The way government is run nowadays, it’s not about the people, constituents or the communities being served. It’s all about the elected official and what he thinks or what the lobbyists want. There was a time when politicians actually spoke to the people that helped get them in office in order to understand and know what concerns the community has. But, it’s more apparent that it doesn’t matter what the voters think and this is troubling. Recently, there have been countless opportunities for elected officials to hear the voice of the people, yet, instead, they ignored those voices and voted or have made changes the people disagreed with.

This has to stop!

I do understand that people are skeptics when it comes to the electoral process and especially in the Black community, where the people feel they aren’t truly represented in government, even with a Black president at the helm. In fact, a lot of Blacks feels as if President Obama doesn’t care about them without them realizing that he is the president of all citizens and not just Blacks.

Read more at TheIndustryCosign

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It’s that time again!!!  Enjoy some of these posts you may have overlooked while enjoying the great content on the site!!

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Gospel Artists and Choirs To Raise Voices, Stroke Awareness

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The American Heart Association has joined with GMC, formerly the Gospel Music Channel and Music World Gospel to educate people about stroke through an online gospel singing competition.

Most Powerful Voices, held now thru February 14, is engaging independent artists and choirs to compete on behalf of the American Heart Association’s Power To End Stroke cause campaign as voters from across America get to select the winners. Competitors are required to upload a video or MP3 recording of one song by December 3. In order to move to the next round, competitors need public votes. Participating choirs and independent artists may be from a church, the military, a school or any other group and must be at least 18 years -old.

The top 40 choirs will have an opportunity to be showcased to music industry leader and entrepreneur Mathew Knowles, CEO and President of Music World Entertainment, among other judges. “It is our dream at Music World Entertainment to empower people and bring an uplifting message to the world. The partnerships with Music World Gospel, GMC and the American Heart Association’s ‘Most Powerful Voices’ competition is consistent with our mission,” said Mathew Knowles. “Gospel music is a meaningful and powerful vehicle of expression and inspiration. I am excited and look forward to meeting and hearing these individual artists and talented choirs from across the country.”

Following the judges selection of the top 20 contestants, the public will choose the winning choir and a winning independent artist who will be announced on February 14, 2011. The winners will perform at the Power Awards Show on May 6 in New York City at the Apollo Theater. The American Heart Association hosts the annual event to honor people who increase stroke awareness among African Americans.

In addition, the winners will receive:

* One song recorded by Music World Gospel for a Most Powerful Voices compilation CD and a song featured at an online retailer

* A professional coaching session from Music World Gospel artist Brian Courtney Wilson

* $5,000 worth of music equipment from Roland, manufacturer and distributer of electronic musical instruments

* $1,000 cash prize from Music World Gospel

* Recognition on GMC’s national television network

* And more!

When people register to vote or compete in the competition, they receive monthly e-newsletters from the American Heart Association’s Power To End Stroke campaign and other information to help them to reduce their risk of stroke.

Power To End Stroke reaches African Americans because of their disproportionate risks of stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause of death for all Americans, and African Americans are at increased risk due to the higher prevalence of risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and previous heart attack and/or stroke.

“Stroke is a serious issue in the African-American community,” said Dr. Rani Whitfield, a family practitioner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and American Heart Association spokesperson. “It is a leading cause of severe, long-term disability, and more than 100,000 African Americans will suffer a new or reoccurring stroke this year. That’s why it’s an important requirement of this competition to register people to receive stroke information. We need to reach as many people as possible to help them to reduce their risk and to know what to do in a stroke emergency to help improve stroke outcomes.”

“GMC’s mission is to inspire, uplift and entertain. We believe the Most Powerful Voices contest will inspire people to make positive lifestyle changes to prevent strokes and entertain them through uplifting music from outstanding independent artists and choirs across America. We are thrilled to be part of such a beneficial program to prevent strokes and showcase great artists and music,” commented Philip Manwaring, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Research, and Technology for GMC.

For more information and to register for the contest, visit http://power.gmclife.com.

About the American Stroke Association

Created in 1997 as a division of the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association works to improve stroke prevention, diagnosis and treatment to save lives from stroke — America’s No. 3 killer and a leading cause of serious disability. To do this, we fund scientific research, help people better understand and avoid stroke, encourage government support, guide healthcare professionals, and provide information to stroke survivors and their caregivers to enhance their quality of life. To learn more, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit www.strokeassociation.org.

