minority reporter week of may 27 - june 2, 2013

7/28/2019 Minority Reporter Week of May 27 - June 2, 2013

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1 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013

MINORITYREPORTERfrom information to understanding

www.minorityreporter.netvol. 6 no. 22 may 27 - june 2 2013

Democrats and RepublicansBattle for Monroe County


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2 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013MinorityReporterOfe Ae:

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busInEss MAnAgErPauline McCleary

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cOPy EdItOrGary McLendon

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Art dIrEctOrCatie Fiscus

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EdItOrIAL stAFFLisa DumasDelani Weaver

EdItOrIAL AssIstAntClaribel Oliveras

AdvErtIsIngDave McCleary

Yahya Abdullah

Lucy Smith-Fulmore

[email protected]

PHOtOgrAPHyTemple Boggs, Jr.

Todd Elliott

cOLuMnIstsGloria Winston Al-Sarag

C. Michael Tillman

Rev. Michael Vaughn

Vincent FelderDiane Watkins

Mike Dulaney

Davy Vara

Ayesha Kreutz

Minority Reporter, Inc. is a family of publicationsand other media formats committed to fostering selfawareness, building community and empoweringpeople of color to reach their greatest potential. Fur-ther, Minority Reporter, Inc. seeks to present a bal-anced view of relevant issues, utilizing its resourcesto build bridges among diverse populations; takingthem from information to understanding.

Minority Reporter reserves the right to edit or rejectcontent submitted.The opinions expressed are not necessarily those ofthe publisher.

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Call 585-301-4199or email [email protected].

In This Issue:

{COVER Pg 8

Support Growing for Wheel-Chair-Bound Man Beaten by Police

{LOCAL Pg 4,6

New Book Focuses on State ofBlack Rochester Democrats Put a Hold onConstruction Funds to Focus

Attention Infant Mortality 2 Men Convicted in RochesterTeens Fatal Shooting Deal to Sell Baush + Lomb in theMaking

{TATE Pg 10

NY Consumers Eligible for $11.7million from Penguin Group Inc.E-Book Price Fixing Settlement

NY Ofcials Urge Preparation forHurricane Season

{ATIOAL Pg 12, 13

Obama Approval Ratings RiseAmidst Scandals The Four Little Girls Honored as

American Heroes Advocates Outrages Over $21Billion Cut to Food Stamps Program

{COLUM: Pg 14-15

Apologize? To Whom? For What?

By Gloria winston al-saraG

How the Obamas Can Earn theRight to Yell at Black People

By Boyce watkins

1 www.minorityreporter.net|may27 -june2 |2013

MINORITYREPORTERfrom information to understa nding

www.minorityreporter.netvol. 6 no.22 may 27 -june 2 2013


to include your event on this calendar email us at

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MinorityReporter.net

28The Circles God Draws: Memoirs ofRuth Holland ScottTime: 12:12pmLocation: Kate Gleason Auditorium,Central Library, 115 South Ave.The Honorable Ruth Scott will sharehighlights from her recently publishedmemoir, The Circles God Draws. Ms.Scott was the rst woman and African

American to head the 19th WardNeighborhood Association and was therst African American woman electedto the Rochester City Council.

ADMISSION: Free and open to thepublic, seating up to 120, wheelchairaccessible

29CANDICE LUCAS PRESSCONFERENCETime: 2:00 p.m.Location: 971 South AvenueWe are asking all team members,volunteers, and community friends to

attend.

30Rec on the Move at Baden ParkTIme: 3:30pm- 6:30pmLocation: Baden ParkThe City of Rochesters Recreationon the Move van is rolling into yourneighborhood! On board these mobilereceation centers youll nd: healthysnacks, homework help, outdoorgames and sports, information onhealth and nutrition, activities andcrafts and daily giveaways.

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19th Ward Square FairTime: 8:00am-4:00pmLocation: Abardeen Square PArk - 300Post Ave.Citys 19th Ward Community

Associations annual neighborhoodparade, pancake breakfast, lunch grillsand booths. Fun for the entire family!Contact: 19th Ward Community

Associaton 585-328-6571.

4Rec on the Move at Farmington ParkTime: 3:30pm-6:30pmLocation: Farmington ParkThe City of Rochesters Recreationon the Move van is rolling into yourneighborhood! On board these mobile

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4Rec on the Move at Jefferson TerraceParkTime: 3:30pm-6:30pmLocation: Jefferson Terrace ParkThe City of Rochesters Recreationon the Move van is rolling into yourneighborhood! On board these mobilereceation centers youll nd: healthysnacks, homework help, outdoorgames and sports, information onhealth and nutrition, activities and

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Over lastw e e k e n d ,young peoplewatched or readabout PresidentObama speakingat MorehouseCollege andrst ladyMichelle Obamaaddressing thegraduates ofBowie State

University. Hopefully they wereinspired by seeing so many young andgied people nishing the course theychose to follow. Well, here is a lile

known set of facts.

Those colleges are both historicallyBlack colleges-known as HBCUs-andthey graduate a disproporonate shareof the naons Black science, technical,engineering and math majors-the verymajors everyone points to as the skillsAmerica will need to succeed. And,it turns out, HBCUs are importantbecause those elds are the backboneof the new Black middle class.

More Blacks work in computer-relatedoccupaons than are employedas elementary and middle schoolteachers or postal workers. And, likethose students at Morehouse and

Bowie State, Black college studentsare more likely to choose computerscience as a major than Whitestudents. In part because of the highshare of blacks who major in computerscience and because of the largenumber of Black college students,there are more baccalaureate degreesawarded to African- Americans than toAsian-Americans in computer science.

Now, a great challenge lies ahead.Having found a path to the middleclass through educaon and training,business interests are pushing hard inCongress to import temporary workersto do computer-based jobs. This whilethere are sll 20,000-plus fewer Blacksemployed as computer programmersand systems analysts since theiremployment peaked in 2008.

But, while those workers connue tosearch to get back to the high-techjobs they trained for, we have seenbusinesses increase requests for H-1Bvisas (visas for high-tech workers). Andnow the Senate Judiciary Commiee

adopted ludicrous amendments,introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch(R-Utah) in the immigraon bill, thatrefuse to give Americas workers a rstshot at these jobs. These amendmentswould even allow businesses to reAmerican workers and replace themwith temporary workers.

