Troy

Since this video was taken Obama has traded in Dr. West for Reverend Sharpton. Obama has also failed to live up to much of what he promised on the campaign trail, to a crowd of adoring supporters in Harlem's Apollo theater. The audience was virtually 100% Black. My oldest daughter and I were part of the audience. I apologize for the quality of the video but the words are loud and clear, It is fascinating to listen to the statements now more than 5 years later. While West's strong support of Obama was strong, he fully recognized Obama was no Dr. King, or Malcolm X. More interesting is what Barack said, about what he was going to do to support the Black community; Obama said he did not want to see, 4 years from then, "...more young Black men in prison than in college". In reality were actually more Black men in college than in prison in 2007 and this is still very likely to be true in 2013. Barack said he would raise miminum wage every year when he became president. The last federal increase was approved by Bush administration in 2007, and took effect in 2009. He said he would give us universal health care without caving into big insurance companies -- without a public option, insurance companies will enjoy a huge windfall. He spoke about the Civil Right Commission. It would be nice if someone could tell me what the CRC has done for Black people in the last 5 years. He spoke about education particularly people in the inner cities of Chicago and Harlem. Today 22% of Black boys graduate high school in 4 years. I could go on picking apart what Barack said he would do versus wast he actually did. But at the end of the day ALL politician say whatever they think the audience wants to hear. My personal problem is that, for some silly reason, I was naive enough to think Barack would actually be different.

People can be dumb, governments don't have to be. Sure, children can make a distinction, but the part about discrimination does not come naturally it is a learned behavior, one that our government facilitates. When my sister and I were children, my sister thought she was white and I was Black. She was not making a value judgement -- just an observation. "Bi-racial", is an even more sloppy term, you simply can't tell by looking at someone that they are "biracial". -------------------------------------- Some of you may find this interesting. The graphic below depicts the results of my ethnicity as determined from my DNA. Some of you would insist on calling this my racial makeup. Even more interesting. To me at least, is that I have information on my European ancestry going back to the 16th century. This line line come from an slave holder, of English descent making a child with one of his enslaved women. A woman who the owner ultimately freed, through some difficulty, in 1811 (I read a summary of the Slave Petition). That woman is my 4th great grand mother. Reading some of Slave Petition from the time period is... depressing. Notes from Ancestry.com: How is Ethnicity Determined? Your genetic ethnicity is a prediction of your ethnic background. We take segments of your DNA and compare them to our ethnicity database, which contains one of the most comprehensive collections of DNA samples from people around the world. We group individuals with a well-established family history in a given place (British Isles for example) and then compare your DNA to each unique group in order to identify overlap. And as our database continues to grow, you could receive updates with new information. DNA changes slightly with each generation, and over time any group of people that are relatively isolated (by geography or culture) develop unique genetic signatures that we can look for. It’s this aspect of DNA that makes our ethnicity predictions all possible. We expect that over time, as the science continues to evolve, we'll be able to show more granular ethnic regions—even regions within a specific country. Is it accurate? When determining your genetic ethnicity, we hold our process and results to an extremely high standard of accuracy. Our lab’s analysis uses some of the most advanced equipment and techniques to measure and analyze your entire genome at over 700,000 locations or "markers". During the testing process, each DNA sample is held to a quality standard of at least a 98% call rate. Any results that don’t meet that standard may require a new DNA sample to be collected. When reviewing your genetic ethnicity, here are some reasons why your results may be different than what you expected. 1. Your genetic ethnicity results go back hundreds of years. In some cases, the markers in your DNA may reveal ethnicities that go back hundreds, even a thousand years. This could differ from what you have documented in your family tree. So keep in mind that there may be some ethnic differences in your more recent family history as compared to generations ago. 2. Ethnic groups moved around. Because people move over time, (and when they do they take their DNA with them), a group may contribute DNA to other groups at different times. So ethnic groups can be defined by time and place—not just location. For example, if you have German or British ancestors in your family tree, it’s a possibility that your genetic ethnicity may be partly Scandinavian. The Viking invasions and conquests about a thousand years ago are likely responsible for occurrences of Scandinavian ethnicity throughout other regions. And there are similar examples for other ethnicities. With your results, we provide historical information describing migrations to and from the regions to give you a broader picture of the origins of your DNA. 3. Your DNA is inherited through the generations. Half of your DNA is inherited from your mother and half from your father (roughly). However, each half is variable and can result in many unique combinations. Your parents inherited their DNA from their parents and passed portions of that DNA down to you. So when you factor that out over a few hundred years, you may share little or no DNA in common with a certain ancestor. So let’s say your father is half Italian, you could (in theory) inherit anywhere from fifty to zero percent Italian (based on the random shuffling of DNA with each generation). When you take that into account over a few generations you can see how traces of ethnicity can be lost over time. So if you look at your family tree, it may indicate a pedigree-based ethnicity of 30% English, 20% Scandinavian, and 50% Italian (based on birth locations of your great-great-great grandparents). While this is one valid way to look at ethnicity (and in fact has been the only way until recently), DNA analysis can reveal the actual percentage of your DNA that is reflected by these ethnic groups. So your genetic-based ethnicity might reveal you are 40% British Isles, 15% Scandinavian, and 45% Southern European. Both measures are accurate and informative—but they are measuring different things.

