Needless to say it was an interesting year, as usual. Nobody would’ve guessed that an NBA player’s decision to change teams would captivate the nation’s attention and generate so much passion. And nobody would’ve guessed how much power right-wing insane conservative commentators had until the case of a Georgia woman was hastily handled by the the White House. In case you missed it, here is a list of news and events that we’re still talking about at the end of 2010:
Haiti Earthquake
It was a horrible start to 2010 for Haiti. Who could forget how the capital city of Port-au-Prince was shaken and rattled by a 7.0 earthquake in January. The disaster left hundreds of thousands of islanders homeless and injured; it also killed thousands. Almost a year later, the former French colony is still struggling to restore livable conditions.
The Resignation of White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers
In the aftermath of the controversial party crashing of the White House State dinner by Tareq and Michaele Salahi (now of “The Real Housewives of Washington DC” fame), Social Secretary Desiree Rogers was under immense pressure to resolve why there had been a security breach under her leadership. Many accused Rogers of being more concerned with being part of the party and being in the spotlight rather than remaining behind the scenes and in full control. Although her friends Barack and Michelle Obama refused to blame her, the controversy made it difficult for Rogers to continue in her position. Months after the party crashing incident, Rogers resigned in March and is now CEO of Johnson Publishing Company.
The Tea Party Movement Makes Stupidity and Racial Politics Popular
The Tea Party claims itself to be a conservative movement with the aim of regaining the rights of the people. We say it’s a front for white supremacy. According to a University of Washington poll, “74 percent of Tea Party sympathizers agreed with the statement “[w]hile equal opportunity for blacks and minorities to succeed is important, it’s not really the government’s job to guarantee it,” while a CBS/New York Times poll found that 25% think that the administration favors blacks over whites, compared with just 11 percent of the general public, and that they are more likely to believe Obama was born outside the United States.”
The Tea Party has been very vocal and critical of Obama’s presidency, which many say relate to their racism. Besides their motives to undermine Obama, The Tea Party is using its platform to promote the agendas of Republican political figures like Sarah Palin. Need we say more?
The LeBron James “Betrayal”
Who knew that basketball involved so much politics? NBA all-star LeBron James discovered that it can get heated and ugly very quickly when he transitioned from the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a contract with the Miami Heat over the summer. The Akron, Ohio-raised baller has played with the Cavaliers since he entered the professional leagues in 2003. Despite the fact that many star players switch teams at one point or another, fans were extremely disappointed and viewed it as an act of “betrayal” when James decided to not extend his contract with the Cavaliers. The majority-owner of the franchise, Dan Gilbert, published a controversial, open letter to fans denouncing James’ decision, sparking a media frenzy. Jesse Jackson went on later to proclaim that Gilbert was expressing a “slave master mentality”, and he was treating James as “a runaway slave.”
Charter School Fever
Public schools have been getting hammered as of late. Nevermind that there are nearly 100,000 public schools in the country, charter school advocates are putting public schools in one box as they seek to sing the praises of charter schools and the downfalls of the tradition U.S. school system. With help from Michelle Rhee, Oprah’s new BFF and the former chancellor of the DC public school system,as well as from Geoffrey Canada, who leads the successful Harlem Children’s Zone, charter schools are now what’s being touted as a solution in education reform discussions. The documentary “Waiting for Superman” portrayed a dynamic of the charter school debates.
The Curious Case of Shirley Sherrod
Though Shirley Sherrod eventually came out on top in the end, the ordeal which put her in the spotlight was riddled with injustice. In July of this year, the Georgia State director for the United States Department of Agriculture was pressured to resign from her high-powered position after the conservative commentator Andre Breitbart posted an excerpt, taken out of context, from a speech Sherrod made to the NAACP. Breibart essentially portrayed her as a racist working for the federal government. The White House quickly got wind of the video and “harassed” her to resign. Days later, it came to light that the video clip was taken out of context and Sherrod did not make any hateful remarks. The incident did not bode well for Obama’s administration and evinced the fact that the conservative right wingers have the Left in a vulnerable and fearful position.
The Eddie Long Scandal
After a hectic fall, Bishop Eddie Long has reportedly decided to settle of out court with his 4 accusers, who claim that the Bishop sexually abused them. Eddie Long joins a long line of religious preachers who have been stung by their own hypocrisy. Sure, Long is innocent until proven guilty but photos depicting the preacher in tight shirts (which he sent to the accusers) and the fact that he shared hotel rooms with one or more of the boys while out on church trips casts a suspicious light. To top it all off, Long has preached against homosexuality in the church making his case even more scandalous. Regardless, Long has generated conversation about the Black Church and the down-low phenomenon amongst Black men.