The AFL-CIO is ghng to restoresome reason here. We need toprotect American workers hugeinvestment in college loans to gettrained in computer and science skillsthe country needs, while providing aroad map to cizenship for all aspiringAmericans.

So, the AFL-CIO is challenging Sen.Hatch and the business lobby to makesure there are safeguards to keep apath to the middle class open.

William Spriggs serves as ChiefEconomist to the AFL-CIO and is aprofessor in, and former chair of theDepartment of Economics at HowardUniversity. Bill is also former assistantsecretary for the Oce of Policy at theUnited States Department of Labor.

FEATURE STORY

Black tudents Flock toTEM Fields, Yet Business LobbyPushes for More Temporary Workers

WILLIAM PRIG


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4 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013LOCAL

www.MINORITYREPORTER.net

ew Book focuses on tate of Black Rochester

A new book primarily focused ona synopsis of the racial and ethnicdisparies in the Rochester communityis now available by the AfricanAmerican Giving Iniave of RochesterArea Community Foundaon.

It is extremely helpful to know wherewe have been and what connuingchallenges we face as the GivingIniave and the enre communitydecides what to support in order tomake the greatest impact, says Dana K.Miller, vice president for advancementat the Community Foundaon

Miller, also a member of the RochesterCity Council, wrote the preface anda summary chapter for the book. Hewrites, the challenges prevenngpeople from taking advantage ofopportunies can be described in fourwords: availability, access, awareness,and ability. Our mission shouldbe maintaining or increasing theavailability and access to opportunieswhile also nding ways to signicantlyimprove awareness and ability.

The State of Black Rochester 2013:Educaon + Employment = Equity, a140-page paperback, is a compilaon

of essays from prominent communityleaders and experts and includescurrent data compiled by ACTRochester. Proceeds from sales ofthe book will be used for the GivingIniaves future grants in ourcommunity.

The book, published earlier thismonth, is modeled on the NaonalUrban Leagues State of Black America,includes essays wrien on economicdevelopment, educaon, health in ourregion, criminal jusce, philanthropy,and structural inequality from severaldierent ocials, businessmenand community members ofRochester including Bolgen Vargas,superintendent of Rochester cityschools, Rochester Police Chief JamesM. Sheppard and a data overviewby Ann M. Johnson, director of ACTRochester and ACTRochester.org.

The hope of the Giving Iniave is thatthe community will use informaon inThe State of Black Rochester 2013 toguide decisions on budgets, spending,philanthropy and developmentopportunies, Miller says.

The African American Giving

Iniave, formed in 2011, providesan opportunity for people in thecommunity to combine nancialresources and have a say in howthe available grant money shouldbe distributed. A group of nearlytwo dozen people aligned with theIniaves mission to make a posivechange in problem areas experiencedmost strongly within the AfricanAmerican community have beenregularly meeng to discuss ongoingissues, recruitment of new membersand plans for the book. Membershiplevels start at $1,000 a year.

The group voted to award one grant of$5,200 to Gateways Music Fesval, abiennial event held in Rochester since1995 that celebrates the contribuonsof classical instrumentalists of Africandescent.

This grant will help support anenhanced focus on youth during thefesval, says William Lewis, presidentof the Gateways board.

Plans are to have fesval musicians,who come from all over the country,perform one night for youth at WilsonAcademy Foundaon on Genesee

Street. The fesval will be heldAugust 14-18 in a variety of locaons,including schools, houses of worship,theaters and Rochester City Hall

Democrats Put A Hold on Construction

Funds to Focus Attention Infant Mortality RateBy Delani Weaver

Democrats are trying to shi thefocus of County Execuve MaggieBrooks and the rest of the legislature.Two major construcon projects, theJetview extension in Chili and the TwinBridge in Wheatland, have been ona nancial hold by the Democrats inorder to focus aenon on the infantmortality rate.

Democrac Leader Carrie M. Andrews(D-Rochester) said: In blocking the

addional bonding for these twoprojects, we hoped to spur a discussionwith our colleagues across the aisleabout how we can address the infantmortality problem we face, but itappears no one in this Republicanmajority or administraon wants toget to work to tackle this dicultissue.

Tuesday Brooks said that despite thetotal amount of funding not being

readily available, both projects willmove forward. Traveling safety, localjobs and federal funding for bothprojects were in danger if the greenlight to begin construcon was notgiven, according to Brooks.

Andrews said shes glad both projectshave started and the funds that havenot been allocated as of yet aredetrimental to these projects. Fromday one we have said that theseprojects could proceed without anyaddional borrowing, Andrews said.

The legislature has already approved$6.1 million for these two projects,more than enough to bring themto compleon. We are pleased thatwe have saved taxpayers money byprevenng this needless borrowing.

In a recent interview Brooks said theDemocrats are trying to exchangevotes on projects for individual favors.Brooks believes that polical powershould not be a factor when it comes to

improving the countys infrastructureprojects.

We are deeply troubled that thecounty execuve has characterizedraising awareness of infant mortalityas a polical favor to the Democrats.The infant mortality rate in parts ofour county is worse than in some thirdworld countries; clearly, this is an issuethat needs more aenon, Andrewssaid.

It is quite ironic that the county

execuve is claiming roads andbridges should be o-limits when itcomes to leveraging power. Aer all,it was legislature Republicans, then inthe minority, who at one me decidedto block an enre years worth ofroad and bridge projects becausethey wanted an increase in theiroce budget. Apparently, the countyexecuve only thinks it is wrong whenDemocrats are in the minority anddecide to scrunize what is clearly

unneeded borrowing.

Democrats want to launch an infantmortality prevenon campaign thatwould cost approximately $5,000.

According to local non-protorganizaon The Childrens Agenda,Monroe Countys infant mortalityrate is higher than other counes inupstate New York and higher than theoverall rate in New York State.

Our community deserves a

government that is willing to worktogether in good faith to make ourcounty a good place to work, live andraise a family, Andrews said.

She (Maggie Brooks) and the currentlegislave leadership are not willingto work with us on any issue. This isdisappoinng and our communitydeserves beer.


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2 men convicted in Rochester teens fatal shootingROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) Two menhave been convicted of manslaughterin the shoong death of a Rochesterteenager last year.

