Black or African American? Which Do You Prefer?

[OPINION] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AFRICAN AMERICAN? SHAHIDA MUHAMMAD SAYS THE 'POLITICALLY CORRECT' TERM DOESN'T SAY ENOUGH

BySHAHIDA MUHAMMAD

I have never been offended by the use of 'African American,' but personally there a few reasons I don’t particularly like the term. I have used it in my writing when making efforts to be politically correct, or as an alternative reference to Black people. Yet I have always viewed it as just that: a politically correct alternative to Black. Never something I whole-heartedly embraced. I have checked it on applications, but never used it to self-identify in real-life. It has always felt forced, redundant, and quite frankly, inaccurate. Using the term 'African American' feels like using Kente cloth made in China trying desperately to authenticate myself. In theory I know where I'm from, but in actuality I wasn’t made there.

I’m very much aware that my ancestors were from Africa, and in no way would I want to distance myself from that fact. From an early age my family taught me the painful context of our history in this country, and also that our history as a people did not begin solely with slavery. We come from great peoples and civilizations, and it’s something that has always given me a sense of pride and dignity. However, knowing all of this, there is still no way to pinpoint exactly where my African ancestors came from. Therefore, I have no direct lineage, specific heritage, language or traditions to lay claim to.

I see 'African American' as both ambiguous and limiting at the same time. It’s an ethno-cultural term that has become synonymous with race and “regular Black folks.” It’s used exclusively in reference to Black people in the U.S. who are descendants of the Transatlantic slave trade, yet excludes anyone who is an African immigrant or first-generation citizen--who in my opinion would be most fitting of the title. African American is also very vague and simplified. Africa is a vast continent, made up of various nations, cultures, languages, traditions, etc. So to associate myself namely with the continent, without a specific point of reference, doesn’t  bring me any closer to my roots, yet it subtly reinforces the misconception that Africa is a simplistic, homogeneous land. The history of the term is said to have begun with poet and civil rights activists, Johnny Duncan. In 1987, his poem “I Can” was published in the Black History Calendar. Towards the end of the poem he writes: “The last 4 letters of my African Heritage and American creed spell "I can"!” It was this line that inspired Jesse Jackson to coin the term and he along with other civil rights leaders began to encourage Black people to begin using it shortly after. During a 1988 press conference to discuss a national Black agenda, Jackson confidently announced that Black people now preferred to be called 'African American,' opting for an ethnic term opposed to a racial one. He stated that “to be called African American has cultural integrity,” citing groups like Italian Americans and Arab Americans as examples. 

While I can understand why one would want to have a distinct cultural identity, the difference between our people and the ethnic groups Jesse Jackson referenced that day to support his statement, is that they all came here willingly, as immigrants. And of course, we did not. In addition to this, we have systematically been far removed from our cultures of origin. Making our ethnicity and nationality far more complex.

Finally, 'African American' just does not invoke the same bold pride as Black does. (And  I’ve always suspected that was one of the reasons we’ve been encouraged to use it). During the heights of Black consciousness and the Black Power Movement  throughout the 60s and 70s, when everything black had previously been associated with inferiority and despair, our people began redefining and embracing it as a means of identification. It took on a spirit of self-pride, self-love, dignity and even resistance. And we began opting out of terms that had been previously imposed on us such as colored and negro.

Black connects me with that struggle. Black also connects me to my people throughout the world, whether they are in South America, the Caribbean, Africa or elsewhere. 

I identify as Black in terms of race, American (by default) in terms of nationality; always keeping in mind that my ancestry ties me to Africa and the original peoples of this earth. To me, Black unites us beyond our various geographic locations, nationalities or cultures; whereas we can all say we are Black, connected and proud.

The First Lady's Speech

So I'm quite sure that you all have seen it, but I wanted to post it here. It was not only the best speech of the DNC convention (the RNC included) at that point, but one that's sure to go down in political lore. It was a stunning strike of efficacy, emotion and empathy, with a hearty dose of inspiration. Michelle Obama embodies everything we should desire in our First Lady for America from here on out. She truly has shifted the paradigm.

