Ed Bradley, R.I.P.

Ed Bradley dies at 65.

Ed Bradley of CBS Dies by Louis Hau, Forbes.com

Ed Bradley, the veteran CBS News correspondent, died Thursday of leukemia at the age of 65, CBS reported.
Bradley, who was with the television network for 35 years, was best known for his long tenure as a correspondent for the CBS (nyse: CBS - news - people ) news magazine show 60 Minutes, which he joined in 1981.
In contrast to the confrontational style of his 60 Minutes colleague Mike Wallace, Bradley approached his interviews with sensitivity and empathy, which served him well whether he was speaking with Muhammad Ali, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak or Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, who granted Bradley his only TV interview.
A particularly memorable example of Bradley's deft touch was his 1981 interview with Lena Horne, during which the singer opened up about the pain she endured early in her career trying to succeed in a white-dominated entertainment industry.
The interview snared Bradley an Emmy Award, one of 19 he would eventually win. Bradley also garnered the George Foster Peabody Award, the George Polk Award and the Overseas Press Club Award during his career.
Bradley was a native of Philadelphia, where started his broadcasting career in 1963 as a reporter for WDAS Radio, a focal point for the local African-American community.
Last year, the National Association of Black Journalists honored Bradley with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In his acceptance speech, Bradley recalled how much things had changed for minority journalists during his career.
"It doesn’t seem like it was a lifetime ago when we held the first [NABJ] meetings in New York – just a small band of brothers and sisters new to this business of journalism,'' he said. "There weren’t many of us then but we knew we needed to be together…I look around this room tonight and I can see how much our profession has changed and our numbers have grown…All I have to do is turn on the TV and I can see the progress that has been made.”

More on Ed's untimely passing at:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/09/obit.bradley/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Love on Trial: The Alice Rhinelander Story

In the 1920s, interracial marriages were at the center of controversy. None of them compare to the controversy involving the Jones and Rhinelander families of NY.

http://academic.udayton.edu/race/04needs/sex05.htm

Here's an article written by Seattle Weekly on the 1925 case:

Skin-crossed lovers
A failed interracial romance can't escape scrutiny.
By Judy
Lightfoot
LOVE ON TRIAL: AN AMERICAN SCANDAL IN BLACK AND WHITEby Earl
Lewis and Heidi Ardizzone (W.W. Norton & Company, $26.95)
AT THE HEIGHT
of the Roaring Twenties, Kip Rhinelander, the wealthy son of white New York
plutocrats, fell in love with Alice Jones, an attractive young woman of
mixed-race ancestry who occasionally worked as a domestic. In 1924, after a
three-year romance that included the exchange of nearly a thousand love letters,
they married. Almost immediately, a court battle began that gave newspapers
throughout the nation front-page stories for more than a year: Rhinelander
sought an annulment, alleging that Jones had deceived him into thinking she was
white.
Could a member of the elite class in a racist society have failed to
notice, after spending countless hours with the Jones family, the dark skin of
his lover's father and brother? Prior to the marriage, hadn't Rhinelander told a
friend that he didn't care what race Jones belonged to? Was Rhinelander's
father, a bigoted real-estate magnate worth millions, secretly forcing his son
to seek an annulment so the family name would stay "pure"? What did Jones'
racial identity mean, anyway? Did the fact that her father was born in England
give his skin color a different significance?
Historians Earl Lewis and Heidi
Ardizzone address such questions in Love on Trial: An American Scandal in Black
and White, a well-researched social history aimed at a general audience. It's a
fascinating, suspenseful (if sometimes redundantly told) tale of interracial
love in an era of radical change. The book alternates dramatic episodes in the
lives of the main characters with lively commentary on race, immigration, class,
female sexuality, and popular media during the Jazz Age.
Especially
interesting is the theme that American ideas about race have always been
shifting social constructions. Sometimes a drop of blood in the veins made a
person black; sometimes people were categorized as octoroons, quadroons,
coloreds, Negroes, and mulattoes; sometimes those with a black ancestor came to
be considered white if they had pale skin, European parents, and no connection
to the black community. But, as this book vividly shows, all such definitions
had a common purpose: to maintain clear boundaries between the races, even after
blacks and whites were made equal under law throughout the U.S., and mixed-race
marriages were legalized in many states, including New York.
AMERICA'S
NEWSPAPERS and judicial system supported this policing of racial lines. During
the Rhinelander trial, reporters described Jones as "dusky," a "tropical
beauty," or "of a Spanish complexion," and photos of her face were captioned
with the question that readers were expected to agonize over: "Does she look
like a Negro?" The judge actually approved a motion by attorneys to have Jones
disrobe before the jury and reveal her true color.
The trial was an ordeal
for both parties. Sometimes the press and the court made Rhinelander appear to
be "an example of what wealth and privilege produced: inarticulate,
self-centered, powerful, frivolous, and carnal." Sometimes they painted him as
stupid and gullible, seduced by a lascivious, dark-hearted vamp whose sole
desire was to enter the upper class.
Yet Jones told reporters she felt
indifferent about questions of social status and didn't see "a single wholesome
thing in the life of the so-called 400 [best families]." She quietly insisted
that she married Rhinelander because she loved him. Rhinelander's physician
testified at the trial that Jones' tender affection for her lover had begun to
heal his chronic stammer and other nervous afflictions. We'll never know the
true quality of this relationship or the true motives of either partner. These
stories were destroyed, along with the marriage itself, by the one told in court
and by the national media.
Love on Trial unforgettably dramatizes the
American use of race to define the self, decide what others are like, and draw
lines that separate or connect the self and others. Even now, 75 years after the
Rhinelander scandal, the habit is hard for many of us to shake.

