USA Radical Black

Jean Gregoire Sagbo Becomes First Black Politician Elected In Russia

NOVOZAVIDOVO, Russia — People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare – an honest politician.

Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia.

In a country where racism is entrenched and often violent, Sagbo’s election as one of Novozavidovo’s 10 municipal councilors is a milestone. But among the town’s 10,000 people, the 48-year-old from the West African country of Benin is viewed simply a Russian who cares about his hometown.

He promises to revive the impoverished, garbage-strewn town where he has lived for 21 years and raised a family. His plans include reducing rampant drug addiction, cleaning up a polluted lake and delivering heating to homes. Read More »

Are Black Leaders Brainwashed?

"Black in America?"

“The rush to condemn Shirley Sherrod exposes a lack of courage that we cannot afford in the coming media war.”

• By: Tom Burrell | Posted on July 23, 2010 at 12:56 PM from THE ROOT

The debacle surrounding the virtual lynching of black agriculture official Shirley Sherrod has left everyone involved scrambling for cover. President Obama, while not directly linked to the premature decision to fire Sherrod, called her Thursday to apologize. Video provocateur Andrew Breitbart has insisted he was not after Sherrod but after the NAACP. Fox News’ Glenn Beck displayed a time line on his show to argue he only covered the story after Sherrod was shown to have been unfairly dismissed.

Read the full story here.

Black Power’s Gonna Get You Sucka: Right-Wing Paranoia and the Rhetoric of Modern Racism

By Tim Wise who is the author of five books and over 250 essays on race. His latest is Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity (San Francisco: City Lights Books, 2010).

Prominent white conservatives are angry about racism.

Forget all that talk about a post-racial society. They know better than to believe in such a thing, and they’re hopping mad.

What is it that woke them up finally, after all these years of denial, during which they insisted that racism was a thing of the past?

Was it the research indicating that job applicants with white sounding names have a 50 percent better chance of being called back for an interview than their counterparts with black-sounding names, even when all qualifications are the same?

No.

Was it the study that found white job applicants with criminal records have a better chance of being called back for an interview than black applicants without one, even when all the qualifications are the same? Read More »

“ON POINT!” Radio Talk Show with Ronald A. Edwards and Don Allen airs 5 p.m., Saturday, June 19, 2010 – Topic: “When did the Revolution Stop?”

“Why are Black Americans still having first’s in 2010?”

In 2010, Black America has fallen by the wayside. It seems as though we have given up. Some are blinded by the hope that with the election of America’s first Black president – the struggle is over. We tend to think the struggle has never left us and its getting worse.

This week, USA Radical Black invites you to join long-time Twin Cities Civil Rights activist; also the longest seated Chairman of the Board for the Minneapolis Urban League; Author of “The Minneapolis Story Blog,” and host of Minneapolis Television Network’s (MTN-17 at 5 p.m. Sundays) “Black Focus,” Mr. Ronald A. Edwards and co-host Don Allen who is the editor-in-chief of two very controversial blogs, “The Independent Business News Network,” and “USA Radical Black,” as they come together for the show, “ON POINT!”

This week’s topic: “When did the Revolution Stop?” Hosts Ronald A. Edwards and Don Allen will discuss significant “repeat” issues in the Black community and how these issues were addressed in history and made a priority to fix but still affect the Black communities around the United States today. We will also talk about Minneapolis’ African-American Leadership meetings and why the organizers and participant have missed the mark in addressing the issues of poverty, foreclosures, jobs and economic development. We take a look at the recent homicides in Minneapolis and the fact that the last 8 have no suspects in custody.

“ON POINT!” is a nationally syndicated radio program on BlogTalkRadio that covers World, National and Local News focused to Black Americans.

Listeners can participate by calling our toll-free guest call-in number: 1 (877) 572-42881 or locally in the Twin Cities metro area dial: (347) 426-3904.

We encourage listeners to call in and ask questions.

How to listen to the show – “ON POINT!” is broadcast via the Internet: Listeners can click here or copy and paste this address in your search engine’s browser: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ibnnnews/2010/06/19/on-point-with-ronald-a-edwards-and-don-allen

The 1-hour show starts at 5 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, June 19, 2010.

No Black Models Allowed

By MXySTAFF (MXyMAG.com)

“USA Radical Black invites readers to enjoy another very popular media outlet, MXyMAG.com. MXyMAG.com features news and information that is Sexy and Business while providing relevant Entertainment news.”

