USA Radical Black

Distrust of government could exclude many Blacks from Census

By J.L. Stroud

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Newspaper – Member of the Black Press USA

Originally posted 2/2/2010

Resistance may be especially high among the homeless

Historically, African Americans have led the way when it comes to disparities in many categories. African Americans were the largest ethnic group under-counted in the 2000 Census. At the same time, Whites were over-counted by an estimated 2.2 million people. This is according to facts and data collected by groups like the National Urban League, the NAACP, the Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the Prison Policy Initiative.

In the 2010 Census, African Americans could possibly experience even higher undercounts due to the national foreclosure crisis, displacement from the Gulf Coast hurricanes, and the miscounting of prison populations reported by the Prison Policy Initiative. While many Americans are shocked at these disturbing reports, others are angry about what they see as the government’s blatant disrespect of Black people.

This anger reinforces Black Americans’ lack of trust for the U.S. government, so much so that many have vowed not to participate in this year’s Census. In search of answers from those African Americans about their reluctance to talk with Census enumerators, MSR visited the Salvation Army Harbor Light Worship and Service Center, located next to a homeless shelter downtown where about 60 or 70 people had gathered.

The first person we spoke with was the tallest man in the crowd who gave his name as Tony Mayo. Mayo was very articulate on the subject of Census participation and clearly let us know that he understands the importance of participating in the Census and plans to do so. However, he also understands the resentment, mistrust and anger by some of the homeless. Read More »

Money Donation to Haiti, Y-T-D

Money Donated to Haitian Relief by country

United States – 100,150,000- 14.40%
Sweden – 18,181,860- 2.61%
Brazil – 15,530,000- 2.23%
China – 10,405,286- 1.50%
United Kingdom – 10,171,581- 1.46%
Australia – 8,992,806- 1.29%
Denmark – 7,376,543- 1.06%
Canada – 5,491,330- 0.79%
Japan – 5,327,154- 0.77%
Norway – 4,939,341- 0.71%
Spain – 4,329,004- 0.62%
Germany – 3,463,204- 0.50%
Netherlands – 2,886,003- 0.41%
Switzerland – 1,941,748- 0.28%
Finland – 1,803,752- 0.26%
Italy – 1,593,145- 0.23%
Poland – 1,089,466- 0.16%
Estonia – 1,000,000- 0.14%
Guyana – 1,000,000- 0.14%
Indonesia – 1,000,000- 0.14%
Morocco – 1,000,000- 0.14%
New Zealand – 1,000,000- 0.14%
Luxembourg – 722,900- 0.10%
Russian Federation – 700,000- 0.10%
Belgium – 651,876- 0.09%
Greece – 290,000- 0.04%
Czech Republic – 288,600- 0.04
South Africa – 134,904- 0.02%

Source: The Guardian.co.uk at http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/jan/14/haiti-quake-aid-pledges-country-donations#data

Haiti – The Politics of a Human Disaster

By Donald W.R. Allen,II – Minister of Information-USA Radical Black

“Never let a good crisis go to waste.”-Rahm Immanuel, Chief of Staff, President Obama

On Sunday, January 17 the BBC reported from Port-au-Prince: “We have been hearing the constant roar of high-powered engines for days as transport planes take off and land. But like the people of Haiti, we have wondered why the cargo has not been getting to its final destination.

The incidents of unrest over food and water have been few and far between, but many people still want answers.

At one of the makeshift camps in the capital, hundreds of people made homeless by the earthquake shelter from the intense heat under a patchwork quilt of tarpaulin, zinc sheet, and blankets.

There are hundreds of men, women and children on the rough ground surviving without the basics.”

While we watch the Democratic machine go in to over-drive to raise funds for Haiti  – the country has just become another photo opportunity for President Obama and his cabinet. Our hearts go out to the brothers and sisters and their families who have lost loved ones.

President Obama, who has not addressed the state of Black America, or for that matter stated his position on Africa, might have to finally take a strong stance in regards to the people of Haiti.

Haiti was a human disaster long before the earthquake. Haiti is a by-product of the United States’ gross neglect. The problems with Haiti’s infrastructure could have been addressed decades ago– but we have to keep in mind, this is a Black-led nation. What is most sad is that Haitians were living a nightmare even before this horrible situation (their unemployment rate is 65%), and we need to see the nightmare come to an end.

Long after the fanfare is over, Haiti will continue to be a “human disaster area” much like New Orleans.

Haiti’s regional, historical and cultural position is unique for several reasons. It was the first independent nation in the Americas, the first post-colonial independent Black-led nation in the world. The independence of Haiti was gained in 1791 via a successful revolt of enslaved Africans and free people of color who overthrew the slave regime and the colonial system at the same time.

Why does this become an issue for the Obama administration?

When US President Barack Obama announced that one of the biggest relief efforts in US history would be heading for Haiti, he highlighted the close ties between the two nations. President Obama said, “With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are our neighbors in the Americas and here at home.”

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians have indeed become neighbors of Americans.