A Hard-Hitting Essay On the State of Hip Hop

James Lamb Jr. delivers a hard-hitting essay on the state of Hip Hop today. He contends that today's Hip Hop culture resembles the slave past when Black bodies are up on the auction block for sale and profit. Here's the link to the article at:

http://www.jameslambjr.com/2006/10/revenge-of-c-delores-tucker.html

Read the article. Then discuss it with a friend or a fellow blogger.

The Latoyia Figueroa Trial

Finally, Latoyia's family is receiving justice. The murder trial of Mr. Poaches began on October 13th. This man is responsible for the disappearance and murder of Latoyia Figueroa, 25, last July. She has been the focus of the media's inattention to missing women of Color.

Here are the links:'

Trial Opens in Slaying of Latoyia:

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15747395.htm?
source=rss&channel=dailynews_local

Latoyia's Dad: He Deserves What He Got:

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15785307.htm?
source=rss&channel=dailynews_local

Defendant unfazed by Figueroa's rotting corpse:

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15777208.htm?source=rss&channel=dailynews_local

Guilty in death of pregnant girlfriend:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061017/NEWS/61017041


Man Guilty Of Slaying Girlfriend Who Refused Abortion:

http://www.wgal.com/news/10101859/detail.html?rss=lan&psp=nationalnews

Sailerfraud gave me the article on how mainstream media almost always focus on beautiful young white middle class women who are missing. Latoyia's case is the exception. Even that came about because of the pressure from bloggers and concerned people around the world.

http://www.latoyiafigueroa.faithweb.com/

Latoyia, Rest in peace always.

