Black Jesus .com

Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Black student sit in Greensboro,N.C. America must never forget the sacrifices of our forefathers!

The Civil Rights Movement received an infusion of energy with a student sit-in at a Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina. On February 1, 1960, four students Ezell A. Blair Jr. (now known as Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College, an all-black college, sat down at the segregated lunch counter to protest Woolworth's policy of excluding African Americans.

These protesters were encouraged to dress professionally, to sit quietly, and to occupy every other stool so that potential white sympathizers could join in. The sit-in soon inspired other sit-ins in Richmond, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia. As students across the south began to "sit-in" at the lunch counters of a few of their local stores, local authority figures sometimes used brute force to physically escort the demonstrators from the lunch facilities.

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The "sit-in" technique was not new—as far back as 1942, the Congress of Racial Equality sponsored sit-ins in Chicago, St. Louis in 1949 and Baltimore in 1952. In 1960 the technique succeeded in bringing national attention to the movement. The success of the Greensboro sit-in led to a rash of student campaigns throughout the South. Probably the best organized, most highly disciplined, the most immediately effective of these was in Nashville, Tennessee. By the end of 1960, the sit-ins had spread to every southern and border state and even to Nevada, Illinois, and Ohio.

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Demonstrators focused not only on lunch counters but also on parks, beaches, libraries, theaters, museums, and other public places. Upon being arrested, student demonstrators made "jail-no-bail" pledges, to call attention to their cause and to reverse the cost of protest, thereby saddling their jailers with the financial burden of prison space and food. In April, 1960 activists who had led these sit-ins held a conference at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina that led to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC took these tactics of nonviolent confrontation further, to the freedom rides.

One year ago President Obama was elected in large part because we finally got the right the right to vote! This is the American history that's not being taught in most schools and just a small reason why Black History Month is still nessesary.

President Johnson stated that every man should have the right to vote and that the civil rights problems challenge the entire country, not one region or group. The President asked Congress to help him pass legislation that dictates clear, uniform guidelines for voting regardless of race or ethnicity and that allows all citizens to register to vote free from harassment.

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Click Here To See The Internet's Largest Directory Of Historical Black Leaders From All Walks Of Like!

Our forefathers and many white supporters suffered great indignities to give us the right to sit at the lunch counter. Before Dr. King died, he was making plans to bring about economic justice. I believe its time for many more of our generation and our children to become full participants in the American free enterprise system by owning some of the very lunch counters we are now free to sit at. What do you think?

Keith Olbermann: Special Comment On Teabaggers and Racisim.

Keith Olbermann, on Presidents Day, had the courage and the

insightfulness to spell out in detail the kind of fear that feeds

on racism that says that  Jesus Christ couldn’t have been

a man of color despite the facts, that slavery was justified

because we were seen as less than human beings by whites,

why we should not have the right to vote.

 

This same racism says that a disproportionate number of

Black men are in prison  because they are inherently more

dangerous and that minorities and especially Blacks aren't

as smart as whites, even those with impressive degrees 

and work experience, that's why they  are  experiencing

significantly  higher unemployment rates than their white

counterparts and why the Tea Baggers claim that President

Barack Obama, after only being in office for one year is a 

socialist, who is to blame for all of America’s ills.

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What do you think?

Recession ‘devastating’ to African-Americans Over 45

The recession has had a "devastating impact" on African-Americans age 45 and up, according to a new survey by AARP.

The survey, which is part of AARP's continued look at how African-Americans age 45 and older are faring in this economy, found that over the last year:

•33 percent of African-Americans age 45 and older said they've had problems paying rent or mortgage.

•44 percent had problems paying for essential items, such as food and utilities.

•18 percent lost a job, nearly twice the rate of the general population.

•23 percent lost their employer-sponsored health care.

•34 percent stopped putting money into a 401(k), IRA or other retirement account.

•26 percent withdrew funds from their retirement nest eggs early to pay for living expenses, including mortgage or rent, health care, education expenses and for other reasons.

•31 percent have cut back on their medications.

•28 percent have carried a higher balance on their credit cards during the past 12 months.

African-Americans, like many others hurt by the tough times, have taken steps to lessen the economic sting, the survey noted.

Half of those surveyed postponed plans to travel, and two-thirds cut entertainment expenses. Even in the tough job market, 12 percent of those age 65 and up returned to the work force from retirement.

McClatchy/Tribune news

 

Urban League: African Americans Faring Worse than Whites

The National Urban League says, despite the hope generated by the election of the first black U.S. president, African Americans are faring worse in an economy in which the gap between the "American dream" and reality is widening. The Urban League says it will be pushing to ensure blacks benefit from the jobs and money Congress and President Obama made available in the economic stimulus plan.

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