Soraya Mathias Blog

Jaw-dropping statistics lead many of us to believe that the above statement rings true for all African American males. Education is not anywhere near the top of their list of priorities or even if it is apart of their lists at all. With high school dropout rates continuing to remain high and with sisters steadily out numbering them on college campuses, one would think there is no need to speak of Black men achieving at higher educational levels.

“School and Black men just don’t mix” is the thought that many people have grown to believe.

That may be true for some Black men but it was men like W.E.B. DuBois who put that theory up for question.

On February 23, 1868, William Edward Burghardt DuBois was born in the cold state of Massachusetts and unlike most African Americans at that time, DuBois didn’t experience the harsh racism that other Black people did as his family was accepted in the community. DuBois took advantage of his unusual situation, focusing on the one thing that he had full control over…His mind.

Not only did he attend college but he took his pursuit of higher education a step further and became the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from the prestigious Harvard University, the same institution that President Obama graduated from with a degree in law.

With all of the education that he received, W.E.B. DuBois decided that it was time he took on the teacher role becoming a professor at Atlanta University. Academics were of extreme importance to him but he never stopped fighting for the rights of African Americans, co-founding the NAACP and leading the Niagara Movement.

Numbers don’t lie and stats are straightforward. But they don’t solely determine the future of our young Black men. What will become of them is not based on these things alone. It all comes down to their determination, self drive to make something of yourself and become anything but the stereotype.

Are the odds against Black men excelling when it comes to education? Yes.

But are there those who defy the ignorance that is attached to our race? Yes.

DuBois did.

And so have the many educated brothers that have followed in his footsteps.

So much can be said about the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His powerful speeches have been recited and replayed years after their deliveries, having the same impact on people that they had initially. And his extreme determination to create tranquility amongst people of all racial backgrounds, striving for equality for all mankind has never been overlooked. There is no doubt that Dr. King had a special gift that he continued to use up until his death in 1968.

Although he did not live a long life, the accomplishments of Dr. King were of such magnitude that we dedicate a day to him and what he did for our race.

MLK Day is used as a day to revisit the past and how Dr. King and other civil rights leaders came together to fight for a worthy cause, one that affected our well being tremendously.

As we celebrated MLK Day in various ways though, did you think to yourself: Can we really say that the dream that King had is now a reality?

“Dr. King was a visionary. He thought on levels that many of his peers did not, especially when it came to forming relationships with people of other races. To this day, some of us don’t necessarily believe in some of the things that he preached about but I feel as though what he was striving for was so positive and beneficial to our generation. As far as his dream actually coming true, I think we have made progress but we still have a long way to go”

Arianna B.
Age: 33
Boston, MA

“I believe that the dream is slowly becoming a reality. The election of President Obama led me to say that. What people need to keep in mind though is that his election didn’t 100% solidify progress for Black people as a whole. That’s why I used the word “slowly””

Troy W.
Age: 38
Portland, OR

“I don’t think the Dr. King’s vision has been fully brought to life for many reasons. Yes, we as African Americans have way more opportunities than we once had back in the day. We have better job opportunities now, we are able to receive higher forms of education and we are becoming president of the United States. But despite all those great things, we are still very much prejudged merely because of the color of our skin and are not granted the same things that other races are without having to work extra hard for them. As wonderful as his vision was, there will always be some things that we can’t change”

Maliyah D.
Age: 19
Milwaukee, WI

“Honestly, I think that Dr. King’s dream has been disrupted by the very ones that he was standing up for, African Americans. He wanted us all to live in peace and harmony, love one another. Are we doing that now though? Black on black crime continues to skyrocket and we don’t shy away from an opportunity to tear one another down. King spoke strongly on educational advancement for African Americans yet we are dropping out of high school left and right. Is it me or is something very wrong with this picture?”

Roderick R.
Age: 24
Atlanta, GA

Have we forgotten the struggle?

Or is King’s dream still in the process of being reached?

Headlines began to heavily circulate after one of the most controversial executions of this century took place. 42 year old Troy Davis was accused of the killing of a Georgia police officer Mark McPhail in 1989 and sentenced to death 1991. After serving time in prison, Davis was executed on Wednesday night at 11:08 pm in the state of Georgia. Emotions are still flaring from citizens all over the country, namely those within the Black community. From social media networks to live protests shown on television, people have gone out of their way to show their support for Davis and believe him to be innocent of this crime. Sadly, his life was still set to be taken. Even though Mr. Davis knew that his life was shortly coming to an end, he managed to deliver a few words before his execution took place:

“The incident that night was not my fault, I did not have a gun…I did not personally kill your son, father and brother. I am innocent.” –Troy Davis

So the fate of this man rested in the hands of eyewitnesses’ words with no hardcore evidence to back up their claims?

