Our Voice

Apr 29 2010

Thank You

I want to say thank you for what you’ve done
and all the times that we had fun
and all the times u stayed up late
and the lovely times u made me shake
and when you came to visit me
to save me from my misery
and also for a love so good
that I foolishly never understood
I miss the love that we once shared
but its my fault your no longer here
and now that its all said and done
I have to let your spirit run
and thanks for that talk today
it really helped me pave the way

Apr 21 2010

Truth Revealed

Friends for years, getting closer by the passing of each day.
Life was easier knowing I had a friend like that to turn to.
The trials of our separation; 
Cold, by the distance life put between us.
But we once again reunited, 
As we did time and again, warmth returned to my heart.
 
Wait…this time something’s changed;
You are no longer the same.
A friend, still? Of course. But… 
 
The blindfold has been lifted from eyes, 

Apr 21 2010

Domestic violence knows no boundaries

Domestic violence has been prevalent in countries around the world for years, and the only thing that has changed is its name. Domestic violence is also referred to as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse, and intimate partner violence.

C. Alexander Haywood   |   OW Staff Writer
Apr 21 2010

The one-drop concept is still a confusing reality

“You see, unfortunately, I am not Black. There are lots of different kinds of blood in our family. But here in the United States , the word “Negro” is used to mean anyone who has any Negro blood at all in his veins.”
—from Langston Hughes’ “The Big Sea,” 1940. 
 

Apr 15 2010

Jail cell versus the classroom

It brings me to tears sometimes thinking about how many naturally gifted Black men there are who could have been the next Ben Carson or the next Thurgood Marshall or even the next Barack Obama, but can’t because they are serving maximum sentences in prison.
In 2000, there were 791,600 Black men in prison compared to 603,032 in college. By contrast in 1980, there were 143,000 Black men in prison and 463,700 in college. This is an appalling statistic, and it makes me wonder how this happened.

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.”