between the lines

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
May 27 2010

What should the Black community look for in a political candidate (like say … a Holly Mitchell)?

The mid-year elections are coming up in California, where the primaries for national and state office are sending a flurry of political junk mail our way.

Between the television commercials, the mail and the lawn signs, a person doesn’t know who to vote for, if they’re not plugged in and “in the know.”

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Feb 18 2010

Leadership succession in the Black community: Congresswoman Diane Watson did it right

Last week, California Representative Diane Watson announced she would not seek re-election to her 33rd Congressional District seat. It was a much-anticipated announcement after months of “rumors” that she would. Diane Watson is one of the most respected elected officials in the history of California black politics. She was the first black woman elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the first black woman to the California Senate.

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Feb 11 2010

Nothing but a (tea) party: Lessons in obstructionist politics

The frustrated fringe elements of the Republican and Independent voter electorate gathered in Nashville, Tennessee this past weekend to vent about the first year of the Obama administration. They named the convention the “Tea Party,” a spin on the Boston Tea Party of 1767, where the British American colonists rioted over the stamp tax put on them without having a say about it (Taxation without representation). They rioted by throwing tea in the Boston harbor, and raised tensions with the monarchy that ultimately lead to a revolution that gave birth to a new nation.

Across Black America

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

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.