African American Ballerinas Still Have A Very Long Way To Go

 Misty Copeland's rise to principal dance for ABT must be applauded. However, her achievement is a very small step in an industry that will not give any consideration to outstanding African American ballerinas with darker skin than Copeland. DePrince pictured above had to migrate to Holland to be recognized as an exceptional dancer. Her situation is a reminder during earlier years when African American musicians, entertainers, writers, etc. had to migrate to Europe where they were accepted and respected for their talents. Below is an article on DePrince's return visit to the U.S. to share her experiences with young African American ballet students. She must be commended for taking the time to make these youngsters know that with hard work, they have the ability to become premier ballerinas.....unfortunately not with closed-minded U.S. city ballet companies but in foreign countries where they will be given a chance. 

International Ballerina Michaela DePrince Teaches, Inspires At Miami Gardens Studio

PBS - Black Balerina Documentary

Miami Heat Can't But Carnival Cruise Line Can??!!

In April, when there was an announcement that the NBA would visit Havana, Cuba to conduct basketball clinics, the Mickey Arison owned Miami Heat management registered their objection to the NBA office and announced vehemently that no member of the team would be participating in such activities on the communist island. Their claim was that the Miami Heat did not receive prior notification of the NBA's plans. Today, the Mickey Arison owned Carnival Cruise Line announced that the company has been given the go-ahead in the United States to begin sailing to Cuba, and they are negotiating with the  Castro government to start taking passengers to the island next.year. In fact, Carnival Cruise Line has already begun taking bookings without the full commitment of the Castro government!!?? Now, this about face action seems like hypocrisy.  Guess money wins over politics! The basketball camps in Cuba would not have produced financial beneficial to the organization plus it may not have wanted to negatively stir up their large Cuban American basketball fans.  But, guess these fans don't matter when it comes to cruises to the Cuba since these sailing will certainly be a mega financial success for Arison.

U.S. Marketing/Media's Double Standards on Women Athletes

The U.S.A. women have won World Cup Soccer, 2015, and it is not only a time of joy for the country but a frenzy for the media, marketing firms and marketing personnel at major corporations. No doubt, there will be television interviews and product endorsement contracts offered to these women since they represent White America's standard of the "the all American girl next door". Yet, it is quite ironic to see that this overwhelming media and marketing interest in the women playing World Cup Soccer is not the same as, for instance, with women representing the U.S.A. track and field. Except for maybe Sanya Richards-Ross, other track and field women athletes who have won gold medals for the U.S.A. have been given little or no recognition by media and marketing firms. It is unfortunate that those women on the track and field team who work just as hard for the U.S.A. are not the marketing and media darlings as those who have won gold medals for the U.S.A. in the women's World Cup Soccer tournament.
~ J.Y. Campbell
.

$4 Million Pledges to Aid South Carolina Murderer of 9 Church Victims

It is absurd that a Go Fund Me page was started for Dylann Roof, the shooter of 9 innocent victims attending bible study at their South Carolina church. It is even more outrageous that this murderer received approximately $4 million dollars in donations during one weekend only before the page was taken down by the administrators of the website. This great support for a murderer goes to show that race relations in the United States has not been improving. There are still many who choose to live with hatred in their hearts for other races. 

$4 million Pledge for SC Murderer of 9

What Was Alberto Iber Thinking?

Alberto Iber supported the White police officer who manhandled the African American teenage girl and waved his gun at the other youngsters at the pool party in McKinney Texas. Iber said on his FaceBook page about the police's unacceptable behavior:  "He did nothing wrong. He was afraid for his life. I commend him for his actions." Well, people are entitled to their own opinion and freedom of speech gives anyone the right to make such a statement. However, if you are a Principal of a school with a student population of 99% minority with 90% of them Black, then the statement is quite alarming. Yes, Iber was until today the principal of North Miami Senior High School. Even the McKinney police chief have voiced his concern about the police officer's behavior. So, anyone would have to wonder that if  Alberto Iber has such respect for a police office who assaults Black teenage girls, what has he been thinking as he strolled through the hallways among the predominantly Black students at North Miami Senior High.

www.englishvibes.com

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article23616994.html#storylink=cpy

Norm for Captains to Abandon Ships?

It appears to be the new norm for a ship captain to abandon his ship and leave passengers to fend for themselves. Gone are the days when it was expected during a ship's sinking for captains to at least allow women and children to board life boats while he remained on board up until the end. Now, as recent cases have shown, a captain is the first to leave the vessel in an effort to save his own life. In 2012, the Costa Concordia captain not only ran the ship aground off the Italian coast but abandoned his ship leaving passengers and crew behind. Thirty-two passengers died. In 2014, while his ferry sank, the South Korean captain saved himself and left over 200 passengers to perish. Now, here we go again!  A Chinese ferry recently sunk and over 400 passengers are missing. Of course, the captain of the vessel is not one of the missing since he was identified as one of the 14 survivors. So, this unfortunate trend continues. As passengers go through the mandatory muster drill on a cruise, it is important to be mindful of how to evacuate a sinking ship since it is not in their best interest to believe that the captain will be around to save them.

Supreme Courts Ruling Against Job Applicant Discrimination

The Supreme Court's recent ruling on the discrimination case against Abercrombie & Fich is not only a victory for the the plaintiff who was not considered at a job interview because she wore a hijab representing her religious faith. The legal decision should also be significant for others who are discriminated against because they wear attire that represents their religious beliefs. This brings to mind religious groups such as the Sikhs or even the Rastafarians. In the case of the Rastafarians, they grow dread locks not because it is a fashion statement as popularly depicted by so many throughout the country. Rastafarians are part of a religious movement and even though some may wear a head wrap that distinguishes their faith, they also face discrimination similar to others whose attire signify their belief. So, with the Supreme Court decision, the law requires for employers to be more tolerant and not use a person's religion as a determining factor on how well they may perform on a job.