Disqus - Latest Comments for ivywriter

Re: Contact Info

ivywriter — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:08:07 -0000

Hello. I wonder if you all have ever thought about turning Jack and Jill into a print publication. I love it but don't always have time to read it online. Maybe you might consider creating a "Best Of" end of the year publication. I love magazines and I use coffee time to read through my favorite publications. Having a publication in print helps me have a more intimate reading moment. And, if you decide to ever do a print publication, I would be willing to serve as an editor. Keep up the good work.

Re: Best Moments of Barack Obama or the Obama Family

ivywriter — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:07:09 -0000

One of my favorite Obama moments was when The Kennedys endorsed him wholeheartedly, without hesitation. That moment was fantastic because it was like one of those business "merger" moments we always hear about, that takes place behind closed doors, when businessmen and women shake hands to close a deal. The only difference is this was a political "merger" of the most terrific kind. To see Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, and others from the Kennedy clan stand and talk about and hold hands with this African American man was a very JFK/RFK/MLK-esque moment! It was like all that Dr. King and others had fought for during the Civil Rights movement had all come to a crossroads at that very moment on that stage. Plus, it was such a slap in the face to the McCain camp. It was pre-Sarah Palin, before all of the ooohs and aaahhh over her dumb a*s began. Those were the good old days. lol

My other favorite moment was when General Colin Powell announced his endorsement of Barack Obama. Yet another slap in the face to the Republican Party to find out that one of the few viable Black Republicans they thought was down with their camp for the long haul, shifted gears and berated his Party for the lowdown tactics they tried to use to discredit Obama. Colin Powell laid down the law about their behavior and did it so eloquently, and the words he used to describe the vision he had behind supporting Obama were fantastic. That moment caused me, as well as I'm sure many others, to develop a new found respect for Powell.

And of course, two of my other more personal moments are when I got the chance to see President-Elect Obama speak at The University of Maryland and attending the JayZ Concert in Cleveland. I stood in line with a friend at 7am in February 2008 and the temperature was very much like it is in most of the Northeast today, frigid. The doors didn't open until about 10am at the UMD Comcast Center. Just to be in line, to see the long lines, to see the crowd before, during, and after the event was one of the most phenomenal experiences ever. People had come from all of the surrounding colleges and universities, I think we let this guy from Howard get in line with us (because we were in the front), and others had travelled from VA and PA.

My other personal moment was at the JayZ Rally For Obama Concert in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena (the home of the Cavs and Lebron). That concert was fantastic and everyone was so peaceful, NO DRAMA! The other reason the concert was so great is that JayZ is a genius. To take a hip hop venue and combine it with the local community and national politics the way he did, add Lebron as an MC, combine that with the fact that it was FREE, and JayZ put it down like we had paid a million bucks to see him, he cut no corners in his performance! Pure Genius! More events like that are so necessary in our communities! We need them to capture the attention of the youth so that they become encouraged to get involved in their local, state, and national politics.

That concludes my memories of Barack Obama on the campaign trail! I can't wait until he and his family create more for us to share in over the next 4 years!

Re: Countdown to the Inauguration: 36 Days — Open Thread

ivywriter — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:41:38 -0000

Speaking of countdowns....I plan to be in DC for the festivities,even if I'm just at a club/bar watching the Inauguration on a big screen, however, does anyone know of any "low budget" events or FREE events that are taking place during Inauguration weekend. I mean big ups to my brothas and sistahs doing it big in the city that weekend, however, we are still in a recession! So, anyone with an inside on other parties/socials/netwoking events, let me know! My goal is to just be in the presence of those who are trying to support and celebrate this historic occassio without being broke! Holla!

Re: The Obama Girls and Blacks at Sidwell – An Inside Perspective, Part II

ivywriter — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:32:37 -0000

You should really think about getting the other Black graduates of Sidwell together and write a book. I think this would be perfect timing too considering this era in our history with a new Black President. It might even shed light on Black kids attending majority white private schools on an overall level. I live in Cleveland and there are many private schools in this area, as well as in Columbus where relatives of mine have attended, but who I assume probably have similar issues that arise. This would be a fantastic project to embark upon and would get attention, at least until 2012 (during the Obama presidency). I would love to chat with you about such a project. (www.ivywritermedia.com) Either way, great article.