"Troy - You make a very convincing Devil." Delano, thank you -- it is not easy Now back to advocating for Beelzebub... It is really fascinating what people are willing to believe. The Akashic record are open to everyone -- provided you have the money to pay a Rehki (sp?) master or someone else sufficiently skilled to convince you of something you are already inclined to believe. The mind, which is a function of the brain, is a complex mechanism, but not so complex that it can not be replicated artificially. In fact, engineers and programmers are making great strides to achieving this. A machine has already beaten the best Jeopardy players, and can carry on a conversation with another human such that the human doesn't know they are conversing with a machine. Indeed it will not be very long before machines are superior to man in intelligence, inspiration, intuition, compassion, and will be thinking FOR us. Much of what we think of as ESP has already been explained by those skilled in the art -- the art of tricking people. Insights or inspiration that come to us come to us from our own brains. Consider the fact that all brains are not equal. Some brains are simply incapable of empathy. Some brain are incapable of solving complex math problems. Some brain even struggle at performing the unconscious activities necessary to keep the body healthy. I would even argue that a large percentage of brains working today are incapable of caring about the Akashic record, what it means, or what it has to offer. I also suspect more brains would rather watch a cock fight that attempt to access the Akaschic record. I know that just because not many people care about or understand this stuff doesn't mean it isn't true. But how can something so truly "universal", a basic fundamental truth, escape so many?

Well Pioneer, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but haven't you noticed that gender differences have been greatly neutralized over the last half century. People are fighting for same sex marriages, men's clothing is becoming increasing feminized, girls fighting to be included on football -- with the men. Women literally standing up and saying they don't men men in their lives, to help them raise children, they can be just as good a father as any man. I could go on but you see my point. There are distinct differences between men and women -- indeed ignoring these inherent differences is what has contributed to the destruction of the family... The differences between, a typical white man and Black man are insignificant enough to be ignored -- as far as the government is concerned. Besides they can't even do a good job at keeping track of race, If you've looked at censuses as long as I have (not very long) this becomes self-evident. You've given me a number of different scenarios where victims of racially motivated crimes would have no way to describe the nature of they crime. Consider this: The victims of a crime have NO WAY of knowing the motivations of their assailants. Adding race just confusing things. We have this laws called "Bias Crimes" where, in essence, if the perpetrator of a crime was motivated by some prejudice the penalties would be far worse. This makes no sense to me. If a Black man yells, "nigger I'ma beat the shit out of you!" then proceeds to pummel a black man -- he gets a slap on the wrist. If white boy does exactly the same thing he gets thrown under the jail and his picture on the cover of the local tabloid. Suppose a mulatto guy does the same thing -- what do we do with him? Ultimately if people stop thinking in terms of race, there can't be racists, right. And isn't that our goal?

Del, exactly. We don't know where inspiration comes, from any more than we know where our next thought comes from. I don't believe it comes from deceased ancestors, of any of the countless different Gods man has conjured up to worship. I think inspiration originates with us and is initiated before we are conscious of it. Of course I don't know -- how can I? But I am willing to go with the most likely scenario; that our inspiration originates within our own biology in a chemical process no one understands beyond the basic test I described. -------------- Note: Honestly, I was playing devils advocate to Pioneer's original post. I appreciate once you start talking about spirituality or God people emotions can run high and the topic is usually not open for real debate -- but I figured I'd give it a shot. There has been a lot of discussion about interconnectedness, particularly since quantum physicists proposed, and have now apparently found evidence to support, the idea of a field permeating the universe -- in essence connecting everything in the universe at the quantum level. Some, though I've never heard a physicist make this claim, suggest that this means something much more, proof of a universal consciousness, etc. I'm not sure if Pioneer meant to imply all that, but this idea was my motivation for stirring the pot I could have just gone with the program and wrote that I meditate and fast for inspiration, but I thought this might be more interesting. I

Thanks for asking Cynique I thought things were slow between Xmas and New years but it feels like that right now. Anywho the answer is Treasure Blue. He is from Harlem and his story, family background was rough! It would not be unreasonable to even ask the question is this a true story... But he is a cool Brother. Here he is interviewed by my cousin Darryl Jenkins, back in 2007: Someone here, in 2004, first turned me on to Treasure Blue Either that person of Thumper...

Fred Hammond & Marvin Sapp Live Friday night (12/21/12) at the New Jersey Promising Arts Center (NJPAC) Click to Buy Tickets

I only watched about half of this film, but it seems like most of the people depicted are completely Westernized talking, dressing, behaving as if they are completely American, as if this is the definition of civilization...

Sounds like in this scenario people are still congregating in a building. The church of the future will take place virtually probably on a Facebook Group, or maybe on twitter @church It is probably happening already... But religious observance seems to be becoming more individualized, personal, as people are less willing to adhere to a single church's doctrine instead optioning for their own vision reach God, or opting out the religion thing altogether... 2 more days to go!

