Kansas City's Entertainment District Lifts Ban on Baggy Pants Amidst Controversy

Kansas City's Power & Light entertainment district has decided to relax it dress code after being criticized that the strict rules “discriminated” against young African American men.
According to the Kansas City Star, the new dress code has removed restrictions against baggy clothing, undershirts, sweatshirts and athletic attire. The only prohibitions are for clothing that contains profanity, sleeveless shirts on men, sweatpants and full sweat suits.

"It's been significantly modified...for the better," Mickey Dean, civil rights manager for the city's human relations department, told The Kansas City Star. "Now we don't have to deal with this subjectivity about what's too baggy or what's too long."

The district had come under scrutiny claiming that the strict dress code discriminated against not only African American attendance to downtown events, but also stopped various events from being held.
The change, which comes in advance of some major African-American conventions downtown, still allows management to use their “discretion” regarding events, but has relaxed the standard.
"Management reserves the right to deny entry or remove any individual who does not comply with the code of conduct," the company says on its website. "Please note that the dress codes of individual venues may vary."
At least one lawsuit has been filed over the district's dress code. A Black family who says it was denied entry last summer into the Mosaic Lounge is suing the district in federal court.
Family members say they were kept out because of the way dressed, while whites wearing similar clothing were allowed entry.

For Discussion: Do Latinos Face Worse Discrimination Than Blacks?

There’s a new survey out about who faces the most discrimination in America. Which group do you think it is? Pop the hood for survey results.
When it comes to discrimination, the poll suggests that Hispanics face a significant amount more than blacks or women. The complaint has gotten a lot more attention in the wake of  that shady Arizona Immigration Bill.
The Huffington Post has the story.

An Associated Press-Univision Poll found that 61 percent of people overall said Hispanics face significant discrimination, compared with 52 percent who said blacks do and 50 percent who said women.
The survey also underscored how perceptions of prejudice can vary by ethnicity. While 81 percent of Latinos said Hispanics confront a lot or some discrimination, a smaller but still substantial 59 percent of non-Hispanics said so.
It is not unusual for members of a group to feel they face more prejudice. In this survey, that was especially true when people were asked about “a lot” of discrimination. Fifty-five percent of Hispanics but only 24 percent of non-Hispanics said Hispanics encounter that.

The AP-Univision Poll compiled the views of 901 Hispanics, which were compared with the results of a separate AP-GfK survey of the general population. There also are partisan differences. Fifty-five percent of Hispanic Democrats and 38 percent of Hispanic Republicans say there is a lot of discrimination against Hispanics, and Hispanic Democrats are more likely than those in the GOP to say they have personally been affected.
Hispanics in the poll perceived discrimination against other groups a bit more often than non-Hispanics did.
Fifty-seven percent of Latinos and 50 percent of non-Hispanics said blacks are discriminated against. Fifty-eight percent of Hispanics and 48 percent of others said they had observed discrimination against women.
The AP-Univision Poll was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media from May 7-12. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 901 Hispanic adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5.3 percentage points.
The findings were compared to a separate AP-GfK poll of 1,002 adults from the general population, also by GfK Roper. It involved cell and landline interviews conducted from May 7-11, and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

For more, on the poll, go to HuffPo.
So, what do you think of this poll? Discuss.

A $95,000 question: why are whites five times richer than blacks in the US?

- A huge wealth gap has opened up between black and white people in the US over the past quarter of a century – a difference sufficient to put two children through university – because of racial discrimination and economic policies that favour the affluent.
A typical white family is now five times richer than its African-American counterpart of the same class, according to a report released today by Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
White families typically have assets worth $100,000 (£69,000), up from $22,000 in the mid-1980s. African-American families’ assets stand at just $5,000, up from around $2,000.
A quarter of black families have no assets at all. The study monitored more than 2,000 families since 1984.