A Monroe County Court jury convictedDarius Bursey and Van Coon of rst-degree manslaughter in the fatal

shoong of 18-year-old Lamar Shahid,a high school senior.

The two men, both 23, were acquied

of second-degree murder charges.

Authories say Bursey and coonaacked Shahid and his cousin inside

a home in January 2012. Police sayBursey rst shocked the cousins with astun gun before Coon shot Shahid inthe back with a handgun.

Bursey and Coon are scheduled forsentencing June 20.

Lamar Shahid

Deal to ell Bausch + Lomb in the MakingROCHESTER, N.Y. Canadiandrugmaker Valeant Pharmaceucalshas agreed to pay $8.7 billion to buyBausch + Lomb, one of the worldsbest-known makers of contact lenses,in a massive expansion of Valeantssmaller ophthalmology business.

Valeant said Monday that the cash

deal will help it capitalize on increasingdemand for contact lenses and otherproducts because of aging populaons,growing demand in emerging marketsand increasing rates of diabetes.Complicaons of the complex bloodsugar disorder can damage the eyesover me.

Investment rm Warburg Pincus,which leads an investment group thatowns Bausch + Lomb, will receive $4.5billion in cash. The remaining $4.2

billion will be used to repay Bausch +Lombs debt.

Reports that the purchase was in theworks surfaced late last week, drivingup shares of Valeant on Friday by 13.1percent, to $84.47.

The deal, which requires approval

from regulators and other standardclosing condions, is expected to becompleted in the third quarter. It willbe nanced with debt and about $1.5billion to $2 billion in new stock.

Valeant expects to achieve at least$800 million in annual cost savingsby the end of next year, and saidthe acquision will add to its protsimmediately.

Rochester, N.Y.-based Bausch + Lomb

Holdings Inc. makes contact lenses, eyedrugs and ophthalmic surgical devices.It will keep its name and become adivision of Valeant PharmaceucalsInternaonal Inc., which is based inLaval, Quebec.

I am condent that under theirstewardship, the Bausch + Lomb brand

will connue to stand for excellenceand innovaon in eye health, BrentSaunders, CEO of Bausch + Lomb, saidin a statement.

Bausch + Lomb has undergone aprofound transformaon over thelast few years, Saunders said. Weintroduced innovave new productsfor paents, built a robust pipeline,expanded into new markets andstrengthened our relaonships witheye care professionals around theworld.

Valeants ophthalmology businesswill be folded into the new Bausch +Lomb division. The combined global

business would have 2013 revenuetopping $3.5 billion on a pro formabasis, meaning the total of sales fromboth companies eye care businessesfor the full year.

Much of that will come from Bausch+ Lomb, which ancipates it willhave revenue of about $3.3 billionthis year. Bausch + Lomb expectsadjusted earnings before interest,taxes, depreciaon and amorzaonof about $720 million.

The deal cements the combinedbusiness as one of the global leadersin eye care.

Switzerlands Novars AG had about $5billion in combined 2012 revenue fromits sales of Lucens, a pricey biologicdrug for treang the eye condionmacular degeneraon, and from itsAlcon division. Alcon sells contactlenses and soluons, lenses implantedin the eye to treat near-sightednessand cataracts, ophthalmology drugsand surgical equipment.

New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson &Johnsons Vistakon eye care divisionhad 2012 revenue of about $3 billion.It sells Acuvue contact lenses, whichthe company claims are the worldsmost widely used brand.

Allergan, based in Irvine, Calif., hadabout $2.7 billion in revenue last year,from its Refresh arcial tears andprescripon drugs including Restasis

for dry eyes and two medicines fortreang glaucoma and excessive uidpressure within the eye.

Aer the deal closes, Saunders willbecome an adviser to Valeant to helpwith integrang Bausch + Lomb. Othersenior Bausch + Lomb execuves willjoin Valeant as well.

The $8.7 billion purchase price isabout 2 1/2 mes the 2012 revenueof $3.55 billion reported by Valeant,which specializes in dermatologymedicines. It also sells a range ofbrand-name and generic drugs, as wellas nonprescripon medicines.

Valeants CEO, J. Michael Pearson, saidin a statement that the deal will makehis company a world leader in botheye health and dermatology.

Bausch + Lombs world-renownedbrand, comprehensive porolioof leading eye care products andpromising late-stage pipeline are

an ideal strategic t for our currentophthalmology business, Pearsonsaid.

Bausch + Lomb had been takenprivate in 2007, when New York-basedWarburg Pincus bought the strugglingcompany for $3.67 billion.

That happened aer Bausch + Lombhad to recall its ReNu with MoistureLoccontact lens soluon because it hadbeen linked to dangerous fungalinfecons. Bausch + Lomb then paidout about $250 million to selemore than 600 lawsuits blaming theMoistureLoc soluon for a potenallyblinding infecon of the cornea, the

clear membrane over the pupil andthe colored part of the eye.

Bausch + Lomb has since worked torebuild, most recently with a series ofacquisions.

Last year, it narrowed its net loss to$68.3 million from $123.9 million in2011. Revenue rose to $3.04 billion in2012 from $2.85 billion.

Two months ago, the company said itexpected to go public again.

Valeant has about 7,500 employeesworldwide, while Bausch + Lomb hasmore than 11,000. The companies did

not indicate whether the combinaonwill result in job cuts.


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8 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013COVER STORY

By Delani Weaver

There has always been a powerstruggle between the Democrats andRepublicans, but none so like whatsbeen happening between the twopares recently.

The Monroe County Hospitalinvesgaon results started the

chain of events. The state healthdepartment issued a reportfaulng Monroe County HospitalHealth Director Todd Springs forabusing a resident. Springs took thewheelchair away from now deceasedresident Samuel Condello, who wasan amputee, leaving him bedriddenfor four days aer Condello had beenallegedly smoking in the wrong area.

This incident sparked a discussionamongst Democrat legislatures as tothe oversight board which, accordingto Democrats, has been dormantsince Maggie Brooks has been countyexecuve. The county charter states

there should be a 21-member boardto oversee and advise the county onissues related to Monroe CommunityHospital.

The board membership is dictatedby the charter, which requires thatfour of the members be paents atthe hospital and that representavesbe appointed from the University of

Rochester School of Medicine, theUnited Way and Medical Society,among others.

