Cornel West vs. Barack Obama vs. Melissa Harris-Perry: Not This Foolishness Again?!!

Well, the minute I read Chris Hedges' piece on Truthdig titled The Obama Deception: Why Cornel West Went Ballistic, that there was gonna be serious contention here in Negronia. As you know and as we've discussed on this site a time or two. You just can't be Black and levy any criticism of America's first Black president - yes, it's in the official Negro handbook; you know, the one that tells "us" what to do should we ever encounter police in a traffic stop? Yeah, that rule is in there too; the Skip Gates arrest made it happen.

There's so much I wan't to say about this whole mess, but due to time constraints as I type, I'll leave it up to you folks to have at it. Do share your thoughts, and be sure to read Hedges' piece, as well as Melissa Harris-Perry (here). If you ask me, I think all of this plays into the notion that white folks salivate about Negro infighting. While black folks focus on the trivial and ignore the larger issues. The oligarchy and plutocracy prospers while poor people not able to afford their scraps drown in the sea of economic inequality, hopelessness, and downright neglect by way of public policy.

Checkout the reactions of Twitter's Backademia via Dr. Goddess here. In it you'll find that much of the thoughts expressed centered on Dr. Cornel West feeling slighted or "betrayed" by then President Elect Barack Obama. In the Hedges piece, West reveals how he felt about the fact that he was not able to get a ticket to the inauguration after all the work he basically put in for Obama, and all the personal phone calls and counsel with then candidate Obama. But for some, this is a petty point of contention; yep,, the typical "he's a hater," talk.

What is truly missed in all the subsequent commentary however, is West's larger point. That would be, just how democracy has, is, and continues to be compromised by someone touted as the most progressive American president in history. And you know what? I think this is very sad that this is the focus as opposed to the albeit hostile takeover of democracy by elites and by extension some of Obama's appointments and their reward links to Wall Street. And of course while this is happening, poor marginalized folks have been the scapegoat for economic woes and are being punished via cutbacks.

You might not agree with me, and that's fine. However, I'll say this last bit and I'm out. President Obama spoke at Booket T. Washington High School at their commencement execise this past Monday. He spoke at the first all-black high school in the city of Memphis. A school that is located in one of (if not the most) most impoverished communities in the city. A school which with effort and dedication has improved drastically recently. In his address to those kids he said: "It's about the possibilities and not the excuses." With that said, don't tell me what the first black president can or cannot do for struggling poor and working poor among us. Seriously, miss me with that talk, people....

It's a wonder how slaves were emancipated....

Now a few words from Harry Belafonte...



NOW CLICK TO WATCH THIS & THIS

Another Great Republican Idea: Let's Pay Women On Welfare To Get Their Tubes Tied

Rep. John LaBruzzo (R-LA)

So let's see, Louisiana, like many states with a republican controlled state government is crying broke. Oh where or where are those stimulus funds when you need 'em? But anyway, governor Bobby Jindal has gone as far as to cut funding for higher education, as well as funding for public schools.



Yup, what benefit is there in assisting poor people escape the trenches of poverty by assisting them obtain a higher education or fixing shitty public schools, right?  And this is in Louisiana, the fifth largest oil producing state in the country, where for every dollar per barrel increase in oil prices results in a yield of $12 million per year in tax revenue... but I digress.

Meanwhile, realizing just how broke the state actually is, Rep. John LaBruzzo is contemplating the introduction of legislation that would save the state's much needed funds. According to him, things are so bad that they cannot afford to support their social programs intended to assist poor residents.

So what's his plan? Well, read it for yourself:

Worried that welfare costs are rising as the number of taxpayers declines, state Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, said Tuesday he is studying a plan to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied.

"We're on a train headed to the future and there's a bridge out, " LaBruzzo said of what he suspects are dangerous demographic trends. "And nobody wants to talk about it."

LaBruzzo said he worries that people receiving government aid such as food stamps and publicly subsidized housing are reproducing at a faster rate than more affluent, better-educated people who presumably pay more tax revenue to the government. He said he is gathering statistics now.

"What I'm really studying is any and all possibilities that we can reduce the number of people that are going from generational welfare to generational welfare, " he said.

He said his program would be voluntary. It could involve tubal ligation, encouraging other forms of birth control or, to avoid charges of gender discrimination, vasectomies for men.

It also could include tax incentives for college-educated, higher-income people to have more children, he said.

LaBruzzo, 38, is white, married to a lawyer, has a toddler daughter and holds a bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University.

Homeless Mother Arrested for Knowingly Sending Child to School District Outside of Where She Lives (Um, She's Homeless?)

