CNN Anchor Kyra Phillips Interviewed by AfroSpear Blogger

Drums beating from Amani Channel let us know that CNN's anchor Kyra Phillips took some time to talk with My Urban Report about race issues and recent documentaries she's worked on.

You may recall that Phillips covered the Jena Six march in September and hosted recent documentary on the hateful imagery of the noose. I encourage all villagers to take a moment to check it out.

Let us know your comments on either the noose documentary or the Kyra Phillips interview.

Bring The Olympic Dream to Darfur - Anheuser Busch

Villagers understand that it is important for us to stand up for one another all throughout the diaspora. This includes our brothers and sisters in Alkebulan. We are concerned about the ongoing genocide in Darfur. One of the levers of change is China. The Chinese government has immense influence with the Sudanese government. We want China to overtly use their influence to end the genocide.

How do we move China? The same way that we move anyone ... through their pocketbook. We need to deal directly with the sponsors of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. We need to encourage the sponsors to urge Chinese government to use their influence to end the genocide in Darfur. As such, I joined with a number of progressive bloggers to write the sponsors listed at the bottom of this post.

I received my second corporate response. The first came a few days ago from Staples. The second response came from Anheuser-Busch and read as follows:

Dear Wayne,

Thank you for contacting Anheuser-Busch. For nearly 25 years, Anheuser-Busch has been a proud sponsor of the Olympic Games. Over that time period, many organizations have used the high profile nature of this world-wide event to raise awareness for their causes. We respect the rights of these organizations to voice their concerns and appreciate your comments as well.

Our association with the Olympic Games is to support the athletes who bring the world together in the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

Sincerely,
Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch appreciates my concerns but doesn't even mention Darfur in the response. Ah well, the journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step as they say in Chinese folklore.

Protecting Black Women From Rape * Dunbar Village Gang Rape Update

Drumbeats from African American Opinion and What About Our Daughters keep us informed on the progress of the Dunbar Village case. As a result, the Electronic Village joins others in The AfroSpear in blogging for justice on the subject of Protecting Black Women (and their families) From Rape.

Four males — ages 14, 15, 16 and 18 — have been charged as adults in a 14-count indictment that could send all of them to prison for life. Defense attorneys have argued that the victims failed to identify the same suspects from photo lineups and that they identified fillers — people not involved in the case — as perpetrators. In some instances they identified different people as the same person.

Hoping to steal money and jewelry, Avion Lawson, 14, said he and someone else wore masks when they entered the 35-year-old woman's apartment that night, according to the documents. Once inside, Lawson said, he and his accomplice, whose name is blacked out on the report, encountered the woman in bed with three other masked males around her. Lawson told police he sexually assaulted her and stole two video games and a truck.

The victim returned home from her job delivering phone books about 9 p.m. the night of the attack, according to her statement to police. While fixing her son something to eat, a young male with braids knocked on her door to tell her the tires on her truck were flat. Once outside, she said, she saw a male with a large gun and two others armed with guns. They wore black clothing over their faces, she said, and ordered her back into the apartment, where they demanded money.

After being told there was no money, the attackers tore off the woman's clothes and raped her until five others arrived, according to the documents. The new arrivals took turns having sex with her and then sodomized her. The mother was then ordered into a tub filled with vinegar and water where they used hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, nail polish remover and ammonia on her. At gunpoint, the assailants forced the mother and son to have sex.

Throughout the attack, the victims suffered beatings, including having a bowl and light bulbs smashed over their heads. The encounter was recorded on a cell phone camera, according to the mother.

Before leaving, the males looked for a lighter to set the two on fire but couldn't find one, she told police. They ordered the pair to stay in the tub and took off. About 30 minutes later one of the males returned to sexually assault the mother one last time. Before leaving, he scribbled a man's name and 6-CO, a gang, on a piece of paper and told the woman he hangs out on Sixth Street and that's where he could be found. He grabbed a Sony PlayStation 2 before fleeing.

Click here to read more about this case.

How To Help:

St. Ann's Catholic Church will accept donations on behalf of the family. Checks can be made payable to the Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund - St. Ann's. The address is: St. Ann's Catholic Church 310 N. Olive Avenue West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

You can also call the church at (561) 832-3757.