Over the past decade, Democratshave repeatedly sought informaonon why the board was inacve, but allof those eorts have been rebued.

Democrats were pleased to welcomethe surprising support of RepublicanLeader Anthony Daniele, who saidthe legislatures role is to take alook at the situaon at MonroeCommunity Hospital.

On May 3, Democrats sent Daniele

a leer requesng legislavehearings on these issues. In lightof Danieles comments, Democratsreiterated that request and calledon the legislatures leadershipto meet immediately to iniatehearing preparaons. Democratsalso pointed out that the MonroeCommunity Hospital oversight boardis not oponal, it is required under

exisng law.

Brooks said the board was not acvebefore she was the county execuve.On May 10, Springs was red byBrooks.

Less than a week aer Springs wasred, Anthony Daniele suddenlyresigned from his posion as majorityleader in order to focus on his familybusiness, according to him.

Democrats in the County Legislatureexpressed serious reservaons aboutwhether the ouster was retaliaonfor Danieles recent public comments

seemingly supporng Democraceorts to restore the MonroeCommunity Hospital Board and holdhearings on the allegaons of abuseand whistleblower retaliaon underformer Director Todd Spring.

We are deeply troubled by theappearance that former MajorityLeader Daniele was punished by

his party for speaking out againstallegaons of abuse and wanngto ensure legislave oversight ofMCH, Democrac Leader Carrie M.Andrews (D-Rochester) said. Thisis exactly the type of behavior weretrying to prevent at the CommunityHospital and it is a chilling examplefor the employees in our workforce.We are obviously willing to work withwhomever the Republican Caucuselects, but if this was retaliaonthen that would be completelyunacceptable.

Brooks responded by saying Danielesresignaon was his personal choice



9/16

9 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013COVER STORY

and had nothing to do with retaliaonand though Democrats may handlebusiness in their party, Republicans donot.

Third, the Republican majority votedDemocrat Monroe County LegislatureWillie Lighoot to be removed from hisposion on the public authority boardthat oversees the Greater RochesterInternaonal Airport. Democrats seethis as another jab thrown at theirparty.

Assistant Democrac Leader CindyKaleh (D-Rochester) said, In recentweeks, Republicans have been ona rampage of retaliaon, ousngMajority Leader Anthony Danielefor speaking in favor of legislaveoversight of Monroe CommunityHospital, illegally stripping DemocratLegislator Willie Joe Lighoot of his

Airport Authority Board membershipand instung new rules to sedebate and legislave oversight ofCounty Government.

Brooks said that Lighoots removalwas due to several meengs he did notaend.

Lastly, majority Republicans haveintroduced legislaon that would cutthe Democrac Minority Sta Budgetby 10 percent eecve July 1.

Its no secret how Republicans in thiscounty respond to cricism, weveseen them retaliate even againsttheir own members when those folks

dared to speak out, Andrews said.But to have the audacity to think it isokay to steal ten percent of our stabudget mid-way through the year isbeyond the pale. We will not succumbto this bullying and we ask the decentresidents of this County to stand withus against this act of aggression.

Kaleh said: They introducedlegislaon to change the long-standing rule that the sta budgets bereallocated only at the OrganizaonalMeeng of the Legislature thatfollows a regular elecon of CountyLegislators. The next OrganizaonalMeeng is scheduled to take place inJanuary 2016 and that should be when

the sta budgets are reallocated.

Democrats also noted that no otherdepartment in county governmentis being targeted for such a mid-yearbudget cut. Democrats have vowedto oppose this proposal and connuetheir push for oversight of countygovernment.


10/16

10 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013STATE

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from Penguin Group Inc. E-Book Price Fixing ettlement33 states including New Yorkannounced an antrust selementwith Penguin Group (USA) Inc.Wednesday. The selement requiresPenguin to pay $75 million to resolvethe states claims that Penguin colludedwith other major publishers and AppleInc. to x the prices of electronic books(E-books). NY consumers are eligiblefor refunds of about 11.7 million fromthis and previous selements.

The agreement with Penguin mustbe approved by the U.S. DistrictCourt for the Southern District of

New York. Following court approval,consumers naonwide, includingthose represented by the aorneysgeneral of the 33 states and territoriesand those represented by privatecounsel in a related class acon willreceive $75 million in compensaon.In addion, injuncve provisionsincluded in the selement ensurethat E-book retailers will have greaterfreedom to reduce prices of E-booktles going forward.

E-book consumers are protected byour laws and eorts to circumventthose protecons will not be toleratedby my oce. Todays and earlierselements provide restuon toconsumers harmed by the price xingof E-books orchestrated by the vepublishers and Apple, said New YorkAorney General Schneiderman.The selements provide injuncverelief designed to prevent futureancompeve conduct by E-bookretailers and to restore compeon tothe E-book market.

It was alleged by the states in thelawsuit that the 5 E-book publishersand Apple agreed in 2010 to go to anyagency model for the sale of E-books.By using the agency model thepublishers were able to set the pricesof E-books and prevent discounngby E-book retailers like Amazon.Amazon had been selling many NYTimes bestsellers at a $9.99 pricepoint. The publishers and Apple-whoentered the E-book business in 2010wanted E-books sold at a higher more

protable price point.

The states had previously seled withfour other E-book publishers. Theselements reached with HacheeBook Group Inc., HarperCollinsPublishers L.L.C., and Simon &Schuster Inc., in August 2012, requiredthe payment of a total of $69 millionin consumer compensaon. Anagreement reached with HoltzbrinckPublishers LLC d/b/a Macmillan earlierthis year resulted in a payment of$20 million on behalf of consumers.As a result of these ve selements

consumers naonwide will receive atotal of $164 mill ion. New York E-bookpurchasers will receive approximately$11.7 million in compensaon fromthe selements.

On behalf of New York State AorneyGenerals Oce, this case was handledby Assistant Aorney General Linda J.Gargiulo and Robert Hubbard, underthe supervision of Execuve DeputyAorney General for Economic JusceKarla G. Sanchez.

The states antrust acon againstApple, Inc. based on the sameallegaons remains pending in theUnited States District Court for theSouthern District of New York with atrial scheduled in June 2013.

