Hollywood TV Drama Pilots Getting More Diverse: Blame It On LL Cool J's Sexy Swag!

The decades-old taboo that drama series with minority leads cannot work finally might be broken.

Halfway through the castings of broadcast drama pilots this season, the top-billed actors on four pilots are non-Caucasian, with three being African American.

What's more, the four projects are among the highest-profile drama pilots this year.

The spy couple at the center of J.J. Abrams' "Undercovers" for NBC is played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe. "Undercovers," co-written by Abrams, marks his first pilot directing effort since "Lost" six years ago.

Forest Whitaker is the lead on CBS' "Criminal Minds" spinoff; Laz Alonso tops the Fox action-drama "Breakout Kings," directed and exec produced by Gavin Hood; and Freddy Rodriguez headlines CBS' CIA drama "Chaos," directed and executive produced by Brett Ratner.

Last year's crop of broadcast pilots included only one fronted by a minority actor, the LL Cool J starrer "NCIS: Los Angeles." The season before that, there were no pilots led by minorities.

While the Jimmy Smits-starring "NYPD Blue" was a breakout hit for ABC, the odds against dramas led by a minority actor historically have been long. None of the networks' attempts through the years had worked, including three shows with James Earl Jones, "Paris," "Gabriel's Fire" and "Under One Roof," and two each with Andre Braugher ("Gideon's Crossing" and "Thief") and Taye Diggs ("Kevin Hill" and "Day Break"). USA Network also tried unsuccessfully a new spin on "Kojak" with Ving Rhames as the lollipop-loving detective.

But whether it's the Obama effect or any other reason, the tide seems to have turned during the past year.

"NCIS: LA" has been a runaway success, becoming the first major hit drama series toplined by a black actor, and CBS replaced iconic "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star William Petersen with Laurence Fishburne.

And in cable, where there hadn't been a drama toplined by a black actor since the departure of HBO's "The Wire," Jada Pinkett Smith was tapped as the lead of TNT's medical drama "Hawthorne," which has been renewed for a second season.

By setting black actors as leads in its three biggest crime franchises -- "CSI" (Fishburne), "NCIS" (LL Cool J) and "Criminal Minds" (Whitaker) -- as well as shepherding the Dennis Haysbert-starring war drama "The Unit" for four seasons, CBS has been at the forefront of the trend of putting minority actors in charge of drama series.

The network is also behind two of the four drama pilots that already have tapped minority leads: the "Criminal Minds" spinoff and "Chaos."

"Diversity is top of mind for us every pilot season," CBS head of casting Peter Golden said. "It's still very early in the development process, but we're excited about diverse roles we have on the page and the performers cast for the screen."

Black comedians have a strong tradition on TV, and viewers have had no problem embracing comedy series with black leads. But dramas offer a different dynamic and require a larger degree of relatability, which makes it harder for white audiences to accept an ethnic show, TV historian Tim Brooks said.

Although Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw -- like President Obama -- are biracial, casting on the "Undercovers" leads was done color-blind, with producers looking for the actors who best fit the characters and had the best chemistry.

It was a similar situation on "Breakout Kings" and "Hawthorne," and early breakdowns had Michael Keaton and Kiefer Sutherland as prototypes for the role on the "Criminal Minds" spinoff that was offered to Whitaker.

On the other hand, "Chaos" writer Tom Spezialy created the show's lead character as Hispanic, naming him Rick Martinez.

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It Was Kumbaya Election Night 2008, Now Data Shows Blacks Not Getting Stimulus Loans

SBA Data Reflects Hispanic Small Businesses Also Shut Out In 2009!

By Aaron Glantz of New America Media

Loans handed out to struggling small businesses as part of President Barack Obama's stimulus package have largely shut out minority businesses -- especially those owned by Blacks and Latinos -- according to data provided by the federal government's Small Business Administration (SBA) to New America Media.

On June 15, the SBA, using money from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, launched the ARC program, America's Recovery Capital, giving banks and credit unions 100 percent guarantees so they're taking no risk when they make loans of up to $35,000 to previously successful, currently struggling small businesses to help them ride out the recession.

Under the program, the borrower pays no interest and makes no payments for 12 months, then has five years to repay the loan. SBA charges no fees and pays interest to the lender at prime - the rate of interest at which banks lend to favored customers - plus 2 percent.

The Obama Administration does not report the racial breakdown of who's benefiting from these loans at Recovery.gov, but data obtained by NAM from the SBA found that of the 4,497 ARC loans where the race of the borrower was reported, 4,104 (over 91 percent) went to white-owned firms, 140, (3 percent) went to Hispanic-owned businesses, and 151 (3 percent) went to Asian- or Pacific Islander-owned businesses. Only 65, (1.5 percent) went to black-owned firms.

Overall, white-owned businesses received over $130 million in loans through the program, while Hispanic-owned businesses got $4 million and black-owned businesses less than $2 million.

In five states - Alabama, Arkansas, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Wyoming -- every single firm that received an ARC loan was white-owned. In eight other states, including Louisiana and Nevada, all but one loan went to a white-owned firm.

Story continues ...

STOP SAYING NBC STANDS FOR NOTHING BUT CAUCASIAN, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!

NBC's 2009 Fall TV Season Promo.

THOUGHTS???

Segregated LA Radio Hosts, The Glenn Beck Boycott & Non Urban Dictates!

Talk Radio’s Unpatriotic Airwaves

By Kevin Ross

On KRLA AM 870, a Salem Network talk station broadcasting from Glendale, the day kicks off with Bill Bennett, followed by Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, and Dennis Miller. Kevin James rounds out the evening.

Aside from the fact that each of these individuals is unabashedly conservative, they also have something else in common. All of them are men. White men!

Switch over to Southern California’s number one talk station, powerhouse KFI AM 640, and the Monday through Friday line-up is slightly more “balanced”. George Noury begins at midnight. Next up is Bill Handel’s morning drive, then the political musings of Rush Limbaugh. John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou pick up the torch during afternoon drive before former MTV personality Kennedy and Brian Suits close it out.

Although all the personalities are Caucasian, only one woman - Kennedy - is prominently featured on the roster. The no-nonsense advice from Dr. Laura Schlesinger is gone after nearly two decades.