Damn, can a sista catch a break in America anymore? I don't know what's going on, but I have a hard time believing that municipalities are so strapped for cash that they would arrest a homeless woman for sending her kid to the wrong school district. Um, hello, when someone's homeless, they don't actually have a school district to call their own, do they? Help me understand this shit because obviously it's above my pay-grade just a tad bit. Yep, I'm gonna need one of youse people in Connecticut to 'splain this one here:

NORWALK -- A homeless woman from Bridgeport who enrolled her 6-year-old son at a Norwalk elementary school has become the first in the city to be charged with stealing more than $15,000 for the cost of her child's education.

Tonya McDowell, 33, whose last known address was 66 Priscilla St., Bridgeport, was charged Thursday with first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny for allegedly stealing $15,686 from Norwalk schools. She was released after posting a $25,000 bond.

McDowell's babysitter, Ana Rebecca Marques, was also evicted from her Roodner Court public housing apartment for providing documents to enroll the child at Brookside Elementary School.

The police investigation into the residency began in January after Norwalk Housing Authority attorney Donna Lattarulo filed a complaint alleging McDowell registered her son at Brookside, but actually lived in an apartment on Priscilla Street in Bridgeport.

As part of the evidence presented in the complaint, police received an affidavit of residency signed by McDowell and dated last September attesting that she lived in the Roodner Court public housing complex on Ely Ave.

When she was interviewed by police in the case, McDowell admitted to living in Bridgeport at the time she registered her son in Norwalk schools.

She said she knew a man who owned a home on Priscilla Street and he allowed her to sleep at the home at night, but she had to leave the home during the day until he returned from work.

She also acknowledged that she stays from time to time at the Norwalk Emergency Shelter when she has nowhere else to stay.

McDowell also admitted that Marques was her son's babysitter from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. after the boy got out of school.

After the Norwalk Housing Authority became aware that Marques helped McDowell by providing documents needed to get McDowell's son into Brookside, Marques was evicted from her apartment in January.[...]

Sounds like somebody at the housing authority was mad "somebody" was sleeping on someone's couch. Hell, it's a wonder they're not trying to get back-rent. Surely they can get blood from a tunip so that in itself shouldn't be a problem, right? If only everyone working for the city saw it that way.

Poverty in America: Why Don't We Take Care of the Poor in Our Own Country?

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Some statistics about poverty in America

1 in 7 people in the United States are living in poverty.

43.6 million Americans were living BELOW POVERTY LEVEL in 2009. (including 15.5 million children and 3.4 million seniors) Up from 37 million in 2008.

14.9 million individuals are currently unemployed.

6.2 million people were jobless for 27 weeks or more as of August 2010.

The poverty threshold in 2009 was $10,956 for an individual and $21,954 for a family of four.

In 2008, 49.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 32.4 million adults and 16.7 million children.

In 2008, 4.1 percent of all U.S. households (4.8 million households) accessed emergency food from a food pantry one or more times.

Usually when we think about poverty, the image that comes to mind is that of a child with a swollen belly in a "third world" country living in a community without running water and proper sewage disposal. We tend to forget that there are people in America, supposedly the most prosperous country in the world, living in poverty.

We tend to dismiss the poor in America by blaming their situation on a lack of motivation, pure laziness. We have an image of a "welfare queen" bilking the system and living in the lap of luxury at tax payer expense. We do not believe that in a nation with so much wealth, there are people starving, people without a place to lay their heads at night, people who are struggling to put clothes on the backs of their children and food in their bellies.

Americans want to believe in the inherent laziness of the poor. We do not want to believe that this is NOT the "land of opportunity" we have touted it to be. We neglect the discrepancies in job and educational opportunities available to our fellow country men. We want to ignore the fact that despite all of their efforts, some Americans are simply not afforded the same chances in life as others. We want to "blame the victim".

When we speak about the recession and the economic crisis, much of the focus is on middle class Americans who have had to cut back on luxuries such as dinners out and vacations. We hear people complaining about having to drive an old car. We speak of people no longer able to send their children to private schools. We talk about "down sizing" for middle class folks.

Rarely is the focus on those living in poverty, those who are impacted most severely by down turns in the economy. We want to speak of those who are living in poverty as "lazy", "unmotivated", and "criminal" in order to distance ourselves from the possibility of ever falling into such dire economic circumstances.

Should the Government Tell Me How to Spend my Food Stamps?

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

After reading several articles about food stamps in the past few days, I noticed a pattern in the comment sections following each story. And the majority of the
comments were very derogatory towards food stamp program participants.

Apparently, the general public believes that since food stamps are funded by tax payer money, they government should be allowed to act as a pseudo parent and put restrictions on what food stamp recipients can purchase with their EBT cards.

Recently, Mayor Bloomberg announced that he wants to prohibit food stamp recipients from purchasing soda with their benefit cards. Apparently, poor people are children who need the benevolent hand of the government to tell them what they should and should not be eating.

Food stamps can be used for food and non alcoholic beverages. Soda IS a beverage, like it or not. While I do not advocate that an individual go out and spend his entire food stamp budget on soda and sugary snacks, poor people have JUST AS MUCH right to make poor food choices. And, despite what people want to believe, most food stamps are used to purchase NECESSARY food items, NOT snacks and sodas.

