You Think What?

Philadelphia Judge Raymond Pace Alexander (RPA) has been called by historian Darlene Clark Hine, one of the “black legal soldiers … who transformed constitutional jurisprudence to embrace the primacy of civil rights over states rights, and replaced the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ with one of equality.”

Raymond Pace Alexander born in Philadelphia in October 1898 into a working class family, the grandson of slaves was destined to beat the odds to become a distinguished Philadelphia lawyer, who later was to serve as a judge as well as advisor to other lawyers including the future federal Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Raymond Pace Alexander with his talented wife, Sadie T. M. Alexander, worked to transform a segregated society in order to afford opportunity for those who had been denied.

Early on in his education Alexander, influenced by historian Carter G. Woodson, chose to study black history and use it as a tool to vigorously oppose racism and develop better relations between the races. (more…)

Once again we ask,  “Who let the dogs out?!”

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“Realistically, the only way to solve our problems at this point in our history is by planning our future, clearly and objectively, and then working to make that plan a reality.” Rev. Leon H. Sullivan, author Alternatives to Despair 1972

Back in 1972 the late Leon H. Sullivan, author and innovator of Philadelphia’s  Opportunities Industrialization Center, (OIC), was sounding the call to make definitive plans for our future.

“Strangely enough in Philadelphia, the big metropolitan city, you think people had work, but discrimination was still very strong . . . I decided to confront discrimination, again, because businesses were not employing blacks in Philadelphia, blacks couldn’t even get jobs as waiters in the good hotels.”~Rev. Leon Sullivan

Choosing to confront the racial discrimination he witnessed in hiring practices in Philadelphia, he organized 400 other ministers to implement a successful boycott of companies that did not support equal employment opportunity. This demonstration of  “selective patronage” resulted in more than 4000 jobs open to dark skinned African Americans. However many still lacked the necessary training to perform the jobs now available.

That is when in 1964 founded in an abandoned jailhouse, the OIC was born. (more…)

Japanese auto makers, still angry about the loss to America of the Second World War, are now unleashing their revenge on the American driving public with terrorist Toyotas, nasty Nissans, and horny Hondas; none of which know when to stop!

We hear they will be installing plastic brake pedals made from really hard plastic. You remember-flashback to forty or fifty years ago like the toys made in Japan were of a hard plastic substance so hard it would splinter and shatter into a gazillion pieces. Today in the 21st Century modern technology brings you brakes guaranteed to break when you step on the pedal to apply them. (more…)

We found the following video on another site on the Internet. We read the back-story. It goes something like this: difficult, demanding bride becomes upset when shop owner will not acquiesce to her demands. She makes threats on one day–even called the police to make the owner do as she asked; and returns the following day to insist the shop comply with her unreasonable requests by changing its policy. As we read the story we thought, “Planning for events like weddings often brings out some peculiar behaviors.”

However, when we viewed what happened we could not believe our eyes. Of all the reports we found we liked this one video report because of the fairness of the presentation–both sides were told and we liked the frumpy looking anchor’s closing remarks. Watch and you’ll see what we mean…

There is no doubt this is a family (more…)

“We must teach our children to dream with their eyes open. The chances of your becoming a Jerry Rice or a Magic Johnson are so slim as to be negligible. Black kids must learn to distribute their energies in a way that’s going to make them productive, contributing citizens in an increasingly high-technology society.”
~ Harry Edwards, author and Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley as quoted in Time Magazine March 6, 1989.

Sociologist, scholar and author Harry Edwards, born 1942, is from East St. Louis, Illinois; he received his doctorate in sociology from Cornell University.

Harry Edwards stated desire is to be a role model of “the promising athlete who gave up the possibility of a career in professional sports to become a scholar instead.” (more…)

“If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight.” Tommie Smith U.S. Track and Field Olympian Mexico City, 1968

It was October 16, 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico City where John Carlos and Tommie Smith, along with white Australian Silver medalist Peter Norman, who wore a human rights badge on the podium in solidarity of the Americans’ protest, made headlines around the world. (more…)

“…As an active worker for civil rights, she has been a steady and forceful advocate on the national, state, and municipal scene, reminding people everywhere that freedoms are won not only by idealism but by persistence and will over a long time…”
~Excerpt from citation the University Of Pennsylvania honorary degree of Doctor of Laws conferred in 1974 upon Dr. Sadie T.M. Alexander

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, a Philadelphian born in 1898 was a trailblazing female scholar and lawyer. Named Sarah at birth she was known as Sadie throughout her life.

She was born into a family of accomplished individuals. Her maternal grandfather, Benjamin Tucker Tanner, was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Sadie’s father, Aaron Albert Mossell, was a graduate of Lincoln University and the first African American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1888. (more…)

Our favorite political cartoonist, Mark Fiore has his say about the relief efforts for the survivors of last month’s Haitian earthquake disaster. Take a look and be sure to help….

If you are one of those who uses Twitter to tell the whole entire planet what you are doing every minute of the day, where you are, who you are with, when you are home and when you are not- we have a word of caution for you and a web site you have got to see.

The word of warning is DON’T! Do Not share everything about your life on the Internet…as fascinating as you may find it, or you believe others may find it so, some nefarious individuals may find it even more so…

We advise what is private must remain private.

It is said a word to the wise is sufficient and if you happen to be unwise then a picture is worth at least a thousand words…