Through the Looking Glass: Remembering Oscar Week 2015 - Common and John Legend

My friends, I've had a tough week. It reminds me of Langston Hughes' poem "Mother to Son". You know the one..."life for me ain't been no crystal stair".

First, I listened to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's remarks telling a political group that Barack Obama, the President of the United States, "doesn't love America". My first thought was "how stupid is that", followed by the thought "there they go again". No, he didn't go "birther" on us, claiming that the President wasn't born in America, but rather eluded to elements in Obama's background and locations where he lived, etc. as reason to come to the conclusion that he "doesn't love America". It's amazing me the lengths that some politicians who don't want to leave the spotlight will go including making inflammatory comments to ensure themselves sometime in the media. Sarah Palin is a perfect example of that group of "has beens".

Dorothy Dandridge

Okay, so I put that all aside as I settled down to watch the Academy Awards. Yes, I know Hollywood has a diversity problem. It is obvious by the exclusion of African Americans in the list of nominations and the lack of recognition both in front of and behind the camera. Nothing new. It's been 75 years since Hattie McDaniel won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1939 for her role in "Gone with the Wind". Sixty years ago, in 1954, Dorothy Dandridge became the first African American, male or female, to be nominated for a performance in a leading role.  It was almost 50 years later (2002) that Halle Berry won the Oscar for best actress in a leading role. Fifty years ago (1964), Sidney Poitier won best actor in a leading role for his performance in "Lilies of the Field".  Even when Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" was nominated for something like 11 awards in 1985, the Oscars didn't materialize. No, I don't watch the Oscars from year to year because it saddens me that racism in Hollywood changes so little over the years.

Denzel Washington

I don't intend to include every Oscar winner or nominee, but I don't want to neglect mentioning the six Oscar nominations and awards for Denzel Washington. He won an Academy Award in 2002 for Best Performance by an actor in a leading role for "Training Day" and in 1990 for Best Performance by an actor in a supporting role for "Glory". His Best Performance by an actor in a leading role nominations include (2013) "Flight", (2000) "The Hurricane", and (1993) Malcolm X. His Supporting role nomination was his 1988 role in "Cry Freedom". 

 So moving on with my story, what slaps me in the face next are the disrespectful remarks of a host on the show "Fashion Police" to a young starlet walking the red carpet? Guiliana Rancic's comments on Zendaya Coleman's locs (dreadlocks) both floored me and offended me. To be honest, her remarks hurt my soul. The starlet decided to opt for long deadlock extensions for the Oscars. Although she received a fair share of complements, Fashion Police host Rancic said she felt like "she (Coleman) smells like patchouli oil and weed."

Guioliana Rancic and Zendaya Coleman

Coleman posted a lengthy and intelligent response about her hair:

“There is a fine line between what is funny and disrespectful. Someone said something about my hair at the Oscars that left me in awe,” the actress posted on Twitter.

“I was hit with ignorant slurs and pure disrespect. To say that an 18-year-old young woman with locs [dreadlocks] must smell of patchouli oil or ‘weed’ is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive,” Coleman continued. “I don’t usually feel the need to respond to negative things, but certain remarks cannot go unchecked.

“There is already harsh criticism of African-American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair,” she added.

Coleman listed notable people who also choose to wear locks, such as her own father, her best friend, Ava DuVernay, Ledisi and Harvard professor Vincent Brown. She went on to state that none of these people smell like marijuana.

Rancic eventually issued an apology and claimed that her comments had nothing to do with race.

The Academy Awards program itself held a variety of political comments regarding women rights, pay inequality, gay rights, immigration pro and con, and even the lack of diversity in Hollywood.

Common and John Legend

The highlight of the night for me was the uplifting performance of John Legend and Common as they presented their masterpiece "Glory" which was soon to win the award for Best Original Song. The moving visual, staging the presentation at the Edmund Pettis Bridge and including the determined marchers of all races reminded me that persistence and determination would assure that we will overcome the obstacles still before us and win our freedom. The compassionate remarks of Common and John Legend raised my spirits as I watched David Oyelowo who portrayed Dr. King in the movie Selma, with his face wet with tears and I saw others in the audience like actor Chris Pine visibly moved.

Well, clearly we have a long way to go, but with persistence and determination "we shall overcome". 

(Disclaimer: For the record, the author of this post wears locs.)

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House Speaker John Boehner Tries to "Rear End" President Obama-Again

Could it be that House Speaker John Boehner led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to believe that his invitation for the prime minister to speak before Congress in March was bipartisan?

"It appears that the speaker of Congress made a move, in which we trusted, but which it ultimately became clear was a one-sided move and not a move by both sides," Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said on a Tel Aviv radio program.

Boehner's invitation for Netanyahu to speak on Iran, extended without consultation with the White House, has stirred partisan tensions. The White House called it a breach of diplomatic protocol. House Democrats have met with Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer to register their displeasure, and some have said they will boycott the speech.

Nonetheless, Hanegbi indicated that Netanyahu would still make the March 3 speech, which also comes two weeks before Israeli elections.

