Dr Boyce Talks Obama, Policy, Economy

Dr Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University, discusses foreign policy, The Obama Administration and the Economy.  Click the image to listen!

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My Next Book: Black American Money

I should begin by saying that I am not a Finance Professor who happens to be Black. Rather, I am a Black man who happens to be a finance Professor. The goal of this work was not to create yet another book analyzing money to the nth degree, discussing stocks, bonds, charts and portfolios. I see money as a tool for the enhancement of life and the liberation of a people. I also see money as part of a nexus of critical issues that drive the world in which we live.

So, this book is not going to be about money throughout. It does not contain a long list of nuts and bolts financial advice. It is a discussion, by a Black social commentator who cares about his people, who also happens to be an educator and a Financial expert. So, imagine a person who is an expert at cooking steak, chicken and carrots, but insists upon making sure the plate has a little bit of each. I have never been one dimensional in my analysis, because linear, limited thinking is how one consistently misses the big picture.

In this book, you are going to get first hand analysis of how money plays a role in critical Black issues and leadership, from The State of the Black Union to Civil Rights. I will openly and honestly share my behind-the-scenes experiences with CNN, FOX, ESPN and other networks. You will hear about academia, as I take you for a quick trip into the ivory tower for a discussion of how economic incentives impact the value systems of today’s “Blackademics”. The trip will be long and broad, and won’t just focus on money. Rather, the focus is on capital of all types, not just financial capital.

Money, like any other powerful object, can either be incredibly constructive or horrifically destructive. It can ruin families or make people strong. It can liberate, enslave and do everything in between. You can improve the lives of those you love or ruin your relationships with loved ones. Money can do many amazing things in a capitalist society. Therefore, understanding money, embracing the power of money and controlling the power of money is clearly, without question, an undeniably meaningful part of the movement toward equal rights.

This was an introduction to the forthcoming book "Black American Money", written by Dr. Boyce Watkins. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Dr. Boyce - Jesse Jackson Show Today

I am going to be on the Jesse Jackson Radio show this morning. I get the chance to appear on this show a lot, along with my good friend Marc Lamont Hill. I am glad to see Jesse back out there on the front lines of our conversations, we need him.

I hate the idea that we can be so willing to exchange all black leadership for a black president. Barack Obama is great, but he can't replace black leadership in America.

On a side note, I saw the movie "Batman" again last night. Heath Ledger's performance was amazing, and it was one of the best movies I've seen all year. So no, I am not always meditating on racial inequality every second of the day. However, I do give the Batman films kudos for a diverse representation of African Americans. I don't mind seeing black inmates in a film, but I enjoy the fact that Batman movies show us black police commissioners, black judges, and black scientists. That's certainly more than I can say for the film "Hancock", which showed black men as drunks and prison inmates. What was that all about?

Dr Boyce Watkins: Michael Pfleger, Black People, Barack Obama

As I prepare for my road trip to several states for various meetings and speaking engagements, I wanted to leave people with a question of the day. These are the things that sit on my mind as a black man at 1:18 in the morning. So, in spite of the belief that all black men are out figuring out ways to be bad fathers or stealing from little children, this black man is at home thinking. I think a lot and that's the benefit of living by yourself. In spite of my presence in the world, you would be surprised at how much time I get to spend with internal dialogue. Personally, I think this is an important part of finding out who you really are and rising above all the crap in our society.

Here is my question:

Have you noticed that most people who agree with Senator Obama's critiques of the black community are the people who are not affected by the critique? Women agree that black men need to stop being deadbeats. Good fathers agree that bad fathers need to stop being bad fathers. Middle class black people agree that the poor need to have better morals. My follow-up question is: how would these individuals respond to Obama's critiques if they were leveled at THEM? What if he were to say that black women need to be kinder to men so they won't leave their relationships? What if he were to criticize middle class African Americans for forgetting about their responsibility to those they left behind in the inner city? What if he were to criticize black academics for spending too much time in petty ivory tower politics and too little time engaged in meaningful intellectual leadership?

I don't agree with any of the critiques I've mentioned above, although I've heard people state them. I personally believe that all cultures are heterogeneous, with good people and bad. No group is worthy of being cast aside as solely demonic. I used these examples because I noticed that it's easier for all of us to accept a critique when it is directed at someone else. It is much harder to accept criticism when it is directed at us.

While many in White America enjoyed hearing Obama criticize black men for needing an upgrade in personal responsibility, they did not respond similarly when Jeremiah Wright and Father Michael Pfleger criticized White America for an irresponsible commitment to racial inequality.

It's funny how people behave when the tables are turned. I would not, like Rev. Jackson, say that I want to remove Obama's testicles for his unwillingness to critique White America. Based on the fear he is showing in this election, it appears that they may have already been removed. Impress me Barack: "Tell it like it is" to someone else. Unless, of course, black people are the only group in America with something wrong with them, or perhaps you're just afraid to do so.