For restuon purposes, mostconsumers will get a noce directlyfrom their E-book retailers. In fact, asto the rst 3 selements-totaling $69mill, these selements have alreadybeen approved by the court andconsumers have been noed thatthey are eligible for refunds from the

rst three selements.

States and territories parcipangin the selement are: Alabama,Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado,Conneccut, Delaware, DC, Idaho,Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,Louisiana, Maryland, Massachuses,Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, NewMexico, New York, North Dakota,Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico,South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, UtahVermont, Virginia, West Virginia andWisconsin.

Y officials urge preparationfor hurricane season

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ State ocials areurging New York residents to preparefor hurricane season.

The season starts June 1 andlasts through November. TheNaonal Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministraon said last week thereis a 70 percent chance that this yearwill be more acve than an averagehurricane season.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted that New

Yorkers are connuing to recover fromSuperstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene andTropical Storm Lee. His administraonis asking New Yorkers to develop orreview their household disaster plans.

Among other steps, state ocials saypeople should have an emergencyphone list and enough non-perishablefood and water on hand to last about10 days.

Let your voicebe heardTell us what you think at:

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12 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013NATIONAL

By Hazel Trice Edney

TriceEdneyWire.com) - The 2013Morehouse College Commencementtheme, Keeping Our Focus, dened bythe universitys President John Wilsonas aending to important maers tothe exclusion of distracons appearsto also describe the strategy employedby its graduaon speaker PresidentBarack Obama.

With Washington scandals ragingin the background, Obama focusedkeenly on the crucial challenges ofthe economy and jobs in America. InSundays speech, he told the graduatesat the Atlanta-based university thathis job is to push for domesc policies

that will make life beer for them andeveryone else.

Therere places where jobs are slltoo scarce and wages are sll toolow; where schools are underfundedand violence is pervasive; where toomany of our men spend their youthnot behind a desk in a classroom, buthanging out on the streets or broodingbehind a jail cell, he told the class ofall males.

He connued, My job, as President, isto advocate for policies that generatemore opportunity for everybody -policies that strengthen the middleclass and give more people the chance

to climb their way into the middleclass; policies that create more goodjobs and reduce poverty, and educatemore children, and give more familiesthe security of health care, and protectmore of our children from the horrorsof gun violence. Thats my job. Thoseare maers of public policy, and it isimportant for all of us - black, whiteand brown - to advocate for an Americawhere everybody has got a fair shot inlife. Not just some. Not just a few, hesaid to rousing applause.

Those applause appear to reect risingapproval of the way the President isdoing his job. A CNN/Opinion ResearchCorporaon Internaonal survey,

conducted over the weekend, showedhis job performance disapproval at 45percent, but performance approval at

53 percent, rising from 51 percent just

last month. The poll was in sync witha Gallop poll conducted about thesame me, which also showed risingapproval for the way the President ishandling his job.

In his h year, President Obamais facing the biggest scandals of hisadministraon, drawing wide spreadscruny and Congressional hearings.Those controversies include thetargeng by the Internal RevenueService of Tea Party and otherconservave groups as they appliedfor tax exempt status; connuingquesons about how the Obamaadministraon handled the September11, 2012 aack in Benghazi, Libya,

that killed a U.S ambassador and threeother Americans; and - most recently- scruny over the secret colleconof Associated Press phone records aspart of a government probe into leaksof classied informaon.

The President has not ignored thescandals, but he appears to be keepinghis distance and only addressing theissues as necessary while allowinginvesgang agencies, includingCongressional commiees, to do theirjobs. Though the IRS and AssociatePress controversies appear to havedrawn bi-parsan outrage, Republicanlaw makers and pundits made roundson Sunday talk shows with specic

cricism of the Obama Administraon.

Meanwhile, at Morehouses rainygraduaon, his second springcommencement address aer OhioState earlier this month, the Presidentappeared to enjoy a love fest ofsupport in a comfortable home baseof African-Americans at the almamater of Dr. Marn Luther King Jr.He welcomed the opportunity to hithome his domesc policy agenda andencourage the graduates to changetheir communies for the beer.

I love you! a voice rose from theaudience as the President seled atthe podium.

I love you back. Thats why Im here,he responded.

He connued in a light moment,drawing laughter from the audience: Isee some moms and grandmas here,aunts, in their Sunday best - although

they are upset about their hair gengmessed up. Michelle would not besing in the rain. She has taught meabout hair.

He concluded, It will not be sucientfor Morehouse College, for anycollege, for that maer, to produceclever graduates but rather honestmen, men who can be trusted inpublic and private life - men who aresensive to the wrongs, the suerings,and the injusces of society and whoare willing to accept responsibility forcorrecng [those] ills.

He named great men who graduatedfrom Morehouse and went on to

become powerful and impaculleaders. Most are household namesincluding Dr. King, abolionist FrederickDouglass, entrepreneurial leader

and educator Booker T. Washington,polical scienst Ralph Bunche, writerLangston Hughes, inventor GeorgeWashington Carver, civil rights iconRalph Abernathy, Supreme CourtJusce Thurgood Marshall, AtlantaMayor Maynard Jackson and lmmaker Spike Lee.

These men were many things tomany people. And they knew fullwell the role that racism played intheir lives. But when it came to theirown accomplishments and senseof purpose, they had no me forexcuses, the President said. Thatswhat weve come to expect from you,Morehouse - a legacy of leaders - notjust in our Black community, but forthe enre American community.

Obama Approval Ratings Rise Amidst candals

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The Four Little Girls Honored As American HeroesBy Hazel Trice Edney

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The four lile girls whowere killed by a bomb planted by the Ku Klux Klan atAlabamas 16th Street Bapst Church nearly 50 yearsago have been ocially proclaimed as Americanheroes.

President Barack Obama has signed into law, H.R. 360, which provides for the presentaon of acongressional gold medal to commemorate thelives of the four young African-American vicms ofthe bombing of the 16th Street Bapst Church inBirmingham, Ala. on September 15, 1963. It is oneof the naons highest civilian awards.

Addie Mae Collins, 14; Denise McNair, 11; CaroleRobertson, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14 died insidetheir Sunday school classrooms when the dynamite,

exploded by a mer. As vicms of violence duringthe historic civil rights movement, they are amongthe youngest to ever receive the Congressional GoldMedal. They join other recipients such as Rosa Parks,Corea Sco King, Jackie Robinson, the TuskegeeAirmen, Sen. Robert Kennedy, Gen. Colin Powell andSouth Africa President Nelson Mandela.

