Worst Home-front Disaster of WWII

On July 17, 1944, in Northern California, right off the Sacramento river, over 320 sailors lost their lives in an explosion that occurred as they were loading various munitions onto a naval boat during WWII. About 200 of those men were black. As was so often the case in the segregated armed services, black sailors and soldiers were ordered to perform many hazardous duties without first receiving the requisite training needed to perform them correctly. That's because they were considered expendable. In this matter Naval records showed the men had absolutely no training in handling depth charges, incendiary bombs and other munitions. None at all. Worse still, less than three weeks after the explosion, the black troops were ordered to resume their task of loading munitions onto naval ships. Their white counterparts were given additional time to recover from the explosion and were provided additional training beyond what they had already been given as well. Over 260 of the 300 AA men refused those orders, were court martialed and sentenced to up to 15 years at hard labor in prison as a result. The more fortunate of them were given honorable discharges. Today there is a strong move afoot to right that wrong from our segregated pass. President Obama, in fact, is trying to find a way to honor those men, pardon them and to put this matter into correct historical perspective. Indeed, let this past grievous incident remain as a learning lesson to the world.

We are respectable negroes: We All Can't Be Michelle and Barack Obama: A Commodity Greater than Gold--Black Women Discuss the Near Impossibily of Finding a Good Black Man

We are respectable negroes: We All Can't Be Michelle and Barack Obama: A Commodity Greater than Gold--Black Women Discuss the Near Impossibily of Finding a Good Black Man

Tiger

Tiger Woods has done to himself what none of his fellow golfers have been able to do on a consistent basis, and that's to beat him at his game. The world's greatest golfer, and one of the top golfers of all time, has lived a life off the golf course that has undermined the brilliant success he has had on it. That's regrettable. Of course, athletes have exhibited that 'boys will be boys' attitude forever, that mentality that seems to give them permissibility to act so carelessly as Tiger acted. No doubt there are some men who are jealous of the many Tiger 'conquests' they've been reading about over the last couple of weeks. I could care less about them. But what about the young children Tiger has helped, encouraged, mentored and for whom Tiger has been such a incredible role model all these many years? What about those of us who never really watched the PGA Tournaments before Tiger but now would never miss a match when he is playing? Mr. Woods has acknowledge that he wronged his wife and family and broken the trust bestowed upon him by his many admirers. He must apologize to all and ask for our forgiveness. He and his wife will undoubtedly separate or divorce so he has to work hard to have a relationship with her that will allow both of them to be good parents to their children. He must seek help for what appears to be an addiction to sex (a 'serial philanderer' as someone called him. And it's good that he's taking some time away from the game of golf to do all those things. It is that hubris and strong belief in self that has enabled him to be the worlds # 1 Golfer. But it is that same swagger that has brought him to his knees. I hope that in time he will be able to stand again.

Education Reform in Urban Centers

The education system in the U.S. continues to pale in comparison to the that of other countries, notably Japan and China where students excel in math, sciences and reading. That's critically important at a time when technological innovation is so much a part of this evolving world of ours. The NCLB (No Child Left Behind) policies of the Bush administration did very little to help elementary and secondary school children actually learn and catch up to their more fortunate peers. Instead, NCLB merely taught students how to take standardized tests. Of course those tests already have built-in cultural biases for so many of the students in the urban setting, black and white. The new Secretary of Education in the Obama administration, Arne Duncan, believes it is time for radical reform. But as he said, "reforming our education system will take more than tacking on a few hours to the day and year; teachers must facilitate and guide children so they learn early on. That will create a strong foundation for later years in high school and college, where excellent study habits and a tough work ethic are of paramount importance to achieving success." The parents have to do their part in the home as well, nurturing and guiding and indeed demanding that their children are curious about life and learning. Generation after generation will continue to struggle unless we break this horrible cycle.