Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET’s You(th) Vote 

 After I got over feeling so inspired and amazed by the story J.T. told me (see my previous post “Being Barack Obama…Part I”), my natural high was a little dampened when the news channel we were watching switched to the remarks Clinton made about Bobby Kennedy’s assassination and discussion in the shop changed.

“We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California,” Hillary was quoted last week in S. Dakota while campaigning. She was referring to how abruptly things change within elections but said that the comment was not meant to be related to Obama. Even IF that wasn’t her intention, even IF Hillary was afraid that her campaign is destined to fail unless a major change happens within the election, she STILL makes a valid observation.

Assassination is a controversial issue that’s been skirted in this campaign. I can’t tell you how many news websites I’ve been on where they’ve pulled a video of him from the web because of the thousands of negative slurs posted. It’s not the first time I’ve heard it mentioned and I’m sure it’s not the first for you either.

My parents always told me I could be whatever I wanted to be when I grew up. Even the president of the United States….nobody ever mentioned assassination. Do you think this is an issue in this campaign? Should Obama be watching his back?

 Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET’s You(th) Vote

  Yesterday I was in a barbershop in Nashville, Tenn., don’t ask me why, when I learned a story I thought I’d share with you all. J.T. (the barber) was shaving a customer and was telling us a story about one of his clients. He said the customer had an elderly father (ninety-seven to be exact) and that the father was very caught up with the current elections.

The man said his father never thought he’d live long enough to see the day where a black man would be able to run for president in this country and that he hoped he lived long enough to see him in the White House.

I was touched. The story reminded me how much the elderly are often overlooked as being politically active people, and I realized that this election means as much to the old as it does to the young.

It’s inspired people to change politics from something that they talk about, to something that they live. People aren’t just discussing issues at home or in a classroom anymore. To put it as one guy said to me, “It brings out conversation from people you wouldn’t expect.”

You can get a conversation started about Obama and his blackness, or the drawn out democratic race, or universal health care, in the grocery store, at the gas pump, on a flight, in the club, and even at the local barbershop. And this truth hit me when I first walked into the shop and noticed that the television was on CNN.

Obama’s knocking down barriers. It’s as if he’s saying to America, “You can be successful. You can have a high-power career. You can achieve your goals. And you can do it as a black person.” And he’s been struggling to spread that message of inspiration to voters, but who ever said being Obama was easy?

So that’s my awe-inspiring moment since this election has started. What’s yours?

–Ashley

Posted by Travers Johnson for BET You(th) Vote: 5/29/08 @ 2:33 p.m. 

I was talking with a close friend of mine recently and she said something that both pissed me off and made me think at the same time.  We were discussing how well Barack Obama was doing thus far in the campaign, particularly among white voters, when she said, “Well, you know the only reason Barack even has a chance is because he’s light-skinned.”  

My mouth dropped open.  I immediately began to argue that his popularity was due to his message of change, his charisma, his clean record, etc.  Obama had given Americans the audacity to hope again and that is why he was winning primaries.

My friend nodded her head in agreement with all of that, but then said, “But do you think that another brotha, even if he had all those great characteristics, would be the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination if he was as black as Wesley Snipes? 

 I then took a trip down memory lane.  Up until I entered Morehouse as a freshman, the concept of the African-American color complex was completely foreign to me.  Growing up in a town with an approximate black population of no more than 5%, there weren’t enough of us to even think about dividing ourselves over something as petty as skin complexion.  Besides, I’ve always believed that no matter how light or dark my skin is, the world would still see me as black.

But when I got to college it all changed.  I would see Facebook groups entitled “Light Skin Will Never Go Out of Style” and “Dark Brothas Run This.”  The subject always seemed to come up in forums about black issues and I read about the history of the “brown paper bag test”, creoles, and mulattoes.  When watching the Spike Lee joint School Daze some of the most memorable scenes were between the dark-skinned “jigaboos” and the light-skinned “wannabes.”  So with this fascination with skin complexion in almost every other aspect of black life, I can kind of see how it could spill over into politics.

But I still think that this issue is one that is solely on the minds of black people and no one else.  I have never been in a situation where I thought that a person of another race favored or disfavored me because of my complexion.  I think that whether your skin is “light bright” or “black as night,” at then end of the day other races just see you as African American (for good or bad).  I can’t say the same about black people though.  

