Bernard Monroe a 73-year-old black man killed by police in Homer, LA

I read about this incident while scanning the news groups and
I thought why is it still open season on Black Men by police?
The powers that be don't seem to be overly concerned over the wave of police killings of unarmed or defenseless Black folks. They (the police) don't appear to generally suffer any severe consequences for their actions. It seems to me that the attitude is that it's all in the line of duty. While these shootings and killings ans tasings are getting some publicity, what about the beatings and wrongful detainments and verbal abuse that never gets reported. IMO this is where it all begins. For each time one of these abuses are carried out with impunity, the police will be emboldened to simply escalate to the next more violent step, to the point that they feel it's their right to gun down any Black person they feel like. Sadly this is where we find ourselves today.

If the authorities won't take action because it's the right thing to do, then we will have to come up with a way to bring about REAL CHANGES ourselves. For this we're going to have to start with internal changes. Apparently everyone is talking YES WE CAN but not many are getting in on the action. I don't doubt that there are folks out there who are actively taking on the role of bring justice to the Black Man, it's time we find them and help out with the program, the life of someone you love may depend on it.

"If I see three or four young black men walking down the street, I have to stop them and check their names," said Mills, who is white. "I want them to be afraid every time they see the police that they might get arrested."

Source: Russell Mills, Police Chief, Homer, LA.

link: African American Political Pundit: 73-year-old black man shot by police in Homer, La.

AAPP has covered the story of the shooting of Bernard Monroe in more detail see the above link.

Roland Martin interviews witnesses, press and officials-

Cleopatra's mother 'was African'

Cleopatra, the last Egyptian Pharaoh and renowned for her beauty, was part African, says a BBC team which believes it has found her sister's tomb.

Queen Cleopatra was a descendant of Ptolemy, the Macedonian general who ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great.

But remains of the queen's sister Princess Arsinoe, found in Ephesus, Turkey, indicate that her mother had an "African" skeleton.

It seem's that some white folks have discovered that Cleopatra's "mother" was an African. Dr. Clarke or Dr. Ben or Runoko Rashidi could have easily have told them that and more.

Well let's see what they have to say about this latest info.

Cleopatra's mother 'was African'

link: BBC NEWS | Also in the news | Cleopatra's mother 'was African'

Total Black TV

Total Black TV is a fresh, Web 2.0 venture directed at the Black Collective.

You can upload, download, watch, buy and sell your video productions.

Somewhere I've seen it compared to youtube but it is more than a copy of youtube.

This appears to be their mission statement;

Finally! That’s all I can say! Finally, there is a website that challenges the mind and our everyday perception of the world around us. Total Black TV allows me to express myself freely and without restriction. Within this productive atmosphere I feel I am understood, and supported. Total Black TV is a breeding place for thoughtful conversation and exciting yet controversial news. Log on to totalblacktv.com to share YOUR ideas on topics YOU care about. Don’t forget about our sister site totalblacktv.com/myview, for all your social networking needs.

Some comments I came up with doing a google search;

• Planning To Succeed: Total Black TV Fills Void Left By BET
• Urban Horror: Total Black TV
• Noteworthy: Total Black TV « Black Film Academy
• mkonowangu: Maktaba ya Watu( Total Black Tv)

I say welcome, to another vehicule that has been made available for us to use to, tell ourstory. Total Black TV has the potential to be a very important tool in the unification of The Black Collective but potential is nothing unless it's put into motion. Use it or lose it! TotalBlackTV.com

U.S. pulling out of racism conference WTF!

When I first saw this I thought it wasn't true but alas I was sorely mistaken.

Cynthia McKinney was right on the case, the sister didn't miss a beat.
she said,

"When Eric Holder, the new U.S. Attorney General called the nation to account for its historic reluctance to honestly talk about race and racism, its manifestations and consequences, he could have been talking about his boss the president. By withdrawing from the UN Conference on Racism he is leading backwards, in the direction of Clinton and Bush rather than forward into the 21st century. The fact that the President of Change wan't bring himself -- or us --- to an honest discussion about race says a lot for his willingness to lead on the subject."

She also said,

"But Obama's willingness to cave in the face of white racism and business as usual is no excuse for the Congressional Black Caucus, supposedly among the best and brightest Black America has to offer. It's time for the CBC to step up where the president has stepped back."

Where do we the people stand on this issue? It's time we stand up and be counted and speak up for the changes that we can believe in, these politicians will never get it unless we put our 85 cents in.

Read Cynthia's article on Black Agenda Report

The New Afriquest Database

I haven't tryed this out yet, I'll revisit the subject when I do.

February 26 -- After a successful beta period, Afriquest
(www.afriquest.com), the free online database for records of African and
African American genealogy and history, will officially launch on Saturday,
February 28.

The Afriquestdatabase will allow anyone to add records, including both text and images.

Furthermore, anyone will be able to access, print and use the records for
research purposes - absolutely free. The software is easy t0 use and has a powerful search engine to help readers quickly find what they are looking for.

Access to the entire content of the Afriquest database will always be free. That's what Afriquest is all about - keeping records of African
and African American genealogy and history free for anyone to access.
So every record shared on Afriquest will not only be preserved, it will be free to access now and for generations to come.
As the databasegrows, Afriquest will become a valuable resourcefor genealogists, historians and educators.

About the collaborators:

WeRelate is a free
public-service wiki for genealogy sponsored by the Foundation for On-Line Genealogy, Inc.
in partnership with the Allen County Public Library.

The USF Africana Heritage Project
is an all-volunteer research project sponsored by the
Africana Studies department at the University of South Florida.
Their research mission is to rediscover records that document
the names and lives of slaves, freedpersons and their descendants
and share those records on the free Internet site

www.africanaheritage.com.

Their searchable online database contains more than 4,000 primary historical documents of interest to anyone researching
African American genealogy, history and culture.
For more information, please visit the USF Africana HeritageProject press kit at
http://www.africanaheritage.com/Press_Kit.asp.