Travel across town to rival KABC AM 790 and you’ll find the L.A. station that invented the all-talk radio format almost fifty years ago also has a white male weekday lead host in every one of its time slots. This is a far cry from when Joe Ortiz in 1971 became the first Mexican American in US history to conduct a talk show on an English-language, commercial radio station on KABC.

Up until last year, The Citadel owned outlet was home to nationally syndicated host Larry Elder.

Known as the “Sage of South Central”, Elder’s conservative Libertarian opinions were espoused three and sometimes four hours a day on the station for 15 years. In fact KABC, which also owned KMPC AM 710 The Zone before it became Radio Disney and later ESPN, had at one point six black talk show hosts on two stations as part of its line-up in the late 90’s.

Elder was among them. He was not only the most successful, but also the most controversial for what many believed were “anti-black” views.
For now, however, only civil rights attorney Leo Terrell is on the air at KABC. His show relegated to Sunday evenings. KFI has African American financial advisor Charles Payne, from 2-4 on Saturdays. Other people of color need not apply.

ALL WHITE, ALL THE TIME

This "preference for white" in Los Angeles, the second largest media market in the country behind New York, is nothing new. With Elder’s continued absence, however, the racial disparities now go beyond jarring. Of the five remaining talk outlets, not one has a Native American, Latino, or African American holding court on the dial during the week.

In fact, all the data suggests that not one Asian has EVER regularly hosted a talk show on an English-language station in Southern California.

Up until very recently this year, there were 46 individuals being given incredible opportunities to make hordes of cash and hold sway over public opinions on the issues facing the nation.


Of the cast of characters, 37 were white men, mostly over 40, and frequently accused of demagoguery. White women make up the rest, equally split in terms of their political ideology and two not sharing top billing with their male co-host.
The CBS owned KLSX 97.1 was on the FM dial. Also lacking in the diversity area, that station is officially dead, having been replaced with Top 40, which ironically, is very diverse.

When President Barack Obama talked about change coming to America on the campaign trial, was this one of the examples he was referring to?

Most answers come hastily with a resounding yes.

But this issue is not just a West Coast phenomenon. Across the country, public financed and privately held stations are banishing minorities to the unemployment line in favor of nationally syndicated hosts like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.

According to the blog Urban Radio Nation, the only black talk radio stations in the United States are WVON Chicago; WURD Philadelphia; CBS Radio's WAOK in Atlanta and Radio One's WOL in DC, WOLB in Baltimore and WERE in Cleveland.

Journalist Michael Meyers, Executive Director of the New York Civil Rights Coalition, actually began tabulating and analyzing radio stations' managers' responses to an employment survey of non-white talk show hosts in the Big Apple eight years ago. "The facts are that AM Talk radio stations all around the country have and continue to broadcast only whites," asserted Meyers.

"The results of the survey surprised us," he continued, "because of the stated and/or assumed emphasis on diversity in other media such as TV and newspapers. There are, for example, non-white journalists, columnists and editorial staff/ board members at every daily newspaper in New York; and there are non-white talk show hosts, anchors, and commentators on TV.”

Well, that was until the Tribune’s, McClatchy’s and News Corps’ started letting these individuals go as they attempt to weather bankruptcy, or write-downs of $21.7 million and $6.4 billion respectively.

Is it any wonder then that Meyers’ findings continue to fall on deaf ears? Flagrant discrimination based on race on the airwaves still exists even as America pats itself on the back for electing the nation’s first African American president.

Moreover, on-air diversity is actually receding, with many in the industry concluding that it doesn't matter if the ring leader rocking the microphone is of the same gender and race time and time again.

But others are now pointing to signs that terrestrial radio’s undisputed reign may be waning, especially in a fast-changing world full of rivals like iPods, satellite radio and ever burgeoning Internet radio outlets such as Blogtalkradio.

BLAME IT ON THE ECONOMY

Per 2008 revenues, terrestrial radio is a $15 billion dollar a year hustle. And yet for many, radio is a bad business to be in right now. The industry has suffered its worst decline since 1954, its eighth consecutive “struggling” year.

ABC News puts it all in context. “The radio industry, just like newspapers and books and other forms of media, is facing an unprecedented financial crunch. Radio advertising revenue dropped by 9 percent in the third quarter of 2008 compared with the same period in the previous year, and many radio companies are saddled with huge amounts of debt.

As a result, more stations are turning to syndicated programming. Radio stations typically can broadcast syndicated shows at no cost; they just have to allow a distributor to sell some of the commercials on the show. In some cases, it's cheaper for a station to air syndicated programming than to hire a local talk show host.”

That may be a wise strategy, but a heavy focus on national shows creates another problem: The next generation of on-air personalities won't have the opportunity to learn their craft at radio stations if there are no on-air shifts for them to take.

Media giant Clear Channel Communications, which owns more than 1,200 US radio stations including KFI, is actually down-sizing.

The company recently laid-off 9 percent of its employees. Of those 1,850 workers, comprised of radio personalities and executives, few will be able to find jobs in an industry that will likely see even deeper cuts unless the economy rebounds by the third quarter of 2009.

At a 52-week high of $25.69, Clear Channel’s shares are currently hovering around $5.00 and there are whispers that the mega-conglomerate is headed for bankruptcy.

Other radio stocks are also performing horribly. Regent Communications sank 94% to 9 cents last year, and Citadel dropped 92% to 16 cents a share (currently it’s at 6 cents). According to Reuters, the rest of the carnage looks like this: Emmis Communications down 91%, Entercom off 90%, Salem Communications down 89%, Radio One off 81%, Cumulus Media down 79%, Saga Communications down 72%, Beasley Broadcast off 64% and Cox Radio down 51%.

Then there's the matter of precedent. Radio stations have never really embraced diversity. And without much sustained outcry from civil rights groups or the Federal Communications Commission, these outlets have absolutely no incentive to do so now.

In California, for instance, Tavis Smiley is the only minority in the state with an English language nationally syndicated talk radio show. Smiley, a popular African American author and PBS television personality who is also a KABC alum, lives in Los Angeles along with his contemporaries such as CNN’s Larry King, formerly of KGIL, and Adam Corolla, formally of KLSX, who is now podcasting via the Web. Despite the odds, Smiley broke through and is succeeding with aplomb.