The death penalty itself can be a very sensitive subject for many people to discuss. Some feel that executioners are playing God because they are determining when a person should die and only God should have the say so on that. And because it is not a reversible process, some feel that it should not even be considered in case someone is indeed found not guilty. Others feel that executions are just practices that we as Americans should allow to take place.

Mixed feelings have surfaced because of the execution of this man who professed his innocence up until the very end of his life.

It’s clear that this was an emotional event but what was the true message that Davis was trying to send in his last words?

Putting some deep thought into it, one could recognize numerous messages that this whole situation is trying to reveal:

Those who call themselves “friends” don’t always live up to the title that they give themselves.

When things are going good, everyone wants to befriend you. Being a member of your clique is the number one goal on everybody’s list. Telling you that they care about you and have your back at all times regardless of the situation, that’s what true friends are for. But what about Mr. Davis’ friends? If he was not the one who pulled the trigger, where is this mysterious person who did that he probably labeled as a “friend”? They surely were nowhere to be found at his execution. He was left to die without a “friend” in sight.

Message: From this, we see when choosing friends and hanging buddies, choose them wisely and know that when they say “through thick and thin” that they won’t leave you taking the blame for something that they did.

Guilty by association is just as crucial as being 100% guilty of a crime.

It was said that Davis verbalized his innocence on numerous occasions, including moments before his death. His claim was that he was not the one who pulled the trigger. Yes, he may not have been the gunman but being associated with the one who took Mr. MacPhail’s life is enough to make you guilty in many people’s eyes.

Message: You may not be the one who actually committed the crime but if you were apart of planning for the crime to take place, then you may be viewed as being equally as guilty.

In a nutshell, people need to understand what is truly going on here. If a man can be executed for a crime that he repeatedly claimed that he did not commit, what does that tell us? Could race have been a factor in how Troy Davis’ case was handled? Could it be that our society places more value on the lives of law enforcement officials than it does on any other American citizen that holds no badge? So many questions are still being asked in reference to this high profile case.

Less than a paragraph in length, Troy Davis’ last words were much more powerful than we think. It was more than just a man leaving the world with his final thoughts. It was a wake up call.

Are you awake now?

After he got called out by mogul Donald Trump and many others for his “hidden” birth certificate and “hand out” to Harvard, President Barack Obama is yet again on people’s bad side. And as expected, it’s for a silly reason, even sillier than normal. He did the unthinkable y’all; the most down right awful thing he could have ever done as the leader of this country…He invited a rapper to a poetry night at the White House. Rapper Common Sense, known as Common for short, appeared at the event to the dislike of many, which led to yet another Obama bash session.

Hold up, wasn’t everybody just singing this man’s praises for announcing the demise of head Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden?

He is catching massive amounts of heat from politicians all over the whole ordeal. But this is rather puzzling to me as he is not the first president to bring a Hip-Hop artist to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

If you recall, Former President George H. W. Bush Sr. brought the popular N.W.A. rap star Eric “Eazy-E.” Wright to the White House during his term back in the early ‘90’s. God rest his soul, but Eazy E.’s flow was far from clean and any real Hip-Hop head clearly knows the difference between an Eazy E. lyric and a verse that Common would spit. And it is extremely significant:

“I look into my daughter's eyes, and realize that I'm gonna learn through her/The Messiah, might even return through her/If I'm gonna do it, I gotta change the world through her.”
–Common “Be”

“And me, I found a purpose why I MC/Inspire a young world to be greater than me/I fall awake and I dream a song/So the little shorties will sing along.”
-Common “Changes”

Oh goodness, cover your child’s ears from these “hard core” lyrics folks (Insert sarcasm). I guess they were pissed off about a line from the poem that he read where he referenced a “burning Bush”. Well, if you take a moment to read the Bible then you would know that the Burning Bush that he could have been referring to was the one that stood before Moses; not actually burning the former president. Furthermore, poetry can be interpreted in many different ways. Boy, it’s amazing how people twist things to their own liking.

But of course, in the eyes of a close minded individual and one who has no real concept of the Rap industry and the lyrical delivery that various artists use, they wouldn’t understand. To them, all rappers, even if they grew up in a household where their parents had Ph.D.'s (shout out to the late Dr. Donda West, mother of Kanye West) are either criminals or drug dealers. So for President Obama to even bring someone like this to the White House was just such a horrible thing to do.

