Image: iStockphoto

President Barack Obama hailed small business owners as the economy’s engine and our biggest source of new jobs.

The President declared June 16-22, as National Small Business Week and stated, “America’s small businesses reflect the best of who we are as a Nation—daring and innovative, courageous and hopeful, always working hard and looking ahead for that next great idea.”

The President’s proclamation states: “In America, we believe that anyone willing to work hard and take risks can get their good idea off the ground and into the marketplace. It is a notion that has made our Nation bold and bright, and the best place to do business for generations — from small-town storefronts to pioneering startups that keep our country on the cutting edge. This week, we celebrate America’s entrepreneurial spirit, and we recommit to helping our small businesses get ahead.

To read more about the President’s proclamation, click through to Black Enterprise.

Miguel’s tweet about black people being the “most judgmental people in the world” really ticked a lot of people off, but a black celebrity chastising other black folk is nothing new. From Bill Cosby to the Obamas, there seems to be plenty of finger wagging from black people who have moved on up to that de-luxe apartment in the sky. What is it about fame that seems to make black people turn around and scold the people who very likely got them to where they are in the first place?

Successful blacks preaching to us lowly Joes hanging out at the bottom of the social ladder is nothing new. The National Council of Negro Women’s motto “Lifting as We Climb” captures their belief that the successful, refined Negro woman, as she advances, should reach down and pluck her unevolved cohorts out of social inferiority. And then there’s WEB DuBois’ whole venomously elitist Talented Tenth thing.

So Bill Cosby screaming at youngsters to pull their pants up and get off his lawn was annoying, yes, but nothing new. Lately, however, there seems to be an influx of black personalities criticizing black masses in a way that can almost only be described as elitist. At Bowie State University’s graduation this year, First Lady Michelle Obama bemoaned black kids who aspire to be rappers and ball players “instead of dreaming of being a teacher or a lawyer or a business leader.” President Obama has stepped on a few toes by coming at black fathers. Even rapper A$AP Rocky — whose opinions we care about  for reasons unbeknownst to me — is in on the act, accusing black women of being “too sensitive” after an uproar over his claims that black women shouldn’t wear red lipstick. It seems that when black folks finally get a piece of the pie, they yell at the rest of us about what’s keeping us from getting our own.

But is it helping? I’m of the opinion that it isn’t. The unfortunate thing about famous people now having a platform is that sometimes those platforms are used to spout rather unintelligent, ridiculous thoughts and beliefs. That’s what we got with both A$AP Rocky and Miguel — black people can be judgmental, yes, but so are people of every culture. And black women can’t wear red lipstick? I beg to differ, honey. And when the stars are talking about actual, valid points, they’re usually barking up the wrong tree for solutions. You can tell a child to aspire to be more than a rapper or athlete, yes, but if rappers and athletes are the only successful people a child sees, what else do you expect him to want to be? This seems to be a more a problem of poverty and access than a simple craving for a glamorous life. And you may think that kids sagging their pants and using the “n-word” is holding us back as a people, Bill Cosby, but there are bigger problems at hand.

Overall, griping about what black people need to stop doing and start doing is something that a lot of us do. We just hear it from celebrities because, well, they’re celebrities. Their positions in the spotlight gives amplifies their voices. But unless they’re harping about actual problems and not symptoms of bigger problems, and unless they’re actually trying to do something to help solve the problems, it’s all for naught. And when you’re just talking drivel like Miguel and A$AP, somebody needs to cut off your mic.

Many of us have been entertained by Chef Roble and his reality show on Bravo. We had a chance to sit down with the young chef to discuss the second season of his show “Chef Roble and Co”, his experiences cooking for Michael Jackson and President Obama and the trouble he sometimes finds himself in on Instagram and Twitter.

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President Obama on Friday urged Congress to pass a new student loan bill that would prevent what is said to be a doubling of government-subsidized loans for a generation of current and former student borrowers.

Obama, speaking in the Rose Garden flanked by students — a device the White House uses frequently, engaging the audience it is intended to impact — said that the failure to lock in an affordable rate for students next year “eliminates safeguards for low-income families.”

To read more about the President’s efforts to keep the student loan interest rates from increasing, click through to Black Enterprise.

Source: CBS News

Although we live in a country where politicians and sex scandals seem to go hand-in-hand, President Obama jokingly let it be known that he is not one for the messy antics during his speech at the White House’s Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month celebration dinner.

It all started when he took the podium with a very noticeable lipstick stain on his collar. Before nosy folks even got a chance to start gossiping, the President humorously announced:

“I want to thank everybody who’s here — the incredible warmth of the reception. A sign of the warmth is the lipstick on my collar. “

He then looked around for American Idol contestant, Jessica Sanchez.

