African-Americans Baroch, Andrew J. 10 Years After

African-Americans

Baroch, Andrew J. "10 Years after Million Man March, African-Americans return to Washington." VOA News. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2005-10-14-voa7.cfm.

This article was making a connection between the century-old Million Man March and The "Millions More" March that was scheduled for October 15, 2005. Though the Million Man March was specifically organized for efforts to register African-Americans to vote in U.S. Elections and also to increase black involvement in volunteerism and community activism, the Millions More march this year was set in order to address the still existent inequalities that exist with regard to racial discrimination. In addition to racial discrimination, Ms. Wharton-Boyd, one of the many organizers of this march said, "Our issues fall into the area of health, social services, health, reparation, political stability, cultural development." Ms. Wharton-Boyd was also careful to remind readers that this event isn't a protest, but "a way to come together and bring skills together to help others."

2. Black PR Wire. (BPRW). "African-Americans are moving into the digital age with ease." Press Releases. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.blackprwire.com/display-news.asp?ID=2016.

This article discussed the growth of the internet in recent years. It was speculated in the early years of computers and the Internet that Blacks didn't or couldn't have equal access to these portions of technology. There were concerns that this would do even more to affect the ever-widening gap between the educational opportunities of Blacks vs. Whites. However, current studies and "according to Nielsen, NetRatings, as of 2003, more than 10 million African-Americans were going online to access information." Because though "whites continue to surpass the number of Blacks online," it seems that now they are surely at least "connecting" which was feared in the past.

3. Fishman, Henry J. "African-Americans Smoke more than Whites, study finds." ConsumerAffairs.com. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/fishman/2005/smoking_trends.html

The health findings from this article were less than pleasing with regard to overall health and well-being of African-Americans. Though "white males are smoking less than they were ten years ago," it seems that "African-Americans have a long way to go." We learned this from a survey found in an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Though African-Americans have stopped smoking at the same rate as Caucasian-Americans, too many African-Americans still smoke. It is an upsetting fact, especially because it seems that African-Americans and minorities in general are at a much higher risk for heart complications like stroke and diabetes.

4. Lanza, David. "CNN's Carol Lin and the French 'African-Americans.'" NewsBusters.org. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://newsbusters.org/node/2783.

This is another article that has to do with discrimination and racism at the root level is the very upsetting current happenings in France. The article comes as a criticism of CNN's correspondent Carol Lin, who called the Black Muslims involved in the riots in France "African-Americans" for the "lack of a better euphemism. Strangely enough, those who are rioting and being killed aren't African-American at all, but many of them French citizens of Tunisian descent. This article points out those inefficiencies of the "new media" which claims to be different than the "old media" which is stereotypical at best and contributing and fuelling the fire of the inequalities and frustrations of many of these youths and terrorists around the world at worst. Something must be done about this.

5. Maniace, Len. "Author explores slavery's lingering effects." The Journal News. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051113/NEWS02/511130305/1018.

This article is about the lingering effects of slavery on the mentality and actions of African-Americans based on a book by Joy DeGruy Leary, an assistant professor at Portland State University's Graduate School of Social Work, entitled, "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome." Leary suggests in her book that because African-Americans have had to adapt to survive centuries of racial oppression that these adaptations linger in the behaviors. The criticisms of this book suggest that anyone who subscribes to the thesis posited in Leary's book is in fact working to enslave themselves. Another criticism suggests that Leary is irresponsible for positing that there is an excuse for unruliness and illegal behavior. Though Leary defends her position stating, "This is a book about healing, assessing the nature of the injury," Leary told the audience of roughly 250 people, "and that is the only way that we will stop passing along the mistakes, the pathology, the pain and the injuries of ages past."

6. O'Leary, Mary E. "Education Gap Threatens State Economy." The Herald Online. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.newbritainherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15558638& BRD=1641& PAG=461& dept_id=10110& rfi=6.

This article focused around a study conducted by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education with regard to the state of Connecticut. The result of the projections suggested that the average education of the state's workforce and the income of its residents will decline unless Connecticut can increase the number of Latinos and African-Americans graduating from college. The center said "Connecticut is experiencing the same problems as Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Texas" and Alex Johnston, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, said now is the time to look to those school models in Connecticut cities which have proven track records with low-income students. "It's a call to action, rather than just another piece of bad news," Johnston said.

7. Oliphant, Anne-Louise. "New Studies show young African-Americans at a much greater risk for pre-cancerous polyps." Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=32940.

This is another health article, noting that African-Americans are at higher risk of pre-cancerous polyps. Following the results of two studies released at the 70th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, it appears that is isn't just speculation now, but it is true that "young African-Americans are at a much higher risk for colon cancer than other races." It is interesting that researchers are now looking at racial factors in analyzing findings from colonoscopy exams and in this particular study, found that among those with abnormal findings, polyps were the most common among African-Americans. The article pores over the evidence as to why African-Americans should have their colons screened for cancer at age 45 instead of age 50, five years earlier than the current recommendations.

8. Perez, Miguel. "Trying to fix a 'Moral Wrong.'" North Jersey.com. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0NSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjgxNTg5MyZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=.

Steering away from health considerations and back to politics, this article is concerned with the idea of reparations for African-Americans. Donna Lamb, communications director for Caucasians United for Reparations and Emancipation (CURE) states, "It's a simple fact that for 250 years whites robbed millions of enslaved Africans of the wealth their labor created. They were forced to work for free, while white individuals, companies and the U.S. government made huge profits off their labor." Lamb suggests that American tax dollars should pay reparations to "pay a people it has wronged."