From the chicago sun times website

In the words of Princeton Professor Cornel West, it was about “a black face in a high place.”

President Obama was the target of slings and arrows Saturday from some of the nation’s most quoted African-American leaders — but, they said repeatedly, it was all done “in love.”

The rollicking “black agenda” debate at Chicago State University focused on African-American concerns, including jobs and education — and whether Obama is doing enough. Organized by talk show host Tavis Smiley, it was part revival and all theater.

“I’m very proud,” Minister Louis Farrakhan said with timing that drew laughter, “that a black man sits in the White” — he paused — “House.”

But Obama received mass support from African-American voters, the Nation of Islam leader said, and “we have a right to expect something of the brother.”

Georgetown Professor Michael Eric Dyson likened Obama to Jackie Robinson, who broke the color line in baseball. Robinson may not have been the most gifted black ballplayer of all time, Dyson said, but his temperament enabled him to withstand racist abuse. Then, superstar Willie Mays followed.

As for Obama, Dyson said: “I’m waiting for Willie Mays to come behind him.”

At one point, Farrakhan, who has been accused of being anti-Semitic, said Obama is not loved in Israel because of his “chutzpah.”

“That’s a Jewish term that meant testicular fortitude,” Farrakhan said.

Then Bennett College President Julianne Malveaux urged him not to “genderize.”

So Dyson suggested the term “ovarian audacity” — to laughter.

West, who jumped up often to hug the 11 other panelists, said Obama has surrounded himself with too many people from Wall Street.

“You can bail banks out,” Malveaux said, “But you can’t put people back to work.”

“Too many of us are just happy to have a black president,” said Michael Fauntroy, an assistant professor at George Mason University.

“The black agenda is the humane agenda,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Several times, panelists said the Obama administration has been more active on Mideast politics and Latino and gay concerns than on issues that specifically affect African Americans.

But after the criticism and jokes, the participants seemed to scale back the rhetoric, saying they appreciate Obama’s challenges.

Farrakhan said he was saddened by “demonizing” of Obama, including renderings of the president with a Hitler mustache, and of Michelle Obama, “the most beautiful black woman to be by his side,” as a monkey. “Oh, man,” he said, trailing off.

After discussing fears of an assassination attempt on Obama, Farrakhan said, “We need to pray for the brother and his family, and warn America: Leave that brother alone.”

“We love you,” Dyson said, speaking of Obama. “We just want some love back.”

Some black leaders have accused Smiley of Obama-bashing. He said Saturday’s event was scheduled before anyone knew it would come on the eve of a key congressional vote on Obama’s health-care reform bill.

http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/tthomasfortun1/a/bio_fortune_t.htm

Let’s not forget that six months ago no one expected us to have gotten this far toward reform in the first place. The insurance companies claimed that offering health care -in any form- to those with pre-existing conditions, removing caps on coverage and covering preventive care would bankrupt their industry and further devastate our ailing economy. If they succeed in assassinating any form of the public option, they are agreeing that covering these conditions is not only doable, but is preferable to competing with a government plan crafted for these purposes alone.

President Obama can’t propose using reconciliation, which was repeatedly used by the Republican majority to pass the Bush tax cuts, because he also promised during the campaign to change the dangerous trajectory of our political discourse from the destructive, decisive, hyper partisan path we’ve been on since the Reagan Administration.

Governor Dean and many of the progressives in the House now want to scrap the progress we’ve made thus far to start from scratch in hopes that this will give way to a public health care plan. Following this plan will send Congress home for winter recess having been defeated once again by the partisanship that the American people voted to end with the election of President Obama and allow the opponents of reform to develop a strategy to derail any chance of providing care to those who need it most.

Since the focus of the right has been concentrated on opposing any type of public option, dropping these provisions will defuse the basis for their argument against reform and open the pathway for our president to deliver health care reform covering millions of uninsured Americans during the first year of his term, provide political cover for moderate democrats up for reelection in purple districts and allow us to move on to dealing with other drastically important national priorities. The public option may be the best way to achieve comprehensive reform, but we can’t let the opportunity to deliver reform die with it.

“It is a well known fact that in our culture the shops; hair salons/braid spots and barbershops, are more than just places we go every two weeks or so to revive our ‘sexy.’ The shops are places where the sexes convene to gossip, discuss and debate. Where, in a panel like discussion, each generation represents their point of view on current events. Where many of us put a human face to the negative statistics that are plaguing our community. Statistics such as; rising numbers in single-parent households, increasing unemployment rates, leading the nation in new HIV cases and etcetera. We also get advice on almost every aspect of our lives, be it sound or unsound. The Shop, it is a fixture in every African-American community.”

I was introduced into the salon life at the early age of five.  It has remained a routine part of my existence ever since.  As any seasoned “salon-diva” knows, with a new stylist comes a new shop and new chatter.  Most of the things I have seen, learned, heard and discussed with in the salon walls have helped mold me into becoming the woman I am today.  Which, upon my last visit, has given me a very important question to ponder: “Are bitter women largely at fault for the increasing disembodiment of our men and women relations, by knowingly passing on their negativity towards our men to other women?”  I can hear the grunts of disgust from the women readers now. Before you blow off this blog, do me a favor, read on.