“Divisive Hate Speech”: Why this Term is Silly

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

http://www.boycewatkins.com/

As I work to do my part toward the fair treatment of African Americans, I can't recall how many emails I've received from well-intended, yet uninformed individuals who presume that my words are nothing more than "divisive hate speech". It doesn't matter what I say, or how I say it. As long as I bring up the impact that slavery and oppression has on the present, I am accused of using "divisive hate speech". When I bring up the fact that slavery, oppression and economic exclusion have created the massive wealth gap between blacks and whites in America, I am accused of using "divisive hate speech". When I mention the disproportionate black male prison population (an artifact of Jim Crow and slavery) or the lack of tenured faculty at majority universities, I am again accused of "divisive hate speech".

I now ignore that line in any email I receive. To use that term in response to being confronted with slavery is like an irresponsible father getting angry every time his child's mother reminds him to pay child support. Reconciliation for extraordinary damage and devastation comes with a price. You can't just wish it away.

I know how to look past the critics, they don't bother me. But for some reason, that term (divisive hate speech) was in my brain when I woke up this morning, and I wanted to share some thoughts with those who are bothered by such a criticism. Part of the price of admission for African Americans into so-called "mainstream America" is that we must do our ancestors a huge disgrace by remaining quiet about the atrocities they've experienced. If you spend just one day thoroughly studying the impact of slavery and the experience of some of the slaves, you wouldn't think for one second that it is ok to forget what they went through.

The reason the term "divisive hate speech" is silly in response to any African American who speaks up on racism is because it is reflective of the lack of personal responsibility that our country teaches when it comes to dealing with the impact of slavery and discrimination. If I am wealthy because my father raped my best friend's mother and stole her belongings, it would be irresponsible for me to say "that's divisive hate speech!" whenever my friend attempts to have my family held accountable for the actions of my father. In that scenario, if I am forcing my friend to remain silent about what happened to his mother as a condition for our friendship, then the truth is that he is not my friend at all. The secondary truth is that I do not respect my friend nor love him enough to make things right after what my family has done.

African Americans are in the same situation. My precondition for being accepted by my colleagues in the academy is for me to remain silent about the raping, castration, murder, robbery and torture of my own family members during slavery. If you can go with me for a second (close your eyes and really imagine this for me), imagine having your siblings taken away forever at the age of 6, seeing your mother raped in front of you or watching your father beaten and eventually killed. That gives you a tiny glimpse into the life of a slave.

The secondary reality that comes from treating another group of people like this for 400 years (that's nearly half a millennium, a very long time to form cultural habits) is that the oppressive group is going to feel comfortable oppressing the minority group. The minority group is going to feel comfortable being oppressed and victimized. I refuse to be a victim, so I am fighting back. Fighting back and refusing to be victimized is what leads to a rejection by the group that is comfortable oppressing minorities. It also leads to a rejection by those in the oppressed group who have grown comfortable remaining silent about the truth. That partially explains the term "divisive hate speech". In fact, I recall hearing an esteemed black colleague of mine tell his superior that "racism doesn't exist in his organization", when privately, he knows that his company has not promoted a black man in 40 years. That is the kind of sick, twisted lie that many African Americans are forced to live, all in the name of "not appearing divisive".

Another reason it is irresponsible to use a term like "divisive hate speech" to describe any man or woman's desire to discuss the impact of slavery is that the truth MUST BE CONFRONTED IF YOU ARE TO MOVE FORWARD. A fat man who is challenged to exercise might want to say "Exercise is painful and unfair!" But he should understand that without exercise, he is going to remain fat. America is that fat man. Every time the term "divisive hate speech" is used as an attempt to silence those who speak out on race, Americans are behaving like the fat man who doesn't have the discipline to exercise. He should realize that confronting his weight problem is the only way he is going to get healthy. Making bad choices in the past (or perhaps his mother feeding him the wrong food) implies that he ABSOLUTELY MUST endure the pain to achieve the gain. There is no way around it.

For the overweight man in my example above to think that he can achieve the gain without enduring a period of discomfort and sacrifice would be both weak and irresponsible. That is what many Americans want. They want racial harmony without the responsibility of true reconciliation and accountability.

That is something I refuse to accept. So, from this point on, the term "divisive hate speech" is officially deemed silly and counterproductive. If you want to criticize me, you have to come at me with something better than that.

Barack Obama: First Black President - What does that mean for black america?

The Al Jazeera network wants to get my perspective on what it means for our country to have its first black president. While I am going to vote for Senator Obama, I do not consider a first black president to be the saving grace for the rest of black america. In some ways, there is a tradeoff, given that having a black president will alleviate many Americans of their personal responsibility to help our nation overcome the after effects of hundreds of years of slavery and oppression. The easiest way to make people think that racism doesn't exist is to have a leader with a black face. But that is like saying that a Jewish president implies that the Nazi Holocaust never happened. The only difference is that the black holocaust lasted for hundreds of years.

I consider my Al Jazeera appearances to be more significant and interesting for a few reasons: 1) the audience is much larger than that of CNN, since the network covers much of the world, 2) many people around the world are watching this election closely, 3) I feel humbled by having the chance to represent the perspectives of black men in the United States. It has always been an honor to represent black men to the media, and it is an honor I take very seriously. The support of my people and obligation to my ancestors (many of whom died horrible deaths during slavery) to fulfill this obligation with honor, honesty, decency and courage.