This racial gerrymandering is not simply limited to on-air talent. The only discernible nonwhite employees in KFI’s news department, judging by the station’s web page, are Asian anchor Ginger Chan and Latina Editor Karla Marquez.

The rest of the 15 member crew is completely white, with 6 of them being female. While producer Ray Lopez of the John and Ken show is Latino, there are likely few, if any, other minority producers employed. Veteran radio talent Mark Austin Thomas, who is African American, was recently added to helm the on-air news department at KABC.

For most, particularly women of color, the glass ceiling is showing no signs of breaking. The recent cancellation of LA based NPR’s News & Notes with Farai Chideya (a black female national host) due to financial constraints was one small crack that was quickly sealed.

That leaves Dominique DiPrima of the Stevie Wonder owned Adult Contemporary station 102.3 FM KJLH. DiPrima offers up daily talk from 4:30-6:00 am before the all music format kicks in. Although with a much more limited reach, Bobbi Howe at 1460 AM KTYM also has a daily program on the gospel station.

With that being as good as it gets, is it any wonder why the political commentary or pop culture discussions that play out on cable news or the Sunday political shows tend to only reflect the views of a segment of the majority?

Could this further explain the recent controversy over BMW automotive company’s 'Non Urban Dictate' policy? Sure, there may be legitimate reasons for businesses not using print or electronic “urban” media outlets. It may be that Blacks don't index high in certain categories or that a company's strategy is to market to this niche down the road after they have established a strong position in their primary target.

But, NUD usually means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. And much of this could be attributable to the media entities themselves.

DON IMUS WAS GONE… AND THEN POOF, HE WAS THERE AGAIN

When acerbic radio personality Don Imus created the “nappy-headed ho’” firestorm after his 2007 comments about Rutgers women’s basketball team sparked universal outrage, mainstream media was suddenly looking for insight from self-appointed and elected black leaders. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, who himself has a syndicated program, mentioned that political talk shows don't have minorities as their main hosts, (para) "It's all white… all night."

Those partial comments came on the heels of MSNBC snatching Imus from his morning cable show and then teeing up possible replacements. As J.C “Fanz23” Lewis, Jr of the Black conservative blog “Keeping it Right” pointed out, KABC’s Elder was given the opportunity to "tryout" for a week. Afterwards, no other African American was afforded the courtesy of auditioning to be a talking head. Not one.

Ultimately congressman turned media personality Joe Scarborough got the gig (along with Bill O’Reilly’s old slot on KABC) and black screenwriter John Riley became part of the morning team briefly before quickly fading off the scene.

As for Imus, he was back on the air after a year with an undisclosed financial settlement from CBS. KABC is the current radio home for the cantankerous sexagenarian, who has seen his clout and his national ratings only slightly diminish since the incident and is currently being courted by the struggling Fox Business Channel to return with his cable broadcast.

The upside is Imus now has two African American as part of his morning crew. Bravo, considering in all likelihood they would be collecting unemployment benefits alongside other black hosts who know first-hand how tough it is to land a gig in the current climate.

Even at stations where non-whites are employed as talk show hosts, tokenism seems to triumph. Meyers reports states, “There may be ‘a’ black talk show host, but seldom blacks, and Latinos, and Asians among the talk show host line-ups on the stations that broadcast all-day and into the night and even into the wee hours of the morning. Whether commercially-sponsored or listener, corporate funded, these AM radio stations possibly perceive minority talk show hosts either as hard to find or not available-- or as not "as qualified" or "as entertaining" as the Caucasians they consistently employ.”

Maybe we’re overlooking a major issue. Could it be because high ratings the stations are receiving implementing this policy that justifies the status quo?

According to figures based on the Arbitron survey of listeners from June 25 through July 22, talk station KFI-AM (640) slipped from 4.6% to 4.4% and tied for second.

So there you have it.

Well, not so fast. While KFI consistently finishes far ahead of most formats, its talk rival’s numbers tell a different story. KABC-AM (790) tied for 25th, with a 1.5% audience share, while KRLA-AM (870) was 36th, KTLK-AM (1150) was 41st and KGIL-AM (1260) was 50th. This effective use of non-people of color explains why KGIL station management finally let the station flatline, immediately replacing it with a music format effective August 28.

And CBS Radio has just announced that news station KFWB will turn to a talk format come Sept. 8, recycling Schlessinger and Fox News Channel fill-in yakker Laura Ingraham, as well as adding yet another white male outside the state, Philadelphia’s Michael Smerconish.

This of course all makes sense. It’s the same argument being advanced in sports talk, where athletes of color in fields including basketball, football, baseball and soccer take center stage. For better or worse, these shows talk about these athletes, but rarely are minorities leading the discussion.

Two notable exceptions are The Michael Irvin Show, hosted by the former Dallas Cowboy star, and The 2 Live Stews, featuring Doug and Ryan Stewart. Both are intent on muscling their way onto the scene with impressive results. But these developments may not do enough to placate talk radio junkies fired up with “Yes We Can” audacity.

And their discontent will only become increasingly impolite as the simmering battle playing out between President Barack Obama and Limbaugh, gathers steam.

FAIRNESS DOCTRINE 2.0

Radio personality Bill Press has opined that the ongoing Commander in Chief versus the King of Talk slugfest is Exhibit A why Congress should re-enact the Fairness Doctrine, the federal ruling to insure that different voices are able to speak with equal force and influence on matters of public discourse. Having recently lost his syndicated spot on OBAMA AM 1260 AM in Washington D.C., here’s a recent exchange between Press and US Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI):

PRESS: Yeah, I mean, look: They have a right to say that. They’ve got a right to express that. But, they should not be the only voices heard. So, is it time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine?

STABENOW: I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else — I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency. You know, that we all have to step up and be responsible. And, I think in this case, there needs to be some accountability and standards put in place.

PRESS: Can we count on you to push for some hearings in the United States Senate this year, to bring these owners in and hold them accountable?

STABENOW: I have already had some discussions with colleagues and, you know, I feel like that’s gonna happen. Yep.

Locally, Press broadcasts on KTLK AM 1150 with comedian Stephanie Miller, Randy Rhodes, and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. The Clear Channel station - to their credit - has the most women on the L.A. airwaves. And we’re not talking sidekicks.

