Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 13, 2008 at 9:23 a.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 13, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I guess my story on Australia's reconciliation with the Aborigines, is just something too inflamatory for some. Which is why this country will NEVER heal it's racial problems. We have people who want to keep the races divided, and sad to say Democrat, you agreed by having the story removed. If you are NOT part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Teach,
I lived in Australia for a while in the late 1960s, as did two of my uncles and their families. We were looking for cattle/farming property, thus spent a fair amount of time in the bush, the 'outback.' Aborigines (as an anthropological group) were/are not equipped for 'modern day' civilization, preferring to live as they have for eons in their own way, their own culture. I abhor any mistreatment of these native peoples, however, but you and others must understand their limitations. They have 'occasional' individual exceptions to this, however, but that is not to say they are mainstream or even average. They are some of the most primitive people on this planet. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Also, the term 'reconciliation' assumes there was some type of mutual or symbiotic relationship in the past that was shattered, and is just now being 'reconciled.' No search relationship ever existed between white Australia and aboriginal tribes. The fact of the matter is, you are correct - in my opinion we will never have mutually agreeable race relationships in this country. You can't mandate by government fiat that which is not natural. This is not a racist statement, and I don't care if you're red, yellow, brown, or white. The simple truth is that no society (civilization) has ever flourished for long where there are two or more completely divergent racial groups involved. Sorry to bust your idealistic bubble.

Posted by roberth33 (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 4:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

interesting perspective reb1843

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

roberth33,
The perspective outlined above is based on more than a casual review of man's history since Adam and Eve. I cannot recall a single instant where or when two or more completely diametric 'races' have lived in harmony and accord with one another for any length of time. In somebody's "Gee, can't we just all get along?" perspective this may exist but, in reality, it does not. There is no such animal as equal co-existance...not in business, not in a marriage, not on a team, or any other relationship involving people. These are not 'racial' statements as some will undoubtedly call them, but statements of anthropological fact. There is a big difference, you know.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 5:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

roberth33,
The perspective above is based on more than a casual review of man's history since Adam and Eve. I cannot recall a single instant where or when two or more completely diametric 'races' have lived in harmony and accord for any length of time. In somebody's "Gee, can't we just all get along?" perspective this may exist but, in reality, it does not. There is no such animal as equal co-existance...not in business, not in a marriage, not on a team, or any other relationship involving people. These are not 'racial' statements as some will undoubtedly call them, but statements of anthropological fact. There is a big difference, you know.

Posted by peaceout (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 12:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

this is the second time tonight that i've see ppl make an almost identical post 2 times. what is up with that?!

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 16, 2008 at 11:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thank you, reb1843, for taking the time out of your busy engineering/animal husbandry schedule to review the entirety of the history of mankind to explain that different races cannot get along. You have once again enlightened us all.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 17, 2008 at 1:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: A remembrance of important people and events.

41. Joseph Dickerson invented the arm for the record player.
42. Madeline M. Turner invented the fruit press.
43. A. L. Lewis invented a window cleaner.
44. David A. Fusher invented the furniture caster.
45. J. F. Pickering invented the air ship (Blimp)
46. Mildred a. Smith invented a family relationship card game.
47. Purdy & Sadgwar invented the folding chair.
48. Mary Moore invented a pain relief composition.
49. Larry Christie invented a pillow utilizing air/water.
50. Mary Kies invented a technique for weaving straw with silk.
*************************

DO YOU KNOW WHO DESIGNED A NEW AND IMPROVED GAS HEATING FURNACE TO KEEP YOU WARM??

On especially cold days, it's great to have that wonderful heating system in your house! Ever wonder who designed the system that keeps you warm today?

In 1919, Alice H. Parker of Morristown, New Jersey, invented a new and improved gas heating furnace that provided central heating.

****************************** It's Black History Month! Lets celebrate together!!!!!! ******************************

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 18, 2008 at 12:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

African-American Firsts: Military

Eugene Bullard (9 October 1894 – 12 October 1961) was the first African-American military pilot.

Combat pilot: Georgia-born Eugene Jacques Bullard, 1917, denied entry into the U.S. Army Air Corps because of his race, served throughout World War I in the French Flying Corps. He received the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor, among many other decorations.

He was born Eugene Jacques Bullard in Columbus, Georgia, in the United States of America. His father was known as "Big Chief Ox" and his mother was a Creek Indian; together, they had ten children. Bullard stowed away on a ship bound for Scotland to escape racial discrimination (he later claimed to have had witnessed his father's narrow escape from lynching as a child).

While in the United Kingdom he worked as a boxer and also worked in a music hall. On a trip to Paris he decided to stay and joined the French Foreign Legion upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Wounded in the 1916 battles around Verdun and awarded the Croix de Guerre, Bullard transferred to the Lafayette Flying Corps in the French Aéronautique Militaire and was eventually assigned to SPA 93 on 27 August 1917, where he flew some 20 missions and shot down two enemy aircraft (one of them unconfirmed).

With the entry of the United States into the war the US Army Air Service convened a medical board in August 1917 for the purpose of recruiting Americans serving in the Lafayette Flying Corps. Although he passed the medical examination, Bullard was not accepted into American service because blacks were barred from flying in U.S. service at that time. Bullard was discharged from the French Air Force after fighting with another officer while off-duty and was transferred to the 170th (French) Infantry Regiment on January 11, 1918, where he served until the Armistice.

Following the end of the war, Bullard remained in Paris. He began working in nightclubs and eventually owned his own establishment. He married the daughter of a French countess, but the marriage soon ended in divorce, with Bullard taking custody of their two daughters. His work in nightclubs brought him many famous friends, among them Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong and Langston Hughes. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Bullard, who spoke German, readily agreed to a request from the French to spy on German agents frequenting his club in Paris. (Bullard's Biography -- continues on next posting.)

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 18, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

After the German invasion of the French Third Republic in 1940, Bullard took his daughters and fled south from Paris. In Orléans he joined a group of soldiers defending the city and suffered a spinal wound in the fighting. He was helped to flee to Spain by a French spy, and in July 1940 he returned to the United States.