Surrounded by their family during the signingceremony in the Oval Oce May 24, PresidentObama said, That tragic loss, that heartbreakhelped to trigger triumph and a more jusce and

equal and fair America. This is a great privilege for

me.

Upon the unanimous passage of the bill on April 24,U. S. Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), an originalsponsor, described the girls as bright stars in theconstellaon shining down now as beacons of lightfor freedom and jusce and four young martyrs inthe ght for freedom.

Twenty-two other people were injured in the blastthat day. The historic church was a meeng place forcivil rights acvists, including Dr. Marn Luther KingJr. and the Southern Chrisan Leadership Conferencein their work for voter registraon of African-Americans. The bombing happened just two weeksaer the August 28, 1963 March on Washington;therefore is viewed as a catalyst for the escalaon ofthe Civil Rights Movement.

Giving their eulogy, Dr. King said, These children unoending; innocent and beauful- were thevicms of one of the most vicious, heinous crimesever perpetrated against humanity; yet they diednobly. They are martyred heroines of a holy crusadefor freedom and human dignity.

PosthumousrecipentsoftheCongressionalGoldMedal

are,clockwise,AddieMaeCollins,14;CynthiaWesley,

14;CaroleRobertson,14andDeniseMcNair,11.

By Zenitha Prince

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Congressional leaders andan-hunger advocates expressed outrage over a U.S.House commiees passage of a bill which includesa $21 billion slash in the Supplemental NutrionAssistance Program, or SNAP, the naons largestnutrion assistance program.

The bill, formally known as the Federal AgricultureReform and Risk Management Act of 2013, passedout of commiee by a vote of 36-10 on May 15. Aday before, the Senate passed its version of the farmbill, including $4 billion in cuts to SNAP, by a vote of15-5.

A vote for this level of cuts is shameless, DavidBeckmann, president of Bread for the World, said

in a statement. Millions of people will lose foodassistance and hundreds of thousands of householdswill see their benets cut dramacally at a me whenfamilies across the country are struggling with long-term unemployment or reduced wages. Hungry andpoor people do not deserve to bear the brunt of ourdecit-reducon eorts.

Supporters of the bill say the cuts in SNAP, beerknown as the food stamp program, reect savingsfrom the eliminaon of errors and fraudthe rstreform of the program since the Welfare Reform Actof 1996.

I am proud of the Commiees eort to advancea farm bill with signicant savings and reforms,Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), chairman of the HouseAgriculture Commiee, said in a statement. We

achieve nearly $40 billion in savings by eliminangoutdated government programs and reformingothers. No other commiee in Congress isvoluntarily cung money, in a biparsan way, fromits jurisdicon to reduce the size and scope of the

federal government.

But detractors said SNAP has the lowest error rateamong federal programs, and the budget cutspenalizes those who need the governments helpthe most.

On May 14, Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachuses,a Democrat, urged his colleagues to consider themoral implicaons of allowing so many Americansto go hungry.

The farm bill includes $20 billion in SNAP cuts at ame when we have 50 million hungry Americans.At a me when we have 17 million hungry kids,McGovern said. We were elected to solve problemsand help people; not make things worse. We wereelected to help make lives beer. We were elected to

do the right thing. Cung SNAP making it harderfor hungry Americans to put food on their tables isthe wrong thing.

The proposed measure would remove 2 million SNAPrecipients from the program, reduce SNAP benetsby about $90 each month for 850,000 households,end free school meals for 210,000 children and cutinternaonal food aid by $2.5 billion over ve years,the lawmaker said. Those measure are in addion toa $25 per month cut that every SNAP recipient willsee this fall when the increase from the Recovery Actends. During the bills markup on May 15, McGovernoered an amendment to restore the cuts whichfailed by a roll call vote of 17-27.

The decision undermines the rst line of defenseagainst hunger and will impede the work of

charitable and faith-based organizaons such asBread for the World, Catholic Charies USA, FeedingAmerica and United Way Worldwide in feeding thehungry, especially with food demands going up andcharitable giving on the decline, advocates said.

Feeding America esmates that these cuts wouldamount to over 8 billion lost meals for struggling

families.

If divided evenly across Feeding Americas naonalnetwork of food banks, every food bank would haveto provide an addional 4 million meals each yearfor the next 10 years, and that is just not possible,Bob Aiken, president and CEO of Feeding America,said in a statement. There is no way that charitywould be able to make up the dierence. We arealready stretched thin meeng sustained high need,and we simply do not have the resources to preventhunger in all of the families who would be impactedby these cuts.

The groups say they will connue to lobby lawmakersto reverse course and restore SNAPs funds as thebill moves to the House oor. And several lawmakershave vowed to do the same.

We must stand for the most vulnerable in ourcountry, McGovern said in his oor speech. And wemust End Hunger Now not make it worse.

Advocates Outraged Over $21 Billion Cut to Food tamps Program


14/16

14 www.minorityreporter.net|may 27 - june 2|2013Theviewsexpressedonouropinionpagesarethose

oftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyrepresentthepositionorviewpointofMinorityReporter.OPINION/EDITORIAL

Willie Joe Lighoot, it ismy understanding that theMonroe County execuve

has publicly called for youto apologize for telling yourtruth. I heard she wants you toapologize because you statedyou would rather be homewith your family than sit ina room full of crooks (and Iparaphrase).

I am not clear on what shewants you to apologize for, but if you perceive thereare crooks in the county administraon, it certainlycould be, because recent history has proven thereare.

If you do apologize, I will personally nd the biggestbelt in my closet and come spank your bu myself.

The county execuve should be the one apologizingto this community for being at the helm of such ascandal-ridden administraon. Perhaps, Willie, yourreference to folks being alleged crooks could bebecause you recall the Robutrad scandal.

That was the discovery of $1 million being stolenaer an invesgaon had been launched in 2008into 14 contractors working exclusively on behalf ofcounty government for more than a decade.

The state comptrollers oce, the district aorney,U.S. aorney and F.B.I. were all involved in theinvesgaon, werent they? Perhaps an apologyis due to our community for the quid pro quoenvironment that was revealed. Or perhaps sheshould be apologizing for the indictment of DeputyExecuve Director Jim Smith.

