An outrage against decency—the kidnapping of more than 270 young girls in northeastern Nigeria by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram—has brought Nigeria international attention, however unwanted.
Category: Opinion-OW
Posted inOpinion-OW
Fighting Silence
The cold facts stare us in our face:
Fact 1: More than 300 girls were abducted from the rural northeast region of Nigeria on April 15 while attending secondary school; 276 are still believed to be held captive.
Posted inOpinion-OW
White Collar Thievery
As famous balladeer Woody Guthrie sang in “Pretty Boy Floyd”:
“Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered/
I’ve seen lots of funny men/
Some will rob you with a six-gun/
And some with a fountain pen/”
Posted inOpinion-OW
GM: intern advances to highest ranking Black in automobile industry
Though no one knew it at the time, the decision by Edward T. Welburn Jr.’s parents to take him to a local auto show in Philadelphia around the time he was learning his multiplication tables would shape the rest of his life.
Posted inOpinion-OW
A ‘Sterling’ Example of Our Confusion
Let me get my disclaimer out of the way first: The U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) is a business organization. Our sole purpose is to improve the lives of Black people by actively working to change the market environment. We advocate for improvements in capital access, increased opportunity and the transfer of the skills necessary to successfully, and profitably compete in America’s economy.
Posted inOpinion-OW
Many more rivers to cross
Today, the long travail and struggle of African people to gain freedom, justice, equality and empowerment remains both a historic challenge and an unprecedented opportunity. In particular, for more than 45 million Black Americans, the struggle continues in 2014 for equal justice, ending poverty and sustainable economic development.
Posted inOpinion-OW
NNPA and the Hip Hop Union countdown to ‘The Greatest Mix’
The NNPA, a federation of approximately 200 Black newspapers, the Hip Hop Union, a governing body of businesses and entrepreneurs, and the largest DJ coalition in the world, join forces to eliminate the communication barriers that have plagued Black America for years. ‘The Greatest Mix’ Luncheon will bring together generations that have often stood on separate sides of the table when it comes to Hip Hop. For the first time in history, all parties have agreed to level the playing field and work together for the betterment of Black America.
Posted inOpinion-OW
LBJ’s Legacy: Honored and Under Assault
Fifty years later, former President Lyndon Johnson got the tribute he more than earned. Four presidents praised his contribution. The Great Society, the War on Poverty, Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act opened doors that had been locked. “I lived out the promise of LBJ’s efforts,” said President Barack Obama, rejecting the cynicism of those who would dismantle Medicare and food stamps, signature LBJ achievements. Bill Clinton praised LBJ for demonstrating “the power of the presidency to redeem the promise of America.”
Posted inColumnists, Opinion-OW
The Adventures of CI-7
There was a black and white Japanese cartoon show I used to watch as a kid called The Amazing Three. These were three talking animals that were actually space aliens sent to see if Earth was going to be a problem to their planet and other worlds, and if so, be destroyed. For reasons that I can’t figure out why, even now, the three aliens, officers in fact, who can alter their appearance with their, you know, alien science, chose to appear as a duck, rabbit and horse. They drove around—the rabbit must have driven—in a giant tire-shaped vehicle called, yep, the Big Wheel. I remembered none of this. I had to look this up on Wikipedia.
Posted inOpinion-OW
African diplomats shun Black business owners
Last week I attended a very nice reception hosted by two of my friends, Rosa Whitaker and Bernadette Paolo. Rosa is CEO and President of the Whitaker Group, a Washington, D.C.-based consultancy specializing in trade and investment in Africa. She previously served as the first sssistant U.S. trade representative for Africa in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In 2010, Whitaker was named one of Foreign Policy’s Top Global Thinkers.