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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2014)
Opinion Women Giving up on Black Men? “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor T ED B ANKS Advertising Manager J ERRY F OSTER Account Executive L ISA L OVING News Editor H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers l ’t - e e y e - ) a e, at y The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., I n the latest urban movies, “Best Man Holiday” and “A Madea’s Christmas,” I thought it was interesting that each fea- tured a Black woman in a relationship with a White man. In today’s climate we are used to suc- cessful Black men dating White women but the introduction of the successful Black woman and White men is a new twist in movies. Since the appointment of President Obama and his lovely wife Michelle, I’ve recognized the relatively new influx of looks I get from Caucasian professionals giv- ing me that ‘I think Michelle is hot and you are too,’ look. In “Best Man Holiday,” Nia Long’s character Sydney brings her new flame to the gathering with longtime friends. Not only were they accepting, they wel- comed B-MAC as Taye Diggs jokingly referred to him. In “A Madea’s Christmas, “ the “Have and Have Nots” star Tika Sumpter is secretly married to a NYU agri- culture graduate who also happens to be White. The implications are far more than just characters in film. When you take attractive women such as Nia Long and Tika Sumpter and pair them with good looking White men, you’re not just selling movies, you’re being suggestive. Even in “Act Like a Woman, Think Like A Man,” Gabrielle Union’s character dates Turtle from the popular HBO series turned movie “Entourage.” In most of our minds, the image of the Black Man is tarnishing, but the Black woman has always H IP H OP U NION Jineea Butler stayed by the Black man – up until now. Look at the pit bull in a skirt, Rapper Eve who recently accepted a marriage proposal from British Fashion Designer Maximillion Cooper. Eve is a perfect indica- tion that even the toughest home girl is changing her tune. Why would the former girlfriend of “Love and Hip Hop” star Stevie J leave America for the American not planning for families; it also suggests that we don’t think it’s an important goal, and we are not making very wise decisions. We can always argue all of the obstacles in the way of Black men hinder them from being complete- ly focused and successful husbands, fathers and sons, but what are they doing about it? Are we as Black women supposed to stick around and wait until these men turn 70 and realize they should have treated the women in their life better? Or should we begin to think about catching up with the rest of the society we live in and demand sustainable rela- tionships and marriages. A UC Berkeley Sociologist Ger- ald Mendelson said Blacks are Black men are not breaking their necks to make sure we stay within the comforts of their midst. In fact, it’s the opposite Dream? One has to wonder has the Black woman begun to throw in the towel along with the rest of Amer- ica. Why shouldn’t we? Black men are not breaking their necks to make sure we stay within the comforts of their midst. In fact, it’s the opposite: 72 percent of Black children are being raised in single family homes, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. That’s a statistic that says we are interested in moving up the power structure and one way you do is through intermarriage with a dom- inant group. Look at Janet Jackson’s marriage to billionaire Wissam Al Mana following a rela- tionship with So-So Def’s Jermaine Dupri. It is almost like Black women are beginning to reject the unnecessary madness we seem to get when we relentlessly dedicate ourselves to that life. The whole world would like to see the Black man overcome his obstacles and be all that he is destined to be. But it’s nothing compared to the heart of the Black woman who knows the soul of a Black man. Who knows that the Black man is more powerful than any creature on this earth, that he possesses the ability to be king over everything and then some. His own fear of success hinders his movements and his decisions, his insecurities overpower his will to venture into the unknown while his friends in misery love his company. And where does that leave the Black woman? Desolate, out of place, unprotected and searching for her missing piece. For years, we have carried the weight; prison sentences, infidelity, verbal and physical abuse, thinking one day that he will see that we have sacri- ficed, see that we understand and have held the torch without fail. But no. The pain is too deep for him to bear, he is not comfortable being naked in his vulnerability, he wants to be the man, he wants what they took from him. It occu- pies his every move and we become objects in his quest to find what he doesn’t know he is look- ing