Roland Martin has begun calling out Donald Trump on his Twitter page. This is what Martin had to say:
"Do not support Trump's #CelebrityApprentice. He's a travesty. I refuse to stay at Trump hotels; will NOT watch #CelebrityApprentice or buy products that continue to advertise on his show. He's pathetic."
Donald Trump Then Replied:
“I am the least racist person on the planet. I have a great record on that, especially in terms of my friendships. And I have never heard of Roland Martin.”
Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CNN) -- President Barack Obama toured rubble-strewn Tuscaloosa, Alabama, neighborhoods on Friday, declaring the devastation brought by a series of powerful storms and tornadoes was beyond anything he had ever seen.
The storms killed at least 316 people in six Southern states and left entire neighborhoods in ruins. Obama promised expedited federal aid to states affected by the tornadoes.
"We're going to do everything we can to help these communities rebuild," he said.
Obama's motorcade passed street after street of homes reduced to splinters, crushed and flipped cars, and widespread debris on the way to his first stop to visit with families affected by the storms that pounded the region Wednesday and Thursday.
"I've gotta say I've never seen devastation like this," he told reporters.
The president's visit took place as emergency responders in Alabama and five other states continued to assess the damage wreaked by one of the worst outbreaks of violent weather in the southeastern United States in decades, experts said. The storms leveled neighborhoods, rendered major roads impassable and left at least 800,000 customers without power Friday afternoon.
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
The NAACP of Detroit has committed what appears to be an incredibly sad act by giving it's Great Expectations Award to Kid Rock during it's annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner. It's ironic that the NAACP is giving an award to someone who regularly uses the Confederate flag during his concerts. The civil rights supporter in me doesn't understand the NAACP's actions, but the Finance Professor in me understands their actions perfectly.
Here are some questions for the NAACP as they honor one of their greatest heroes, Kid Rock:
1) If Kid Rock were not a donor to your organization, would you have given him this award? Probably not.
Frankie Lons, the mother of superstar Keyshia Cole, was arrested for "misdemeanor possession of drug-related materials" and "probation violation." Frankie is the star of Celebrity Rehab. Wow.
“The President invited the living participants in the Memphis Sanitation Strike to honor their courage, and their fight on behalf of all workers for safe conditions, respect in the workplace and a better life for themselves and their families. As workers across the country continue to face challenges to their rights, the issues for which these men fought continue to be relevant and the President remains committed to the causes for which they marched.” – from the White House
By Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – the picture above (left) is from the press conference held for Father Pfleger in Chicago
I went to the press conference being held on behalf of Father Michael Pfleger, the respected Catholic Priest on the Southside of Chicago. In case you don’t know, Father Pfleger’s church, St. Sabina, is a predominantly black church and his members love him. He has served the South Side of Chicago with the kind of courage only shown by a true spiritual soldier. He has stood strong with mothers as their sons have died and has put himself in the middle of nearly every kind of devastation that plagues inner cities across America.
But as most of us know, a true soldier and man of God is going to eventually be undermined by the establishment. Father Pfleger was recently suspended by the Catholic Church for refusing to leave the members of St. Sabina and going to another church. The parishioners were further disrespected by Cardinal Francis George when he (according to an email I received today from community activist Mark Allen) sent another priest to replace Father Pfleger, allegedly without giving any notice to the staff.
Whether the note from Allen can be confirmed or not is not the issue for me. The fact is that with every decision being made by Cardinal George, I am losing more and more respect for Catholic Church leadership in Chicago – it seems that their mission has nothing to do with God and everything to do with egos. Here are thoughts on the situation with Father Pfleger that come to mind:
1) The members of St. Sabina should leave their church and find another way to connect with God. There is almost nothing holy about the behavior of Cardinal George, for he is representing the very worst that the Catholic Church has to offer. Bullies in the pulpit must be confronted, even if they claim to be ordained by God.
2) The behavior of the church is clearly racist. One has to wonder if St. Sabina would be served with such disrespect if it were not predominantly black. Also, one can’t help but wonder if Father Pfleger is being punished (actually being treated like a n*gger lover) for spending too much time around black folks and caring about the issues in our community. If he were doing half as much work for white kids in the suburbs, his church would hail him as a hero.
3) Hypocrisy abounds in this situation. I find it astonishing that the very same church that had no problem covering up for pastors who’ve had sex with little children would punish the pastor who has done as much for the children of Chicago as any leader in the last 30 years. They should be ashamed for their behavior.
In this episode of Your Black Love, Deborrah Cooper and I ask whether or not black women have a preference for dating men that are not good for them.
Do you know a woman who dates one bad guy after another and then seems to spend all of her time whining about the fact that she can never find a good man? Yea, I have too. Well, it seems to me that, at some point, we must all have some degree of accountability for our relationship choices.
Deborrah and I debate the issue in the video below – enjoy!
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