About GMC

GMC (www.watchGMCtv.com), the fastest-growing network in television and the number one digital network in perceived value (source: BETA Research), is America’s favorite channel for uplifting music and family entertainment. Recently, The Parents Television Council(TM) awarded its Entertainment Seal of Approval(TM) to GMC for being “an authentic family-friendly cable network.” GMC is the only television network to receive the highly coveted honor in 2010. GMC can be seen in nearly 48 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.

About Music World Gospel

Music World Gospel (MWG) is the premiere faith-based record and management company under the umbrella of Music World Entertainment. Founded in 2002 by music industry leader Mathew Knowles, MWG is dedicated to developing creative and innovative approaches to producing and promoting gospel, sacred, and inspirational music worldwide. Its mission is to reach, inspire and empower a diverse audience around the globe. MWG features a roster of award-winning recording artists, joint ventures and special projects including, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Juanita Bynum, Brian Courtney Wilson, Micah Stampley, Pastor Rudy Rasmus and The ESSENCE Gospel Project.

In Trying Times, Keep Your Head Up!

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You Mean There Is Still Racism?

When did people begin acting as if racism died? Why is it that when you read the newspaper and/or watch television, people act as if Blacks and other ‘minorities’ are just plain lying when it comes to speaking on being treated differently because of their background?

People continue to deny our claims, until they see a video like the one posted on this site, Woman Caught On Tape Racially Insulting Ex-Postal Worker. This woman goes on a racial tirade against a helpless postal worker, but swears during it that she’s not a racist. I’m not shocked. It’s extremely common amongst people like her – to think that they did noting wrong – and will not be penalized for speaking and/or thinking like that.

The Omar Thornton Shootings Show Us Racism Is Here To Stay

Amazingly, many racists feel that they have the right to not only speak like this with no fear of retribution, but that they are correct in their thinking. They feel they are above the law – and since it’s against one of us – it’s their right, and as long as they aren’t too blatantly racist, everything will turn out in their favor. It’s a broken record; and what makes it even more interesting is the IQ level of racists and bigots. Well, actually, it runs across the boards because I’ve met CEO’s and Presidents of companies who were racist, but it seems as if the more ignorant ones are the ones who try to come across as being intelligent when they are just the opposite.

Ah, the daily life of a Black person living in the United States of America.

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It’s a shame that people don’t realize the daily shit we put up with when we walk into a nice department store, into the rundown grocery store,  go to work and step on public transportation. I just know there are people looking at me in a stereotypical manner because of their own ignorance. I see the way white women grab their belongings not realizing that I probably make more than them in a legitimate job. I notice the salesman watching me when I go shopping at a high end department store – wondering why I am in there – when he would have to work three weeks to make what I make in one. I notice cops pay very close attention to me and look up my license plates when they see me driving in a late model luxury car, not knowing that they have to be on the police force probably 10 years to match the salary I currently make. And the only reason I am making these types of statements is to show that it doesn’t matter what I do in life – and no matter where I work-  or what I do for work, I am still a nigger in their eyes…..

In Trying Times, Keep Your Head Up!

I’ve seen police officers harassing Blacks who happen to be standing on a corner after a party, just talking and being told to get out the area. And not being told in a respectful manner either. They have the attitude like, keep the fuck off the corner or we’ll come arrest you or even worse, do bodily harm. On the flip side, I have witnessed, outside of posh white parties, the behaviors of drunken white men, fighting in the streets and the officers just look at them, let them calm down and politely ask them to leave or even help them get in a cab.

No threats, no violence, just politeness.

Yet, as Blacks, we are taught to be very respectful of authorities because it’s an unwritten law that they have the right to treat us in any way they feel is right for them. But, in the YouTube age, camcorders, flipcams and mobile phones, there will be more exposed racism and yet, you will still see, as in the Oscar Grant case, no real penalties for the racists….

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In a recent article, Rev. Al Sharpton claimed that America is failing Black men on various levels such as education and employment.

Rev. Al Sharpton: America is failing Black men

This past Friday, we created a poll for our NewsOne readers and BlackPlanet members on this same topic. Close to 70 percent of African-Americans claimed that America is failing Black men.

Do you agree or disagree with these results?