I mean damn, can this man catch a break?

First, he was labeled an immigrant, with claims that his birth certificate was kept a secret from everyone. Now, he is supposed to be some heavy supporter of thugs on the mic and letting them roam around the White House premises?

And the way that people reacted to it…ridiculous. All the screaming and shouting from reporters, analysts, political figures and their supporters was damn near comical. Are these people serious? You would have thought Obama and Common took somebody out judging by the comments and reactions from people.

I ask this out of all seriousness, what the hell is the real problem here?

From the very second this man stepped foot into the White House, he has been ripped to shreds by so many people. And has been held to outrageous standards and expectations that no one could achieve without being given several years time to do so.

Before I end, let’s get some things straight here: Firstly, Common is about as much of a gangster rapper as I am so let’s kill those foolish comments immediately. No, his lyrics aren’t always squeaky clean but the majority of what comes out of this man’s mouth is uplifting and influential. Secondly, Common has been to the White House on numerous occasions prior to his latest visit so why the issue now?

This all goes to show that no matter what he does, President Obama will always get overly criticized for the decisions that he makes. Even when this all dies down, I am sure that someone else will find Mr. President at fault for something else. Even in the midst of a good doing, he will still get called down for something, well, stupid.

It’s time for people to get off the Obama bashin’ bandwagon and do something more productive with their lives.

By: Taren Vaughan

Being a police officer is one the noblest professions that there is to have. Aside from all the hard work that they do for the cities and counties that they reside in, police officers take great pride in the things that they do both in their careers and concerning their families. They do much more than just lead a life of crime fighting and making it their duty to protect law abiding citizens. Now they are making history in the sunny state of California.

Officer Jeri Williams has not only done an outstanding job as a police officer and chief, she has made history becoming the first African American to be named police chief during her years with Phoenix’s police department. As her election was historical, her job performance however was just as memorable as she was given the chance to serve as Commander and Assistant Chief during her time with the Phoenix Arizona Police Department.

Many in Phoenix have spoken highly of Williams and what she has done for the communities that she has been involved with. And know first hand what kind of impact she can have in Oxnard. Becoming the first black police chief is one thing. But how about becoming the first female one too?

Oxnard, California’s selection of the 44-year old as police chief has made her the city’s first black and first woman to serve in this position. From what he knows and observed of Williams, City Manager Ed Sotelo is very confident in her ability to do a superb job:

“I know that Jeri Williams is exceptionally qualified for the position and is the best fit for our city,”

“Jeri brings with her extensive community policing experience, which will serve to complement and enhance our city’s efforts in that area dating back to 1990.”

It’s obvious that Williams takes great pride and seriousness in her duties as a member of law enforcement. But her scholastic achievements are just as important to her. She received her both her bachelors and masters degrees and is currently working towards getting her doctorate at Northern Arizona University. Being an overachiever seems to be second nature for her. As a member of the police force in Phoenix, Arizona, Williams was the constantly praised for her work efforts and I’m sure the same will happen for her in Oxnard.

To whoever said fighting crime was a “man thing” must not know a woman by the name of Jeri Williams. This lady cop right here is one belle who is most definitely about her business. Officer Williams will be replacing Police Chief John Crombach who announced his retirement earlier this year. Now this is who we should be encouraging our young black girls to be like…A person of change and determination.

Let’s face it; Bristol Palin wouldn’t be praised if she was black.

By: Taren Vaughan

Hence the title, you already know where I am going with this one. But trust that I won’t totally tear down Bristol Palin. However, I will state the obvious here. And that is that this whole situation surrounding the former Governor of Alaska’s daughter would be a tad bit different if she was a couple shades darker.

For over two years now, Bristol Palin has had a healthy dose of the limelight with her mother Sarah Palin. Not because she was running for a political office but because she became the mother of a new baby boy. Becoming a teenage mother has virtually launched a career for her, potentially leading to a reality show. Now let’s think on this for a second: Bristol has a baby and what does she get: A slew of TV interviews and becoming the poster child for teen abstinence for starters. And to put the icing on the cake, a spot on ABC’s next season of “Dancing With The Stars”. Essentially, this young lady’s claim to fame was because she had unprotected sex with her boyfriend and conceived a child? Oh yeah I forgot, and her mother is a political “icon”.

