WHY I WON'T MARCH!!!!

By William Dailey
Special Guest Contributor

In light of the breadth of my thoughts on the Jena 6, I resisted the temptation to revert back to the days of old where I would post emails to no end with political ramblings and calls for action. However, after witnessing the beautiful scene in Louisiana this morning, I could not help but to share a few points. Make no mistake, I do not condemn the activism of those who have traveled from all parts of the country to attend today's rally. Indeed, it shows commitment to a greater cause and is commendable.

Notwithstanding the positives, it is a [???choose your own expletive] shame that it has gotten to this point for us to take a stand. I heard this morning that Oprah, Michael Baisden, Sybil Wilks and several others with national audiences and great influence were expected to be in attendance. Yet, where were these same folks when the charges were first brought? Michael Bell was represented by a Black public defender who failed to call a single witness. The US Attorney's office concluded today that there was no link to the infamous noose incident and the fight for which the Jena 6 were convicted. Sure, the jury was all white. However, reports are that of the 100 jury questionnaires submitted, only 50 people responded and nam one of them were Black. I concede that the defendants of equally zealous prosecution in the Duke case had greater means to finance a top notch legal team. However, had we not been caught in a reactionary vacuum that limits our struggle to an after-the-fact radicalism, we would have prepared the means to assist one another when cases like this happen well in advance.

Beyond that, the focus of today's march is too limited for my liking. Does anyone believe that this case is the only case in the judicial system where Black defendants are facing disparate or unjust charges and suffering from inadequate representation? In spite of this arguably national trend, today's march is limited to today's cause. If you do not believe me, look at how many people are wearing shirts or holding signs exclusively dedicated to the "Jena 6" as opposed to "Justice for All." When Rosa Parks was arrested, the marchers did not say, "free Rosa Parks." Instead, they said, "End Segregation" and moved towards shutting down a system. Unfortunately, our so-called leaders today have abandoned such a wholistic view of liberation.
Further, I can not get with what I feel are mismatched priorities. Again, we ought to demand justice wherever and whenever justice is observed. However, when will our focus gravitate towards Black victims of crimes as opposed to Blacks accused of crimes? Where is the march for the sister who was kidnapped, raped, abused, and beat in W. Virginia? Where is the march for the sister in Florida who was gang raped and forced at gun point to perform oral sex on her son? Where is the march for the three teens in Jersey who were killed execution style days before leaving for college? Where are the marches for the growing body count here in St. Louis whereby car jackings and drive bys are commonplace? For some insane reason, we would rather take a stand for our people against injustice when "the system" is the culprit, but will not stand WITH our people when others who look like us are causing the pain. We practice willful blindness and celebrate a "stop snitching" lifestyle while Black men, women, and babies are dying. And yet, the marchers are no where to be found.

Do not get me wrong, I am certain that there are such efforts taking place in select towns. I believe Philly and Memphis are on the verge of putting together "armies" to fight against the destruction of our own. Yet, as a student of life, I could not bring myself to embrace another march for a isolated event (the march is targeted at those with the ability to impact THIS case, not all cases like it), when so much more remains to be done. Trust, I marched in Baton Rouge my freshmen year at Xavier. Ask me if I remember what we were marching for.
For those who want to march. March on. There's a role for every soldier in this battle. For those who are not marching, I pray that you focus your energies and finances on the work that remains to be done. Thanks for indulging my flashback to the days in which I'd write just for the sake of writing.

In closing, I leave you with a politically correct paraphrase of the Last Poets: Die N-word die! So the Black folks can take over.

Will.
07BT96, Epsilon Lambda
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated

I am not fighting over crust! Are we baking our own pie or not?

by Angela T. Rye, Esq.

Over the past couple of weeks I, as a member of IMPACT, have been afforded the opportunity to dialogue with tremendous emerging leaders in various social settings. There has been a lot of talk about "blockers", passing the torch (or really, not), and the under-utilization of well qualified members of my peer group. While my ideology has oft been dismissed as too idealistic, too optimistic, or too Booker T-ish, I propose that we begin moving towards baking our OWN pie. I am not saying that I don't need help. I am not even saying that I can't use the talents, resources, and gifts of my peers or my elders because that would be a lie. However, I am saying that we need to HEAVILY consider the importance of recognizing the ingredients before us. I like sweet potato pie, so follow me for a minute (and I know, I know everyone makes it differently). There may be someone with flour, someone else with eggs, someone with whipping cream, butter, vanilla, nutmeg, and of course, the yams! Just because an individual brings the yams to the table does not mean that everyone else is insignificant, but we do need to acknowledge the importance of what our gifts are and be comfortable with OUR gifts.