- The crackling from the pipe sizzled loudly as she inhaled the dense, deadly smoke. The drug raced through her body in an instant, causing her brain to register orgasmic-like elations throughout her body. All her worries were suspended. A lightness filled her head. She had no thought. No Memories. She was within a present and without a past at the same time. As Nika stepped slowly down down the stairs, and out of the abandoned building, the warm gooey liquid streamed more fluidly from under her skirt. Steam emitted from the liquid as it hit the freezing air oblivious to mother nature's wicked cold. She floated down the wary, dark street. She heard faint music in her ear, though she was not sure where it came from. "Oh, happy day...when Jesus washed...when Jesus washed...he took my sins away." As she neared Lenox Avenue, a couple ambling by STOPPED dead in their tracks, staring wide-eyed with mouths agape. It was a ghastly sight to see a women dragging a newborn FETUS through the freezing snow by its UMBILICAL"

With more than a billion people spread across 54 countries speaking more than 3,000 languages, Africa cannot -- and should not -- be limited to a single narrative. Africa Straight Up is a more complete story about Africa and its diaspora. http://www.africa.com

If someone fired all the "qualified" Asian people. The evidence would be, presumably, that they where fired over someone else less qualified -- which is the problem and not a function of race. If someone harms me, I don't really care what their motivation was -- I just want them brought to justice and punished for harming me. Let the shrinks in prison try to sort out their motivation during the rehabilitation process. Of course regular people will continue using the racist labels of Black and white; again I assert the government should not be using those terms. You many be right about the tribal aspect of mankind, but the US government is perpetuating the destructive mentality buy continuing to use the ever increasingly list of racist descriptors that serve no other purpose than to pit us against each other. While the wealthy kick back, sip champagne, and watch us fight over the crumbs which fall from their table.

Perhaps not caring is part of it. Perhaps an overwhelming sense of not knowing what to do is part of it too. True many, particularly "successful" Black people are too concerned with their own situation to engage in anything more than the annual volunteer work prescribed by their employers. Others follow behind "leaders" more concerned with their own notoriety and revenue than they are with really helping Black people, only to be disappointed as things continue to get worse...

Tarantino is a sick puppy. His movies are twisted and extraordinarily violent. That said, Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite flicks and also enjoyed Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino's new film, “Django Unchained” staring Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington features the two engaged in strong Black on Black love relationship, the type of relationship which goes counter to the Hollywood formula some of us have observed regarding relationships. But fans of Tarantino expect nothing formulaic

Yeah I saw Good Deeds, you can read my comments after Kam's review to see what I thought about the film. I think Good Deeds would actually be yet another example of what Black women are complaining about -- over and above my anecdotal observations. Again the love interest, Thandie Newton, is a mulatto woman. Indeed like the previously mention Saldana, I'm not even sure if Newton describes herself as Black. So if Black women (particularly dark-skinned), feel they are unrepresented as objects of romantic love by Black men in major motion pictures -- I understand the feeling. Speaking of soap operas where is Angie and Jessie when you need 'em.

Cynique, your youth sounds very quite nice. Seems your moniker would be Optimique with that upbringing In stark contrast to your rearing. No one "owned" where the lived, very few had a car, there where no "white" kids, (though one could argue the some of the Puerto Ricans were actually white -- but that is another conversation). The City University, which Colin Powell attended a few years earlier, was free. The neighborhood was clean -- kids couldn't even play on the grass. Crime was low and folks seemed to be pretty content -- at least from the eyes of a child. Beginning in the late 60's the wheels fell off. My neighborhood became the ghetto. Kids I knew, personally, were being murdered, regularly -- kids just like me, wrong place at the wrong time or doing something stupid, but paying a price far too high. Thinking back on it now. I was afraid a lot... (y'all don't tell my mom). By the time I went to college in 1980 the 'hood was a hell hole. Most of my peers did not go to college, in fact more people my age, I'm sure, were incarcerated than in college. But even then the majority of us still graduated from high school. By the later 1980's "Wilding" was a common term and demographers were on the look out for the emergence of the "Super Predator". Several young boys were send to jail on trumped up charges and are known today as the Central Park Five. Today the hood is pretty nice. Fine new restaurants, banks, markets with fresh produce, clean parks, safe streets, and city services, Today there are plenty of white faces pushing strollers down streets that residents, a few years prior, would not venture down after dark. There is plenty of new housing long time residents can't afford. The remaining long term residents, see the writing and the wall know, deep down, their days in Harlem are numbered. The venerable Lenox Lounge closes it's doors this month. A venue I popped in one day and saw Branford Marsalis play. The venue where scenes from Shaft (both of them) and American Gangster were filmed. I believe a sushi bar will replace it. So yeah my perceptions of Cosby in the 1980's and Black love on film today are viewed from a very different perspective. All of the movies and TV shows you cited were comedies -- with Why Did I get Married being a complete farce -- certainly not a film I would use as an example of positive Black on Black love. But in any event the films are the exception not the rule. JeenyWhoa post made me sensitive to issues I'd not considered... So I completely understand if there are Black folks (not saying you fall into the category Cynique) that are perfectly content with how Black people are portrayed in major motion pictures and network TV. They can watch Kerry Washington turn into mush over the white dude on Scandal without their stomachs turning like mine -- indeed they may be riveted by the sight. And judging by some of the commentary I've found on Facebook (which is how i discovered the program), they are. At the end of the day, I only see things getting "worse". So I look for films from independent filmmakers like Ava Duvernay, and Nollywood. Y'all can keep the bullshit Hollywood keeps churning out. I stopped watching network broadcast TV long ago for this very reason. That said, I'm REALLY enjoyed that last Star Trek. Zoe Saldana and Spock did not bother me in the least bit I guess Vulcan's don't count in my racism (where is Tuvok when you need him?)