And yet KTLK’s “left leaning” ideology doesn’t square up with their hosts daily diatribes about how the Republican Party is this “bastion of out-of-touch white men”. Guess what? Everyone at KTLK Monday through Friday is also white. Public radio stations 89.9 FM KCRW and 90.7 FM KPFK, with their progressive mantras, are also woefully lacking.

So for all the hand-wringing Press engages in over the Fairness Doctrine, his angst completely obfuscates the issue that even “liberal” talk outlets can’t reconcile.
Rush Limbaugh’s assertion that traditional radio should not be regulated is actually a sound argument.

The Fairness Doctrine would negatively impact an already challenged industry in tuned to what its audience wants. The real issue is one of opportunities missed, and industry leaders having enough foresight and introspection to not only say “What are we doing?” but “Why are we continuing to do it?”

Look at Sirius XM, a satellite company whose stock was trading at 8 cents. Now up to a whopping 65 cents a share as they continue to hemorrhage money and subscribers, what will this mean for the likes of Oprah Winfrey and friends and other shows featuring minorities? Don't look to the NAACP, in the midst of their centennial celebration, for answers.

Even Radio One, the largest radio broadcast company targeting African Americans and urban listeners, had to dropped Reverend Al Sharpton and Warren Ballentine from their roster earlier this year as they had no other option but to pair down.

Within the last 21 months, Radio One has gone from owning 70 stations in 22 markets, to 52 in 16 markets. Right now, their previously announced 2009 annual shareholders’ meeting, scheduled for September 17, 2009, has been delayed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission so that the company actively fighting against the controversial “Performance Tax” could adequately respond to questions from the SEC.

INTERNET RADIO TO THE RESCUE

No wonder bloggers, and specifically the black blogosphere, have become the go-to folks for bringing issues such as these to the forefront. And for many, sites like Blogtalkradio are assisting in that effort.

One of several online stations that have come on the scene in the last few years, Blogtalkradio allows anyone with a phone and a computer to host and podcast their own Internet radio program for free.

Last year the social networking site saw exponential growth with hundreds of hosts from all racial and ethnic groups. In November 2008, some 3.8 million listeners tuned in to Blogtalkradio, nearly 750,000 or 16% of which were African-American alone. These folks clearly have something to say and are finding an audience, albeit small, eager to hear it.

Obviously, however, these hosts are playing in the minors while superstars like Limbaugh reign supreme in the big league.

"I have a very simple philosophy ... put the very best product you can on the air, regardless of origin," says Gabe Hobbs, a senior vice president for programming at Clear Channel for twenty-five years.

Hobbs was among those recently laid off at the San Antonio, TX based company as a result of low ad sales.

In 2010, blacks are estimated to spend $1 trillion dollars. Hispanics are on tap to exceed $1.2 trillion by 2011. Both groups listen to talk, yet unanswered text messages to radio execs are saying loud and clear, “I’m just not into you.”

“These hiring authorities, in contrast to their reputations for being visionaries and innovative programmers, don't appear to be as either visionary or innovative; but, rather, they seem awkward or clueless, oblivious or insensitive about their responsibility for inclusive hiring. This lack of inclusiveness appears to be a failure of leadership rather than as outright racism or the intentional exclusion of minorities,” says Meyers.

Meyers goes on to point out that the widely-held perception that mainstream, majority-owned AM Talk Radio stations are broadcasting mostly or only Caucasian talk show hosts daily is accurate.

“This is a problem of defacto racial segregation that is both easily recognizable and easily fixed. It is a challenge to the stations' executives-- people of good-will, to a person, we are sure-- for prompt, corrective action,” Meyers concludes.

These were the identical words he used in 2000. Eight years later, News/Talk became the number one format in terrestrial radio. Meanwhile, former KGIL host Glenn Beck manages to take to the mic daily despite advertisers scurrying away from his astringent cable television show in droves.

So while the vitriol toward Congress to have music artists paid royalties by radio stations plays out, media companies through their actions are sending a clear message: they are committed to apartheid on the public airways.

As one Hispanic group lamented, “There is absolutely no ethnic or racial balance in KABC programming and they have no Mexican-American or other Latino talk hosts.”

The words were uttered back in 2006. And yet during this same time period, the US Census Bureau was reporting that White Americans made up only 48.7% of the total population. While Blacks comprise 9.9%, American Indians 0.5% and Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans made up 10.8%, Latinos accounted for a whopping 31.1%

Sound check one-two, one-two! Is this thing on?

There’s a saying that goes “I can’t hear you, because your actions are speaking too loudly.” Well, for companies under the control of the FCC such as Cumulus, Westwood One, Citadel, CBS, Premiere, Cox, Salem and Clear Channel, the silence of minority voices is most certainly not golden. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

To the point now where… it’s deafening.

Kevin Ross is president and CEO of strategic marketing firm 3BAAS Media Group. A former talent on KABC, he currently hosts his own show on Blogtalkradio. This updated version of the story was originally posted earlier this year.

California Budget Crisis Means No College For Many, Those Hardest Hit Will Likely Be Black & Latino Students

NO SCHOOL, NO PEACE?

In a move to cut enrollment because of California's budget deficit, the 23-campus Cal State University system announced it will not allow students to start at the university next spring.

Cal State usually admits about 35,000 freshmen, undergraduate transfers and graduate students in the spring, officials said.

Since most students of color tend to matriculate through the Cal State system as opposed to campuses such as Berkley, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara, this will prove to be devastating for many pursuing their educational dreams.

Making it even tougher for potential mid-year starters, the seven Cal State campuses on the quarter system or with a winter term stopped taking applications last week for first-time winter enrollment. So, any slow-moving potential applicant for the 2009-10 school year is now out of luck, except in those cases where Cal States maintain spring transfer agreements with community colleges, said spokeswoman Claudia Keith.

"We are looking at any way we can to reduce enrollment," Keith said. She said administrators hope to cut Cal State’s overall enrollment of 450,000 students by 40,000 over the next two years as a way to cope with a shortfall in state funding.

While some exceptions will be made in unique circumstances, many are not keeping their hopes up that the situation will ultimately work in their favor -- particularly with the state issuing IOU's as this devastating news was being disseminated.

Cal State system chancellor Charles B. Reed said this week he would seek an additional student fee hike of 15% to 20% for this fall on top of a 10% increase already approved. The Cal State Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote later this month on the extra fee hike and other austerity measures such as a two-day-a-month furlough plan for university employees.