But when it comes to politics, is it just a coincidence that the only two black  U.S. Senators since reconstruction, Edward Brooke and Barack Obama are relatively light-skinned?  Is it a coincidence that the two most successful black presidential candidates, Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama are relatively light-skinned?  Is it a coincidence that the first black male and female to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice, are relatively light-skinned?  

So tell me:  Do you think non-black voters consider African-American skin complexion when casting a ballot?  

Do light-skinned blacks have an advantage in the political arena?   

Does the fact that Barack Obama is light-skinned have anything to do with his success?  

Does the fact that Obama is half white have anything to do with it?

Will Black Americans EVER get over this color complex?

Hit me up to break it down.

In the spirit of GETTING OVER THIS CRAP,

 —TRAVERS 

Posted by Travers Johnson for BET You(th) Vote!: 5/29/08 @ 1:04 p.m.

Since my first post on this topic sparked so much dialogue, I decided to keep y’all updated with any news on gay marriage across the country.  Yesterday the spokeswoman for NY Governor David Paterson announced that the Governor recently issued a memo to state agencies informing them that the state must recognize same-sex marriages in states and countries where they are currently legal. 

This directive is not as earth-shattering as the California Supreme Court’s ruling on May 15 to legalize gay marriage, because same-sex marriage is still illegal in the State of New York.  All this means is that the state must recognize (which means to give them the same rights and privileges that come with a heterosexual marriage) same-sex marriages that occurred in states and countries where it is legal.  

So if two gay men or a lesbian couple marry in California, Massachusetts, or a country where it’s legal, and they move to the state of New York, they will be able to retain there married status despite gay marriage being illegal in New York.  However, gay New York residents are still unable to get married in New York. 

Do you think this is fair?  Do you think this is the first step to New York going all the way to make gay marriage legal?  And again, will this issue affect who you vote for in the November presidential election?

Hit me up to break it down.

—TRAVERS 

Posted by Travers Johnson for BET You(th) Vote!:  5/29/08 @ 11:55 a.m.

It’s not everyday that I find two of my favorite things—music and politics—blended together so perfectly.  That’s why I am SO CRUNK to introduce you to Son of Nun , the new “YGB’er of the Week!”  I strongly believe that music is infinitely powerful, and through his hard-hitting, consciousness-awakening rhymes, Son of Nun has proven this to be true.

 Born Kevin James, Son of Nun is a political hip-hop artist, activist, organizer, and former Baltimore City (shout out to Angel) high school history teacher, and here are 3 reasons you should know this head nod-inducing bad ass:

 1.)  Screw being “shot 9 times“—He’s got REAL Street Cred. 

While other hip-hop artists were supposedly selling drugs and being shot up on the block,  Son of Nun (S.O.N for short) was going through some real ish.  The product of a single parent household, S.O.N. has been battling sickle cell disease since he was a child.  On top of that, when he was a teenager he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and risked literally losing his voice during surgery to remove the cancerous gland.  If that’s not a soldier, I don’t know what is.

2.)  He Walks His Talk

Many mainstream music artists occasionally talk about social issues in their lyrics, but their idea of activism is limited to lending their faces to public service announcements or throwing some spare change to a charity. S.O.N, on the other hand, doesn’t just rap about what pisses him off—he gets down in the trenches and does something about it.  

 He has participated in many anti-Iraq war demonstrations and human rights protests, and has marched with well-known activists like Cindy Sheehan, Howard Zinn, and Rosa Clemente . You see, he’s got activist cred too.

 3.)  His Rhymes are S-I-C-K

I was bumping so hard to his music earlier that I had to turn it off in order to concentrate on writing this post.  His rhymes will do that to you; you’ll get so caught up in the truth that he spits that you’ll quickly lose track of time.  He’s shared the stage with the likes of Dead Prez and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and has been praised by Chuck D of Public Enemy.  

 My favorite joint is “Right On,” but “Speak On It” and “Drums of War” are both super fire! This YGB’er has got flow for days! (Check him out below performing “Speak On It” at Busboys and Poets in D.C.).  

You can also check out his Myspace page to learn more about him and his music.  THIS DUDE IS SO FREAKIN’ TIGHT! 

 Here’s to revolutionary rap,

 —TRAVERS 

 *A YGB’er= someone who is Young, Gifted, & Black.  If you know of any YGB’ers who are beasting in the areas of politics, social activism, or just life in general, hit me up at TraversJohnson@gmail.com, and tell me why they should be featured as “YGB’er of the Week.” 