Other ways to help: Blog About the incident to bring public attention to the horrors of rape of a Black women and her child by Black boys and a Black man. Discuss how these types of incidents although reported to police are not taken seriously when reported to police.

We can also join efforts to get Black "leaders" and faith groups to begin to address these issues within our community. For further information visit What About Our Daughters.

Villagers, what say u?

Police Force Unarmed Pregnant Woman at Gunpoint to Side of Busy Freeway

Villagers, we are joining with others in The AfroSpear to blog for justice and protection of our Black Women and families. Rape is a physical act of violence. However, you can violate a sister's soul without sex being involved.

Drumbeats came to us from The Whirlwind Listserv about a situation earlier this summer with Yvette Hayes, a pregnant Kansas City principal. It turns out that two white Independence Police officers stopped her on Interstate 70 after dark and made her lie on her belly alongside speeding cars. Click here to see 4-minute unabridged video of the police interatction with this sister.

Villagers, there is no way to defend forcing an unarmed pregnant woman to the ground AT GUNPOINT on the side of a busy road. No matter her race, social standing, criminal record. Period. Even ABC News recognizes that this was wrong on so many levels.

Yvette Hayes, 33, thinks she was a victim of racial profiling by police and employees at the J.C. Penney store. Tim Lyons, a spokesman for J.C. Penney Co. Inc., said the store's security staff notified police that they had seen a vehicle -- a green Jeep Cherokee -- resembling one observed in a series of car thefts and break-ins. Police suspected that the vehicle Yvette Hayes was driving was connected with a series of car thefts. It apparently was a case of mistaken identity. Hayes was driving a green Jeep Cherokee.

Hayes described the situation as follows:

On July 13, Hayes and her two daughters (4-year-old and an 18-month-old) were with her. They arrived at 9:56 p.m., and her sister already was inside. The store was closing, so Hayes stayed in the Jeep, listening to gospel music and checking e-mail. When her sister left, she followed. Hayes said she headed home on I-70. At 10:17, she said she saw a police car behind her, lights flashing. She said she immediately pulled over.

She said police put a spotlight on the Jeep and gave orders with a loudspeaker: 'Put your hands out so I can see them! Throw your keys out the window! Step out of the car with your hands behind your head! Walk backwards until I tell you to stop. Get on your knees! Lay on your stomach!'

Hayes said she complied.

'I did yell out I was pregnant,' said Hayes, who was six months pregnant at the time. 'I was horrified. It was very difficult. I was tossing and turning.'

She said she was on the interstate shoulder with cars zooming by. After two or three minutes, the officer told her to shift onto her back. She said she rolled over and saw officers aiming guns. They asked who was in the car.

'My kids!' she replied. Hayes said she was confused, and she feared for her life. She said an officer looked inside the Jeep and said she needed to calm the children. She said officers pulled her to her feet and told her she was stopped because the store said she was stealing cars.

One officer allegedly said, 'You must be a good car thief to be pregnant.' The sergeant came to the passenger door and apologized, saying, J.C. Penney needs to get 'their act together,' Hayes said. She said her 4-year-old daughter is traumatized, afraid of police and thinking they 'don't like her mommy.'

Amazing how the Republicans always talk the talk about respect for life in the abortion debate ... yet, they appear to be silent in this case of police brutality on an unborn Black child inside the woman's womb as she repeatedly pleaded to the officers to realize she was pregnant.

Some will say that I'm seeing race where it isn't involved.

However, all of us should know that the day before Ms. Hayes was humiliated and abused by the police the JC Penney security officers at the store directed police to another green Jeep. Police stopped its driver, who was white, politely asked him questions as he sat in the car and let him go.

That seems like different treatment by the police that is either race or gender-based. You do the math:

• White guy treated with respect.
• Black woman treated with disrespect.

Villagers, had you heard of this story already? What do you think about the facts as you now know them? What say u?

