IASK,
I am not married nor do I have children but I find what you have pointed out to be very interesting. I agree that married women should not have to worry about having children with their husbands. I also think that married men should be responsible for their children. Period. Point Blank. The same stigma that attaches to a mother leaving her children should attach to a man leaving his children. I like that Barack Obama, in his speech on Father's Day, really drilled home the idea that men have to be responsible for their children. It is this kind of thinking/speaking out by someone that many people look up to that, I think, will begin to change the way that society thinks about the role of a man with his children. To me, it is ignorant, with a capital "I" for a judge to basically give a man a pass to behave like a child. That is ignorant and not the message that we should send society. Even if she was saying that women have to be responsible, the implication, by focusing so much on the *woman's* responsibility, is that the *man'* responsibility is less or diminished, relative to that of the mother, at least when it comes to kids.

I also think that family courts are to blame for this assinine way of thinking. Why give preference to a mother or a father? Some states don't have this antiquated preference anymore but some do. Are the courts implying that mothers are more important to a child's upbringing than a father? Are the courts implying that a man is not responsible enough to raise his kids? Are they giving the man a pass to act like a child? These issues need to be addressed b/c I would argue that they is what they are doing when they give the mother preference over the father. It.is.bologna. Why do that? To me, as a woman, that is just as offensive to me as the judge saying that I should not have children with my husband. Society needs to stop with making women feel like we are the natural parents and men are basically just the fertilizer. We are NOT the natural parents. So why does everyone loose their minds when the woman wants to go off and leave the kids with their fathers and she send child support (instead of the other way around)? There is no reason that the woman should be required to stay in society's mind and not send child support. To believe otherwise is to buy into the silly idea that men are not as good parents as women and that, by extension, their absence is more tolerable than a mother's absence. So if you believe that, then you are basically saying that the man is not necessary...and, then, of course, they can be excused from their manly duties of raising kids. The judges, family court, and our familes in general need to be overhauled in our thinking.

Ok, I'm off my feminist soapbox.
SC

I agree, SummerChild, it began long ago and fighting social problems is a continuous struggle.

I hope everyone knows that these are not new phenomena that we're dealing with, even if the numbers are skyrocketing. To get to a 70% single parenthood statistic, you have to have started generations ago. We're talking about ongoing cycles and generations of single parenthood, poverty, and other social issues that blacks are disproportionately represented in.

I agree with some of what you said, Soror SC, but you know how many Maury shows there are about paternity. That is not a new or unusual phenomenon. I actually think some of these guest really do not know who the father is and tests are pricey. And enough sample must be collected... So in someways, what is the court supposed to say as to who the responsible adult for this child should be?

You know more than I that the first placement will be with the biological parent who desires full custody. And if it is neither, then foster care for hopes of adoption... But our children are ruminating through out the foster care system.

The other issue is I have a very nice youtube video from a Dr. of my current workplace who is saying key components of one's mental health stability and brain/neural development/learning are made at early childhood. Well, we all know that if you are poorly understand the ramifications of your upcoming pregnancy (typically when you are poor and young), it is highly likely that the resulting child will have behavioral issues as it grows up... And that is pretty sad since this physician was talking about the United States overall...

The other issue is one of Rape and sexual violence. A topic completely overlooked by the CNN documentary. There is a high rate of rape/sexual violence in the African American community, period. I think the stat is somewhere around 65%+. That includes incest. As many of us who are familiar with this issue, if it is either incest and/or child sexual abuse, what kinds of responsible relationship building would these poor children have? Now, I am not saying that everybody is jacking their children. But there is a curious stat that many of the teens here have been sexually molested or abused as children by either someone in their family or "mom's boyfriend" or etc... That means a different tactic has to be employed and this discussion NEVER happens in the Black community--much less where it needs to be, like church...

The next one will be short...
 

I completely agree with everything you said and I cant stand it when people condem my generation (I'm a very late 80's baby).

Bill Cosby had me peeved because he made it seem as if young black people were nothing but ignorant backward pieces of "dirty laundry" that black america does not want to deal with. Although, I understand what he meant with his comments I still can't get with him because of the way he describes my entire generation negatively. To hell with what the few people who do stand up for us try to say the majority opinion about young black people is negative.