Bullard spent some time in a hospital in New York for his spinal injury, but he never fully recovered. During and after World War II, when seeking work in the United States, he found that the fame he enjoyed in France had not followed him to New York. He worked in a variety of occupations, as a perfume salesman, a security guard, and as an interpreter for Louis Armstrong, but his back injury severely restricted his activities. For a time he attempted to regain his nightclub in Paris, but his property had been destroyed during the Nazi occupation, and he received a financial settlement from the French government which allowed him to purchase an apartment in New York’s Harlem district.

In the 1950s, Bullard was a relative stranger in his own homeland. His daughters had married, and he lived alone in his apartment, which was decorated with pictures of the famous people he had known, and with a framed case containing his 15 French war medals. His final job was as an elevator operator at the Rockefeller Center, where his fame as the “Black Swallow of Death” was unknown.

In 1954, the French government invited Bullard to Paris to rekindle (together with two Frenchmen) the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, and in 1959 he was made a chevalier (knight) of the Légion d'honneur. Even so, he spent the last years of his life in relative obscurity and poverty in New York City where he died of stomach cancer on October 12, 1961. He was buried with military honors by French officers in the French War Veterans' section of Flushing Cemetery in the New York City borough of Queens.

In 1972, his exploits as a pilot were published in the book The Black Swallow of Death: The Incredible Story of Eugene Jacques Bullard, The World's First Black Combat Aviator by P.J. Carisella, James W. Ryan and Edward W. Brooke (Marlborough House, 1972). This book, with jacket art by famed WWI aviation illustrator George Evans, is part of the Bullard display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.

On 23 August 1994, 33 years after his death, and 77 years to the day after his rejection for U.S. military service in 1917, Eugene Bullard was posthumously commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

In 2006, the movie Flyboys loosely portrayed Bullard and his comrades from the Lafayette Flying Corps. Abdul Salis portrays Eugene Skinner, the character based on Bullard.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 18, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas,
My schedule is never too busy to enlighten you and others on the anthropological differences between the races. I am so glad you finally see the light. Now that you have learned something, please tell me ONE one country at any time that has co-existed for any length of time with two races? Haiti? Cuba? Name one African country (since all knowledge and civilization has its basis in that continent) that has emerged from out of the stone age in the last 100,000 years on its own accord. Inquiring minds want to know these answers. If you're having trouble with either, please let me know.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 18, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Looks like the good old USA is doing an okay job on coexisting with multiple races, despite your best engineering efforts.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 12:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the "AME Church", is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816.

African: The AME church was organized by people of African descent. The church was not founded in Africa, nor is it only for persons of African descent. The church is open to people of all races.

Methodist: The church's roots are in the Methodist church. Members of St. George's Methodist Church left the congregation when faced with racial discrimination, but continued with the Methodist doctrine and the order of worship.

Episcopal: The AME church operates under an Episcopal form of church government. The denomination leaders are Bishops of the church. Episcopal, in this sense, refers to the form of government under which the church operates.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has a unique history in that it is the first major religious denomination in the Western World that had its origin over sociological rather than theological beliefs and differences, and the first African-American organized and incorporated denomination in the US. The AME church is also the church that sponsored the first independent historical black college, Wilberforce University. The church was born in protest against slavery—against dehumanization of African people, brought to the American continent as free labor. This fit well with the Methodist church's philosophy since its founder John Wesley had once called the slave-trade "that execrable sum of all villanies".

The AMEC grew out of the Free African Society(FAS) which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. The church was organized by African-American members of St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church. The incident that led to this was the removal of Absalom Jones (1746–1818) from St. George's by the trustees while he was in the act of prayer. The congregation supported the act of the trustees, and Allen and Jones led the African-American members out of St. George's as a body. Allen went on to form the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1793. In general, they adopted the doctrines and form of government of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Jones affiliated with the Protestant Episcopal Church and would go on to become the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church.

(AME profile continues on the following posting.)

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 12:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

When officials at St. George’s MEC pulled blacks off their knees while praying, FAS members discovered just how far American Methodists would go to enforce racial discrimination against African Americans. Hence, these members of St. George’s made plans to transform their mutual aid society into an African congregation. Although most wanted to affiliate with the Protestant Episcopal Church, Allen led a small group who resolved to remain Methodists. In 1794 Bethel AME was dedicated with Allen as pastor. To establish Bethel’s independence from interfering white Methodists, Allen, a former Delaware slave, successfully sued in the Pennsylvania courts in 1807 and 1815 for the right of his congregation to exist as an independent institution. Because black Methodists in other middle Atlantic communities encountered racism and desired religious autonomy, Allen called them to meet in Philadelphia to form a new Wesleyan denomination, the AME.

While the AME is doctrinally Methodist, clergy, scholars, and lay persons have written important works which demonstrate the distinctive theology and praxis which have defined this Wesleyan body. Bishop Benjamin W. Arnett, in an address to the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, reminded the audience of the presence of blacks in the formation of Christianity. Bishop Benjamin T. Tanner wrote in 1895 in The Color of Solomon – What? that biblical scholars wrongly portrayed the son of David as a white man. In the post civil rights era theologians James Cone, Cecil W. Cone, and Jacqueline Grant who came out of the AME tradition critiqued Euro-centric Christianity and African American churches for their shortcomings in fully impacting the plight of those oppressed by racism, sexism, and economic disadvantage.

BELIEFS

The AME Motto, "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, Man Our Brother", reflects the basic beliefs of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The basic foundations of the beliefs of the church can be summarized in the The Apostles' Creed and The Twenty Five Articles of Religion.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas, all I see from you is 'all hat and no cattle.' If America is, then, the shining light of racial mixing and co-existance, why are we still having this discussion? Why are blacks always up in arms about their plight? Can you name another country besides the US that has coexisted in racial harmony where the majority has gone overboard to 'protect' and uplift the minority? Still to be answered by you or any other is the African country that has emerged as some culturally elite, civilized nation on its own merit without some form of white oversight and guidance?
Sentas, you seem to keep throwing my 'engineer' - 'animal husbandry' lifestyle as a smokescreen against answering very basic questions. But, on further reflection, that's the MO of all black apologists.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The US is pretty far along on the path to racial harmony, and once all the old coots like you get out of the way, we’ll be even further along. We’re having this “discussion” because one of us thinks we can do better - things are far from perfect. And because the other of us seeks out every opportunity to put down black people.