Some 420,000 live in the US legally, according to census figures. Estimates of the number of Haitians in the country illegally vary from some 30,000 to 125,000.

The history that ‘binds us (Blacks) together” is Slavery and our Blackness.

Haiti has been a poor country past, present and will be in the future. The so-called “curse” of Haiti is its perpetual poverty and the United States’ continuous interference with Haiti’s government, while overlooking the needs of its people. The basics, “food, water and shelter” have never been the top priority- shaping the government to the desires of the U.S. has. The people of Haiti have been starving for too long.

Why does it take a disaster to address an on-going disaster?

American administrations from President Nixon to Obama have well known the  true state of Haiti. They knew that the Haitian people mixed dirt with sugar to make “cookies” to have something to eat. A significant part of the population of Port-au-Prince eats dinner out the garbage cans of tourists from the First World.

The catastrophic disaster in Haiti has gained worldwide attention. Nations like Haiti deserve the assistance of the United Nations in a humanitarian way, without the politics of government interference.

Haitian native, Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti at www.yele.org, has come under-fire by larger charities for his fund raising that have gone on long before all eyes where on Haiti. This blog endorses Wyclef and his ongoing efforts to assist his homeland.

Americans give over $100 billion dollars per year to churches, so if we simply gave one month of tithes to genuine Haitian charities, this would be nearly 8 times the Haitian government’s annual budget. Sure, there might be some corruption in charitable fund-raising, but there is corruption everywhere, including the US government.

See the parallel between New Orleans and Haiti by reading this story posted on the Black Agenda Report: Katrina’s Legacy: Poor Blacks Have No Right to “Be”

It’s all about Obama…Mm…Mm..Mm!

By Lloyd Marcus, (Black) Unhyphenated American, Singer/Songwriter, Entertainer, Author, Artist & Tea Party Patriot and Facebook friend of USA Radical Black’s Editor in Chief Donald Allen

My wife Mary’s eyes glaze over whenever I mention football. “But honey this is about life not football” I promise her. She graciously listens. Three years ago with only a few minutes left in the game, all Tony Romo, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys had to do was hold the football so his kicker could kick a game tying field goal. Romo fumbled the ball.

After his horrible unbelievable mistake, the young quarterback sat on the bench dejected with his head hung low. John Madden, former pro football coach was one of the announcers on the TV broadcast team. Madden said, “Somebody needs to tell Romo to get his head up. This game is not over and he still has to lead his team”. Wow, I don’t know why, but I found the wise old coach instructing (mentoring) the young man quite moving.

Madden was saying leadership is understanding it is not about you. As the Bible says, “To whom much is given, much is required”. Madden is also saying, OK, Tony Romo, you said you wanted to be the leader of this team; you must do just that, Lead! You do not have the luxury of sulking over your mistakes. True leadership is putting the needs of your team before your needs.

The Obama administration and the media puts his needs before the best interest of the American people. They believe since Obama is the first black president, he is simply too big to fail. Consequently, every event, policy and etc is judged from a “how will this affect Obama’s presidency” point of view rather than what is best for America.

They protect him at all cost against all offenders. Rush Limbaugh was verbally gang flogged for daring to say he hoped Obama’s wacko agenda failed?

Think about this folks. We have a president that everything is about him. Despite it being the best facility to house enemy combatants, Obama has vowed to close Guantanamo Bay prison to appease far left voters. It’s all about what is best for Obama.

Months ago, Obama called the Cambridge cops stupid for arresting Gates. Black professor Gates was wrong. The white decorated arresting officer was right. Still, the Obama administration and liberal media immediately went into “defend Obama mode”. They launched a national champaign on talk shows, print and etc attempting to prove Obama correct; all police are racist profilers who abuse blacks. Can you imagine the lengths Obama and his minions will go to make him look good. Throw national relations between blacks and the police under the bus, no problem. It’s all about Obama. Read More »

Government Illegaly Spied On Nation Of Islam

By Associated Press December 17, 2009 12:22 pm Posted on News One for Black America

WASHINGTON — Homeland security officials improperly gathered intelligence on the Nation of Islam, a black Muslim group, but government rules were “unintentionally and inadvertently violated” and only publicly available information was collected, according to documents made public Wednesday.

Internal correspondence shows the 2007 report – titled “Nation of Islam: Uncertain Leadership Succession Poses Risks” – was created by an intelligence group working within the Homeland Security Department.

Hours after the report was issued, officials recalled it, deciding the report violated intelligence rules against collecting or disseminating information on U.S. citizens for an extended period of time. It had been disseminated widely over the Internet to numerous federal agencies, state and local law enforcement, several congressional committees, intelligence agencies and parts of the private sector, a reviewing officer found. Read More »

Obama defends self against Black critics…Why?

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE (AP) – 17 hours ago – Posted at Your Black World

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday rebutted critics who say he isn’t showing enough compassion toward black America, citing his health care effort as one example he says “will be hugely important” for blacks.

