On March 30, 1870 the Secretary of State at that time, Hamilton Fish, issued a proclamation of the ratification of the The 15th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. The 15th Amendment officially gave African American men the right to vote, declaring the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
Sincerely,
TSH
Monday, March 30, 2009
History Made On This Date: 15th Amendment
Sincerely: Made Me Think
As I was watching D.L Hughley Breaks the News, on a segment in which he was interviewing Jessie Jackson Jr., Jackson made an interesting statement. He said, "We represent Barack Obama." This statement stood out to me because it made me think!
I thought about the burden that President Obama has in representing not only America as a whole, but more specifically the potential of Black America if given a chance and proper resources. I'm sure this is not a burden/task that he takes lightly, after all we are all relying on him and his family to show a different side of Black America. The side that is not often portrayed in the media.
However, Jackson's statement turned that burden around for me, not only does President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama represent me, but I represent them as well. This statement places the responsibility on me, to do all that I can to make sure that the representation that the Obama's uphold is not false. To make sure that I am a responsible, law abiding, socially conscious citizen of America. Because I refuse to be a disappointment to my President.
Sincerely,
TSH
Hip Hop Fashion Royalty
Is it me or does Kanye and Amber ALWAYS look like Hip Hop fashion royalty every time they step out?... What do you think?
Metropolitan Opera 
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week
I see you Kanyamber!
Sincerely,
TSH
Shopping While Black
In their most recent installment of "What Would You Do?," ABC news investigates how shoppers react while witnessing outright racism by the sales clerks at a local boutique. It's amazing how many people chose to have a blind eye to such inequities.
Of almost 100 witnesses, less than 20 chose to intervene.
Take a look at the video below and let us know, "What Would You Do?"
Sincerely,
TSH
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Role Model Round-Up: Myron Rolle
The April 2009 issue of Ebony features an autobiographical article by Myron Rolle, a highly sought after former Florida State University football player and alumni... As if being featured in Ebony isn't a huge accomplishment in itself, Rolle has loftier goals and aspirations.
Rolle, is not your stereotypical jock. He is a Rhodes scholar.
As a high school senior Rolle received 83 scholarship offers based on his abilities in football, however unlike many of our youth today, football was not the only thing he had in mind when choosing the university that he would attend. He had academic aspirations as well. Although he enjoyed the game and planned to pursue a career in football, his ultimate goal was to be a pre-med major and to become a doctor. His goals still remain in line.
Although he is certain that he would be a first round pick in this years NFL draft, he has decided to postpone his football career, to study medical anthropology as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. He is looking past today, to a future of greatness, "My football skills won't wane in one year, and I look forward to returning to football in 2010," he claims.
Myron Rolle holds a special place in my heart, although I've never met him a day in my life. He represents what every aspiring athlete should aspire to become. He represents a different kind of athlete, one who has his priorities in line, unlike many ghetto superstar high school athletes of today. I would advise the parents and/or caretakers of any ambitious young athlete to take a page out of Myron Rolle's parents notebook, and teach their children that there is more to life than sports; that through hard work on and off of the court, field, gym, etc. you can and will reach your goals.
I will leave you with Rolle's closing paragraph, as I couldn't have said it better myself:
Rolle, is not your stereotypical jock. He is a Rhodes scholar.
As a high school senior Rolle received 83 scholarship offers based on his abilities in football, however unlike many of our youth today, football was not the only thing he had in mind when choosing the university that he would attend. He had academic aspirations as well. Although he enjoyed the game and planned to pursue a career in football, his ultimate goal was to be a pre-med major and to become a doctor. His goals still remain in line.
Although he is certain that he would be a first round pick in this years NFL draft, he has decided to postpone his football career, to study medical anthropology as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. He is looking past today, to a future of greatness, "My football skills won't wane in one year, and I look forward to returning to football in 2010," he claims.
Myron Rolle holds a special place in my heart, although I've never met him a day in my life. He represents what every aspiring athlete should aspire to become. He represents a different kind of athlete, one who has his priorities in line, unlike many ghetto superstar high school athletes of today. I would advise the parents and/or caretakers of any ambitious young athlete to take a page out of Myron Rolle's parents notebook, and teach their children that there is more to life than sports; that through hard work on and off of the court, field, gym, etc. you can and will reach your goals.
I will leave you with Rolle's closing paragraph, as I couldn't have said it better myself:
My advice to Black youngsters is to not let sports be your onlySincerely,
option. Create opportunities by reading, gaining knowledge and meeting
people. We might not have heard of Barack Hussien Obama if he had only
pursued his dream of basketball. But you see his backup plan-- the one
where he wanted to be the president of the United States-- worked out pretty
well for him. You can do the same.
TSH
*Grab the April 2009 issue of Ebony Magazine to check out the entire article.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Heart Disease Hits Hard
As I was perusing the NY Times web site today I came across an article discussing heart failure in Blacks. The statistics blew me away.
A group of researchers performed a study on heart failure using 5,115 young adults as their focus group. The group consisted of a fairly even split of Whites and Blacks. The researchers studied these individuals over the course of 20 years. During the study 27 participants were inflicted with heart failure. Of the 27, five died during the course of the study.
26 of the 27 participants who were inflicted with heart failure were Black.
The study indicates that Blacks are 20 times more likely than Whites to have health problems related to heart failure. It also shows that heart failure affects Blacks at a younger age than it does Whites, as Blacks in their 30s and 40s who participated in the study experienced heart failure at the same rate as Whites in their 50s and 60s.
For the complete NY Times article click here.
Below I've provided a lists of causes, myths and preventative measures related to heart failure and heart disease. Let's stay healthy.
Sincerely,
TSH
5 Causes of Heart Failure
- Coronary artery disease: when the blood supply to the heart is partially or completely blocked
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- The use of toxic substances (such as alcohol or drug abuse)
- Diabetes
- If your parents had heart disease, you’ll get it too - Heart disease does run in families. But heredity is not destiny.
- Heart disease begins in adulthood - Teenagers can already have streaks of fat in their major arteries. Childhood obesity and diabetes are the first acts in what can be a lifelong cardiac drama.
- Women get breast cancer, not heart disease - Heart disease kills far more women than breast cancer.
- Cigarettes and cigars are bad for the lungs, not the heart - Smoking is a disaster for the entire body. Especially the cardiovascular system.
- If your weight is normal and your cholesterol is normal, you’re safe - Thin people with low cholesterol die of heart attacks every day.
- Do not smoke.
- Lower your cholesterol.
- Control your blood pressure.
- Get regular exercise.
- Control diabetes.
- Limit alcohol intake.
Ignorance of the Day: Tammy Bruce Edition
This woman has thoroughly confused me.
Upon first hearing this random display of ignorance I was convinced that Tammy Bruce was just your regular everyday racist (who happens to be a member of the Republican party). However, after digging a little deeper and learning that she is an "openly gay, pro-choice... authentic feminist (whatever that means)," according to her biography at TammyBruce.com; and that she has helped to get various democrats elected to public office I was left perplexed. According to popular generalizations, lesbian-pro choice feminist are supposed to support the Obama's... But then I began to think... well, Hillary did lose in the primaries...
Maybe she is racist and sexist... What do you think?
Sincerely,
TSH
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