Millennials: Making a Difference in the Status Quo

 

This is my family. Loving them is no problem, but you may be in the same boat with me as I try to understand them.It's easy to see that there is a huge difference between those between 18-33 years old and their elders. As a bonafide member of the Baby Boomers, I'm amazed when I look back at all my generation faced, while standing in awe of the emerging world of Millennials (born 1980-2000). Changes in the demographics of the country, the wealth and income gap between the upper one percent and the declining middle class, and issues of poverty and unemployment-these are but of few of the problems facing our youngest adults. When you realize that the country's future is in their hands, it is vitally important to have a clear vision into their values, beliefs, and world view. Recent Pew Research Study reports give us some vital information on how Millennials polled on a variety of subjects.

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Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP)

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was a political party formed in 1964 as an alternative to the dominantly white and conservative Democratic Party of Mississippi. After President Lyndon B. Johnson formed a coalition between liberal Democrats and liberal and moderate Republicans to address issues of concern to African Americans, conservative Southern Democrats openly encouraged their members to vote for the 1964 Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, who opposed civil rights legislation.


In response, African American Mississippians formed the MFDP as an alternative group that would represent their interests at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. With the support of Martin Luther King, Jr., the MFDP nominated three African American women—Fannie Lou Hamer (one of the cofounders of the party) and civil rights activists Annie Devine and Victoria Gray—to run against the traditional Democrats in the state’s 1964 congressional elections.

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"We had sneakers...they had guns": Freedom Summer-Fifty Years Ago



In June 1964, the Mississippi Summer Project  was launched to attempt to register African Americans in Mississippi, which historically excluded most blacks from voting. 

Southern states had effectively disfranchised most African Americans and many poor whites in the period from 1890 to 1910 by passing state constitutions, amendments and other laws that imposed burdens on voter registration: charging poll taxes, requiring literacy tests administered subjectively by white registrars, making residency requirements more difficult, as well as record keeping to document required items. They maintained this exclusion from politics into the 1960s.

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Can Partisan Politics and Political Polarization Affect Your Life? The Answer May Surprise You.

It’s no secret that “Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan aversion is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in the last two decades.” A recent Pew Research Center survey of 10,000 adults nationwide finds that these divisions are greatest among those who are the most engaged and active in the political process. Would you be surprised to learn that these trends manifest themselves in a variety of ways, both in politics and in our everyday lives.

 

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Finally, Justice for the "Central Park Five"

The $250 million lawsuit was filed more than a decade ago on behalf of five black and Hispanic defendants convicted in 1990 of raping and beating a white woman jogging in the park a year earlier.

 Each served six to 13 years in prison. Their convictions were tossed in 2002 after evidence emerged linking someone else to the crime.

New York City has agreed to a $40 million settlement in a civil rights lawsuit filed against police and prosecutors by the five men exonerated in the 1989 Central Park jogger attack, a city official said Friday.

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Improve Your Finances: Take the First Steps

I often wonder why people know so much about some things and little to nothing about others. Some people know every word of the latest music hit by the mega stars or can tell you which designer handbags are in vogue. We take time to talk about what Rhianna wore on her latest red carpet stroll or what's happening on "Scandal". We weigh in on Beyoncé’s baby's hair or Kim Kardashian's baby’s pierced ears. Somehow these type things catch our attention and we spend time reading about them, discussing them, and giving them thought.

My question to you is "how much time do you spend understanding your financial issues, i.e. developing a family budget, calculating your net worth, or planning for your financial future"?

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Be A Crime Stopper: A Home Security Primer

Home security is important whether in a home or an apartment. The best efforts of law enforcement to reduce crime will be of no avail without citizens doing their part to protect themselves and one another.

Believe it or not, most home burglaries are not committed by professionals who have planned for months to commit a specific crime. Rather, most are committed by opportunists who see an open window, a faulty lock or some other opportune situation. A large number of burglaries are classified as "no force", e.g. the burglar simply walked through an unlocked door or climbed in an open window.

While burglary is one of the most frequently committed crimes, it is also one of the most preventable. And the person who can prevent it is you!

 

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Show Me The Money: Richest Black Actors



In America being successful means being rich. Black celebrities have a way to go before they achieve parity with their white counterparts. However, Hollywood has its share of  black actors who are rich and famous. Some act, sing, or rap. Some go behind the screen , producing or directing films. Some even write books or engage in profitable business ventures. Take a look at the African American males who make up the pool of Hollywood's richest black actors. You might be surprised by who is listed and who is not.

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An American Icon Shifts: JET Magazine Final Print Issue

JET Magazine has been a staple among African-American readers for 63 years.

Johnson Publishing announced last month that JET magazine will be ending all print publications and instead will shift to an all-digital format.  The magazine’s last print issue celebrates the publication’s most iconic covers since it was founded in 1951 as the only text visible reads: “An American Icon.” Inside, JET has created a retrospective of the news covered since 1951.

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Whose Ring Is It Anyway?

I recently read an article in WSJ Law Blog which raised an interesting question.
“When an engagement breaks up, who gets the ring?”

If you watch many movies, you’ve seen the question resolved in a number of dramatic ways. The bride-to-be tosses the ring at her fiancé and runs dramatically from the room. Or, the ring is left on the table next to an explanatory note. Naturally, melancholy music plays in the background. I’ve even seen a scene where the groom –to-be swallows the ring. Ugh! 

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Movin' On Up: The Death of the "American Dream"

Every parent wants to believe that those who follow them, i.e. their children and grandchildren, will be more productive, more comfortable, more prosperous, and happier than they have been in their own lifetime. History has proven that this expectation is reasonable and achievable. However, for the first time ever, families have a pervasive uncertainty about their future. People, in general, no longer believe that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.

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Who Pays for the First Lady's Fashions?

I'm so proud of the nation's first lady Michelle Obama. Her fashions are always one of the favorite subjects of the media. Her mix of "off the rack" items coupled with designer fashions keeps her appealing and helps her represent our country in an extraordinary manner. However, there's a single question that's always hiding in the background- who pays for her wardrobe? The question has dogged every first lady in history from the likes of Dolly Madison through Laura Bush. Naturally, Mrs. Obama is not an exception. One thing I know for sure, the taxpayers are not footing the bill, contrary to what some critics say.

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A Must Read: The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic

 

Ta-Nehisi Coates

I encourage you to read "The Case for Reparations", a powerful, must read article by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, dated May 21, 2014. The Atlantic’s cover alone should begin an interesting discussion:

The Case for Reparations

 

Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.

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