(ThyBlackMan.com) I curiously watched the press conference held last week to celebrate the New Jersey Nets (well, not quite New Jersey anymore) stadium set to be built in Brooklyn. A group of investors, led by Bruce Ratner, were joined by many prominent New York public figures to celebrate the ground-breaking ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Tom Burrell understands the power of the media. The marketing communications and advertising pioneer revolutionized the images of African-Americans in television and print ads. He knows the difference between a campaign that prompts brand loyalty based on an appeal to a group’s values and one that plays to their ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Almost 80 percent of National Football League players are flirting with bankruptcy two years after they retire, according to Sports Illustrated. NBA players aren’t faring much better. 60 percent of former National Basketball Association players end up broke within five years of retirement. Athletes squander millions of dollars due ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) “This be jail, n***a,” the young man intones, jokingly. “Not no a spiritual retreat or your recording studio.” Such was the assessment of one my African-American Georgetown students, Derek Bowen, age 20, before he moved on to something more important to him: celebrating the the Georgetown Hoyas’ Big East Tournament ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) In 2006, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Bill Thomas, sent a letter to NCAA President, Myles Brand. In this letter, Thomas had this to say: “The annual return also states that one of the NCAA’s purposes is to ‘retain a clear line of demarcation between intercollegiate ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) No sooner had the shock of Haiti’s earthquake passed than Chile was struck. As the repercussions of both disasters continue, urgent need remains in those countries and around the world for charitable contributions. But it is hard to know whether donating your time, money, expertise or something else will ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) I believe in the constitution. The constitution in question is written on each person’s soul and underwrites reality itself. Called Natural Law in the West it is my most basic world view. This informs whatever ideologies and practices chosen. Reflected in the three major monotheistic religions; numerous lesser known ones ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Take this as a sho-nuff sign of the Apocalypse: I may have to join the ranks of those African-Americans who smell a rat in how Hollywood hands out Oscars to black actors. Okay, so we all know that Mo’Nique deserved the best supporting actress Oscar she won this past Sunday. ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Hollywood’s latest big show–the 2010 Oscars–once again showed the world that while there has been some progress on diversity, the movie-making industry still has a long way to go to achieve equality. The bright spots: for the first time a woman won best director with Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker“) ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) How the War on Drugs gave birth to a permanent American undercaste. Ever since Barack Obama lifted his right hand and took his oath of office, pledging to serve the United States as its 44th president, ordinary people and their leaders around the globe have been celebrating our nation’s ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) At 80, the very active jazz legend is still breaking ground. When Ornette Coleman was 29, he turned the jazz world on its head. Now that he’s turned 80 this week, the legendary jazz man has an opportunity to make another important and lasting impact on jazz. Coleman’s life and ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) The real life superhero ( RLSH ) movement combines human rights; philanthropy and crime prevention into a creative dynamic modeled after fictional superheroes. Our shared culture draws diverse individuals united in unconventional commitment to the common good. We’re an offbeat branch of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Beloved Community. His April assassination date is a ...