Mississippi Governor Wants to Merge State’s 3 HBCUs

via TheGrio

The Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, proposes big changes to the state government  which includes merging 3 HBCUs along with almost reducing the number of school districts by a third.

His proposal includes merging Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State University in the larger Jackson State University.  Another proposal would merge Mississippi University for Women with Mississippi State University.  Last but not least he wants to close low performing school districts and merge them into financially stable and high achieving school districts. Currently the state of Mississippi has 152 school districts. His plan is to reduce the number to 100 school districts.

All of this in the name of being “efficient” and saving money? Or is this governor politically posturing for 2012 run for President?  Many, many implications loaded in governor’s decision. I hope legislators have the sense to reject these insane proposals.

EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour on Monday unveiled a budget that includes sweeping reorganization of state government, including proposals to merge eight universities into five and reduce the number of school districts by a third.

Original article via the Associated Press after the jump.

Gay Student Beaten After Alerting School Authorities

Jayron Martin did everything in his power to prevent becoming a victim and yet, nothing was done to help him. Tell me this, what is the purpose of suspending just the bus driver; the principals should be suspended as well.

Below is the link to the video and the original article.

NEWS VIDEO

by Courtney Zubowski / 11 News

Posted on November 18, 2009 at 11:04 PM

HOUSTON — A Langham Creek High School freshman who said he’s the victim of a hate crime is speaking out.

Jayron Martin said he begged two principals at his school and his bus driver for help before he was hit repeatedly with a metal pipe.

Martin said the help never came. He said it took a neighbor with a shotgun to stop the beating.

 

“They didn’t do anything,” said Martin. “They never called me down or nothing.”

 

The attack happened after school November 12, near the 6100 block of Langham Mist Lane.

 

According to the 16-year-old, the attack took place off campus. He said a fellow student beat him after school while eight others stood around and watched. Martin believes he was beaten because he’s gay.

 

Missouri Teen To Be Charged As An Adult After Being Set On Fire By White Classmate

via HIP HOP WIRED

In January 2009, the month that Barack Obama was inaugurated into the Presidency of what some refer to as post-racial America, a mini-series of incidences began to take place that found Walter Currie, Jr., who celebrated his 16th birthday last week with a simple family dinner; with life-altering second and third-degree burns covering his face, neck, arms, and stomach and an assault charge.

According to his mother, Winona Currie, in January, Walter was involved in an altercation with a fellow 15-year-old schoolmate, Billy Rasberry (who is white), after Rasberry said that

“he wished slavery days were still in effect because he would get rid of him” (Walter is Black).

Both young men were called into the office to talk about the comment. Mrs. Currie recounted for HipHopWired,  that Walter had even “went over to his [Rasberry's] house, outside in the driveway, and sat out there and talked after the comment.” Her son told her,

“I thought he was a friend of mine.”

By June 13th, around a quarter to nine-o-clock at night, Walter had just finished walking “a little friend half way home” and met up with his cousin at a bowling alley in his Southeast Missouri hometown, Poplar Bluff, population 17,000.

A few days prior, on June 10th, Walter and his cousin were in a park the same day Rasberry and his younger brother were there. According to Mrs. Currie, Walter was speaking with the younger brother when “they heard something and they looked around and the young man [Rasberry] was getting up off the ground.” He apparently had been hit.

On June 13th, when Walter saw the two brothers again, he approached the younger brother “cause he [Walter] heard they [the brothers] wanted to jump him… the little brother said wasn’t nothing like that happening.”

The elder Rasberry joined the conversation by announcing,

“I have gasoline and a lighter.”And my son said he just kind of looked at him and he just kept talking to the younger brother.” Reportedly, Rasberry then doused Walter with gasoline, squirting it from the Gatorade bottle he was carrying, and lit Walter on fire. “It wasn’t nothing I could do but run,” Walter later told his mom.

Louisiana Judge Steps Down

Remember the Louisiana Judge who refused to marry a couple because they were an interracial match up?….well he recently resigned.

READ THE STORY HERE

The McKays (now married) will still pursue a civil rights suit against the Louisiana Justice of the Peace.

It is comforting to know that Judge Bardwell will not get away with his actions that clearly violated the constitutional rights of this couple.