 Shouts out to Becca from Emerson College for nominating S.O.N!

Posted by Keisha Courtney for BET’s You(th) Vote! 

First and foremost, I love Los Angeles and it is a great city to live in. HOWEVER, over the past few weeks, every time I have turned on the T.V. there have been more and more stories about people who have lost their lives to gang violence. Many people think those whose lives are lost are gang affiliated, but that is not the norm in most cases. Angel talked about this “Black/Brown War” issue in one Los Angeles school, but there lies a larger problem; the innocent lives that are being lost because of this ongoing “race war.” These people include adults, but most of them are children and teens who are not, and have never been gang affiliated. These are just a few of their stories…

Jamiel Shaw, 17: a football star with a promising future was gunned down two houses  from his home.

Anthony Escobar, 13: was picking lemons for dinner when he was gunned down. He was found lying in a driveway.

Clifton Hibbert Jr., 22: only a few weeks away from graduating from California State University – Northridge. He planned on pursuing law school after graduating.

Lavareay Elzy, 6: was driving in the car with his family when gang members opened fire on the families SUV. He was shot in the head.

Emily Grigsby, 19:was standing outside at a party with another youth when a man walked up and shot them both.
Cynthia Perez, 14: was shot in the head while sitting in the back of her parents SUV. She was taken off of life support TODAY after she was declared brain dead.

These are only some of the stories that have been reported. There are more shootings that happen all over the community that the media does not cover. 

This is not only a problem in Los Angeles, what are the gang related stories in your cities and what do you think can be done to solve this gang issue all over the United States? What can YOU DO as a citizen to combat this problem?

To all those who have lost their lives to gang violence, I hope you Rest in Peace.

- Keisha

Posted by Angel Elliott; BET News & You(th) Vote! 

In the past, Memorial Day for me meant a day off from work, a weekend vacation in Miami (which we all know is an inherent, excuse the term, ghetto mess) or  going around with my friends from cookout to cookout. But last year, that all changed. Upon returning home from South Beach Memorial Day weekend, I got a letter from my close friends brother stating that he had passed away in the Iraq war, more than a month before.

Words just can’t describe how shocked, angry confused and upset I was. I felt guilt that I hadn’t been able to write him as much as I use to because of college, remorse that I couldn’t pick up the phone every time he called me from his base, and angry that his life had been senselessly taken at the young age of 21.

I later found out that he died on March 25, 2007 by a road side bomb in Baqubah, Iraq. A piece of shrapnel from the explosive device lodged in his head and killed him immediately.

So Pfc. Anthony James White this is my tribute to you, to let you know on this Memorial Day and everyday, your sacrifice to ensure Democracy and peace for our nation and the world will never be forgotten. Even though you know how I felt that this Iraq War was & is futile, a war of greed and money on behalf of our government; I feel lucky to have known such a strong, intelligent, thoughtful and ambitious Black Man. You’re life was full of promise, I just knew you were going to go on to represent the epitome of  greatness, that our people can be, I know you’re still making strides in heaven.

This war in Iraq needs to be over, we need to find a peaceful way to exit without creating political and social unrest for citizens of that country, and our own soldiers. My thoughts about this played a lot into my decision about which candidate I chose to support for President of the United States. Did it impact yours? How important is this issue for you? Let me know. 

-Angel

Post by Keisha Courtney for BET’s You(th) Vote!

It is no surprise that there are homeless people living all over the United States. To many of us, seeing homeless people is just a part of everyday life, but believe it or not, this problem is non-existent in some countries.

The other day a co-worker and I were having a conversation with a Swedish woman and the issue of homelessness came up. She said she never saw a homeless person until she came to the United States. She also never understood the issue of homelessness, because as she said, “homelessness does not exist in my country.” My co-worker and I looked at each other and then at the woman completely baffled. We were both thinking the same thing, “How have you never seen a homeless person before?”  

Growing up in America, I saw homeless people EVERYDAY. There was not one day that passed where I did not see one. It is truly sad that in the “richest country in the World” most citizens do not even have a place to call home. Other citizens who have never experienced homelessness will say that the individuals who live on the streets are alcoholics/drug addicts, lazy or simply just enjoy not having to go to a “real job” everyday. REALITY CHECK!  

