The Pimping of Wikipedia: Contributing to the Decline of the World Wide Web

Our collective experiences on the World Wide Web are diminished when only a handful of websites dominate the search results

2013-02-19

Troy Johnson, the African American Literature Book Club/AALBC.com founder and webmaster

There is still great independent content available being created online, but if the ability to be discovered is no longer a function of quality of content quality and more function of one’s advertising budget or placement on Wikipedia, Facebook, Google or Amazon, it is not clear how much longer these independent websites can survive. Read the complete article

Guns, Not the Klan, are The Real Threat

Last year, 65 young people in Chicago died in gun violence, the equivalent of a Newtown every four months

2013-02-19

Chicago suffers unbearable levels of gun violence, yet the victims remain largely silent. They travel from funeral home to graveyard, rather than march from church to gun shop. The president is applauded when he calls for action on gun violence, but before his plane leaves the tarmac, more are shot, including even the sister of one of the young children standing behind him during his address. Read the complete article

Lil Wayne Insults the Memory of Emmett Till

We should use this Black History Month moment to educate young people

2013-02-18

George E. Curry NNPA Columnist

Like everyone else, I was appalled to learn that rapper Lil Wayne had made a vulgar reference to Till’s death. On a re-mix of an upcoming CD by Future called “Karate Chop,” Lil Wayne essentially spewed the line: “Beat that [female sex organ] up like Emmett Till.” Read the complete article

State of the Union on Point

President Obama laid out an agenda that will ultimately have a positive effect on the African American community

2013-02-18

Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist

In any case, this was an important and significant SOTU address. Unleashed from the pressure of re-election, and able to set forth a progressive and aggressive agenda, President Obama dealt with some of the key issues that face our nation.  He was able to utter the word “poverty” without his tongue freezing up. Unfortunately, he is still unable to utter the words “Black” or “African American." Read the complete article

Civil Rights and Fair Housing Leaders Hail HUD’s New Anti-Discrimination Rule

'People of color, including many in the middle class have lost a century of household wealth because of these practices'

2013-02-15

Charlene Crowell NNPA columnist

The new rule known as ‘disparate impact’ embraces a long-held civil rights view that housing discrimination and lending occur not only by intent; but also by effect. Read the complete article

President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address

Or watch the speech with added infographics

2013-02-12

The White House prepared speech

President Obamas 2013 State of the Union Address Read the complete article

President Obama Should Address Black Americans in State of the Union

The truth is, the black community finds itself in the worst of all possible situations

2013-02-12

Van Jones CNN Contributor

(CNN) -- Tonight, our nation's first black president will deliver the first State of the Union of his historic second term. The time has come for him to say something about the disproportionate pain that his most loyal voting bloc - black Americans - are experiencing today. Read the complete article

Whole Foods and Whole Fools

I would rather drink muddy water or sleep in a hollow log than to indulge in whole foods

2013-02-12

Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist

And now I must declare that I would rather drink muddy water or sleep in a hollow log that to indulge in whole foods. Read the complete article

Killing Black Teens – Literally

More young people are killed in Chicago than any other city in the nation

2013-02-12

George E. Curry NNPA Columnist

The death of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student at King College Prep High School on Chicago’s South Side is finally receiving the national attention that it deserves. Read the complete article

Van Jones: Nothing Stops a Bullet Like A Job

Debate needs to go beyond wrangling over assault weapons and deal with real problems

2013-02-06

By Van Jones CNN contributor

Most people killed by guns in the United States are not killed in school massacres by villains carrying AR-15s.
They are killed one at a time, and usually by handguns. When will the debate get to the causes and cures of our guns, poverty and unemployment and race problems Read the complete article