As I am engaging in the normal shop chat I share with the ladies, who are both relatively close to my age, unwed and single-parents; most of my close friends are men.  For the most part when girlfriends come to the shop they’re no problems, however recently that has not been the case.  For some reason one girlfriend just could not find it in her heart to like me; and before I could even finish my statement these, seemingly happy women, transformed before my eyes, verbally sparring with each other to be first to “educate” me.

“Men are animals, every man you meet wants to have sex with you!  They all cheat, no matter what you believe.  To them nothing is better than a new woman.  His girlfriend should not like you, and I would not like you either, it’s only a matter of time before he cheats on her and you will be the first option.”

The insults and stories kept coming, amid my vain attempts of being a positive voice of reason for “the brothers” I found myself being surrounded with the classic chat “n*ggas’ ain’t [expletive]!”  I left the shop shaken, shocked and just plain confused.  I understand that these women have come across some bad apples, but so does everyone, it is just the nature of relationships.  But what has made the majority of Black women so bitter? Even more important why are black women not realizing how this affects them in the long run?

“An even more alarming statistic is the increase in the number of both Black men and women who have never been married. Nearly 45 percent of Black men have never married and 42 percent of Black women have never married. More to the point, an increasing number of Black women will never get married. The percentage of Black women who are married declined from 62 percent to 31 percent between 1950 and 2002,” says Joy Bennett Kinnon in her article entitled “The shocking state of Black marriages: experts say many will never get married.”

This article goes on to list very important factors as to why this number is where it is, unemployment, drugs, the systemic incarceration of our community and the AIDS crisis.   While all of these are very heavy and damaging, I believe that more time should be put into exploring just how much the bitterness of our women aides these numbers, as well.  The bitter Black women are emasculating our men.  Accusing them of being nothing more than animals that can not control their sexual drive, the very thing that was depicted in the 1915 silent film “Birth of a Nation,” this film that horrifies and disgusts our race whenever it is viewed.

Now there are plenty of bad “brothers” out there; I am in no way denying this fact.  I have had my heart broken a few times myself.  I am merely wondering how does it help being bitter and chopping down every Black Man’s worth within relationship standards, besides leaving you alone.  Well maybe not alone, but dealing with a man that is not deserving of you just to be in a “relationship,” just to feel like you are still a contender for that “brass ring.” Or even worse settling for a man that thinks he is a “player,” checking his cell phones, cursing out “hoochies” and spying on a man at 34 years of age.

This is what our daughters sees, this is what they listen too, silently watching, putting every black man’s face to the one that is making our mommies cry.  This is what is spawning another generation of bitter, Black Women. This is what continues the cycle of the destruction of the Black family.

Eve can be reached by email : e.adams@theblackintel.com

By Sam Sanders

I keep imagining a strange political scenario. It’s got US Attorney General Eric Holder and Barack Obama, dressed to the nines as they always are, huddled in some back room of the White House, exchanging daps and pleasantries.

By Angela Hughes

For eleven years, Harriet Tubman traveled through rugged lands and in harsh conditions returning again and again to the eastern shore of Maryland. Her passionate and loving spirit lead thousands of slaves to the land of the free. Her legacy has not only inspired a strong sense of leadership within African Americans, but her resolve and valor serve as a constant reminder that no matter how successful we become, we should never forget our own.

Almost one-hundred years later, we have progressed tremendously. We can drink from whatever fountain we choose, receive the best education, and even whistle towards a woman without repercussion. While the struggles of our ancestors have allotted members of our community much attainment, why are some of us still uneducated and poor? The answer to this is simple: Because we don’t care about us. Often times, us educated black folk tend to become so focused on our own accomplishments and various achievements that we don’t take the time to humble ourselves to give back what was given to us. Despite the low expectations society has for our young people (i.e. prison-prone, intellectual inadequacy), we have to be the ones to share our knowledge with them and be positives examples for them. Harriet, along with many of our ancestors, set aside her personal interests and went back several times to bring her people to freedom. We, just as Harriet, have an obligation to help free our young people’s minds.

As cliché as it is, it definitely takes a village to raise a child. But how can we exercise collective responsibility when, in fact, we aren’t taking the responsibility to assist our young people? Earlier this week, Gov. Schwarzenegger terminated (no pun intended) funding toward child welfare programs. These government created programs were important to lower income African Americans because they protected our children from negative influences and promoted stability within the family. This is an incredible example of why we should help our own; because no one else will. While my personal belief is that we are capable of world peace and happiness, I understand that attempting to transform the mentalities of our young people takes time, effort and dedication. Harriet lead her people to freedom because she invested time, put forth the effort and dedicated herself to helping them become free.

With Soulja Boy promoting ignorance and creating music videos that make education unattractive, and with the “get stupid”, “go dumb” culture in the SF Bay Area, there is still hope for our young people. Many of us from theblackintel.com were raised in the ‘hood, some around drug addicts. But because of the opportunities and resources presented to us, we did not become products of our harsh environments. As professional intelligentsia, let’s embrace the spirit of Harriet Tubman and extend our knowledge to our disenfranchised youth. An African proverb says that “knowledge is like a garden, if it is not cultivated it cannot be harvested.” You can’t save them all, but knowledge truly is power and the answer to freeing the minds of our young people is to pass to them what worked for us.

“I freed a thousand slaves…I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”

Harriet “Moses” Tubman
1820-1913