Top Ten Black Blogs (Nov 2007)

Welcome to our third month of posting the Top 10 Black Bloggers. This effort began after I noticed that none of the 50 most influential bloggers were of African descent. Instead of complaining about it ... I figured that we should simply publish our own list. We had 75 Black blogs in the Sept 2007 list. The nominees grew to over 300 when the Oct 2007 list was released. Today we have over 430 Black blogs on the list ... and it continues to grow.

The only qualification is that the blogger needs to be of African descent. The blogger does not have to be a member of The AfroSpear or the Afrosphere Bloggers Association, although we invite all Black bloggers to join either (or both) of those organizations. We do think that these Top Ten Black Bloggers are important spheres of influence. Reach out and let them know that you appreciate the work they have put in over the past few months and years to get on this list. Hopefully, they will share their village voice with us over on the BDPA Foundation blog or right here on the Electronic Village.

Anyhow, with no further ado, here are the Top Ten Black Bloggers for November 2007. The Technorati authority and rank numbers are shown in parenthesis. The authority indicates the number of blogs that are linked to this blogger over the past six months. The rank number indicates how many blogs are between the person listed and the #1 ranked blog in the world.:

1. Pam Spaulding: Pam's House Blend (Authority: 1,092 / Rank: 2,325) - [Politics]The blog won the 2006 Web Log Award as the Best LGBT Blog. Pam has an opinion about most anything in the political realm.


2. Angel Laws: Concrete Loop* (Authority: 1,033 / Rank: 2,526) - [Entertainment] This is a Black celebrity entertainment blog with gossip, music, celebrity interviews, pictures and such.


3. Natasha E: Young, Black & Fabulous (Authority: 833 / Rank: 3,269) - [Entertainment] Natasha provides you with all the hot gossip in Black Hollywood. Her blog focuses on the fabulous side of Black pop culture, trends and music ... all from a young, Black, and fabulous perspective of course. Natasha currently has two blogs. This one is actually fading down the list as it has been discontinued in favor of her new one, which is currently #47 on the list.


4. Fresh Crunkjuice: Crunk & Disorderly* (Authority: 788 / Rank: 3,331) - [Entertainment] This blog was created in August 2004, however, it didn't get serious until May 2005. This is an active entertainment blog. The motto is simple and direct, "In Fresh We Trust".


5. Oliver Willis: Oliver Willis (Authority: 734 / Rank: 4,414) - [Politics] Oliver began this blog in April 2005. His tag linke says that he is kryptonite to stupid. He posts regularly on politics.


6. Paula Mooney: Paula Mooney’s Tips (Authority: 622 / Rank: 5,746) - [SEO] Paula is a powerful source of ideas for any blogger looking to increase their visitor traffic. She is very enthusiastic about the power of blogging. She works on blogs with both her husband and her father and she was recently a featured speaker at BlogHer in Chicago, IL.


7. Sokari Ekine: Black Looks (526/ 7,797) - [Social Sciences] This blog began in June 2004. It is primarily about issues that impact our brothers and sisters in Africa. Sokari is currently in London. Her posts cover a range of issues such as gender violence, racism, sexuality, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Sokari and her guest bloggers are all progressives, Africanists and activists with a strong belief in the power of the pen to bring about change.


8. Darla Mack: Darla Mack News & Reviews (461 / 9,348) - [Technology] Darla is a sister with a technology blog that has a unique niche of Nokia devices, S60, Nseries, Eseries and Symbian. She focuses on mobile technology and nokia phone reviews.


9. Steve Spaulding: How To Split An Atom (447 / 9,757) - [Technology] How To Split An Atom is a blog about using, abusing, and surviving in the Web X.0 landscape. It's Internet culture, split open. Steve provides a sprinkling of life hacks, meta filtering, personal projects and journalism all at a break neck pace.


10. Patrice Yursik: Afro Bella* (379 / 12,130) - [Fashion] Patrice is a reformed tomboy from Trinidad. Her blog is dedicated to product reviews, ruminations about style, and interviews with women all shades of beautiful. Expect honest opinions about products, advertising, and entertainment specifically targeted to African American and Caribbean women.