“I have to say I think I know the culprit — where is Jessica Sanchez?,” he asked, pointing at Jessica when he finally located her.

“Jessica — it wasn’t Jessica.  It was her aunt.  Where is she? Auntie, right there.  Look at this,” he humorously continued, prompting the celebration guests to burst into a fit of laughter.

The POTUS then added that he didn’t want to get in trouble with the First Lady later on so he was calling her out in front of everyone.

“I just want everybody to witness. So I do not want to be in trouble with Michelle. That’s why I’m calling you out right in front of everybody.”

Hilarious! We definitely can’t blame the President for wanting to keep the peace at home and stay in the First Lady’s good graces.

Check the next page for footage.

Source(s): WENN, TIME

Have you ever wondered what President Obama was like as a teen? I know I have!

According to Time Magazine, our Commander-in-chief, who was affectionately known as Barry to his pals, was a funny guy and spent much of his time clowning around with friends, studying and playing basketball during his years at Punahou High School in Hawaii. One his former classmates, Kelli Allman, revealed that Pres. Obama actually had bestie named Greg Orme, whom he spent a lot of time with.

“They were like brothers,” Allman said.

Considering the great relationship Pres. Obama had with Greg, it’s no wonder that the fellas double-dated on the night of their senior prom. Allman was Greg’s date and the President was accompanied by Meghan Hughes, a young lady who attended a neighboring all girls high school.

“It was a really fun, happy time. We were all cracking up, and everyone was smiling. It was pretty typical from there out as far as what happens at prom: the dinner and the dancing and the photos,” Allman said of their night out.

Allman recently released photos from that memorable night, along with an image of the pleasant note Pres. Obama left when he signed her senior yearbook, which reads:

“Kelli,

It has been so nice getting to know you this year. You are extremely sweet and foxy. I don’t know why Greg would want to spend any time with me at all! You really deserve better than clowns like us; you even laugh at my jokes! I hope we can keep in touch this summer even though Greg will be gone. Call me and I’ll buy you lunch sometimes. Anyway, good luck with everything you do and stay happy.

Your friend,

Barry Obama”

Awwww! I wonder if Greg and President Obama still keep in touch!

Turn the page for flix of the President and his date on the big night! Could you imagine one of your former classmates becoming the leader of the free world?! 

Source: AP Images

This weekend, President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their good friend and advocate, Kerry Washington were all very busy giving three commencement speeches in various parts of the country. Mrs. Obama spoke in Tennessee at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School, Kerry was in the nation’s capital delivering her address at George Washington University, her alma mater. And President Obama was in Atlanta, Georgia speaking to the men of Morehouse College yesterday.

In his inspiring speech, the president spoke about Morehouse’s illustrious history, encouraged the graduates to use their degrees and experience to help someone else achieve, discouraged them from blaming their shortcomings on race, as he once had, and discussed the importance of being good, family men. Check out some of the highlight’s from the president’s speech and watch it, in its entirety on the last page.

The president opened with a joke, explaining what it might have taken for some of the graduates to get there and thanked the parents for helping them get there.

Some of you are graduating summa release laude, some of you are graduating magna release laude, and I know some of you are just graduating, “thank you Lordy.”

I see some good looking hats on the moms and grandmas here today. Which is appropriate, since we’re here on Sunday, and folks are in their Sunday best. Congratulations to all of you – the parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, family and friends who supported these young men in so many ways. This is your day, too. Just think about it – your sons and brothers have spent the last four years far from home and close to Spelman. And they still made it here today. So you must be doing something right. Graduates, give them a round of applause.

Then he talked about the graduates, the new Morehouse men, have a responsibility to live up to the tradition of the college.

That’s the unique sense of purpose that has always infused this place – the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.

Dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse. He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young freshman who lived at home with his parents. I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t the coolest kid on campus; for the suits he wore, his classmates called him “Tweed.” But his education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the soul force, the disciple and compassion that would transform America. It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi, and Thoreau, and the theory of civil disobedience. It was here that professors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be.

And it was here, at Morehouse, as Dr. King later wrote, where “I realized that nobody…was afraid.”

Think about that. For black men in the forties and fifties, the threat of violence, the constant humiliations, large and small, the gnawing doubts born of a Jim Crow culture that told you every day you were somehow inferior, the temptation to shrink from the world, to accept your place, to avoid risks, to be afraid, was necessarily strong. And yet, here, under the tutelage of men like Dr. Mays, young Martin learned to be unafraid. He, in turn, taught others to be unafraid. And over the last 50 years, thanks to the moral force of Dr. King and a Moses generation that overcame their fear, and cynicism, and despair, barriers have come tumbling down, new doors of opportunity have swung open; laws, hearts, and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks like you can serve as President of the United States.

