A prominent African-American AIDS organization has accused the United States government of ‘doing too little to fight AIDS among black Americans, in whom the size and scope of the epidemic resembles that seen in many African nations.’ (more…)

The Florida legislature approved a statement in which it officially apologized for the slavery suffered by blacks.

I’m a bit ambivalent about this whole apologizing thing. For starters, all the real victims are long dead. Additionally, how could a little piece of paper saying “oops, sorry” do diddly squat to make up for generations of slavery? On the other hand, if it makes the community descendant from those slaves feel better, I guess it’s not too big of a deal. Still, this sins of the fathers business doesn’t sit well with me. An apology to the living victims from the government for Jim Crow, now that I could understand.

Thoughts?

A couple of days ago, I published a post about Bill Cosby’s appearance on “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert. As I wrote back then, I found it a very informative show, one all who are interested in the issue of African-Americans and their problems, should watch.

One of the things that fascinated me about Cosby is that he didn’t blame ’society’ as so many progressives tend to do. He didn’t blame ‘the white man.’ He blamed blacks. Why? Too many black men and women fail to take responsibility for themselves, for their children and for the African-American community. The black family has been destroyed, not due to racism but due to the mistakes of the black community itself. Of course, the black family has been destroyed after institutional racism was abolished, which is something one always has to keep in mind when one talks about this subject. (more…)

CNN reports:

Yolanda King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest child who pursued her father’s dream of racial harmony through drama and motivational speaking, collapsed and died. She was 51.

King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, California, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. The family did not know the cause of death, but relatives think it might have been a heart problem, he said.

“She was an actress, author, producer, advocate for peace and nonviolence, who was known and loved for her motivational and inspirational contributions to society,” the King family said in a statement.

Former Mayor Andrew Young, a lieutenant of her father’s who has remained close to the family, said King was going to her brother Dexter’s home when she collapsed in the doorway.

Her death came less than a year and a half after her mother, Coretta Scott King, died in January 2006 after battling ovarian cancer and the effects of a stroke. Her struggle prompted her daughter to work with the American Heart Association to raise awareness about strokes, especially among blacks.

Yolanda King, who lived in California, was an actress, ran a production company and appeared in numerous films, including “Ghosts of Mississippi.” She played Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries “King.”

May God bless her soul.