Academy Awards Nomination - Here We Go Again!

Once again, there is dissatisfaction that the nominating committee for the Academy Awards did not take minorities into consideration when making the 2016 selections. Certain African American actors who were expected to be nominated were shut out with the selection of all White nominees. Yet, the all White nominations should not be a surprise since the majority of the committee are White males. But, even more disheartening is the fact that these African American actors continue to accept such unsatisfactory treatment. Similar to last year when they were shut out, these minority actors will once again get glammed up for this upcoming award show. While parading themselves, they will be photographed in the most expensive clothes and accessories as they pose on the red carpet. They will appear on stage gleefully reading the names of the awardees although some of their own names should have appeared on the list. They will attend the after Oscar parties so that they can be seen wining, dining, and dancing even with the same people who did not consider them for any nomination. The vanity that comes with being a "celebrity" will not allow these African-American actors to take a stance and send a message to the Academy Award committee by boycotting the award show.  These self-obsessed actors certainly will not give up being in the limelight of attention on a night when millions are watching the Academy Awards show. Last November, the Missouri University football team, even with their passion for playing football, threatened not to return to playing unless the administration took African American students' concerns seriously. These unselfish football players made a great difference not only for themselves but for an entire minority student population. We can go even farther back as the 1960s with the Montgomery Bus Boycott when African American made such a significant impact that resulted in changes not only in Montgomery but throughout the state and elsewhere. Until minority actors make an effort to demonstrate their opposition to the biases in the Academy Awards selections, then they should expect to continue to be ignored for any Oscar nomination. The public cannot fight these actors' battle. African-American actors must fight the battle themselves if they want to see any changes in the industry.
~ J.Y. Campbell

U.S. Foreign Embassies Making Millions

A report on the front page of a foreign country’s Sunday newspaper indicated that the United States embassy there acquired $25 million U.S. dollars so far this year from visa applications. In general, this information does not only show the massive income that the U.S. embassy has acquired from this particular country, but it is unimaginable how much billions in total visa income each year that the U.S. government must be earning from all their foreign embassies.  The newspaper also included information that 159,000 applicants have visited this U.S. embassy so far during this year. The U.S. Counsel General from this embassy indicated that 65% of applications are approved. However, contrary to his claim, on a good day, the majority of applicants who line up overnight or during the wee hours of the morning will not be successful in their visa bid. A low visa approval quota means that there is money to be made by foreign U.S. embassies in certain countries where so many of the vulnerable applicants, who struggle to gain the application fee, have no chance of getting a U.S. visitors’ visa.  The U.S. embassies come out on top, at the expense of these applicants, since the foreign agencies get to pocket the visa application fees without issuing any visas to so many.  Therefore, the foreign U.S. embassies are running a profitable business at the expense of so many.

Don't Want to Go Back 200 Years

Ancestry.com’s television commercials attract viewers who may be interested in locating their ancestors. Their recent commercial features African-American twins, and this has allowed the company to get their message across to Black viewers that they too have an opportunity to use the services. The twins are vibrant, convincing, and appealing as they talk about their experiences using the service …until one statement is made. The young man says that he would like to go back 200 years to meet his ancestors. A desire to want to meet ancestors is not an unusual wish. However, such a statement would have meant nothing and go unnoticed if these twins were not Black. Apparently, the producers let such a statement pass since they are ignorant that 200 years ago was 1815 during the height of slavery when slave families were being sold causing a separation of families rather than uniting loved ones. The twin, in making such an absurd statement, also seems ignorant that no Black person, who is aware of his/her history, would consider any desire to want to go back in history during a time when his/her ancestors suffered from mental and physical abuses daily. No one wants to go back to a time when they, too, would be considered slaves or free people with no rights. 

Hypocritical Worldwide Reaction

The recent bombing in France was a horrific incident that certainly deserves the overwhelming worldwide support in honor of the victims and country. Yet, where is this overwhelming support of public display for bombing victims and others affected by terrorist attacks in other countries?

Missouri Football Players Stand Up for their Rights!

Finally!!!  It is a pleasure to see young Black brothers standing up not only for what they believe in but representing other students of color on their campus. Protesting in the streets is just not enough to impact change for people of color. The protest of these young men brings hope that more people of color will engage in this type of protest that creates a significant impact not only on major events such as America's favorite sport but also on the bottom line which, in this case, is the loss in millions in revenue to the university if these young men do not play. Great job young men! Hats off to you! Stay the course as Black folks in Alabama did during the 1960s when they refused to ride on public transportation until they were granted the right to sit anywhere they chose instead of being ordered to sit at the back of the bus or give up their seats to the whites. The stance of these young men must be supported by all whose racial discrimination plea has gone unheard for so many years.

Petition to Fire Don Lemon Is Senseless

The BLM movement has made a great impact in publicly supporting the need for police officers to treat Blacks with respect when they are stopped for whatever reason. So, BLM's efforts in emphasizing the importance of Black lives is necessary especially with the continuous spate of unwarranted murders or mistreatment of Black men and women. However, the movement's involvement, through Jamell Henderson, in a Change.org petition to remove Don Lemon from his CNN news anchor post demonstrates that basic common sense is lacking in starting such a petition. Don Lemon, as any other anchor - Black or White, can ask whatever questions he wants and if the questions or his comments are not to anyone's liking, then they can easily switch channels in this democratic nation. Furthermore, Lemon's asking to obtain more facts is justified versus jumping to conclusions based solely on brief video that does not show prior footage in the Spring Valley classroom. For Jamell Henderson to presume that Don Lemon must rush to judgement prior to hearing all the facts in the Spring Valley High School case, simply because he is a Black man, is nonsense. Henderson's call for Lemon's firing is irresponsible especially when so many people have jumped on the bandwagon in support of such a simple-minded, silly request which will certainly not happen in the real world! There are more serious issues occurring in the United States to rally Black support through Change.org!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/10/30/student-walkout-backs-fired-deputy-sc-school/74874920/

A Cry of Racism for Indiscipline Children

Officer Ben Fields was fired for slamming a female student to the ground. Many are crying racism, but records show that he was involved in the mishandling of a White student. Nevertheless, the matter with the student at Spring Valley High School should not have escalated to the altercation as shown on the video. Teachers and educator are faced everyday with dealing with disruptive children who have no home training, so these students believe they can do whatever they want to inside a classroom and get away with it. All who are crying racism in this Spring Valley High School case should stop criticizing and come spend one day inside a classroom with some of these indiscipline students who are out-of-control. Surely, these critics would have a different opinion after they encounter students who are constantly on their phone texting, etc., etc., etc., instead of completing their classwork. Wonder what these critics would do if they were in the classroom everyday and had to deal with such students who have a habit of talking back and confronting the teacher?