My peers and I live with laws that say three or more of us together is a gang! What is this crap? If I went out with my two cousins (god forbid it if we wore similar colors) we'd be harassed and treated like criminals. I have been out with a friend and we were almost arrested for STWB (standing together while black). We are snubbed by ALL other (Africans, Asians, Whites, Latinos) people as well as older black people. Where do young people turn if those we should look to for guidance look back at us with contempt?

I see and have seen how young people get messed up by their parents and then don't know how to fix themselves. I am blessed to have a parent who could expose me to so much, but most of my generation is not as blessed as I have been. And even being as blessed as I am I still deal with more drama and problems than a little bit. (My mom and I just got into an argument because I didnt want to put one of her bills in my name. I know my mom and love her to death, but she never pays any bill on time. This a major utility bill. This means that when she doesn't pay it hurts my credit score and I'm a broke college student with no credit at all. So that means I go from no credit to bad credit, but if the bill is not in my name she doesn't get that essential service) When I do well in school, activism, speaking or whatever I am praised, but I am considered abnormal. Many older black people see me as someone who is beating the odds; not as someone who is realizing her God given potential with the help of strong men and women to guide me. I been to many events where I am the only young person (these are black events) and I get ignored. I remember one reception where I was going around "networking" and 90% of the people I met and told about my work blew me off. At the dinner I made an awesome speech and then all of them wanted to shake my hand and get my card.
God knows and I know that I am NOT that special! Everything that I do each child born is able to do. The difference is in the support system that they (dont) have and the opportunities available to them.
I lived in the hood. So I would come back from trips to UN world conferences to a neighborhood filled with trash. The closest stores sold porno mags, lil debbie cakes, candy, chips, and cheap juice/soda (also known as quarter waters or nutbusters). I used to say that we go from broken homes to broken schools and back day in and day out. If no matter where you go no one believes in and supports you what do you do?
I am motivated by negativity. If you don't believe in me that makes me work so hard that your only choices are to believe in me or turn your back on the truth because that is what I am; The Truth. But every person has their limit. At some point you stop trying to prove people wrong. At some point you just don't care anymore. Young Black People usually get to that point very quickly because they are being pushed and pulled to that point by so many forces.

As much as I know about how we are failing each other as a community and what ways we know of that can fix this......
I honestly don't see the necessary changes happening in the near future (and by near future I mean the next century).
I have faith; I have hope; I have a desire to work, but even with all of this i feel helpless at times!

Where young people usually turn to... Each other--like minded individuals--that may be unsavory.

Mentoring and mentorship have fallen by the wayside.



I wonder what city do you reside? Or what region? Because it is a "crabs in a barrel mentality that is killing us. My city thinks similarly and takes each other down without hesitation. What I have determined that part of this is because most kneegrows work for a corporate structure that has a culture of vulture. And they get so ingrained into it because of the money, when none of it is ours or matters in the end-game. I find it sad and another shackle we have to release ourselves. But it is doubtful.

Some of us older folks feel similarly ;) The more things change, the more they stay the same.

That is why many of us say: keep yourself "educated" and always under study... The reason why we say this because you must NEVER stop learning because the Truth sets you free. Long time ago, all we had was faith and our ability to read the Bible. Now, things have changed and it is a brave new world out there. The internet keeps us connected and it has changed the way humans interact forever. Soon our governments are going to change into a new one with new and different challenges. Either we grow into a differrent kind of understanding or we rot, wither and die as we are young.

That haplessness you and many other feel is normal when times are tough. And for some reason we have to be keep striving. Because:

I think it is. The blind can't lead the blind to safety. Or anywhere positive for that matter.

In a million and one ways! Mentor's are a scarcity. At my school only the kids with behavorial problems (as in they showed out and did what they wanted when they wanted, but were not really bad kids) got mentors. Accelerated (black) kids didn't get anything. You either had to have the highest grades in the school or be the badest kid in the school to get attention. I mean in 6th grade my reading tests showed that I was reading on a second semester high school senior's reading level, but I wasn't in an advanced literature class until my mom and I decided I was either going to get into one or change schools. I constantly got the best grades, but was never tested for advanced placement in school. Since we moved a lot and my grades were really good my mom didnt press the subject. When I was in elem. school in a predominately white area I was in advanced writing classes. Coincidence? Hell NO! I think the lack of attention to accelerated black students was because of CIB mentality and low expectations of people in and around the public school system.