ABSOLUTELY Pioneer. When I took out a mortgage on my 1st home I would never say I owned it. People would say I owned it I would say the Bank owned it. The next house I brought outright. I'm still a little cautious in saying I "own" it cause if I miss a few tax payment the governemtn will take it. We really don't "own" any property. We just can just, temporarily, exercise a little more control over it that someone else. I would be careful calling people who took out adjustable rate loans, stupid or silly. The psychology is complex and part and parcel of the psychosis of being American. If you were unfortunate enough, unlike millions of Americans to avoid the financial blowout from the housing bubble consider yourself lucky. The housing bubble was yet another example that helped me understand our problem is one of class, in this country, nit race. The vast majority of people jacked up in the mortgage bubble were white...

"22% of Black boys who graduated from high school on time the majority of THEM were probably from African and Carribean families." True that! You were fortunate to have been reared in a middle class Black neighborhood. If you are poor and Black New York City should be the last place you wanna live. Growing up I really thought all Black people lived in the ghetto. My favorite movies like Claudine reinforced the image. Even when I went to college I was still oblivious to the fact. When I encountered Middle class or wealthy Black people we called them "Oreos", they talked white -- they weren't "really down", But I learned as as I traveled and raised my own kids. So if Black boys in NYC, for example, never see a dark women in loving scenes with Black men,what do we think the results will be... We already know. If you are poor and Black New York City should be the last place you wanna live. Interestingly, the negative impressions work both ways. Well to do Black people don't have very much respect for poor Black people. Indeed I would even argue this is an underlying reason for the disdain some, in the literary world, have for Urban Fiction authors -- it is simple elitism. It would be called racism if the elitists were white.

