April 27, 2014

Racist Clippers Owner Donald Sterling: What You Can Do

This blog believes that online activism is an important way for all 'villagers' to protest the continued racism of Donald Sterling. We actively support the call to action by the folks at Color of Change!

We've known for decades that Donald Sterling is a racist scumbag and sexual harasser who shouldn't be the owner of an NBA team.

The tape released Friday — which allegedly features Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend he doesn't want her to bring Black people to Clippers games or "broadcast her associations" with Black people on Instagram — is just the most recent example of Sterling's well-documented hostility towards Black people.

Donald Sterling should not be allowed to continue profiting from the achievements of some of the world's most exceptional Black athletes. Major companies that rely on business from Black folks shouldn't be lining the pockets of an NBA owner who doesn't want us at the games. Stripping the Clippers of their corporate sponsorships is an important first step towards removing Donald Sterling as their owner.

Join ColorOfChange in demanding that corporations end their sponsorship of the Clippers until Donald Sterling is no longer associated with the team.

Since he acquired the Clippers in 1981, Donald Sterling has repeatedly demonstrated racial animosity both inside the Clippers organization and out:
  • Former General Manager Elgin Baylor charged in a racial discrimination suit that Sterling ran the Clippers with the "vision of a Southern plantation–type structure" asking him to create a team of “poor Black boys from the South and a white head coach.
  • When interviewing one prospective white coach, Sterling reportedly asked "I wanna know why you think you can coach these n**gers."
  • Despite complaints from players, Sterling has made a disturbing habit of of bringing women into the locker room and saying things like "look at these beautiful Black bodies."
  • Sterling is a ruthless, bigoted slumlord. In 2009, he settled a case with the Department of Justice paying the largest settlement ever obtained in a government housing discrimination suit. He was accused of systematically denying rental opportunities to prospective Black and Hispanic tenants across his Southern California properties. In court documents, he stated that "Black tenants smell and attract vermin."
The NBA is a league with a distinctly Black identity.  And most of us ... unlike Donald Sterling ... know that Black History Month is not celebrated in March! Someone with such vile views towards Black people and a wretched past of racial discrimination should not be allowed to profit in a league where more than 75% of the players are Black.  Snoop Dogg agrees!

Donald Sterling and Adam Silver
The NBA has a larger share of Black viewers than any other major U.S. sport. The Clippers and the NBA share a number of crucial corporate sponsors which count on a Black NBA audience as customers. Assuming his investigation verifies the authenticity of the recording, new NBA commissioner Adam Silver should demonstrate that naked bigotry will not be tolerated and do everything in his power to remove Sterling as the Clippers owner — including an indefinite suspension. Pressure from ColorOfChange.org members will encourage sponsors and the NBA to cut ties with and punish Donald Sterling.

Sign the petition. Tell corporations: Drop the Clippers and their racist owner.
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OURstory: Barbara Hillary is First Black Woman to the North Pole


I know that Matthew Henson was the first Black man to the North Pole (assuming that Santa Claus ain't a brother!). I suspect that most of us cannot name the first Black woman to the North Pole. The answer?

75-year old cancer survivor Barbara Hillary holds the honor of being the first Black woman to make it to the North Pole. She accomplished the feat on April 27, 2007.

When told that no Black woman had ever made it to the North Pole, Sis. Hillary said, "What's wrong with this picture?". I encourage villagers to check out her website.

Wouldn't you agree that Barbara Hillary is a remarkable woman?

April 20, 2014

Happy Birthday: Luther Vandross (1951-2005)

Luther Vandross was born on this date 1951. I imagine that most villagers know about the legacy of this brother.

I remember when I first heard Luther's song Never Too Much. I played that song over and over to learn the lyrics. This was before you could go on the Internet and print out the lyrics like we do today. My goal was to repeat the lyrics to my first wife as a personal Valentines Day celebration.




Me and some of my buddies once took a limousine from Palm Springs to San Diego to attend a Vandross concert. I remember being amazed at how much his live concert sounded exactly like his albums. Do you remember the flawless bridge that he made between If Only For One Night and Creepin'?


Towards the end of his life he recorded a song that will always be one of my all-time favorites ... Dance With My Father.


Villagers, what is your favorite Luther Vandross memory or song?

April 18, 2014

Unique Building * The Torre Galatea (Figueres, Spain)

The first thing you notice are the giant egg sculptures along the roofline. Then it hits you that the Salvador Dali Theater Museum in Figueras, Spain, is no ordinary building. The museum’s tower, Torre Galatea, was named for the surrealist artist’s deceased wife, and Dali himself lived there until his death in 1989. Interestingly, the museum sits next to the parish church where Dali was baptized in 1904; he is buried in an unmarked crypt in the museum’s main exhibition hall.

I've never been to Spain, however, if I were to go ... this is a building I would want to visit. What sights would you see if you went to Spain?
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April 17, 2014

College Scholarships from Jay-Z and Mom

The Shawn Carter Foundation has announced that they are now accepting applications for their 2014 scholarship program. The foundation, established by rapper Jay-Z and his mom Gloria Carter, aims to enhance the lives of young people.

The foundation is unique because it offers scholarships to single mothers, children who attend alternative schools, students who have earned only a GED, students with grade point averages of 2.0, and students who have previously been incarcerated, etc. The students, however, must demonstrate a strong desire to pursue higher education.

The program provides individual grants ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 to every student who qualifies and re-applies each year, from admission to graduation. The scholarship grant can be used to pay for tuition, books, lab fees, travel and certain costs of living.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 30, 2014.
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April 15, 2014

Happy Birthday: Harold Washington (1922-1987)

Harold Washington sparked the imagination of African Americans throughout the nation when he was elected mayor of Chicago. It was one thing to have mayors in small towns or someplace down in the South. It was another thing for an unabashedly proud Blackman to be elected mayor of the 2nd largest city in the nation.

We honor the anniversary of Mayor Washington's birthday here on this blog!


I think it is fair to say that we would not have Barack Obama has our president if we didn't have Harold Washington as Chicago's mayor. What are your thoughts or memories of Harold Washington?
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