Oh but if Bristol was a little brown girl, the reaction of her teenage pregnancy would have been quite different. There would have been no TV appearances for her, at least not positive ones. And all of the media press she would have gotten would have been as positive as the kind that Tiger Woods got for swinging his “golf club” in unfamiliar “greenways”.

Now what if Sasha or Malia Obama were to get pregnant at a young age? Since they have not hit puberty yet, let’s fast forward here for a minute. Because at their current age someone may argue that they are too young to draw that kind of comparison to Bristol Palin. What if one of them was to get pregnant and have a baby out of wedlock? We already know the answer to that question. All hell would break loose. And they would be labeled everything but children of God. It would be hung over their head for years, even if they did prove themselves to be fit mothers and raised wonderful children. Who cares? The only thing that would be looked at is the fact that they got knocked up at an early age.

The overall treatment of Bristol Palin was been pretty exceptional compared to that of other teenage mothers. So what kind of message does this send? It’s okay to get pregnant at age 17 as long as you’re a pretty little white girl? That is wrong on so many different levels. Bottom line is no teenage pregnancy should be glorified based on race or anything else for that matter. The situation period is not favorable for any young girl to be in. It’s hard enough being an adult mother let alone one that is barely 18 years old.

When it all comes down to it, we as black women just can’t get away with some things.
And us becoming teenage mothers just so happens to be one of them. Oh, that’s a pure sin in white America for a sister. With the society that we are living in, not even President Obama’s presence in the White House is going to change the way that people view us and our black brothers. Our faults are amplified that much more than whites. It’s a shame that it has to be this way. But that is the harsh reality of it. Teen mothers shouldn’t look to get the “Bristol” treatment because it probably won’t happen.

What we can all learn from the Shirley Sherrod media frenzy.


By: Dawn Marbury

What you hear isn’t always the truth, just ask Shirley Sherrod. A speech she gave about equality for all races and the needs of the less fortunate class was chopped and screwed into the roasting of white people, and released to the world by Fox News, a beacon of “fair and balanced” reporting. While Shirley did indeed say the comments that got everybody from Glenn Beck to the NAACP up in a tizzy, the context of her statements were unbelievably misconstrued in order to point the reverse racism finger back at the black White House and its supporters. To everyone’s chagrin the unaltered tape actually showed Shirley Sherrod as kind of race hero- a woman whose own father was murdered by the KKK, facing a choice to provide aid to a white farmer that felt “superiority” over her and she actually helped him. In an age of hoopla over what someone says context gets lost, and doesn’t always come back to vindicate.

People are receiving more information than ever. The production of information just in the year 2000 was 37,000 times more than all the information in the Library of Congress. Mail, telephones, and the internet bring us more information than previous generations could ever imagine. All the cool people are blogging their most intimate thoughts on Twitter (in 140 characters or less) and updating Facebook with their problems, rants, and observations. Cellphones allow us the ability to pass notes in the classroom of life without even saying one word. We seemed to be obsessed with information gathering, but maybe we are more obsessed with gossip. Facebook has turned people into private dicks combing their “friends” profiles for suspicious pictures, comments and statuses. What you may be using as a tool for self promotion expression may be interpreted as your last will and testament to the readers seeing your updates. Twitter whose chat room esque elements (minus the anonymity) thrives off of the information and gossipy nature that we have to share information not just about ourselves, but each other. The result is an electronic version of the “telephone game” we played as children, a morphing of facts and truth that blazes through our wi-fi connections with lightning speed- with only remnants of the original details.

Shirley Sherrod could never imagine that words she said about someone she met in 1986 would cause such a national uproar, then national apology. She is one of many people who the flame of wild-fire words has scorched and burned. As a writer, its damning for me to write that tone is very difficult to interpret via text (words alone) and coupling that with the sophisticated technology that can manipulate speech to serve its audience makes deciphering the real truth like finding a size 8 shoe during a Nordstrom’s clearance sale. Fox News has replaced journalism with the same authenticity that we see on reality shows, and internet addicts shoot up all the gossip and info that they can- commenting without caring about sources or validity. The story is what we are after- and the truth may or may not fit with that. As the same folks that demand that the Obama administration rehire the same person they demanded he fire talk out both sides of their faces, its is our responsibility to police our need for that gossip fix by not running with speculation as the real deal. You never know when that speculation could be running after you.


Dawn Marbury is one of our featured writers. She is a talented writer who writes an awesome and an extremely witty blog entitled The Bourgeoisie And The Beast when she isn't working on her own books. Check out her site, it's addictive.