Monthly Archives: June 2011

U.S. babies are dying at an increased rate. While the United States spends billions on medical care, as of 2006, the U.S. ranked 28th in the world in infant mortality, more than twice that of the lowest ranked countries. The recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that in eight cities in the northwest U.S., infant mortality increased 35 percent in the 10 weeks after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster.

In the CIA kick-started war on Libya, The New York Times report Monday by John F. Burns, calling Libyan civilian casualties “propaganda,” does not square with a series of WBAIX in-hospital interviews.

At Chevron’s annual shareholder meeting, impacted community members who had traveled to the company’s headquarters from around the globe confronted CEO John Watson with the brutal human and environmental abuses caused by the oil giant’s operations.

Led by students and teachers noisily chanting, “Tax, tax, tax the rich!" a crowd took over the state Capitol rotunda on May 9 to kick off a week of protest against looming draconian cuts to the California education budget.

Political activists around the country are still absorbing the news of Geronimo ji Jaga’s death. His commitment, humility, clear thinking as well as his sense of both the longevity and continuity of the Black Freedom Movement in the U.S. all stood out to those who knew him.

Standing Up for Ours Tours will launch Sunday, June 26, 1-5 p.m., at Middlepoint and West Point in Hunters Point to listen to and support young people of color – plus poetry, food, entertainment and fun. “Hunters Point is home. It’s what’s made me and what nourished me," says Jamal Modica of Tough House Project.

As we pay tribute to the legends and pioneers of Juneteenth, like early Juneteenth pioneer Rev. Jack Yates (John Henry Yates), we give a special salute and on-stage re-creation of one of the early Juneteenth celebrations, then called “Freedom Day Celebrations,” by ex-slaves in a nightclub.

At the heart of a gang injunction is usually an overreaching district attorney. Say No to John Russo! Pack the courtroom Friday, June 24, 2 p.m., Department 20, Rene C. Davidson Courthouse, 1225 Fallon St., Oakland.

In Berkeley at the Black Repertory Group’s summer day camp, youth are instructed by our own professional theatrical performance staff and famous Black Rep alumni. “We pride ourselves on developing young stars," says Director Sean Vaughn Scott.

Many of y’all have seen Mike Flo at work with the rap group dead prez. Charismatic, eclectic, funny and good-natured - he has a mixtape that can be downloaded for free called “Fly, Fresh and Responsible” hosted by M1 of dead prez.

Jackie Williams, resident and garden keeper at Alice Griffith housing project, loves her job and loves where she lives, but she doesn’t believe that she will be able to keep these things when the developers come and tear down what she has called home for over 30 years.

Thank you for supporting Buy Black Wednesdays. This new wave of “cooperative economics” is spreading across America and pan-Africa like a red, black and green tsunami of Black empowerment.

The United States has no moral authority to chastise other governments for human rights violations until it addresses its human rights violations, including the atrocious treatment of political prisoners.

The Mitchell Kapor Foundation will recognize graduating African American male students headed to college in the fall on Wednesday, June 8, at the College Bound Brotherhood Graduation, honoring African American male students from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

It is now 1:10 in the afternoon and as the daily life in Tripoli unfolds that includes teachers, staff and children at school, shopkeepers working in their businesses, streetsweepers sweeping the streets, people moving to and fro in cars, on bicycles and on foot, Tripoli has thus far since around 11:00 up to now, received at least 29 bombs. These bombs and missiles are not falling in empty spaces. Tripoli is a major metropolitan city of about 2 million people.

On April 4, the Haitian government announced that Michel Martelly won the recent fraudulent “elections” imposed on Haiti by the United States, France and Canada, the so-called “international community,” and sanctioned by the United Nations. Haiti now finds itself at a crossroads.

I was born on June 11, 1916, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. My parents were Mr. Thomas Alfred Nisby (born August 1886) and Ms. Lillian Lumpkin Nisby (born June 1892). To this union, there came a family of six girls and two boys, 10 all together when we would sit at the table.

Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human will be leaving from unspecified ports in the Mediterranean in late June to break the siege on Gaza carrying about a thousand journalists, teachers, students, attorneys, human rights activists, members of parliament and others from 22 countries.

While thousands of mostly Black migrant workers fleeing the rebels' anti-Black racism are trapped in refugee camps on the Tunisian border, aid workers lounge in tourist hotels, Tripoli endures nightly bombings and the DIGNITY Delegation visits the Qaddafis' home hit on April 30 by bunker buster bombs fired from a U.S. warplane. Their son Seif and three small grandchildren were killed in the airstrike aimed at Col. Qaddafi, who was in the yard tending to animals in the children's petting zoo.

Almost had a riot yesterday! The police slammed a disabled man to the ground and broke his shoulder on Third & Palou. When I got over there, three cops were on top of him on the ground. The rookie cop who slammed him to the ground was laughing when they rode off.