There were also, of course, the cigars and strippersat the airport which resulted in the terminaon ofone director. Maybe you also recalled how anotherairport director was ousted because of alcohol issuesthat resulted in D.W.I. charges.

Then again, it could be the audits of the countys

local development corporaon that caused youto refer to some as crooks, including UTC, M3S,Monroe Newpower and the Civic Center. Where is

the apology for all of that?

Who apologizes for the criminal invesgaoninto M3S, or the outrageous asco that led tothe terminaon of the director from MonroeCommunity Hospital? And what about the pay toplay accusaons that plague COMIDA?

Perhaps you also remembered that the execuvedirectors husband was allegedly employed by theMonroe County Water Authority for three years, butI guess no one was supposed to noce because theydo not share the same last name. Is that not calledneposm in some circles? The Monroe CountyWater Authority, now the acvies there might beworth re-examinaon.

And you, Willie, might nd yourself in jail if you were

involved in any of the aforemenoned. Oh, I forgot,they already tried to discredit you by locking you upon trumped up charges.

And what about the Right Reverend Ronald House,a former county employee, who has been chargedwith allegedly extorng money from convictedfelons and has cases pending in federal court? Hasshe apologized for that?

Speaking of being locked up, when is the countyexecuve going to apologize for sing in a back roomat the county building while our disnguished NewYork State Assemblyman David F. Gan, MinisterRaymond Sco, and community icon MinisterFranklin Florence were handcued and hauled o tojail for protesng the selecon process for the publicdefenders oce?

Does she share any responsibility to the cizenslocked out of the county building, the night a votewas to be taken on the public defender issue? Shemore than needs to apologize for remaining silentand leng that atrocity occur. Obviously you arenot the only one who perceives there are crooksin that administraon. Apparently the voters think

so too.

Perhaps her inability to apologize, or recognize

that crook may be the operave word in heradministraon, cost her the race she ran in anaempt to unseat Congresswoman Louise Slaughter.

How dare the county execuve demand an apologyfrom you on live T.V. and in wring? How dare sheaempt to voice her concerns about your remarksin wring? How pompous is it to act like heradministraon has been so squeaky clean?

It is crystal clear to me, and others, that the reasonyou were replaced on the Airport Authority Boardhad more to do with the heat you brought to bearat Monroe County Hospital than anything else. Youraendance is what she claims was the issue, but sheis probably the only one who believes that.

Willie Joe Lighoot, you just need to keep doing you.

The fact that you are being a truth-teller who seeksto do what is right, as opposed to what is wrong, isthe really issue. You have truly not only stepped ontoes or rocked some boats, you have pped a fewover, and I love it.

It is what your constuents expect you to do inlooking out for this communitys best interest. Whenthe big guns come out demanding apologies, she isonly trying to appease those who may be afraid theyare the next ones to be invesgated. Honest peopleare not appreciated, or welcomed, by crooks.

Though the execuve director chose to try to publiclyhumiliate you, dont take it personally. Consider it acompliment. Truth-tellers are usually the rst to beoered up as a sacrice.

Your community is proud of you and has your back.Who cares what the crooks think? Apologize? ToWhom? For what? I think not, Willie.

Apologize? To Whom? For What?strAIgHtNO CHASER

GLORIA WITO AL-ARAG

----------------------------------Gloria Winston Al-Sarag is a Community Acvist, Writer,Communicator, Polical Acvist. She is a nave Rochesterianand has been involved with numerous communityorgainzaons in Rochester. Contact Gloria at: [email protected]

Recently, when I expressedmy concerns about thespeech given by PresidentBarack Obama at Morehouse

College, I was met with bothresistance and applause. Thearcle received resistancefrom those who felt that Iwas being too hard on thepresident and that black menare certainly in need of agood verbal lashing for all themisbehaving being reported

in the media. Apparently, black men possess inferiorvalues, are more prone to criminal behavior, and lovetheir kids less than white people do. At least thatsthe story Im hearing to jusfy disparate treatment.

The arcle received applause from those whovenoced a consistent trend in Obama speeches thatshows that he speaks dierently to black audiencethan he does to white ones. When I aended my

daughters graduaon at Barnard College (thewomens side of Columbia University) last year, Ididnt hear the white women in the audience beingchassed in any way or being told that they weremaking excuses. I only heard the kind of typicalpolical pandering that you would expect from any

president. The women walked away believing thattheir president is working hard on their behalf andthat they were respected.

When the president spoke at Morehouse College,the speech could be dened as a call to acon atbest, and intensely degrading at worst. There aresome who dont mind when the president pandersto whites and ignores blacks. But its another thingwhen he panders to whites even more by publiclyhumiliang black people. When Bill Clinton cameto Morehouse, the tone was enrely dierent: Hecould never get away with such a thing.

The easy argument in all of this is to remember thatmuch of what the president says is true: Too manyblack men arent stepping up to the plate, nobodycares if youre discriminated against, being blackmeans you have to work twice as hard. Ive knownthese things to be true for my enre life. But whatthe president and rst lady lack when making thesearguments is the kind of balance necessary to make

their comments credible and not enrely one-sided.

The best way to help people understand whereIm coming from is with an example. Imagine ahousehold where the father and daughter are havingcommunicaon problems: The daughter wont go to

college, she somemes uses drugs, she got pregnantat an early age and her father just found out thatshes a prostute.

Out of concern for their daughters behavior, thefamily calls in Dr. Phil for counseling. Aer giving thefather a rm handshake, he sits down with the familyat the dinner table. Dr. Phil then goes into a radeagainst the daughter, telling her that she needs tostop making excuses for missing school, that shegot pregnant because she was being irresponsible,and that prostuon is a morally reprehensibleprofession.

The father smiles as Dr. Phil speaks, since the gooddoctor is repeang everything that hes told hisdaughter in private conversaon. Even the motheris glad to see that someone is telling her daughterwhat she needs to hear.

However, the mother is concerned. So, she takes thepsychologist to the side and whispers, Did you not

read the part of the report that says that she wasmolested?