European countries have their racial problems as well in terms of racial harmony, but in many respects they are far along, too. Just because it hasn’t worked in every country doesn’t mean it can’t work – or isn’t already working.

I’ve ignored your question about African countries because I know where your argument’s going, and it proves nothing. There are no great African countries. But the reasons why go far beyond the need for, as you say, “white oversight and guidance.”

And one more thing: I keep throwing out the engineer/animal stuff because you seem so darn proud of all your storied accomplishments. More importantly, you have several times pointed to your advanced engineering knowledge as a reason to believe the drivel you spew out. So that’s fair game. If anyone’s interested, it’s mildly amusing to go through the Engineer’s posts to see what a healthy regard he has for his own accomplishments and intellect. The guy doesn’t own ten horses for nothing!

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas, you've partially answered the questions, but not as you might have expected. The points I am making (and, which you unwittingly acknowledge) is that racial harmony is not 'well and good' in this or any other country because it has been forced on all of us by federal law, not by mutual consent or agreement. Just because it is the 'law' doesn't make it a good one. Abortion may be the law, but that doesn't make it acceptable to many. The simple fact remains: two divergent racial groups cannot co-exist for very long - "long" as it relates to history - not a few years or even a few hundred years. Consider this: If we are free, then we are not all equal. If we are equal, then we are not all free. I don't mean slavery 'freedom.'
My argument on a 'great' African nation proves much more than you will admit. If 'blackness' is so great, if being a member of this racial group is so superior, why then has not one single nation of any consequence ever come from the mother land in all the milennia of history? Forget white involvement in Africa of any kind. The great black accomplishments bandied about by ijohnson and others have come about because they (blacks) have come under 'white oversight and guidance,' not thru any inherent genius on their part. If that were the case, the hundreds of millions of blacks in Africa would have invented the rest of the world, and we could all take a seat and enjoy.
Yes, I am proud of my accomplishments. Why should I not be? Through hard work, study, perseverence, patience, thrift, and application have I been able to enjoy the benefits of my efforts. I do not suffer a terminal case of WGS (White Guilt Syndrome) as some do. And, I choose to have horses because I breed and show them, to improve the qualities of bloodlines through their offspring, by matching superior with superior traits. I like their company. They teach patience, humility, compassion, with the goal of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship. As far as being an engineer, we deal with common sense, logic, and provable facts - not platitudes and rhetoric.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow, this is actually like talking to a secesh soldier.

I guess it's about time you got over desegregation, and most of us are dealing with it pretty well. Is racial harmony perfect? No. Are we living in a civil society that seems to be surviving integration? Oh yeah. You can live in a hole and deny it, but the rest of us are moving on.

Who said that one race was superior to another one? Not me. You're contorting every reasonable argument. Nobody here has said that the black race is better than the white race, although you do seem to be advocating for the reverse.

My engineering friends are some of the smartest people I know. But they don't use their occupation or degree as a safety blanket like you do. That's what, as they say, seperates the men from the boys.

"To improve the qualities of bloodlines through their offspring, by matching superior with superior traits." You're a scary dude, German Engineer. Stick to East Texas.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, I guess every canine, feline, porcine, equine, and bovine breeder in the world has it all wrong. Heaven forbid if they should breed an inferior to a superior in order to better the stock. They should all come to Sentas for animal husbandry advice and counsel.
Actually, "Honest" Abe Lincoln said on numerous occasions the white race was superior to the black race, and advocated such. I can give you dates and circumstances if you like. There is nothing 'racist' about protecting and preserving one's own. It is the most natural thing in the world.
I do not use engineering as a 'safety blanket' at all. I don't have to. And, I never cared for Germans very much.
Sentas, again, you thrill us with your babble-speak and casting stones in your teflon house. I invite healthy debate and discourse, but you offer NOTHING of substance - just touchy-feely sentiments.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think it's just that your approach to animal husbandry seems to inform your understanding of human society. That's what's creepy about you, Herr Purebred.

You've run out of arguments.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 1:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas, try as you might, I come from pure Scot-Irish stock, so the Germanic accusation 'don't hunt' here. The only German I like is their chocolate cake. You seem fixated on Nazis. What's up with that?

And, you still have not developed any substance to your tired diatribe of 'wishing and hoping.' I don't think you can handle the truth regarding racial issues. Present your case and we'll go from there.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Get out of the way.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Just as I thought...

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Are you looking for facts to prove that black people are equal to white people, Herr Engineer? Or that we can actually get along? Or that black people are capable of greatness even without, as you say, "white oversight and guidance"?

You might as well be asking me to explain gravity, or how the world is round. It's not worth my time. All I'm asking is for you and your ilk to just get out of the way so that the rest of us can carry on with getting along with one another.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas, I do not expect any answers from you as they would be too much to ask. I'll answer them for you:
1. No - white people and black people are NOT equal, except in protection under the law.
2. No - white people and black people will NOT get along, because of their inherent anthropological differences.
3. No - black people have proven over the milennia that, left to themselves, they are incapable of 'greatness.'

Describing gravity and why the earth is round is quite simple, but I'll get out of your way now, as I do not want to interfere with you celebrating the rest of BHM.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay, that's all I wanted to hear, Herr. Now I can officially file you away in the "old kooks" drawer.

Thanks for the clarity.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 3:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You're welcome, Miss Sentas.

Signed,

Young Herr German Engineer/Kook/Purebred Horse Breeder/Secesh Soldier/Scary Dude/Creepy, etc.

PS...you prove another point. Not once in my communications to you did I call you a name. As a matter of fact, I have gone out of my way to be civil to you while you resort to various name callings. Didn't your mama teach you manners?