OMG! CIB mentality should be illegal! I've lived in different areas, but for most of the bad educational experiences I was in Georgia.



I feel you. I vowed to never stop learning when I heard two things:
1. If you want to hide something from [expletive deleted] put it in a book because [expletive deleted] don't read.
and
2. The world can take whatever it wants from you. It can take life and limb, but what's up here (pointing to brain) No one and nothing can take that. Its yours forever.


This one was supposed to be short...my bad.

I saw half of the "Black Women and Family" segment (haven't gotten around to watching the rest yet). I agree that it didn't say anything that I didn't already know, but it did open up the floor for communication between my friends and I (watched it with a black/filipino girl, haitian/lebanese guy, and chinese guy). Just that first half caused a 3 hour conversation about how "real" the situations depicted were.

I'm looking forward to watching the rest.

All kids need mentors, often the your mentor is not your ethnic group. Personally, if they are earnestly interested in your success, it should not matter. But that's why you "diversify" your "repertoire"--because you NEVER know who you learn from. Sometimes, you can get an education on the streets... LOL.

First you put "red" up in the AKA Ave... :D LOL... Then you say the N-word on GC. I really am not liking that kind of profanity on the AKA Ave. So slow your roll or I start deleting posts.

This thread is about the CNN special and how the show was pretty much an "and" moment... There were some parts that were clarified, some parts folks will be forever talking about, and some parts that we all want to forget.

Can you help me tie in your experiences with the CNN special? How do they connect? Do you wish to clarify?

Um, unfortunately, I am not sure if the bad educational experience in Georgia is a result of CIB. It might be just b/c Georgia has one of the worst educational systems in the country. Um, that might be it. I know of others who moved to Georgia who also performed very well in Georgia whom were simply average or good students in other states. This is from someone whose beau is an elementary school teacher in Georgia. His school performs well but in general, ... well, I think that much of the south leaves something to be desired in terms of public education. Ok, now everyone from the south can jump on me. But that seems to be reality. He thinks that it's b/c much of the south has traditionally focused more on agriculture than traditional education and now things are changing but they are still playing catchup to some extent relative to the north, which was industrialized earlier.

SC

HC the females are children and the males are adults in your post?
SC

First I apologize for the Nword. That is my error and thank you for correcting it. Also, the red was for distinction only. I appologize for that as well. My mind's color sensor was not on.

To clarify,

I did not mean to imply that all kids did not need mentors. Nor did I mean that the mentors needed to be black. Any mentor would be great. I think it would be awesome if young kids could get a mentor of another race who can open their minds to different cultures and ways of thinking. The world would be a much better place. I just meant that the black kids who weren't at the absolute top of the class did not get mentors. To be completely accurate all students who did not spend a lot of time in front of admins (for good or bad) were left out. I distinguished between advanced black kids and others because they did not get any extra attention. Almost every white (or other) kid who showed a little potential was tested for advanced classes, but most of the black kids were not. As it relates to CNN's duh moment that they called Black In America... In black women and the family part of it focused on the education of young black people. In this mediocre coverage of the black woman and the family the idea of mentorship was not explored directly and neither were many other things. The lapses of CNN sparked this discussion which is how my experiences came into play. They relate to CNN because they are the problems of the black woman and the family as well as the black man that were not covered, but could and should have been.



SummerChild,
I would have to agree with you about Georgia's public education system being one of the worst. It is very bad. I went to schools in other states and it was entirely different. CIB mentality was a part of it because of the way the shcool system was run then and still is now. CIB mentality is definitely at play when it comes to decision makers in the school system and the election of them. Also, the expectation was that students would not do well. I mean if your goal is to have less than half of your students pass the graduation exam (which was maybe a an increase of 2 or 3 percent from the last year [a total of 9 more students out of 300] ) then there is a serious expectation problem.

But the that's the thing in a "Gaussian Distribution" or a "Bell shaped curve". The dunces who act out will get the beat down mentors to save face--think of them like "pre probation officers"... LOL. And the super geniuses who "they" think can make them lots of money will get "coaches" and "counselors"--think of them like Guantanamo Bay interrogators.

To truly mentor Black children takes several types of people. One to be a coach, one to "motivate to accelerate", and one be that mental health worker, etc. But NO ONE DOES that for free and with the breakdown of the Black family, it will not happen anytime soon.

