Yes, Bill Collectors May Be Following You on Facebook, Twitter and Everything Else

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Dr. Boyce and Rev. Al Sharpton discuss Black Unemployment and the Onslow Ross Prosecution

 

 

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Technorati Tags: al sharpton,black politics,black scholars,dr. boyce watkins

Pastor Onslow Ross: A Crook or a Victim?

 

Is this pastor a crook or a victim?  Why he got 10 years in prison.

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Technorati Tags: pastor onslow ross,black preachers,african american preachers

Huffington Post: Black Unemployment and the Great Black Disconnect for Obama

Dr. Boyce Watkins

Professor, Syracuse University

Posted: 05/ 8/11 03:51 PM ET

 

President Obama has a problem, a very serious one. The president's problem is what I would call "The Great Black Disconnect." This divide is the place where black America's love and appreciation for the Obamas disconnects from the intense economic suffering of the African American community. Like a festering and infected wound that remains untreated, President Obama's support within the black community is threatened by the fact that the people who love him most are suffering unlike anything our nation has seen over the last 50 years.

This week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its unemployment numbers for the month of April. The figures were consistent with the jobless recovery that has taken good care of Wall Street, but created homelessness on Main Street. The national unemployment rate grew from 8.8 percent to 9 percent, which will surely perpetuate President Obama's somber ratings on economic performance.

 

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Technorati Tags: black unemployment,black scholars

Friday Flash Feature: Denise Bolds Teaches Single Black Moms How to Raise Their Sons

Leslie DeTouche, Your Black World 

Many single black moms are not sure how to raise their boys.  Well, Denise Bolds has some solutions that work.

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Study: Minorities Still Locked Out of Most Institutions

  

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, YourBlackWorld.com, Scholarship in Action 

I took a look at an ABC News picture of President Barack Obama sitting in a Situation Room with lead advisers watching the assassination of Obama bin Laden.  Everyone had a tense look on their face, as 10 years of hard work suddenly came down to the wire.  I couldn’t help but notice, as I scanned all the faces across the room, that there were only two women present (Hillary Clinton and another woman in the back), and one bi-racial black man (President Obama).  Every other person in the room was a white male. 

What startles me the most is that millions of other Americans can look at this picture and see absolutely nothing wrong with it.  The “white guy’s club” has always been the status quo in leadership positions.

Teen Joblessness, Violence Expected to Hit Record Highs This Summer Due to Cuts in Federal Funding

CHICAGO, Reuters — A record-low one in four U.S. teenagers will land a summer job in the coming months as a result of a still-poor job market and lost federal funding, according to a report issued on Monday.

As a consequence, urban studies experts said cities like Chicago — where summer unemployment among African-Americans aged 16 to 19 years approaches 90 percent — could experience a rise in street violence.

Soulja Boy Is the Latest Rapper to Waste His Money on Stupid Stuff

Your Black World Reports

 

Soulja Boy is now bragging about owning a $200,000 Bentley.  He sent this message out on Twitter:

“ 2012 Bentley GT I'm the first one with it in Atlanta!!! Shipped from England.”

Our Your Black World psychics see another tweet coming in about five years:

“Bentley just got repossessed by the IRS and I’ll be done with my bankruptcy proceedings tomorrow.”

Brothers….please learn to save and invest and stop making black people into the most ridiculous consumers in America.

 

Join the Your Black World Coalition at YourBlackWorld.com

Russell Simmons’ Open Letter to President Obama: Don’t Forget Our Plight

Your Black World Reports

 

I listened to your speech last week at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network's 20th anniversary dinner, talking among friends and close supporters. This was an annual African American dinner, a very important one. While I know that any Democrat would have fulfilled their promise to come back if they had won the '08 election, I also know the significance, and the special burden it poses on you, as the first African American President, at the same time.

Still, I woke up the next day feeling uneasy, not because you didn't take issues of direct significance to the black community head-on -- like the fact that one in three black children go to jail once in their lifetime or that black people have an unemployment rate double the amount of white people -- but because nowhere in your deep and thoughtful remarks did you talk about the elephant in the room that affects ALL Americans, irrespective of color: the growing ranks of poor Americans, Americans struggling not just to meet their mortgage payments but to eat, sleep under a roof, educate their kids and pay their basic bills.

