What Kind of Black Are We?

Tweet (Akiit.com) A few weeks ago, I saw part of the Pan Africanist dream come true. It was during the closing ceremony at an African dance conference. To a man — and they were all men — the drummers and teachers came from Africa. To a woman — and we were all women — the […]

Racism, poverty contribute to number of black men in prison in America

Tweet (Akiit.com) One of my four brothers graduated from the University of Iowa, but being a black male, I don’t think I want to spend too much time in the Hawkeye state. Only about 2 percent of Iowa’s population is black, but blacks are 13.6 times more likely than whites to be imprisoned there. That’s […]

Obama’s ethnic credentials come under unfair scrutiny.

Tweet (Akiit.com) Are you black enough? Despite the rising American death toll in a divisive war, record gasoline prices and homes lost to foreclosure in historic numbers, this was the one question that I knew Sen. Barack Obama would be asked by Internet voters at the Democratic CNN-YouTube debate. It is a question that dogs […]

‘Street cred’ no substitute for future – Washington D.C.

Tweet (Akiit.com) A recent report by the Washington D.C.-based Sentencing Project underscores something we already know: Blacks are being locked up in droves. And while the report says blacks, we know who it’s really talking about: black men. The criminal justice system is skewed. How often is “driving while white” an issue? Why are the […]

Keeping it real? Maybe it’s showing some love

Tweet (Akiit.com) When I was about 11 or 12 years old, every kid in my neighborhood used to look up to this guy called Baby Daryl. Baby Daryl was a bona fide drug-dealing, gun-toting gangsta on the west side of Detroit. While grown-ups would cross the street when they saw him coming, my friends and […]

From the Cheap Seats: Who’s Doggin’ Who?

Tweet (Akiit.com) From any perspective, it’s a gruesome tale. Since late April, developments have steadily emerged—in increasingly gory detail—about NFL superstar Michael Vick’s alleged involvement in illegal dogfighting. Recently, Vick was indicted by a grand jury for his ties to “Bad Newz Kennels”, a group that bred pit bulls and fought them in illegal matches, […]

Uncovering the Leadership Potential of Black Women in America

Tweet CHICAGO, July 26 /Akiit.com/ — Because the lives of professional black women in America have been understudied and their contributions as leaders often undervalued, The League of Black Women (LBW) conducted its “LBW Having Our Say: Fostering the Leadership Potential of Black Women in America Survey” to help identify and eliminate the challenges black […]

BET still has a ‘Mess’ even with title change

Tweet (Akiit.com) Hot Ghetto Mess — n. A tacky or obnoxious person, place or thing; deplorable behavior; former name of BET’s controversial new show airing tonight at 10:30. Will a “Hot Ghetto Mess” by any other name still smell like moldy stereotypes? Those who’ve been turning up the heat on BET over its new show […]

Male love: The importance of a father/son bond

Tweet (Akiit.com) I saw a kiss that changed my outlook on life. Now I don’t typically go around watching other people kiss but there was something about this one that was just special. What was even more amazing is that every time I witness this type of display I admit that I experience the same […]

Dealing with the stress of being an African American

Tweet (Akiit.com) IT WAS SUNDAY afternoon. My husband and I had been for a short bike ride and we’d stopped at the grocery store to pick up something to cook for dinner. I begged off going into the store and waited for him in the car. I opened the car door, basking in the sun […]

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