CNN does not comprehend the Black family dynamics. And the goal of the documentary was to give folks a tasting of it is like in the day and life of kneegrows in America. That taste was bitter and foul. The stats were enough. America has problems that need to be fixed. "A country's success is how the least of their countrymen are treated..." (Forgot who said that)

Your other issue of who gets tested and who does not for advance placement classes, that is called the issue of tracking. And tracking usually is ensured by parents who are on it with their kids. If parents are not queued up, then no matter how smart "Johnny" tests, he is not going to get a fair shake. Period. Now parents should not be "helicoptering", but many are and that is how "affirmative action" is done these days... :rolleyes:

So, know that your past formed you to who you are today and you have learned to question (which is a good thing, in some cases). But, you also have to search for your own answered by asking direct questions that can be tested by a process, rather than using "circular logic".

What the hell are you talking about? I hope you don't mean the "girl" and "guy" thing. If so, you're doing too much...:rolleyes:

Ok, first of all, you're going to have to slow down and use the appropriate language when speaking to a woman. That kind of language is inappropriate when addressing a woman. I know that Summerchild may seem unisex but it's really not. :)

Ok, yes, I'm talking about the "girl" and "guy" thing. This has been an ongoing debate since the 60's. Is this the first that you're hearing of it? At any rate, whether it is or it isn't there are studies that show that the way of addressing a human is either indicative of the way that one thinks of the human or maybe it's the other way around. I'm not sure.

It would be like me referring to you or any other man as a "boy." This is analogous to an adult woman being referred to as a "girl."

SC

:)

Gender equality means that knight_shadow's gender-neutral way of typing to you is appropriate whether you're a woman or a man. All is fair in love and message boards.

knight_shadow, "guy" is typically used to refer to men. "Boys" are referred to as "boys." You (perhaps subconsciously) typed "girl" and "guy" which implies a nonadult female and an adult male. The question that Summerchild asked and her follow-up explanation are exactly right. However, this is a subconscious thing and that's why you'd think she was nitpicking. This isn't the worst thing in the world because "guy" is slang but it's almost as bad (or worse, depending) as referring to a group of males and females as "guys."

Yay! Woohoo!

*standing up*

My name is RD and I am guilty of this.

*covering face*

OK, seriously, I do still refer to men and women, in coversation, as "girl" and "boy." I don't know why. In conversation, as a quick retort, I usually spout "Girl/boy, please!" I don't mean it was a means to belittle any man or woman, but it's just force of habit. I have been making a meaningful attempt to correct it since a guy I was conversing with "checked" me on it. I didn't even realize it until he got all loose and stated, "I'm not a boy. I'm a man." For a moment, I was confused as hell. Once he told me what I said, I apologized and began to make a conscious effort to correct it.

I don't think it's a subconscious means to put someone or myself down. I find that lots of folks that grew up in N.O. still refer to men/women as boys/girls just out of habit. Of course, out of respect for elders, we would never use those terms in reference to them. But if we are the same age, expect to be called a boy/girl. Another big one is to call them chicks/dudes.

I only use those words in very informal conversation and if anyone were to ever express discomfort with being referred to as such, I'd make every effort to correct it. It truly isn't intended to offend anyone.

I generally don't, either, unless it is accompanied by a condescending tone. My N.O. friend still says "boy/girl" a lot, too. :)

Only black men correct me when I've jokingly said "boy, please." :)

Random "guy" encounter:
I tend not to respond to people who say "hey guys." When they wonder why I'm ignoring them I say "oh...I'm a woman so I knew you weren't talking to me." :) That makes some people mad, especially men who think that male is the gendered standard. My friend and I had 2 black men try to holla at us at an event. The men prefaced their pick up lines with "hey, guys, my buddy and I have a question." I immediately said "oh, you're talking to us? well, are you ladies doing alright today?" The guy was like :confused: "what are you talking about? Are you calling us ladies?" I said "are you calling us men?" The dude was mad and said that everyone's a guy because male is the standard, but not everyone's a lady because female isn't the standard. I guess I was supposed to be thrilled at that male-centric logic. Instead, I saw that it was hopeless and said "have a great day" and walked away. While my friend (forever the patient diplomat--eventhough we're equally feminist) stayed behind to explain to his slow behind what just happened. Too bad she also had to listen to the rest of their horrendous pick up lines. :)

This actually fits the topic in a very patterns-of-behavior way.