The mother then reminds Dr. Phil that not only hasher daughter been raped repeatedly by her fathersince the age of three, she has also been verbally

How the Obamas Can Earn the Right to Yell at Black People

DR. BOYCE WATKI

FROM THE bOycE BLOG


15/16


Red carpet treatment

abused and beaten. Also, her father has abandonedthe home for several months at a me and evenintroduced his daughter to alcohol. Making maerseven worse, he sll abuses both the mother and thedaughter on a regular basis, though not as much ashe did in the past. Finally, she tells Dr. Phil that herdaughter isnt always misbehaving: In spite of hersetbacks, she has shown tremendous progress inher life, overcome signicant hurdles, and has even

confronted her father about his contribuons to hertraumac experience in the household.

The queson at this point is: What does Dr. Phil dowith this informaon?

He could take the easy way out. That would be toremind the concerned mother that her husbandis the one who is paying his fee. He could then sitdown with the young girl and give rudimentaryacknowledgement of her troubled past, withoutpoinng ngers.

He could say things like:

I know youve gone through dicult experiences,but a lot of people go through tough mes.

Im sorry sweee, but nobody cares that you wereabused. Complaining will get you nowhere.

You may want to blame your father for yourbehavior, and some things may go wrong even today.But most of thats in the past, and theres nothing wecan do about that.

Responses like this show a few things: First, it showsthat the psychologist is afraid of confronng thegirls father about the role that he played in creangthe condions that the family faces today. By onlyfocusing on the daughters behavior, hes not trulyseeking a soluon to the problem. Instead, he issimply catering to the man who paid him so that hecan collect his fee. His soluon is a stac one, whichsays that I cant speak about what your father isdoing to you, I can only tell you how to overcome it.

Your side of the story isnt relevant.

Secondly, such a speech would fail to acknowledge allof the good things that the young woman has doneto deal with her circumstances. Rather than seeingthis as an opportunity to help her get further overthe hump, the psychologist has used this as a chanceto join with her dad in piling up on his daughter evenfurther. He may pretend to be an objecve outsider,but the truth is that Dr. Phil has inadvertently alignedhimself with the man who is paying him. This makeshis advice eecvely null and void because its notcoming with a credible set of incenves.

A more eecve approach to this situaon wouldbe for Dr. Phil to ensure true equality. That meansbeing as rm and as nasty with the girls father ashe is with the daughter. As he tells the daughter

that prostuon is not an acceptable profession,he must stand up to the girls father and tell himthat the abuse has to stop right now. Addionally,he should tell the father that he owes his daughteran apology and perhaps even compensaon for thedamage that he did to her in the past. By speakingrmly to the girls father, he then gains the trust andcredibility that will allow him to engage in tough lovewith the daughter.

If the psychologist is afraid to speak up to the girlsfather in the same way that he speaks harshly tothe daughter, Dr. Phil is not a psychologist andfamily healer: He is nothing more than a bully.But his misguided words are protected because a)everything he says is true, and b) he can claim thathis words are actually tough love. We all agree thatprostuon is wrong, and even someone who lovesthe daughter dearly would tell her that she needs tostop using drugs.

The analogy here should be clear: White Americarepresents the father in the household, poor black

America represents the abused step child. Now, boththe daughter and father are adults, but for manyyears, the fathers acons almost solely determinedthe trajectory and condion of the household. Themother represents those of us in the black middleand upper class, whove also endured the abuse,though not as harshly as other members of thefamily. Like that mother, we have the choice ofeither catering to the abusive father and biased

psychologist, or standing up for our family memberwho has been mistreated.

If President and Mrs. Obama want to sit in front ofblack audiences and give their standard tough lovespeeches, they must do at least a few things. First,they cant be afraid of white people. The speechesthey give to white audiences should acknowledge theundeniable 400-year legacy of racism and economicabuse that white America has thrust upon the blackcommunity, thus creang the condions that we seeall around us today. They must also be unafraid tospeak up about the abuses that connue to occur,such as racial proling and biased drug laws thatlead to the mass incarceraon epidemic. To speakabout black fatherlessness without discussing massincarceraon is like talking about the devastaon inOklahoma without menoning the weather.

This week, I was told a story about how my greatgreat grandfather owned a protable cab companyduring the Prohibion era in the early 1920s. But hiswealth was obliterated by whites when they plantedliquor in his car and took away his company. Many ofus know about how Black Wall Street was burned tothe ground when whites in the town became upsetabout black prosperity. To talk about economicinequality today as merely a funcon of inadequacyon the part of African Americans is insulng, racistand incorrect.

The second thing the president and rst lady need todo is give credit where its due. When you speak toa group of Morehouse graduates, youre talking to agroup of men whove made sacrices that are everybit as meaningful as those made by the students at

Barnard/Columbia. A commencement ceremonyis the me to celebrate those achievements, andto re-arm your commitment to helping eliminate

racial obstacles that might keep these men fromfullling their potenal. Its certainly not a day to tellthem that nobody cares if you were discriminatedagainst. Even the strongest supporters of ourpresident know that if Obama had made such aremark to the white women at Barnard last year, hewould have been aacked ll the end of me.

Third, the president and rst lady should speak to

African Americans with as much respect as theyspeak to everyone else. When the president speaksto white audiences, he implies that he works forthem. He menons legislaon he is supporng thatis specic to their needs and reminds them that heis ghng on their behalf. When he speaks withblack audiences, he menons legislaon that onlycoincidentally aects the black community andspeaks to us as if we are the sole reason for ourcollecve demise. This rhetoric gets nowhere whenpeople return home to communies that are lieredwith drugs and guns and its easier for a black man todie than to get an educaon.

Of course there are those who feel that the Obamascan do no wrong, and even the most logicalarguments need not apply. This is one of the piallsof allowing irraonal infatuaon with a heroic public

gure to throw o your ability to engage in soundjudgment. The polical players that the WhiteHouse tends to respect the most are those whosupport the Obamas, but also expect that theirsupport is going to be reciprocated. Those who signo on everything the Obamas do dont have a placeat the polical table.

The boom line is that no one wants a handout,they only want fairness. But in this day and age,even asking for equity can make you into a pariah.However, those who believe in truth must connueto lead the way, for healing the American familyof the disease of racism is going to require toughlove across the board, not bullying, pandering, andselecve memory. We can certainly do beer thanthat.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the author of the lecture series,The 8 Principles of Black Male Empowerment.

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