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HONORABLE MENTION (11-25): Republic of T, Keith Boynkin*, Entre les Lignes de Jo Ann, Sandra Rose, What About Our Daughters*, Truth & Opinion, The Angry Black Woman, Rod 2.0:Beta, Stereohyped*, BlackProf.com*, The Field Negro*, Black In Business*, Angry Black Bitch, African Path and RaceWire

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Our rankings lean heavily on the Technorati Authority and Rank score for each blog. We figure that if your content is strong enough for others to link to ... that is a strong indicator of your influence. I am very open to hearing from you on other factors that should be considered in future monthly Top Ten Black Bloggers listings.

Those blogs with an asterisk after their name are winners in the 2007 Black Weblog Award contest held earlier this year.

Post a comment below if you are a Black Blogger interested in learning what your ranking is in this month's list!

I eagerly anticipate your comments on this list.

Wordless Wednesday: Megan Williams

Remember The Name of Megan Williams

And never forget what happened...

Wear Red on October 31 * Stop Violence Against Women

Villagers recognize that violence against women is sadly, not a new phenomenon in our country or in the world, however, in the last year women of color have experienced brutal forms of violence, torture, rape and injustice which have gone unnoticed, received little to no media coverage, or a limited community response. Electronic Village joins other progressive bloggers that want to stand up to violence against women!

• Be bold, be brave, be red. Wear red on October 31, 2007.


• Take Your Red to the Streets! Know of a location where violence occurred against a woman of color? Have a public location where you feel women of color are often ignored? Make violence against women of color visible by decorating the space in red.


• Rally! Gather your friends, family, and community to rally.


• Check out the Document the Silence website for the litany we’re asking participants to read together on October 31st.

Would you like to publically announce your support for this effort to denounce violence against women?

Where Are They Now: Cleveland Middle School Teachers

What ever became of the teachers that brought the 'slavery is good lessons' to their sixth grade students at the Grover Cleveland Middle School in New Jersey?

Why a March to Support Megan Williams and Oppose Hate Crimes?

Villagers, the drums are beating about a historic National March taking place in Charleston, West Virginia on November 3, 2007. This call to action is to support young Megan Williams, who is the victim of one of the worst hate crimes in United States history. The March is also called to address an unacceptable rise in hate crimes and incidents of injustices currently perpetrated against Blacks or African Americans.

On September 12, 2007, and in subsequent preliminary hearings, it was revealed that Megan Williams, a twenty year old Black Woman, was lured into a nearby Logan county trailer house of hatred. Young Megan, who also has special disability needs, was repeatedly raped, choked, stabbed, forced to eat dog and rat feces as her six white tormentors berated her calling her "nigger" incessantly. Arrested are: Frankie Brewster, 49, and her son Bobby Brewster, 24., Karen Burton, 46; her daughter Alisha, 23; Danny Combs, 20, and George Messer, 27 –six whites from nearby Logan County, West Virginia.

According to evidence gathered, Megan was sodomized with a stick and a noose was tied around her neck for lengthy periods during this week long ordeal that is verified by confessions from several of the co-defendants. At one point, she was sexually assaulted while scalding water and melting hot wax from a candle was poured on her body. At another point she was forced to lick the toes of the sadistic defendants. She was stabbed in the leg at least four times and both of her ankles were cut by a female suspect who allegedly taunted her, saying, "This one is for Kunta Kinte, and that's what we do to niggers around here."

This is an ugly and outrageous ordeal. Prosecutors said. "Every time they stabbed her, they called her 'nigger."

Carmen Williams, the mother, told The Charleston Gazette. "She wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, 'Mommy.' What's really, really bad is, we don't know everything they did to her. She is crying all the time." No doubt, had she not been rescued they were going to kill her and throw her in a nearby lake.

"The Megan Williams case is beyond a doubt, one of the worst hate crimes in U.S. History. The Megan Williams case is even worse than the case of the Jena 6,"said Attorney Malik Shabazz Esq., Megan Williams Family Attorney and Spokesman for Black Lawyers For Justice.

Shabazz also said, "The number of outright hate crimes and injustice cases against Blacks is rising so rapidly it’s hard for our office to keep track of. We are calling for every concerned person in our community to respond to this national crisis with vigor and due diligence. The November 3rd March in Charleston is a big step in the direction of organizing to challenge the tide of attacks occurring against Blacks".