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Atlanta (AP) — Atlanta City Councilman, Kwanza Hall and And1 streetballer, Dennis “Spyda” Chism will join the fight, this holiday season, to strike hunger and support two worthy organizations. On Wednesday, November 10, the two will greet donors as they drop off food and toys at Licquid in the Castleberry Hills area of downtown Atlanta between 4 p.m. — 8 p.m.

Actors, rappers, professional athletes and tastemakers are lending their time this holiday season to help Atlanta’s low-income families. The Pamela Mitchell Jones Foundation (PMJF) and Divva Biz in conjunction with Blessings in the Sky Foundation (BITS) is hosting the 2nd Annual Hoops4Food Celebrity Basketball Game and Food Drive-thru starting the second Wednesday in November and culminating with the celebrity basketball game on Wednesday, December 15.

1. Hoops4Food Celebrity Food Drive-Thru: Donors will drive-up to drop off nonperishable food items and unwrapped toys while being greeted by celebrity supporters. There will be complimentary food and drinks by Bang Catering with music provided by DJ Blak Magic for those supporters who want to mingle after making their donation.

Dates: Wednesdays; November 10, 17 and December 1

Time: 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Where: Licquid, 294 Walker Street, Atlanta, Ga 30313

2. Hoops4Food Celebrity Basketball Game and Food Drive: Teams will consist of celebrities and staff from Konvict Music, HAH Enterprises, Block Entertainment Atlanta radio’s Hot 107.9 Hot Shots, former And1 streetballlers (now the Get Buckets Brand Streetballers www.GetBucketsBrand.com) and a host of actors and comedians. Funds raised from this event will benefit the PMJF and BITS.

Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Adamsville Recreational Center, 3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Ga 30311

Purchase Celebrity Game tickets for only $5 at www.hoops4food.eventbrite.com or in-person at Licquid located at 294 Walker Street in Atlanta (call Licquid at 404.343.6449).

Food collected will be donated to needy families that fit the criteria of the host organizations.

PMJF Mission – The PMJF is dedicated to providing families and individuals who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases (multiple sclerosis, Parkinson, etc…) with resources and opportunities via food, financial assistance and other social services for a better quality of life. (www.pmjf.org)

BITS Mission – To restore core Family values through the development of Family activities that promote trust, bonding, and unity; to empower the youth through motivation, education, and mentorship; and to uplift the homeless and hungry by providing essential resources that no person should be forced to live without. (www.thebitsonline.org)

2009 Food Drive Recap – The PMJF Food Drive, on December 10, 2009, was a success. Dretam PR staff, family and friends showed great support for the organization’s inaugural event. We were able to provide a box of food and grocery store gift cards for two families. Special thanks to Jo Ann of the MS Society’s African Americans with MS Self-Help Group. With her assistance, we were able to locate our recipients, MS patients Linda Penn of Marietta and Marquetta Boone of Smyrna. Notorious street ball player and PMJF 2009-2010 ambassador, Dennis “Spyda” Chism (AND1 ESPN2 series), helped us to deliver the donations.

Sponsors

• Bang Catering (www.BangCatering.com)

• Quick Tattoos (www.QuickTattoos.net)

• Dada Supreme Footwear (www.dadafootwear.com)

• Get Buckets Brand (www.GetBucketsBrand.com)

• DJ Blak Magic: (www.DJBlakMagic.com)

• Converse: (www.Converse.com)

For more information and media inquiries, contact Dretam PR at 347-471-1247 or send an email to pr@dretaminc.com.

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With all the content the team here at BlackPlanet is producing, I’m sure you tend to overlook some good stories from time to time, so I’ve provided you several links from the various websites under our banner so you can get a chance to look at some of the more positive articles that have been posted in the past week.

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Sadly, there is always an issue come election time when it pertains to the black vote.

Democrats take us for granted because we traditionally lean left, so they figure we’re going to vote Democrat because we always do. The same goes for the Republican Party, who don’t mind making it known that they don’t care about our vote.

So you can now understand why we’re always the last ‘bloc’ of votes they reach out to!

In Trying Times, Keep Your Head Up!

I’ve always noticed that both parties usually wait until they have locked up other sections of voters – before they even think about coming to speak to us – and this has to stop. We have to make both political parties realize that our votes are just as important as; or even more important than the others they vie for.

Maybe we need to start our version of The Tea Party! Make enough noise to be taken serious, yet cause enough ruckus to show that we are our own movement.