Black Americans Not Getting Good Financial Advice

 

by TEWire
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspapers
Originally posted 4/27/2011

Only two out of every 10 African-Americans are on a path to achieve their retirement goals, according to a six-month-old survey of Blacks conducted by a major wealth manager.

 

Report: Newspapers and Websites Lack Diversity in Sports Reporting

 

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Some 320 websites and newspapers that belong to Associated Press Sports Editors slightly improved their racial hiring practices last year, according to a study released Wednesday, though they failed again to make any strides in gender hiring for key newsroom positions.

The report, released every two years by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, gave those outlets a C plus, up from a C in 2008, for racial hires and an F for gender hires in jobs including sports editor, columnist, reporter and copy editor.

Oil Companies are Making Less Gas but Much Higher Profits

 

 

Gasoline prices are skyrocketing — and so are oil company profits.
Exxon Mobil Corp. earned nearly $11 billion in the first three months of the year, a rollicking 69% increase over its performance for the same period last year. That's on sales of $114 billion.
It's the same story for the other big oil companies. Royal Dutch Shell turned a profit of $6.3 billion in the first quarter, and BP — despite lingering costs from the Gulf Coast oil spill— made $7.1 billion.

 

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Should You Need a License to Braid Hair? A Woman Files a Lawsuit Over the Issue

 

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action 

Jestina Clayton is a woman in Utah who is originally from Sierra Leone in West Africa.  She does African braiding part-time in order to make extra money.  She is now being confronted with the loss of significant income, since a law in the state of Utah claims that you must have a full cosmetology license in order to braid hair.

Clayton filed suit this week in the court of law.  She is being backed by the Institute for Justice, a Virginia-based organization that helps people like Clayton challenge unjust laws.

Black Unemployment Reaches Depression Levels in Many Major Cities

by Janell Ross, Huffington Post 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In the decade leading up to the Great Recession, Wanda Nolan grew accustomed to steady progress.

From an entry-level job as a fill-in bank teller, she forged a career as a commercial banking assistant, earning enough to become a homeowner. She finished college and then got an MBA. Even after the recession unfolded in late 2007, her degrees and her familiarity with the business world lent her a sense of immunity to the forces ravaging much of the American economy. Nolan was an exemplar of the African American middle class and the increasingly professional ranks of the so-called New South.

But in September 2008, everything changed.

McJobs Are Not the Cure for An Ailing Economy

Editor's note: Annette Bernhardt is policy co-director of the National Employment Law Project, a national advocacy group for the rights of lower-wage earners. She was lead researcher on NELP's recent report, "A Year of Unbalanced Growth: Industries, Wages, and the First 12 Months of Job Growth After the Great Recession."

(CNN) -- We are starved for signs that the economy is picking up. So when McDonald's threw its doors open to hire 50,000 workers nationwide, media networks scrambled to film applicants lining up across the country for that increasingly elusive piece of the American dream -- a job.

A Black Prof Discusses Racial Bias in Financial Decisions

Your Black World reports

Have you ever tried to get a loan, and felt that you weren’t being treated the same as if you were white?  What about watching that promotion at work being given to the white guy down the hall when you were the one slaving night and day for 20 years?  Well, this feeling is not uncommon.  A recent survey at YourBlackWorld.com showed that nearly 90% of African Americans feel that they’ve experienced some kind of discrimination in the workplace.  In spite of our having a black president and attorney general, new laws have not been introduced to help people of color fight discrimination in the workplace.

Black Family Wealth Has Virtually Disappeared

by Dr. Boyce Watkins – YourBlackWorld.com 

The first decade of the new millennium brought a lot of things that the world didn't expect: the ability to order a pizza on your home computer, cell phones that allow you to talk to your friends face-to-face, and our nation's first black president.

One other unexpected event of the last decade is the disappearance of a century's worth of progress in reducing the wealth gap between black and white Americans. AsRex Nutting at Market Watch so accurately notes, wealth levels of the black family in America have declined dramatically during the past decade, and they show no evidence of getting better any time soon.