At any rate, I want to hear what you think on this issue. I applaud Obama's achievements, and I am hopeful that he will serve as a source of inspiration for millions of black youth. I am not so happy about all the denunciations that he has had to endure, but I have let the wisdom of Louis Farrakhan guide me in my understanding of Obama's action.

But I want to hear what you think. Please tell me: What will it mean for the image of black men around the world if our country elects a black president? What does it mean for America?

Iron Man, The NCAA and Self-Reliance: My Magical Trip to the Movies

I was in a good mood today, since I just went out to see the film "Iron Man", which was kick ass. I have alot in common with Iron Man, at least I want to think I
do. We are both overly idealistic in thinking that we can save the world, we are both over-educated and we both go into this crazy "mad scientist mode", where I work on my research and writing projects for weeks at a time. When I hit that mode, I am not good for much of anything: answering the phone, going out, whatever. I love it though, since I believe that if you love what you do, it really isn't work.

Since I was in a good mood, I thought I would reply to some email. First, I agreed to do an interview with a nice fellow from a sports website (http://www.bleacherreport.com/) that I hadn't heard of. But it appears that the site is pretty popular. We get the chance to talk about the NCAA and their double standards that led me to the continued black boycott against them for their exploitation of the African American community. I find it amazing that we can justify paying millions to coaches and then can't figure out why the mothers of the actual laborers don't also deserve a piece of the revenue. The NCAA is a horrific embarrassment to America: a professional sports league that has found excuses not to pay its employees. If I had a son, I would not allow him to play college basketball or football.

I also agreed to do an interview with Al Jazeera, an international network that actually does real news. Their audience is far larger than that of CNN from what I've gathered, since they are world-wide. They want to know the impact of having a black man for president. They also wanted to know more about my experience being a black scholar at Syracuse University and dealing with colleagues who don't care to understand the role of the black scholar in America. A brother I respect, Christopher Metzler, wrote an excellent piece on the topic. The piece hit home with me, since I'd just had a fight with one of my senior colleagues over the fact that he has reduced the significance of my work in the black community to my simply being a black version of Bill O'Reilly.

I am NOT a black Bill O'Reilly. Bill does what he does to make money. I do what I do because I want to fight for my people, many of whom are not in a position of strength in our society. Also, I explained to him that remaining silent about the black holocaust of the past 400 years as a precondition to our acceptance in White America is like asking Jews to remain silent about the Nazi Holocaust. A Jew who furiously fights Neo-Nazis and holocaust deniers is not simply a Jewish version of Hitler. Bill O'Reilly has casually joked about lynching Michelle Obama (among other things), and if he had casually joked about sending a Jewish leader to a concentration camp, he wouldn't be on the air for two seconds.

I encouraged my colleague to educate himself on the black experience. The truth is that there is a reason that many thousands of African Americans and black/latino alumni at my campus have written letters of support. It is time that academia learn that black scholarship is different, not inferior and deserves equal footing at the intellectual table.

At any rate, the last email I replied to was one from a man named Thomas. He asked me the following question:

What do you say to the people who say that conservatives make blacks more self-relient while liberals give them handouts and cause them to rely on the government?

Here is my response to Thomas

Good question:

1) I know alot of conservatives who look to their government for support: Corporations beg for subsidies, the pharmaceutical industry lobbies the government in order to get tariff protection for high priced drugs, Jews lobby the government for protection of Israel. I believe that the government is here to help all its citizens, not just the rich and powerful.

2) I have never been in favor of dependence. I teach self-reliance and personal responsibility via education, economic empowerment, self-respect and challenging our government to take personal responsibility for the atrocities of slavery, which exist all around us. It's no coincidence that most major corporations, universities and media are owned by whites. Those are the benefits of slavery. Unfortunately, there are those who gladly take the beneficial handouts that come from slavery, but don't want to take responsibility for the consequences.

What is interesting about teaching self-reliance in the black community is that you really can't "win for losing" (as they say). For example: if a person integrates himself into a corporation, attempts to assimilate and then demands that he/she is given the same opportunity for power as everyone else, they are called a whiner and co-dependent. But when they detach from the institution, form their own platform and do something that is truly independent, they are accused of hating white people.

I can't tell you how many times I've had someone email and say "Why did you create a website called YourBlackWorld? If I were to create YourWhiteWorld, I would be a racst." I simply tell them that YourWhiteWorld already exists in media: It's called CNN, MSNBC, and FOX.

I'm going to bed. It's 2:30 in the morning.

Dr Boyce on XM Satellite: Liz Trotta, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama

I have alot of respect for Keith Murphy, host of The Urban Journal on XM Satellite Power 169. Keith has been there with me since the very beginning, when no one wanted to hear anything I had to say. He has the perfect radio voice, the kind of deep voice that I wish I had. It seems that women like that kind of thing. Instead, I was stuck with a voice that might work for a cartoon character.

