No wedding, no womb
Don’t be a baby-daddy, be a husband
BeyondBlackWhite.com, a Black women’s empowerment and relationship website, is bringing together top bloggers and journalists for the first online movement aimed at bringing attention to the ever-increasing instances of out-of-wedlock births - which they believe is a key factor in the emotional and economic enslavement that Black women and their children continue to experience.
On September 22 - the 148th anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation - African American writers throughout the United States are being encouraged to flood the blogosphere for an entire day of online debate, information, and commentary under the auspices of “No Wedding, No Womb” (NWNW) an initiative that seeks to address the problems of-and provide solutions to-the unplanned pregnancies among African American single women. Nearly half of all families in the African American community are headed by Black women. In addition, more than 70 percent of live births in the Black community are to unmarried women.
Founders of BeyondBlackWhite.com Christelyn D. Karazin and Janice Littlejohn will spearhead the online effort joined by more than 100 top African American bloggers and noted journalists who will provide their own new and informational posts stimulating a movement toward strengthening Black communities and families. OurWeekly staff has also added their name to the list and will be blogging on the topic “No Wedding No Womb” at www.ourweekly.com.
“That the Black community has not been mobilized en masse to turn this crisis around is a screaming shame. Black men, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, have nearly a one-third chance of being incarcerated at some point in their lives. By the time they hit their mid-30s, a solid majority of Black men without a high school diploma have spent time in prison. Homicide is the leading cause of death for young Black men, with the murderous wounds in most cases inflicted by other young Black men. This is a cancer that has been allowed to metastasize for decades. It’s time to put an end to it once and for all,” said New York Times columnist Bob Herbert.
The “No Wedding No Womb” initiative hopes to encourage Black men and women to take into account the detrimental effects that growing up in a struggling single-parent-headed household can have on children and to promote functional life-long relationships between parents.
For more information and/or to add you name to the constantly-increasing list of supporting participants visit www.noweddingnowomb.com or info@beyondblackwhite.com.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—More than 51,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County, a 3 percent drop from 2009, according to a report released today.
The report, by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which counts the homeless once every two years, found that social service agencies and homeless prevention programs have helped keep the numbers level despite the economic downturn.
Lyles Station in Gibson County at the tip of southwestern Indiana had been an important way station on the legendary “Underground Railroad,” the informal network of safe houses and people formed to assist fugitive slaves in their flight to Canada and freedom; it continued to be a prosperous community for the newly emancipated after the Civil War.
Aquil Basheer is a nationally known crisis-intervention specialist, educational consultant, and youth development expert who has worked for more than 40 years to reduce community violence.
While spending some leisure time surfing the net, I recently came across an article entitled, “8 Reasons to Date a White Man” by LaShaun Williams, which was clearly directed at Black women, as an alternative choice to dating Black men.
In most cases I would just bypass this type of article, but decided to see what all the hoopla was about. The reasons, quite laughable at first glance, actually had a twinge of truth in many of them. They are as follows:
Vickie Knight has seen how the other half lives, and knows that one day, she too, will get back on her feet thanks to the opportunities afforded her through education.
Knight, a Compton native, who found herself homeless through a seers of unfortunate circumstances, recently spent a few days in the luxury of the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia. She was in the City of Brotherly Love to accept an award for being named the 2010 National Graduate of the Year by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).