According to Nutting, "In a country where access to capital is everything, most blacks have nothing."

 

Would You Pay $50,000 to Meet Oprah Winfrey?

 

It turns out that Oprah Winfrey is partnering with CharityBuzz to auction off her quality time.  The expected running price is going to be $50,000. Would you pay that much to meet with Oprah if you had the money? 

The money is being raised for human rights and Oprah is auctioning off four tickets to her show in Chicago and the chance to meet her backstage.  Perhaps since it’s for charity, it all makes sense.

Technorati Tags: black celebrity gossip,oprah winfrey

BP One Year Later: Corporate Greed 101

 

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action 

It’s a year after the start of the infamous BP oil spill that stole the attention of the nation for several months. One year ago today, the oil giant began the process of spilling five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, killing everything in its grasp, starting with 11 oil workers who were near the initial explosion. After taking out the workers, the spill generated an unprecedented genocide on local wildlife, killing thousands of fish, birds and other species that lived within the ocean. The BP beast also murdered local businesses that depended on the Gulf for their livelihoods, with almost none of those businesses being able to restore their full economic value.

Tourists are no longer interested in swimming in water that was so heavily polluted just a few months ago.

 

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Tyra Banks Heads to Harvard Business School

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Media superstar and modeling-model Tyra Banks recently announced that she's headed to the Harvard Business School. While it's still not clear if she's getting an official degree (I assume its a short-term executive education course; I can't imagine someone with her experience and schedule taking too much time off for school), one has to be impressed with her decision to continue educating herself. Some might think that education is simply a thing you tolerate long enough to make money to support yourself. Nothing could be further from the truth, since learning should be a lifelong process.

"I started last summer and I didn't really talk about it. It was very incognito, my name and everything, but I decided to talk about it [now]. I think it's a positive thing, especially for girls to see that you can still continue to educate yourself and you can still be fabulous and fierce and celebrate your femininity," Tyra said to MTV News.

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Black Female Entrepreneurs Give You Virtual Assistance

 

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University - Scholarship in Action 

Most of us think that a personal assistant is someone who lives and works right next to you. In the age of technology, it is no longer necessary to be in the same room or even the same country as the person who handles your daily affairs. With technology, cell phones, and other ways for us to remain connected, it's quite simple to work with someone every day of your life and never even see them. It is because of their brilliant use of technology and entrepreneurship skills that the ladies with JustGo Virtual Assistants are today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:

What is your name and what do you do?
Our name is JustGo and we are a company that provides new age administrative and personal assistant services to high profile speakers, authors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. Our assistants, although in another state, are able to complete and fulfill client requests and wishes through the use of internet, email, fax, phone, and/or chat. We may not be able to personally pour your daily cup of coffee, but we can definitely have it delivered to you. JustGo presents a comfortable and convenient opportunity to those professionally inclined individuals with impeccable administrative and computer skills to work from home while also gifting its clients with money saving services that reduce over-head expenses and relieves the pressures of routine responsibilities. This frees the client to focus on tasks that are more profit generating or gives them the opportunity to enjoy leisurely activities they otherwise may not have time for.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight: A Couple Makes Both Money and Love

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One reason that we do the spotlights here on AOL Black Voices is to profile businesses, organizations and individuals who are doing outstanding (but perhaps unsung) work within the African American community. While most media enjoys highlighting the dysfunction of the black community, we believe that there is plenty to celebrate. What I love about Ayize and Aiyana Ma'at is that they've found a way to use their love to create the financial fuel that helps to sustain their family. As certified relationship counselors, they also work together to help other couples find the love they've been seeking as well. It is because of their empowered commitment to strengthening the black family in America that Ayize and Aiyana Ma'at are today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins: Choosing Not to Run Away from Your Destiny

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I went to see “The Adjustment Bureau,” the new film starring Matt Damon and Anthony Mackie. Mackie has become one of my favorite actors as of late after taking some very bold and promising stands on how black Hollywood can address the racism they are constantly facing from the white Hollywood establishment. Rather than standing around moaning about the inequities of their profession, Mackie has simply said that we need to stand up and start creating our own films. I love what Mackie had to say, because you can never gain anyone’s respect by begging.

