Dr. Boyce Talks to The Ladies As They Sound Off on Celebrity Infidelity
Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Lola Adesioye: Are Black Women Victims of a Bad Dating Situation?
by Lola Adesioye, Huffington Post
Over the past few months, black women and their relationships - or should I say, lack thereof - have been getting a lot of attention. The Washington Posthas done a couple of features on it. Then ABC'sNightline did a show asking why there are so many single black women.
All of a sudden the mainstream media is taking a keen interest in our love lives. We are being told that there is a 'crisis' amongst black women, particularly educated professional women, who are apparently unable to find a 'decent' black man.
Last night, ABC continued once again, with the airing of "Why Can't a Successful Black Woman Find a Man?," a taped discussion featuring Hill Harper, Steve Harvey, The View's Sherri Shepherd and others.
There's no doubt that it's a topic that sparks heated debates and discussions amongst black women and men. It has for years. But is it really that bad? Or is the media - now that it has found a hot topic - exploiting this issue for all that it's worth? I'm an educated black woman and I personally have no problem with meeting eligible, educated, great black men. Whether or not I choose to date them is another thing, but they are out there.
I am somewhat perturbed by the slew of stories on this topic. They are negative, unhelpful and only serve to perpetuate negative ideas about black men and women which often become self-fullfiling. They basically say 'oh, poor black women. They try so hard yet can't find a decent man ... Boo hoo, black women are victims. Ooh, it's all the fault of those pathetic black men. You know, they have no education or are locked up in jail.' Sorry, but I do not subscribe to that view.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Syracuse Professor Boyce Watkins speaks on ABC News about Love and Money
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor - Syracuse University
As a Finance Professor, I find it incredibly ironic that many people get married without talking about money. They talk about every kind of compatibility from emotional, to spiritual, sexual, and professional, but they seldom take the time necessary to ensure that they can tolerate the idea of sharing their financial life with a person who may not be on the same page. This problem is compounded in black relationships, where many women describe economic hurdles as one of the reasons that black women have trouble finding the right mate.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Lola Adesioye: Was Dorothy Height the Last Significant Black Woman to Have a Voice?
by Lola Adesioye, Huffington Post
Dr. Dorothy Height, the matriarch of the civil rights movement, died today at the age of 98. Dr. Height stood with Dr Martin Luther King during his "I have a dream speech" and worked tirelessly as an activist until her last days.
Her contribution was invaluable in the shaping of black America and American society as a whole. Dr. Height provided an example of ceaseless dedication to a cause greater than oneself, and was a living, breathing demonstration of the formidable power of female leadership, especially for black women.
President Obama referred to Dr. Height as the "godmother" of the movement, going on to say that she "served as the only woman at the highest level of the civil rights movement -- witnessing every march and milestone along the way."
In the 60s, Heights had to overcome gender prejudice in order to do her work. She was cropped out of photos because she was female and she was less well known than her male counterparts. Yet despite the challenges, she recognized the importance of women in black leadership and continued to push for that.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Dr. Boyce Watkins on ABC News: Love, Money and Divorce
Watch Dr Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University on ABC News discussing money and divorce - how to do it the right way.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Exclusive Interview with Tiger Woods by ESPN SportsCenter
In an interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi, Tiger Woods says he's stronger after giving up a life of lies but nervous about returning to golf.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Barack Obama on Fox
President Obama sits down with Fox News' Bret Baier to discuss his healthcare reform bill. Obama describes their conversation as "a little frustrating."
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Dr. Boyce Watkins: Precious Little Stereotypes
by Dr. Boyce Watkins
I went to see the film "Precious" with a tremendous amount of anxiety. I'd heard the film received rave reviews from reviewers, award panelists and others in the media who love to see a good movie about dysfunctional black people. I knew the film was being analyzed by the same individuals more likely to notice Denzel Washington playing a sick, crooked cop in "Training Day" than to see him play a strong, intelligent black man in the film about the life of Malcolm X.
While reviewers might consider "Akeelah and the Bee" to be unrealistic, "Precious," or "Hustle and Flow" seem to be stunningly accurate reflections of their perception of life in Black America. Yes, we certainly have our share of pimps, prostitutes, and child molesters in the black community. But would hardly expect that we're any more problematically programmed than other ethnic groups.
I thought the performances in the film "Precious" were very good. I admit, however, that I found the film depressing. Not that the movie was entirely unrealistic. Rather, it seemed to feed itself off of one emotionally-draining scene after another. The star of the film was illiterate, poor, morbidly obese, physically abused, sexually abused, HIV positive, inclined to steal and suffering from low self-esteem. It was almost as if the directors said, "What else can we do to make people feel sorry for her? Oh yea! Let's let her mother be a welfare queen who beats her child and molests her when her sexually abusive father isn't home!" Yes, there are kids like this in the black community, but this film is not a representation of the prevailing experience for most black youth in America.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Your Black News: Regina King Talks Boondocks
While promoting her upcoming comedy 'Our Family Wedding,' actress Regina Kingcouldn't contain her excitement for the return of the hit Cartoon Network series 'The Boondocks.'