The majority of the people who are homeless did not end up that way due to drugs or alcohol; several of them ended up on the streets because they could no longer afford living pay check to pay check or deal with the high costs of living.

Like so many other issues in the United States, is this really a problem if it is not discussed? YES!

Ashley first brought up this issue in her blog about the homeless, and like she says, this issue definitely needs to be discussed more! In her blog, she asked the question, “Are the presidential candidates talking about [homelessness] enough? Well the answer to that question is no, BUT is it their job to fix the problem or do American’s need to take the first steps to end this crisis?

Simply helping out at shelters or donating food is not going to solve this problem because it has to start on a higher level. The government needs to secure jobs, raise minimum wage and lower the costs of living ALL OVER THE COUNTRY in order for the high rates of homelessness to decline.

DO NOT think you are immune to this problem. If the economy continues on this downward spiral YOU could be the next homeless person on the street.

Is this something the next president needs to combat, or is it the citizens of this country who need to take the first step to end this problem?

- Keisha

 Posted by Travers Johnson for You(th) Vote!:  5/26/08 @ 1:25 p.m.

 I have a love/hate relationship with the media.  I love the mass media’s ability to inform, educate, and empower the people of the world.  I can’t think of any major social movement in the modern world that hasn’t been assisted by some form of the mass media.  The media exposes injustices, highlights triumphs, documents tragedies, and enlightens people on issues that really matter…or at least it should.

 But these days it seems that the mass media is too preoccupied with scandal and sensationalism to care about issues that really affect the lives of everyday people.  The media seems to care more about Paris Hilton’s jail time, Jay-Z and Beyonce’s not-so-secret wedding, and Lauren and Heidi’s feud on The Hills than they do about the struggling job market, the suffering public education system, and the skyrocketing cost of gas.

 Even in so-called coverage of this year’s presidential election we, the members of the media, tend to focus on “issues” like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, racist Obama t-shirts, and Disney noose necklaces —-stories that do more to make people want to throw down than create change.  And it’s no coincidence that these sensational stories are the ones that get the most response from readers.

 But what happened to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, rising college costs, global warming, the I-Wreck War?  Have we forgotten about these issues?  In a book that my mom shared with me today by Peter Block called The Answer to How is Yes, I found a passage that speaks to the media’s preoccupation with mess.  He says, “My premise is that this culture, and we as members of it, have yielded too easily to what is doable and practical and popular…[we find ourselves] settling for what we know how to do, or can soon learn how to do, instead of pursuing what most matters to us…”

Like Ashley said in her post earlier today, “Since the Iraq war began we’ve lost thousands [of troops],” but the daily media coverage seems to make you forget that.  So I’m calling for us in the media to get our priorities straight.  (Now this doesn’t mean that my blogs won’t ever cover scandals or sensational issues because, to keep it real, we all love some good mess every once in a while).  I’m just going to make a personal effort to make the issues of sensationalism take a back seat to the issues of substance.

So what do you think? Do we, the media, focus on the wrong issues when covering the presidential election?  Does the media focus on the wrong issues in general?  Are there issues that are important to you that we are missing?  Is the media just too darn messy?

Hit me up to break it down.

 Have a great Memorial Day and remember who/what really matters—our troops!

—TRAVERS  

Posted by Ashley Slayton for You(th) Vote

This year Memorial Day is different for me.

I’m seeing it in a new light and looking beyond the red, white and blue decorations to see the pain of the holiday. Since the Iraq war began we’ve lost thousands.

While I’m praying for the friends I know still in Iraq, I’m also taking a moment today to show my appreciation for the lives given in service to the country.

I think it’s crucial for America to stop today and commemorate those lives lost. A lot of times we get caught up in the hoopla of everyday life and begin to think of this day as just another holiday. An opportunity to skip class or get off from work, ignoring the significance of the day.

So today, I’m stopping. I’m turning my life off of autopilot for just a few minutes. I’m letting that pile of work sit there and I’m asking you to do the same. Turn off your soap opera, leave the laundry for a few miniutes, let the homework wait and dinner get a little cold. Just have a moment of silence for all the sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, cousins, neighbors and friends we’ve lost along the way who gave their lives to eliminate any threat to our personal pursuit of happiness.

Soak up the silence. And when you’re having your personal moment of silence, prayer, reflection, whatever it means to you…don’t be afraid to let it stretch.

 -Ashley