Million Man March 20 years later: What progress has been made?

POSTED 7:30 AM, OCTOBER 12, 2015, BY PIX11 REPORT

This weekend’s the “Justice or Else” rally took place in Washington D.C. on the 20th Anniversary of the historical “Million Man March.”

The rally was to raise awareness against police brutality after the officers involved in both the Michael Brown case and the Eric Garner case were not indicted.

What progress has the nation made since then when it comes to race relations? Chuck Creekmur from AllHipHop.com and Tamika Mallory, chair of the New York Justice League and member of the National Action Network to talk more about this weekend’s rally.

HISTORY SHOT: 20 years ago @meetdrben was the National Director of the Million Man March, this year @tamikadmallory did a magnificent job in that role!! Two friends. Both mentors. All love. — with Tamika Mallory and Benjamin F. Chavis.

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People who were there knew better! You could see as plan as day the construction site in front of the monument and the crowd was not that large! Yet when you try to correct people you get flack and nasty comments. Learn to respect and do your research! Technology allows you to put the name and hit images. No one was standing on the grounds in front of the monument which was chained off! Bottom line...we were there and got informed and educated. Others weren't and had excuses! ~Maureen Moe Forté

Crowds rally for 'justice or else' on 20th anniversary of Million Man March

By Emanuella Grinberg and Ralph Ellis, CNN

Updated 7:16 PM ET, Sat October 10, 2015

(CNN)"Justice or Else" was the theme of a rally Saturday organized by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to mark the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.

Messages from the first march were echoed Saturday in speeches from African-American leaders, including Farrakhan, calling for unity and institutional reform in social justice issues affecting the black community.

Farrakhan, 82, spoke to the crowd on the National Mall in Washington and reflected on the importance of passing the torch to the next generation.

"We who are getting older... what good are we if we don't prepare young people to carry that torch of liberation to the next step? What good are we if we think we can last forever and not prepare others to walk in our footsteps?" he said.

The overall message seemed to be directed at the black community at large, not just men. Many women and children were in the crowd and Farrakhan talked at length about how men should honor women.

Another difference: This rally was clearly aimed at the digital generation. A website, www.justiceorelse.com, carried a live webcast of the events and made it easy for people to donate money or volunteer. Speakers encouraged the crowd to share images and video of the rally on social media, and #MillionManMarch became a trending topic for much of the day.

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#millionmanmarch

The first march on October 16, 1995, drew attendees -- most of them black men -- to Washington from all over the country for more than 12 hours of speeches calling on black men to take responsibility for improving themselves, their families and communities. On that day, Farrakhan spoke for more than two hours and expounded on the role of white supremacy in the country's suffering while calling on black men to clean up their lives and become better fathers, husbands and neighbors.

Farrakhan blasted the white establishment again on Saturday.

"Moses was not an integrationist and neither are we," he said. "Let me be clear. America has no future for you or for me. She can't make a future for herself, much less a future for us."

On passing the torch, he specifically mentioned Black Lives Matter, the group that arose in response to police-involved deaths of black men, as the "future leadership."

"These are not just young people who happened to wake up one morning. Ferguson ignited it all," he said. "So [to] all the brothers and sisters from Ferguson who laid in the streets, all the brothers and sisters from Ferguson who challenged the tanks, we are honored that you have come to represent our struggle and our demands."

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#millionmanmarch2015dc #justiceorelse👊 #blacklivesmatter #alllivesmatter

Civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis, who attended the first march, noted that in the crowd 20 years ago was an Illinois state senator who went on to become President, "so we've made some progress," he told the crowd.

"But you and I know we've got a lot more progress to make," he said. "There's too much injustice, too much inequality, too much mass incarceration ... too (many) situations in our community that need addressing, and that's why we're here today."

U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Illinois, who also was present in 1995, said the rally was a testament to struggles and progress, past and present.

"We will march on so over-aggressive law enforcement procedures will not be the order of the day. We will march on until every child has access to high-quality education. We will march so that every citizen will know that they can get health care," Davis said.

"Today's gathering is a reaffirmation of the faith that the dark past has taught us and of the hope the present has brought us."

CNN's Jareen Imam contributed to this report.

