Project 21: New Visions

African-Americans suffer from heart-related illnesses and death at a significantly higher rate than whites. In fact, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the African-American community. But help is on the horizon. A new drug proven to be highly effective in its clinical trial stage is now on the fast track to approval. The drug is historic for its healing potential, but it is also controversial because it was basically identified to be effective through a process of racial profiling. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year officially approved the drug BiDil after initially rejecting ...
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Black athletes possess powerhouse status in the world of sports. Legendary black athletes dominate the record books. The Society for American Baseball Research's "100 Greatest Baseball Players" list, for example, includes Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson and Willie Mays, among others. Marshall Faulk currently holds the NFL's record for the most touchdowns in a season while the MVP list contains superstar players such as Randall Cunningham and Lynn Swann. No one will ever forget basketball greats such as Wilt Chamberlin, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Arthur Ashe and Tiger Woods essentially broke the color barrier in the country club sports of ...
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We have learned from the outset that self-preservation is the first law of nature. We know that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." We know the "Golden Rule": Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. How can we combine these three essential principles to produce a "Golden Sentiment" that can govern our existence and produce desirable outcomes? A little thought might yield the following result: Every idea, thought or deed should extend human survival on earth and make that survival more abundant. At the core, we are in a struggle to survive ...
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The Florida Supreme Court recently outlawed the Sunshine State's program to allow parents to move their kids from poor-quality local public schools and send them to other, better public schools and select private schools. Reflecting on this action, I can't help thinking of the old adage, "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" According to the Miami Herald: "The Florida Supreme Court threw out the state's voucher system that allows some children to attend private schools at taxpayer expense, saying Thursday that it violates the state constitution's requirement of a uniform system of free public schools." Sounds justified, doesn't it? ...
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As a student of history, I find myself particularly drawn to military history. Over the years, I have read numerous books and watched untold television documentaries about American military forces at war. Most of the documentaries I've seen only occasionally show the blacks who served in our armed forces. When they do, it's then usually only as cooks and truck drivers. This can be explained by white officers who, at that time, believed that such jobs were the only ones blacks could perform. But, one day, as World War II was raging, something strange happened. White soldiers and black cooks ...
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As a young, successful NFL wide receiver, it's not surprising that Terrell Owens has garnered the admiration of kids everywhere.  Now after his actions radically altered his own world, he must consider those who admire him as he seeks a return to prominence.  In his own failings, he may be able to teach others. Over the years, Terrell Owens became an essence commonly referred to as "TO."   His official website features branded TO merchandise such as a stuffed beanie of the team's mascot - the Bald Eagle - wearing a t-shirt sporting a specially-designed "TO" logo.  Unfortunately, TO's brand now ...
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To assuage its members' desire to curry favor with their liberal handlers, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) recently announced its opposition to Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito more than a month before his confirmation hearings. While CBC members have every right to oppose Judge Alito, their amoral reasoning exposes what can be considered racial dishonesty and disloyalty. Chairman Mel Watt (D-NC), in justifying the CBC's opposition to Judge Alito, cited concern about the nominee's opinions "in race cases where his decisions have disproportionately affected African-Americans." Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) further claimed Judge Alito presents "a special danger to ...
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Known for his outspoken tough love, Bill Cosby once publicly admonished a young black student from the University of the District of Columbia. The young man hoped for a promotion at his Drug Enforcement Administration job after he got his degree, but he was worried. He told Cosby, "It just gets scary sometimes. But if I'm put on a pedestal... I'm afraid I'll fail. It's scary." "What is so scary is that you aren't trying," Cosby shot back. "This is a time for you to grasp what you can. Go up, man... Don't just stay where you are." This didn't ...
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Political correctness, or PC, is defined by the Internet's Wikipedia reference web site as the effort to remove "prejudicial terms from common usage." It is an often-misguided attempt to ensure that individuals are not offended due to their race, gender, sexual orientation or religious persuasion. PC has its origins in the "progressive" student movements of the 1960s. Those activists are now tenured professors, journalists, entertainers and politicians, and they have successfully implanted political correctness into our lexicon and mainstream culture. As with most leftist ideas, however, their quest to create a sensible form of behavior designed to respect diversity has ...
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In her book It Takes a Village, Hillary Clinton used that African proverb to argue that a community is most important for proper child development.  Downplaying the importance of the family is never sound advice, especially when a recent hearing of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that strong families are a key factor increasing and accumulating wealth. This finding comes as no surprise to conservatives.  And it would be wise for the African-Americans to bypass Hillary's preferred proverb - despite its African origins - in favor of another mantra: Conservative values lead to wealth. For example, there is ...
