Blackinformant.com – African-American culture, news commentary, politics

The 50 Million Pound Challenge The following is from the website (click here): Joining THE 50 MILLION POUND CHALLENGE means becoming part of something exciting, life-altering, historic, and tremendously beneficial! Not only for you, but to others in your family and community, as well as to future generations of African Americans. Why Join? Participating in The Challenge is not just about shedding those extra pounds — though that is critical to your health and ...More

(philly.com) "Over the last couple of months, mayoral candidates have suggested more police, more cameras on street corners, more offers of probation, stop-and-search procedures, and tougher punishments in the criminal justice system to address crime in Philadelphia. But the citizens haven't heard the whole story about what's been driving the violence in our neighborhoods. They haven't, for example, heard enough from antiviolence groups working the streets. Thus we are denied a ...More

Did you know that the Cricket World cup is currently going on in the West Indies? Like many Americans, Cricket isn't exactly one of those things we gather to watch on Monday night. I mean, when was the last time you saw a group of kids rockn' a Cricket jersey? Well, it's the weekend and a good time to brush up on the basics of the game. While I don't expect ...More

(nt.iol.co.za) Blacksburg - Virginia Tech student Jiyoun Yoo was terrified when she heard a gunman had rampaged through her campus, killing 32 people. When news broke on Tuesday that the gunman was a South Korean student, her fear took a new direction. "I'm from South Korea, so I am a little bit scared," said Yoo, 24, as she walked on campus. Only one person was responsible for the massacre, she said, ...More

I didn't know it was possible. (nsidebayarea.com) An African-American, Republican home-ownership consultant says he'll unseat Rep. Barbara Lee next year in part by mobilizing support from minority communities. "Barbara Lee is going to be hard to beat, but I believe I have a platform, I have a plan and if I carry out that plan correctly I will beat Barbara Lee in 2008 — I'm 100 percent confident," said Charles Hargrave, 47. Hargrave ...More

(buffalonews.com) When they agreed to compete in the National Science Bowl, five young women from the Buffalo Prep program knew they were part of something prestigious and intense. But Olivia Cox, Andrea Finley, Kerris Sease, Bianca Coleman and Sylvie Bizimungu didn’t immediately realize they were pioneers. By winning a regional competition in February in Rochester, they became the first all-female team to earn a spot in the national finals in the event’s ...More

According to Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times---"Yes!" (dispatch.com) While in Kenya last week, my wife, Ann, a teacher, visited Mukuru-Kayaba Primary School in a Nairobi slum, where the U.S. helps finance a lunch program that keeps kids coming to class. When she returned from the school visit, she remarked to me that there was a poster on the wall of the school showing Sen. Barack Obama and his ...More

Moving to a new server is usually pretty easy for me. This was not one of those times. Much of it was just waiting for my new server information to be refreshed out there throughout the Internet. Anyway, thanks for your patience. In the meantime, I have just completed an interview this week for the first BlackInformant.com Podcast. All the editing will be done over the weekend and will be ready ...More

I am in the process of moving this site over to a new server. Hopefully this will eliminate some of the errors some of you may have been receiving for a while. This process has taken a lot longer than I anticipated. Thanks for your patience. More

In light of the Imus situation, it appears that the momentum to expunge "anything that offends us" is now going towards the world of hip hop music. Like it or not, while hip hop is not responsible for all the social ills of society, it has done its share of glamorizing it. Hip hop of today is NOT a reflection of the poor and destitute in the country, it is ...More

Man, as I sit and watch the news coverage of the awful shooting that took place on the campus of Virginia Tech, in many ways I am still in shock. While it is so easy to get on the "blame train" and look for reasons or folks to blame, imagine if that was one of your children, brother or sister for a moment. I just saw a few of the ...More

APRIL 13, 2007 - NEW YORK, N.Y. - The following is a statement from Russell Simmons, Chairman, and Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network: "Hip-hop is a worldwide cultural phenomena that transcends race and doesn't engage in racial slurs. Don Imus' racially-motivated diatribe toward the Rutger's women's basketball team was in no way connected to hip-hop culture. As Chairman and President of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network ...More

(edmondsun.com) The New Orleans of today also is in a sense depending of the kindness of the strangers who have descended upon it since the flood waters generated by Hurricane Katrina engulfed it. Fifteen months after Katrina volunteers still are pouring into New Orleans. Many church groups from the Oklahoma City area have made several trips to that city and plan to return again. Some of those volunteers have detailed how ...More