Louis Farrakhan’s striking two-hour stemwinder at the 

Million Man March anniversary

In a sprawling speech made from the Mall on the anniversary of the Million Man March on Saturday, the allegedly retired Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, held forth on a list of topics so long that they are difficult to capture.

For more than two hours.

Farrakhan advised against abortion and arrogance. He praised the Black Lives Matter movement. He lambasted socially acceptable forms of bribery, along with child abuse, the corrosive nature of colonialism, corruption, and edits made to Jefferson's initial draft of the Declaration of Independence. Farrakhan decried foul language, human trafficking and squandering one's inborn gifts. He took a position against integration that may have been missed in his rather large and amplified word cloud.

Farrakhan attested to the damage caused by Native American mascots, mass incarceration and materialism. He talked about natural disasters and the natural rights of man. There was mention of the universal nature of our mortality, misogyny, narcissism, and the wealthy puppets and puppeteers at the center of the presidential election.

Farrakhan lectured about the responsibilities of parents, police and other leaders who are, of course, male; the personal strength that can be derived from faith; and what he regards as the poisonous capacities of fear, pork and vanity. He also had much to say about racism, reproduction — sperm, seed, eggs and wombs — slavery and the value of diversity in flora and mankind. Farrakhan rebuked what he considers vapid acts of racial contrition as well as violence and offered a prayer for the unborn.

And that was just the first hour. Farrakhan's remarks amounted to the oratorical equivalent of a bulk-size can of mixed nuts.

Farrakhan's speech also included some passing references to the dietary guidelines, gender roles, groups with permanent residence on the nation's do-not-trust list, as well as the numerology and creation myths that have prompted a million pop culture references and landed the Nation of Islam on the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of hate groups.

He denied any role in the 1965 murder of Malcom X. In fact, he implied that it was more likely a government-backed assassination with terrorist aims and offered his own brand of pity for those who believe something different. His proof: his own freedom despite aggressive and disproportionate prosecutions in cases involving slim evidence and black suspects. Also, Farrakhan noted the presence of at least one FBI agent in the room where Malcolm X was shot in front of an audience that included his children.

Bill Cosby Volume 1: Malcolm-Jamal Warner opens up about Cosby allegations while 'Dateline NBC' gathers Bill Cosby accusers for special

Actor and musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner poses for a portrait Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. Warner, who won his first Grammy earlier this year for his work on Robert Glasper's “Jesus Children,” is currently promoting his new album, “Selfless.” He describes the third record with his band Miles Long as “funky passionate vulnerability.” (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP) 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Cosby Show" alum Malcolm-Jamal Warner says the series' legacy is "tarnished" by the sexual assault allegations made against Bill Cosby.

"My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film, no matter what ... negative stereotypes of people of color, we've always had 'The Cosby Show' to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale," said Warner, who starred as Cosby's son, Theo Huxtable, on the long-running NBC sitcom.

Warner said he has been in touch with Cosby, but he would not comment on their conversations.

"I think the things that we discussed really have to stay private between us. But it's just a bad situation all around — for him, for his family, the women, their families, the legacy of the show," said Warner during an interview Thursday.

Cosby admitted having extramarital relationships with several women, including some who now accuse him of sexual assault. He has never been charged with a crime.

Warner, who won his first Grammy earlier this year for his work on Robert Glasper's "Jesus Children," is currently promoting his new album, "Selfless," out now.

He describes the third record with his band Miles Long as "funky passionate vulnerability."

Warner is also filming "American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson," directed by Ryan Murphy. He plays Simpson's friend Al "A.C." Cowlings.

"I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those 'Where Are They Now Kids,' " said Warner of his busy year. "I feel very blessed to be able to have all of these avenues of expression ... to be where I am now and finally at a place where I can let go of that worry about having a life after 'Cosby.' "