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My sympathies go out to the thousands who journeyed to Washington or camped in front of the television for Minister Louis Farrakhan's recent "Millions More March." For the time and effort spectators put into the rally, there was little real payoff.  Quite simply, it was continued fixation on our perceived problems with little regard for how we may solve them... if they even exist. At the rally, our liberal black "leaders" - including Reverend Jesse Jackson, Congressional Black Caucus chairman Mel Watt (D-NC) and Minister Farrakhan himself - were quick to blame the federal government and President George W. Bush ...
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Despite what you read in the papers or heard during the often histrionic 24-hour news coverage, Hurricane Katrina didn't skip over the rest of the Gulf Coast to settle exclusively on the Big Easy. People in Mississippi and other parts of Louisiana were devastated, but they're being largely ignored in favor of what reporters see as the bigger, juicier story. Perhaps it is the race and poverty angle capturing their attention, especially if reporters were naïve enough to be startled to see poor blacks in a part of the Deep South legendary for its poverty. Maybe the overwhelming attention is ...
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Condoleezza Rice is a bright star in space that contains few African-Americans and even fewer African-American women. Normally, this would be a cause for great celebration in the black community. She is the first black woman and only the second woman ever to serve as our nation's Secretary of State, but her phenomenal rise has nonetheless been met with derision from white liberals and many in the black community.  Why?  Quite simply, it is because Condoleezza Rice is a conservative black serving in a Republican administration. Fifty years ago, the story would have been different.  United under the same cause ...
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Irresponsible.  Overwrought.  Appalling. I'm not referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to Hurricane Katrina.  I'm talking about the way print and television media covered the hurricane's aftermath. Americans were told that life in the Superdome and New Orleans's Ernest N. Morial Convention Center quickly descended into an inferno of violence.  Author and activist Randall Robinson went so far as to write that black folks in the Big Easy were reduced to cannibalism after just four days.  To his credit, Robinson backed off from the ridiculous and sensational statement almost immediately. Other stories were equally stunning.  According to one ...
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How important is the U.S. Supreme Court? As the branch of government that interprets our laws, it's very important.  And, as the Court goes through inevitable changes as it prepares to welcome two new justices, we may also want to consider how the technological innovations we are now experiencing at the beginning of the 21st century may be able to improve the way our government works. New ways of governing could be created as a way of stopping corruption, utilizing new technology and returning the process of government to the people - where it belongs. Under a potential new system, ...
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It seems everyone is talking about the recent statement made by talk show host Bill Bennett about abortion and black babies. It is my understanding that Bennett is pro-life and opposes abortion.  However, what everyone is so upset about is the fact that, as an example on his radio show, he stated that the crime rate would drop if all black babies were aborted. With that remark, Bennett opened up a can of worms that I believe we should not try to seal back up.  We must admit that there are those who think the world would be safer with ...
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Once again, racial politics seems the order of the day for liberals. Seeking a strategy to keep Judge John Roberts from the U.S. Supreme Court, liberals have apparently concluded race is Roberts's Achilles Heel.  Since their assertions are thin, outlandish manure is being thrown against the wall in hopes at least some of it will stick. For example, the Associated Press posted an article on August 17 portraying Judge Roberts in an unflattering light simply because he grew up in Long Beach, Indiana.  The town, which was segregated during Roberts's youth, is now allegedly under "scrutiny" because it might have ...
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There's no lack of opinion concerning President Bush's plans to reform our ailing Social Security system. As an American of African ancestry, I support President Bush's efforts because I believe the reforms he's been talking about would help all black Americans. It's unfortunate that the liberals, on the other hand, have dug in their heels on the wrong side of the Social Security issue because they stand to alienate young people of all races who would like more control over their own money. I'm not the only one supporting Bush's reforms. As Dr. Thomas Sowell, a black American and respected ...
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The recent terrorist bombings that rocked London and shocked the world should prove once and for all that the world needs to be more vigilant in the War on Terror. The first brutal and deadly attack on London's transit system as innocent citizens traveled to work - and its fizzled follow-up - shows the attackers' level of ruthlessness.  It should instill and reinforce the determination in our leaders and the population in general.  These criminals have shown a blatant disregard for human life with their willingness to target women, children, the elderly and other civilians in their quest to intimidate ...
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It's unfortunate, but blacks will continue to suffer the consequences of socially destructive policies until we become more active in the political process. Seizing control of one's own destiny is empowering and liberating.  Simply relying on the government and our black "leadership" - with their outdated notions - as so many do right now, is downright enslaving. Despite our rising numbers among the middle class, we haven't advanced as far we could (and should) considering how long we've lived as free people in this free country.  We are losing ground to immigrants from cultures that encourage taking advantage of opportunities ...
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