I've been guilty of saying 'you guys' when talking to a group of women. I was called on it and have tried hard to eliminate it from my vocabulary.

I just went back and re-read my reply to your original post. I did come off a bit harsh, and for that, I apologize.

I was a little put off because I didn't see the point in interrupting a discussion regarding the series with a lesson in gender equality. I could understand if I had posted that "two gentlemen and one broad" had watched the show -- there's no excuse for that. But to come after me for "guys and girl" seemed nitpicky. In any event, I'll try to be more mindful from now on.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I wasn't "coming after you." It's cool. I was just making a random observation. I'm fairly laid back and don't tend to "come after people" on the internet. The real world is much more fun for me to dwell in so I am very selective about where I comment on Greekchat in any case. Don't get upset, KS. It's cool. My smiley faces are real smiley faces, not attempts to be facetious or usually anything else. I actually consider myself to be a pretty funny person so alot of times my smiley faces are me laughing while I'm typing - like the "Summerchild" unisex comment above. I was actually being funny...or at least I thought.

SC

IASK,
Yes, there is a problem in GA. I get on my bfriend's case all the time about whether teachers and administrators are doing their jobs...and why the kids are out of school so much. They are out roughly 2 weeks for winter break, 1 week for spring break, then there are at least 5-10 teacher in-service days per year when the kids are not in school, then the usual holidays during the school year. I think that they are out roughly 6 weeks - out of a 9 month year!!! Really, let's be honest, I don't think that the kids are even in school enough to learn what they are supposed to learn. Why are they out of school so much?

He explained that teachers need training days and those are the in-service days. I'm sorry, teachers can train after work or on the weekend, can't they? They are salaried so how come they can't put in a little extra time *after* the school day is over so that the kids won't have to miss another day of education. In any other occupation one is required to work a weekend here or there or an evening, why not with teachers? Why do the kids have to miss a day of education for teacher training. He and I disagree on this matter.

In the same vein, teachers are so poorly paid that it is a wonder that *any teachers* care about their jobs. It is ridiculous what they are paid. Then again, it may not be that bad if you divide the salary by 9 and then extrapolate it out to what teachers would be paid if they worked the 3 extra months. I don't know.

I definitely think that low expectations is a problem and children produce what they are expected to produce. My bfriend has very high expectations and accepts no excuses - from parents or the kids. He regularly goes to their houses to talk with the parents if the parents don't come out and talk with him at the parent conferences and the kids are not doing well or just not doing their homework...but his expectations are high for the kids. I hate to hear about kids placed in special ed unnecessarily or put on all kinds of medication for add, adhd, ahhdd, and everything else that kids are medicated for these days. Some of them just seem to need a good old fashioned butt whipping to clear up their attention and acting out issues.

Re acting out in class, he has explained to me that AA boys behave much differently from other boys, and even from AA girls. These differences in behavior are often seen as "bad" behavior. He said that they are just different ... and somewhat misunderstood. He teaches a number of AA boys and has his entire career. He said that he uses different techniques with them as compared to AA girls, for example. But he recognizes the differences...in part, because he was one of them. I wish there were more AA men in the classroom to work with AA boys. I think it would make a world of difference for some of the boys.

SC

Speaking of boys being different form girls... I have always wondered how much of a difference it makes to go to gender specific schools.

*bump*

Did anyone watch Black in America 2? I have it DVR'd but haven't watched yet. Trying to see what to expect.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/black.in.america/

I watched the on last night, "Leaders of Tommorow" and it was pretty inspiring to see so many young people doing productive things.

I totally agree with what you said about teacher being paid so poorly. Besides being paid poorly, all too often they are expected to buy classroom supplies out of their own personal funds because the school can't/won't provide them. Many of the people in education now really DON'T care about the children because they feel they don't get paid enough TO care. Whether that is right or wrong, you can't blame teachers for being annoyed about how poorly they are paid.

However, I have to disagree about the children being out of school too much. They really do need those breaks so they don't get burned out during the year. I know in particular at my old high school the stretch between February and June was pretty rough and had it not been for spring break, I don't know what we would have done.

Am I alone in not having watched any of these?

Not alone. There have been parts of it that do interest me (the segments on black elite). But for some reason, I'm just fearful of being sucked into "black people 101" type situations if I say I've watched it at work.