'Dateline NBC' gathers Bill Cosby accusers for special

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC News correspondent Kate Snow says that bringing 29 women who have accused Bill Cosby of assault together for a "Dateline NBC" special Friday took on an importance beyond the individual cases.
Snow said that many of the women who participated sensed an opportunity to educate others about the need to talk forthrightly about sexual assault.
"That was important, not just in the context of Bill Cosby but for every woman, every American," she said.
The NBC broadcast was timed to coincide with Cosby's scheduled deposition Friday in the case of a woman who accused Cosby of molesting her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, when she was 15. NBC also was inspired by a New York magazine cover story this summer that gathered many of Cosby's accusers together for a photograph, although Snow said the network had begun working to gather the interviews before that.
Snow said all of the women who have publicly accused Cosby were asked to participate in the interview, which was recorded in Los Angeles in late August. Twenty-seven women agreed. Snow said she interviewed four other women involved anonymously in a 2005 case against Cosby, and two of them subsequently said they would join the other women on camera.
The interview took five hours, and NBC's team had to edit it down to a one-hour special that airs at 9 p.m. EDT and PDT.
Some of the women hadn't discussed their cases before in such a public forum, Snow said. The special includes no women who had not previously made allegations against Cosby.
"They didn't know each other before, and now they are sitting in a room talking about intimate personal details about the allegations," she said. "They say there is a power in that."
While it's a challenge to interview so many people at the same time, Snow tried to use the sheer numbers to connect dots between their allegations. She asked the women for a show of hands on how many believed Cosby had raped them, had sexually assaulted them and had drugged them.
She also asked how many had reported their allegations to police at the time, or had asked for an examination with a rape kit following the encounters. No women raised their hands to that question, she said.
"I believe it's healing and it's cathartic to be able to talk to each other, to look around and be together," said one woman, Sunni Welles.
Snow said there were several attempts to get Cosby or his representatives to appear on "The Cosby Accusers Speak," to be broadcast on the network where the comic had his greatest success during the 1980s. They were all declined. A Cosby representative, Monique Pressley, declined to comment to The Associated Press about the NBC show.

Republicans- We have met the enemy and he is us: Can They Regain Control of Their Party?

Can Republicans Regain Control of Their Party?

OCT 4, 2015 11:02 AM EDT
By Albert R. Hunt

The state of the Republican Party is summed up by a quote from the late cartoonist Walt Kelly: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

At both the presidential-campaign and congressional levels, the problems are self-induced. The party fostered unrealistic expectations, and the failure to meet them emboldened a nihilistic streak in a core of House Republicans and with the likes of Donald Trump. There is little agenda, lots of lashing out.

This is what led some Republicans in the House, encouraged by presidential candidates, to threaten to shut down the government if funding for Planned Parenthood wasn't ended. A USA Today survey showed that almost two-thirds of Americans favor federal support for the organization, which provides health care services for women. A small percentage of Planned Parenthood's budget goes to abortions, and that fraction isn't covered by the federal funds. In a list of a dozen organizations and political figures in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, Planned Parenthood was viewed the most favorably.

A shutdown was avoided last week, but there already are threats to try again in December.

Much of the bluster of this minority can be traced to the Republicans' successes in the 2010 and 2014 non-presidential elections. These victories largely were based on running against the then-unpopular President Barack Obama and overpromising.

At the federal level, the battle cry was: Elect Republicans and we'll defund the Affordable Care Act, slash federal spending, reform the wretched tax system and lower taxes, and restrain Obama. The party won both houses of Congress but hasn't been able to deliver on politically unrealistic commitments.

That has alienated the rank and file. A recent Bloomberg Politics poll showed that Republicans, more than two-to-one, have an unfavorable view of House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. One-third have negative views about their own party.

Reflecting these views, hard-core right-wing members in the House, many elected in those last two off-year elections, forced Boehner to resign.

The favorite to replace him is Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, though Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah said Sunday that he would seek the post, too. McCarthy offers a more cheerful face than Boehner and is an exceptionally able political operative. But whoever takes job will face the same daunting demands -- no compromises with the Democrats or the White House. The main agenda of congressional Republicans is to oppose anything Obama is for, with the exception of international trade deals. 

The best hope is that Boehner, who now can afford to ignore the hard right, will use the next four weeks to forge a deal on extending the debt ceiling and a multiyear budget plan, leaving less lethal matters for his successor to handle. Boehner is a skillful legislator, but this may be a reach.

At the presidential level, the same forces are on display with the three front-runners, Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, who, combined, have less governing or political experience than any president of the past century.

Waiting in the wings is Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who arouses grass-roots conservatives with attacks against Republican congressional leaders.

Some Republicans acknowledge these problems, but insist the party is in good shape. They point out that, in addition to both Houses of Congress, they hold 31 of the 50 governorships and that in most of these states, they also control the legislature. But not much of this success had to do with any Republican initiatives; it was more linked to the party's ability to ride the anti-Obama wave.