"It was a pinkish-looking man with a skinny nose and stringy yellow hair, he went dat-a-way" Pioneer, I appreciate the definition exists. I just think the word should considered "slang" as it is just about a clear as the word "Thick". People can use the word all they want. I use it all the time. I just don't think the government should use it, any more than they should use thick in conjunction with identifying people. There was a time when we thought the world was flat, but we learned and moved on. People who continue to believe the world is flat are too dumb to describe. There are Christians that interpret the Bible literally and believe the world is 6,000 years old, so I understand the reluctance of people to change the way they think. I just don;t think the government should continue to embrace what is proven false. Besides I also believe the government encourages racism by using terms like Black and white eventually they need to add Cablasain to their laundry list of racist race descriptors. The guy on Twitter also used the argument that we need the classifications "to point out injustices in society". I disagree, injustice is injustice and not a function of race. To think otherwise is racist in and of itself.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Joi C. Ridley NAACP Communications 202.463.2940, ext. 1016 | jridley@naacpnet.org Leslie Schwartz NBC Universal Television Publicity 818.777.3233 | leslie.schwartz@nbcuni.com Jennifer Price-Keith The Lippin Group 323.965.1990 | jprice@lippingroup.com The “44TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS” NOMINEES ANNOUNCED Two-Hour Special Airs Live Friday, February 1 on NBC ABC and CBS Lead the Nominees in the TV Categories RCA Leads in the Recording Category BEVERLY HILLS, CA (December 11, 2012) -- The nominees for THE 44TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS were announced today during a live press conference from the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, CA. Anthony Anderson (Guys with Kids), Niecy Nash (The Soul Man), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Garcelle Beauvais (Flight), Tyler James Williams (Go On), and Zendaya (Shake It Up!) announced the categories and nominees. The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be announced during the two-hour starstudded event, which will air live on Friday, February 1 (8 ET live/PT tape-delayed) on NBC. ABC and CBS lead the nominees in the TV categories with 20 and 12 nominations respectively, followed by HBO and Lifetime with 10 and NBC with 9. In the recording category, RCA leads with 11 nominations, followed by Atlantic with 10 nominations. The Weinstein Company leads with 4 nominations, and Lionsgate and Paramount Pictures follow with 4 in the motion picture category. “We are proud to celebrate the artists and activists who use their craft to share positive images of our culture.” stated NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “The artistic community is an important ally for social justice, and the NAACP Image Awards provides an excellent venue to recognize those who make a difference through art and activism." "We are happy that once again the Image Awards will be aired on NBC,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “For 44 years, the Image Awards have recognized the best that communities of color have to offer, both in the arts and in civil rights. The NAACP is proud to honor all of these achievements.” Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. The organization’s half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. The 44TH NAACP Image Awards are sponsored by: FedEx, AARP, UAW/Chrysler, Wells Fargo, Ford Motor Company, Anheuser Busch, Hyundai Motors, AT&T, Southwest Airlines and Walgreens. Following is the list of categories and nominees for the 44TH NAACP Image Awards: TELEVISION Outstanding Comedy Series • "Glee" (FOX) • "Modern Family" (ABC) • "The Game" (BET) • "The Mindy Project" (FOX) • "The Soul Man" (TV Land) Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series • Anthony Anderson - "Guys with Kids" (NBC) • Damon Wayans, Jr. - "Happy Endings" (ABC) • Don Cheadle - "House Of Lies" (Showtime) • Donald Faison - "The Exes" (TV Land) • Hosea Chanchez - "The Game" (BET) Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series • Amber Riley - "Glee" (FOX) • Cassi Davis - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS) • Kellita Smith - "The First Family" (Syndicated) • Tatyana Ali - "Love That Girl" (TV One) • Wendy Raquel Robinson - "The Game" (BET) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series • Aziz Ansari - "Parks and Recreation" (NBC) • Craig Robinson - "The Office" (NBC) • Donald Glover - "Community" (NBC) • Lance Gross - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS) • Tracy Morgan - "30 Rock" (NBC) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series • Anna Deavere Smith - "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime) • Gabourey Sidibe - "The Big C" (Showtime) • Gladys Knight - "The First Family" (Syndicated) • Rashida Jones - "Parks and Recreation" (NBC) • Vanessa Williams - "Desperate Housewives" (ABC) Outstanding Drama Series • "Boardwalk Empire" (HBO) • "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) • "Scandal" (ABC) • "Treme" (HBO) • "True Blood" (HBO) Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series • Dulé Hill - "Psych" (USA) • Hill Harper - "CSI: NY" (CBS) • LL Cool J - "NCIS: Los Angeles" (CBS) • Michael Clarke Duncan - "The Finder" (FOX) • Wendell Pierce - "Treme" (HBO) Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series • Chandra Wilson - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) • Kerry Washington - "Scandal" (ABC) • Khandi Alexander - "Treme" (HBO) • Regina King - "SouthLAnd" (TNT) • Sandra Oh - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series • Clarke Peters - "Treme" (HBO) • Dev Patel - "The Newsroom" (HBO) • Omar Epps - "House M.D." (FOX) • Rockmond Dunbar - "Sons of Anarchy" (FX) • Rocky Carroll - "NCIS" (CBS) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series • Archie Panjabi - "The Good Wife" (CBS) • Joy Bryant - "Parenthood" (NBC) • Loretta Devine - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) • Lucy Lui - "SouthLAnd" (TNT) • Rutina Wesley - "True Blood" (HBO) Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special • "Abducted: The Carlina White Story" (Lifetime) • "Hallmark Hall of Fame's FIRELIGHT" (ABC) • "Raising Izzie" (GMC TV) • "Steel Magnolias" (Lifetime) • "Sugar Mommas" (GMC TV) Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special • Afemo Omilami - "Steel Magnolias" (Lifetime) • Cuba Gooding, Jr. - "Hallmark Hall of Fame's FIRELIGHT" (ABC) • Michael Jai White - "Somebody's Child" (GMC TV) • Rockmond Dunbar - "Raising Izzie" (GMC TV) • Tory Kittles - "Steel Magnolias" (Lifetime) Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special • Alfre Woodard - "Steel Magnolias" (Lifetime) • Jill Scott - "Steel Magnolias" (Lifetime) • Keke Palmer - "Abducted: The Carlina White Story" (Lifetime) • Phylicia Rashad - "Steel Magnolias" (Lifetime) • Queen Latifah - "Steel Magnolias" (Lifetime) Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series • Aaron D. Spears - "The Bold and the Beautiful" (CBS) • Erik Valdez - "General Hospital" (ABC) • James Reynolds - "Days of Our Lives" (NBC) • Kristoff St. John - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS) • Rodney Saulsberry - "The Bold and the Beautiful" (CBS) Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series • Angell Conwell - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS) • Julia Pace Mitchell - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS) • Kristolyn Lloyd - "The Bold and the Beautiful" (CBS) • Shenell Edmonds - "One Life to Live" (ABC) • Tatyana Ali - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS) Outstanding News/ Information - (Series or Special) • "Ask Obama Live: An MTV Interview with The President" (MTV) • "Judge Mathis" (Syndicated) • "Save My Son with Dr. Steve Perry" (TV One) • "Unsung" (TV One) • "Washington Watch with Roland Martin" (TV One) Outstanding Talk Series • "Don't Sleep!" (BET) • "Oprah's Lifeclass" (OWN) • "Oprah's Next Chapter" (OWN) • "The View" (ABC) • "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell" (FX) Outstanding Reality Series • "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC) • "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" (HBO) • "The X Factor" (FOX) • "Tia & Tamera" (Style) • "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" (OWN) Outstanding Variety Series or Special • "Black Girls Rock" (BET) • "Oprah and the Legendary Cast of Roots 35 Years Later" (OWN) • "Oprah's Master Class" (OWN) • "The First Graduating Class: Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls" (OWN) • "Verses & Flow" (TV One) Outstanding Children’s Program • "Degrassi" (TeenNick) • "Kasha and the Zulu King" (BET) • "The Legend of Korra" (Nickelodeon) • "The TeenNick HALO Awards 2012" (Nick@Nite) • "The Weight of the Nation for Kids" (HBO) Outstanding Performance in a Youth/ Children’s Program - (Series or Special) • China Anne McClain - "A.N.T. Farm" (Disney Channel) • Keke Palmer - "Winx Club" (Nickelodeon) • Loretta Devine - "Doc McStuffins" (Disney Junior block on Disney Channel) • Nick Cannon - "The TeenNick HALO Awards 2012" (Nick@Nite) • Tyler James Williams - "Let It Shine" (Disney Channel) RECORDING Outstanding New Artist • Elle Varner (MBK / RCA) • Gary Clark, Jr. (Warner Bros. Records) • Lianne La Havas (Nonesuch Records Inc. / Warner Bros. Records) • Melanie Amaro (Epic Records) • The OMG Girlz (Pretty Hustle / Grand Hustle / Streamline / Interscope) Outstanding Male Artist • Bruno Mars (Atlantic) • Lupe Fiasco (Atlantic) • Miguel (ByStorm / RCA) • Trey Songz (Atlantic) • Usher (RCA Records) Outstanding Female Artist • Alicia Keys (RCA Records) • Elle Varner (MBK / RCA) • Estelle (Atlantic) • Missy Elliott (Atlantic) • Tamela Mann (Tillymann Music Group) Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration • Chuck D, Johnny Juice, Will.i.am, Herbie Hancock (Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment) • fun. feat. Janelle Monae (Atlantic) • Lupe