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 4:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You are correct that you have manufactured a tone of civility - one that barely masks some of the most consistently offensive thinking on this site. Courtly language is no substitute for noble thinking and discourse.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And not once has sentas answered any questions. So much for "knowledge".
BTW Reb, what breed of horses do you have? We used to breed Apps but I cried everytime I had to sell a baby! LOL

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ah, freedom42, a breath of fresh air! Hallelujah! And, you are very observant that Sentas does not answer any questions other than continue to cast stones in my direction, diverting from the real issues.
I have 14 registered Peruvian Pasos, and one registered Paint gelding. I am a 'Parelli' natural horsemanship student. The Pasos are 4-beat lateral gaited, smoothest ride this side of a Rolls-Royce. Stallions don't breed until around 6-7, and we do ground work for the first 3-4 years, then train to ride after that. I'm also looking for a MFT gelding. Appies are magnificent animals, but I prefer the gaited breeds since I mostly do trail riding.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 5:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"So much for 'knowledge.'" I couldn't have said it better myself. Freedom, I assume this means you agree with Secesh's assertions:

"1. No - white people and black people are NOT equal, except in protection under the law.
2. No - white people and black people will NOT get along, because of their inherent anthropological differences.
3. No - black people have proven over the milennia that, left to themselves, they are incapable of 'greatness.'"

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 5:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas, it is apparent you cannot defend a single one of the above three (3) items. If so, please elucidate with historical fact and figures, not just more blah-blah. That's easy to do. Answer No. 3 first, and stick to Africa where the greatest number of blacks have lived since the dawn of time. There should be plenty of history to tell the story.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I have ridden Paso's before - very beautiful and so easy to ride. I watch the Parelli's on RFD TV whenever I can, but haven't had a chance to really study the method. Have you ever done endurance riding? We had gotten into that before oldest daughter went to college. She had a wonderful Morgan/Arab cross, very small - just over 14 hands but could whip the pants off some of the pure-bred Arabians. Horses are not allowed to race before 5 yrs. old, and there are vet checks every 15 miles or so. It's a really great sport for the whole family. My current horse is a TW/welsh pony cross. I love her to death, we have a lot of fun, and we to do mostly trail riding now. Enjoy your horses and dogs, I have found they are a lot better company than most people.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 6:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Freedom42, I've been to several Parelli clinics, and I'm at Level II, thus the need for a non-gaited horse to do lead changes. I much prefer the gaited mounts. Have not tried endurance but would like to go back up to MT, WY, or CO to do a 4-5 day trail ride. As you know, PPasos do not attain great height - 14 to 15 hds is good. I'm not into the 'cowboy' stuff (reining, cutting, roping, etc.) but like to get on one of my horses and just 'go.' Yep, I find horses and dogs mostly preferable to people. There is the old saying, "An average dog is better than an average person." Take care.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Herr Reb, it is clear to most people that horses do not make better lovers than humans, although you clearly disagree. Please elucidate with facts, figures and personal experience. You should have plenty of personal history to tell the story. Otherwise, the rest of us college-educated ignoramuses will continue to believe that horses do not make better lovers than humans.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 12:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

(¯`•.¸ With much love and admiration, I post the following profile of "Uncle Jesse"; a man's whose family is closely tied to mine. His death was a tragic end to a great life. ¸.•´¯)

JESSE L. BROWN

Jesse LeRoy Brown (13 October 1926 – 4 December 1950) was the first African-American naval aviator in the United States Navy.

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Brown enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1946 and was appointed a Midshipman, at the Ohio State University NROTC the following year. After attending Navy pre-flight school and flight training, he was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1948. Midshipman Brown was then assigned to Fighter Squadron 32. He received his commission as Ensign in April 1949.

During the Korean War, his squadron operated from USS Leyte (CV-32), flying F4U-4 Corsair fighters in support of United Nations forces. On 4 December 1950, while on a close air support mission near the Chosin Reservoir, Ensign Brown's plane was hit by enemy fire and crashed. Despite heroic efforts by other aviators, notably LT(jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., he could not be rescued and died in his aircraft. Ensign Jesse L. Brown was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his Korean War combat service.

USS Jesse L. Brown (DE-1089) was named in honor of Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown.

Place of birth Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Place of death KIA, aircraft hit by enemy fire and crashed.
Allegiance United States of America

Service/branch United States Navy

Years of service 1946–1950
Rank Ensign

Unit Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32)
USS Leyte (CV-32)

Battles/wars Battle of Chosin Reservoir
Korean War

Awards Distinguished Flying Cross

(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸,ø¤º° Let’s celebrate Black History Month together!!! °º¤ø,¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Frau Sentas,
What in the world are you babbling about? Horse vs. human lovers??? What's with that? You seem to know a lot about the subject to comment in such a manner. You obviously wasted time and money on your college 'education' to become such an 'ignoramus.'

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm merely staking out an absurd claim for you and forcing you to defend it. This seems to be a form of "discussion" that you're comfortable with.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Defend what, pray tell? What does horse vs. human have to do with your 'absurd claim'? If you want me to defend something, be specific - not obscure.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 8:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Why don't you start by explaining how black people and white people aren't actually equal? We'd love to hear that. Maybe as part of that we can hear about their "inherent anthropological differences."

Or in other words, time to go to the bookshelf get out your white pride pamphlets - but please, no direct plagiarism.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas, I CAN defend my position on the 'equality' issue but, as others have observed here, you have not defended ONE item. You can plagiarize all you want in order to defend such a belief. I don't need 'white pride' pamphlets to prove my point on all three items mentioned above. It only requires common sense, logic, and irrefutable historical evidence. You may think otherwise, but I am not trying to belittle black people, only it is you and others who constantly divert the real truth of the matter. Unfortunately, this forum will not last long enough or provide a platform from which to discuss in detail much of the above.
I presented THREE items above for your defense. I would suggest Item #3 as a starting point - in Africa - since that is where it all began according to black apologists.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

So you can, but you refuse because "this forum will not last long enough or provide a platform from which to discuss in detail much of the above." More lofty excuses from Herr Reb.

Figures.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

sentas reminds me of someone who used to post under the name hoodrat. All they could do was repeat what had been said earlier without one single original thought or fact. Saw an interesting but troublesome special last night on the genocide in Rwanda. Tribes killing each other right down to the babies. Now tell me again how wonderful and enlightened Africa is.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay, Sentas, here we go. You get to highlight all the accomplishments of your motherland, without the "oversight and guidance" (my words) of the evil white man. Without the Caucasian's interference and debilitating influence:

1. Name one African country that has established and maintained a government and society evenly remotely close to European or American standards of civilization.
2. Name one African city the equal of say, Rome or Paris, or even Natchez.
3. Name one African equal to Albert Einstein or Alex. G. Bell.
4. Name one African equal to Mozart or Beethoven.
5. Name one African equal to Shakespeare or Wadsworth.
6. Name one African equal to Jonas Salk or Madame Curie.
7. Name one African equal to Van Gogh or Renoir.
8. Name one African equal to William Faulkner or Eudora Welty.