I have been on food stamps for 7 years. If it were not for food stamps, I would be forced to eat ramen noodles for three meals a day every day. I use my food stamps to purchase fresh vegetables, lean meats, beans, eggs, bread and milk. And, on occasion, a bottle of soda. Should that small pleasure that I derive from a carbonated beverage once in a while be taken away from me simply because I am poor?

Orayne Williams: From Kingston, Jamaica; to a Homeless Shelter; Now to College

Anyone one who knows me will tell you that I have a soft spot for the homeless, and downtrodden. Often, I bring to light the everyday madness on this site; but today, here's some reality with an awesome ending.

So, check out the story of Orayne Williams (pictured above), and how he overcame serious odds to be granted a full ride college scholarship just about a month ago. Hopefully you'll find this inspirational:

Homeless high school grad Orayne Williams is getting the ride of his life - a full scholarship to a four-year college.

Abandoned by his family and living alone in a Brooklyn shelter, Williams, 18, excelled at school with a 91 average at Bedford Academy in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The Daily News broke his story on June 15, and since then, he's received more than $15,000 in scholarship money from readers.

Now, Manhattanville College in Purchase, Westchester County, has offered Williams a slot and a promise to cover any expenses he can't pay.

"I was speechless," said Williams. "I didn't think it was going to happen, but it did."

Born into a poor family outside Kingston, Jamaica, Williams was sent to live in Florida alone at age 12. In 2007, he was reunited with his mother and half sister at a Brooklyn homeless shelter.

In November, his mother kicked him out, and city Education Department social worker Wayne Harris found him a spot at a shelter for young men in Williamsburg.

Williams still managed to do well, taking three Advanced Placement classes, earning an A average, and winning a spot at an upstate two-year community college on scholarship.

All that changed after Manhattanville College President Molly Easo Smith read Williams' story in The News. "His hunger for education really meant something to me," said Smith. "It touched a nerve."

Although Smith didn't know if Manhattanville would be able to pay Williams' way, she encouraged him to apply.

Last Tuesday, Smith learned that the school had enough scholarship money available to cover Williams' expenses, which will work out to about $47,000 a year.

She called Harris - and that night the social worker broke the news to Williams at a support meeting for homeless teens. The room erupted into thunderous applause.

"I felt like I hit a 3-point jump shot," said Harris. "I clenched my fist, like, 'Yes!'" (source)

Williams will be moving to Westchester this month to attend the college, where he plans to major in biology. "Of course I'll miss Brooklyn, but I'll be back," Williams said. "Life is just taking its course."

Having worked and volunteered in homeless shelters in recent years, this story really warms my heart. More than anything, what really bugs you when in the shelter environment, are the faces of the many kids you encounter. It's truly a hard-knock-life for many of them, and breaks such as this one doesn't come too often...

Especially for a kid from the Caribbean with similar circumstances.

To understand how poverty affects the education of children CLICK HERE!

Candidate Carl Paladino (R-NY): Let's Put Welfare Recipients in Prison; Teach Them Responsibility & "Personal Hygiene"

Yes, because we all know just how funky those "welfare queens" are as they drive their Cadillacs to the check cashing and/or local liquor stores. I swear folks, you cannot make this shit up; that is, unless you believe in small government, and are a supporter of the Republican party. You know, a party made up of fat cats who don't give a damn about the poor and working class folks struggling to stay afloat in this economic shit storm:

Republican candidate for governor Carl Paladino said he would transform some New York prisons into dormitories for welfare recipients, where they would work in state-sponsored jobs, get employment training and take lessons in "personal hygiene."

Paladino, a wealthy Buffalo real estate developer popular with many tea party activists, is competing for the Republican nomination with former U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio. The primary is Sept. 14.

[...] Throughout his campaign, Paladino has criticized New York's rich menu of social service benefits, which he says encourages illegal immigrants and needy people to live in the state. He has promised a 20 percent reduction in the state budget and a 10 percent income tax cut if elected.

[...] Paladino laid out several plans that included converting underused state prisons into centers that would house welfare recipients. There, they would do work for the state — "military service, in some cases park service, in other cases public works service," he said — while prison guards would be retrained to work as counselors.

"Instead of handing out the welfare checks, we'll teach people how to earn their check. We'll teach them personal hygiene ... the personal things they don't get when they come from dysfunctional homes," Paladino said.

[...] Paladino told The Associated Press the dormitory living would be voluntary, not mandatory, and would give welfare recipients an opportunity to take public, state-sponsored jobs far from home.

"These are beautiful properties with basketball courts, bathroom facilities, toilet facilities. Many young people would love to get the hell out of cities," Paladino he said.

He also defended his hygiene remarks, saying he had trained inner-city troops in the Army and knows their needs.

