Black Love in Current America: Bring Chivalry Back

Written By: Ashleeann Washington

In a society where job stability is dying, unemployment is through the roof and the economy is dying, there’s no wonder why people are taking more precaution before entering into serious commitments.

It’s no surprise that the current economic situation in America has caused changes in the structure and maintenance of Black families, but could it be taking a toll on personal relationships between men and women?

Is chivalry dead within the Black community or has its image just changed? When someone mentions “chivalry” for many, the image of old fashion love comes to mind, the love shared between grandmothers and grandfathers; however, this image seems to have long gone within the past few decades.

Aside from today’s money matters, the liberated black women has played a huge role in the shift in views on chivalry. Today many black women are forced to take on the role as the head-of-house, providing for their families by working multiple jobs or accepting higher positions, causing the relationship between the black man and woman to be more strenuous.

In the last few decades the “independent woman” has become the common slogan and goal for black women everywhere, but independence can easily be mistaken for loneliness and loneliness can lead to the realization that today’s liberated woman is not same woman she was in the 1970’s. Today’s liberated women may have to make some personal sacrifices. The question is should chivalry be one of those sacrifices?

Should the women of today sacrifice old fashion chivalry in exchange for professional success? Over 75 percent of black women in professional fields have never been married. The chance of black women marrying lessens after each degree she receives and the statistics don’t get any better. In the search for who’s to blame for marriage decrease within black people many factors have to be taken into consideration including the power shift between men and women.

Give your opinion on the issue at Divine Covering’s program Bring Chivalry Back February 17, 2011 from 6 p.m.- 7 p.m. Come support and learn more about how the keep chivalry alive in your relationships. Refreshments will be served. Please bring a friend!

 

Black in Corporate America

Written By: Ashleeann Washington

The picture of the classic boardroom has changed in the last few decades. Diversity has become a push in many corporate offices around America, but getting in doesn’t necessarily mean that you are fully accepted. Although in the past few years,  many successful Black and Hispanic professionals have watched their riches grow.  Yes. Even Blacks in the corner offices deal with race stereotypes in the workplace.

But what does it really mean to be black in corporate America?  It should be no surprise that Blacks and Hispanics professionals have more obstacles riding on their shoulders in the business world than White professionals.

Black Hair in the Workplace….. is just one of the many issues that affect mostly Black women wanting to excel in corporate America.

Embracing the twist, kinks, naps, afros, and knots that come with wearing black hair in its natural state is not easy, especially for Black. A whole generation of Black women have grow up not knowing what their natural (un-relaxed) hair even looks like.  Relaxers quickly became underlying and un-discussed standard for Black women in last 30 years. And because Blacks have made it a standard so have the people who decide what images are acceptable in the workplace. Many women would agree that relaxed hair is beautiful; however, those same women would argue that their hairstyle doesn’t qualify them for their positions.

Black Sexuality in the Workplace….. is topic that has been thrown on the back burner until here recently.

Cornell West wrote “Americans are obsessed with sex and fear of black sexuality” and even now in the year 2011 this is a bold statement. Black men walk on egg shells in corporate offices to make sure they not accused of “getting too personal.” Black women have to cope with the reality that their Gluteus maximus genes will not permit them to pull off just any business skirt.

Culture and Language Barriers in the Workplace…..”If they don’t speak our language….”

The popular and over played cliché is that “you don’t know what it’s like until you walk someone else’s shoes” well in this cases that’s true. Different cultures are hard to accept sometimes when you haven’t been exposed to anything different then yours. Language is the glue that holds nations together; consequently, if your nation is the office and everyone doesn’t understand the language (I guess we’d call that jargon) things can get a little confusing.

Most people in your typical office come from different backgrounds. Someone who grow up in an Ohioan suburb won’t have the same foundation has someone who grow up in southern California. That makes communication and understanding a little harder and some people just don’t want to take the time out to understand someone who is different from them.

Looking For Somewhere To Visit This Summer?

Written by: Ha’na Muhammad

The Southern poverty law center, a Montgomery based nonprofit organization,  was founded by two civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr. in 1971.

Their goals were to fight hate, teach tolerance, and seek justice. They achieve this by doing things like offering free educational material to those schools that are interested. The SPLC seeks to ensure justice for the mass groups of society that are repeatedly discriminated against due to social status, race, age and mental capacity.

One of their landmark cases is Donald v. United Klans of America in which they sued the united Klans of America for brutally beating a young black man, cutting his throat, putting a noose around his neck and hanging him from a tree. This is a landmark case not only because the Southern Poverty Law Center prevailed in this case by winning a $7 million judgment but also because the United Klans of America had to do what they would probably considered the unthinkable; sign the deed to their headquarters over to the mother of the victim, a black woman.

As of now some of the things that the SPLC focus on are exposing hate groups and domestic terrorist throughout the United States. They also fight for the rights of immigrants; they fight to ensure that they get fair pay and other protections that most “American” employees would receive. They also work to make sure that children who cannot speak up for themselves are given a voice and given the things that they need to live a lifestyle similar to their fellow citizens. Lastly they focus on teaching children to be tolerant of people that are different from themselves. They would like to improve the quality of the schooling experience for children in the United States.

Although the Southern poverty law center was founded in Montgomery, Alabama and all of its headquarters are located in the south they are having a major impact on all of America and improving the quality of life for all citizens.

For more information on the Southern Poverty Law Center Please visit: http://www.splcenter.org/

The Secret Life of the Pullman Porters…

Written by: Ashleeann Washington

Every winter we celebrate one of the influential Black men in history. For years, Dr. Martin Luther King as stood of as face of the civil rights movement, but what most people don’t know is there were many men that worked behind the scene to make the civil rights movement successful.

The Pullman Porters produced the glue that help the events of the civil rights movement stick together. Many of these man risk their jobs to spread the word about civil rights.

A. Philip Randolph was the backbone of the civil rights movement! He was often heard on television news programs addressing the nation on behalf of African Americans engaged in the struggle for voting rights and an end to discrimination in public accommodations.  He was also an active participant in many other organizations and causes.

In honor of the men of fought for our civil rights, we would like to thank the Pullman Porters!