Is Ludacris the leader we've been looking for? Chris Bridges a.k.a Ludacris is offering a refreshing image for an art form that has seemed to lose its way over the last decade.  This past weekend he made the circuit, promoting his foundation and asking for a new look at philanthropic leadership.  This 4 1/2 minute video is worth the time. Good Look Luda.

This is from a post by Lorrie Irby Jackson (who also writes for DallasSouthNews.org) that was posted at Chick Talk Dallas.  Visit ChickTalkDallas.com to read this entire post. It was 1999. I was only 27 years old, but I was worn-down, weary and depressed. I was working full-time at a job that I despised and coming home to two kids, only one of which I gave birth to. One was a sweet toddler, and the other was my so-called husband. We’d just had another ferocious fight over the finances, and instead of paying his share of the bills, the man I’ll call “Marvin” pretended they didn’t exist, allowed things to get cut off or repossessed and thought he could smooth things over this time by leaving a bouquet of roses and a card waiting for me in the bedroom. I decided that it was no longer enough. The following year I filed for divorce. It was hard to be the one to accelerate my descent into becoming yet another tired statistic---that of a ‘black single mother’---but to spare my sanity, I had no other choice. I had a life to live and a child to raise. What did concern me, after getting the legalities ...

This is one of those stories that you've heard about before but not exactly sure what it is.  Well it's pretty self explanatory, but a little more Google research reveals a number of other interesting aspects to this sad story.

I thought this was a nice take by Joanna Cattanach, editor of ChickTalkDallas.com on the Hampton University's new homecoming queen.  You can read the post in its entirety at Chick Talk Dallas. What’s wrong with this picture? Um, the white girl in the middle has something to do with it. Earlier this month, Nikole Churchill,22, was chosen as 2009 Hampton University homecoming queen. Hampton U is historically black, and the main campus of 5,700 students has a  mostly black student body. Churchill wrote a letter to President Barack Obama claiming he could relate to the racism she was facing at the university. “I am hoping that perhaps you would be able to make an appearance to my campus, Hampton University, so that my fellow Hamptonians can stop focusing so much on the color of my skin and doubting my abilities to represent,” she wrote, “but rather be proud of the changes our nation is making toward accepting diversity.” So why shouldn’t Churchill win? She got accepted to the university. She paid tuition. Attended classes. She won fair and square. Complaining about her race now is a little like the pot calling the kettle black.

From the White House Top News President Obama on Passage of Senate Finance Committee Health Care Bill – “A Critical Milestone” “Today we reached a critical milestone in our effort to reform our health care system. After many months of thoughtful deliberation, the fifth and final committee responsible for health care reform has passed a proposal that has both Democratic and Republican support. This effort was made possible by the tireless efforts of Chairman Max Baucus and the other members of the Senate Finance Committee. It's a product of vigorous debate and difficult negotiations.” VIDEO/TEXT "Restoring a Sense of Responsibility from Wall Street to Washington" The President pushed one of the core pillars of his vision of a new economic foundation back to the fore. Reforming our financial system and restoring common sense regulation and oversight is the only way to ensure that the economic catastrophe that began a year ago never returns. Having met just before [the White House event] with those suffering as a result of abuse, fraud, and deception at the hands of financial institutions, the need was never more evident. LINK Remarks by President Obama on Winning the Nobel Peace Prize “I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of ...

FORT WORTH, Texas – American Airlines announced today it is launching a first-of-its-kind social networking site, BlackAtlas.comSM, which combines the best features of a travel site with the power of social networking to create a dynamic online community for travelers to share experiences unique to the black community. User content will be anchored by travel video blogs and commentaries from author, filmmaker, television producer and world traveler, Nelson George, who will serve as the BlackAtlas.com travel expert at large. Unique travel content for the site is currently being collected at BlackAtlas.com. The site is scheduled to fully launch later this month. “I love to experience new cities, new food and meet new people. I love the thrill of discovering black culture everywhere, and so many African Americans feel the same way I do,” said Nelson George. “I want to entice more people to hit the road by giving them a different, and hopefully fresh, angle on travel through BlackAtlas.com.” Through blogs and discussion boards, users will be able to share travel stories, videos and photos and provide travel tips. They will also be able to rate or make recommendations of popular destinations and businesses, connect with other travelers with similar interests, answer questions ...