"You have to teach them basic things — taking care of themselves, physical fitness. In their dysfunctional environment, they never learned these things," he said. (source)

Yep, let's criminalize the poor; it's nothing new really. Shit, all they do is sit at home and smoke dope while watching reality shows on their fifty-inch flat-screen televisions as they suck working people dry, right?

Here's what one commenter of the above story on the site had to say:

I am a Democrat and I support this idea. Able-bodied people should have to work to receive income. If that's a state sponsored job collecting garbage on the side of the road, I'm fine with that. He's suggesting giving them training. What's wrong with that? The current welfare system is doing nothing but churning out criminals. Ridden Muni lately? Do you like the unruly kids that live in the projects? They are the future.

Of course this proves that some Democrats/Liberals are as "American" as Conservatives. So what you think RiPPa? I'm just glad that there are rich white folks who are willing to teach poor people how to act. Truth is, po' folk could stand to use some Grey Poupon in their pathetic crack-smoking dysfunctional lives [snark].

Feel like dropping Mr. Paladino a line to tell him how you feel?

Feel free to do so:

Paladino for the People
PO Box 447
Buffalo, NY 14205

TEL: 716-783-9400
EMAIL: info@paladinoforthepeople.com

Maternal Mortality: The Story of Mamma

She had a name.  She was a wife.  She was a mother.  She was a daughter.  She was still a child herself at 18 years old.  Now she becomes a statistic that is not quite at the forefront for a number of reasons.

These women are poor and they are mainly women of color.  They are from Panama, the Sudan, Afghanistan, and yes even our own doorstep: New York.

I went over to Time.com and was struck by this moving and hauntingly real slideshow which brought me into the pain of childbirth, the uncertainty, the resolve, the relief, and unfortunately the death of Mamma Sessay.  She was forced into a marriage at 14 years old.  By 15 years old, she was having children.  

As I trudge along in my own pregnancy at 17 weeks and some days, I don't question whether or not I will have to worry about care.  I don't worry if I will deliver our my third child in a dirty hospital room with little technology to take care of me.  

Every woman questions whether or not something will go wrong, but at this stage of pregnancy, it gets easier to focus on touching your new baby soon, as opposed to worrying about whether or not you will make it out alive.  Well, at least if you are in privileged enough to have health care insurance or some kind of care in a "First World Country."

I feel guilty staring at her picture.  I feel like I've done nothing to deserve these blessings.  I wonder if I have earned enough.  As I sit and watch her face and her untimely death, I can't help but thank and question God at the same time for all that He has given me.  My kids were born in nice hospitals, one of them being newly remodeled and furnished with plasma television screens, DVD and CD player, beautiful wood paneling... 

How is her situation fair?

Montel Williams Endorses Money Mutual Payday Loans

First we had Russell Simons endorsing the Rush Card and now we have Montel Williams endorsing payday loans.  Are we ever going to arrive at the day when Black celebrities decide that it is not okay to promote these predatory business models to vulnerable members of society?

According to the MoneyMutual website:

Montel Williams has endorsed MoneyMutual because it provides needed short term cash loans to people who have no other credit alternatives. Montel takes pride in being able to provide people with information which could help them to live better physically, spiritually, financially, and emotionally. When it comes to financial assistance, Montel understands that people will find unexpected and needed expenses from time to time that are difficult to pay for due to lack of funds or credit. Rather than bounce a check, or receive late payment penalties, Montel believes that a short term cash loan from MoneyMutual can provide the necessary immediate assistance and help avoid more costly fees. According to Williams, "MoneyMutual's online lending network is the only source you can trust for finding a short term cash loan quickly and easily." MoneyMutual allows people to receive instant approval on getting a cash loan of up to $1,000. Restrictions do apply. See Moneymutual.com for details.

Black blogs continually speak about the racism that we face, but what happens when the face of the oppressor is brown like yours?   Montel exists with extreme class privilege and he will never have to access the very loans that he is busy peddling to an unsuspecting public.

Bristol Is Taking Levi To Court For Child Support, Of Course This Makes Her A Gold Digger

According to TMZ, Bristol’s lawyers filed paperwork last Thursday in an attempt to secure child support for her son, Tripp.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Bristol believes Levi has pulled in "in excess of $105,000 in 2009 through various media interviews and modeling related activities." The $105,000 figure is significant, because under Alaska law a non-custodial parent must pay 20% of income up to $105,000 a year -- which comes to $1,750 a month.
Bristol says in her sworn statement, "I have received limited and sporadic financial assistance from Levi." Bristol says Levi has forked over only $4,400 over the 13 months of Tripp's life -- $3,000 on September 9, 2009, $1,400 on December 19.

I decided to read the comment sections on both reddit and TMZ.  There were some that felt that Levi should live up to his parental obligations and then of course there were comments of this vein:

What a F up family.........Maybe Grandmom Sarah needs to also make sure she helps since she is doing nothing for this country except selling books. She is as big of a loser as her daughter. She needs to stop spreading her legs, she and mom need to get a real life. WOW what a F up family all of them.

