1. Black women, initially, did not choose to work like men. They were forced, under slavery, and more or less forced under Jim Crow and the fact that rarely in history have Black men been fairly paid, unless they had something of their own, in which case their wives often contributed. Which leads into point two…

2. A century ago, women who stayed at home were working there too. My grandmother and mother were stay-at-home moms, but Grandmother had things she did out of the house to bring in extra income. Mom didn’t have an official in-home stream of income, but she certainly worked — she homeschooled me and my sis, which saved money on child care and school clothes and transportation. In addition, Grandfather and Grandmother had left resources; thus, Dad’s income was enough.

Rarely in American history have the non-landed rich been able to survive on on one income — whole families worked together to stay alive and to thrive. And, even the rich do not survive on one income — they have MANY streams. It is not women alone, therefore, that have been sold a bill of goods. Black people in general have been sold a bill that is killing us: the idea that rich white capitalists are going to long act contrary to their entire history and pay one wage earner or even two wage earners enough for their families to live well. To dig back into the lingo of our culture: ain’t gonna happen. We need to break out of that false idea and work together to get our own again, and how!

http://www.afro.com/sections/opinion/story.htm?storyid=74018

What do you think of the Roland Martin controversy?

http://www.streetalker.net/2012/02/washington-post-occupy-dc-feeling.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/black-history-month-lets-embrace-gay-marriage/2012/02/02/gIQALtVzmQ_blog.html

WaPo published essay addresses where the Civil Rights Movement and same-sex marriage converge. Read, comment, & share, the naked truth!

I hear the frustration in your article. There is an old saying, “People get the kind of Government they deserve.” We have a two party system of government in our country. If you are not actively involved and engaged in the activities of these parties, you risk getting high unemployment and limited access to resources. We should not vilify successful people. That is a waste of energy. We can get the most bang for our efforts, if we turn our attention to practical solutions. We should than press those solutions upon our lawmakers. If the solutions are workable and these lawmakers do not respond, they risk being thrown out of office. Let’s make this system work for us. We mistakenly think all Blacks who are in powerful positions are in some kind of way committed to our well being. Nothing could be further from the truth. We should applaud those who are committed to working in our best interest, and uncover the truth about those who aren’t. That is the leadership we as Blacks should be demanding from ourselves and the American people deserve. Practicable and purposeful leadership leads to positive results. When we do this we PUT PRESSURE WHERE THE PRESSURE OUGHT TO BE!!! I think this current Administration has lost its way and is not responsive to the needs of Blacks and America as a whole concerning domestic issues. Finding ways to reveal this truth to other Blacks and the American people is a noble quest. We should never tire in this quest, because the results for us can only be positive. An unemployment rate of 15.8% among African Americans and double digit unemployment for the last three years and now heading into a fourth year is simply unacceptable no matter who is in the White House. http://www.sslumpsum.com

JJ