Villagers, spread the word about this national march ... and if you are near West Virginia on November 3rd ... please support the event in person! Bottomline? We need to stop the continued rape of our Black women in this country. Period.

Jena 6 Myths and Myth-Busters

'Only when lions get to write history, will hunters cease to be heroes'. That is an African proverb that seems to describe the current situation in the mainstream media and the white-controlled blogosphere. Both groups are working overtime to re-write history as it relates to the Jena Six case.

Both groups have given wide marketing to a local reporter from Jena, LA area who woke up one day and decided that he needed to add his spin on the facts.

"The media got most of the basics wrong," he writes. "In fact, I have never before witnessed such a disgrace in professional journalism. Myths replaced facts, and journalists abdicated their solemn duty to investigate every claim because they were seduced by a powerfully appealing but false narrative of racial injustice."

The Jena reporter provides his take on a dozen points from the Jena Six storyline:

• Myth 1: The Whites-Only Tree.
• Myth 2: Nooses a Signal to Black Students.
• Myth 3: Nooses Were a Hate Crime.
• Myth 4: DA's Threat to Black Students.
• Myth 5: The Fair Barn Party Incident.
• Myth 6: The "Gotta-Go" Grocery Incident.
• Myth 7: The Schoolyard Fight.
• Myth 8: The Attack Is Linked to the Nooses.
• Myth 9: Mychal Bell's All-White Jury.
• Myth 10: Jena 6 as Model Youth.
• Myth 11: Jena Is One of the Most Racist Towns in America.
• Myth 12: Two Levels of Justice.Myth 2: Nooses a Signal to Black Students.

Fortunately, we have some lions in the nubian regions of the blogosphere that are more than willing to bust the myths. I encourage all villagers that followed the Jena story to check out the myth-busting response by Prometheus 6.

The rhinos in our village love to run with lions such as Prometheus 6!

Bring The Olympic Dream to Darfur - Staples

Danielle (Modern Musings) and Purple Zoe (Ultraviolet Underground) encouraged their readers to communicate with the sponsors of the 2008 Beijing Olympics to encourage them to urge Chinese government to use their influence to end the genocide in Darfur. I received my first response today from Staples:

Thank you for your recent email to Staples expressing your concern about the Darfur issue and encouraging Staples to urge the Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee to use their leverage to help end the crisis in Sudan.

As you may know, Staples is not a sponsor of 2008 Beijing Olympics. Rather, we are the exclusive supplier of office furniture to the Olympics, including the Olympic Committee as well as official Olympic locations. This is the first time Staples has been involved in the Olympic Games.

As a company that does business around the world, Staples takes very seriously its obligations as a corporate citizen. However, corporate pressure is no substitute for the coordinated international diplomacy that is required to resolve the conflict in Sudan.

In recent months the Chinese government has begun to raise the Darfur issue with the government of Sudan and has finally supported the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in the region. There have been some hopeful developments on the international diplomatic front as well. While the conflict and the humanitarian toll it has taken are far from over, these developments suggest that the best course for resolving the crisis in Darfur is a vigorous and concerted diplomatic effort.

The reply was not signed by a person. Nor was there any contact information provided for follow-up or clarification. Rather, it appears that Staples (a) denies that they are a sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and (b) tells us that China is doing better.

I wonder how the other corporations will respond? I wonder if they will each respond ... or if some will ignore the issue entirely? But, at the end of the day, I wonder if other villagers will join in effort to end the genocide in Darfur?

Manic Monday: Trick or Treat

Morgen asked that we post our Manic Monday meme on Trick or Treats this week. Trick. Many ways to go with that word. I thought of Magicians. There is a new show on network TV called "Phenomenon" that seeks out the next great magician. I wasn't surprised that there wasn't a person of African descent in the contestants. After all, few of us think of African Americans being magicians.

However, one of America's first successful stage magician, hypnotist and ventriloquist was a brother named Richard Potter (1783-1835). Potter was the son of an English baronet and an African servant woman. He was educated in Europe before beginning his 25 year career as a performer in post-Revolutionary America. He lived with his father in Hopkinton, NH and married (his wife name was Sally) and had 3 children. In fact, Potter is a favorite son of New Hampshire.