At any rate, the topic of discussion was Liz Trotta, the woman on Fox News who publicly wished death on Senator Barack Osama....I mean Obama. Yeah, she got his name wrong too, and it just so happened that she confused it with the most notorious terrorist in the world. We also talked a bit about Hillary Clinton, the 2008 Presidential election, and my experience at Syracuse University. Some people don't like this, but I am honest in all my interviews. It takes too much effort to lie, mislead or spin things in a certain way. So, everything you hear from me is real. So, when Keith asked me about how Syracuse University has responded to my work, I've been quite honest about it. The truth is that I have been almost completely ignored and disregarded by central campus. I send emails to them, they rarely email me back. I request to be involved in their inner city initiatives with black students, but I am considered "too radical" to be involved with black kids. This is sad because these kids come from the inner city and they need me to motivate them toward educational achievement. The kids, like many kids in inner city schools, are not responding to the individuals being sent by the university because they have nothing in common with them. Myself, on the other hand, not only grew up around these kids, but I specialize in motivating black kids to want to go to college. So, you can imagine my disappointment when the woman responsible for sending faculty to talk to the kids was told that because I am radical, she should keep away from me. I actually saw these words written in an email, I was a little bit shocked.



What is sad is that I am honestly not that radical. I was made fun of as a kid for "talking white" and "acting white" (whatever that means). I love my students, 99% of whom are white. But as Malcolm X discusses so eloquently, whenever a black man stands firmly and strongly for something, America wants to paint him as radical. Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Bernard Goldberg and others can be as indignant and angry as they want to be. But if I were to be equally angry, I would be labeled as an "angry black man." Such labels are unfortunate, for they undermine the rights of African Americans to honestly share their frustrations with our country. Jeremiah Wright, for example, is a patriot who put his life on the line for our country (unlike many of the right wing pundits who criticize him), yet he has been painted as radical and unpatriotic. This should make any American upset.

If I didn't have such a strong sense of self, this double standard would confuse me. I would never have been able to imagine how a black person can be kind, honest and supportive of other human beings, yet be labeled as radical and dangerous. I am neither a liberal, nor a conservative. I am certainly not a radical person, but rather, I rely on common sense and a basic commitment to human decency.

Some fallaciously assume that uplifting black people means oppressing white people. They think that black love equals white hate. I love and uplift, I do not hate and oppress. I reject these confused notions and have no fear of such irrational labeling. Such labels are used to mute the voices of oppressed people around the world, and I refuse to be oppressed. Anyone who doesn't get it is encouraged to go take a black history class to help them understand exactly why their anger toward me is similar to the mob mentality that has plagued our country for 400 years. I don't get angry at people who respond in this way, because the response is nothing more than a reflection of the fact that our country does not properly teach racial history. In other words, some of our minds have been poisoned and miseducated, including my own. The desire to learn the truth and educate yourself must come from inside and must be a lifelong process. It is a journey I embrace every day of my life.

At any rate, please click the image below to watch the interview. Keith Murphy is a damn good interviewer, so I expect you will enjoy it.

Fox Analyst Wants Barack Obama Dead

Wow.....we now have a major network with analysts who are hoping that Barack Obama gets assassinated. If anyone didn't understand why we are going hard after Fox News in our protest, now you understand why. Liz Trotta is the woman committing the federal crime that occurs on the set of Fox News below.

Here's the video.




Those of you who continue to defend this behavior can now officially shut up. Your ability to argue in support of the actions of the right wing have now been invalidated.

Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and other members of the "Axis of Ignorance", have continued to condone this type of social terrorism that reminds us just how racist our country continues to be. Bill O'Reilly joked a couple of months ago about "having a lynching party" on Michelle Obama, and now an analyst on the same network literally states that "if we could", we would wipe Barack Obama off the face of the earth.



As a black man who receives death threats every single week for my words, I can't explain to you how it feels to see major networks in the "mainstream" hoping for men like yourself to be killed. I can't possibly explain the challenge of being ostracized by my colleagues for speaking the truth on racism. Were it not for the encouraging words of supporters outside of my campus (including a nice phone call from the daughter of Syracuse alum Jim Brown), I would truly feel like I was on a suicide mission, at least professionally and perhaps physically.

This commentary is not off the cuff....it's not just "silly analysis"....it is a reflection on exactly where our country stands as it pertains to race, and I am sick and tired of pandering to the horrifically sick attitudes of individuals who don't want to deal with the truth.

Racism is alive and well in America. Even Hillary Clinton is noting that race is giving her an advantage in the election. Barack Obama is afraid to tell the truth on this matter, because he knows that any mention of race will cause him to lose votes. But I am not running for office and I am not being paid, so unlike Senator Obama, I am going to give you the truth.

US Code 18 Chapter 19, Section 373(a) of the Federal Criminal Code reads as follows:

(a) Whoever, with intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against property or against the person of another in violation of the laws of the United States, and under circumstances strongly corroborative of that intent, solicits, commands, induces, or otherwise endeavors to persuade such other person to engage in such conduct, shall be imprisoned not more than one-half the maximum term of imprisonment or (notwithstanding section 3571) fined not more than one-half of the maximum fine prescribed for the punishment of the crime solicited, or both; or if the crime solicited is punishable by life imprisonment or death, shall be imprisoned for not more than twenty years.