FOR 1 KID?R U Kidding me...I have 3 and I don't spend that much on them and I am a housewife for 15yrs now! GET REAL GIRL...WAKE UP FROM THE DREAM YOU ARE LIVIN IN.

Geez - $4400 is much more than I've EVER heard of anyone getting from a 19 year old father, and she wants $1750 a month? Why should she get that much? Greedy bitch.

HE NEEDS A DNA TEST TO PROVE HE IS ACTUALLY THE FATHER.
ALONG WITH THAT COURT DOCUMENT, WHY IS THERE NOT A REQUEST FOR PATENITY?
JUST SAYING, HEARD SHE GOT AROUND THE FOOTBALL TEAM

this is crazy. she is not looking for child support she is looking for someone to support her. 1750/mth. is way too much her to get without working for it. she was not used to any kind of life with levi before this that would warrant a change in living standards if she didn't get that much money.

She's a money grubbing bitch, from everything I have seen Palins are all about money. Why do you think she quit? Because she can make more money with her stupid book and being governor of our awesome state was probably below.
She has tried to move the capital from Juneau to Wasilla so all their property values go up, that's it.

How about Bristol pay Levi 20% of her earnings from the "US Weekly" and "Time Magazine" interviews she's done, since they haven't officially decided she gets sole custody anyhow.

She got pregnant. It's her body. Where's her responsibility? She mothered a child irresponsibly and all you can do is blame the man? And now she gets free human welfare every month?
More accurate headline: If you're not old enough to vote, then you shouldn't be responsible enough to take care of a child.

To take money from the male is getting fucking ancient. How about instead of single mothers living off of child support, before a woman gives birth, she should ask the husband if he wants to be apart of it... if he doesn't, then the baby is all yours.
No child support. Equal rights? When and where, cocksuckers.

So if I had a vagina, I could just trap sperm and have someone pay for my college after I pop out another little nothing?

Is anyone banging their head against a wall yet?  One of the major goals of MRA’s is to abdicate the responsibility to financially support their children.  It is a well known fact that women make less than men and if a woman is living alone with a child, she is more likely to be living in poverty.  Their concern is not for the children that they had a part in producing, rather it is wallowing in their male privilege because of their decidedly misogynistic understanding of reproduction.

They use the argument regarding the autonomy of female bodies to suggest that they are being oppressed.  The fact of the matter is that at no point were they being forced to engage in behaviour against their will.  They could have chosen not to have sex and they could have chosen to wear a condom or have a vasectomy.   Throughout the entire process of reproduction, the male body is always in a position of authority and furthermore; their actions do not require a law to ensure that their rights are being protected.

It would seem to me, that Alaska’s twenty percent law is extremely fair.  A child may not cost the 1700 dollars a month that Bristol is requesting, however; a child should be able to to live within the same economic class as hir parents and this is something that the MRA have continually failed to acknowledge.  If a child is living at home with two parents, ze would have taken on their class status and receive any ensuing benefits.   Why should the father be able to live a life of extravagance with the child receiving no benefit?  It is a known fact, that the more money a child has to be raised on, the more opportunities that will be available to hir. 

Finally, perhaps what is most disturbing is the idea that a mother who requests child support is just lazy and wants a free ride.  Even if the mother is not working outside of the home and is completely dependent upon support to raise a child, she is still working for the money.  Simply because parenting does not produce  a product that can be sold on the open market for a profit, does not mean that it is not work or that it does provide a measurable gain for society. Unfortunately, for far too many, mothering falls under labour that women are expected to provide for free because we are constructed as the nurturing sex.

Slut shaming Bristol or calling her a lazy bitch is simply reductive and serves the purpose of reducing Levi’s responsibility for their child.  Even though she is currently living with her parents, they are not responsible for raising or paying for that child.  They had no hand in the creation of the child and to suggest that they should pick up Levi’s slack is ridiculous.  They are already providing a home for this child, which is more than he is currently doing.    Paying twenty percent of his income will not impoverish him.  The idea that women should be solely responsible for the financial support of children has one purpose – impoverishment.

South Carolina Lt. Governor says helping the poor is like "feeding stray animals."

Don't look now, but if a certain Lt. Governor in South Carolina has his way and should succeed Governor Mark Sandford. Government assistance to the poor and needy might just be a thing of the past. Yep, Lt. Governor Andre Baur, the douche pictured above, had this to say at a recent town hall meeting:

"My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that. And so what you've got to do is you've got to curtail that type of behavior. They don't know any better."

Oh those silly republicans I tell ya; this asswipe had the nerve to suggest that what he said was taken out of context. Yep and it just so happened that he made these statements as part of an argument that people should lose government benefits if they fail drug tests or don't attend parent-teacher conferences or PTA meetings. So the question is, what fuckin context did you mean to imply Andre Baur? Shit, sounds like regular everyday conservative talking points to me, pal.