Potter performed in Boston, throughout New England and Canada. Potter was able to climb a rope and disappear while performing outdoors surrounded by spectators. Officially, his best known illusion was "crawling through a log" and Potter could skillfully throw his voice, especially using bird sounds. Whether he was the first to use a ventriloquist’s doll or dummy isn’t known. In 1813 Potters success allowed him to buy a 175-acre farm in Andover, NH, in the village now known as Potter’s Place. His story intrigued Harry Houdini who included Potter in his popular magazine of magic.

Today, there is a little-known Brotherhood of American Minority Magicians with a handful of members. I must admit that I've only seen one Black magician in my life. I don't recall his name ... he was entertainment at a conference I attended back in the day. He was quite good. One source of information on Black magicians is Magical Heroes: The Lives and Legends of Great African American Magicians

Anyway, I hope that you've learned something new from my Manic Monday meme this week!

Columbus Mayor Endorses Obama

I usually don't have many kind words for Columbus, OH ... the 15th largest city in the nation. After all, Columbus is the home of Ohio State Buckeyes ... and my favorite college team since I was a kid is the University of Michigan (UM). My parents met in Ann Arbor as UM undergraduates and both my maternal grandparents have post-graduate degrees from UM. Wolverine fans ordinarily don't have nice things to say about Columbus, OH.

Today is different. I learned today that Mike Coleman, mayor of Columbus, publically endorsed Barack Obama in his run for the presidency. Coleman joins other big-city mayors like Richard Daley of Chicago and Adrian Fenty of Washington, who also endorsed Obama.

Today I've learned that not everything about Columbus OH is bad!

The Noose: An American Nightmare

UPDATE: This special report has been upstaged in the past week by the California wild fires. The Electronic Village learned today that the show will be broadcast in its entirety on November 1 @ 8 pm (ET).

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Since July, there have been more than a dozen reported incidents of nooses being displayed around the nation apparently intended to intimidate Black people. CNN investigates whether the upsurge in these acts are associated with the events surrounding "The Jena 6" in Louisiana or part of a growing, more widespread racial intolerance. CNN’s Kyra Phillips will anchor a special one-hour report, CNN: Special Investigations Unit – The Noose: An American Nightmare, on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. (ET). It will re-air on Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4 at 8pm ET/PT.

Nooses have been found in small towns like Winchester, Ky. and Elgin, Ill., as well as in cities like Philadelphia and New York, where a noose was hung on the door of a Columbia University professor’s office. The Coast Guard Academy, in New London, Conn., is also investigating two separate noose incidents.

Through interviews with historian James Allan and Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Phillips will trace America’s history of lynchings – an atrocity that gives the noose its horrifying meaning. Phillips also examines law enforcement efforts led by the bias crimes coordinator with Nassau County (N.Y.) Police, which tracks downs those who commit hate crimes. She also talks to educators in Philadelphia about what young people are being taught about the nation’s history of racial hatred.

Kyra Phillips was excellent in her in-depth investigation, Judgment in Jena, that aired on the day of the Jena March. I encourage villagers to check out her new investigative show on nooses. Let us know what you think about the show. OK?

Genarlow Wilson is Free!

Villagers, we asked you earlier this year to tell us why Genarlow Wilson was still in prison. We thought that the Georgia prosecutors were fools for fighting against freedom for Genarlow Wilson.

So we are proud to beat the drums with the news that the young brother is free.

The Supreme Court set him free today. Here is a copy of the court order along with a video showing Genarlow Wilson leaving prison.

To be clear, the brother is no angel. Group sex with a 15-year old isn't something to be proud about. However, a 10-year jail sentence is cruel and unusual punishment. We knew that all along. The Georgia Supreme Court agreed with us today.

What are your thoughts on this case?

More Nooses? Or Do We Just See Them More?

There are 37 reported noose incidents around the country in recent months. A number of the recent incidents were occurring in the Nassau County (New York) area.