Both of these parties also have to start realizing that Jesse Jackson, Russell Simmons and Al Sharpton aren’t the only Blacks to have influence over us. They are acting as if we feel that now that we have a Black president – we’re happy – and the world will continue on now, and that should NOT be the case!!!

The Omar Thornton Shootings Show Us Racism Is Here To Stay

Sadly, I have realized that amongst Blacks, we are not energized to become more involved in politics as we were when Barack Obama was running for president. We’ve probably gotten more complacent since he took office, and now is NOT the time to do so. Actually, there should be no complacency amongst us for the remainder of our time on earth!

This may be one of the compelling reasons politicians on both ends of the spectrum – have decided to wait until they lock up the ‘other’ voters – before approaching us. They feel that if they spend time with us initially, it will turn off the ‘other’ factors and it would work against them, because they didn’t make them the priority.

What, we have to do, as Black people, is become even MORE involved in politics. And we HAVE to do so NOW!

When Is The Right Time To Say ‘I Love You?’

We at NewsOne are collaborating with Black Planet to conduct poll questions three days a week. Our poll question for this past weekend focuses on the main institution in our community – our churches.

“How often do you attend church?”

Below are the results.

Poll Results

• Daily 3%
• Weekly 33%
• Monthly 13%
• Rarely or never 51%

Total Responses: 2,299

Please join our Facebook page

For the past six years, The Organic Hip Hop Conference has become a leading voice in advocating healthy living through Hip Hop culture to the South Florida community. Just as Hip Hop as a culture and movement was founded under the principle of saving the lives of the youth in the streets of the South Bronx in the 1970s, the legacy continues today, as the message of Organic Hip Hop is oriented towards setting new qualitative standards in the ways that we think, eat and act as individuals, families and communities.

Since 2004, the breadth of the conference has expanded. It began as a lecture symposium coupled with a vegetarian banquet, conscientious entertainment and cultural venders at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay. Since then, it has turned into an annual staple experience for the community filled with workshops, film screenings, award ceremonies and concerts. In recent years it has been held in key cultural South Florida locations; at the Miami Light Project’s Light Box near Wynnewood’s distinguished arts community (2008) and the historic African Cultural Arts Center in the heart of the Liberty City community (2009). The conference has attracted people of different genres who seek to promote Hip Hop as a culture and force that can positively transform lives. Past Organic Hip Hop events featured cultural and intellectual icon KRS One, Professor Griff of the famed Rap group Public Enemy, Queen Afua and Supa Nova Slom, Brother J (of X Clan), journalist Davey D, holistic dietician Dr. Laila O. Afrika and community leader Min. Rasul Muhammad.

Need To Be Stimulated? A Mind Once Stretched Is Where You Need To Be!

The 7th Annual Organic Hip Hop Conference will take place on October 29 – 30, 2010. Unlike previous conferences, it will be a part of a larger national movement of collective responsibility among artists called the MIA (Music is Alive) Campaign. Congruently, the theme of this year’s conference will be “Building a National Movement of Responsibility.” Co-sponsoring the conference will be Difference Makers, Inc. Non-Profit Organization and the FIU African and African Diaspora Studies Graduate Students Association.

Day 1 of the conference (Friday, October 29) will be held at Florida International University’s Modesto Maidique Campus. From 9 am to 3 pm, both public and private school educators are invited to partake in workshops demonstrating how to incorporate the empowering voice of Hip Hop in day to day classroom activities. Workshop instructors include Organic Hip Hop Conference co-organizer Tony Muhammad, Hip Hop Chess Federation co-founder Adisa Banjoko, national recording artist behind the “Free the Jena 6” anthem Jasiri X. Smith, MIA Campaign founder Arian Muhammad AKA Poetess and PATH (Preserving, Archiving & Teaching Hip Hop History) founder Brimstone 127.

If There Is A New Movement, It’s Here!

Workshop instructors will convene again at 7:30 pm for a panel discussion on the importance of “Building a National Movement of Responsibility” within Hip Hop. Immediately following the panel discussion there will be a live band local artist showcase featuring J Phonnix; Laguardia; Mecca AKA Grimo; Lip, Tongue and Ears founder Shamelle Jenkins; Kimani Kenyatta; Big Babatunde; Orion and Lox the Rippa. To attend please RSVP the AADS GSA by calling 305-348-4264.