why african americans are more optimistic despite fewer jobs

According to a recent survey by Experian, African-American consumption grew by over 50 percent from the year 2000 to 2008 ($590 billion to $913 billion), and it is expected to grow to over $1.2 trillion dollars by the year 2013. The study also shows that blacks are more economically optimistic than whites, with 36 percent of us stating that we expect our financial future to improve, as opposed to 31 percent for all adults. The Experian study says a couple of things: First, it says that black people love to consume and that we are getting better at it. In fact, black people have historically been very good at buying things and working hard to get them, but we are not very good at production, investment and saving our money. We grab our tax refunds and run to the mall. We become highly paid corporate lawyers in order to purchase the house and car we really can’t afford. We are chubby kids in the economic candy store, accelerating our collective addiction to the monetary engines controlled by corporate greed.
The extraordinary optimism of black consumers is surprising in light of the disturbing state of black joblessness. African-American unemployment still stands at well over 16 percent, with black male unemployment faring even worse. In spite of having relatively abysmal economic circumstances, black people have reason to be optimistic when compared with whites. The outlook differential is primarily due to the fact that we’re still climbing our way out of hundreds of years of staunch oppression. As a result of this oppression, many African-Americans are first-generation college students, bringing upward mobility to their families and sharing the spoils of their success.
In fact, according to a survey at UCLA, 62.9 percent of African-American college students are first-generation, compared with only 13.2 percent of whites. When you’ve spent so much time at the bottom of the financial ladder, almost every new position is better than the one you had before. Additionally, first-generation students are more likely to go to college to study in fields with higher salaries, such as business and engineering.
The question here is “What do we do with all this buying and spending power?” As I write in my book, Black American Money, African-Americans must learn the value of financial capital and redefine our perception of how money is to be used. The cash in your bank account is not simply meant to be re-donated to the local Wal-Mart. It is intended for the creation of ownership opportunities which allow you to have greater control of your economic and social destiny.
Most importantly, money is power. By bringing together our collective buying power for the pursuit of meaningful political objectives, African-Americans can dig into a gold mine of influence that is both untapped and unprecedented. We can liberate black men from the modern day slavery of the prison system by not buying products from corporations which operate on prison labor. We can support outstanding charter schools like Urban Prep Academy in Chicago, which sent 100 percent of its African-American male senior class to college. We can help our Historically Black Colleges break free from their financial strangulation.
There are many more things we can do with our trillion dollar impact that go beyond buying the next pair of Air Jordans. Black consumption and economic optimism must translate into something more meaningful if we are to realize our true potential. There’s really no way around it.

 

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Malcom X Killer Gets Paroled

Thomas Hagan, the only man who confessed to the assassination of Black civil rights leader Malcom X, was finally granted parole after 16 previous attempts.

The 69-year-old appeared before the parole board on March 3rd, and his release will take effect on April 28. For the past two decades, Hagan has been on work release five days a week, and the other two days he was held a prisoner part-time at the Lincoln Correctional Facility in New York City's Harlem. The "five-in-two-out" schedule allowed Hagan to live with his family and work at an undisclosed job.
Hagan, then known as Talmadge X, along with his other two accomplices, Muhammad Abdul Aziz (then known as Norman 3X Butler) and Kahlil Islam (then known as Thomas 15X Johnson) were all convicted of murder. Hagan received 20 years to life on a first-degree murder charge for shooting the civil rights activist with a .45-caliber pistol at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City in 1965. Aziz and Islam were also convicted of murder, but they maintained their innocence. They were paroled about 20 years ago.
When Hagan shot Malcolm X, whom he called a "hypocrite," he was not only beaten up by the crowd in attendance at the Audubon but also shot in the legs by a bodyguard. He has always stood firm by his allegation that there were also two other men involved in the shooting. The two alleged gunmen were never identified.
Hagan, who confessed to having fired shots in to Malcolm's body, filed an appeal back in 2007, when he was denied yet again. He contended that the board's decision was capricious and arbitrary. Court papers state that Hagan has shown remorse for his part in the shooting.
"I've been incarcerated for 40 years, and I've had a good record all around," Hagan said to The New York Post. "I don't see any reason for holding me."

 

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South Jersey Walmart Kicks Out All The Black Folks

Customers shopping in a South Jersey Walmart got the shock of their life when they heard an announcement asking all African-American customers to evacuate the store.

Walmart officials are looking at security tapes after an announcement was made for “all black people” to leave a store in South Jersey. A man used the public-address system at the Route 42 store in Turnersville Sunday night and calmly announced: “Attention Walmart customers: All black people leave the store now.”

Anyone could have made the announcement, but security should have been on their job. It’s wrong either way, more importantly who will continue to support this establishment and shop there after this?

 

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Who Wants to Save Black Radio? Congress Does

The day after Christmas and in the aftermath of a series of controversial discussions on Capitol Hill involving the financial bailout of minority-owned businesses, Percy Sutton. The founder of the radio empire, Inner City Broadcasting, left behind an important legacy as a self-made media mogul and as a leader in African-American politics and business. It is this legacy which many believe influenced the Black Caucus to rally such strong support behind his company and has led to speculation about the controversial decision of 10 Caucus members to skip out of the voting on a financial regulatory reform bill in late 2009.

African-Americans, Hispanics Have Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s

African-Americans are twice as likely as Caucasians to have Alzheimer’s and related memory-robbing diseases, and Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, are 1.5 times as likely, according to a  new report released this morning by the Alzheimer’s Association.
The higher risk is likely linked to factors like high blood pressure and diabetes, which are risk factors for dementia and more common among those minority groups than among Caucasians.
Yet, African-Americans and Hispanics are less likely to be diagnosed with the disease than their Caucasian counterparts. One barrier to diagnosis of dementia among these populations is access to proper health care, Maria Carrillo, a spokeswoman for the association, told the Health Blog. Language and culture, such as the custom of taking care of individuals within one’s family, could also be contributors, she said.
Alzheimer’s, which affects some 5.3 million people in the U.S., is the seventh leading cause of death. Health care and long-term care costs for these patients total $172 billion annually, according to the report. And, when a patient has Alzheimer’s on top of a medical condition, “the net result is elevated cost,” said Carrillo. For instance, Medicare payments are nearly three times higher for those aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s than those of the same age without the disease.