for. Alas, the perfect opportunity to send us back into a slavery mindset. Killing ourselves because no one taught us how to care about ourselves. SMH, I expect more out of you Black man, more accountability, more responsibility, more effort, more love. Thank you in advance. Jineea Butler is founder of the Social Services of Hip Hop and the Hip Hop Union 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2014 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds Seattle ‘Misfits’ Win the Super Bowl P rior to Sunday’s Super Bowl, I told anyone who would lis- ten that I like both the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, so I wouldn’t be terri- bly disappointed regardless of who won the game. But…I was hoping Seattle would emerge the victor and I will tell you why. First, because as a former high school and college quarterback, I am partial to teams with a Black starting QB. In Seattle’s case, their first and second team quarterbacks are African American. To under- stand the significance of this breakthrough, for years, Blacks were not allowed to play quarter- back or middle linebacker at major universities or in the pros. Quar- terback in particular was the glamour position and any African American coming up through the ranks as a quarterback was usually converted to a defensive back or a wide receiver, if they made it to the NFL Regardless of how great a Black quarterback was at an HBCU, for example, he didn’t get a chance to showcase his quarterbacking skill at the pro level. It was as if the scouts thought Black teams played football with 10 men instead of 11. Even a, shall we say, passing look at history would have dispelled that notion. “Fritz” Pollard was professional football’s first Black quarterback in 1920, leading the Akron Pros to victory in the NFL’s first champi- Page 4 The Portland Skanner February 5, 2014 T HE C URRY R EPORT George E. Curry onship game. In the modern era, James Harris, the Grambling great, became the first regular starter for the Buffalo Bills in 1969. Nearly 20 years later, in LA Times columnist Kurt Streeter would later write: “Few know that about twice a month Carroll leaves his comfy digs at USC, hops in the back of a beaten Camry driven by a former gang member and heads to South L.A. neighborhoods where the snap of gunfire and the anguish of death occur with the steady regularity of a metronome. “Most often, he arrives near midnight and walks shadowy streets with that familiar, electric strut, surrounded by little boys, grandparents, crack heads and gang toughs. He empathizes, lis- For years, Blacks were not allowed to play quarterback or middle linebacker at major universities or in the pros 1988, another ex-Grambling QB, Doug Williams, became the first Black to start and win a Super Bowl. This season was hailed as the Year of the Black Quarterback in the NFL, with nine starting on the third weekend of the season. The second reason I was pulling for Seattle was their coach, Pete Carroll. I always enjoyed his brand of football when he was head coach of the University of Southern California. But my respect for him deepened when I learned he regularly made mid- night trips to the ‘hood in an effort to curb gang violence. tens, encourages, laughs. He talks about jobs and kids and marriage, about perspective and courage, about how difficult it must be to be caught in the madness of the streets.” My third reason for cheering for Seattle is that they’ve often been called misfits, with many so-called experts questioning their ability to play in the NFL. However, one- by-one, the players, many of whom were drafted in the low rounds, if at all, have proven their critics wrong. Case in point: Seahawks line- backer Malcolm Smith, the game’s Most Valuable Player, wasn’t picked until 242nd in the 2011 NFL draft. Yet on Sunday, he was the star among stars, making nine tackles, recovering a Demaryius Thomas fumble early in the third quarter, and with less than four minutes remaining in the game, intercepting a Peyton Manning pass and returning it 69 yards for a touchdown. And there was that quarterback who, at 5’11” would never make it in the NFL. At least, that’s what they told Russell Wilson. All he did Sunday was lead his team to a Super Bowl victory in his second year as a pro. When he was younger, he attended a football camp organized by Peyton Man- ning. But on Sunday, Wilson was playing as though he were the instructor and Manning was his pupil. Richard Sherman again proved he is NFL’s best cornerback. After Seattle’s division playoff game against San Francisco, he was depicted as a loudmouth defender lacking class. What the talking heads didn’t say was that he had extended a hand to Michael Crab- tree, a gesture that was rejected, before he boasted that the 49’ers should have known better than try- ing to complete a pass on his side of the field. Read the rest online at www.theskanner.com