Day 2 of the conference (Saturday, October 30) will be held at two locations. The first portion will be held at the historic African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Liberty City. From 10 am to 2pm, youth as well as families are invited to participate in interactive workshops oriented towards healthy eating, thinking and living. Workshop topics include “A New Diet for the Hip Hop Generation,” “Kemetic Yoga 101,” “The Value of the Spoken Word” and “Chess and the Martial Arts.”

In Trying Times, Keep Your Head Up!

On Saturday evening, MIA Campaign organizers will gather at Catalyst for a “Build Session” with Miami Hip Hop community leaders for the purpose of discussing how to develop and expand educational and cultural programs both locally and nationally. Shortly following the “Build Session” attendees will engage in games of chess, checkers and dominos while local DJs spin smooth grooves and artists display their talents open mic style.

For more info, visit www.organichiphopevent.wordpress.com.

Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat.

“They could have been saved if they had put water on it, but they didn’t do it,” Cranick told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann.

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VIDEO:

Click here to join the 2011 Black History Month contest

The twist: Dwight Eubanks is the source of the rumors. He supposedly loaned $10,000 to NeNe’s husband Gregg. NeNe only finds out about it through Kim. She confronts Gregg. He says it was only a few hundred dollars.

Kim’s lesbian relationship with DJ Tracy Young hits the tabloids and Kim herself confirms it. Kandi Burruss is befuddled that she’d use a tabloid that way. Then she asked, “How did Big Papa feel about it?”

“You’re worst than the tabloids!” Kim said, ending the conversation.

Read more at AJC

Click here to join the 2011 Black History Month contest

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The Omar Thornton Shootings Show Us Racism Is Here To Stay

If There Is A New Movement, It’s Here!

Hip Hop CAN Be Positive, Just Ask Author, Tachelle Wilkes

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SELFHATE7 (Pictured above)

browneye_sista

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The Intellects DO gather at BlackPlanet! To make it easier for you to have access and join some of the groups here, I’ve given you 5 links to active groups that want engaging conversation on various topics. Enjoy and if you know or have any groups you’d like to add to this, just leave it in the comment section.

A Think Tank for US

My Intellectual Mind

BlackPlanetRising

African American Business Network

NewsOneWashingtonWatch

The literacy and intelligence of America and the world, usually starts with books even before school is started. Many like-minded readers enjoy indulging in well-written books and like sharing the experiences of the reading with other BlackPlanet members. This is why this group, BlackPlanet Book of the Month, is worth showcasing.

Click here to see what your peers are reading and suggest a book or two as well.

Maxine Waters is still popular in her district.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Congressional ethics charges have tarnished Maxine Waters’ reputation in Washington. But in the struggling, mostly Hispanic and black neighborhoods she represents, residents still hold the 10-term Democratic congresswoman in high esteem.

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t even be in school,” Carol Jones, 51, said after finishing classes for the day at the Maxine Waters Education & Career Center, one of the institutions the congresswoman has supported during her decades in state and federal government.

“Whenever somebody is doing something good for the community, they’ll find something to make them look bad,” said Jones, who is enrolled in high-school equivalency and nursing programs at the gleaming mirrored glass and adobe building on an otherwise run-down boulevard of shops and homes. “That’s just the way the world is.”

The House ethics committee this week handed Waters three counts of alleged ethics violations, including a charge that she helped OneUnited Bank, where her husband was a stockholder and former board member, obtain $12 million in federal bailout funds in late 2008.

RELATED: U.S. Rep Maxine Waters Faces Ethics Charges

Waters has said her advocacy had been broadly aimed at minority banks and that she and her staff had not done anything improper.

Democrats fear that the accusations, along with ethics allegations against fellow Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, could cost the party votes in the November elections.

Waters’ own political prospects, however, appear little damaged.

She’s unlikely to lose many votes in her heavily Democratic district to her Republican opponent in the upcoming election, businessman Bruce Brown, whose conservative platform includes the privatization or abolition of Social Security. She captured 83 percent of the vote in winning her last election.

Waters’ district extends from the area around Los Angeles International Airport near the Pacific coast to the neighborhoods just south of central Los Angeles that erupted into violence during the 1965 Watts riots and again following the Rodney King verdict in 1992. The district has shifted from mostly black to largely Hispanic in the past decade, with Latinos making up more than half of the population, according to 2008 Census figures.