Source

With Patti Solis Doyle Now On Team Barack, Expect More Women And Latinos To Fall In Line

McCain Is Going To Need More Than Fiorino

Signs are beginning to indicate that many women voters who had supported Hillary Clinton's presidential quest are more quickly and willingly lining up behind Barack Obama than many analysts had anticipated.

And one conversion is bound to get a lot of attention -- the Obama campaign has announced that additions to its staff include Patti Solis Doyle, who for more than a year with undying loyalty managed Hillary Clinton's much criticized campaign bid.

While her signing on with Obama had been rumored for weeks, it's now official. Doyle will serve as chief of staff to his eventual vice presidential pick.

BREAKING: GORE TO ENDORSE OBAMA!!!!!!!

Jettisoned from Hillary's team during Barack's February streak of caucus and primary wins, Doyle she was singled out for much of the blame for a campaign that had not maximized Clinton's strengths in the race's early stages and then was seriously was short on cash during the Obama surge. Last week, the New York Times reported that since Doyle's departure, she and Clinton had not spoken.

Also on the list of new hires by Obama is another woman well-known within political circles: Stephanie Cutter, who served as head of communications for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.

Cutter has been assigned to what could prove an especially challenging position -- chief of staff for Michelle Obama, expected to be the target of intensifying attacks from some conservatives.

Meanwhile, other than Democratic turncoat Joe Liebermen, John McCain's only sign of moving away from the dour, institutional WASP set is former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorino. Where are the brothers, the Latinos, the Asian women (other then Mr. Maulkin's baby mama Michelle) when it comes to signing the praises of the man I voted for in the California primary.

With comments like those coming from the political mainstays like Armstrong Williams and former Congressman J.C. Watts, this is not a good look for the GOP.

Michael Steele, former Lt. Govenor of Maryland, you're on your own Black man!

For Those Who Even Get To College, Graduation Is Tough For African American And Latino Students

Acceptance into San Jose State University turned Joel Bridgeman and Anwar Estelle into instant neighborhood heroes. Few from the bleak Richmond streets make it to college. It meant never having to sweep the parking lot of Burger King again.

But the reality of college hit hard. Upon arrival, they needed remedial courses. Financial aid fell through. Their families couldn't help. And hardly anyone on campus looked like them.

"It's demoralizing when you get here and you're starting off behind," Bridgeman said. "You think: Maybe I'm not as smart as I thought."

Much of the debate over the achievement gap has focused on helping African-American and Latino students graduate from high school and get into college. But the sobering reality is that the gap persists even there.

Bridgeman and Estelle prevailed and will celebrate at Saturday's graduation.

According to the Washington D.C.-based non-profit the Education Trust, nationally, the graduation rate is 53 percent; in contrast, the graduation rate of what schools call "underrepresented minorities" - blacks, Latinos and American Indians - is 45 percent. The gap has narrowed slightly in recent years - in 2002, only 42 percent of such students graduated.

A university is designed to be a meritocracy, admitting the best and brightest. In fact, it reinforces many of the advantages of birth - with success based on strong preparation, financial support and educated parents who hold high standards and expect disciplined effort.

For Bridgeman and Estelle, both 24, their poor preparation made them question whether they belonged. "You come out of high school thinking you're one of the smart kids and a good student - and then you realize that your high school sucked," Bridgeman said. "You're wondering: Can I really make it through college?"

Adding to the stress, most must also work. Estelle, a business administration major, woke at 5:40 a.m. for his on-campus administrative job, ate lunch, then worked at a Verizon cell phone store until 10 p.m. He once fell asleep during a statistics exam.

Not everyone makes it, he noted, because it requires a strong work ethic. "Some people are lazy," he said. "If your story ain't that bad, you got no excuse."

Studies have found that there's not enough financial aid for low-income students. When it's available, many students find the deadlines and paperwork too daunting. Part-time work - needed to pay rent and food - disqualifies some from tuition grants. Others are scared to take on large loans.

After a while, quitting seemed like the most logical thing to do.

"What we've learned is that it is crucial, especially during the first year, to connect on campus. It makes you feel part of a larger community," said Jeff Towey, a mentor at the Making Waves Education Program in Richmond.

For Bridgeman and Estelle, once classes were over, "We'd sit around and smoke cigars - same spot, every day - and talk about college stuff." If Estelle hadn't read a book for class, Bridgeman summarized it for him.

When Bridgeman's financial aid fell through, he slept on Estelle's sofa and cut hair in dormitories for $7 a person - and kept going to class. They both came close to dropping out. Sophomore year, Estelle walked into San Jose State's administrative offices to get permission and was rebuffed. "I guess she thought if I was stupid enough to ask, she'd just say, 'No,' " he recalled, laughing.

Bridgeman thought about it, too. But he reconsidered when his mentor, African-American studies Professor Stephen Millner, asked: "If you don't make it, what message does it give to all the other kids in your neighborhood?"

Membership in the black fraternity Iota Phi Theta during their junior year provided role models - and fun.

Frat brothers bonded during percussive dance "step shows," traveling to other schools for competitions. But on the way home, they studied. The startling 90 percent graduation rate of the small fraternity is triple the 30 percent rate of the school's overall African-American population.

Without the fraternity, Estelle said, "I definitely wouldn't have stayed. I'd be long gone."

From there, doors opened to new opportunities. Bridgeman, a political science major, landed an internship at the U.S. House of Representatives.

Together, Estelle and Bridgeman sponsored a fraternity-based "shadow day" for 25 black high school boys to accompany them on campus.

And last fall, the friends gathered new freshmen in a room, fed them pizza and offered advice."We say: 'Don't be a statistic,' " Bridgeman said. "If we did it, they can." Full story

Come To Papi! Nikki Dubose IS The Next Brazilian Bombshell!!!

This Brazilian model’s tigress stare and sea blue eyes are giving Adriana Lima a run for her money. Her name is Nikki Dubose, and she is quickly making her way to the top of the modeling world.

The 23-year-old is the latest modelo for designer brands like True Religion and Juicy Couture. .

She has managed to grab our attention, but do you think she topples over the long list of Brazilian bombshells? [Lossip]

Introducing Jennifer Lopez and Twins Max & Emme Anthony

J-Lo Sure Is Working That Whole Mommy Thing!

