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President Barack Obama kicked off the 2009 Father's Day weekend with a string of events designed to "begin a national conversation on responsible fatherhood and healthy families," according to the White House. Much like first lady Michelle Obama's March celebration of women's empowerment, the day of bro-mance hits eight Washington-area nonprofits that mentor young men, and featurez teams of celebrities, businessmen, lawmakers and White House staff that range from Obama aide Reggie Love to Motorola CEO Greg Brown to DeWayne Wade of the Miami Heat. "If we are honest with ourselves," he said, "we'll admit that... too many fathers also are missing--missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it." In that previous speech Obama rattled off the stunning statistics for black families cleaved in two: Fatherless kids are "five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of school and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from homes." In a classical preacher's cadence, Obama concluded that enough is enough: "We need [men] to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child—it's the courage to raise one." Many campaign watchers, of all races, applauded Obama's speech as a "Sister Souljah moment" that showed the true value of a black presidential candidate: saying things that white politicians could not—or, as Jesse Jackson famously put it soon after, "talking down to black people." But these analyses missed the point: Black leaders, including Jackson, have been urging responsible fatherhood and stand-up-straight living for as long as there have been black pulpits to preach from. At the 2006 Essence Festival in Dallas, for example, televangelist and author T.D. Jakes said "Fatherhood is not optional.... Rather than focusing on the father’s that left, we need to focus on the ones who stayed." Obama's "real talk" is nothing new—but his status as the "first father" gives him an unprecedented and unique platform. In an essay for Parade magazine and a proclamation released today, Obama declared that "honest and hard-working fathers are an irreplaceable influence upon their children." Of course, it's unlikely that Obama can singlehandedly change the statistics for deadbeat dads and out-of-wedlock births. But this year, the first black president has recruited some high profile company in his bully pulpit. Dayo Olopade is the Washington Reporter for The Root. A video of the speech is below:
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Ancestor John Henrik Clarke (may his legacy be a blessing) tells his life story as interviewed by Gil Nobles.
Christian Sensitivity Warning ! Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango (April 27, 1938 - January 14, 2004) goes thorugh the major European Holidays and exposes the contradictions and lies behind them. (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween...) Barashnago is a great teacher who often uses humor when he teaches making it easier to digest some hard truths.
"Thanksgiving Day literally is a holiday celebrating the beginnings of the almost total extermination of an entire race of people, commonly called "Indians" and the enslavement, continued oppression and genocide of the Afrikan, by European settlers....For over 100 years now Black folks in the United States have joined with the descendants of the same European murder[er]s who enslaved them and systematically all but destroyed the Amer-Indian, in feasting and giving thanks to God for the "opportunity" to live in one of the most racist, imperialist, and oppressive countries on earth....Black People celebrating Thanksgiving Day is like the Americans celebrating the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or the so-called Jews celebrating the rise of the Third Reich, or the Palestinians celebrating the intrusion of the settler colony of Zionist Israel, or moreover the millions of Zulu descendants who are being murdered by the thousands each day, celebrating the establishment of the Union of South Africa..." Barashango
If you are receiving this correspondence via email and are not able to view the accompanying video please visit http://www.blackimprovementmedia.blogspot.com/ to watch the video described in the above text. The views expressed in the media presented on this site are not necessarily the views and opinions of the Imani Foundation, our members, staff, or sponsors.
This peice was done by BlackTruthForever. He may be reached by emailing blacktruthhurts@gmail.com or visiting his Youtube webpage by clicking here. This video is BlackTruthForever's take on some of the problems facing the "Black" community. If you are receiving this correspondence via email and are not able to view the accompanying video please visit http://www.blackimprovementmedia.blogspot.com to watch the video described in the above text.
Les Brown speaks on Maintaining a Winning Mindset - Full Version 52 min
