Manny Otiko
OW Contributor
Sep 23 2010

Hispanic heritage month celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15

When 2nd Lt. Emily Perez was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, she became the first female African American officer to die in combat. Perez, an outstanding West Point graduate, was mourned by two communities because, while she looked like a Black woman, she came from a Black-Latino family.

Aug 26 2010

New Orlean’s black slippery slope

Having been battered by Hurricane Katrina, which dispersed African American families to the four corners of the country, many Black fishermen are now being threatened by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
 
The spill, caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, leaked about 12-19,000 barrels of oil a day into the ocean, according to figures from the United States Geological Survey. Considered the worst in U.S. history, took 88 days to stop.
 

Jul 22 2010

Monopoly fears fuel concern

A proposed merger between NBC Universal and Comcast has sparked a war of words between the cable giant and an organization that claims to represent Black media owners.
United States Rep. Maxine Waters recently grilled NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker about the network’s lack of diversity and questioned if the new company would do anything to improve diversity at the top.
Speaking in a press release, Waters said she was concerned about the effect consolidation and mergers would have on diversity in the television industry.

Jun 10 2010

Learning investments as important as learning drills

Talk to the average African American male teenager, and he’ll say he wants to grow up to be a rapper or professional athlete. Most of these youngsters dream of landing a big contract, moving out of the ‘hood and buying mama a house and Lexus.

However, recent figures might want to make them think twice. According to a Sports Illustrated article, 78 percent of NFL players file for bankruptcy two years after retirement. In addition, 60 percent of NBA players are broke after they finish playing.

Jun 3 2010

Technology has forever changed the industry

A bright-eyed youngster comes to the city with a small suitcase and big dreams. He or she gets a record contract, has a couple of hits, buys a house in the hills, and then 10 years later, loses it all and files for bankruptcy.

This story is all too familiar. In fact, VH-1 built a series, “Behind the Music,” which essentially follows this formula. However, most people can reel off a long list of music stars who made it big, and then ended up losing it all because of poor financial management or bad business deals.
 

May 27 2010

African American footprint can be seen around the globe

To many African Americans in the past, vacation usually means visiting relatives “down South.” But now more Black people are venturing beyond the borders of the United States to Europe, Latin America and Africa—places which have deep connections to the African American experience.  

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”