Re: When will the urban community find the key to “Self Accountability”

ivywriter — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:55:28 -0000

While I agree with you that African Americans (I am African American) in the urban community need to, as it sounds like you are saying "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps", I do believe that there is a valid argument in holding those politicians, who are elected officials, accountable. And by politicians, I do not mean that President-Elect Barack Obama should be the sole leader in charge of the fate of Black people of America, since he was elected as our nation's new leader. No, by no means should this burden be put all upon him. In fact, I believe that there have been some African American leaders on the national, state, and especially the local levels who have dropped the ball years ago.

The urban education system didn't just become a problem or an issue yesterday. Many of the urban school systems (i.e., DC, MD, Cleveland, NY) have not been doing well for many, many years now and they are not going to get fixed by President Obama. What about those local school superintendents, council men and women, mayors, state representatives, etc., not to mention those self-appointed "community leaders" who march and preach, but really, what do they accomplish, other than getting camera time? Now, I'm not saying that the current leaders don't do good things in their respective communities,however, we cannot expect President Elect Obama to be this "knight in shining armour" and think that he's going to repair every ill that plagues our communities without the people in the community actually first, wanting help, and second, be willing to be a part of the help and accept new ideas.

For example, when a new and innovative approach to fixing the school systems is approached, like in DC with the hiring of Michelle Yee as the new Chancellor and other school systems, who in the past have had to take over the schools because the School Boards or others who are "in charge" are not doing their jobs, communities often get up in arms and say, I don't want anyone telling me what to do with my money and my child. Well, we can't have it both ways. Folks in urban communities need to learn what to fight for and what to fight against (which does require leadership) so as to not shoot ourselves in the foot and learn how to work with those who come into the community with something new. Often, African Americans in the urban communities, don't know how to embrace CHANGE, which is an interesting phenomenon, since President-Elect Obama is all about CHANGE. We often get stuck in our ways and get so used to being complacent and used to the way things are, that something new is just that, something new and often foreign.

Lastly, what about those that live in the urban communities themselves? I agree with you when you speak about the mentality of folks living in poverty and in places where they feel like there is no hope unless someone comes along to "save them". What I will say about this, is, I am a person who believes that, yes, we do need "LEADERS" in our community to kind of, be at the forefront to speak for those masses who cannot or will not speak for themselves. It is also a tradition in our community for leaders to be present and be the voice for our people. The only difference between the 60s and today though, I'm afraid, is that so many of the so-called leaders, are out for self and their individual wallets and may be in it for the wrong reasons as we see more and more "leaders" getting on the lecture circuit bandwagon, expecting and accepting money to speak and present, when in the past, our leaders, such as MLK and others, spoke and became leaders, not for money, but for the passion of helping and serving the community.

I would say that this is why many have become complacent and have lost confidence in some of our so called leaders. President-Elect Obama has certainly broken that mold and appears to be taking us back to the days of MLK, JFK, and FDR and perhaps, once he is in office, we will see a new surge of the true community leader and organizer and not just people who is in it for the money and maybe the real issues will be addressed and real change will begin to happen.

Re: Georgia Senate Higher Education Committee Chairman Seth Harp Suggests Merging Historically Black Colleges With White Colleges To Save Money

ivywriter — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:28:55 -0000

Now, while I don't condone merging HBCUs with predominantly white colleges/universities, as a person who has worked in Higher Education for 10+ years, I can see why that might be a notion to consider. I didn't hear mention, in the article, of any of the more well known HBCUs, like Spelman, Morehouse, or Clark Atlanta (which I might add was a merged school at some point, not sure if it was two HBCUs or a white school but it was at one point Clark and then Atlanta, separately).

This type of merger proposal, I don't think, would ever threaten any of the more popular schoools, even those outside of Georgia, like Howard, Central State, Hampton, Alabama A&M, etc. whose enrollments remain high, and money is continously funnelled into these schools from the states and from alumni. Others are not so lucky.