Election Season is Here! Make Sure You Know the FACTS!

FACT CHECK: Ryan takes factual shortcuts in speech

By JACK GILLUM and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR | Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Laying out the first plans for his party's presidential ticket, GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan took some factual shortcuts Wednesday night when he attacked President Barack Obama's policies on Medicare, the economic stimulus and the budget deficit.

Sen. Rob Portman, a former U.S. trade representative, glossed over his own problems when critiquing Obama's trade dealings with China. A day earlier, the convention's keynote speaker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, bucked reality in promising that GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney will lay out for the American people the painful budget cuts it will take to wrestle the government's debt and deficit woes under control.

And former senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum stretched the truth in taking Obama to task over his administration supposedly waiving work requirements in the nation's landmark welfare-to-work law.

A closer look at some of the words spoken at the GOP convention in Tampa, Fla.:

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RYAN: "And the biggest, coldest power play of all in Obamacare came at the expense of the elderly. ... So they just took it all away from Medicare. Seven hundred and sixteen billion dollars, funneled out of Medicare by President Obama."

THE FACTS: Ryan's claim ignores the fact that Ryan himself incorporated the same cuts into budgets he steered through the House in the past two years as chairman of its Budget Committee, using the money for deficit reduction. And the cuts do not affect Medicare recipients directly, but rather reduce payments to hospitals, health insurance plans and other service providers.

In addition, Ryan's own plan to remake Medicare would squeeze the program's spending even more than the changes Obama made, shifting future retirees into a system in which they would get a fixed payment to shop for coverage among private insurance plans. Critics charge that would expose the elderly to more out-of-pocket costs.

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RYAN: "The stimulus was a case of political patronage, corporate welfare and cronyism at their worst. You, the working men and women of this country, were cut out of the deal."

THE FACTS: Ryan himself asked for stimulus funds shortly after Congress approved the $800 billion plan, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Ryan's pleas to federal agencies included letters to Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis seeking stimulus grant money for two Wisconsin energy conservation companies.

One of them, the nonprofit Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp., received $20.3 million from the Energy Department to help homes and businesses improve energy efficiency, according to federal records. That company, he said in his letter, would build "sustainable demand for green jobs." Another eventual recipient, the Energy Center of Wisconsin, received about $365,000.

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RYAN: Said Obama misled people in Ryan's hometown of Janesville, Wis., by making them think a General Motors plant there threatened with closure could be saved. "A lot of guys I went to high school with worked at that GM plant. Right there at that plant, candidate Obama said: 'I believe that if our government is there to support you ... this plant will be here for another hundred years.' That's what he said in 2008. Well, as it turned out, that plant didn't last another year."

THE FACTS: The plant halted production in December 2008, weeks before Obama took office and well before he enacted a more robust auto industry bailout that rescued GM and Chrysler and allowed the majority of their plants — though not the Janesville facility — to stay in operation. Ryan himself voted for an auto bailout under President George W. Bush that was designed to help GM, but he was a vocal critic of the one pushed through by Obama that has been widely credited with revitalizing both GM and Chrysler.

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RYAN: Obama "created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way and then did exactly nothing."

THE FACTS: It's true that Obama hasn't heeded his commission's recommendations, but Ryan's not the best one to complain. He was a member of the commission and voted against its final report.

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CHRISTIE: "Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the torrent of debt that is compromising our future and burying our economy. ... Tonight, our duty is to tell the American people the truth. Our problems are big and the solutions will not be painless. We all must share in the sacrifice. Any leader that tells us differently is simply not telling the truth."

THE FACTS: Romney has made a core promise to cut $500 billion per year from the federal budget by 2016 to bring spending below 20 percent of the U.S. economy, and to balance it entirely by 2020.

His campaign manifesto, however, is almost completely devoid of the "hard truths" Christie promises. In fact, Romney is promising to reverse $716 billion in Medicare savings achieved by Obama over the coming decade and promises big increases in military spending as well, along with extending tax cuts for everyone, including the wealthiest.