Looks Like Marc Anthony Wants In As Well!

Black Folks Are Dying At The Hands Of Latino Gangs And Many Believe This Ain't A Coincidence!

What Can Be Done To Stop The Murder Spree?

Several Los Angeles neighborhoods are experiencing a spate of gang violence.

In the last two weeks, police engaged in a gunbattle with a carload of alleged gang members after a man was shot as he walked with a child; eight people — five of them children — were wounded when a man fired into a crowd near a bus stop; and a 6-year-old boy was shot in the head and critically wounded while riding in a car with his family.

Jamiel Shaw's "18-year plan" for his son was beautifully simple: stay in school, make the grades, stay out of trouble and go off to a college far away from their gang-infested neighborhood.

BREAKING NEWS: GANG MEMBER ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF JAMIEL SHAW

THe plan was working to perfection. Two months past his 17th birthday, Jamiel Shaw Jr. had stayed out of gangs, was a solid student and standout athlete. An ultra-quick running back who led his high school's football team to a Southern League title, he was attracting scholarship attention from Stanford, Rutgers and other schools.

Last Sunday, Jamiel Jr. was shot Sunday night on a sidewalk just a few doors from home, close enough for Jamiel Sr. to hear the gunfire. He ran outside and found his mortally wounded son in a pool of blood.

Jamiel, who was black, was killed by Hispanic gang members who asked him what gang he belonged to, then shot him when he didn't answer, police and witnesses said. No arrests have been made. The 6-year-old boy shot in his family's car also is black. Two men, both Hispanic, have been arrested. Witnesses said the assailants flashed gang signs before opening fire.

Police Chief William Bratton acknowledged the spike in gang crime and said he's responding the same way he did in 2002, the last time there was such violence. He's "putting cops on the dots" — meaning flooding crime hot spots with officers. Los Angeles has recorded 74 homicides this year, a 27 percent increase from the same time last year. Still, Bratton said overall crime is down, as are gang-related homicides — from 28 last year to 22 so far this year.

Bratton described the area where the 6-year-old was shot as "under the influence of a Latino gang" but rejected the idea that the recent violence is racially motivated.

He said hate crimes would be prosecuted if evidence suggests race was a component. But he bristled at a news conference Wednesday when asked if recent shootings were indicative of wider racial problems.

"There are several, unfortunately, among you who every time we have one of these incidents want to make more out of it than it is," Bratton said.

Hispanics constitute about half of Los Angeles' nearly 4 million residents. As the population has surged, Latinos have moved into traditionally black neighborhoods, sometimes creating tension.

Joe Hicks, vice president of Community Advocates Inc. and former executive director of the city's Human Relations Commission, said race is one part of the complex gang problem. "There seems to be some reticence to talk about what is taking place," Hicks said. "There certainly appears to be a racialized component."

"We are so occupied with this black-and-brown crap that nobody is dealing with the gangs," Jamiel's father said. "We don't have no problem with black and brown. What we've got to do is focus our attention on the gangs."

Latino Gang Snuffs Out The Life Of Jamiel Shaw Jr., A Promising 17-Year-Old Black High School Football Player Who's Momma Is Fighting In Iraq

Popular Teens Heartbroken Family Pleads For Killers To Step Up

Jamiel Shaw was gunned down less than three blocks away from his home last Sunday. On his way home from a date, the 17-year-old football player had a bright future ahead of him. Top schools such as Stanford University was just one of the colleges trying to recruit him.

Jamiel Shaw Jr. dedicated his life to the game of football and to his grades. He was a very good student and had all the makings of a success story. The senior at Los Angeles High School was a good student and star football player who had multiple colleges interested in bringing him into their football programs. Last season he earned Best Athlete of the Year honors at LA High School and was deemed their most valuable player.

His mother, Anita May Shaw, is a sergeant in the army serving her second tour of duty in Iraq."They killed him while his mother is in Iraq, fighting, dodging bullets, and she gets a phone call saying her son is on the streets of L.A. dead ... for what?" said Jamiel Shaw, the victim's father.

Authorities say just before 9 p.m., Hispanic gang members walked up to Shaw while he was less than three blocks from his home on 5th Ave. in Arlington Heights, and shot him dead.

"He did everything we asked of him," said Shaw's father. "It's not right. We don't know what to do now. This is who we were living for."

Police are deducing that gang members asked Shaw if he belonged to a gang, and shot him even though he answered no. "This is brutal. It's a brutal, senseless act of violence," said LAPD Detective Frank Carillo. "The victim was not a gang member, and unfortunately it's not uncommon in L.A. that we have some gang members approaching victims at random just to see if they are or are not [gang members] -- but to shoot him anyway? That's just disgusting."
Authorities are asking for the public's help.

If you have information related to this case, you are asked to call the LAPD at (877) LAW-FULL (529-3855). The Latino & African American Leadership Alliance co-chaired by community activists Najee Ali and Christine Chavez will sponsor a candlelight vigil in memory of Jameil Shaw on Tuesday March 4th 2008 at 6pm. The location will be 2136 5th Avenue in Los Angeles, the scene of the murder.

Contact: Najee Ali (323) 350 1065

BREAKING NEWS: JENNIFER LOPEZ FINALLY DELIVERS THOSE TWINS!

Look Out Hollywood, There's A New Mommy In Town

It's two, two, two treats in one for Jennifer Lopez and hubby Marc Anthony: They're the proud new parents of a muchacho and muchacha, Lopez's manager confirms.

They're the first children for Lopez, 38, and the fourth and fifth for Anthony, 39. The couple celebrated the impending births with a baby shower in New York on Jan. 19. "They were just beaming the entire time," said one partygoer.

The babies were born early Friday in Long Island, N.Y. The girl was born at 12:12 a.m. and weighed 5 lbs. 7 oz., and the boy followed at 12:23 a.m., weighing 6 lbs.

Lopez announced her pregnancy Nov. 8, telling the crowd during her final Miami concert: "Marc and I are expecting a baby!" The news of twins was finally confirmed by Lopez's dad earlier this month, in an interview on Spanish-language television.

