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The purpose of the AfroBlog echoes the mission of AfroDaddy.com - to express our thoughts on the black community, and to try to elevate it through information and knowledge.  Many of these posts are my latest musings about "the game" that we call life, who holds which cards, and how we can improve our odds of winning.



There are so many strong voices out there that have important things to say in their blogs.  On our links page we have listed some of our favorites that you should check out.  If you want us to link to your blog, or you want to be a guest blogger for AfroDaddy, let us know.

No one can right all the wrongs of history, but when there is an opportunity to do so we must take advantage of it.  In 1971 a group of students and a political activist (dubbed the "Wilmington Ten") were convicted of arson in 1971 under very suspicious circumstances.  After given extraordinarily long sentences (some up to 35 years) for a non-violent crime, the Ten were released after serving almost a decade in prison.

As the truth was revealed about the jury (of several KKK members), the recantation of all eyewitness testimony, and the revelation of prosecutor misconduct the Wilmington Ten are asking for official pardon for their crime.  Below is a letter to that effect from one of the Ten, Wayne Moore.

Black meteorologists Rhonda Lee was fired from her job at Louisiana-based KTBS after defending her short hair style on Facebook.

The news media is a tough industry to break into.  It can be especially difficult for a young black woman trying to make it on her reporting skills and talent while constantly being judged based on appearance and other superficial traits.  Nowhere did this manifest itself in such an ugly manner as when Rhonda Lee, an African American weather reporter was fired from her job after defending her choice of hair style. 

Rhonda Lee had been a weather reporter for Shreveport, Louisiana-based KTBS where she provided on-air coverage of the weather.  In late October the station received a note on their Facebook page from a reader who took exception to her appearance:

As we approach the end of another year it is time for the series of lists shoing the good, the bad and the ugly of 2012.  We kick off this series profiling some of the biggest sellouts of 2012; those who have used their fame and fortune to exploit the very people who support them.  So without further ado, here is the list of the top 5 sellouts of 2012

5. Montel Williams - Sold Out The Poor and Desparate

I originally had such high hopes for the CNN series Black In America.  Finally there was a platform on a national news outlet that was going to tackle issues directly related to Black people in America.  Indeed the first episode did a good job educating both white and black America about certain aspects of the black experience.  Several of the subsequent episodes however, have left me wanting.

This latest installment "Who is Black in America" critically highlights how far the show has stumbled from its lofty beginning.  CNN has gone from discussing relevant African American issues to now spending an hour trying to tell us we don't know who is black.

I know that here at AfroDaddy.com we tend to rail on police and the legal system; exposing the many unreported cases of police brutality, institutional racism, prison misconduct and the like.  Today we are happy to report on a story we found that shows a different side of the police department, or at least of one individual within it.

A photo of a New York City policeman giving boots to a homeless individual has caught our attention and the attention of social media as well.  The photo below of 25 year-old officer Larry Primo assisting a fellow citizen on a freezing night is one that is helping to restore a little faith in the kindness and humanity of members of the NYPD.

The Los Angeles Lakers have settled on Mike D'Antoni as their new coach, but the Lakers still look in disarray.  Aging rapidly, often injured and struggling at .500, the Lakers are not looking like they are ready for a championship run.

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With so much focus on the presidential election coverage of many other major votes were obscured last week.  One significant vote that has flown under the radar was the vote on Proposition 36: the proposal to amend California's Three Strikes law.  For those who are not familiar, Three Strikes states that any person convicted of a third felony receives an automatic 25 to life sentence.  Many people have expressed outrage related to this law as the law has resulted in the lifelong incarceration of thousands for minor offenses to include forging a drivers license or stealing baby formula to feed a child.

The Proposition 36 vote last week does not immediately fix the imbalance in sentencing but it goes a long way in changing the dialog about over incarceration of prisoners (especially minorities) for minor crimes, non-violent infractions and victimless drug offenses.

As you know here at The Black Man Survival Guide we are firm believers in "do for self".  With that being said the re-election of President Obama, along with some key Senate and local victories, will have a significant impact on the individual lives of millions of people. 

This post touches on a few of the key changes (and lack thereof) that we can expect under a second term for President Obama.  As the coalition that supported Obama and the Democrats is broad there is something for everyone in the Tuesday night victories.  We must note however that the electoral victories do not signify the end of the battle.  The real work comes now as we must push Obama and the rest of the government to keep the promises that they made during the long campaign cycle.