I am a firm believer that God created us to be inter-dependent. We NEED each other. How can we move beyond the bickering, the fighting, and the hurts of the past into a future with solutions that benefit the greater good?

Tulsa Historical Find!

The African-American past is an iceberg, still 90 percent submerged.
Because so much material remains in family hands or lies piled in the
unvisited attics and basements of libraries, newspapers, and even
police stations, rich discoveries await. Currie Ballard, a historian
in Oklahoma, has just made what he calls "the find of a lifetime"—29
cans of motion picture film dating from the 1920s that reveal the
daily lives of some remarkably successful black communities.

for the full story click here

Are You in Love...Financially?

Financial Lovemaking
By Dr. Boyce Watkins

Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston give Mike Tyson a run for his money inthe "Jack up your life in the 90s contest". Chalky lips and all, these two were the poster children for what you don't want your kids to become when they grow up. What was most ironic was that everyone thought that Bobby was corrupting Whitney, who does an amazing "church girl with the raspy voice" imitation. But church girls don't usually know that "crack is whack", and they don't get caught hauling weed onto an airplane. Well, at least she didn't have box cutters and shaving cream; people who smoke weed don't usually have the motivation to hijack a flight, since they are high enough already.

They were once young and attractive, now they look old and tired. They were once beautiful songbirds, now they just look like jailbirds. Life is getting harsh for these two, and it could get harsher as the "King of R&B" (haha) and his weed-tottin ex-babymama find themselves on the other side of a nasty divorce.

Besides learning that crack is whack, we can learn other lessons from Whitney's confessions. Drugs and bad relationships have huge personal and financial consequences. My forthcoming book "Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging assets with your partner in ways that feel good" hits on some of this, so I thought I would "peep game" and take a quick visit to the Bobby-Whitney School of Life to see what we can all learn from their experience:

Lesson 1: Watch who you decide to marry
The wrong partner may not only ruin you financially, they can also take away other valuable assets beyond money, such as your reputation, well-being and peace of mind. As young as they think they are, their latest pictures show skin of leather and more wrinkles than a wet Barbara Bush. These two people spent the best years of their lives with someone that they may not have wanted to be with. That's more painful than losing cash.

Lesson 2: Determine if your partner has a financial venereal disease
On my site (financiallovemaking.com) I created a test for the Financial Irresponsibility Virus (FIV). If you or your partner has a positive score, you are FIV positive. Destructive financial habits such as drugs or alcohol make it very easy to become FIV positive. I am not one to say that the drug rumors are true. But if there were drugs in this relationship, that is a quick way to end up in the poor house.

Lesson 3: Size does matter (meaning the size of your partner's bank account) – but too much size can be a pain
Some people are excited to have a mate who is well-endowed (financially), but sometimes you are rewarded on the front end but punished on the back. All that extra bling in their account can dull the shine on your smile when you get out of bed every morning. Your partner should make you wealthy in many ways, not just financially.

Lesson 4: Don't spend your time with an enabler of your financially destructive habits.
If you overeat, overspend, or gamble too much, then it might not make sense to "hook up" with someone who does the same thing. You might be as happy as two pigs in a mud puddle, but when the piper comes to collect payment, the payment will be eternal. Find someone who complements you and improves you, not someone who accentuates the parts of you that happen to be most destructive.

Bobby and Whitney have performed a valuable service. By watching them jack up their lives, it has reminded me that my life is not so bad. Perhaps one day, Bobby will rise back to the top of the charts, and Whitney will once again be cranking out number one hits. Yeah, you're right. Even I thought that last line was funny.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University. He makes regular appearances in the national media, providing Expertise and social commentary. He has made regular appearances in outlets such as ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, Smart Money Magazine and Fox News. For more information, please visit www.myfinanceprofessor.com or www.boycewatkins.com.

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