Black Community

I think it is silly and unfair to say that the black community is more "heterosexist" (a term I prefer) than white communities. Blacks are not the major voting bloc in any state, and we do not make up a majority in any state or national legislative body in this country. The legal oppression of gays does not come from the black community - we are 14 percent of the population. I don't know of any ethnic community in America that does not stigmatize gays. I went to a majority college and have always worked for companies mostly comprised of whites, and anti-gay slurs are common.

Whether the issue is gay marriage, Vegas-style gambling or college for illegal immigrants, all of Maryland's ballot campaigns have this in common: They are lavishing attention on black voters. African-Americans are expected to be fully a quarter of the Maryland electorate this year, a surge in participation attributed to robust support for President Barack Obama. Their sheer numbers make them important as Maryland, for the first time in decades, faces a trio of major ballot questions.

This letter is in memory of Jason Mattison Jr., an openly gay, African-American Baltimore high school student who was raped and murdered this month ("Mystery cloaks death of teen who 'had a life ahead of him,'" Nov. 18). It may be hard for some people to admit that, while racial inequities still exist so obviously in our city and women on average still do not get paid as much as men, the fact is that the current arena of the civil rights struggle in our country is the fight for equal rights for homosexuals.

Five years after burying his father, Samuel W. Moore could no longer find the grave. That was 1976, and Mount Auburn Cemetery, one of the oldest African-American burial grounds in the country, was overcome with stickerbushes, weeds and garbage — a fate unbecoming the scores of people buried there who were pioneers of Baltimore's black community. After decades of neglect, interrupted occasionally by well-meaning but ultimately fruitless cleanup efforts, the cemetery in South Baltimore was officially rededicated Monday, due in large part to the labors of an unlikely group: state prison inmates.

As Anne Arundel Councilman Daryl D. Jones prepares to head to federal prison for failing to file his tax returns, a number of his constituents in his northern county district said they would like to see the Severn Democrat keep his seat — and return after he's served his time — even as his opponents clamor for his resignation. Kevin Poole, owner of Kevin's Barber / Beauty Salon, nestled in a strip mall along Telegraph Road in Severn, said as he cut hair Wednesday afternoon that he feels Jones is being treated more harshly because he's a black elected official.

Even as a rookie teacher, Andrew Billingsley knew there was something wrong with his textbooks. Here he was in 1964, teaching a class on the family to budding social workers at the University of California-Berkeley, and there was nothing about the black family."

Developing and nurturing a unified black community in Anne Arundel County was the driving theme of the first convention of African-American leaders here in 30 years. The African American Leadership Summit, held yesterday in Severna Park, attracted more than 100 people. They spent the day listening to speakers and joining in panel discussions that addressed a breadth of topics from violence in the media to resources for minority businesses to public school lunches. The goal of the summit was to develop an African-American agenda in Anne Arundel County.

At New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore, dozens of African-American ministers applauded as the speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates assailed the impact slot machines would have on the state's poor and working-class communities. "The idea of putting slots in communities where there is the least resistance ought not to be tolerated," said Michael E. Busch, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, who, judging from the enthusiastic response, was clearly speaking to the choir. But a few miles away, a leader of one such community was singing a different tune: "Without slots, we got nothing," said Jean Yarborough, who lives near Pimlico Race Course.

FREDERICK -- Thomas Hill never wanted to leave West All Saints Street. He was born and raised on the byway when it was the thriving commercial and cultural hub of the black community, and it is where, for 13 years, he operated a three-chair barbershop. But a developer purchased the building where Hill cut hair to convert it to condominiums, and Hill couldn't afford the rent increase. So Hill, whom everyone knows as "Frosty," took his old-fashioned barber chairs and boxing photographs and moved into a nondescript office building a short drive away.

When WANN-AM in Annapolis went on the air in January 1947, it was greeted with "cheers, tears and jeers," founder Morris H. Blum recalled.The tears flowed from his wife. The cheers came from his friends and supporters. The jeers were from people who said the station -- the first in Annapolis -- would never survive.Fifty years later, Blum has proved the skeptics wrong. Not only has the station -- the first in Maryland to hire African-American on-air personalities -- survived, albeit with some changes, but it also has become the voice of the black community in the region, listeners say.Tonight, the Annapolis city council will award Blum a mayoral proclamation recognizing his five decades as a pioneer of civil rights and a model of civic responsibility.