The few specifics Romney offers include repealing Obama's health care law, cutting federal payrolls, weaning Amtrak from subsidies, cutting foreign aid and curbing the Medicaid health care program for the poor and disabled.

But it'll take a lot more than those steps for Romney to keep his vague promises, which are unrealistic if he's unwilling to touch Medicare and Social Security in the coming decade. Even the controversial budget plan of his vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., largely endorsed by Romney, leaves Medicare virtually untouched over the next 10 years.

What's left for Romney to cut is benefit programs other than Medicare and Social Security, which include food stamps, welfare, farm subsidies and retirement benefits for federal workers. The remaining pot of money includes the day-to-day budgets of domestic agencies, which have already borne cuts under last year's budget deal. There's also widespread congressional aversion to cutting most of what remains on the chopping block, which includes health research, NASA, transportation, air traffic control, homeland security, education, food inspection, housing and heating subsidies for the poor, food aid for pregnant women, the FBI, grants to local governments, national parks and veterans' health care.

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PORTMAN: "Take trade with China. China manipulates its currency, giving it an unfair trade advantage. So why doesn't the president do something about it? I'll tell you one reason. President Obama could not run up his record trillion-dollar deficits if the Chinese didn't buy our bonds to finance them. Folks, we are as beholden to China for bonds as we are to the Middle East for oil. This will end under Mitt Romney."

THE FACTS: Portman is an expert on commerce, having served as President George W. Bush's trade representative from May 2005 to May 2006. But he didn't fare particularly well in stemming China's trade advantage, either.

Under Portman's watch, the U.S. trade deficit with China soared by 25 percent in 2005, and the next year it climbed more than 15 percent. By contrast, the deficit rose 10 percent over the first three years of Obama's presidency, according to U.S. government figures.

Both the Bush and Obama administrations have launched unfair trade cases against China at the World Trade Organization, but neither has been able to rebalance the relationship.

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SANTORUM: "This summer (Obama) showed us once again he believes in government handouts and dependency by waiving the work requirement for welfare. Now, I helped write the welfare reform bill. We made a lot crystal clear. No president can waive the work requirement, but as with his refusal to enforce our immigration laws, President Obama rules like he is above the law."

THE FACTS: The administration did not waive the work requirement. Instead, it invited governors to apply on behalf of their states for waivers of administrative requirements in the 1996 law. Some states have complained those rules tie up caseworkers who could be helping clients directly.

In a July 18 letter to congressional leaders, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that to be eligible for a waiver, governors must commit that their plans will move at least 20 percent more people from welfare to work. Moreover, states must show clear progress toward the goal within a year, or lose the waiver.

"We will not accept any changes that undercut employment-focused welfare reforms that were signed into law fifteen years ago," Sebelius wrote.

Ron Haskins, a former senior Republican House aide who helped write the welfare-to-work law, has said "there is merit" to the administration's proposal and "I don't see how you can get to the conclusion that the waiver provision undermines welfare reform and it eliminates the work requirement."

Haskins, now co-director of the Brookings Center on Children and Families, says the administration was wrong to roll out its proposal without first getting Republicans to sign off on it. But he said the idea itself is one both parties should be able to agree on, were it not for the bitter political divisions that rule Washington.

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Associated Press writers Tom Raum, Andrew Taylor, Henry C. Jackson and Bradley Klapper contributed to this report.

EDITOR'S NOTE _ An occasional look at claims made in political campaigns and how they adhere to the facts.

Chad and Evelyn...Until Drama Do Us Part?

By now you all have heard the story of Chad Johnson a.k.a .'Ochocinco' and Evelyn Lozada of 'Basketball Wives' fame and the domestic incident that led to a gash and stitches, then the loss of Chad's job with the Miami Dolphins.

Now-there are all sorts of stories out there about the genesis for the fight that led to the 'gash' on Lozada's forehead, but  I wasn't in the car with them-so I don't know if it was really over a receipt for condoms or what. But what I do know is that while this may lead to the decline of one person's career, it may be a major stepping stone for another. Let me explain...