A Counter-Yeagley Website

Finally, a website written by a thoughtful academic that counteract all the lies of David Yeagley. Mr. Yeagley's hatred of humanity must be challenged by all good people around the world.

http://www.davidyeagley.org/

The Subversiveness of BF/WM Marriage

Black women. White men. Now that’s subversive.
Posted by marthasouthgate on Sunday, April 24th, 2005 at 12:35 pm


Nicholas D. Kristoff sounds off on Hollywood’s refusal to feature an interracial on-screen romance, despite the explosion of interracial marriages.
As of the 2000 census, 6 percent of married black men had a white wife, and 3 percent of married black women had a white husband — and the share is much higher among young couples.
Yet …
… When will Hollywood dare release a major movie in which Denzel Washington and Reese Witherspoon fall passionately in love?
For all the gains in race relations, romance on the big screen between a black man and a white woman remains largely a taboo. Americans themselves may be falling in love with each other without regard to color, but the movie industry is still too craven to imitate life.
I agree wholeheartedly with Kristof. Hollywood is behind the curve on reflecting how race is lived in America. That goes for movies and television.
But one thing keeps hanging me up in this discussion of portrayals of race in mass media. Why is the black man-white woman relationship seen as the epitome of racial progress in America?We’ve had this discussion before.
The simple answer is that black men and white women elicit angry stares and death threats.
Don’t be fooled: White women deliver stares that are just as angry — I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Ironically, the white dude involved was a multi-racial Nuyorican who just came out looking white. And black men? They assume that black women who date white men are are just out for dough.
But the truth is more complex (and I posted this same thing a few minutes ago in the comments of a previous post).
As Rajen Persaud explained in an MLive.com article last month:
The stereotypes, especially that of the hypersexual and aggressive black male and the virtuous, pure white female, are a result of social engineering by slave owners of old. They desired a society that would condone slavery, so they created images that would dehumanize blacks and exalt whites.
In other words, the reason why black woman-white men relationships don’t get the hype is because black women have been deemed inferior. We’re either overweight, asexual, undesirable mammies, or hypersexual, always ready never-say-no Jezebels.
That’s why white men get so upset about seeing “their women” with black men (What? Dating down? Couldn’t find a white man who’d want you?). It’s why white women get so upset about seeing a white man with a black woman (Why would you want her? I mean, she’s not as good as a white woman.)
And here’s the kicker: it’s the same reason why black men get so upset about seeing a black woman with a white man (I’m sayin: I’m cool. I got a big dick and e’erythang. Why does she want ol’ lil dick Oppie? It must be the money.)
So to me, the true sign of racial equality in society and Hollywood would be black women being loved (by folks generally, but whites in particular) — and not as rescue projects, prostitutes, or struggling single mothers who have just lost their children and wind up sacrificing their dignity and self-worth trying to change the hearts and minds of racist cops (*cough* “Monster’s Ball” *cough*) — but as equals.

An Interesting Debate on Slavery and Rape

There's an interesting debate on DarKush regarding slave rapes of Black women during slavery and beyond:

http://darkush.blogspot.com/

As usual, Ann nailed it down to a T! Please read and meditate on her comments to Steve Barnes at:

http://www.haloscan.com/tb/sebarnes/116051650881522459

I hope he gets it this time around.

Tamara Dobson, R.I.P.

Tamara Dobson(1947-2006)

Star of Cleopatra Jones Films Dies By Associated Press

Tamara Dobson, the tall, stunning model-turned-actress who portrayed a strong female role as Cleopatra Jones in two "blaxploitation" films, has died. Dobson, 59, died Monday of complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis at the Keswick Multi-Care Center, where she had lived for the past two years, her publicist said. At 6 feet, 2 inches tall, Dobson was striking as the kung-fu fighting government agent Cleopatra Jones in 1973. She reprised the role in 1975's "Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold." "She was not afraid to start a trend," said her brother, Peter Dobson, of Houston. "She designed a lot of the clothing that so many women emulated." Dobson also appeared in "Come Back, Charleston Blue," "Norman, Is That You?" "Murder at the World Series" and "Chained Heat." She had TV roles in the early 1980s in "Jason of Star Command" and "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century." Dobson lived most of her adult life in New York, her family said. She was diagnosed six years ago with multiple sclerosis.