Fiasco feat. Guy Sebastian (Atlantic) • Mary Mary (Columbia) • Ne-Yo, Herbie Hancock, Johnny Rzeznik, Delta Rae, Natasha Bedingfield (Forward Song, LLC) Outstanding Jazz Album • "Bone Appetit [Vol. 1 and 2]" - Jeff Bradshaw (Hidden Beach) • "Dreams" - Brian Culbertson (Verve Records) • "Renaissance" - Marcus Miller (Concord Jazz) • "Seeds From The Underground" - Kenny Garrett (Mack Avenue Records) • "The Preservation Hall 50th Anniversary Collection" - The Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Legacy) Outstanding Gospel Album - (Traditional or Contemporary) • "Best Days" - Tamela Mann (Tillymann Music Group) • "Go Get It" - Mary Mary (Columbia) • "God, Love & Romance" - Fred Hammond (Verity Gospel Music Group) • "I Win" - Marvin Sapp (Verity Gospel Music Group) • "Le'Andria Johnson The Experience" - Le'Andria Johnson (Music World Gospel / Music World) Outstanding World Music Album • "Ayah Ye! Moving Train" - KG Omulo (KG Omulo) • "Country, God, Or The Girl" - K'NAAN (A&M / Octone Records) • "Diversionary" - Brother B (King Chero Records) • "Wonderful Life" - Estelle (Atlantic) Outstanding Music Video • "Adorn" - Miguel (ByStorm / RCA) • "Girl On Fire" - Alicia Keys (RCA Records) • "Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars (Atlantic) • "This Christmas" - CeeLo Green (Elektra) • "You're On My Mind" - KEM (Universal Motown) Outstanding Song • "Be Mine for Christmas" - KEM (Universal Motown) • "Glorify the King" - KEM (Universal Motown) • "I Look To You" - Whitney Houston and R. Kelly (RCA Records) • "Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars (Atlantic) • "You're On My Mind" - KEM (Universal Motown) Outstanding Album • "Bad - 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" - Michael Jackson (Legacy / Epic) • "Girl On Fire" - Alicia Keys (RCA Records) • "I Will Always Love You: The Best Of Whitney Houston" - Whitney Houston (RCA Records) • "On the Shoulders of Giants - The Soundtrack" - Chuck D, Will.i.am, Herbie Hancock, Nikki Yannofsky (Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment ) • "Perfectly Imperfect" - Elle Varner (MBK / RCA) LITERATURE Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction • "A Wish and a Prayer: A Blessings Novel" - Beverly Jenkins (HarperCollins Publishers (William Morrow Paperbacks)) • "Destiny's Divas" - Victoria Christopher Murray (Touchstone / Simon & Schuster) • "Silent Cry" - Dywane Birch (Strebor Books) • "The Reverend's Wife" - Kimberla Lawson Roby (Grand Central Publishing) • "The Secret She Kept" - ReShonda Tate Billingsley (Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster) Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction • "Fraternity" - Diane Brady (Spiegel & Grau (Random House)) • "Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation" - Deborah Davis (Atria Books / Simon & Schuster) • "Power Concedes Nothing: One Woman's Quest for Social Justice in America, from the Courtroom to the Kill Zones" - Connie Rice (Scribner) • "The Courage to Hope" - Shirley Sherrod (Atria Books) • "The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court " - Jeffrey Toobin (Doubleday) Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author • "A Cupboard Full of Coats" - Yvvette Edwards (HarperCollins Publishers (Amistad)) • "Antebellum" - R. Kayeen Thomas (Strebor Books) • "Congo: Spirit of Darkness" - Mayi Ngwala (Genet Press) • "Nikki G: A Portrait of Nikki Giovanni in Her Own Words" - Darryl L. Lacy (Darryl L. Lacy (iUniverse)) • "The Sister Accord: 51 Ways To Love Your Sister" - Sonia Jackson Myles (The Sister Accord, LLC) Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/ Auto-Biography • "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change" - John Lewis (Hyperion) • "Interventions: A Life in War and Peace" - Kofi Annan (The Penguin Press) • "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" - Tom Reiss (Crown Publishers) • "The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities " – Will Allen (Gotham Books) • "The One: The Life and Music of James Brown" - RJ Smith (Gotham Books) Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional • "12 Ways to Put Money in Your Pocket Every Month Without A Part Time Job; The Skinny Book That Makes Your Wallet Fat" - Jennifer Matthews (Pickett Fennell Publishing Group) • "Formula 50: A 6-Week Workout and Nutrition Plan That Will Transform Your Life " – 50 Cent (Avery (Penguin Group)) • "Health First: The Black Woman's Wellness Guide" - Eleanor Hinton Hoytt, Hilary Beard (SmileyBooks) • "It's Complicated (But It Doesn't Have to Be): A Modern Guide to Finding and Keeping Love" - Paul Carrick Brunson (Gotham Books) • "The No Excuse Guide to Success: No Matter What Your Boss or Life Throws at You" - Jim Smith, Jr. (Career Press) Outstanding Literary Work - Poetry • "Hurrah's Nest" - Arisa White (Virtual Artists Collective) • "Maybe the Saddest Thing" - Marcus Wicker (HarperCollins Publishers (Harper Perennial)) • "Speak Water" - Truth Thomas (Cherry Castle Publishing) • "The Ground" - Rowan Ricardo Phillips (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) • "Thrall" - Natasha Trethewey (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Outstanding Literary Work - Children • "Fifty Cents and a Dream" - Jabari Asim (Author), Bryan Collier (Illustrator) (Little,nBrown Books for Young Readers) • "Harlem's Little Blackbird" - Renee Watson (Author), Christian Robinson (Illustrator) (Random House Books for Young Readers (Random House Children's Books)) • "In the Land of Milk and Honey" - Joyce Carol Thomas (Author), Floyd Cooper (Illustrator) (HarperCollins / Amistad) • "Indigo Blume and the Garden City" - Kwame Alexander (Author), JahSun (Illustrator) (Word of Mouth Books) • "What Color is My World?" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Author), Raymons Obstfeld (Author), A.G. Ford (Illustrator) (Candlewick Press) Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens • "Fire in the Streets" - Kekla Magoon (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing) • "Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons - A Dialogue With America's Young Leaders" - Gregory Reed (Amber Books) • "Pinned" - Sharon G. Flake (Scholastic Press) • "The Diary of B. B. Bright, Possible Princess" - Alice Randall (Author), Caroline Williams (Author), Shadra Strickland (Illustrator) (Turner Publishing Company) • "The Mighty Miss Malone" - Christopher Paul Curtis (Wendy Lamb Books (Random House Children's Books)) MOTION PICTURE Outstanding Motion Picture • "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (Fox Searchlight Pictures) • "Django Unchained" (The Weinstein Company) • "Flight" (Paramount Pictures) • "Red Tails" (Lucasfilm) • "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds" (Lionsgate) Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture • Denzel Washington - "Flight" (Paramount Pictures) • Jamie Foxx - "Django Unchained" (The Weinstein Company) • Morgan Freeman - "The Magic of Belle Isle" (Magnolia Pictures) • Suraj Sharma - "Life of Pi" (20th Century Fox) • Tyler Perry - "Alex Cross" (Summit Entertainment) Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture • Emayatzy Corinealdi - "Middle of Nowhere" (AAFRM) • Halle Berry - "Cloud Atlas" (Warner Bros. Pictures) • Loretta Devine - "In The Hive" (Eone Entertainment) • Quvenzhané Wallis - "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (Fox Searchlight Pictures) • Viola Davis - "Won't Back Down" (20th Century Fox) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture • David Oyelowo - "Middle of Nowhere" (AFFRM) • Don Cheadle - "Flight" (Paramount Pictures) • Dwight Henry - "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (Fox Searchlight Pictures) • Lenny Kravitz - "The Hunger Games" (Lionsgate) • Samuel L. Jackson - "Django Unchained" (The Weinstein Company) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture • Amandla Stenberg - "The Hunger Games" (Lionsgate) • Gloria Reuben - "Lincoln" (DreamWorks Pictures) • Kerry Washington - "Django Unchained" (The Weinstein Company) • Phylicia Rashad - "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds" (Lionsgate) • Taraji P. Henson - "Think Like a Man" (Screen Gems) Outstanding Independent Motion Picture • "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (Fox Searchlight Pictures) • "Chico & Rita" (GKIDS) • "Red Tails" (Lucasfilm) • "Unconditional" (Harbinger Media Partners) • "Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day" (Codeblack) Outstanding International Motion Picture • "Chico & Rita" (GKIDS) • "For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada" (ARC Entertainment) • "Special Forces" (eOne Films) • "The Intouchables" (The Weinstein Company) • "The Raid: Redemption" (Sony Pictures Classics) DOCUMENTARY Outstanding Documentary - (Theatrical or Television) • "Black Wings" (Smithsonian Channel) • "Brooklyn Castle" (Producers Distribution Agency) • "First Position" (IFC Films) • "Marley" (Magnolia Pictures) • "On the Shoulders of Giants - The Story of the Greatest Team You've Never Heard Of" (Showtime) WRITING Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series • Karin Gist - "House of Lies" - Mini-Mogul (Showtime) • Marc Wilmore - "The Simpsons" - The Spy Who Learned Me (FOX) • Michael Shipley - "Last Man Standing" - High Expectations (ABC) • Prentice Penny - "Happy Endings" - Meet the Parrots (ABC) • Vali Chandrasekaran, Robert Carlock - "30 Rock" - Murphy Brown Lied to Us (NBC) Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series • Cheo Hodari Coker - "SouthLAnd" - God's Work (TNT) • Janine Sherman Barrios - "Criminal Minds" - The Pact (CBS) • Shonda Rhimes - "Grey's Anatomy" - Flight (ABC) • Shonda Rhimes - "Scandal" - Sweet Baby (ABC) • Zoanne Clack - "Grey's Anatomy" - This Magic Moment (ABC) Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture - (Theatrical or Television) • Elizabeth Hunter - "Abducted: The Carlina White Story" (Lifetime) • John Gatins - "Flight" (Paramount Pictures) • John Ridley, Aaron McGruder - "Red Tails" (Lucasfilm) • Keith Merryman, David A. Newman - "Think Like a Man" (Screen Gems) • Ol Parker - "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (Fox Searchlight Pictures) # # #