First of all, let me state emphatically that I do not condone domestic violence of any kind-regardless of the perpetrator  man or woman. Physical and/or verbal abuse are both no-goes in my book.

Here we have Chad, who by various accounts is a laid-back, easygoing guy. We've witnessed his silliness, philanthropic ways  and willingness to be self-deprecating at times. He doesn't drink, and has not been known to have any off the field issues of any sort.

Then we have Evelyn, who rose to 'stardom' via 'reality-television' as a basketball 'wife'. I use the term 'wife' very loosely in this case due to the fact that she was never married and neither are majority of the women featured on the show. She was the hot and feisty Latina(that's not stereotypical at all!) who had a quick temper and would curse you out or throw a glass at you if she was upset.

Hmm...

This leads me to wonder, was Chad really the aggressor in this situation? Unfortunately, in cases of domestic violence it is automatically assumed that the male is the guilty party, though that is not always the case. According to many scientific studies, about two in five victims of domestic violence are men. Let's give this some thought. Evelyn has a history of violence, at least we've seen some of her aggressive acts on TV, why didn't the media jump to Chad's defense? Why did the Dolphins act so swiftly to release him without all the facts? Apparently, the Dolphins didn't want all of the 'drama' that accompanied Chad and his new wife. VH1 dropped their reality wedding show. VH1? Haven't they recently built their brand off of physical attacks on shows?

Today, Lozada released a statement saying that Chad needed 'help' and no woman should be subjected to domestic violence. I agree, however, I have a difficult time embracing this from someone who has built their relative 'career' off of aggressive acts and intimidation all of sudden turning about face to what she's well known for. Not saying it can't be done, just saying.

Chad's career might be over now, none of us are quite sure. The justice system has to run it's course first.Then there's Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL. He may suspend Chad as well. This can be done when the player is without a team. Who knows where Chad goes from here.

Evelyn's star may actually be rising though. Maybe she uses this as an opportunity to re-brand herself or get another show. Who knows? One thing is for sure, people are wondering if the couple can work through this. Will we ever get the truth? If Chad is guilty will he own up to it, will Evelyn if she is?

What I do know is this; violence cannot be accepted in any form. Whether it's domestic. Whether it's a man attacking a woman. Whether it's a woman attacking a man; or whether it's a woman attacking another woman with a drink or grabbing her hair and calling her a b*tch because it makes for good ratings on a TV network.

One of My Favorite Speeches

I wanted to share this speech with you. It's made by Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director and lawyer at the Equal Justice Institute in Alabama. Worth watching.

The AIDS Frenzy(Or Relative Lack Thereof)

The other evening, my girlfriend and I sat watching the 6'o clock news which is pretty customary for us during the week. The news was highlighting Washington D.C.'s hosting of the 19th Annual International AIDS Conference. The conference bills itself as the 'premier' gathering for those working in, studying and living with  AIDS coming together in search of ways to end the pandemic. It provides a structured dialogue for those with scientific knowledge of new and groundbreaking studies aimed at creating a more unified global response to the disease. This is all well and good, but there was something stated, or perhaps understated by one of the anchors that chilled my girlfriend and I to the bone. The statement was the fact that *60% of gay black males will have contracted the HIV virus by the age of 40.

What?

Now, I didn't know whether or not that statement was fact so I did some digging myself. Here's what I did find:

• Each year, nearly 3% of gay black men become infected with HIV, a 50% higher rate than among their white counterparts.
• The new-infection rate in gay black men under 30 is even higher, at 6% a year
• The majority of the men in the study identified themselves as black. Not all the men identified themselves as gay or bisexual, but all the participants were having unprotected sex with men. More than 97% of men enrolled were willing to have an HIV test, and the results suggest that many men are not fully aware of their HIV risk: among those who thought they were HIV-negative or didn’t know their status, 12% tested positive.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that from 2006 to 2009, HIV infections among black gay and bisexual men under 30 increased 48% and that African Americans are overall disproportionately affected by HIV. Blacks make up 14% of the U.S. population, but account for 44% of all new HIV infections. According to 2009 data, 73% of new infections in black men are in gay and bisexual men.