More on Tamara Dobson at:

FOX News.com: Tamara Dobson Dies

New Blog Dedicated to Black Women

Ann has a new blog called "Beautiful Also Are The Souls of My Black Sisters"

or URL:


Let's support our beautiful Sister of Color by assisting her first blog!

Way to go, Ann!

Sheriff: Race a factor in kidnap case

Sheriff: Race a factor in kidnap case
By KATHARINE WEBSTER, Associated Press Writer

SALEM, N.H. - A Maine couple accused of tying up their 19-year-old daughter, throwing her in their car and driving her out of state to get an abortion were upset because the baby's father is black, a Maine sheriff said Tuesday.

Katelyn Kampf, who is white, told Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion that her mother "was pretty irate at the fact that the child's father was black, and she had made a number of disparaging remarks about that," he said.

Katelyn Kampf escaped Friday at a Salem shopping center and called police, who arrested her parents, Nicholas Kampf, 54, and Lola, 53, both real estate developers from North Yarmouth, Maine.

The Kampfs were apparently taking their daughter to New York to try to force her to get an abortion there, police said.

The parents were arraigned Monday on kidnapping charges. The judge set bail at $100,000 each and ordered the Kampfs to have no contact with their daughter. They posted bail Tuesday afternoon.

If convicted of kidnapping, the Kampfs face 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison. Dion said he expects to bring charges in Maine also, after investigators consult with the district attorney Wednesday.

Defense attorney Mark Sisti said Tuesday that a sworn statement by Salem police who interviewed both Katelyn Kampf and her parents said nothing about the father's race.

"This whole race-card thing is ridiculous and objectionable," said Sisti, who represented both of the Kampfs for their arraignment Monday, but is now representing only Lola Kampf. "There wasn't any mention in the sworn affidavit to the court about race being a factor in any way, shape or form."

Sisti also maintained there was no evidence a kidnapping had taken place in New Hampshire. The sworn affidavit said Katelyn described talking cordially with her parents during the trip from Maine.

But Salem Police prosecutor Ryan McFarland said in court Monday the Kampfs had their passports, rope, a rifle and ammunition in the car. He argued they posed a danger if released and could flee the country.

Dion said Katelyn Kampf told him her parents got upset when she called them Thursday night and told them she was pregnant. The Kampfs had met her boyfriend before and been friendly, but the pregnancy apparently "changed the dynamic," he said.

Katelyn Kampf said her mother "kept referring to the baby as a thing, as 'It,' and there were other comments made," he said.

They invited Katelyn, who is living in Portland with her boyfriend's mother, Peggy Johnson, to come to their house Friday morning. Dion would not say whether the Kampfs were already prepared to abduct their daughter when she arrived.

In a court affidavit, Salem Police Officer Sean Marino wrote that Katelyn told him her parents "chased her out into the yard, grabbed and tied her hands and feet together." Her father carried her to the car and they headed to New Hampshire, he wrote.

Katelyn Kampf escaped from her parents in Salem after persuading them to untie her so she could use a Kmart bathroom, police said. After her father went into the men's room, she ran to a nearby Staples store and used her father's cell phone, which she had swiped, to call 911, police said.

The boyfriend, 22-year-old Reme Johnson, last week began serving a 6-month sentence for theft at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn, Maine. He also has previous felony convictions for burglary and receiving stolen property, the Portland Press Herald reported. He is also a self-styled hip-hop artist who has gone by the name Young Merk.

Authorities in Maine said the parents apparently thought that, in light of their daughter's stage of pregnancy and the different abortion laws in each state, the abortion should be performed in New York. It was unclear how many weeks pregnant she was.

Big Box Retailers and Race/Class in Chicago

Mayor Daley vetoes minimum wage for Walmart.