As Anne Arundel Councilman Daryl D. Jones prepares to head to federal prison for failing to file his tax returns, a number of his constituents in his northern county district said they would like to see the Severn Democrat keep his seat — and return after he's served his time — even as his opponents clamor for his resignation. Kevin Poole, owner of Kevin's Barber / Beauty Salon, nestled in a strip mall along Telegraph Road in Severn, said as he cut hair Wednesday afternoon that he feels Jones is being treated more harshly because he's a black elected official.

At the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Sen. Barack Obama said, "There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America -- there is the United States of America. " Those were welcome and commendable words. Unfortunately, they appear to be only words. Since then, President Obama has divided us along race and class lines more than any modern president. Some of his strongest, high-profile supporters in the black community are now saying that President Obama's race, alone, should be enough for black voters to vote for his re-election.

Once again. African-Americans and poor people are the victims of politics. First, they closed the pool in Druid Hill Park on weekdays. It was only open on the weekend until late June so children who can't afford to go to swim clubs had to suffer. Next, they combined Stone Soul Picnic with the African-American Festival. They have also moved the Caribbean Festival out of Druid Hill Park. The sad part about what's been happening is that it's coming under the watch of an African-American mayor.

At the memorial service Wednesday for Raymond V. Haysbert Sr., Kweisi Mfume recalled the frank advice handed to him by the respected statesman of the African-American business and political community. "He said come to the house and led me into the sunroom," the former congressman said of a 1978 meeting. "He told me, 'Young man, if you want to get elected, lose all that jewelry, cut your hair and never wear a pink suit.' " Mr. Mfume was one of those Mr. Haysbert counseled, coached and occasionally supported financially during his lengthy career that mixed business with politics.

In the more than two decades since the fight against a proposed rubble landfill outside Havre de Grace began, some of the most active opponents have died and others have moved, but those who remain in a historic black community are celebrating as the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled Thursday against the project. "Fantastic," said Dolores Walke, who has been near the center of the struggle against Maryland Reclamation Associates Inc., and at one point was among four residents sued by the company for millions of dollars.

An accurate census count is a vital national imperative. It not only means critical resources to under-served communities, but also accurate political representation -- an underpinning of democracy. African-Americans face great challenges. Our communities are disproportionately impacted by a host of social and economic issues. A correct census profile can help address this by ensuring appropriate funding for government services, strong political representation and civil rights enforcement.

Five years after burying his father, Samuel W. Moore could no longer find the grave. That was 1976, and Mount Auburn Cemetery, one of the oldest African-American burial grounds in the country, was overcome with stickerbushes, weeds and garbage — a fate unbecoming the scores of people buried there who were pioneers of Baltimore's black community. After decades of neglect, interrupted occasionally by well-meaning but ultimately fruitless cleanup efforts, the cemetery in South Baltimore was officially rededicated Monday, due in large part to the labors of an unlikely group: state prison inmates.

Eight months ago, C. Miles Smith was up to his elbows in dishwater at his cousin's restaurant in Georgia.Today, he's in hot water of another sort as the controversial afternoon talk show host on WOLB-AM (1010) radio station.Since taking to the airwaves here June 10, Smith, who espouses black nationalism with a conservative bent, has become a lightning rod for controversy, accusing prominent black ministers and politicians of selling out the black community. He considers it a coup that he was instrumental in arousing community opposition to the Canaan Food Outlet.

Kevin Powell delivered a sober and critical assessment Sunday of racism and black culture to a predominantly African American crowd in Baltimore County. The writer, activist and New York City political candidate acknowledged the symbolic power of seeing Barack and Michelle Obama aboard Air Force One and in the White House. But, Powell said, racism remains a problem in America, along with class differences that divide the African-American community. "We need to stop saying we live in a post-racial America, because we do not," Powell said.