I could go on, but I'll leave the rest to you.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

reb I think you should have phrased that "one African in Africa - born and raised there - equal to............"

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Freedome42, if Sentas can't figure that out, we're in for a real treat. The point is, if being African is so great as is touted in this forum, there should be a mountain of evidence to that effect. Unfortunately, she will not be able to profer one example to the above very simple comparisons, but there will be a ton of reasons and/or excuses for why not. I'm just asking for home-grown proofs of African 'equality' without the influence of outsiders.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Not only are you avoiding my request for some answers, you're failing a basic test of logic.

By the way, I have never argued here that Africa is "so wonderful and enlightened." Nor have I claimed that it's superior. All I've claimed is that people of African heritage are equal to those of, say, Caucasian heritage. That's all. You dispute this, but only answer with more questions.

Why don't we list all the famous Americans who came from Ferriday, and compare that list to all the famous Americans who came from Vidalia? On that basis, Ferriday wins. Is Ferriday superior to Vidalia? No. In fact, on the face of it, it's a ridiculous, reductionist question. As is yours.

And no, I'm not African-American or even black.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

We all know we can live together in harmony, what nonsense

Forgiveness and love from all sides

This is not just a white/black country anyway

Let it go, the racist thing , blacks are proud of their heritage, that's good, how else will so many of the downtrodden overcome their seemingly inate depression and inferiority complex,

whites are also due respect same as any other

let's be brothers

and quit trying to rag each other and insist on WINNING something, there is nothing to win but for us to live together and prosper each for his own family.

I promise to bury my hatchet, I grew up having been a victim of desegregation and forced busing and all that, but it's all in the past, if we work together things will work out for the best for us all. We've all suffered, now let's heal.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I worked for Alcorn for ten years and suffered many prejudices and discrimination, so I know what that's like
But I'm letting all that go, it's in the past, I want to move on to a better way of life, I'm very blessed to be here in Natchez amongst so many GOOD people, there are a lot of things that will never change, but I know I can change the way I think and do

like I said, I promise to bury my hatchet and love all my Natchez friends, whether you believe that or not

I think all of us can do that if we want to and I'm not even a devout Christian, (I should go to Church more often).

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 11:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

sentas, jjohnson, teach4peace, missmagnolia, et al--

in celebration of Black History Month:

two BLACK men that were like second fathers to me

Dr. Jesse Harness - the Director of Alcorn Cooperative Extension Service- taught me many things about life and how to succeed, I love him dearly and will never forget the kindness and love he showed me, we worked together and brought economic development to small farmers across Mississippi

Dr. James Garner- of Mississippi State Univ, my direct mentor and Professor of Horticulture- guided me through graduate school , helped me find funds for school, taught me how to work and stay focused on my goals, I'll never forget him and how he helped me through times when I wanted to give up

these men took me under their wing and I wouldn't be who I am today without them, I owe them a debt of gratitude that I will never really be able to repay, but I pay tribute to them here

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think that's a hell of a post, Krogers. And I thank you for it.

Reb, you think these guys are equal to white people?

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sentas, I really don't care what color, creed, or nationality you are or whether you believe in the tooth fairy and great pumpkin. However, to set the record straight, Sentas admits that Africa the continent has not and cannot produce any comparisons to Anglo-European accomplishments, so African traits of civilization, culture, etc. are lost in the mists of time and will continue unabated for eons to come.
Now comes the easy part - Item 1 - but which will undoubtedly create the most controversy. All whites are not equal. All blacks are not equal. Therefore, all whites and blacks are not equal. We are not equal intellectually, emotionally, physically, or any other "ly" word you can think of. We are only equal as it applies to federal laws that have been forced on all of us. Only by association with whites here in America have blacks been able to achieve anything remotely resembling 'accomplishments' such as listed by ijohnson. Does anyone think all this stuff just automatically popped into their heads when they landed in the colonies? Blacks have 'piggy-backed' off white civilization since they first landed in the early 1600s. Whites taught them to read, write, become 'Christians,' etc. Without the influence and oversight of whites, blacks in America would not have 'advanced' any further than their African ancestors over the last 10 million years. Blacks used to clamor for equal opportunity. Not being satisfied with that, now they demand equal results. That's like me saying, "I can't compete with Tiger Woods; I demand that my score be adjusted to 10 under par for each tournament I enter."

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I have the upmost regard for those in Africa who are working to make their country better. It is those so called Africans in the U.S. that want to make their "home" continent sound so wonderful that irritate me. It's like me saying I would have been better off working the coal mines of Wales. This country has made us all better, and given more people the opportunity to become rich, famous, or even just content than any other country or continent on the Earth. Just visit some other places and you can see that.

Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Freedom, in all sincerity I think that you're slightly misinterpreting what people are saying. Taking a cue from Krogers, I say that in a purely reconciliatory way. I think all most black people are looking for is the ability to take some time to focus on their heritage, since slavery had such a profound influence on that heritage. I don't know many black people who claim the superiority of Africa, or who want to return there. They just want to be able to acknowledge that their roots are there, and consider what that means to them as black people in America today. Which really, really isn't so much, I don't think, and even if you disagree with it, doesn't really do anyone a lick of harm. Even the letter above doesn't make a claim for superiority of any sort.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 8:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry sentas, I don't think I am misunderstanding. I once worked with a girl who used to complain because according to her she could be a princess in Africa if her family hadn't been brought over here as slaves. I know several others like her. What I am saying is that we are all Americans, we all originally come from different countries (except of course Native Americans) so why do most black people insist on the hyphen? That is my gripe. If we want to be one people, then we need to act like it and call ourselves by the same name - Americans. I'm not asking blacks to give up their heritage, I'm only asking that they appreciate the fact that not everyone cares about it.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 1:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

African-American FIRSTS

Nobel Peace Prize
Scholar and diplomat Ralph J. Bunche became, in 1950, the first African American to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche received the award for his role as the architect of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping efforts and for having negotiated the four armistice agreements that halted the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. In 1955 Bunche was named the UN's Undersecretary for Special Political Affairs; in that capacity he oversaw UN peacekeeping operations in some of the most heated conflicts around the world. United States President John F. Kennedy awarded Bunche the nation's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom, in 1963.