I can remember when Cosby show first started, most people in my world thought the show was unrealistic: A Black doctor and Black attorney married, in a house in NYC, with happy kids who want for nothing -- yeah right! A decade later I was living a similar life style, and knew others like me. I took offense to anyone who thought the show was unrealistic while all the time understanding, quite well, why they felt that way. In many ways what Bill Cosby was doing was FAR more important than we realized at the time -- A positive Black show that was also commercially successful! If I grew up watching program with successful Black families -- instead of only white ones. Perhaps my world view would have been completely different. My kids do not have the burden of stunted aspirations or a lack of positive role models. Still too many kids today have no idea what they can aspire to -- you can't aspire to what you don't know. And the media is certainly not going to show you. In 2012, in NYC only 22% of Black boys graduate from High School in 4 years!!! 22%!!! I suspect those that did graduate in 4 years a majority got shitty educations -- ill prepared for college or the work force. Barack in the white house is no more aspiring to a Black boy today than it was when people used to tell us "You can be president one day". Maybe that would inspire a kids who had a white mother and grew up outside the continental US. A 22% graduation rate by kids who entered high school with a Black president should you tell you that.

Yes the problems are indeed plentiful and profound. Does not even discuss the fact Black folks are given worse mortgages rates than white with similar credit scores, whites benefited much more from government programs, and Blacks have been and still largely excluded from better neighborhoods...