However, it is my view, that for those HBCUs that are lesser known and struggling financially, this notion might not be a bad idea. I agree with you when you say that HBCUs were created for African Americans and should be preserved. I have many relatives and friends who have attended HBCUs for undergrad, graduate, and professional programs. And they were all created as a result of the fact that those predominantly white schools didn't want us to go to school, let alone attend school with white students. Some would say, as the Senator Harp suggests, that we have outgrown this idea of segragation, in some instances, and that maybe, just maybe, we need to start exploring the idea of merging some of the lesser known and poorly funded HBCUs with some of the white schools who are struggling in the same way.

The question might be, for those students who live in those areas, what do they need more? Do they need the legacy of an HBCU, that, for all intensive purposes, might be failing and could very well go under during their tenure as a student ?(which has happened at other schools), or Do they need a school that, if it merged, would provide them with the same stellar education that their counterparts at other competitive schools will recieve, at HBCUs or otherwise?

My opinion is that, as painful as it might be to let go of some of these historically black institutions, maybe today, we need to be more focused on, finally getting that 40 Acres and A Mule, and maybe that 40 Acres can be "got" if you will, through a merger, a lesser of two evils. As a person who has worked in a college/university environment and now as a GED instructor, I will tell you that our students, both African American, and American students in general, really need to get a leg up on being competitive with students from around the world. We can't get our students up to the level they need to be if their institution of higher learning, albeit historical in nature and culture, is not up to par with other institutions. And, since predominantly white institutions have opened their doors and more and more Black students attend these schools, shouldn't we at least consider the idea of a merger so that our students can take advantage of all that the states probably owe us in the first place? And as for the idea of why they would never propose a merger of an MIT or a UMASS, we all know that would never happen. MIT is just that, MIT, their enrollment and status will never change, just as a Howard University will never change. Howard and MIT will never be without students to fill it's rosters each school year, so to me, that's not a realistic comparision or argument.

In closing, I hope that no one thinks ill of my suggestion because I have many a relative and friend who graduated from HBCUs, but I do believe that the HBCUs, some of those smaller ones that are struggling, deserve a chance for some sort of recusitation, if they are to survive further into the 21st Century. If that means merging and taking advantage of much need repair, then I say go for it.

Re: Probe Sought Against African American Judge E. Curtissa R. Cofield, 59, For Alleged Use of Racial Epithet During Arrest

ivywriter — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:47:48 -0000

The sad part is just by looking at the photo of this judge and taking into consideration the amount of money she probably makes as a judge in Connecticut and the description of the car she drives, I truly believe that she felt comfortable enough and arrogant enough in her stature as a judge to call those men "niggers".

Unfortunately when some Black folks get elevated to certain positions, they think the are 1) above all other black people and superior in who they are as a Black person, and
2) they think they are above the law. We see this happen with Black athletes who are dumb enough to carry drugs and guns in their cars or in the airport, we see this in Black celebrities, some old school like Diana Ross and the infamous "weed" incident, and rappers who refuse to understand that the police still see them as "niggas" and not for the successful entertainers that they are.

The thing that scares me about this judge,moreso than other Black people who call other Black people stereotypical names, is that, she is in a position of extreme power, and she didn't even care about her super expensive car when she allegedly, ran her BMW into the police officer's cruiser. This tells me that money, to her, is on object and that, by calling them "niggers", and emphasizing her status as a judge to them, she didn't think that a) she would or should be arrested, and b) she didn't think she would be prosecuted, and then had the audacity to sign up for a "alcohol education" program as if the whole thing would just go away and she would then go on about her business as a judge. I can only imagine someone like her at parties or social events. She thinks she's all that and these are the types of Black folks in high places, that you have to watch your back with.

Re: Why is gas $ 1.93 a gallon?

ivywriter — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:05:08 -0000

It's my opinion that it was the election of Barack Obama that has caused SOME things to get back to some sort of "normalcy", whatever that is. Well at least in the area of oil. I truly believe that most of the world has rejoiced at his election and at the notion of a changing of the guard as Bush heads on out of office. And although we see many other fiascos occurring such as the auto industry falling apart before our eyes and other companies steadily going under, I do believe that by the time Obama completes his first year in office, some of our economic woes will subside and we will see gas, along with other prices begin to drop and we can get back to our pre-Bush lives, the way we existed before 9/11, in America.