Novel
In 1853 William Wells Brown wrote Clotel; or, The President's Daughter, the first novel by an African American author. First published in England, Clotel is a fictional account of slave children allegedly fathered by United States president Thomas Jefferson. The first novel published in the United States by an African American author was also the first novel published by a black American woman, Harriet Wilson. Her novel Our Nig (1859) details the difficulties faced by Northern free blacks. (See the Africana Library of Black America, within the Encarta Reference Library, for the complete text of both Clotel and Our Nig. The library also includes Brown's autobiography, Narrative of William W. Brown, and his collection of abolitionist hymns, The Anti-Slavery Harp.)

Poem
In 1746 Lucy Terry, an African-born slave in Rhode Island, composed the first known poem by a black American: "Bar's Fight." The poem, which was not published until 1855, describes a Native American raid against white settlers in New England. In 1773 poet Phillis Wheatley became the first African American to publish a book, entitled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Considered the founder of African American literature, Wheatley is perhaps best remembered for her poem "On Being Brought from Africa to America," which describes her experience coming to America as a seven-year-old child and as a slave. (See the Africana Library of Black America, within the Encarta Reference Library, for the Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley, which includes the complete text of her book as well as her letters and poems from other sources.)

Pulitzer Prize
In 1950 poet and novelist Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize, which she received for her second book of poetry, Annie Allen (1949).

Brooks was praised throughout her writing career for poems that grapple with issues of art, identity, race, gender, and the relation between literature and popular culture. (Hear Gwendolyn Brooks read from her poetry in Encarta Africana, part of the Encarta Reference Library.)

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Posted by sentas (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Freedom, our families came here because they wanted to. They weren't shoved into boats and forced to work in fields. I think that's a big, big difference - and more than enough reason for black people to understand and examine their roots.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 22, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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African-American FIRSTS

Who was the first African-American in Space?

Guion S. Bluford Jr.

Bluford, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, became a NASA astronaut in August 1979. He launched into space on August 30, 1983, aboard the Challenger, on the Space Shuttle's third mission. He served on three more NASA missions and logged over 688 hours in space before leaving NASA in July 1993.

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Who was the first African-American Astronaut?

Robert H. Lawrence Jr.

He became an astronaut on June 10, 1967. Tragically, Lawrence never made it into space. A short time later, he was killed when his plane crashed during a training flight.

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Who was the first African-American to walk in space?

Bernard A. Harris Jr.

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Who was the first African-American woman in space?

Mae C. Jemison

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Who was the First African-American Space Shuttle Commander

Frederick D. Gregory

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Who was the first African-American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor?

Sergeant William H. Carney, He received the medal for bravery under fire in 1863, and was cited for gallantry in the charge of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers on Fort Wagner in the Charleston, South Carolina, harbor on July 18, 1863. From the Spanish American War to the Korean War, Blacks were denied Congressional Medals of Honor because of their race.

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Who was the first African-American awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor after the Spanish American War?

Pfc. William Thompson of Brooklyn, N.Y., who was cited posthumously on June 21, 1951 for heroism during the Korean War.

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Who was he first African-American graduate of the West Point Military Academy?

Henry O. Flipper of Georgia, who was admitted on July 1, 1873 and graduated on June 15, 1877.

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Who was the first African-American student at West Point?

James W. Smith of South Carolina, who was admitted on July 1, 1870. He left the Academy on June 26, 1874 without receiving a degree.

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Who was the first African-American graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy?

Wesley A. Brown, who received his degree on June 3, 1949.

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Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 22, 2008 at 4:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Krogers,

Dr. Harness is a very nice guy. I've known him and his family all of my life. I went through grade school with one of his sons, and we graduated from high school together. His wife was my 11th grade English teacher, and is one of the reason's why English is my favorite subject. She is one of the sweetest ladies I know.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 23, 2008 at 1:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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First African American Senator

HIRAM REVELS (R-MS)
1851-1877

On February 25, 1870, visitors in the Senate galleries burst into applause as Mississippi senator-elect Hiram Revels of Mississippi entered the chamber to take his oath of office. Those present knew that they were witnessing an event of great historical significance. Revels was about to become the first African American to serve in the Senate.

Born 42 years earlier to free black parents in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Revels became an educator and minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. During the Civil War, he helped form regiments of African American soldiers and established schools for freed slaves. After the war, Revels moved to Mississippi, where he won election to the state senate. In recognition of his hard work and leadership skills, his legislative colleagues elected him to one of Mississippi's vacant U.S. Senate seats as that state prepared to rejoin the Union.

Revels' credentials arrived in the Senate on February 23, 1870, and were immediately blocked by a few members who had no desire to see a black man serve in Congress. Masking their racist views, they argued that Revels had not been a U.S. citizen for the nine years required of all senators. In their distorted interpretation, black Americans had only become citizens with the passage of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, just four years earlier. Revels' supporters dismissed that statement, pointing out that he had been a voter many years earlier in Ohio and was therefore certainly a citizen.

Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner brought the debate to an end with a stirring speech. "The time has passed for argument. Nothing more need be said. For a long time it has been clear that colored persons must be senators." Then, by an overwhelming margin, the Senate voted 48 to 8 to seat Revels.

Three weeks later, the Senate galleries again filled to capacity as Hiram Revels rose to make his first formal speech. Seeing himself as a representative of African American interests throughout the nation, he spoke—unsuccessfully as it turned out—against a provision included in legislation readmitting Georgia to the Union. He correctly predicted that the provision would be used to prohibit blacks from holding office in that state.

When Hiram Revels' brief term ended on March 3, 1871, he returned to Mississippi, where he later became president of Alcorn College (now known as Alcorn State University).