"The Republicans know, as the president has already made clear, that he will veto this legislation. So in order to pass legislation that overcomes the veto, two-thirds are required in the Senate," Hanegbi said. "So if the prime minister can persuade another one or two or another three or four, this could have weight."

He said that the speech could still help secure the two-thirds vote needed to override President Obama's promised veto on any new sanctions on Iran.

Interesting that the Republicans went against protocol and invited the Prime Minister to speak to the U. S. Congress in an effort to circumvent our President, America's leader. How shifty is that! For Netanyahu, the speech offered a high-profile chance to push his top objective: derailing negotiations to arrest Iran's nuclear weapons program, which he's convinced will produce a deal that leaves Israel vulnerable. The timing of the speech, two weeks before Israeli elections, could also give Netanyahu a political boost. We'll see if the plan works and if this move will be successful.

Boehner's move again tells the country and the world of the GOP's political animus against the President. Let's see if Netanyahu benefits in the Israeli elections and can change the minds of the U. S. Congress. . Regardless, our President continues to move forward.

Source: Talking Points Memo

Related article: Boehner's Netanyahu Ploy Runs on the Rocks: Our View. USA Today's Editorial Opinion

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Black Women on the Move: Leaders of Tomorrow

Black History Month is a great time to remember the leaders of our past and celebrate the warriors of the present.

We've highlighted some of the "Men to Watch" who will probably be the important Black leaders of the next generation. It's time now for the ladies, "Black Women on the Move" who are ready and able to lead.

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Tomorrow's Black Leaders: The Next Generation

Often times we only focus on historical figures during Black History Month i.e., Dr.King, Malcolm X, and Frederick Douglas.

History has it's place and tells us where we've been and how we got to this place in the present. Remember, the past moves us to the future. Take a look at some of the up and coming Black men who will probably become important  leaders of tomorrow.

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Alzheimer’s: The Most Expensive Disease in America



President Ronald Reagan

While Alzheimer's diease was first described in 1901 by a German physician, it was relatively unknown until the last quarter of the 20th century. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. Years later, Reagan himself suffered with the disease. When one of my dearest friends was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I realized that I knew very little about the disease. I soon learned that Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which is a collective term for a number of conditions marked by a loss of mental abilities. Generally the disease begins near the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, and then spreads to areas of the brain that control language, judgment, and physical activity. This cruel ailment steals our memories, steals our independence and finally steals our dignity by eroding the ability to manage the basic tasks of daily life.

Jimmy Stewart



The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 5.2 million Americans had Alzheimer’s disease in 2014, a figure that has risen steadily over the years. Nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s sufferers are women.  Young people can develop Alzheimer’s, but the disease is most common among those over 65. It is degenerative and gets worse over time. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, and no treatment that appears to stop its spread in the brain. Experts emphasize that the severe decline in mental capacity caused by Alzheimer’s is not a normal sign of aging. The minor problems that we all call “senior moments” are not indicative of any disease. Signs of a clinical state of dementia, in contrast, are much more serious.

Sugar Ray Robinson

Cases are increasing and the costs are staggering, devouring federal and state health care budgets and depleting the life savings of millions of victims and their families. Recent studies show that the cost of caring for Americans with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias has surpassed the cost of treatment for cancer patients or victims of heart disease. Alzheimer’s currently cost the United States some $214 billion annually. While deaths from some cancers and heart disease are declining, the number of Alzheimer’s cases continues to increase every year as the population grows older. Care of victims will cost Medicare and Medicaid $150 billion in the current fiscal year, the remaining costs fall on the patients and their families. . Some health care professionals fear that if we don’t get control of over this disease, it is going to bankrupt both Medicare and Medicaid.

Estelle Getty

Washington has committed $5.4 billion this fiscal year to cancer research, about $1.2 billion on heart disease and $3 billion to research on HIV/AIDS. Research funding for Alzheimer’s will reach only about $566 million. Obviously, we are not spending nearly enough to find ways to deal with this problem.  The National Alzheimer’s Project created by Congress in 2011 projects that achieving a goal of developing methods of prevention and effective treatment by 2025 will require $2 billion annually over the next decade. Congress to date has never approved more than $600 million in annual funding-less than one-third of the projected minimal requirement.

Seth Rogan, star of movies such as Knocked Up and Super Bad took up the cause when he saw his mother-in-law disabled by dementia before she turned 60. Many familiar public faces were sufferers of Alzheimer’s, i.e. former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance,  former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, boxers Floyd Patterson and Sugar Ray Robinson, actors Charlton Heston, Rita Hayworth, Charles Bronson, and Peter Falk, singer Etta James and Perry Como, columnist Abigail Van Buren, TV stars Estelle Getty (Sophia on Golden Girls) and Burgess Meredith (Penguin onf Batman TV series)... and the list goes on and on. Since there’s no cure for the disease and no treatment to stop the spread in the brain, “there’s never been a patient who recovered from Alzheimer’s” notes Robert Egge, chief public policy officer at the Alzheimer’s Association.

We have to start talking about this disease, learning about it, overcomig the stigmas associated with it, and getting the attention needed to secure the funding it deserves and needs. 2015 is a great time to start.

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