USA Radical Black

Open Letter to Mr. Gary Cunningham and Kevin Walker of the Northwest Area Foundation, Headwaters Foundation and State Representative Bobby Jo Champion (D-MN/58B) – “Where Does Black Leadership begin in Minnesota?”

On Saturday, November 21, 2009 an African American Leadership Forum will be held at General Mills starting at 7 a.m. -  the group of hand-picked, like-minded participants will insure that Black Minnesotans will achieve the same status-quo engagement while non-profit “fat cats” receive funding that never makes it past the agencies doors.

In the case of the now lack-luster Northway Community Trust who granted an out-of-town agency $50,000 for a survey of businesses on Broadway Avenue who never delivered a report – is one of the examples of Northwest Area Foundations “community engagements.”

The following email was sent to Northwest Area Foundations Gary Cunningham and President Kevin Walker:

Dear Mr. Cunningham and others,

I am writing to express my disdain for being lied to by you and the Foundation you represent regarding the African-American Leadership Forum tomorrow (11/21) at General Mills.

Northwest Area Foundation continues to overlook the community members who strive for social change aggressively and who are outspoken about social issues, when we are the people fighting in the trenches on a daily basis.  You promised in previous emails sent directly to me, that you would invite me and Mr. Edwards to this “leadership” meeting for a chance to dialog and observe the process.

Today, I spoke with Alfred Babington-Johnson from the Stairstep Foundation and Trista Harris from Headwaters Foundation and “hand-picked” participants to attend a “leadership forum” to be held on Saturday, November 21, 2009 starting at 7 a.m. and once again, you have overlooked inviting major activists in the Twin Cities and people who could create real change.

By working with those you feel comfortable with, lends itself to collusion, corruption and no results to no successful measurable outcome for the community. Read More »

Tags: Black Minnesota, Collusion, Haters, Politics

Black elementary students told to act like slaves – in 2009

By Matt Roberts, November 13 (originally posted 11/8) New Orleans News – The Examiner

WAXHAW, N.C. — A history lesson that asked black elementary students to act like slaves has sparked protests from parents and teachers at a North Carolina school Wednesday.

During a field trip to Latta Plantation, three students from Rea View Elementary in Waxhaw were chosen by tour guide Ian Campbell to wear bags and mimic picking cotton while their white classmates looked on, WSOC-TV, Charlotte, reported Friday.

Many of the teachers and parents from the elementary school said they plan on writing the leaders of the plantation regarding the racially insensitive history lesson.

Campbell said “I was trying to be historically correct not politically correct,” Campbell adds, “I am very enthusiastic about getting kids to think about how people did things in 1860, 1861 — even before that period,”  who added he has been a historian for 15 years.

Kojo Nantambu, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, criticized the lesson.

“There is a lingering pain, a lingering bitterness, a lingering insecurity and a lingering sense of inhumanity since slavery. Because that’s still there, you want to be more sensitive than politically correct or historically correct,” he said.

Tags: Education, Racism, Slavery