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Posted by murph1 (anonymous) on February 23, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

sentas there were plenty of poor white people sent to america to work and do other things. people were forced to come over and work if they owed a debt. im sure that they were torn from their families just as the slaves from africa were. so why dont we have a european history month?

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 24, 2008 at 1:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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Great African-Americans -- Quiz

Test you knowledge on great African-Americans. How many questions can you answer correctly without peeking?

1. What is the name of the great civil rights leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize and was assassinated in 1968?
2. What is the name of the first African-American who served on the US Supreme Court?
3. What is the name of the woman who helped hundreds of other escaped slaves flee to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad?
4. What is the name of the Haitian-French pioneer and trader who founded the settlement that would later become Chicago?
5. What is the name of the scientist who developed hundreds of products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, pecans, and soybeans, revolutionizing agriculture in the South?
6. What is the name of the scientist who developed the idea of the blood bank, saving innumerable human lives?
7. What is the name of the explorer and colleague of Robert E. Peary who was in the first group of people to visit the North Pole?
8. What is the name of the ex-slave who founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama?
9. What is the name of the first African-American woman to go into space?
10. What is the name of the first African-American to play major league baseball?
11. What is the name of the woman who refused to give up her bus seat, prompting a city-wide bus boycott? This eventually resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses is unconstitutional.
12. What is the name of the African-American athlete who won many medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games?
13. What is the name of the inventor whose high-quality industrial inventions were the basis for the expression "the real McCoy"?
14. What is the name of the first African-American woman to be elected as a U.S. congresswoman from the deep South?
15. What is the name of the slave who sued for his freedom and lost, in a major Supreme Court case before the Civil War?

How did you do???? Well, let's see what the answers reveal.

ANSWERS:

1. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Thurgood Marshall
3. Harriet Tubman
4. Jean-Baptist-Point Du Sable
5. George Washington Carver
6. Dr. Charles Richard Drew
7. Matthew Alexander Henson
8. Booker T. Washington
9. Mae C. Jemison
10. Jackie Robinson
11. Rosa Parks
12. Jesse Owens
13. Elijah McCoy
14. Barbara Jordan
15. Dred Scott

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 25, 2008 at 12:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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Armstrong, Louis
Daniel Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) was a great jazz trumpet player, composer, and singer. He was nicknamed Satchmo because some people said that his mouth was like a satchel. Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and soon became a well-known cornet player in clubs and on riverboats along the Mississippi River. He became world famous for his incredible musical talent, especially his improvised solos. Armstrong also sang "scat," a style in which nonsense words are used in a song. Armstrong was featured in many recordings, television shows, and movies. Armstrong celebrated his birthday on July 4.

Rillieux, Norbert
Norbert Rillieux (March 17, 1806-October 8, 1894) was an African-American inventor and engineer who invented a device that revolutionized sugar processing. Rillieux's multiple effect vacuum sugar evaporator (patented in 1864) made the processing of sugar more efficient, faster, and much safer. The resulting sugar was also superior. His apparatus was eventually adopted by sugar processing plants all around the world.

Baldwin, James
James Baldwin (Aug. 2, 1924-Dec. 1, 1987) was a very important American author who wrote about the struggle of being black in America. James was the oldest of nine children and was born into poverty in Harlem, New York. He spent much of his youth reading. James' mother was a domestic worker (a maid) and his strict, cruel stepfather was a factory worker and preacher (who died in a mental hospital in 1943). James was a preacher himself for three years when he was a teenager. The author Richard Wright was James' early writing mentor. Baldwin's first book, the semi-autobiographical Go Tell It On the Mountain, was published in 1953 and is considered to be a classic American novel. Baldwin lived in France for many years, distancing himself from American life in order to examine it; Baldwin wrote, "Once you find yourself in another civilization, you're forced to examine your own." A pacifist, Baldwin participated in the Southern school desegregation struggle of the 1960s and marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. Baldwin wrote extensively about the Civil Rights Movement, including The Fire Next Time and Notes of a Native Son. Throughout his life, Baldwin used his enormous writing talent to work for racial equality. Baldwin wrote, "I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." and "Artists are here to disturb the peace." Baldwin died at the age of 63 at home in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France.

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 26, 2008 at 2:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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First Black Elected to Head Harvard's Law Review

The Harvard Law Review, generally considered the most prestigious in the country, elected the first black president in its 104-year history today. The job is considered the highest student position at Harvard Law School.

The Harvard Law Review, generally considered the most prestigious in the country, elected the first black president in its 104-year history today. The job is considered the highest student position at Harvard Law School.

The new president of the Review is Barack Obama, a 28-year-old graduate of Columbia University who spent four years heading a community development program for poor blacks on Chicago's South Side before enrolling in law school. His late father, Barack Obama, was a finance minister in Kenya and his mother, Ann Dunham, is an American anthropologist now doing fieldwork in Indonesia. Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii.

''The fact that I've been elected shows a lot of progress,'' Mr. Obama said today in an interview. ''It's encouraging.
''But it's important that stories like mine aren't used to say that everything is O.K. for blacks. You have to remember that for every one of me, there are hundreds or thousands of black students with at least equal talent who don't get a chance,'' he said, alluding to poverty or growing up in a drug environment.

What a Law Review Does

Law reviews, which are edited by students, play a double role at law schools, providing a chance for students to improve their legal research and writing, and at the same time offering judges and scholars a forum for new legal arguments. The Harvard Law Review is generally considered the most widely cited of the student law reviews.

On his goals in his new post, Mr. Obama said: ''I personally am interested in pushing a strong minority perspective. I'm fairly opinionated about this. But as president of the law review, I have a limited role as only first among equals.''
Therefore, Mr. Obama said, he would concentrate on making the review a ''forum for debate,'' bringing in new writers and pushing for livelier, more accessible writing.

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 27, 2008 at 1:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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"It's my belief that God gives us all gifts, special abilities that we have the privilege of developing to help us serve Him and humanity."

* BENJAMIN CARSON
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Dr. Benjamin Carson, one of the world's most gifted surgeons, made medical history in 1987 when he performed the first successful separation of occipital craniopagus (joined at the head) Siamese twins. A specialist in pediatric neurosurgery, Carson also established a remarkable success record in performing the procedure called hemispherectomy, or removal of half the brain, to treat certain forms of epilepsy. Nineteen of the first 20 patients Carson operated on survived.