Please join the YourBlackWorld Protest Against Bill O'Reilly and Fox News

Please join Your Black World: The top black news and commentary site in America.

How I can Always Tell When I was on the O'Reilly Factor

I don't ask my friends when Bill O'Reilly talks about me. Most of my friends don't watch Bill's show, and have little respect for him. But even as I continue to ignore this little man like an angry 4 year old, he continues to put his little disciples on the job. I give it up to Bill, he's got his cyborgs in check. When he says "Get that negro!" His followers get right on the job. Perhaps my actions have qualified me for the "lynching party" he wanted to put on Michelle Obama. Such a comment clearly implies that Bill O'Reilly hates our great nation. Discussion of lynching the possible first lady, putting her in a concentration camp or any other kind of crazy hate speech has no place in our country.

The chart above shows the spike in traffic to my homepage that occurred on an otherwise boring Friday night on Memorial Day Weekend. My personal webpage usually has about 1,000 visitors a day, and YourBlackWorld has another 6,000 or so. But I can always tell when Bill O'Reilly was screaming my name.


Along with a slew of interesting emails, I also received a nice phone call from someone who called me a "fat monkey nigger", or some other entertaining descriptor. Yes, I have been gaining weight, so maybe he has a point...except for the monkey nigger part. I would prefer to be described as a "fat, hunky sex machine".

I hope he doesn't have some kind of fatal attraction toward me, since I don't roll like that. Either way, I've rarely seen Bill O'Reilly, nor anyone else so obsessed with someone who doesn't even return his phone calls. But then again, I guess intelligent black men have that effect on racists like Bill O'Reilly. I am an honest believer that educated black men are Bill O'Reilly's worst nightmare, which is why he has gone so hard after Barack Obama.

Keep screaming Bill....you and I both know what's going on.

Barack Obama’s Trip to Kentucky: The Ultimate Plantation

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com

In the writing of my book, “What if George Bush Were a Black Man?”, I spent a great deal of time talking about my experience growing up in Kentucky. Kentucky is nothing like the unfair stereotypes presented by Hollywood: images of hillbillies in straw hats, running moonshine on horseback with no shoes. However, when given a chance to defy stereotypes and prove that it has moved beyond its commitment to racism, the state usually fails with flying colors.

This week, Senator Barack Obama was pummeled in Kentucky by Senator Hillary Clinton. While voting against Obama is no proof of racism, the truth is that many voters admitted that they voted against Obama because he was black. Even Hillary knows this, as she continues to brag about how she has support among “hard working whites without a college degree.” Kentuckians do work hard, many of them are white and the state is one of the worst in the country when it comes to education. So, these must be Hillary Clinton’s kind of people.


Race still matters in Kentucky, a fact that throws itself in my face every time I return to my home state to give a speech. The last speech I gave at The University of Kentucky led to my not getting a handshake from the mayor, nor many other dignitaries who’d greeted me so graciously when I arrived. It wasn’t because I said anything radical: I simply noted (quite precisely I must admit) that the campus stated in 1990 that it would dramatically increase the presence of black faculty, and as of 2005, they’d had a net increase of 1. Not 1%, just 1. I wanted to tell the university that killing the messenger, while fitting with tradition, would be counter productive. Rather, they should kick themselves for not having the personal responsibility to keep their commitments.

I stated what much of Kentucky already understands: there is an equilibrium in which black people are second class citizens in Kentucky and when this equilibrium is violated, people get upset. There is an expectation of weakness, fear and silence among the black community in Kentucky, and my violation of the “Good negro behavior protocol” led to a backlash from those who “don’t want your kind round here”.

I love my state, but that is why I must be honest in my assessment.


I grew up in the school system in Kentucky, one that destroys the dreams of black children by the boat load, tossing them into classes for the learning disabled at dramatic rates and killing their dreams of going to college. I recall confronting the counselor of my god daughter, who tried to explain to me why “college isn’t for everyone”, while the kids at the suburban schools with equal intelligence are sent to the next level. What was most sad was that the counselor was black.

I went to college at The University of Kentucky, a campus that continues to make excuses for not hiring black faculty, yet is always able to somehow find the next great black basketball player. I once saw two pictures in the law school: one of the faculty, one of the janitorial staff. One of the pictures was 100% white, the other, 100% black.

I still have family in Kentucky, where black people truly know their place. The Kentucky Derby is not an event for everyone to celebrate at the track: it’s the day where most black people either clean up the horse crap or barbecue in their mama’s backyard.

People don’t get upset about the way things are in Kentucky, they are trained to accept it. High powered whites are the jockeys, and people of color are the horses. Any black person accepted into higher circles must be socially neutered in order to gain admission. No radical negroes are allowed in the country club.