She also talked about her frustration too.
After a more than two-year hiatus, post-production is underway for the third season of the beloved show, which should be airing in coming months.
Although the Cartoon Network has yet to send out an official announcement confirming a premiere date for the new season, 'Bonndocks' creator Aaron McGrudersaid via his social networking site that it should air March 28. The news coincides with his previous Twitter message on Christmas Day, in which he wrote, "Finally got an airdate for Season 3. Not sure if I'm allowed to put it out yet, so I'll just say you got about three months."
King, who voices two of the show's lead characters, brothers Huey and Riley Freeman, has been a little peeved about how the show's producers are handling the long-awaited return.
"I am so happy that it is coming back," King told BV Newswire, but added, "I wish there was some Web site that people could send [a message] to Sony [Television Entertainment] ... and say 'What are you doing?'" she charged.
"'Boondocks could be so bigger than what it is," the former '227' actress furthered. "If I had the money to buy 'The Boondocks' off Sony, I would because all of you would be wearing 'Boondocks' T-shirts and there would be Huey and Riley dolls. I would capitalize off of that, and I would be a very rich woman."
King cited Sony's lack of experience with animation as a reason for the show's delay and its failure to capitalize on 'Boondocks' merchandise.
"Actually more than any other project that I have done, that's the one that I get asked about the most," King revealed. "For a show to take two and half year hiatuses and people still want it to come back, that's big," she said.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
News: Anita Baker Barely Misses Going to Jail
Singing great Anita Baker barely missed going to jail Friday in a dispute with her ex-husband over music royalties. The 52-year old Baker found herself in a heated battle with Walter Bridgforth, her ex-husband, over the details of their divorce settlement.
"I'm so happy. ... I have never been in such a position before," Baker said in the hallway outside court. "And we don't intend to ever be in such a position ever again. I just wanna go home,and I'm happy to go home. ... As horrific as it could have been, it was lovely to feel supported, though, on the other end."
Baker was faced with a deadline Wednesday to sign documents that empower court-appointed music contract expert Howard Hertz to obtain information from record labels regarding how much Baker owed her ex-husband. The deadline passed and Baker still had not signed. This led to the Wayne County Chief Family Court Judge Lita Masini Popke ordering Baker to either show up in court on Friday or go to jail.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sad Story: Man Accused of Tossing His Child From a Bridge
A New Jersey man snatched his infant daughter from the arms of the child's grandmother and threw the baby off a bridge into the New Jersey river. The child's mother was in court at the time seeking a restraining order.
Acting New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow referred to the incident as "an example of a horrific case of domestic violence."
Police say that the girl's father, 21-year-old Shamsiddi Abdur-Raheem of Galloway Township, allegedly forced himself into the grandmother's apartment at 4 pm on Thursday. According to reports, he then struck her in the face, choked her and took the baby from her. The grandmother chased after Abdur-Raheem and was hit when she threw herself in the path of his van.
Abdur-Raheem was arrested four hours later when he allegedly confessed to police that he threw the child from the bridge. He then went to consult with his Imam, who drove him to a relative's house to call police. Abdur-Raheem has been charged with kidnapping, attempted murder, aggravated assault and child endangerment.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Your Black News: Vanity Fair Cover Considered Racist
Vanity Fair
One thing magazines love to do is call dibs on who will be the new "It" celebrities in the year to come. Sometimes they pick stars whose careers are destined to take off, occasionally they make incredible calls with near-nobodies who later become A-listers, and usually the majority of their picks fade into oblivion. While we'd like to think celeb bible Vanity Fair puts a great deal of thought and planning into its annual "New Hollywood" issue, this year the editors really limited their scope when it came to choosing the next big stars. (Or perhaps they overemphasized the "Fair"? ) Every woman on its new cover is extremely thin and very, very white. Unless Vanity Fair considers one redhead to be diversity, we feel the need to cry foul.
Click to read.Friday, January 29, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Haitian Earthquake News: Wyclef Jean’s Charity Being Questioned by Authorities
Haiti's musician Wyclef Jean, left, arrives at the airport in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, the day after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit his country. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(AP)
Groups that vet charities are raising doubts about the organization backed by Haitian-born rapper Wyclef Jean, questioning its accounting practices and ability to function in earthquake-hit Haiti.
Even as more than $2 million poured into The Wyclef Jean Foundation Inc. via text message after just two days, experts questioned how much of the money would help those in need.
"It's questionable. There's no way to get around that," said Art Taylor, president and chief executive of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, based in Arlington, Va.
Taylor reviewed Internal Revenue Service tax returns for the organization also known as Yele Haiti Foundation from 2005 through 2007. He said the first red flag of poor accounting practices was that three years of returns were filed on the same day — Aug. 10 of last year.
In 2007, the foundation's spending exceeded its revenues by $411,000. It brought in just $79,000 that year.
click to read.Friday, January 8, 2010
Why Black Women Are Not Getting Married
Dr. Boyce Watkins and S. Tia Brown discuss some of the reasons that Black women are deciding not to get married.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
News: Two girls rob a bank
Police in Ohio are searching for two brazen girls, believed to be as young as 12 and 14, who robbed a bank in a Cincinnati suburb and escaped a police dragnet that included a helicopter and dogs.