HISTORY FACT:

Loving v. Virginia was the landmark civil rights case that declared Virginia’s anti-miscegenation statute, the “Racial Integrity Act of 1924″, unconstitutional, thereby overturning Pace v. Alabama and ending all race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States.

Love Involves No Pain

Did you know that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Violence against women is a serious social problem in America. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), approximately 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence (DV) in their lifetime. Contrary to popular belief, DV victims have no particular color, social class, or sexual orientation.  The truth is no one is safe from the realities of patriarchal violence in intimate relationships.  Although women make up 85% percent of DV cases, men can be victimized as well. Unfortunately,  most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police and many end in death.

Judge Denies Marriage License to Interracial Couple

Can you believe this headline in 2009? Apparently a Louisiana Judge, Keith Bardwell, deemed it necessary to deny a couple there right to get married because they were an interracial match up. Of course the Judge denies any accusation that he is a racist and asserts that his decision was made out of concern for any children the couple may have in the future, he said:

“I don’t do interracial marriages because I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves,” Bardwell said. “In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.”

News of Derrion Albert Reaches Kuwait Newspaper

News of Derrion Albert’s tragic death reaches a news source out of Kuwait.

The world has shrunken drastically since the advent of the internet, and knowing that, I am not sure why it surprises me that a newspaper based in Kuwait has reported on the death of Derrion Albert. But it has. True enough that the article is a reposting of an article written  by Andrew Stern for the Reuters website.

The fact that should be taken away from this discovery is, despite what you may believe, we are a world community. People are paying attention. What do you intend to say?

Most murders occur in poor neighborhoods of large cities, while other places are largely safe. While blacks comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population, 48 percent of murder victims last year were black. Fifty-eight percent of the 1,764 murder victims between 13 and 19 years old were black.

-Andrew Stern, Reuters

Check out the Kuwait Times repost OR the original article on Reuters OR read it after the jump.

Does Hip Hop Have Heart? pt. 2

 

In response to the beating death of Chicago teen Derrion Albert, rapper Nas releases a letter to the youth entitled Open Letter To The young Warriors in Chicago.

Read Nas’ letter after the jump.

Does Hip-Hop Have Heart? pt. 1

 

In the first installation of Does Hip-Hop Have Heart? Killer Mike responds to the beating death of Chicago teen Derrion Albert via his guest column on All Hip Hop’s website.

The Hip Hop community (specifically rappers)  is often criticized for the aggression, misogyny, glorification of drug culture and gangsterism, so on and so forth that is present in the music; and often times rightly so. But Hip Hop is and can be more. It has always been diverse.

We have gone years feeding off of the uncomfortably repetitious, commercialized destruction that is top 40 and the 5 song rotation on your favorite radio station.

It is said that man cannot live off of bread alone and it is equally true that a Hip Hopper cannot survive off the threat of bodily harm, a bad red bone and dope money alone. Our souls crave more even if our minds cannot comprehend those cravings.

I welcome the hearts and minds of rappers and entertainers that choose to speak to their humanity.

 I know this diseased existence is not normal and it’s not right.

- Killer Mike

Read Killer Mike’s heartfelt message/letter/column after the jump.

Raise Your Voice. = A Mission Statement of Sorts

The Butterfly Effect is intended to highlight injustices and grievances that may go unheard and unsaid in our communities. It is meant to start a dialogue that leads to solutions; a solver of  problems. Or at the very least, a suggester of solutions.

How do we plan on solving the issues that are plaguing our communities? … With your help.

We must begin with an end in mind. Discuss with purpose. (Opportunities to volunteer, organizations that may need to be instituted in certain communities, referrals to organizations that already exist.) Who do we call? Who do we write? Who do we tell? We are examining possibilities with every intention of implementing them or showcasing the person, people, or organization that is already doing it.

How do we plan on solving the issues that are plaguing our communities? … With your help.

We are facilitators of information. Artists, Students, Brothers, Sisters and Children of the global community, looking for and/or defining paths toward evolution.

All of life is a journey, lets walk together. Your questions and comments are highly valued, as they provoke thought and new ideas.

 If you are interested in working with The Butterfly Effect please click the link below.

Raise your voice.