"We look great on paper, but most of our gains have been because we weren't the Democrats," says former Representative Tom Davis of Virginia, who was the Republicans' leading political strategist in Congress.

Moreover, as the Democrats learned a generation ago, after years of controlling everything but the presidency, agenda-setting and power flows from the White House.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story:
Albert R. Hunt at ahunt1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Max Berley at mberley@bloomberg.net

EVERYDAY LIFE REVOLVES AROUND FOOD ~ Akbar Ahmand, aka. Shef Ak

BY:
YVETTE RIVERS

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The cultural climate growing up in the Bronx, New York, during the late 1980s-1990s,was an exciting and empowering time. Black culture was changing with a new explosion of expressive music, language, art and fashion – notably called the Hip Hop culture, which was “intrusive” and portrayed everywhere! The images associated with this new genre portrayed black and minority youth finding their “own voices” in many facets of black culture. Simultaneously, entertainment television programs, were very popular, and watched religiously by black families: A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Belair, Def Comedy Jam, Martin, In Living Color, The Cosby Show and Degrassi High/Junior High. The black community, especially, the youth were being influenced in a new dynamic and authentic way. During this time, eight year old, Akbar Ahmand, aka. Shef Ak, was being deeply impacted by his three older siblings and the environment. He observed minority youth living life on their own terms, creating their own lifestyle expressions in the urban setting.  

Shef Ak was also learning that cooking and food were essential to his family’s structure.There were many mouths to feed (2 working parents and 4 other siblings.) Money was tight, and there was not always a parent home to cook daily meals. So, each sibling was assigned a week day to “feed the family”. So every Thursday after school, Shef Ak was left in the kitchen to make the family meal—his specialty was egg salad! It didn’t take long before Shef Ak was adding different ingredients to “spice” up his simple dish.

After a couple of years, he graduated to cooking on different days making sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs. What Shef Ak learned during this period in his life, was that he could autonomously and passionately contribute to his family’s welfare by serving and feeding them his own creative dishes! Hence, his ideology, “Everyday life revolves around food!” 

After his family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, 16 year old, Shef Ak got his first job in a bakery.Here, Shef Ak became more fascinated with culinary when he rolled his first dough and baked his first tray of donuts. Soon after, he decided that culinary arts would be his outlet in life. So, he made the wise decision to go to Delaware Valley Job Corps; within six months, he became engrossed and graduated with a Culinary Arts certificate. 

The experience at Job Corps motivated Shef AK to re-enroll into Maryland’s Woodstock Job Corps, months later, where he earned a Culinary Arts II certificate. His foundation was set. Throughout his 

career, Shef Ak researched different black chefs, who were making their mark in the culinary industry. He was fascinated learning about their passions, challenges, perseverance, and triumphs, which helped him to solidify his commitment to the the craft. Following are some of Shef AK’s Inspirations:10 Black Chefs– (see link at the bottom of this article thank you.)  

Shef Ak has not wavered with developing his passion for culinary excellence, with Urban Life creations as his inspirational theme. 

Shef Ak has gained valuable experience working for large numbers of patrons at various Baltimore establishments, namely: Omni Hotel, The Tremont Plaza, and the Best Western Plus Hotel. Often, the Management would be skeptical about ShefAk’s culinary creations; however, they conceded with respect and praise.

 

Especially when the patrons returned to the establishments,requesting to meet the chef to compliment him on his culinary flair. Additionally, Shef Ak’ has been honored to create his urban style meals for personalities, such as, Vivica Fox, Billy Dee Williams, Jeff Majors, the Ravens NFL team, and others. 

Now residing in Georgia, Shef Ak continues to advance his culinary expertise by promoting and operating his own business, Platinum Plus Catering, where he serves a blend of every day (urban)soul food combined with other global essences under the description of “Heavenly Urban American Cuisine.” 

For many years, I have had the great 

privilege and pleasure tasting many of Shef Ak’s dishes. He is my stepson, who I have help raised since the egg salad days! I have seen him grow into a talented chef, who has not been restricted by society’s culinary protocols, but rather, his own limitations. I remain supportive and proud of Shef Ak’s consistent vision to serve creative urban dishes from his SOUL.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/28/famous-black-chefs_n_5036401.html.