Muhammad Ali was treated so poorly in the state of Kentucky that he refused to return for years. 12 years ago, when a black female student was attacked at The University of Kentucky in a racially-motivated incident, she claimed that campus administrators asked her to remain quiet because the basketball team had made it to the Final Four. You know, the whole bad publicity thing.

What is most ironic that I spent most of my time in Louisville and Lexington, two of the most socially-progressive cities in the state. It sort of goes down hill from there.

I had a mentor at The University of Kentucky, Tommy Whittler, the only black professor they’d tenured in the entire business school in their 130 year history. Tommy, and others, gave me good honest advice. They said, “Boyce, if you’re ever going to advance in this world, you have GOT to leave Kentucky.”



So, I left Kentucky and I advanced. I left that state for the same reasons that Senator Barack Obama never campaigned there in the first place. Now, I come home and everyone is afraid of me. That includes some of the black people, who may get upset that my honesty on racial equality is going to “get them into trouble.” It doesn’t matter if my words are true, it only matters that they are traumatic. But call me crazy, I still love my home state. That is why I want it to be cured of the disease of racism.

One thing I can say about the state of Kentucky is that the people are fundamentally good. The “country boy” who refuses to vote for a black presidential candidate is also the guy who will fix your car for free and allow his kids to play at your house. He cheers for the black guys on the University of Kentucky basketball team, even though he never thought about going to college. Ultimately, he represents the great paradox of Kentucky that creates racial inequality. Both the whites and the blacks are victims of this sickness.

I love my home state, and I would love to move back. But when I come home and see the same old oppression, I want to run for the airport. When I wrote my book about Kentucky and spoke of growing up there, I wrote from a position of intense pain.

The bluegrass state is beautiful, but it almost stole my dreams. Kentucky continues to be a dream killer for African Americans.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” He does regular commentary in national media, including CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and ESPN. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Black Money, Black Marriage, Black People

By Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.FinancialLovemaking.net

People fall in love every day. Some fall in love forever, and some just love the idea of falling in love. We are all familiar with the bliss and agony of love, and our mating, dating and procreating choices define much of the quality of our earthly existence.

But many of us love in all the wrong ways and make short-term choices with serious lifelong consequences. For long-term relationships, reality eventually sets in, and we learn that LOVING together means LIVING together. The thrill you once got from a long, seductive kiss is replaced by the excitement of a good home appraisal or bank account increase. Financial insecurity and emotional insecurity become one and the same, as we find there is a strong correlation between financial deception and emotional betrayal. A big part of living is MONEY. According to a study by the Council of Relationships, money is the number one reason for divorce. This alarming reality is a strong reminder that not discussing the financial and practical dimensions of your relationship can cause you a lifetime of misery.



Some consider it taboo to discuss love and money in the same sentence. I consider it ESSENTIAL. While we might mull all day over a potential mate’s emotional compatibility, sexual compatibility, professional compatibility and spiritual compatibility, most of us don’t spend one second thinking about financial compatibility. Many couples step into serious relationships and marriage without knowing their partner’s income levels, debt levels, credit score, retirement savings, or any of the other significant pieces of information that are going to have a dramatic effect on their love life. Merging your life with a financially irresponsible person is like putting your children into a car with a drunk driver. Once you are in the car, your fates are inextricably linked.

Money plays a huge role in our quality of life, emotional well-being, ability to raise our children properly or ability to spend time together. Money can either be a tool to enhance your love or a weapon to destroy it. Many people have seen their love and relationships ruined by financial problems, financial deception or financial exploitation. How we manage, confront and conceptualize the power of money plays a huge role in how our relationships evolve. That is what Financial Lovemaking is all about.

You think money doesn’t matter in a relationship? Well, here is just a small list of ways that someone could ruin your life financially:

• A partner with horrible credit could keep you from ever getting loan.
• A partner with terrible spending habits can ruin a family’s financial security.
• A partner with a substance abuse or other costly addiction could deplete a family’s assets.
• A partner with unhealthy connections to deadbeat relatives, who always need money, may drain your assets.
• A partner with an income that is too low due to a lack of education or poor professional choices could ruin you financially.

• A partner may steal money from you or borrow it without your permission and use it for something frivolous (i.e. a bad business investment, gambling, etc.)
• A partner who makes bad financial choices may get you into trouble with the IRS.
• A partner who decides to separate from you may end up dragging you and your money through a long and costly legal battle.

I just gave you the short list of ways that money directly impacts your love life. I am sure you can think of experiences you’ve had or those of your friends. In fact, I encourage you to visit our Financial Lovemaking blog to share your personal story on how love and money have impacted your life.

I am not here there to say there’s nothing going on but the rent. However, I can say that nothing else goes on if the rent is not being paid. So, good Financial Lovemaking is necessary for good love. Don’t forget that.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good.” He does regular commentary in national media, including CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC and BET. For more information, please visit www.FinancialLovemaking.net.

United Nations to Send Special Observer to US to Deal with American Racism

Fri May 16, 2008 2:48pm EDT
By Stephanie Nebehay, Friends of the Congo

GENEVA (Reuters) - A special U.N. human rights investigator will visit the United States this month to probe racism, an issue that has forced its way into the race to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.