Will we see Jenny from the block still out an about doing her thing like back in the day? Don't count on it, at least anytime soon. "Once I did the tour," J-Lo said, "I really just wanted to shut it down, and since then I've had to do three things, including a video. It may not sound like a lot, but you know, as this point, any woman can sympathize. It is a lot. I was ready just to sit."

Do Not Make Michael Jackson Angry, You Won't Like Him When He's Angry!

Billboard Refuses To Put "Thriller" On It's Charts
Postpartum Seen More In Black & Low-Income Moms
Don't Trip, Michelle Obama's Proud of America
Grammy Win Pumps Sales for Herbie Hancock

President Bush Confirms No New Bases in Africa

SNL Looking For The Best "Fake Obama"

Barack Applauded... For Wiping His Nose Snot?

Shaq & Kobe Reunite and Guess Who Brings The Pain

Blacks & Latinos In Danger of Falling Out Middle Class

Tiger Woods Is A Miracle Worker, Seriously!

Watch Out Black People, U.S. Hispanic Population To Triple By 2050

Where The White Folks At


America's population is expected to soar to 438 million by 2050, with Latinos tripling their numbers, The latest projections by the Pew Research Center are higher than government estimates to date and paint a portrait of an America dramatically different from today's.

The projected growth in the U.S. population — 303 million today — will be driven primarily by immigration among all groups except the elderly. Whites are expected to see their numbers drop an astounding 20%. Check out all the numbers under the hood.

NATION'S CHANGING MAKEUP
How components of the U.S. population are projected to change by 2050:

Racial/ethnic groups
2005 versus 2050

Foreign-born
12% in 2005 / 19% in 2050

White*
67% in 2005 / 47% in 2050

Hispanic
14% in 2005 / 29% in 2050

Black*
13% in 2005 / 13% in 2050

Asian*
5% in 2005 / 9% in 2050

Note: *=Non-HispanicAmerican Indian/Alaska Native not included

Even if immigration is limited, Hispanics' share of the population will increase because they have higher birth rates than the overall population. That's largely because Hispanic immigrants are younger than the nation's aging baby boom population. By 2030, all 79 million boomers will be at least 65 and the elderly will grow faster than any other age group. [USA Today]

Republicans Court Hispanics

John McCain's "McCain-Kennedy" bill, which was defeated last year, would have put 12 million illegal immigrants on the path to legal status. On the campaign trail, Hispanic voters have heard the presidential candidate declare illegal immigrants "are God's children, as well." He called for "love and compassion" when lambasted on illegal immigration at town-hall meetings.

Such views have provided a possible opportunity for the Republican Party to win back Hispanic voters. Hispanics constitute the fastest-growing demographic group in the U.S. The Latino vote could be decisive in large, Hispanic-heavy states like California and Texas, as well as states where Latinos are a fast-growing minority, such as Pennsylvania and Colorado.

Since the 2004 election, when President Bush garnered solid Latino support, the Republican Party has become less attractive to Hispanics.McCain could be the exception: In exit polls from the recent Florida primary, Cuban-Americans and other Hispanics favored the Arizona senator 54% to 14% over Mitt Romney.

GOP LOSING THEIR RHYTHM ON THE LATINO DANCE FLOOR

But Mr. McCain may face an obstacle in courting Hispanics. Having been blasted by Republican opponents and prominent conservative radio-talk-show hosts for sponsoring the immigration bill, Mr. McCain recently began to emphasize border security over an immigration overhaul. He may yet shift gears now that Mr. Romney, who with Mike Huckabee had shared the blessing of Republican conservatives, has pulled out of the race.

"Changing rhetoric on immigration to attract conservative voters...could come back to hurt him in a general election with Latinos," says Matt Barreto, a political-science professor at the University of Washington. "They will be asking, 'Who is the real John McCain?' It's a typical dilemma for candidates."

In an address to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, Mr. McCain made border security a clear priority. "I accept that and have I have pledged that it would be among my highest priorities to secure our borders first...and only after we achieved widespread consensus that our borders are secure, would we address other aspects of the problem in a way that defends the rule of law and does not encourage another wave of illegal immigration," he said. [Wall Street Journal]

LATINOS AND BARACK: SI SE PUEDE SENOR OBAMA???

THEY ARE FEELING THIS BROTHA, TRUST ME!

By Najee Ali

The recent false and misleading statements by Sen. Clinton and her staff who implied that Latinos will not vote for Sen. Obama because he is Black are ridiculous.

There are three African American Congress members(Diane Watson, Laura Richardson, and Maxine Waters) whose congressional districts in Los Angeles are noted for having a large population of Latino voters. These African American Congress members as well as Jan Perry, an African American L.A. City Councilmember could not retain there seat without the Latino vote.

Latino voters can’t allow the politics of fear to guide them when they cast their vote. The Clinton campaign has chosen to engage in the politics of divide and conquer. When we cast our ballots to vote we shouldn’t cast our ballot for anyone based on race whether their Latino, African American White or Asian. We have to elect someone who best serves our interests.

When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa first ran for Mayor I was one the few African American leaders who endorsed him and worked on his campaign. The majority of African American leaders endorsed and supported City Attorney James K. Hahn who grew up in our community and whose father was the legendary Supervisor Kenny Hahn. Black voters were more comfortable supporting someone whose name they knew and whose family was part of their past.

Villaraigosa was unsuccessful in his first attempt but Villaraigosa was successful on his second attempt due in part on the strength of the African American vote which helped him to become the city first Latino Mayor in over a century. African Americans and Latinos live side by side in various parts of the city. We share the same problems and concerns which include gang violence, a lack of jobs, and employment training access to quality schools and healthcare.

Black voters realized that Mayor Villaraigosa was the future and our best choice. Black voters needed to have and welcome a new friend into our community. We chose to vote our conscience and for someone we believed in the next election. Our new friend Mayor Villaraigosa is now a voice in South Los Angles and City Hall for the Black community.

On Tuesday Feb 5th, Latino voters will face a similar dilemma and challenges. Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton are well known in the Latino community. Sen. Clinton has been able to use those relationships to garner endorsements from some Latino leaders but is she the best choice for Latinos based on their needs? Sen. Clinton does not support supports driver licenses for undocumented immigrants.

Sen. Obama has a long history of working side by side in Chicago with Latino activists for social change’s.Sen Obama has stated publicly that he supports driver licenses for undocumented immigrants.