Check out what a few celebrities have been reading recently: http://aalbc.it/celebrity-reads

JennyWHOA welcome to the boards! Any sister that is familiar with Dr Amos is cool with me! It was interesting how we both prefaced our remarks with a disclaimer; Me. "As a Black man who grew up in a racially segregated community," and You, "As a Black woman with Post Traumatic Slave Disorder..." In retrospect, both comments were unnecessary. We are clearly dealing with centuries of institutional racism. It is crazy that in 2012 we are talking about Hollywood unwilling to make moves with Black couples. One could also argue why is it even an issue; (1) We are all God's children right we can be in relationships with anyone regardless of skin color, and (2) If Black people what to see Black on Black love they could just make their own movies. In the end if will have to be both (1) and (2). In much the same way I believe we are all equal, I also know we also need to have Black book websites too -- even in 2012. Nice Blog BTW. Also that Miss South Africa is FOINE!!!

Cynique perhaps breed is more suitable term for the way we typically use race. In any case, the government should not track people's "races" or "breeds". Someone on Twitter took issue with my position on tracking race: @aalbc Will anyone ever be convicted of #racism http://bit.ly/UFoSem #Racist #Staffordshire @SodeepArt No. Convict people for their bad behavior not some artificial construct invented by some racist. @aalbc are you serious?! Police officer whilst strangling a Black UK born youth called the man 'nigger'; thats out of order & Racist! @SodeepArt It is absolutely racist and out of order. But why isn't it enough to convict the police officer for strangling a kid? @aalbc if have not read anything about Stephen Lawrence case please research & Report concluded British society is institutionally Racist! I ultimately looked up Steven Lawrence, I did not read very deeply into the story as it quickly became obvious it is a story too often repeated in the US. At least his murders were brought to justice