 

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Dr. Boyce: Does Education Always Lead to a Better Job? Nope

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

An economist for whom I have tremendous respect, Paul Krugman, recently wrote a New York Times article which put the debate over education into context. I found the article interesting as I prepare to speak at the National Black Law Students Association Convention with my colleague, Charles Ogletree at Harvard University.
I've been thinking a great deal about how to help our community understand the meaning and value of a good education (here are some of my thoughts on the matter if you're interested). I've preached relentlessly that being well-educated is incredibly important for all of us, and that we should be willing to fight to the end to make sure our kids get what they need from our woefully inadequate school systems. At the same time, my recent appearance at the Black Achievers Banquet in Louisville, Ky led me to conclude that further discussion is necessary. I saw quite a few young people doing amazing things, but it's my hope to help us all understand that an education is not simply a path to getting a job with some corporation that will have you doing meaningless work for your entire life. Sure, that can be part of the plan, but it can't be the entire plan altogether.

 

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Dr. Boyce Note: Single Black Women and the Church

Quick note by Dr. Boyce Watkins

I'm doing an email interview with Ebony Magazine about the options for black women in the church finding a lifelong partner.  It's really giving me reason for pause, because I've never quite understood those women who will only date men who go to church and believe what they do.  I know quite a few brothers who walk the walk and talk the talk, but don't have any desire to be ethical mates or good partners.

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Dr. Boyce Spotlight: Dressing for Success in a Tough Economy

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

African Americans are suffering worse than any other group of Americans during this prolonged recession. Our unemployment, bankruptcy and foreclosure rates are far higher than whites, which is a striking reality to face after electing our first black president. People like Alison Vaughn position themselves to help those of us who wish to compete more effectively in the workplace by offering training that will increase your value to prospective employers. It is her commitment to serving her community that makes Alison Vaughn today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:

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Some Trying to Say that the Oprah Winfrey Network is a Failure

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

 

I’m not sure if this is the right time to pass judgment on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), since it just began.  But Alexis Stodghill at AOL Black Voices, the New York Times and others are beginning to wonder if the magic is going to last.   According to the Times:

OWN, her two-month-old channel, is attracting fewer viewers than the obscure channel it replaced, Discovery Health. At any given time this month, there have been about 135,000 people watching OWN, according to the Nielsen Company, and only about 45,000 of those people are women ages 25 to 54, the demographic that the channel is focusing on.

Those ratings levels, down about 10 percent from Discovery Health’s levels last year, are being carefully watched by people who would like to rebuild cable channels around other celebrities, and by investors who worry that OWN is a drag on Discovery’s stock.

 

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Dr. Boyce Spotlight: Prof. Laquita Blockson Analyzes Black Female Entrepreneurs

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I've known of the work of Dr. Laquita Blockson for over a decade. I consider Dr. Blockson to be one of the leading experts on Minority female entrepreneurship in the entire United States. Given that the black female has been found in numerous studies to have the lowest average net worth of any race/gender group, the work of women like Laquita Blockson has a level of importance that is beyond words. It is because of her commitment to helping her sisters experience the freedom of socially-responsible entrepreneurship, education and wealth building that Dr. Laquita Blockson is today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:

 

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Young Black CEO Created $60,000 Per Month Business by Making Phone Calls

 

Click to watch the interview with Lawrence Watkins, founder of GreatBlackSpeakers.com.

Ephren Taylor Gives Interview about Bishop Eddie Long Financial Mix-Up

Interview done by Dr. Boyce Watkins 

Quite a few people took notice when Bishop Eddie Long went to YouTube to issue a very direct challenge to young entrepreneur Ephren Taylor over money that Bishop Long felt Taylor to have shaken out of his congregation. According to Bishop Long, Taylor should give $1 million to the members of his congregation who made investments in response to a seminar being offered by Taylor. Long's video seems to imply that Ephren had been unethical and misleading in the way he delivered the information and that people had lost thousands of dollars as a result.

