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Website Lets Public Track Slave Trade Voyages

LibertySugar — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:00:40 -0800

This year marks 200 years since the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, one of the largest, and most tragic, migrations of humans in history. To mark the anniversary, Emory University launched "Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database," a project that allows the public to search information about 35,000 trips and 70,000 slaves traded from the 1500s to the 1800s. In the introduction to the project, David Eltis of Emory writes:

It is difficult to believe in the first decade of the twenty-first century that just over two centuries ago, for those Europeans who thought about the issue, the shipping of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic was morally indistinguishable from shipping textiles, wheat, or even sugar.

Many of European ancestry can search records kept at Ellis Island or other entry points, if they want to know more about their ancestry. Now those of African slave descent can fill in details regarding the voyages of previously anonymous ancestors.

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Richardson as Commerce Secretary to Spark Racial Tension?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:30:39 -0800

President-elect Obama named New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as his commerce secretary nominee today, putting Richardson on track to be the voice of the US business community in Obama's cabinet. Richardson will also lead international trade missions, watch over the 2010 census, and oversee the Patent and Trademark Office and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Office (an agency involved in the climate change debate).

But not everyone is pleased. Chinese-American activists in California have planned a nationwide protest to the appointment of Gov. Richardson, who enjoys popularity among Latino Americans as his demographic's most prominent politician. The Chinese-American group maintains that when Richardson was President Clinton's energy secretary he handled the case of Taiwanese-American Wen Ho Lee in a way that made all Chinese-Americans seem like potential spies. To find out more about this controversy,

Parents Say No Thanks to Pilgrim and Native American Dress

LibertySugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:30:55 -0800

If you grew up in America, you probably have memories of dressing up as pilgrims and Native Americans during your classroom Thanksgiving celebration. Well this year children in Claremont, CA, won't be cutting out their construction paper bonnets and headdresses, as some parents have deemed the controversial costumes demeaning.

One parent, also a professor of Native American literature, told the LA Times:

I'm sure you can appreciate the inappropriateness of asking children to dress up like slaves (and kind slave masters), or Jews (and friendly Nazis), or members of any other racial minority group who has struggled in our nation's history.

Still others accuse the historically sensitive parents of using children as a political platform. Has a festive tradition fallen victim to political correctness, or is it time to stop this racist stereotype?

Candidate for RNC Chair Just Left Whites-Only Country Club

LibertySugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:09 -0800

When Katon Dawson, the chairman of South Carolina's GOP, decided to run for national chair of the RNC he quit his whites-only country club. Noting that his membership would be a distraction for Republicans trying to win elections, Dawson also called for an end of the discriminatory restriction included in the club's deed (which is actually unconstitutional and unenforceable).

One GOP critic says that if Dawson wins the post, it further proves that the GOP has been reduced to "a Southern regional rump party that's held hostage by intolerant crackpots." Barack Obama dealt with his own set of race issues during the campaign. Obama's membership in a mostly black church caused concern after tapes surfaced of the pastor Jeremiah Wright making fiery comments critical of America.

Do you find Dawson's membership with a whites-only club to be a deal breaker, or just an unfortunate association?

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Did The Cosby Show Help Obama Win?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:30:07 -0800

If you grew up in the '80s in a less-than-diverse town, the Huxtables may have the been the only African-American family you knew. At some point — probably rather later than was right — you made the connection: Theirs was not the typical American black experience.

Shifts in pop culture precede political and social change — or so I hear. The Cosby Show was about a family that happened to be black and not about a family being black, which sounds an awful lot like what was said about a certain campaign. Gone was the dysfunction and bickering of previous shows, and here was a fun (they put on shows at home!), loving family.