Church ordered by Phoenix Arizona judge to stop feeding the homeless

With Thanksgiving right around the corner this is a pretty messed up story. It's bad enough that there's a "problem" with homeless people all across the country, but it's especially troubling when a judge acts in the interest of the public decides to sweep them under a rug and deny them access to one of the most critical resources....

FOOD:

The homeless in Phoenix, Ariz. will have to find a new place for a pancake breakfast after a court ruling forced a neighborhood church to shut down its charity dining hall. The ruling sets a precedent for all churches zoned in residential areas of Phoenix, which will force church volunteers to relocate their homeless food services to commercial parts of the city or end their meal services entirely, reports Change.org.

Check out the video:




Ain't America grand? Considering that the state of Arizona ranks pretty high as far as home foreclosures, this is pretty messed up don't you think? I mean people are sympathetic and make effort to feed the kids they show on TV with flies on their faces. Yeah, they'll listen to Sally Struthers and pull out that bank card or credit card and dial that one eith hundred number. But yet, with homeless and hungry people here, they're more concerned about the rise in homeless people in their neighborhoods who are just trying to eat?

Yeah I don't exactly like the idea of somebody taking a dump on my lawn either. But I just happen to think this is wrong to order a church to stop feeding the homeless. It's what they do for crying out loud! It's not like they were running a friggin needle exchange program! Lord forbid they extend a hand to the downtrodden.

Men lie, women lie, but numbers don't - let's talk about women and poverty shall we?

If you're like me, after watching the above video of a 19yr old single mother talk about her struggle, you feel bad for her. Her story is nothing new, and can be heard all across the country. The one thing that stands out, was when she said that she hadn't seen the father of her child since her delivery 8mths prior to shooting that interview. Her being Black it's easy to assume that she's just another sister who has to suffer at the hands of an irresponsible Black man. Yep, you know how that infamous 70% of Black kids being raised in homes lead by single mothers line has us programmed to believe that Black men aren't shit. But see ladies and gentlemen, the problem is way beyond what's perceived.

You see, many of you may think the woman in the video above represents the norm. That would be, a single unmarried female who has kids out of wedlock, but this is not true. In fact, many currently unmarried mothers were married at some point, but too often, the loss of a husband greatly increases a family’s likelihood of falling into poverty. In 2008, 36% of poor unmarried mothers were divorced, widowed, or separated. So much for the notion that all poor unmarried mothers, making the mistake of having children out of wedlock, right? But keeping it real as I always do, I can't help but to note that risk of poverty for women of color is even greater, especially for those who are unmarried. Thirty percent of unmarried black women and 29.5% of unmarried Hispanic women - of any race - were poor in 2008, compared with 18.5% of unmarried white women. Hmm, so I guess Hispanic men, just like Black men aren't shit, right?

Ultimately, the real problem here is the inequalities faced by women with or without children. But lets be honest: women with kids fare worse. This is America folks, and one can only imagine how much these numbers have been inflated from last year given our current economy. Speaking of which: Did you know that the majority of adults living in poverty were women? As a matter of fact, per recent U.S. Census results, 59% of adults in poverty are women; and 13 percent of all adult women are in poverty. Yeah I know, that's a lot of single women with kids left holding the bag, right? Well, that's not exactly true. According to the report, the majority of unmarried women living in poverty are elderly.

It's sad but true; more than one in five (22.2%) women living in poverty are elderly women age 60 and older. Losing a husband to death or divorce can be devastating to women’s quality of life and greatly increases risk of poverty. Because the vast majority (95%) of today’s elderly population has married at some point, older women who are poor are almost all previously married. The new Census figures bear this out. Widows accounted for nearly half (45.6%) of poor women age 60 and older in 2008, and 65% of those over 75. So next time you think about ridiculing Black men for the problems Black women face. Take a minute to remember that the problem of women in poverty is not just a Black thing. And more importantly, remember or realize that our society is not as egalitarian as we would like to think it is.


Data Sources:

U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008

U.S. Census Bureau, Data Ferret, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, March 2009 (Link)

Hurricane Katrina: 4yrs later, and....

Isn't it quite telling how we're always reminded every year about the events of 9/11, but not the catastrophic event that was Hurricane Katrina? There are no memorial services, no moments of silence, no 24/7 documentaries on cable television that chronicles the event. Nope, it's almost as though it never happened. Here we are 4yrs later and people are still struggling in New Orleans. Well, for me, Hurricane Katrina is one event that has left a lasting impact on my life. No I wasn't there in New Orleans or nearby Biloxi Mississippi, but I did live on the Gulf Coast that day and several months after.

I lived in Pensacola Florida back then, and even to this day it's hard for me to even forget the events leading up to that day, and the days afterward. I don't know what was more terrifying: not knowing where the hurricane would hit land and being in its path, or watching what people endured and realizing that I too could have met such a fate. I'm sorry, but the combination of fear, disappointment, and the eventual anger was enough to make me move from the Gulf Coast the following year.