The United Nations said Doudou Diene would meet federal and local officials, as well as lawmakers and judicial authorities during the May 19-June 6 visit.
"The special rapporteur will...gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," a U.N. statement said on Friday.

His three-week visit, at U.S. government invitation, will cover eight cities -- Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.



Race has become a central issue in the U.S. election cycle because Sen. Barack Obama, the frontrunner in the battle for the Democratic nomination battle, stands to become the country's first African American president.

His campaign has increased turnout among black voters but has also turned off some white voters in a country with a history of slavery and racial segregation.

Diene, a Senegalese lawyer who has served in the independent post since 2002, will report his findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council next year.

However, the United Nations has almost no clout when it comes to U.S. domestic affairs and is widely perceived by many as interfering. The United States is not among the 47 member states of the Geneva-based forum, but has observer status.

In a report last year he said Islamophobia had grown worldwide since the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States, carried out by al-Qaeda militants.

DEATH PENALTY



A U.N. panel which examined the U.S. record on racial discrimination last March urged the United States to halt racial profiling of Americans of Arab, Muslim and South Asian descent and to ensure immigrants and non-nationals are not mistreated.

It also said America should impose a moratorium on the death penalty and stop sentencing young offenders to life in prison until it can root out racial bias from its justice system.

Racial minorities were more likely than whites to be sentenced to death or to life without parole as juveniles, according to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It monitors compliance with an international treaty which Washington ratified in 1994.

U.S. officials told the body, made up of 18 independent experts, that they were combating hate crimes such as displays of hangman's nooses and police brutality against minorities.

Some 800 racially motivated incidents against people perceived to be Arab, Muslim, Sikh or South Asian had been investigated since the September 11 attacks, they said at the time.

Substantial progress had been made over the years in addressing disparities in housing, education, employment and health care, according to a U.S. report submitted to the talks.

(Additional reporting by Matt Bigg in Atlanta; Editing by Jonathan Lynn and Jon Boyle)



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Dr. Boyce addressing the National Black Law Student Association

Topic: Dr. Boyce Watkins speaks on working with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton during the Don Imus situation. Using capitalism and the internet as a form of activism.

Dr. Boyce Watkins on the air with Dr. Rick Wright

Rick Wright, a radio show host and professor in the Newhouse School of Communications is one of my greatest heroes. He is also one of the top black radio personalities in America. Thanks to Lee Keitt and the NSBLN alumni network for providing the audio.

Bill O'Reilly vs. Keith Olbermann.....I just sat in the middle

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com

I learned something about the power of money last night. I received an email from one of our readers on Your Black World, who simply said, “Bill O’Reilly is coming after you again.” I took it in and got back to what I was doing. I expected O’Reilly to make another smear attack this week, since a good terrorist always hits the target multiple times.

O’Reilly Bin Laden’s latest target was my poor chancellor, Nancy Cantor. Sending one of his goons (some call them correspondents) to the campus, Dr. Cantor was asked why she is allowing “the good name of Syracuse University to be ruined by a ‘racist’ like Boyce Watkins.” Translation: to some, a “racist” is any black person who speaks up for black people. I accept that.

O’Reilly never really came at me directly, as I and some other black scholars have refused to appear on his show. I don’t fault the ones who choose to appear, but I don’t consider a platform legitimate just because it has a few viewers. Instead, he felt that going after my chancellor and the alumni of Syracuse University would be a more reliable tactic.



I couldn’t agree with O’Reilly more, perhaps the chimp is smarter than I thought.

Our campus is in the middle of a billion dollar fund raising campaign, and I am sure there are those who are sickened by the fact that one of the most visible faculty members on campus is the subject of racial controversy. Financial theory teaches us that risk management and minimization are critical to maximizing popularity and profitability. Controversy is risk, and too much risk hurts your ability to raise money. Oprah knows this all too well, as her political moves have diminished her show’s brand and base during the past year.

As Barack Obama’s experience reminds us, race is not a comfortable conversation, even when presented in the most diplomatic fashion possible. The backlash is far greater when you are direct and honest. What’s interesting is that O’Reilly couldn’t exactly cite why he was so obsessed with me, nor could he point to any strong evidence to support his “race baiter” assertions. The mere fact that he labeled me a “race monger” was enough to get his disciples up in arms. Bill O’Reilly should change his name to Bill Oprah-Reilly, as he has an amazing ability to manipulate his minions and their small, impressionable minds.

According to Bill O’Reilly, I am using the Presidential campaign to engage in “villainous pursuits” to promote a radical agenda. Being the good and noble American that he is, his goal is to ensure that “race hustlers” like myself don’t use their “hate-filled speech” to manipulate the results of the 2008 Presidential Election. Bill O’Reilly has become Martin Luther King Jr in his fight for truth, justice and political purity. God bless him.