Which is why I believe he has been able to secure the vote and support of influential Latino leaders such as Congressman Xavier Becerra, State Sen. Gil Cedillo and State Sen. Gloria Romero. Undocumented immigrants who qualify should be able to drive legally to the store, work, parks, school, and the doctor’s office or anywhere they choose. That should be a right for the Latino community.

The Latino community in Southern California is now faced with the same challenge that African American voters faced. Will the Latino community vote for politicians based on there name or will they vote for their future and a person that best represents there needs.

Digital Civil Rights Activist Najee Ali is co-founder of the Latino and African American Leadership Alliance.

Quickie: Jennifer Lopez Is Showing Big Time And Having A Hard Time Riding The 6 From The Block

Ike & Tina, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri, Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee. What do they all have in common with Mark Anthony and Jennifer Lopez?

Ugly cats with amazing, sexy, women on their arms. So, who did we leave off???

Between Oprah Hitting YouTube And Obama Slamming Hillary Clinton, News About Black People Is All Over The Internet

Obama: Clinton is Using Gender as a Shield

Arrest in Abuse Case at Oprah School

Speaking of Oprah, She's Expanding Via YouTube
B. Smith, 'The Black Martha Stewart'
US Treasury Secretary to Visit Africa
A&E Pulls 'Dog' Series from Schedule
Incubator Program Gives Africans Hope to Start Business
Black, Latino Teens Charged in Attack on 2 Whites
Blacks More Likely to Leave Hospital Against Advice
Da Brat Posts Bond in Assault Case
Merrill Lynch Files Suit to Block Racist Emails
Jay-Z Taking Over Sirius Radio Channel
Remnants of Atlantic Storm Drench Haiti

Latino Gangs In LA Indicted After Systematically "Cleansing" The City Of Black People

Adding To The Tension, State Alleges Racial Cleansing As Motive Behind Gang Assaults And Shootings

The Sheriff's department stats tell the violent story: 80 gang-related shootings in the past three years, including 20 murders. Now, alleged leaders and foot soldiers in the Hispanic gang Florencia 13, also called F13, are being arraigned this week on charges stemming from a pair of federal indictments that describe how the south Los Angeles Latino gang kept a tight grip on its turf by shooting members of a rival gang—and sometimes random black civilians. The "most disturbing aspect" of the federal charges was that "innocent citizens … ended up being shot simply because of the color of their skin," U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien told reporters in announcing the indictments.

No one is sure what started the war between F13 and the black gang known as the East Coast Crips in the Florence-Firestone area of L.A. County. We do know that black areas have become majority-Latino and the two gangs are rivals in the lucrative drug trade. Much of the F13 indictments lay out a conspiracy alleging that gang members controlled drug houses where they sold large amounts of cocaine, crack and methamphetamine. Some say the killings began after the Crips pulled a large drug heist against F13 several years ago.

The federal charges name 61 alleged F13 members in two indictments. The gang-violence charges came in a 53-count RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) indictment against 24 alleged gang leaders, charging them in a conspiracy to sell drugs, possess weapons illegally, and assault and kill black gang members and civilians. In the second indictment prosecutors charged the rest of the men on federal drug-distribution charges. More than 40 of the defendants pleaded not guilty at arraignments Tuesday, according to prosecutors. Michael Khouri, an attorney for Luis Aguilar, 35, says his client left the gang "several years ago" and served recently as a gang negotiator. "Mr. Aguilar will plead not guilty, and he is not guilty," says Khouri. Fifteen of the accused remain fugitives.

The indictments provide a telling snapshot of the changing nature of gangs in south L.A. According to federal prosecutors, F13 has grown into a tightly controlled gang of 2,000 members in 30 cliques led by convicts and parolees who are members of the prison-based Mexican mafia. It's a far cry from the '80s, when the black drug gangs, including the Crips and the Bloods, predominated, mining the crack epidemic with ruthless efficiency. Compared with looser Latino gangs that were seen as turf-conscious fighters, the black gangs were organized and disciplined. "The stereotype was that [the black gangs] were all about the [drug] business," says gang researcher Cheryl Maxson, an associate professor of criminology at University of California, Irvine. With the black gangs, "there was a millionaire in every neighborhood" perched at the top of the crack distribution pyramid, adds gang expert, who edits streetgangs.com.

Now it's the Latino drug gangs that seem tighter and more highly controlled.

Newsweek has more>>>

Is Jennifer Lopez Starring In the Sequel For "Knocked Up?"

UPDATE: LOPEZ DELIVERS TWINS!

J-Lo can deny her pregnancy all she wants but at this point, is anyone still buying those wolf tickets? According to sources at the NY Post, Jennifer Lopez is finally ready to admit that she's been missing some female cycles of late.

The Puerto Rican with the bodacious booty allegedly plans to "announce that she and Marc "Everyday is Halloween" Anthony are expecting their first child tonight at her Madison Square Garden concert," said an insider.

On Wednesday night "a fan blew the side of her top all the way up for a moment, and a definitive baby bump was there. Mrs. Anthony was very quick to push down her top. Then she talked about how this year is full of firsts for her . . . and every so often her dress would fly up and you would see her belly."

Bennifer was a bust for Ben Affleck's career.

Given the stalled acting and music career, this is absolutely the best time for her to have a baby and focus on a "new project." There's nothing more sexy than a hot mommy. And I have no doubt that if anyone can make being a mother the new black, it's definitely Jenny from the block.

Condi Comes To Harlem, Rules Out Following In Shirley Chisholm's Footsteps As Black Female Presidential Candidate

Condoleezza Rice Visits Public School in Harlem
Anita Hill Gives Thomas The Finger, Won't Back Down
Bob Johnson Enters Buyout Business
Black TV Lineup: Networks Merger Creates New Fall Shows
Obama Appears on Tyra Banks Show
Blacks and Latinos Bond in Wake of Slayings in NJ
African Union Vows Justice for Killers of Darfur Peacekeepers
Hundreds Walk for Sickle Cell Cure
At 80, MLK's Big Sister a Living Legend
Finances are Fine, Al Sharpton Insists Despite Probe
Video Game Offers Black Experience
African American Credited as the Architect of the Modern PC
Jim Jones, Lil' Mama Encourage Youth to Stay in School
Black Alabama Judge Accused Of Spanking Inmates Resigns