I've never personally met either Bishop Eddie Long or Ephren Taylor, but I watched the Eddie Long video with extreme curiosity. I felt it to be entirely possible that Taylor could have been less than ethical, since pure capitalism tends to put ethics at the bottom of the priority list (legality is not the same as morality, so someone could be unethical while remaining within the boundaries of the law) . At the same time, there was also the possibility that Long's parishioners may not have read the fine print or had a misconception about what it means to invest. Some investors believe that investing means that you are guaranteed to make money. This is far from the truth. You can easily lose everything, so you should make sure you're prepared to stomach the risk before putting up your money.

 

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S. Tia Brown: Supporting Your Man as an Entrepreneur

by S. Tia Brown, Essence.com

First let me say this: I am single. However, just like you don't have to smoke crack to tell "rockheads" don't do it... well, you get the rest.
Second, I'm an avid, calendar-clearing, repeat-watching fan of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta." You know the type. I text my girls during the commercials. I feel like I know the "ins and outs" of the cast intimately. And, occasionally I pass judgment on their decisions.
With those two details out the way, it's time for my third assertion: When it comes to marriage, particularly to an entrepreneur, it can't always be tit for tat. Over the last few weeks I've watched Cynthia Bailey's now husband, Peter Thomas, try to pull out the dagger ripping his heart apart as his business -- their family's bread and butter-- revenue dropped lower than NeNe Leakes' cleavage line. Thomas shared his woes about picking up the pieces. Bailey worried about financing their wedding. Thomas grew angrier about not getting investors. Bailey balled about being owed her investment in his business. Thomas was forced to close his restaurant and rebuild. Bailey cried about not going on a honeymoon. All I kept thinking is, "where dey do dat at?"

 

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Why Are Most Universities Missing Black Professors?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

During a four-year college career, most students take roughly 40 courses. Personally, I went to graduate school for another 7 years after college, taking an additional 40 - 50 more classes. During my entire undergraduate, masters and doctoral experience, I never had one single African American professor.
This experience made the educational process incredibly uncomfortable for me. I never experienced the privilege of my white classmates, who had teachers they could relate to, work with and connect with on a meaningful level. I did meet one African American professor (I never took his class) named Dr. Tommy Whittler. He is the sole reason I became a professor today because he was the first faculty member who'd ever taken time to mentor me as a human being.

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CEO Ephren Taylor Responds to Eddie Long Allegations

 

Bishop Eddie Long did a Youtube appeal to former Capital City Corp CEO Ephren Taylor about members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church who allegedly lost money as a result of their investments.  Taylors reps have responded with this statement below:

FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
January 31, 2011
MEDIA CONTACT:
Candace Reese J.
Envision Global
(678) 367-3117
C.Reese@EnviGlobal.com

STATEMENT FROM EPHREN W. TAYLOR ON BISHOP EDDIE L. LONG
YOUTUBE VIDEO APPEAL AND NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH WEALTH TOUR 2009

ATLANTA, GA (EnviGlobal.com) – Business Accelerator and entrepreneur, Ephren W. Taylor releases the following statement regarding the recent Youtube.com video appeal posted by New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor, Bishop Eddie L. Long:
Due to many inaccuracies, and based upon what I view as a direct character assassination and an attempt to paint a picture of an inability, on my part, to take responsibility for the actions of City Capital Corporation during my tenure as CEO, I am extending facts relative to the aftermath of the Wealth Tour at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Jesse Jackson Discuss the Fundamental Problems with the Economy

 

Click here to listen to Dr. Watkins and Rev. Jackson’s conversation about the state of the American economy.

University of Texas Signs a $300M Deal on the Backs of Its Athletes

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The University of Texas just inked a $300 million television rights deal for a 24-hour network that will broadcast Longhorn athletes and games. ESPN is the partner in the deal and will distribute the network via satellite in Texas and other states around the country. The network is expected to launch in September.
Given that college athletes are serving as the foundation for massive wealth being generated by schools like the University of Texas, it is time that we consider allowing these athletes to have the same labor rights as other workers who generate wealth around the nation. The United Steel Workers Union has actually spoken out on behalf of NCAA athletes, stating that they should have the right to unionize to ensure that their families can benefit from the wealth being created in these massive financial deals.