From the wire The Navy announced today the newest Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ship (T-AKE) would be named USNS Medgar Evers. The announcement was made by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus during a Jackson State University speaking engagement in Mississippi. Continuing the Lewis and Clark-class tradition of honoring legendary pioneers and explorers, the Navy's newest underway replenishment ship recognizes civil rights activist Medgar Evers (1925-1963) who forever changed race relations in America. At a time when our country was wrestling to end segregation and racial injustice, Evers led efforts to secure the right to vote for all African Americans and to integrate public facilities, schools, and restaurants. On June 12, 1963, the Mississippi native was assassinated in the driveway of his home. Evers' death prompted President John F. Kennedy to ask the Congress for a comprehensive civil rights bill. Designated T-AKE 13, Medgar Evers will be the 13th ship of the class, and is being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego. As a combat logistics force ship, Medgar Evers will help the Navy maintain a worldwide forward presence by delivering ammunition, food, fuel, and other dry cargo to U.S. and allied ships at sea. As part of Military Sealift Command's ...

By Genma Holmes cross posted at nonprofit news organization DallasSouthNews.org I wrote this while wiping away tears rolling down my cheeks and yelling at my monitor. I watched a few minutes of the video of the senseless beating death of the Chicago teen, Derrion Albert, 16, who was an A student at his school. I could not get my mind around the fact that no one intervened. No one. I could not believe that no one yelled out or ran to get help. As I listened to “fonevideograper” give commentary while the life of a young man, who had many possibilities , life slipped from his ravaged body, I literally got ill. I could not watch the entire video. I thought of the parents whose son has been immortalized on YouTube dying while doing what young people should be doing; going to school and making good grades. My heart goes out to them. The details and the “whys” of this vicious crime have been lost among the cries of outrage and righteous indignation. An epidemic of criminal activity committed by young males has terrorized our nation. Chicago has become known for being most dangerous city for school children, where going to school ...

Melody Barnes, White House Domestic Policy Advisory has a couple of entries worth noting in the Health Insurance Reform Debate. First, a few excerpts from an Op-Ed for AOL Black Voices: As with so many issues, if the state of our health care system is a crisis for America, it's a catastrophe for black America. On average, African Americans spend a higher percentage of their income on health care costs than their white counterparts. Yet despite that spending, we also suffer from higher percentages of chronic diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes. That's due, at least in part, to a lack of access to quality affordable care. For too long, Washington has talked about fixing our broken health care system, only to allow the same old partisan politics and special interest lobbying to block change. But this isn't a Democratic issue or a Republican one – it's a moral imperative. That's why President Obama has put forth a health insurance reform plan that borrows good ideas from both sides of the aisle, even from his opponents in both the primary and general elections. This plan does three basic things: *If you have insurance it will provide you more stability and ...

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), chaired by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, will debut Digital Fusion – CBCF 2.0 at a first-of-its-kind forum of the leading African American social media strategists called Black Power 2.0 – Social Media and Digital Content Mobilizing the Masses. The convening will address opportunities to engage communities through social media increasing rates of Internet adoption by the African American community. When: 2:00-5:30 p.m. September 24th, 2009 Where: Room 146A Washington Convention Center 801 Mount Vernon Pl NW Washington, DC 20003 Why: 54 percent of the African American community is not online. Underserved communities are excluded from opportunities to access job applications, health care information or financial services. Black Power 2.0 will feature the nation’s elite African American social media experts at the cutting edge of digital movement. A special session, “The World as We See It: Recreating Communities with Public Purpose Content,” will feature Rey Ramsey, CEO of One Economy, and award-winning director and producer, Robert Townsend. They will address the role of public-purpose media—online content that engages, informs and facilitates action—in stimulating demand for broadband among those who need its resources most. Townsend produces and directs Diary of a Single Mom, a ground-breaking online Web series that chronicles the lives ...