As such, I am pleased to see that Nassau County authorities plan to spend the next month scrutinizing county crime statistics to figure out whether there has been an actual spike in the bias crimes or whether the incidents are just getting extra publicity. Nassau's analysis will look at characteristics such as age and neighborhood to find any patterns in the bias attacks among particular groups, the accused and the victims.

"I don't know, are people more hateful today than they've been historically? I hope that's not the case," County Executive Thomas Suozzi said.

Recent noose discoveries on a forklift in the Hempstead Town garage, in a locker room at the Hempstead village police station, and in Roosevelt, where one included a stuffed animal with its fur blackened -- have garnered prominent newspaper and television coverage including on this blog.

"We've seen a lot more media reports about these type of incidents over the past two months," Suozzi said. "So is that because the media's more interested than usual or is it because there's a lot more events going on?"

One African American lawmaker, Roger Corbin (D-Westbury), deputy presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature, held up a book with graphic depictions of Jim Crow-era lynchings. "This is what this means when Black folks in this country were lynched in every state in this union and the law protected the perpetrators. Shame on us if we tolerate this", said Corbin.

Perhaps it is time to change the law so that horrific symbols representing hate, discrimination, violence and murder can have harsher penalites. Villagers were glad to see the New York State Senate unanimously pass a bill that would more harshly punish people who draw, paint or place nooses on public and private property. This follows an amendment to NY state law enacted last year that made the use of swastikas and burning crosses a felony.

Let's keep our eyes out for the results of the Nassau County study ... and let's hope that similiar studies are being conducted in other places around the league.

Day of Action for Darfur

One of the most powerful statements that I've seen by any blogger on the genocide in Darfur is posted by Purple Zoe over on the Ultraviolet Underground. Here is a taste of her message:

"My Pledge to Boycott the US sponsors of the Olympic Games Hosted by China

After having written to the sponsors of the Olympic Games and receiving empty letters of some (not all) of the sponsors that basically refused to apply pressure (Adidas was even sarcastic in nature and advised they are a sneaker company and not a grassroots political organization...), I am boycotting the corporate sponsors of the Olympic games who will not use their strength to persuade China to take serious action in regards to the genocide in Darfur, a region they have a great deal of economic influence over.

These companies will not receive a dime of my money as long they support China without challenging more resolute action for aiding Darfur. I may not spend a dime with them for the duration of the genocide in Darfur, and may never spend a dime with them again. Plain and simple.

Here are their names: Adidas; Anheuser-Busch; Atos Origin; BHPBilliton; Coca-Cola; General Electric; Johnson & Johnson; Kodak; Lenovo Group Limited; Manulife; McDonalds; Microsoft; Panasonic; Samsung; Staples; Swatch; UPS; Visa; and Volkswagen."

Villagers, I encourage to take a moment to read her full post on actions that we can take to end the genocide in Darfur. The question we must ask ourselves ... what are we going to do?

Happy Belated Birthday to Archbishop Tutu from Minnesota

Drumbeats came our way from Dibusse Tande blog with some good news on information we shared with villagers earlier this month. It turns out that Father Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas, reversed his ban on Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He announced the decision in a letter to students and faculty of the university. Here is the full text of the letter:

Dear members of the St. Thomas community,

One of the strengths of a university is the opportunity that it provides to speak freely and to be open to other points of view on a wide variety of issues. And, I might add, to change our minds.

Therefore, I feel both humbled and proud to extend an invitation to Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at the University of St. Thomas. I have wrestled with what is the right thing to do in this situation, and I have concluded that I made the wrong decision earlier this year not to invite the archbishop. Although well-intentioned, I did not have all of the facts and points of view, but now I do.

PeaceJam International may well choose to keep the alternative arrangements that it has made for its April 2008 conference, but I want the organization and Archbishop Tutu to know that we would be honored to hold the conference at St. Thomas.

In any event, St. Thomas will extend an invitation to Archbishop Tutu to participate in a forum to foster constructive dialogue on the issues that have been raised. I hope he accepts my invitation. The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas has agreed to serve as a co-sponsor of the forum, and I expect other organizations also to join as co-sponsors.

Details about issues to be addressed will be determined later, but I would look forward to a candid discussion about how a civil and democratic society can pursue reasoned debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other emotionally charged issues.