The D.C. Mayoral Elections
It was Black v. Black in this year’s mayoral D.C elections as incumbent Adrian Fenty went up against, and lost to, D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray. According to reports, African-American voters were disappointed in Fenty’s performance and felt that he was taking an outsider’s view to working with Chocolate City residents. It was the most watched and one of the most examined mayoral races this year.
A Black Man Revives Old Spice
The popularity of the Old Spice ads has blown advertisers and fans of the cologne classic away. What is it about Isaiah Mustafa that has been able to revitalize a brand so instantaneously? We’re not sure how to breakdown the formula of his appeal but we do know that an African-American got to be face of the biggest viral marketing campaign in 2010.
South Africa Hosts The World Cup
The motherland had the honor of hosting the tournament of tournaments this year. The World Cup, an international championship competition which brings together the best soccer players – or should we say footballers- in the world once every four years, lit up the cities of Mandela’s South Africa this summer. We were sad to see so few African teams compete as the games got more competitive but the festivities did wonders for South Africa’s economy, bringing tons of tourist dollars and enabling funds to build more infrastructure. Despite recent reports saying that South Africa lost on its investment, it is clear to anyone on the ground that the investment is meant to outlast the impact of one season and, nonetheless, it was a source of pride for a continent that rarely gets positive attention.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Jailed For Political Corruption
Ex-Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick isn’t the first politician to fall from grace but he gets our award for most outlandish corrupt politician of 2010. Strippers, extra-marital affairs, bribery, nepotism and fraud were all part of Kilpatrick’s history as a young mayor of a troubled town.
He resigned as mayor in 2008 after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in state court. He lied about an affair he was having with his chief of staff and also tried to pay off Detroit Police to cover up illegal happenings in his office. Kilpatrick got news of the new federal charges against him last week behind bars.
According to the New York Times, “the federal indictment says that Kwame Kilpatrick used donations to a charity known as the Kilpatrick Civic Fund to pay for golf clubs, summer camp for his children, yoga classes and antibugging equipment. As a state representative, Mr. Kilpatrick diverted $280,000 in grant money meant to help the elderly and children; the funds instead went to nonprofits controlled by his wife and Mr. Ferguson, who used it for personal expenses, the indictment says.”
The Censure of Charles Rangel
2010 may have marked the low point in the career of Charles Rangel, the longtime New York Representative and Congressional member. In November of this year, Rangel was found guilty of 12 ethics violations by the House Ethics Committee. Two of the charges related to how he solicited funds and donations for the Rangel Center from those with business before the Ways and Means Committee; four were for improper use of Congressional letterhead and other House resources in those solicitations; one was for submitting incomplete and inaccurate financial disclosure statements; one was for using one of his Harlem apartments as an office when he had Congressional dealings with the landlord; one was for failing to pay taxes on his Dominican villa.
Rangel insists that he did not do any of these things with self-serving intent; nevertheless, the committee voted to censure Rangel, which is the most severe punishment you can receive as an elected official without being impeached. Rangel gave us his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee earlier in the year. We’re sure Rangel is not the only Congressional member in violation of these type of acts but every once in a while, someone needs to suffer as an example to the rest of ’em. And this year, that one is Rangel.
Crack Becomes A Little Less Wack, Legally
In July 2010, a historic piece of legislation was passed; historic, that is, for African-Americans and those unfairly targeted by the criminal justice system. The Fair Sentencing Act reduces the discrepancy between the penalizations of those caught with cocaine v. those caught with crack. For the past 30 years, those who were arrested with crack possession (mostly Black men) were sentenced more harshly than those who were caught with cocaine (mostly Whites and Latinos).
A person found holding 500 grams of powder cocaine would face a five-year mandatory minimum sentence although crack offenders would only need to be in possession of 5 grams to face the same obligatory sentence. Although the Fair Sentencing Act doesn’t make it a 1:1 case, it reduces the disparity to 18 to 1.
According to the Washington Post: “Some critics of the crack sentences have pushed for complete elimination of the disparities. But this ignores some data that crack has a slightly more powerful and immediate addictive effect and more quickly devastates the user physically than does powder cocaine. It also fails to acknowledge the higher levels of violent crime associated with crack. The 18:1 compromise fairly reflects this reality.”