Somebody’s on top of the world aren’t they?

Scandal star Kerry Washington is covering the newest issue of Parade magazine, and inside she opened up about her very busy schedule (since she’s a very in-demand A-list actress these days), Scandal‘s off-the-wall storylines, if she’s asked President Obama what he thinks about the show, and the emotional toll working on Django Unchained had on her. Let’s see what she had to say:

Speaking on the scandalous storyline of ABC’s hottest show, and the reality that cheating presidents (and their mistresses) have been around forever:

“The story lines…push what’s possible. But there are stories on the news that change what we think is possible all the time. You hear about a governor who’s disappeared into the Appalachian trail because he has a South American lover, or somebody else’s behavior on Twitter. I mean, if you want to look at presidents having affairs—there are about four I can think of off the top of my head.”

On how draining it was to work on Django and how hard it was to get back to normal after the fact:

“I feel like I barely survived Django emotionally. The violence. Hearing the N-word every day. It cost me a lot psychologically, but it was worth it to tell that story. I had two days between finishing Django and starting up again on Scandal. It was nuts. That first day back I had to walk across the Rose Garden in heels. I thought, ‘I don’t remember how to walk like Olivia Pope anymore. ‘ I’d been barefoot in the woods for months playing a slave.”

On whether or not she knows if the president likes Scandal:

“I haven’t wanted to ask the president his opinion of the show. But I have lots of friends in the administration who love it. We make D.C. look s**y and exciting.”

Love her! Check out more from her interview over at Parade and let us know what you think of what she had to say.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

President Obama is expected to announce his nomination to fill the empty Secretary of Transportation position in his cabinet: Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. The nomination comes in the wake of criticism over the demographics of Obama’s second-term cabinet. Foxx’s nomination (as well as that of Penny Pritzker as Commerce Secretary, who The New York Times describes as a “hotel magnate”) are meant to increase the diversity among cabinet heads and advisors.

Foxx, 42 years old tomorrow, has been mayor for almost a full term, but announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in order to spend more time with his wife and two young children.

He was mayor as the city hosted the Democratic National Convention last year, putting him and his city in the national spotlight. He also has a background in law, serving as the lawyer for the House Judiciary Committee and Justice Department before heading back to Charlotte for a career in politics, and touts the addition of a light-rail line and 13,000 jobs during his time as mayor.

Foxx would replace Ray LaHood, who said in January he would step down when a successor was chosen.

Update: President Obama made it official this afternoon, bidding a fond farewell to Ray LaHood, saying he was “possibly the best transportation secretary in history,” according to The Washington Post. Moreover, he said he tried to convince LaHood to stick around. But, he says he’s confident in Foxx’s abilities and looks forward to the infrastructure jobs that can be created in the near future.

AP

As I’m sure you’ve heard already, two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston marathon a few hours ago, and while details are still pretty sketchy, here’s what information  you should know so far that has been gathered:

-Two people were reportedly killed in the bombing, and as for how many were hurt, the number has gone up and down. According to ABC News, more than 70 have been injured.

-According to reports, the bombing was caused by two explosives that went off near the finish line before 3 p.m.

-According to ABC News:

“According to law enforcement sources, the first bomb exploded at the Marathon Sports running store, and blew out windows in four nearby buildings, injuring 15 to 20 individuals. The second blast occurred about 50 to 100 yards away, severely injuring more bystanders, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis.”

-Many people have been taken to the hospital with everything from burns to amputations.

-At the moment, the commissioner doesn’t say that this is a terrorist attack, but authorities are of course still investigating.

-However, reports say the attack was a very “coordinated” and “sophisticated” attack.

-Sadly, many victims are of course runners who were finishing the race; A great deal of those at hospitals are runners who have dealt with severe leg burns and amputations.

-According to CNN, the Red Cross and Google have set up websites to help people track down their loved ones if they haven’t received any contact with them after the melee.

-From President Obama’s statement at the White House:

“We still do not know who did this or why … but make no mistake: We will get to the bottom of (this). We will find out who did this. We will find out why they did this. … Any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.”

-Boston police thought they were able to stop a third explosion that happened at the JFK library, but it was actually just an incident of a small fire; It doesn’t seem to be connected to the explosion at the marathon.

-Security has been stepped up in NYC after the bombing in Boston around hotels and in prominent locations in the city.

-The Federal Aviation Commission has halted travel around the area of explosion.

-In Boston, people have been told to avoid trash cans, and areas that could have other small devices and explosives around or in them.

We’ll keep you updated as more info comes on, but please keep the victims and families of those hurt (and the two that have lost their lives) in your prayers at this time.