Ohio police are looking for two girls suspected of robbing a bank.
The baby faced bank robbers, one believed to be 12 years old and the other 14 or 15, entered the 1st National Bank in Symmes Township, "walked up to the bank teller, and gave the teller a note demanding money," Steve Barnett, spokesman for the Hamilton County Sherriff's Office, said in a statement.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Founder of Ebony Fashion Fair Dies at 93
Eunice W. Johnson gave Ebony magazine its name and for almost 50 years produced an influential traveling fashion show that brought haute couture to African-Americans while raising millions of dollars for charity.
The widow of Johnson Publishing Co. founder John H. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, 93, died of renal failure Sunday, Jan. 3, in her Chicago home, according to a company spokeswoman.
A close business partner of her husband's since the beginning of Johnson Publishing in 1942, Mrs. Johnson remained the company's secretary-treasurer at the time of her death and for years wrote a monthly fashion feature for Ebony magazine.
Johnson Publishing's flagship, conceived as an African-American version of Life magazine and published since 1945, was named by Mrs. Johnson to reflect the mystique of fine black ebony wood, said Wendy Parks of Johnson Publishing.
But Mrs. Johnson's greatest legacy may be her role as producer and director of the Ebony Fashion Fair, an influential event that for decades has been a showcase for the world's top designers.
Black News: Tiger Gets Half Nude for Vanity Fair
Tiger Woods remains hidden from the cameras, but readers will get an eyeful of the embattled golf star in the February issue ofVanity Fair.
The cover shot shows a bare-chested Woods in a black cap lifting weights. The magazine promises more images of "a raw, unguarded Woods" taken by Annie Leibovitz before the scandal hit, when the issue reaches newsstands on Wednesday.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Black News: Tiger Woods’ Wife Now Demanding Half His Fortune
TIGER Woods' wife Elin Nordegren wants a divorce, sole custody and half his estimated £370 million ($671 million) fortune, according to a newspaper report.
The superstar golfer has also reportedly reneged on a promise he made to his wife to go into rehabilitation to wean himself off the prescription drugs Ambien and Vicodin.
A close friend of Ms Nordegren told the News of the World: "Tiger was supposed to be working on getting better and he hasn't done anything. Instead he just went to stay with a friend and says he's 'trying to get better on his own'.
"Elin is livid he hasn't checked into rehab and gotten himself off his drugs. He's acting like a big baby," the source said.
"Now she wants 100 per cent divorce, 100 per cent custody of the children and half of everything. And she won't be changing her mind."
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Dr. Boyce Watkins: Why Is Tavis Smiley Working with R. Kelly?
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Tavis Smiley, whose experience in public life has been mixed as of late. Let’s be real: Smiley’s spat with Obama hasn’t worked in his favor, and the Wells Fargo thing really hurt his stock value. In spite of recent challenges he’s experienced over the past two years, he remains a meaningful and relevant leader in the African American community. The voices of intelligent, principled and focused black men are among the most important in our world.
Click to read.Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Shocking News: Teacher Cuts off a Child’s Hair
Lamya Cammon, 7, was sitting quietly in her first grade class absentmindedly twirling her braids. The little girl's teacher, whose name is being withheld, grew tired of seeing the little girl play with her dozen or so braids, so she called Lamya up to the front of the classroom.
The first graders watched in disbelief as their teacher took out a large pair of scissors and cut off one of Lamya's braids. Amid the snickers of her students, the Milwaukee teacher threw the braid in the garbage, sent the crying youngster back to her seat, then said, "Now what you gonna go home and tell your momma?"
Lamya claims that she was not twirling her hair loudly nor was she being disruptive. When the child told her mother, Helen Cunningham, what had happened, she immediately went to the school to confront the teacher.
Click to read more.Friday, December 11, 2009
Your Black News: Ashanti Has a Stalker
Devar Hurd, of Griffith, Indiana, is awaiting trial at Rikers Island prison in New York on stalking and other charges.
He allegedly bombarded the Grammy Award winning former chart-topper's mother, Tina Douglas, with crude text messages about her, including with his comments graphic photos and a picture of their family home.
According to the Associated Press, the messages gushed lewdly about Ashanti's performances and jealously lamented her relationship with the rapper Nelly, court papers stated.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Your Black Gossip: Was Whitney snubbed at the Grammys?
But she’s also the stuff these shows are made of (26-time Grammy nominee, seven-time winner); her label even moved the release of her album up a day to make sure it was eligible, and Look’s redemption tales seemed calibrated to hit Academy voters right in the solar plexus—and the voting-finger. And yet, not a single nod for the chest-thumping title track or slinky “Million Dollar Bill,” penned by Grammy darling Alicia Keys. So is it the notes Houston hit (or didn’t) that kept her out?
Click to read.Thursday, December 3, 2009
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