DISQUS

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell!

Thanks for the update Rashad.

This narrative sends me into a whirlwind of thoughts: 1) why aren't Paris, R.Kelly, and others considered the classiest of people (at least by income class) not living as if? 2) why do so many others who are not afforded the luxuries of the wealthy aspire to live like them? I can't speak for Paris because I don't know anything about growing up white, female and rich beyond any stretch of the imagination. But I can identify a little more with R. In both cases though, maybe celebrities are acting out to let us know they don’t want to be thought of as any different than anyone else. That could be far-fetched, but I think if a Joe or Jane traded places with Paris or R., they would soak up all the luxuries of the fabulous life. Maybe Paris, R. and others have grown tired of that and want to be more like us. But who are we, since we try so hard to be like them?

Thanks to each of you for leaving a comment. As I understand it, the law was written originally to severely punish adult men who sought children for sexual favors. The law contains a provision that excludes boyfriend/girlfriend intercourse between a male who is not yet 18 and a girl less than three years younger. If Wilson and the girl had intercourse alone, we wouldn't be having this discussion. But because they too engaged in oral sex, he is a criminal.

We are seeing the law now expressly used to derail the future of promising children. And according to Jimmy Carter, black children at a higher rate than whites. Let's see if the justice system leans on common sense in the possible reversal of his sentence.

Essence Magazine chose to kick off its "Essence Cares" mentoring initiative here in Atlanta. The push is for at least 2,150 adults to join local mentoring organizations and work with underserved children at least 2 hours a month. I am committing to the effort and I ask any Atlanta-area YBP to join me. Go to www.essencecares.org and read more about the initiative.