the Georgetown law student called a “sl*t” and a “prostitute” by Rush Limbaugh following her Feb. 2012 congressional testimony on women’s reproductive rights, appeared on the second night of the convention, shortly before Clinton took the stage for what would be a rousing endorsement of Obama.
Shortly after Fluke picked apart Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s policies, Coulter tweeted, “Bill Clinton just impregnated Sandra Fluke backstage.”
“They’re spicing things up with a live abortion on stage!” Coulter later wrote, in response to a follower who called Fluke’s speech a “snooze.”
See the negative remarks Ann made about President Obama on EurWeb.
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DNC Press Secretary Is Battle-Tested for 2012 Campaign
(Afro) — Spending nearly eight years laboring Inside the Beltway as a communication strategist, Melanie N. Roussell has reached a critical position that could make or break the reelection chances of President Barak Obama. As chief spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the former press secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing must carefully craft messages about the commander-in-chief. Roussell said she’s ready. Roussell got her first taste of politics as a senior at Florida A&M University, a historically Black college in Tallahassee, Fla., when she got involved with the Bush vs. Gore 2000 election. The FAMU graduate, then a member of the school’s Student Government Association, said there were 500 reported cases of voting disenfranchisement in which students were turned away from the polls or told they couldn’t vote, even though they had current registration cards.
Charlotte Entrepreneurs Launch Website to Tap DNC Business
(WBTV) — A Charlotte-based group called the Carolina Regional Minority Partnership Coalition (CRMPC) just launched its new website. The site is geared toward connecting minority business owners with job opportunities during the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Vereda Elliott is the owner of Eloquent Creations Catering in Charlotte. She’s catered for everyone from Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to pop star P. Diddy. Now she’s getting ready for what could be her biggest gig yet–the DNC. She thinks the new website, which lists her business along with several dozen others, will help minority-owned businesses like hers get a piece of the DNC pie.
Charlotte’s Black Entrepreneurs Prep for Share of DNC Dollars
(Charlotte Observer) — Ferguson, 68, is heading a new coalition of businesspeople to do what he’s done for the past four decades: spearhead a cause. This time around, his focus is the Democratic National Convention – and economic inclusion for minorities when millions of dollars come to Charlotte. ”This is another aspect of what we’ve been fighting for all along,” Ferguson said in an interview. “The economic frontier of the civil rights movement may be the final frontier.” To that end, his fledgling Carolina Regional Minority Partnership Coalition has begun to mobilize to get convention organizers to hire local minority-owned businesses for services, supplies and support. While members concede that a lot of their success will come down to good timing, having Ferguson’s name attached to their efforts certainly doesn’t hurt.
Obama Campaign Already at $47 Million
(New York Times) – President Obama raised $47 million for his re-election campaign in the three-month period that ended June 30, his aides said on Wednesday, far outpacing the Republican candidates who hope to replace him. Mr. Obama also raised about $38 million for the Democratic National Committee, using a series of joint fund-raisers this spring to fill party coffers and begin building a field operation for the general election. The total haul — about $86 million — broke the record for joint fund-raising between a president and his national party committee in any quarter of a nonelection year, reflecting the significant powers of an incumbent president to raise money and the progress Mr. Obama’s campaign has made recently to rebuild the donor network that helped him to victory in 2008.
Black Businesses Lining up for Democratic Convention
(Charlotte Observer ) — The momentum – some have called it disillusionment – has been growing for a while now. Ever since former Bobcats owner Bob Johnson challenged Charlotte’s black business owners in 2010 to become more deliberate in their efforts to gain a bigger slice of the city’s economic pie, that goal has risen to the top of many to-do lists. So, too, has the topic of economic inclusion. Once reserved for hushed tones and closed office doors around town, race and business have found their way into public discourse. These days, academics hold court at Johnson C. Smith University about the barriers for black-owned startups in gaining access to capital. Business and political leaders mix it up at the Center for Intentional Leadership about the economic value of a racially diverse economy. And black business owners vent in focus groups about their struggle to reverse their fortunes in Charlotte.
DNC Chair Takes Heat Over Jim Crow Comment
(The Hill) — Republicans would “literally drag [the U.S.] all the way back to Jim Crow laws,” the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) charged over the weekend. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) accused Republicans of trying to resurrect Jim Crow laws in the form of stricter laws at the state level that could limit access to ballots by some voters. ”Now you have the Republicans, who want to literally drag us all the way back to Jim Crow laws and literally — and very transparently — block access to the polls to voters who are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates than Republican candidates,” she told host Roland Martin on “Washington Watch” this weekend [emphasis hers]. “And it’s nothing short of that blatant.”
Donna Brazile To Be Interim DNC Chairwoman
By J. Smith
Donna Brazile, former adviser for the Clinton administration, will be the interim chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida was selected for the official position, but Brazile will fill in until Schultz can be made permanent.
Brazile is the committee’s vice chairwoman but will take over for the next two weeks. Current Chairman Tim Kaine resigned on Tuesday to announce his Senate bid in Virginia, Politico reports, and party rules dictate an election be held for a new chairman at least 15 days after a candidate is chosen. Wasserman Schultz was chosen on April 5, so the vote cannot happen until April 20.
Brazile is a CNN contributor, political analayst, former presidential campaign manager and long time DNC member. “I am familiar with the building and the party, and know where everything is. My job will be to keep the lights on, make sure people get paid, keep it running and help conduct the election,” she said.
Congrats, Donna!
Read more: Donna Brazile Tapped As Interim DNC Chair