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Dr. Boyce: Fried Chicken, Liquor and Of Course, Flava Flav

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Last year, at the "Measuring the Movement" forum, hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network, I had a chance to sit next to Chuck D from Public Enemy. I found Chuck to be as impressive, interesting and intelligent as he is on television. He also didn't give off the mind-numbing, stomach-turning, arrogant celebrity vibe that I see all too much. I was thoroughly impressed.
While I feel that I have some understanding of Chuck D, I simply cannot say the same for Flava Flav. Flava almost seems to come out of a different time, place, and perhaps even another planet, from the rest of us. He would have been great in the 1920s, when black performers could make a fortune by embracing ignorant stereotypes and engaging in ridiculous behavior. Flava seems to relish his role as the cultural clown, reminding all of us of exactly what Dr. Martin Luther King did NOT want our children to become.

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Why 50 Cent Might Be in Trouble for the Way He Used Twitter

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The rapper 50 Cent is known as much for his creative PR and business tactics as he is for the rhymes he once busted on the airwaves. Well, I guess he is still technically a rapper, but the music side of 50 Cent’s career doesn’t seem to be taking off like it did at the start of the decade.

Since his last hit record, 50 Cent has been involved in a series of business ventures that seem to pay him better than he was ever paid as an artist. The problem for Fifty is that he might be in trouble with theSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for using his power tohaul in $8.7 million by pushing a stock on his Twitter page.

50 Cent has 3.8 million Twitter followers who apparently respect him for his investment advice. The rapper tapped into his massive market power by telling all of his followers about a stock that he owns called H&H Imports. In fact, 50 Cent owns quite a bit of the stock after acquiring 30 million shares in a private placement last October.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight: From Harlem to Harvard – Giselle Marcus Sets the Standard

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I was impressed with Gisele Marcus from the very first day we spoke. She has enough energy to light up Las Vegas and an intense drive to succeed in corporate America. She has done assignments around the world, most recently in South Africa, and has been identified as a rising star in executive circles. She also came from humble beginnings, growing up in a single parent household in Harlem, with a mother who pushed hard for Gisele to have a better life. In fact, her mother's story reminded me of that of Kelly Williams-Bolar, the woman was sent to jail for sending her kids to a school outside their district. I don't care what the law says, there's nothing unethical about a mother fighting to give her children hope for the future. Just like the days of slavery, there remain systemic barriers to keep our kids away from opportunity, but also like our ancestors, good mothers don't allow anything to keep us away from our dreams. It is for her dogged pursuit of excellence and the remarkable example she sets for young black women that Gisele Marcus is today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices.

 

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Dr Boyce Spotlight: Black Scholars in Computer Science

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

While many of us know who the leading black basketball and football players happen to be, we are rarely exposed to the leading Computer Scientists, Mathematicians and Physicists. Most importantly, most of us don't know that there is an entire organization of African American male PhDs called "Brothers of the Academy" who do scholarly work in a multitude of important fields. The media would be quick to feature these men if they were committing crimes, busting rhymes or dunking basketballs, but black males should be more readily celebrated when we are hitting the books, working our butts off and establishing sustainable institutions within the black community.
Ladies and gentleman, meet Professor Juan Gilbert. I've observed Juan as President of Brothers of the Academy for the past several years, and I can say with complete certainty that he is one of the most focused, dedicated, reliable and capable leaders in black America today. Juan not only runs BOTA, but he has also raised millions to fund his own computer science lab at Clemson University and at even before the age of 40, has served as the "academic father" for a large number of black Computer Science PhDs. It is for that reason that Professor Juan Gilbert is today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:

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How to look great on a budget

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Natalie P. McNeal is onto something. Under the name "The Frugalista," she has come up with a set of concepts that allow us to balance our need to save with our desire to enjoy life. Black people, on average, tend to be first-class consumers, second-class savers and third-class investors, leading many of us to a life on the edge of financial ruin. Even those of us who have high incomes can end up with debt up to our eyeballs and bills that we can barely afford to pay. So, when unemployment or financial crisis hits our households, we are the first to be bankrupt or in foreclosure.

