Voices In Color

Feelin’ Obama’s Vibe

In the first time in Vibe’s 14-year history a political figure, Senator Barack Obama, will appear on the magazine’s cover. Obama gives an in-depth interview about the Don Imus incident, hip-hop, and being “black enough.” Copies go on sale mid August.

Black Recruiting Numbers Plunge by 30%

There was a time when the black community viewed the military as a bastion of meritocracy and social advancement but that seems to be changing drastically and quickly. Consumer Strategist, Lawrence C. Ross Jr. believes the leading reason for this change is that black Boomer and Gen X friends and family are telling their black Millenial offspring to say “no” to enlisting.

According to Pentagon data, prior to the conflict in Iraq, over 20% of military recruits were black. Today that number is only 13%. In the past many blacks joined our armed forces in order to receive funding for college but for many the military’s incentives are no longer worth it. Part of the answer is probably due to an expanding middle class, higher education levels and the lack of support for the Iraq war.

I’d also add that many young blacks today feel disenfranchised with our government. With good reason, our young people don’t see the government doing much for them so why should they, in turn, put their lives on the line? Our government and military are going to have to make some major changes in order to regain black support and enlistment in the armed services. And they’ll not only need to convince potential recruits they’ll also have to convince their main influencer: friends and family.

Best Blog Alert - Young, Black and Fabulous

If you love yourself some gossip - like what really happened with Usher’s wedding, or Sienna and Diddy, or Eddie Murphy's engagement - this is the best place to get all the down and dirty on black celebrity life.

Jill Scott, TV Star

I love, love, love Jill Scott.

Jill Scott will portray a detective in the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" - a TV movie based on the bestseller by Alexander McCall Smith. It's also the name of the soul singer's first-ever starring role. The gist of the story is that Scott’s character forms a detective agency and becomes embroiled with a cheating husband, insurance fraud, kidnapping and witchcraft. If it sounds crazy and a bit silly that’s probably because the movie was co-written by Bridget Jones’ Diary screenwriter, Curtis Martin and is supposed to be a dramedy.

Ms. Scott has more screen work on the way, this fall she’ll star in the new Tyler Perry film, Why Did I Get Married? In that film she’ll wear a fat suit in order to play an obese woman whose marriage is threatened by a hot single girl.

And if you want to hear her beautiful voice, Scott’s new album The Real thing drops in September.

Blacks Are Lacking a Vision - Urban League Conference

Last week’s Urban League conference in St. Louis highlighted some of the serious issues that blacks face today with the main focus being how to expand opportunities for black Americans.

A recurring theme was the need for blacks who have made it to reach down and help pull their struggling brothers and sisters up. There were warnings to young black professionals to avoid a "narcissistic" temptation to only focus on their own personal gain without concern for the less fortunate. A Princeton University professor chided the "post-Soul" generation for having a "vision deficit." The Rev. Jesse Jackson pointed out the inequities of urban life saying, "urban America is like a donut, and the people on the ring have summer school and jobs and camping and horseback riding. The people in the hole don't, and it's obvious what the result will be."

The Urban League released a 10-point "Opportunity Compact" that combines many longtime goals: mandatory pre-school education, tax-free savings accounts for home down payments, expanded education for ex-offenders and alliances between big corporations and minority-owned businesses. The hope is our presidential candidates will use the compact as a checklist for their own policy pronouncements.

Jeff Johnson, a host for BET, called for blacks to become more involved in their schools. "I am not mad at integrated schools. I'm mad at integrated schools with no black parents at PTA meetings," Johnson said. "If our homes don't do their jobs, the police will. If our schools don't do their jobs, the jails will."

Many of us have reached levels of success that generations before us could never have imagined but are we turning our backs on those of us in need? The Urban League believes that with a strong vision we all can do better.

BTW: While Democratic presidential hopefuls, Clinton, Obama, Edwards and Kucinich all managed to not only show up but to also address the 10,000 attendees with their individual ideas on increasing opportunities for blacks, not a single Republican candidate showed up…

“Hot Ghetto Mess," Does Better

Sadly (at least in my opinion) “Hot Ghetto Mess,” or whatever BET says they’re calling it, pulled in more than 800,000 viewers last Wednesday night which more than pleased BET network executives. Sigh.

Homes of Color Magazine - The Magazine of African American Living And Style

Homes of Color is a home décor magazine that shows the vitality and spirit of African American homes and their owners.

A Young Girl Making A Difference - Girlz on the Move! 360

I love to hear about young ladies like this.

About a year ago, 13-year-old, Shelby Nichole started her own magazine called Girlz on the Move! 360. The magazine came about through Shelby’s annoyance with typical teen magazines that she believes focus too much on the outside. "I felt girls should focus on their insides, not their outsides. So I wanted to let girls speak out. If they liked sports or politics, travel or anything, they can write to us instead of just focusing on one thing," says Shelby, whose magazine has a current circulation of about 30. "We focus on their insides. On trying to make girls better people."

The magazine is a glossy, color quarterly she edits and designs herself. With contributions from other teens, Shelby's magazine features interviews with notables like three-time Olympic medalist Katrina McClain, includes black history trivia and, on a lighter note, lets teens write in and discuss wardrobe issues.

Shelby’s goal is to have Girlz on the Move! 360 keep growing until it dominates magazine stands. Go head Shelby!

ADDICTED: Polyvore.com

I have to blame savvysocialite.com for turning me onto Polyvore, a totally addictive site. It’s like playing with paper dolls that have an endless closet of paper clothes. And to put the icing on the cake, the site not only let’s you play dress up, it also tells you exactly where you can by each and every piece. Seriously, once you start you won’t be able to stop.

I’m obsessed with booties so here’s what I spent over an hour putting together.

Best Blog Alert - Clutch Magazine

Great blog with a variety of info including fashion, beauty, and culture.