I also want to encourage a thoughtful examination of St. Thomas’ policies regarding controversial speech and controversial speakers. In the past, we have been criticized externally and internally when we have invited controversial speakers to campus – as well as when we have not. Rather than just move from controversy to controversy, might there be a positive role that this university could play in fostering thoughtful conversation around difficult and highly charged issues? We also might explore how to more clearly express in our policies and practices our commitment to civility when discussing such issues.

I have asked Dr. Nancy Zingale, professor of political science and my former executive adviser, to oversee the planning for the forum. If you have suggestions regarding either the topic or other participants, please contact her at nhzingale@stthomas.edu.

I sincerely hope Archbishop Tutu will accept our invitation. I continue to have nothing but the utmost respect for his witness of faith, for his humanitarian accomplishments and especially for his leadership in helping to end apartheid in South Africa.

Sincerely,
Father Dennis Dease
President

Wordless Wednesday: Darfur

Today we made a commitment to Blog Against Genocide in Darfur. We shared the details on this global tragedy earlier in the year. Today, I encourage all villagers to Join us in this Day of Action for Darfur.

Mail letter to our Frat Boy (props to Field Negro for this nickname) in the White House. You may need to send him the map so that he knows where to find Darfur. I don't think that Frat Boy knows much about world geography beyond Iraq or Iran.

You may need to remind him that Sudan is the largest country in Africa, located just south of Egypt on the eastern edge of the Sahara desert. The country's major economic resource is oil. But, as in other developing countries with oil, this resource is not being developed for the benefit of the Sudanese people, but instead, for an elite few in the government and society.

One aspect of the conflict that we need to understand is the impact China has on the situation. I suspect that the issue of China's support of the Sudanese government will become much more visible as we get closer to the 2008 Olympics being hosted by China.

Villagers, do you think that it is time to consider a boycott of the Olympic games if China doesn't act on their influence over Sudan to stop the genocide?

Black Blogger Calls Out Civil Rights Leaders re: Obama

Brother Marty is looking for some activists in the blogosphere. He shares a powerful post questioning the resolve of the Black Establishment over on MartyBLOGs.

I encourage all villagers to take a moment to check out the full post. Here is a sample of what Marty had to say:

Well destiny has presented us with the candidate they fought and marched for in the Jim Crow era and now they all want to use the "electability" excuse. It’s now or never and I for one plan on holding our elders (social and political) accountable for their fear and innaction. Finally, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King’s dreams can be fulfilled. From marching on the White House to occupying it by election. Right here, right now. Not later. This is the 21st damn century and January 2008 is the time to change the complexion of the seat of power. Alright, O.K. Maybe I need to put it musically the way the P-Funk family phrased it a few years ago…time to Paint the White House Black.

And hey, isn’t it the Civil Rights Generation who always spoke about representing the race, being loyal to the race and creating opportunity for the race? You remember this line from your old man or your old lady when you were a kid, right? "…one day you could be president little Black boy or Black girl…" But now in the 21st century, they want to get stuck on some crazy old slavish thinking instead of taking the millenial opportunity to actually make the most historic advance in American history. Bullshit. I will truly be disappointed in our parents generation if they don’t do their duty and create a new legacy for the country and a final substantive legacy for their generation.

Do I sound pissed? Yep, I am and I’m calling out all of alleged leaders for not actually leading. Some of them may have already committed and I just haven’t heard about it yet. To those I’ll apologize when I learn otherwise. Until then, I’m calling out Maxine Waters, Tavis Smiley, Al Sharpton, Kwame Kilpatrick, Andrew Young, everyone in the Congressional Black Caucus, Nancy Pelosi, Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy - yeah, white powerbrokers included - John Conyers and others too numerous to list. The old guard can finally make the greatest difference in American history and it would literally reverberate throughout the entire world. Forget the transformation of the American phsyche (yes, the United States does need a psychological enema). I’m talking about the whole damn planet.

Click here to read the full post.

Well villagers, we need you to share your village voice on this matter of national importance. On a side note, have any Civil Rights era leaders, Congressional Black Caucus members or white power brokers in your city or state endorsed Obama?