Is it possible that the Huxtables opened the doors to the White House? That’s what people are saying. To see why,

Front Page: Vladimir Putin Might Return as Russian President

LibertySugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is taking steps to allow Vladimir Putin to return as president in 2009. According to Russian sources, Medvedev may push for changes to the constitution so former President Putin can return to power. — Reuters
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has traveled to the Middle East. Today she is in Israel to participate in peace talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials. — Voice of America
Rebels in the Congo have taken over more villages, as they extend their control in the eastern region of the embattled country. — BBC News

Democrats picked up another seat in the Senate, as Democrat Jeff Merkley defeated five-term incumbent Republican Gordon Smith of Oregon. — Huffington Post
The Bradley effect, the theory that people lie to pollsters or to themselves about voting for a black candidate, did not exist on Tuesday. Experts now say there is no point in continuing the discussion about how closeted racists impact polling. — New York Times

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Briefing Book! Are You a Bradley Voter or a Bandwagon Voter?

LibertySugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Election Day: Bradley or Bandwagon? Election effects to look out for. — 23/6
Ads: The morning after? Advertising world critiques Obama's 30-minute infomercial. — Adweek
RNC: Newt for RNC Chair? Could Gingrich lead the party out of the wilderness? — Townhall
Gore: Better luck this time? Al Gore will return to Florida to campaign for Obama. — Politico
Money: About time? Americans adopting prudent money habits. — SavvySugar

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NAACP: Work Would Continue Even Under Black President

LibertySugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:30:57 -0700

If an African-American succeeds in winning the most powerful position in the country, if not the world, the NAACP says its mission is still not complete. The new president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Benjamin Jealous, has highlighted the prevalence of violence, home foreclosures, and discrimination as evidence that more work must be done.

This past weekend, during the NAACP's California conference, Jealous spoke at a dinner also attended by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The new NAACP head said:

These are big times we are in. But we are not the National Association for the Advancement of a Colored Person. There is more work to be done. . . . The No. 1 obstacle we face is the lack of outrage at the way everyday people are treated in this country.

Pointing to the symbolically transformative court case, Brown v. Board of Education, Jealous explained that often a case can be won, but the fight continues. The NAACP turns 100 next year — hopefully Barack Obama's candidacy will inspire many to continue working to end discrimination and improve communities.

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Obama Brand Goes Global Perhaps Lifting American Brand

LibertySugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:45:00 -0700

From Europe to South America to Asia to his father's birthplace in Kenya, Barack Obama's candidacy has made an impact. Black Europeans are pinning their hopes for more representation in their government on a persuasive example set by the election of Barack. Citing his charisma and ideas, black community leaders say his race is not the only reason for the transatlantic support.

Meanwhile, Colombia has adopted a more spirited way to show support — making Obama the mascot of their lottery. Colombia's Metal region placed Obama's face on its Oct. 22 ticket. In a country whose president strongly supports President Bush, the lottery officials explained the mood of the people: "We picked Obama's portrait for our lottery because we're always looking for somebody people are raving about. He's ahead in opinion polls and right now he's the most popular guy around here."

In his NYT's column today, Nicholas Kristof recounts the disbelief a friend in Beijing shared when he told her there's a good chance America will elect a black man president. To see how he explained the potential of an Obama presidency,

Have Hate Groups Been Quieter Than Expected This Election?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:59:49 -0700

Despite news of a dead bear cub shot through the head and draped with Obama signs and a car vandalized allegedly for sporting a McCain sticker, apparently hate group activity has been less intense than expected this campaign. Groups who monitor hate activity with an eye toward preventing violence are reporting an eerie silence from traditional sources of open racism — much less than they expected this late in the race.

The director of a law center that tracks hate group says, “What we really haven’t seen is white supremacists really rallying over an Obama presidency. Hate groups are in a more or less stunned position right now; they haven’t been able to figure out how to proceed just yet.”

Politician Douglas Wilder, 20 years ago had a campaign almost fail because of the Bradley (or Wilder) effect — where polling indicates voters will do one thing before succumbing to suspected race-related cold feet in the booth. He now says, "America has grown, people have grown."

Is this the case? To find out,