“She’s an extremely effective representative for her district,” said Raphael Sonenshein, a California State University, Fullerton political science professor. “She’s got a long train of allies and friends, and she probably has stood out as somebody who has gone to bat for people who are really disenfranchised.”

RELATED: Maxine Waters: “I’m Taking No Deals”

Even for those who acknowledge the possibility of her guilt, the jobs, schools and other assistance she’s brought to her needy community far outweigh any possible transgressions.

“I’m looking at the good she did,” said construction worker Jimmy Allen, 50, who was cycling along a sidewalk. “If this is her first little thing, it don’t add up. That don’t add up to this,” he said motioning toward the school bearing the congresswoman’s name.

Residents and community leaders rattle off Waters’ contributions to their communities and lives during her 20 years in the House and 14 years in the state Assembly.

Arturo Ybarra, executive director of the Watts Century Latino Organization, said Waters has aided his group’s efforts to increase homeownership by helping persuade banks to boost lending. She also secured money for the organization’s counseling sessions for troubled borrowers.

Ybarra praised her advocacy of a comprehensive immigration overhaul and her work as chairwoman of a House subcommittee on housing and community opportunity, sponsoring legislation that’s helped fight blight. And he was equally grateful for Waters’ regular participation in community events.

“She never misses a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Watts, unless she’s serving in Congress,” he said.

Watts resident Richard Alford, 39, said he’s sought repeated help from Waters’ office and has never been turned down.

“She’s always been accessible, and that’s refreshing,” Alford said. “That’s why people love her so much.”

He said she personally sat in on his tests and interviews years ago when he was applying for a construction training program he learned about through her office.

Her staffers were also quick to check the veracity of rumors that administrators at the housing project where he lives were disproportionately evicting African-Americans, Alford said. And when housing project administrators sought to evict his grandmother because a cousin living with her got in trouble with police, Waters staffers interceded to save her home,

Alford said he suspected that Waters’ reflexive helpfulness is what’s led to her current troubles.

“It just sounds to me like it’s Maxine being Maxine. Just trying to help somebody,” he said.

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The mass murders committed by Connecticut resident, Omar Thornton, earlier this week, were a tragedy no doubt, but they reveal what a lot of Blacks still face nowadays. Regardless of how the media, politicians and local and federal law enforcement spin it, racism is alive and well and it’s kicking as hard now as it has in the past. The difference now is that it’s masked infinitely better than it was back then. Before it was a little more blatant, but now they’ve found ways to continue the ignorance right in front of us!

When you think about it, we can only compare racism to one thing and that’s our crazy uncle. The same one no one wants to see or hear at get-together’s. At family gatherings, you try your best to make sure he isn’t invited and when you find out is, you hope he doesn’t make it. But if he does, you try to keep him away from everyone and/or handle him with kid gloves because if he starts talking, the truth about the family is revealed and you can’t shut him up; and since he’s an alcoholic, you blame everything he says on his drinking, yet you never speak on the truths he is revealing and instead sweep them under the rug.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is racism in America in a nutshell.

As a dark-skinned Black man, I experience racism daily. On the streets, in stores, on public transportation and at work. You name the place and I’ve experienced it there. There’s even bias amongst Blacks, but that’s another story for another time. If I could reveal all the instances of racism I encounter on a regular basis, I’m quite positive most Blacks would agree while whites would think I’m overreacting.

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Just pick up the paper and see how the news is reported daily and you’ll see why other races are biased against Blacks.

For example, let’s talk about former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s daughter, Caroline Giuliani. Since her shoplifting incident, she’s been treated with kid gloves, yet, several months ago, New York Governor David Paterson’s son, Alex Paterson, was detained for rolling dice and his photo was plastered across the front pages of our local TV sets and newspapers. Giuliani’s daughter? She was treated as a side note by local and national media as the store decided against pressing charges.

Another example: I go to many parties and the treatment of Black patrons at venues  that mostly cater to us are vastly different from the treatment of white patrons at venues that mostly cater to them. I’ve seen, in too many instances, how the police treat us as criminals even when we aren’t doing anything wrong. One example is when we are either entering or leaving a club and are gathered on the sidewalk. As a people, we are harassed to the point that the police officers are practically daring us to say anything that would ‘provoke’ them to arrest and/or physically remove us from where we are. Yet, I’ve seen scores of white people standing outside of a club, acting belligerent in front of the cops, and they do nothing but watch. I’ve even seen drunk, disrespectful whites yelling at police officers and all they do is tell them to calm down. No, not with Blacks, if we are on the block, we’re doing something wrong in their eyes.

