Sunday, September 26, 2010

Dr. Boyce Watkins: What Did Bishop Eddie Long Say to His Congregation?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

I woke up early to go to the website for the New Birth Missionary Baptist church. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew that Bishop Eddie Long would be convincing. Every bit of his charisma and experience would be needed to manage the complex set of allegations against him for sexually abusing some of his members.
I'll lay out some notable quotes by Bishop Long this morning and let you judge much of it for yourself. What I can say, however, is that Bishop Long seemed to say a great deal without saying much.
"I'll be here next week."

Perhaps that means that he's not going to resign. I look forward to seeing if he is going to be preaching next Sunday.
"(This is) probably the most difficult time in my entire life. I want to talk to you for a moment about how to handle painful and difficult situations."

Click to read.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Cheating Preachers in the Black Church:

Video thumbnail. Click to play

What do we do about gays in the church?  Are there other pastors who spend their time engaging in questionable sexual activity?  Dr. Boyce discusses these issues on MSNBC.

Please click here to watch.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Author Jamilah B. Creekmur – Part 2

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

 

This is the second part of my interview with author Jamilah B. Creekmur. I enjoyed speaking with Jamilah and I found her book, "Raised by the Mistress," to be a compelling layout of what it might be like to be the child of "the other woman." I recommend taking a look at Jamilah's book and watching the interview. I think you'll enjoy what you see.

Click to read.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Today Show Guest Uses the Term “Spook Music”

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

I was in New York doing what I try to do best: show up for my little girls and support them in their endeavors. My daughter had a volleyball game at her university and I was pumped for the event. Although I do all I can to stay away from work when I am with my kids, I couldn't help but sneak away to appear on one of my favorite radio shows, "The Main Line" on 98.7 Kiss FM.
During the show, we discussed all the usual topics for a hot blooded Sunday afternoon: Politics, news, African American issues, Obama and more. Toward the end of the show, someone made mention of Robert Plant's appearance on The Today Show. My first thought was, "Who in the heck is Robert Plant and why does he matter?" It only took me a couple of seconds to figure out the answer to both of those questions.

 

Click to read.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Woman Accused of Throwing Acid Onto Her Own Face, Says a Black Woman Did It

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

Bethany Storro was once the target of the nation's sympathy. She is slowly becoming the target of the nation's suspicion. The 28-year old Storro, who is deaf, said that she was the victim of a random attack. According to Storro, a young black woman came up to her and said, "Hey, pretty girl," before throwing a cup of acid into her face.


The attack on Storro, which allegedly took place on August 30, grabbed international headlines. She was even scheduled to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show. That's when reporters started asking a lot of questions.


According to Storro, the injuries to her nose and face did not affect her eyesight because she was wearing sunglasses. But one reporter asked her why she was wearing sunglasses when it was nearly sunset. The reporter also asked how Storro could hear what the woman was saying when she is deaf.
The suspicions of the reporter were accelerated by the fact that many of the homeless people in the park on the night Storro was attacked said that she was all alone when she fell to the ground screaming. While the incident is still under investigation, it is known that Storro did cancel her scheduled appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show without giving producers a reason for her decision.

 

Click to read.

Friday, September 10, 2010

No Black Athletes to Follow Venus, Serena and Tiger: What’s Going On?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

Most of us can appreciate, on one level or another, the tremendous achievements of Tiger Woods, Venus Williams and her little sister, Serena. They have all been, in one way or another, a tremendous source of pride for the African American community. Much of the reason we are so proud of them is because they've dominated like no other in sports that are not typically played by "us." I am personally more impressed with the Williams sisters than with Tiger, in large part because they've made it into a family affair, and seem to more directly embrace the idea of making their success into a "black thing." Tiger, on the other hand, seems to want to make his success into a "Caublinasian thing." I admittedly can't get with that.

 

Click to read.

Dr. Boyce Watkins Speaks with Experts About Black Relationships

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

I have a theory that I've wondered would hold up to empirical scrutiny. My theory is that there are quite a few women who might be willing to settle for part of a good man rather than having 100% of a mediocre man. For example, men like Tiger Woods might have more girlfriends than most of us can count, and some would wonder if any of those women expect him to be committed to just one person. Not to say that I condone one lifestyle over another, but we all know how things go down in the real world.

 

Click to read.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

MaLinda Sapp, Marvin Sapp’s Wife, Dies of Colon Cancer

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

Prominent Gospel Music artist Marvin Sapp recently lost his wife to colon cancer. Marvin's wife, MaLinda, had been married to him for 15 years and they have three children together. MaLinda was an Administrative Pastor at the church they ran together, the Lighthouse Full Life Center, in Grand Rapids, MI.
Before she died, MaLinda was a college professor and licensed professional counselor. The following statement was issued by 92.1 Praise Houston about the death of MaLinda Sapp:

 

Click to read.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Actress Regina King Speaks Up on Racial Inequality in Hollywood

Since the Emmy ceremony, I have been going back and forth about whether or not I should compose this letter. I try hard in my daily life not to engage in uncomfortable situations regarding race. But sometimes it's very difficult to find other reasons that better explain why certain events play out the way they do. It is impossible for me to ignore the published statistics regarding the number of people of color mentioned, celebrated or honored in the history of the televised Emmys. Up to and including this year, there have been only 53 non-white actorsnominated for Emmys out of nearly 1,000 possible nominations in the top four acting categories for drama and comedy.

Click to read.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Explaining Money to Kids – Why This is Very Important

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

Given that our children are likely our greatest expense and greatest love, perhaps it might be helpful to discuss how we teach them about money.  If you raise your kids to be financially responsible, they can be assets to you during retirement.  If they are taught about money in the wrong way, they become horrible economic liabilities that leave you riddled with guilt.  So, although I don’t claim to know everything about child rearing, I thought I’d share some guidelines you might want to consider when it comes to teaching your kids about money.

 

Click to read.