(Akiit.com) Shirley Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924, in the city of Brooklyn, NY to the proud parents of Charles and Ruby St. Hill. As a child, she was an exceptionally brilliant student in school. While attending Girls High School, which was located in Brooklyn, NY, she excelled in a variety of subjects. She graduated in 1942, and enrolled at Brooklyn College, where she majored in sociology.

While attending Brooklyn College, Chisholm occasionally encountered hateful acts of racism, but she openly fought against them. On one occasion at Brooklyn College, all of the black students were denied admittance into a social club on campus, so Chisholm in turn, formed an alternative club. With academic honors, she graduated in 1946, but because it was so difficult for black college graduates to find employment, it would take her a little time to find a job. After being denied employment on several occasions, she would obtain employment at Mount Calvary Childcare Center, which was located in Harlem, NY.

In 1949, she married a Jamaican by name of Conrad Chisholm. They both participated in local politics, and would soon form the Bedford-Stuyvesant political league. Chisholm not only dealt with politics, but she also dealt with early childhood education. From 1959-1964, she worked with the New York City bureau of child welfare.

In 1964, she won a seat in the state assembly, and served in the New York General Assembly from 1964 to 1968. In 1968, after serving a term in the legislature, Chisholm campaigned in pursuit of representing New York’s Twelfth Congressional District. She would win the election and become the first African American woman to ever be elected to Congress. Chisholm was a strong believer in women rights, so she hired an all-female staff during her first term in Congress.
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(Akiit.com) Washington DC — Determined to stop the entertainment industry from portraying negative images of black men and women, the “Enough is Enough!” Campaign will hold its first rally and demonstration at the Washington DC residence of Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO, Black Entertainment Television Networks.

The demonstration will take place this Saturday, September 15th, at 1:00 p.m.

A press conference will be held at the site of the rally, 2800 McGill Terrace, NW, Washington, DC at 2:00 p.m.

Community leaders are fed up with derogatory media images of black men and women. People of conscience and concern are encouraged to come out in support of this effort.

The global marketing of negative images and stereotypes has created an environment in which portrayals of black men as “pimps, players, gangsters, thugs, drug dealers, etc…,” and black women as “strippers, whores, and objects for sexual exploitation” are becoming mainstream, acceptable images in the American popular imagination.
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(Akiit.com) Why do we constantly listen to music that insults our intelligence? Why do we watch television shows that degrade the human race? This generation, for some unforeseen reason, is interested in topics that are entertaining yet embarrassing to society.

I watched R. Kelly’s popular hip-hop soap opera “Trapped in the Closet” and was completely disgusted at his use of cynical entertainment.

For those of you who are not familiar with this disgrace to hip-hop culture, it revolves around the over-usage of adultery and deception. Since the recent release of Chapters 13 through 22 in the series, many people still watch the misfortunes of several people who are connected in the plot.

Since the entire story line is focused on adultery, the characters do not have to concentrate on real acting skills, because the attention is on the cheating and lying.

This wastes production time and money is because it makes African-American adults look like lying, cheating and unprosperous people.
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(Akiit.com) Hi-Five lead singer Tony Thompson was found dead yesterday (June 1) in his hometown of Waco, Texas.

Sources told Akiit.com that Thompson’s body was found outside of an apartment complex around 10:00 pm.

He allegedly died of drug overdose, but the cause of death has to be confirmed.

Thompson and Hi-Five hit #1 with 1990’s “I Like The Way (The Kissing Game),” which was produced by R&B/Hip-Hop producer Teddy Riley and taken from the group’s debut, Hi-Five.
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Poor BET.

(Akiit.com) All chesty and smirking, the cable network announces more original programming than ever before and instead of applause gets nothing but attitude.

Seems The Black Intelligentsia isn’t impressed.

Still haven’t gotten over those degrading, tacky music videos, I bet.

You know, the ones that have paid BET’s bills the last couple of decades while cultivating a generation of womanizers and making founder Bob Johnson the Bill Gates of black folk.

BET without music videos, Johnson used to say with a hint of patronization, would be no BET at all. So even though Johnson is gone, probably somewhere in the Carolinas counting his billions, his long time right-hand woman, Debra Lee, is the CEO with the ready-made answers to all those inquiries about misogyny, black-on-black opportunism, sexual exploitation and Lil’ Kim: Countdown to Lockdown.

Johnson has good timing. He got out as the walls began to close in, however so slightly, on the music channel that has since 1980 earned a pass for being the only game in town.
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