 

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Oldest African Dies In Detroit, Great-Great-Great-Grandmother Passes Just Shy Of 114th Birthday

BOSSIP loves the elders! We’re sad to report that the oldest African-American in the world died this week in Detroit. 113-year-old Daisey Bailey left this earth Sunday leaving behind 79 grandchildren, 70 great-grandchildren, 30 great-great-grandchildren and 69 great-great-great-grandchildren. Her secret to long life? Bourbon baby! More details under the hood.

Daisey Bailey, believed to the oldest person of African descent in the world, died of organ failure at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on Sunday, 23 days before her 114th birthdayBorn in Watertown, Tenn., Ms. Bailey worked on a plantation, keeping house and chopping wood; in 1943 she decided moved to metro Detroit where she earned money by doing housework and baby-sitting.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, she was the world’s fourth-oldest person and second-oldest American, though her family believes, despite not having documentation, that she was actually a year older.
Ms. Bailey, who later developed Alzheimer’s, enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening, listening to the blues, dancing and cooking.
Her granddaughter says her secret to long life was simple,
“Eat plenty of vegetables and take a little nip,” her granddaughter Helen Arnold, who lived with her on Detroit’s west side since 1989, said Monday.
Ms. Bailey’s drink of choice was old bourbon.
Her relatives called her Mamie, because “she said she couldn’t get no boyfriend if we called her Grandma,” Arnold explained.
Bailey outlived two husbands, Will Reedy and John Bailey, as well as two sons, Robert and S.T. Reedy, and two daughters, Fannie Mai Feay and Frankie Brown.
Mary Josephine Ray, the New Hampshire woman who was certified as the oldest person living in the U.S., died the same day as Ms. Bailey at age 114 years, 294 days. She also was the second-oldest in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

She sounds like an amazing woman.
R.I.P. Daisey Bailey! We’ll pour out a lil bourbon for ya…

 

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African-American cancer deaths decrease, but remain highest in U.S.

Even though African American cancer death rates are dropping, the gap between blacks and whites is substantial and African Americans tend to be diagnosed at a later stage of the disease, according to findings in the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2009-2010.
"African Americans have the highest death rate of any racial and ethnic group in the U.S., and have lower survival rates at each stage," said Donna Rankin, ACS's regional director of health initiatives. "The causes of these disparities are complex and likely reflect social and economic disparities, not biologic differences associated with race. African Americans face inequalities in income, education, and standard of living, as well as barriers to accessing high-quality health care. And while it is discouraging that these differences still exist, we absolutely must face them and continue to enact policies to address them to save lives and reduce suffering from cancer among African Americans."
In 2009 among African Americans, there were about 150,090 new cases of invasive cancer diagnosed and about 63,360 cancer deaths. The most commonly diagnosed cancers among African American men were prostate, lung, and colon. Among African American women, the most common cancers were breast, lung, and colon. Lung cancer tops the list of cancer related deaths for both African American men and women.
Spreading the word about cancer prevention, early detection and treatment options is the key to lowering overall cancer rates. Locally, the Society is working hard to raise cancer awareness and emphasize the importance of regular cancer screenings through grassroots initiatives run out of its South Dallas Outreach Center. Located in the MLK Jr. Community Center at 2922 MLK Jr. Blvd., Ste. 129., the office has been a staple in the community for 13 years.
"There will always be differences in the cancer experience among diverse ethnic groups, but there should not be differences in access to care," said Rankin. "The American Cancer Society is working hard to insure that everyone has the same access to health information, and prevention and treatment services."
In 2006, the Society launched an ambitious effort to address inequities in cancer prevention services, access to care, incidence, and mortality. Since 1999, the Society has funded 106 studies totaling $87 million devoted to the poor and medically underserved. Forty-two percent of this research focuses on the African American population. The Society's internal research departments focuses substantial resources on disparities research, and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Society's advocacy affiliate, helps to create, change, and influence public policies that can have a significant impact on reducing cancer disparities in this country.
For more cancer information, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

 

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Suicide Among The Leading Causes Of Death For African-American Men

globalhiphop recently learned of a study that shows suicide as the third leading cause of death for African-American men. Suicide has long been taboo in the black community, and this issue hasn’t received much attention in the media so we wanted to turn over this topic to Globalhiphop readers. For more on this subject

There long has been a belief in the community that black men are too “macho” to take their own lives and that black woman are too strong and resilient to crack under pressure. But, a number of studies indicate that suicide is a growing problem in the black community. For example, according to information disseminated by the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), in 2006, suicide was the third leading cause of death among African American youth ages 10 through 19 after homicides and accidents. Citing statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Organization for People of Color Against Suicide (NOPCAS), AAS pointed out that in 2006, 1,954 African Americans committed suicide in the U.S.—1,669 of them were male.

It almost goes without saying that African-American men face challenges and pressures that are pretty unique. What are some of the reasons African-American men might think suicide is a solution to their problems? Why do you think African American men commit suicide at a higher rate than African-American women? What are some ways we can prevent these senseless deaths? Why hasn’t more attention been dedicated to this problem in the past? Please discuss!

 

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