Black People

CHICAGO -- What do you call someone you invite to your house as a guest only to see him dump trash all over the carpet and wet all over your walls?There are words for such a guest, words that aptly describe Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan's recent appearance in a Nashville church at the invitation of the nation's largest annual gathering of black journalists.Speaking at the National Association of Black JournalistsConvention in Nashville, Mr. Farrakhan thrashed journalists of African descent who work in mainstream newspapers and other media, calling us ''slaves'' to white media owners.

One of the most interesting revelations from dismissed O.J. Simpson trial juror Jeanette Harris is also one of the least discussed.During her interview with a Los Angeles TV news anchor, Ms. Harris admitted that while she had not been persuaded Mr. Simpson was guilty (and noted, rightly, that the trial was nowhere near over and judgment would be premature), she felt there were black jurors who could vote to convict if the evidence were compelling.This is astonishing -- and welcome -- news to some of us, as the public has been treated to a steady barrage of coverage assuring us that black citizens are all but constitutionally incapable of passing judgment on one of our own in a rational manner.

Miami -- Sitting in the darkness of the multiplex, I watched the white social worker and the black recovering addict battle over the black child they both call their son. I watched ''Losing Isaiah'' and, in the subtext of its nearly flawless script, heard the questions I would have asked:''You say you want to raise this black child, white lady?''What about those things he needs to know that you can't teach? Things you won't find in a book. He needs to know that the nappy hair at the nape of the neck is called the kitchen.

BLACK WEALTH THROUGH BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP. By Robert L. Wallace. Duncan and Duncan. 288 pages. $17.95.ROBERT L. WALLACE has written an immensely useful guide for the young black man or woman who is considering starting a business.He writes with power and passion about what he thinks it takes for black Americans to gain entry to the business world and succeed.The book includes several case studies of successful black businessmen and an expansive appendix that includes such items as an Urban League report on the "Status of Black Americans."

First, the bad news: The percentage of adult black women who are married has fallen from 70 percent in 1960 to 35 percent today. And in some age groups, the number of never-married black women is twice that of never married-married white women. Meanwhile, one in four black men says he has no intention of ever saying, "I do."There's more: Black female college graduates now earn more than similarly educated black men. The salary discrepancy could make it harder for women to find suitable partners -- and cause trouble within existing relationships.

THE NATIONAL observance of February as Black History Month each year gives us a time to contemplate the past and give serious thought to developing strategies and techniques for moving more of the nation's 32 million black Americans into the mainstream, economically, politically and educationally.At a time when the Republicans' Contract With America is being implemented to the detriment of black people, it is necessary that we -- black people -- organize for our own progress, prosperity and survival.

This ever happen to you? Somebody comes out of a bag, drops a dime and gives the foe one one 'bout some half-steppin'.If that sounds like a foreign language, chances are you're no tenderoni home slice.Enter Geneva Smitherman, translator for the clueless. The Michigan State University professor has written "Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner" (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994).It's a dictionary of words and phrases used by African-Americans from varied walks of life.

THAT AN attempt to assassinate former Louis Farrakhan aide Khalid Abdul Muhammad should have occurred in California is no surprise to attentive observers of the Nation of Islam.When I was a student minister in Mr. Muhammad's Mosque No. 26 in San Francisco in the early 1970s, we referred to our region as "The Wild, Wild West" for good reason: We were like rebellious children who felt we knew better than anyone anywhere else how to interpret and live out the strict teaching given by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad.

From time to time, Richard T. Seymour of Catonsville will come across something in the news about blacks that causes lTC him to shake his head in disgust and exclaim, "There they go again!""But then I'll catch myself and remember, 'Wait a minute, they aren't all like that,' " says Mr. Seymour. "I'll think: Bill isn't like that. Dave isn't like that. A lot of the black people I do business with or come into contact with during the day -- they aren't like that. I'm painting blacks with a broad brush.

New York.--Comedian Jimmie Walker once said black people were hard to find in the '50s because they were hiding out waiting for the '60s. Today, the black experience seems to hibernate for 11 months of the year, only to burst on the scene, in all its Kente and mud-cloth glory, in February.At least, that's a reasonable conclusion given the inordinate amount of attention, recognition and celebration that will be devoted to the accomplishments and contributions of African-Americans over these 28 days.