Click here

Black women demand respect

Here's another article on Black Women. Ms. McCloud is right on the money on how mass media and politicians attack Black Women. Let's not include Black men in it, for they too also benefit from Black Womens' degradation by society at large. Look at MTV, BET, the networks, cable, magazines, newspapers, hate radio, media pundits. They all have a role in the devaluation of Black women and girls. The hatred continues to spread to all quarters of American society. We export those hateful views around the world today. Here's the article below:



By MELODY McCLOUD
Published on: 09/12/06
Black women demand respect

Why are black women so increasingly ignored, abhorred, disrespected and rejected in this country?

Who declared "open season" on us, and why?

Increasingly over the past decade, the media have projected images of black women as battered about, cast down, kicked aside, ignored, denigrated and disrespected at the will of all who take delight and sport in doing so. It is tantamount to a public flogging in the modern-day town square — the media, the Internet, TV, movies and music videos.

The latest venue? The University of Georgia in Athens, where Chi Phi fraternity pledges flashed naked images of black women to passers-by. Why? Because they could. It's acceptable sport in the 21st century. They're just black women; who cares? One student told a reporter he thought it was funny. It's not.

The late comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, enjoyed a lifetime of fame and fortune and received many a laugh saying, "I don't get no respect." Many of today's black women may feel Dangerfield's battle cry is one they, too, can claim. But hardly any are laughing.

More and more, black male models and actors are readily cast opposite white and Hispanic women, to the blatant, total exclusion of black women. Magazine ads frequently engage colorism — favoring light-skinned blacks over brown-skinned ones. Lighter black women often get the sexy ads and poses; they're positioned to look soft and desirable while brown-skinned women are posed stern, frowning and even masculine with bald heads.

It also seems that the media are ever eager to show black women as "crazy " — think U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), model Naomi Campbell, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth of the TV show "The Apprentice" and others — but won't allow others to be heard or seen. It seems, "well, there's Oprah," so that's all the room they'll allow for "good" black women.

Sadly, too, those blacks in position to present black women in a better light, including Oprah, often fail to do so. Tyler Perry and Martin Lawrence, more so, get rich on the image of the fat, gun-toting, loud black granny.

Shonda Rhimes, the black female creator/producer of "Grey's Anatomy," has the black male character sleeping with Asian Sandra Oh (who brushes her teeth in the kitchen sink), while Chandra Wilson, the lone black actress on the show, is "the Nazi."

And MTV — whose president, Christina Norman, is a black woman — recently aired a cartoon to young Saturday morning viewers entitled "Where My Dogs At," which had black women squatting on all fours, tethered to leashes. In 2004, U.S. Army reservist Sgt. Lynndie England subjected Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib to the same denigration and was convicted and sentenced to prison. Where is the justice for black women?

Someone must speak out against this societal poison. White women aren't going to say anything because they readily benefit from negative images of black women. Many white men — media executives, and obviously some UGA frat brothers — are having too much fun and cash flow at the expense of black women's dignity and social value; and sadly, many black men are inexplicably silent, standing on the sidelines.

This year, I wrote Marc Cherry, creator of the hit show "Desperate Housewives." Normally, to see a black woman get a recurring role in the No. 1 prime-time network program would be a major coup, a step in the right direction for American media and black imagery. But alas, once again, the lone black woman — on a show that mostly deals with sexy, alluring women with kinky trysts and family matters — is portrayed as a psychopath who chains her son in the basement.

I suggest congressional hearings to effect a tangible change in the depiction of women in music videos. Black women who participate in such videos must stop; there are better, more respectful ways to gain acceptance. Black men need to step forward: Say and do something. Honor your women. Speak to young boys.

Black film and music producers need to be socially conscious and think what effect the images they set forth have on the community and the world. White media and ad executives must advance past colorism; they also need to cast black actresses and models of all hues in loving, desirable roles.

White parents need to stop teaching racist attitudes to their offspring. And UGA students need to find something else to do in the town square. Denigrating and disrespecting black women is not a sport. It's sad that members of the Chi Phi fraternity think it is.


Dr. Melody McCloud is a physician and writer living in Roswell.

Find this article at:

Atlanta Journal: Black Women Demands Respect