For the first time in my life I stared southern bred racism directly in the eye, as I watched displaced Black people bussed in to a shelter I volunteered at because "certain people" didn't want them in their "Lilly White" towns or neighborhoods in nearby Alabama. I met and spoke to people at that shelter who had no clue where they were, or even where other family members may be. I saw entire families sleeping in cars, babies and grown men crying; I saw a lot. To this day I don't know if it was worse watching what most people saw on television or living and seeing what I saw firsthand; I can't imagine being at ground zero, could you? And just think: four years later and people are still not where they should be.

I also remember the shock and horror of watching the World Trade Center fall on September 11th. I remember watching and thinking about my mother and the rest of my family and friends in New York City. Yes, that was indeed a morning full of terror, but I got over it eventually. I wish I could say the same thing about the events following Hurricane Katrina because I'm still mad. Sure it could be debated that the gov't had the power to prevent the 9/11 event; a debate often riddled with conspiracies. But I'm sorry, what they did not do in the wake of Katrina, or even in not repairing the levees in years prior is not debatable.

To me, it was no conspiracy, but instead affirmations that the lives of poor people - especially people of color - are disposable. But hey, I guess this would explain why it's easy for "certain people" to argue against social policies in this great nation of ours. After all, the underclass must be preserved at all costs, no? How ironic is it that Katrina has hit this country again in the form of our current economic meltdown? Payback maybe? How ironic is it that there are people who still believe that the gov't shouldn’t do anything to assist it's citizenry in these times while people are drowning...

Hurricane Katrina, just like 9/11 is one event that should never be forgotten. Yes, and just like my man Mos Def says in the song Katrina Clap: "Stop being cheap nigga, freedom ain't free!!" But I guess James Baldwin said it best when he said: "To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time."

And now, I delectably present to you a song, most suitable for the occasion:

Are you broke? Unemployed? Got warrants? Pay child support maybe?

I just read over at Electronic Village that the mother of Mychal Bell of Jena 6 fame was recently arrested for non-payment of child support. Before I go on with this post, I want you folks to know that Electronic Village is a blog that you should visit at least once a day. My man the Villager stays on point with current events within the community. In his blog it was asked if women pay child support or are issued court ordered to pay child support. The answer is yes. Now I don't know the circumstances surrounding this woman's non-payment of support, but I wouldn't be surprised that people are going to jail in record numbers for non-payment given the economic downturn.

I mean why not; people are losing homes as a result of loss of employment, no? Am I suggesting that this was the case of Mychal Bell's mom? No I'm not because I don't know the extenuating circumstances of her situation. However, I do know that people are going to jail for being poor. Now Evander Holyfield on the other hand? He's rich, and not like the people this blog speaks about. Matter of fact, if anything his situation makes me question why we never hear about rich or wealthy White celebrities with issues like his.

"Edwina Nowlin, a poor Michigan resident, was ordered to reimburse a juvenile detention center $104 a month for holding her 16-year-old son. When she explained to the court that she could not afford to pay, Ms. Nowlin was sent to prison. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, which helped get her out last week after she spent 28 days behind bars, says it is seeing more people being sent to jail because they cannot make various court-ordered payments. That is both barbaric and unconstitutional.

Despite her inability to pay, she was held in contempt of court and ordered to serve a 30-day sentence. On March 6, three days after she was incarcerated, she was released for one day to work. She also picked up her paycheck, in the amount of $178.53. This, she thought, could be used to pay the $104, and she would be released from jail.

But when she got back to the jail, the sheriff told her to sign her check over to the county--to pay $120 for her own room and board, and $22 for a drug test and booking fee.
Even more absurd, Nowlin requested but was denied a court-appointed lawyer. So because she was too poor to afford a lawyer and denied her constitutional right to have the court provide one for her, she couldn't fight the contempt charge that stemmed from her poverty. And her contempt conviction only added to her poverty, as the fines and fees she was obligated to pay now multiplied.

"Like many people in these desperate economic times, Ms. Nowlin was laid off from work, lost her home and is destitute," said Michael Steinberg, legal director of the Michigan ACLU. "Jailing her because of her poverty is not only unconstitutional, it's unconscionable and a shameful waste of resources. It is not a crime to be poor in this country, and the government must stop resurrecting debtor's prisons from the dustbin of history." - source

Now, that's just one instance, but wouldn't it stand to reason that with Blacks and other minorities bearing the worst of this economic recession, that they stand to be more likely to go to jail for non-payment of child support and other court ordered fines? Well RiPPa there are some deadbeats out there. True, but doesn't the economic climate receive any consideration in cases such as these? Well yeah but the bad economy thing is somewhat of an anomaly RiPPa. Also true, but hasn't the unemployment rate for Blacks always has been double that of non-minorities? Obviously they didn't do that for that woman in Michigan. And I'll say that in my opinion Child Support payments should be restricted to couples in divorce proceedings only.