If it were not for the determination of his mother, Carson might never have discovered his gift. She worked domestic jobs to support Carson and his brother after their father abandoned the family, and she insisted that they study and read books regularly. Carson had been a poor student in elementary school, but he ended up graduating third in his high school class.

Carson credits prayer with helping him to overcome another threat to his future: his violent temper as a teenager. An episode in which he nearly stabbed a friend during an argument over a radio show shook him so much that he locked himself in the bathroom for three hours, reading the Bible and praying to God for help. Afterward, he says, the rage never returned, and he focused on achieving his dream of becoming a doctor.

He won a scholarship to Yale University and, after graduating, went on to obtain a medical degree from the University of Michigan.

In 1984, Carson joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University and soon became director of pediatric neurosurgery-- the youngest in the country, at age 33.
Carson has written an autobiography, Gifted Hands, and a motivational book, Think Big. He is currently an associate professor at Johns Hopkins. He often speaks to groups of young people to share with them the lessons he learned about how to see obstacles "as hurdles that strengthen you each time you go over one." (Parade, December 25, 1988). According to Carson, it's that kind of vision that leads to success.
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* Other Contemporary African-American Firsts

Mary Frances Berry -- First woman to head a major research university, University of Colorado, 1976.
Guion Bluford, Jr. -- First African-American astronaut in space, 1983.
Jacquelyn Barrett -- First African-American woman sheriff, Fulton County, Georgia, 1992.
Joycelyn Elders -- First African-American U.S. Surgeon General, 1993.
Patricia R. Harris -- First African-American woman in presidential cabinet, Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare, 1977.

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 28, 2008 at 12:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸,ø¤º° BLACK HISTORY MONTH °º¤ø,¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

Walter Jerry Payton (1954 – 1999) American Football Player

Walter “Sweetness” Payton was one of three children born to Peter and Alyne Payton in Columbia, Mississippi. He was an active member of the Boy Scouts, Little League, and his local church. At Jefferson High School, Payton played drums in the marching band, participated in the track team as a long jumper, and sang in the school choir. Outside of school he played in jazz-rock groups.

Once he began to play football, as a junior, he achieved instant success as a running back. At 5'10" he was not especially large, but his speed and strength made him one of the team's featured players. Jefferson High School was integrated with neighboring Columbia High School that year; Payton and his teammates were upset that their head coach had become an assistant, and Payton boycotted some of the spring practices in protest, but returned during the fall season. He then earned state-wide honors as a member of Mississippi's all-state team, leading Columbia to an unexpected 8-2 season.

Although Payton had established himself as one of the state’s top running back prospects, he received no invitations from Southeastern Conference colleges and universities, which were accepting only a few black players at the time. He decided to pursue his collegiate career at the historically African-American, Jackson State University, where his older brother Eddie had played football.

While attending Jackson State, Payton played alongside many future professional football players, including Jerome Barkum, Robert Brazile, and Jackie Slater. As a member of the Jackson State Tigers, Payton rushed over 3,500 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He also broke the NCAA’s scoring record by rushing for 65 touchdowns during his college career. Payton finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, leading many to speculate that he would have earned more national recognition if he had attended a better-known college. Payton graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor's degree in Communication. He acquired the nickname “Sweetness” in college.

He was drafted as a running back by the Chicago Bears in 1975. He spent his entire career with the Bears and set many records, including all-time rushing yards (16,726; now surpassed), most 100-yard rushing games (77), and most yards gained rushing in a game (275; now surpassed). Noted for his durability, Payton was the National Football League's most valuable player in 1977 (the youngest player to win the award) and won his only Super Bowl in 1985. He retired in 1987.

See his autobiography, Never Die Easy (2000).

(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸,ø¤º° Let’s celebrate Black History Month together -- each and every day!!! °º¤ø,¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 29, 2008 at 1:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸,ø¤º° BLACK HISTORY MONTH °º¤ø,¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)

NOTABLE BLACK AMERICAN ARTISTS

The Pioneers

Joshua Johnston (1765-1830), John James Audubon (1785-1851), Otto Reinhold Jacobi (1812-1901), Patrick Reason (1817-1856), William H. Simpson (1818-1872), and Robert Scott Duncanson (1821-1872) represent some of the names of the early trailblazers who were the unusual combination of black, American, and artist. A review of their work suggests that these vanguards did not focus on the issues surrounding their racial acceptance in society; but rather followed personal or business interests. For example, John James Audubon, whose mother was Haitian, devoted his lifetime to the depiction of North American flora and fauna. Robert Scott Duncanson, considered by some art historians as the first black man to earn his living as an artist, was a painter of both Hudson River landscapes and floral still lifes. Joshua Johnston, “ the first American artist of African descent to create a sizeable body of work of high quality" according to Romare Bearden’s Six Black American Artists, was listed in a Baltimore directory from 1796 to 1824 as a portraitist. Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) was a well-known landscape and genre painter from Providence, Rhode Island. Although he was the first Black American artist to win a national art prize, a first-place at the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876, he was denied admission into the hall to accept the award because of his race. Specializing in making bird’s-eye views of California and Nevada towns, Grafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918) was the first recognized Black American artist in the American West. Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), known for religious and genre paintings, was the first black artist to earn an international reputation. Although Thomas Eakins encouraged him while a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Tanner experienced much prejudice in Philadelphia, and chose to expatriate to Paris.

Finding a Voice

Ultimately, many black artists became committed to addressing the issue of racial equality in their work in response to their own bitter personal experiences. Brutally beaten by a vigilante mob while enrolled at Oberlin College, Mary Edmonia Lewis (1845-1911), the first important black sculptor in America, created works, which explored her feelings of alienation. In 1899, the sculptor, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (1877-1968) went to Paris where white students refused to share lodgings with her. Although Fuller eventually triumphed when she became a favored student of the acclaimed Auguste Rodin, she embraced her racial heritage, and became the first Black American artist to focus on African inspired themes.

(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸,ø¤º° Let’s celebrate Black History together . . . today, tomorrow, always!!! °º¤ø,¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)