Black People

Walter Smith | Publisher of the New York Beacon  |   OW Guest Contributor
Oct 4 2012

Through the years

It’s not difficult to understand why Romney made the comments he made at his fundraiser in Florida.

He most likely got his buzzwords confused. His reference was to those who had been characterized as lazy, shiftless, and always looking for a handout. You don’t have to be a literary genius to figure that one out.

Shae Collins  |   OW College Intern
Aug 16 2012

Incentives, disadvantages seen in Affordable Care Act

Many of the reforms in the Affordable Care Act affect not only patients, but doctors as well. Insurance industry reforms make it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage to individuals based on pre-existing conditions, place a dollar limit on the amount of coverage a patient can receive and cancel a patient’s coverage because of an expensive health condition.

These reforms impact private practices differently than physicians in large medical groups.

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Sep 8 2011

Between the Lines

After the August employment report came and it showed the economy flatlining (at least for a month) on new jobs, President Obama’s jobs plan is coming right on time. Lazy ass Congress is back at work, after a summer of political gamesmanship, and we will now see if all the “big talk” will turn to action. Or will it be more of the ideological bickering that led to gridlock the past year, and the whining of  Democrats that the president is not fighting hard enough.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Sep 1 2011

Affirming the humanity of African Americans

The Pan African community is rich with a history of freedom-fighting and change-making, from Nat Turner’s insurrection to Marcus Garvey’s international Back to Africa Movement to the Civil Rights Movement. What many of these moments have in common is that they all encompassed a religious aspect that allowed their participants to connect spiritually to the struggle afoot.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
May 26 2011

A look-back to the African way

There was a time when racism and segregation arguably brought out the best in Black people in America. From owning small businesses and farms to building hospitals and small towns, African Americans demonstrated a knack for survival and self-reliance despite the various obstacles they faced.

But some argue that was just the beginning of something that could have been greater. Others suggest there is still an opportunity to gain a strong Black economy, but only with the effort of a Pan African union.

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.”