I can go on and on about the blatant and hidden racism that goes on daily, but you can read between the lines when you hear justifications like the ‘Stop and Frisk’ tactics, which is a legal way to harass Blacks and Latinos. What else? How about the hiring practices at corporate companies, subpar treatment at restaurants, housing discrimination, the criminal justice system, etc. The list goes on and on.

So in the end, I ask the question: “Will racism ever go away?” In my lifetime, I doubt it. With the way all of our systems work, we will be facing racism for the next several generations….

RELATED: Caroline Giuliani Must Be Punished [OPINION]

Earlier this week, the daughter of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Caroline Giuliani, was arrested for shoplifting over a $100 worth of cosmetics from a Sephora store.

Can we say poetic justice?

As a born and bred New Yorker, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly New York City has to offer. I remember when crime was so bad that it was common for people to be robbed in the day just as much as in the night. So when the former renegade prosecutor took a stance on defeating and eliminating crime in his quest for mayor, he probably won because people had had enough of it and understandably so.

During his two terms as mayor, the still controversial ‘Stop and Frisk’ tactic used heavily and disproportionately in minority (Well, Black and Latino) neighborhoods by the NYPD was in full force. The former mayor’s reasoning was that if you stop low level crimes it will decrease the chance for those same ‘criminals’ to advance to more high level ones.

RELATED: Obama’s Racist Black Power Ice Cream

Now, his daughter, a 20 year-old Harvard student has been arrested for the petty crime of shoplifting. I’m curious to see how this case is handled by the authorities especially when if you use Rudy’s logic, she would serve jail time for her offense.

RELATED: Crackdown On Crime, Giuliani’s Daughter Arrested For Shoplifting

But of course, she doesn’t fit the profile of anyone Giuliani and his police force used to target for crimes, real and/or imagined. She comes from a privileged background and goes to an Ivy League college, so the cries of ghetto life and/or poverty will not have a seat in this situation. Yet, from my understanding, she was caught red-handed on video and arrested for her offense. But her jail time will be limited as Sephora has decided against pressing charges.

In the end, I do know that if she was a person of color, she would still be in jail and they would prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. But this isn’t the world we live in. The world we live in is one where the priveleged will be excused because of their connections. In this case, Caroline has her father to thank; the same father who took the lead in making sure the same crime she committed was dealt with in a severe manner.

But it would be silly for me to say what if Caroline was black and her father was a serviceman. How would this offense be treated?

But we all know the answer to that one.

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So, let me understand this. The NAACP’s Sacramento president, Alice Huffman, believes that marijuana should be legalized because Blacks are more likely to be arrested than whites for having the drug.

“It is time for them to stop using my community to fill the prisons,” Huffman said. “Once you get into the system, the next time you get arrested, they bump you up [to more serious charges].”

NAACP Endorses Legalizing Marijuana Due To Black Arrest Rates

OK, how about we encourage our people to stop smoking illegal drugs because it’s likely that we will get arrested for doing so? I know there are people who read this who will disagree with this statement. And on the flip side, since we are targeted more often than whites, how about, if you feel you must smoke an illegal drug, be as inconspicuous as our white counterparts, or just don’t smoke in public!

If there are other reasons or theories surrounding the NAACP’s support of legalizing marijuana, the organization needs to get it together and make a more valid argument. There are more compelling reasons than the one given above. Does this mean if Blacks are arrested more for murder than our white counterparts, should murder be legalized as well?

With the rich history of the NAACP and what the organization has done in the past, they should be held to a higher standard when it comes to defending the rights of Blacks. But if they have an initiative such as what is being proposed in Sacramento, then the relevancy of the NAACP has been diminished greatly in my eyes…

RELATED STORIES

Despite Spending $1 Trillion, The War On Drugs Has Failed

D.C. Legalizes Medical Marijuana

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• Calif NAACP to back pot legalization initiative (thegrio.com)
• NAACP Backs Pot Legalization In California (huffingtonpost.com)
• Calif NAACP to back pot legalization initiative (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Calif NAACP to back pot legalization initiative (sfgate.com)

BlackPlanet member, Rahssan, has been with the site since September 1999. Based in Atlanta, he is an entrepreneur and you can check out his profile here to find out about his business.

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