The Frugalista lays out her own experience with debt and how she found a way to save money without forcing herself to live a Spartan life. She teaches that saving money should not be the only important thing in your life, but that financial responsibility can be a key to having a better life experience. It is for that reason that Natalie P. Mcneal is today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:

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Dr. Boyce on NPR: Is College Still a Good Investment?

 

Click here to listen to Dr. Boyce Watkins discuss whether or not college is a good investment during a recession.

Boyce Watkins on NPR: President Obama and Black America

Click the link below to listen to Dr. Boyce Watkins on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” addressing what President Obama must do for the African American community as it pertains to education, economic inequality and mass incarceration.  

Dr. Boyce on NPR: What Obama Needs to do For Black Peopl- Click here

Three Things Obama Can Do for Black People

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I was shaking my head over and over again in preparation for a conversation we are going to have on NPR tomorrow about President Obama. The show is called "Talk of the Nation," and I had the esteemed honor of being the resident black guy, as the other two guests are set to discuss various elements of foreign and domestic policy. I'm just joking about the "black guy" thing, since I'm just happy they didn't choose someone like Juan Williams.

At any rate, my brain started spinning on how President Obama can best use the remainder of his first term as it pertains to people of color. I thought carefully about what he's done, what he's doing, what he's up against and what matters to us. In my course of thought, I came to a few conclusions.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight: Meet Ms. Keri Hilson

What is your name and what do you do?
Keri Hilson and I'm a R&B/Pop Singer and also write songs for other artists.

What are some of the misconceptions people have about celebrities and their money?

People tend to think that celebrities are impenetrable to making mistakes, that because they see you in a video with expensive things that your life revolves around that. I've found that my strongest foundation has been my family and friends now more than ever.

What has been the scariest/funniest/best moment in your career?

The best moment in my career is every time I'm on stage, going over lines and about to perform and I think, "Wow. I'm actually awake. I'm living my dream!"

 

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Michael Eric Dyson Gives Obama a C- on Black Economic Issues

Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight: The Duchess of Black Scholars

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The role of Super Woman in Black America can be readily applied to a woman who can balance the relentless pursuit of academic achievement, professional success, and outstanding motherhood, all at the same time. Miriam Harris (a.k.a. Duchess) is a textbook example of what we all want our daughters to become. She is a mother of three, and has both a PhD and a law degree. The Ivy League educated supermom is not only "about her business," she is deeply committed to the business of using her vast intellect to make the world a better place for both women and people of color. In other words, she's not just a Black PhD, she is actually a "Ph-Do." AOL Black Voices was able to catch up with Professor Harris for the Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight:
1) What is your name and what do you do for a living?

My name is Duchess Harris and I am an Associate Professor of American Studies at Macalester College.
2) What is your area of expertise and what made you pursue this particular area of study?

 

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Oldest Black Church in Georgia Now Facing Foreclosure

 

 

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

 

The oldest black church in DeKalb County had to recently shut its doors after facing foreclosure proceedings on its building. Flat Rock Community Church is 150 years old. According to Binita Miles, a senior pastor, the church is now having to deal with significant financial problems as a result of declining membership.
The church's mortgage is $6,500 and parishioners are now meeting in a local elementary school.

The challenges being faced by Flat Rock are being felt nation-wide. Quite a few black churches have found themselves to be victims of the recent foreclosure crisis and are working to find a way to pay the bills. African Americans at large were disproportionately impacted by the economic downturn and many of us are on the brink of homelessness. Not only do African Americans have the highest unemployment rates in America, we have less wealth to fall back on in the event of economic problems.

 

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Gap Between the Rich and Middle Class Keeps Growing

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

It turns out that the gap between the rich and the middle class is larger than it's been in recorded American history. Much of the growth in the gap is due to the recent housing crisis taking place over the past three years.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the wealthiest 1% had an average net worth that was 225 greater than the average American. That's higher than the previous record, which was 190 times in 2004.
An intriguing aspect of the divide is that it occurred while the wealth of all Americans declined on average. The richest households lost 27% of their wealth between 2007 and 2009, while middle class Americans lost 47% of their wealth during the same time period. So, the growth in the gap was mainly due to the fact that the middle class and poor suffered more during the recent recession than the wealthy.

 

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