Toronto…A model came up to me a while back, dejected because she was just told that she is too dark to be a “successful” model. As a person who understand the business very well I was thinking to myself “welcome to the new world my friend”. As a black man I was thinking you should have kicked him in his nuts. But in the end what the person had said carries a truth to it and here is why.

People want to relate to the person they interact with. Most people who aren’t black don’t know how to relate to black and in most cases it’s out of fear or intimidation. Most black people I have seen or talked to don’t know how to relate to black neither. Read More »

Claudia Schiffer’s woman in black provokes fashion race row

By Simon Cable from Mail Online – re-posted by Admin at USA Radical Black
Last updated at 1:13 AM on 4th June 2010  – A special thanks to M. Renee, San Fransisco, CA.

Claudia Schiffer has been accused of racial insensitivity after appearing on a magazine cover made up as a black woman.

The 39-year-old supermodel wore dark foundation and an afro wig in the shots taken by celebrated fashion designer and photographer Karl Lagerfeld.

His images, taken two years ago for a Dom Perignon advertising campaign, were among six shots of Miss Schiffer used by German fashion bible Stern Fotografie to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Claudia Schiffer

Claudia Schiffer in the pose for a 2007 Dom Perignon campaign shot by Karl Lagerfeld, which has caused a fashion race row

But Shevelle Rhule, fashion editor at black lifestyle magazine Pride, said the images of Miss Schiffer were tasteless. Read More »

Judicial Watch Sues Department of Justice for Documents Regarding Decision to Dismiss of Lawsuit against New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense

Contact Information:
Press Office 202-646-5172, ext 305

Washington, DC — May 25, 2010

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Obama Justice Department to obtain documents related to the agency’s decision to dismiss the claims against several members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense who were accused of engaging in voter intimidation during the 2008 presidential campaign (U.S. v. New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense).

Judicial Watch filed its original FOIA request on May 29, 2009. The Justice Department acknowledged receiving the request on June 18, 2009, but then referred the request to the Office of Information Policy (OIP) and the Civil Rights Division. On January 15, 2010, the OIP notified Judicial Watch that it would be responding to the request on behalf of the Offices of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, Associate Attorney General, Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs, Legal Policy, and Intergovernmental and Public Liaison. Read More »

Founder of BET Sheila Johnson ‘ashamed’ of channel

Originally posted in The St. Louis American – re-posted by Admin at USA Radical Black
(IBNN NEWS/May 23, 2010) – Sheila Johnson, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television alongside her ex-husband Bob Johnson, was asked by The Daily Beast blog what she thought about her groundbreaking network since selling it to Viacom in 2000 for $1.3 billion.

“Don’t even get me started,” says the 60-year-old Johnson, who has since divorced and remarried. “I don’t watch it. I suggest to my kids [a twentysomething daughter and a college-age son] that they don’t watch it… I’m ashamed of it, if you want to know the truth.” Read More »

7-year-old girl killed in Detroit police raid

By the CNN Wire Staff, re-posted by Admin-USA Radical Black
May 16, 2010 3:53 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Aiyana Jones, 7, was shot and killed by police executing a search warrant
* Police believed the suspect in a Friday shooting death of 17-year-old was hiding at the home
* Police official: “All we can do is pledge an open and full investigation and to support Aiyana’s family”

(CNN) — Police in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday expressed “profound sorrow” at the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl in a police raid. Read More »

For Black America, 2010 Looks a Lot Like the 1970s

by Tara Kyle March 29, 2010 08:20 AM (PT) Topics: Race And Ethnicity

When the National Urban League released its annual State of Black America report last week, its message had the unpleasant flavor of familiarity.

At a D.C. press conference, vice president of research Dr. Valerie Rawlston Wilson read directly from the League’s inaugural 1976 report, citing an urgent need for job creation.

“There is a sense of déja vu, particularly back in 1975 when the economy dipped and declined,” the League’s president and CEO Marc H. Morial told The Root.

Back in the mid-70s, when an oil crisis prompted the last great recession, the poverty rate among African Americans hovered above 30 percent. Over the course of that decade, the number of African Americans living in extremely poor inner-city neighborhoods grew by 164 percent, in contrast to just 24 percent for whites. (By comparison, the African American poverty rate was about 25 percent in 2008, before the worst of the recession took hold, according to the Census Bureau.)

In 2009, black unemployment neared 15 percent, compared to nine percent of whites. That’s far above the 1990s low of seven percent. It’s also nearly four times higher than Morial’s target rate of four percent.

Not only are African Americans disproportionately impacted by unemployment, but they also make up a disproportionate share of people out of work from six months or upwards of a year, according to a March report by Congress’s Joint Economic Committee. Read More »