In 2006, the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) filed a suit on behalf of Ora Lee Hurley, who couldn't get out of prison until she had enough money to pay a $705 fine. But she couldn't pay the fine because she had to pay the Georgia Department of Corrections $600 a month for room and board, and spend $76 a month on public transportation, laundry and food.

She was released five days a week to work at the K&K Soul Food restaurant, where she earned $6.50 an hour, which netted her about $700 a month after taxes. Hurley was trapped in prison for eight months beyond her initial 120-day sentence until the Southern Center intervened. Over the course of her incarceration, she earned about $7,000, but she never had enough at one time to pay off her $705 fine.

"This is a situation where if this woman was able to write a check for the amount of the fine, she would be out of there," Sarah Geraghty, a SCHR lawyer, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution while Hurley was still imprisoned. "And because she can't, she's still in custody. It's as simple as that."

Georgia also lets for-profit probation companies prey on people too poor to pay their traffic violations and court fees.

Now isn't that crazy? According to a 2008 SCHR report entitled "Profiting from the poor":

In courts around Georgia, people who are charged with misdemeanors and cannot pay their fines that day in court are placed on probation under the supervision of private, for-profit companies until they pay off their fines. On probation, they must pay these companies substantial monthly "supervision fees" that may double or triple the amount that a person of means would pay for the same offense.

For example, a person of means may pay $200 for a traffic ticket on the day of court and be done with it, while a person too poor to pay that day is placed on probation and ends up paying $500 or more for the same offense.

The privatization of misdemeanor probation has placed unprecedented law enforcement authority in the hands of for-profit companies that act essentially as collection agencies. These companies, focused on profit rather than public safety or rehabilitation, are not designed to supervise people or connect them to services and jobs. Rather, they charge exorbitant monthly fees and use the threat of imprisonment and a variety of bullying tactics to squeeze money out of the men and women under their supervision.

For too many poor people convicted of misdemeanors, our state is not living up to the constitutional promise of equal justice under law.

In 1970, the Supreme Court ruled that it violates equal protection to keep inmates in prison extra time because they are too poor to pay a fine or court costs. More recently, the court ruled that a state generally cannot revoke a defendant’s probation and imprison him for failing to pay a fine if he is unable to do so.

Having said that, doesn't it seem wrong to imprison someone for non-payment of court ordered child support? How come it isn't a crime punishable by jail time to default on your credit card payments or even be a victim of foreclosure, but yet you can go to jail or prison for non-payment of child support? Sure you might say that the court system has a vested interest in the welfare of the children, but is that exactly true?

Until a few years ago, the police in Gulfport, Miss., regularly did sweeps of the city’s predominantly African-American neighborhoods, identified people with unpaid fines (warrants), and put them in jail. Defendants who could not pay were forced to remain there until they “sat off” their fines. The city ended the practice after it was sued. So, in closing I'll ask: is this justice, or is it just slavery by another name?

Visit the Southern Center for Human Rights for more info.

Recommended reading:Guilty of Being Poor & The New Debtors' Prisons

BLOG ACTION DAY: GOD GREW TIRED OF US

I consider myself to be passionate about Black people and the Black experience. That being said, I think its understandable that I will always fight for the underdog. Today is BLOG ACTION DAY, a day where thousands of bloggers around the world will focus on poverty. Its important that we never forget the poor among us in our world society. For its the number of poor among us that represents our success at large. Having said that, I wanted to take this day to shine some light on a little discussed subject here in America in the mainstream media: The Genocide In Darfur.

I don't wanna get to deep, and share my thoughts on the current state of affairs. But sometimes, I have to wonder if Blacks in America are better off by being here, given the history of racism on this continent, as it relates to our African American History. I'd be interested to hear your opinions on that in your commentary. I will say this, I'm not pleased with the fact that this civil war in the Sudan has been taking place since 1983, and the U.S. Gov't has done very little in my opinion. I think its really sad that it took the current energy crisis to make our gov't shift focus and create AFRICOM. Under the guise of creating better opportunities for Africans in the Sudan, we'll soon see American troops on African soil. The truth is, our gov't is only concerned with the cheap source of oil that the continent and the region supplies on a world scale. Personally, I wish they would have acted sooner in an humanitarian effort, because lord knows how many lives could have been saved.

If you're unaware of the situation...

Do me a favor and be sure to checkout this video...

If this doesn't touch your heart then I sincerely feel sorry for you....

This is just a short insight into the plight of our brothers and sisters across the ocean. It is my hope that you spread the word to your friends and family, or even direct others to this post because I think this is a very important subject. I urge you to do what ever you can to assist our brothers and sisters by donating what ever you can monetarily. Its not about how much you donate, its about taking a stand and making a difference.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Again, its not about how much money you donate, its about making a difference.