Nope. I have not watched any of them. Someone threatened to take my "black card" last week when they found out I didn't watch them. :rolleyes:

Lol. And that is just it. I don't know what CNN is going to tell me about being black in America. :neutral:

Bumpity bump.

This popped up on my T_witter. They're showing "Black In America: Almight Debt." Here are the upcoming times:

CNN Thu, Oct 21 9:00 PM
CNN Fri, Oct 22 12:00 AM
CNN Fri, Oct 22 3:00 AM
CNN Sat, Oct 23 8:00 PM
CNN Sat, Oct 23 11:00 PM

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/bla...iref=allsearch

Thanks for giving me a chance to vent. :D

I might not watch this show because the commercials that aire on CNN are annoying. O'Brien asks "is debt a bigger problem than racism?" :rolleyes: Seriously, CNN, is that what every topic involving Black people boils down to? The simplistic question of "how does this compare to racism?" One of the clips for the commercial (I'm sure they edited it to grab our attention for the commercial) responds to O'Brien's question with "racism does not stop Black folks from saving money." Ummm...duh...but the income gap that keeps Americans living paycheck to paycheck is highly correlated with race and therefore not divorced from the structure of race and class inequalities in this country. And the average American (the average American is also white) lives paycheck to paycheck while Blacks disproportionately live paycheck to paycheck. This capitalistic society perpetuates lower wage labor and high consumerism.

Going against that cycle requires a different type of socialization that the average American is not accustomed to and that's especially the case for racial and ethnic minorities. I always tell Black folks to put even $20 in their savings (or the "savings stash" at the crib) if they can. That's better than zero savings and those who can't save $20 "better be" spending that last $20 on an absolute necessity rather than a meal at McDonalds or a bottle of Cognac (yuck @ brandy).

:) And, no, being a broke ass college student/graduate student/young professional is not the same as being a broke ass Black person who is entrenched in poverty without the educational and networking outlets to potentially rise the socioeconomic ladder.

Here are other commercials/previews that are a bit different than the ones that I have seen on CNN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsY49Rd7Q14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2i4UrRgXRI

I hadn't seen the commercials, but I just watched the links you posted. It looks like that was purely for shock value. The previous shows were put together well, so I'll likely give this one a chance.

I don't know how I feel about the religious angle, though. I wish they would have contacted a black economist or something (perhaps they did and just aren't showing it in the previews).

It was definitely shock value. LOL. "Black in America: The Almighty Debt" is attention grabbing enough.

The religious angle is an attempt to address the institutions that are most prevalent in the Black community, in general. I think they also interviewed a Black economist (or some equivalent) and he may have been the person whose clip they used in response to "is debt a bigger problem than racism."

According to the clip, it was Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries who said that.

ETA: His Wikipedia page. Nothing on his "wiki-resume" is economics-related. It pretty much focuses on his ministry.

See...I've been hoodwinked and bamboozled thinking it was a financial professional and not a reverend. :mad: Go on somewhere, CNN.

Well said.

I'm pretty much not feeling the whole "Black in America......" series so there it is. What is it supposed to be accomplishing, really? Let's be real. What are most people going to take from it?

Most of the stuff that was discussed in the originals were common sense for black folks. Being on CNN, though, will hopefully be a catalyst for conversation outside of the community. The programs were put together nicely, at least.

Wishful thinking, but that's all I got :o

Yeah the original Black in America was to edumacate white folks and give Black folks a few minutes of fame that weren't negative. Afterall, with the first Black president (who urrshered in the era of "he's biracial and not Black"), unaware white folks needed to have their fears calmed. That's also why Michelle Obama's Black folk hair become a white folk topic.

This one is to edumacate Black folks on debt. The reality is that the Black folks who need this the most don't watch CNN in the first place and/or won't be watching this show. Take this show on the road and then we'll have some real outcomes. For the records, there are Black community organizations (including chapters of Delta) that have economic programs in the Black community and teach people about debt, line of credit, investments, etc.

ETA: The media ain't shit but hoes and tricks. It can't teach Black folks and it can't save Black folks. Just nod your head and don't expect too much.

I would interested in seeing something like that.

And I do admire the NPHC programs (5 Point Thrust, etc) specifically for these purposes (italics) [edit: bold2].

Ugh. I feel like I'm one step away from saying "DIVAstating" :o

ETA: When the entire quote is in italics, then italicizing it makes no difference. I'll call it "bold2"