Obama said another example is the billions of dollars in aid to states included in the economic stimulus bill, money that was used to save thousands of teachers, firefighters and police officers from losing their jobs. He said many of those workers are black. Read More »

The Incredible Transition of Dr. King

Executive Director and President of Rainbow Writing, Inc., Karen Cole Peralta writes

A long time ago in the fabled southlands of America, the authorities told black people they had to use the “colored” restrooms – not the “white” people ones. It was thought at the time that “mixing the races” would lead to rape, diseases or other unfortunate circumstances. One public restroom each in a building’s common area was supplied for colored men, colored women, white men and white women; pretty idiotic, don’t you think?

It did make four “water closets” available, two apiece for each sex, which admittedly allowed for somewhat easier restroom availability. But it also undermined the dignity of the American Deep South, which was thus stuck moving from the lack of fair human rights to the promotion of greater civil rights, and eventually to manifesting independent living rights. After all, the involved country was America, and being a democracy, it couldn’t long maintain such hostile acts of racial segregation – or discrimination against the physically disabled, challenged, or handicapped.

You could say the 1950s and 60s were a time of incredible transition when it came to the full legal rights of American citizens. What was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s role in this so-called “incredible transition?” For one thing, changing racially segregated public restrooms back to the usual men’s and women’s ones was considered to be politically important. This sort of thing, along with the Deep South’s municipal bus boycotts, was to enable “colored” people to get away from such underhanded referencing to their darker and harmless black, brown or mulatto skin color.

Uniting the public restrooms enabled people to continue their normal way of life, unhampered by racism or any presumed “need” for such segregated facilities. Plus, there was the further needed transition of the municipal city buses, where black people had been forced to sit in the far backs of the buses. As with the public restrooms, there was no need for such isolation, which at the time was being corrected by the acting Civil Rights Movement, headed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so that people could use most public facilities without suffering from further racial segregation. Read More »

Fried Chicken will not help the GOP – “Change” will

By Donald W.R. Allen, II – Minister of Information/USA Radical Black

How many times do you have to be “politically” knocked in the head before you learn that the usual suspects have done nothing for you? It isn’t about Democrats or Republicans anymore; it’s about forming coalitions of like-minded people. It’s okay if you voted for Obama for president. Now, put that vote to use and change your situations locally. “Look around, you’ve had the same complaints in 2004, 2006, and 2008.

Voting for the same folks (usually Democrats), has not gotten us anywhere. But the Republican Party has not let us in the tent of all-inclusion.

Look at the facts: 2 million Black families faced hunger in 2008. I.C.E. raids on undocumented persons continue largely unchallenged. Unemployment amongst all races is at an all time high.

The friends you have are two weeks from poverty and some can’t find work.  Being fiscally responsible means that wealth is spread far and wide, not just to banking fat-cats and others that need to be bailed out. If you want a better future, you should finish reading this story. In the long run, the final choice is yours.

If you’ve never experienced condescension, go to your local congressperson or state representative with a complaint. There you will discover the real meaning of the term.

How do we get the two major parties to be responsive and accountable to the people? Furthermore, how do we get the Republican Party to stop being the party of “no” and do something useful for black people?

First of all: A message to the Republican Party…Stop attacking Obama! Read More »

Ugly Truth: Most U.S. Kids Sentenced to Die In Prison Are Black

By Liliana Segura, AlterNet. Originally Posted November 11, 2009.

The U.S. stands alone in the world in condemning thousands of juveniles to life without parole. And race is a huge factor. Will the Supreme Court even consider it?

This is the second in a two-part series on juvenile life without parole. Read Part One here.

On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases that could have major implications for the way juvenile offenders are treated in our criminal justice system. Sullivan v. Florida and Graham v. Florida both involve men who are serving life without the possibility of parole for crimes they were convicted of as teenagers — crimes in which no one was killed.

Joe Sullivan was only 13 years old when he was accused of sexually assaulting a 72-year-old woman in her Pensacola, Fla., home, hours after he and a group of older teenagers robbed her house. Sullivan, who reportedly suffers from mental disabilities, insisted that, while he participated in the robbery, he did not commit the rape. But his co-defendants, 15-year-old Michael Gulley and 17-year-old Nathan McCants, 17 pinned the crime on him. Both were tried as juveniles; Sullivan was tried as an adult. Read More »

Jesse Jackson: ‘You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a Black man’

By Mike Soraghan – The Hill (Read related story from Your Black World – Jesse Jackson vs Artur Davis)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Wednesday night criticized Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) for voting against the Democrats’ signature healthcare bill.

“We even have blacks voting against the healthcare bill from Alabama,” Jackson said at a reception Wednesday night. “You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man.”

The remark stirred a murmur at the reception, held by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation as part of a series of events revolving around the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s run for president. Several CBC members were in attendance, including Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who’d introduced Jackson.

Davis, who is running for governor, is the only black member of Congress from Alabama.

He is also the only member of the CBC to have voted against the health care bill earlier this month.

Davis referred to Jackson’s 1988 run for president in a statement, issued through his office, that said he would not engage Jackson on his criticism. Read More »