The numbers come from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study, conducted between 2009 and 2011, involved 1,553 gay and bisexual men from Atlanta, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

I ask again, why? Not only that, but what could be the ramifications for this outside of the gay community?

I'm quite sure there are many reasons, and this is course is not meant to solely single out Black gay males. What it's meant to do is call out all of us. We all play a part in this. How you may ask?

It's obvious there's an epidemic in our community of Black men who sleep with not only other men, but women as well. They hide their true selves in an attempt to be accepted, because they know that being a Black male and gay leads to ridicule at best, maybe death at worst. Why have we made it so hard for these men to come out? (That could be a topic for another time) Do we not realize that such behavior hurts our entire community? It's led to Black women being the highest amount of new HIV cases among any group. Women as a whole account for 1/25th of new HIV cases, with Black women accounting for 66% of that total. Black women are only 14% of the female population, but 66% of new HIV cases among women! Look at that awful disparity! WAKE UP!!!

A few simple rules:

• Always wear protection with your partner
• Ask your partner to be tested, as a matter of fact-go together and look at the paperwork, if they throw a fit-then they aren't worth sleeping with. Simple as that.
• Ladies, if you suspect your dude is 'suspect', ask questions-it's your health and your right.

There are many gay men that live their lives out in the open and should be congratulated for it, I'm sure it's not easy. But there are many males who do not, who wear a mask in order to be accepted or to fit in. We have to find ways to make people feel okay to be themselves. It's a matter of life and death.

*a black gay man has a 1 in 4 chance of becoming infected by age 25; by age 40, he has a 60% of becoming HIV positive. ( I found the real fact, they had misspoken apparently, or maybe it wasn't an accident...)

Fixed Gear Bike Frenzy!!!

So for my 35th birthday I had a fixed-gear bike made for me. My boy Frank has been working on it for awhile under my 'creative direction' and control. It was made to resemble Iron Man's Mark 7 armor. Obviously, I'm a big Iron Man fan and this build was exciting and turned out great! Do you know what a fixie is?

From Wiki:

Fixed-gear bicycle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A fixed-gear bicycle (or fixed-wheel bicycle, sometimes known as a fixie) is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast, because the pedals are always moving when the bicycle is in motion.In Australia, "fixed-wheel" is the normal term for the subject of this article—meaning the opposite of freewheel, and "fixed-gear" usually refers to a single-speed bicycle.

The sprocket, or cog, is threaded or bolted directly to a fixed rear hub. When the rear wheel turns, the pedals turn in the same direction.^[1] This allows a cyclist to stop without using a brake, by resisting the rotation of the cranks, and also to ride in reverse.

As a rule, fixed-gear bicycles are also single-speed bicycles—bicycles without derailleurs, with a single sprocket attached to the rear hub, and a single sprocket attached to the crank. Most fixed-gear bicycles only have a front brake, and some have no brakes at all.

The track bicycle is a form of fixed-gear bicycle used for track cycling in a velodrome. But since a fixed-gear bicycle is just a bicycle without a freewheel, a fixed-gear bicycle can be almost any type of bicycle.^[3]

In urban North America fixed-gear bicycles have achieved tremendous popularity, with the rise of discernible regional aesthetic preferences for finish and design details.^[17]Some road racing and club cyclists used a fixed-gear bicycle for training during the winter months, generally using a relatively low gear ratio, believed to help develop a good pedalling style.^[4] In the UK until the 1950s it was common for riders to use fixed-gear bicycles for time trials. The fixed-gear was also commonly used, and continues to be used in the end of season hill climb races in the autumn.

Dedicated fixed-gear road bicycles are being produced in greater numbers by established bicycle manufacturers. They are generally low in price^[18] and characterized by relaxed road geometry, as opposed to the steep geometry of track bicycles.^[19]

Fixed-gear bicycles are also used in cycle ball, bike polo and artistic cycling.

My bike was even featured on fixedgeargallery.com! This is an international site where people submit pics of their bikes.