My finance lesson this week came from watching Bill O’Reilly squirm. He was boiling mad at me, and even his fellow conservatives couldn’t quite figure out why (note the confusion on the face of the silly conservative radio show host, Laura Ingraham). The reason O’Reilly had become obsessed with me and my words is because of the dirty secret exposed by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann: A group with which I am affiliated, The Your Black World Coalition, has mobilized an intense email, phone and letter writing campaign to O’Reilly’s corporate

sponsors, the FCC and the producers of the show. The ultimate objective is to hold O’Reilly’s corporate sponsors accountable for supporting a man who has consistently engaged in dirty tactics to defame Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama and other respected individuals in the black community. While O’Reilly is certainly entitled to Freedom of Speech, I won’t have him unfairly assaulting and defaming my respected colleagues, and using my money to do it. While I give O’Reilly credit for being a good financial student, he must remember that I am ultimately the professor.

In reference to my many “lies” to smear O’Reilly, Keith Olbermann asked Bill one simple question: “If that’s what Watkins said, where are the lies?” In naming Bill O’Reilly “The Worst Person in the World” for his attacks on me and the chancellor, Olbermann quoted my reference to O’Reilly’s statement about wanting to have a “lynching party” on Michelle Obama. O’Reilly speaks of lynching the potential First Lady of the United States, and then has the nerve to call others racist and unpatriotic.

Given my training in finance, I learned one thing about living in a capitalist democracy: money makes people move. O’Reilly also understands this. Money makes good people do bad things and gives bad people an excuse to do good things. Money is the reason Fox News exists, and why this form of “capitalism gone wild” has destroyed the integrity of American journalism. Money is the reason that Barack Obama went from being a non-factor to becoming a target of The O’Reilly Factor and the reason that President Bush is sweating over the price of gas.



It is the ability to acquire resources, mobilize resources and take away resources that will change this election. This election will, in turn, change the world. Race matters, there’s no question about that. But money matters much more.

Here is the video if you want to see it:



Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good.” For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

Bill O'Reilly? OK damnit, I'll talk about it

Yes, I was on O'Reilly last night. Yes, he did the whole "That black man is crazy" routine. Yes, my inbox was full of email from people who are dumb enough to pay attention to anything this ridiculous hack has to say. Here is my standard response. I felt the need to protect the poor chancellor, for I hated seeing her getting chased around by the cameras. She is a good woman, and she didn't ask to have Boyce Watkins on her campus. Curing the disease of racism is a nasty, scary process, and not everyone is ready for the backlash from a country that remains ignorant and in denial.

O'reilly and others are nothing new to America. For the past 400 years, there have been those who fight against racism and those who work to oppress those individuals. Terms like "reverse racist" or "black racist" are designed to alleviate America of the guilt of what it has done to every black man woman and child for the past 400 years. Our country has not even apologized, nor taken personal responsibility for the damage done by slavery. 400 years of continued, terroristic destruction doesn't go away with 20 years of Affirmative action.

O'Reilly, Hannity and Limbaugh are in the same tradition as those who killed Dr. King and Malcolm X. Unfortunately, such individuals and those who support them are always on the wrong side of history. But it is safe to stand with them because they tend to have the most power. I don't expect that any piece of my contribution to Syracuse University will be recognized today. Rather, it will be acknowledged 30 years from today, the same as that of Jim Brown and the 8 black students who protested racism on the football field. The pattern is: punish now, ostracize now, and apologize when the person is old and gray. I accept that.

Do not hold Chancellor Cantor responsible for my words.

I speak on my own behalf. The Chancellor is an amazing and capable human being who has brought wonderful intellectual light to the university and to this country. I even feel sorry for the headaches I cause her from my viewpoints. I cannot apologize however, because there are tens of thousands of voiceless Americans who agree with me.

I refuse to stand silent as Jeremiah Wright, an ex-Marine, scholar and accomplished human being, is reduced to a worthless hack by those who don't even have the guts to fight in the very same wars they promote.

Syracuse's business school, to my knowledge, has not tenured a black man in over 100 years, and I do not expect to be the first. So don't worry, I don't anticipate you're going to have to deal with me for much longer. But I am going to keep telling the truth, since someone has to make that sacrifice.

Be well,

Boyce Watkins

Dr. Boyce Video Response to Bill O'Reilly

Bill O'Reilly Pays a visit to Syracuse to Take Me Out

Last week, some of you may be aware of the initiative we put in place at YourBlackWorld to confront Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and the rest of the Axis of Ignorance about the way they have misrepresented the news and damaged the reputation of one black leader after another.

Well, I guess my own chickens have come home to roost.

One of the readers on Your Black World sent me an email stating that Bill O'Reilly mentioned today that he "took a trip to Syracuse to deal with some concerns he has about a professor up there."

I guess that professor might be me.

They have a saying in China that "the fattest pig always gets slaughtered", and I accept the fact that my university is not going to be happy with my confrontation of Bill O'Reilly. Many of their wealthy alums who give money to the university are part of the Bill O'Reilly Zombie Fest, and support this man as he perpetuates the ugliest aspects of our country's history.



But the truth is the truth. I WILL NOT and CANNOT allow him, nor anyone else, to continue telling lies that distort reality and hurt our country. They are incredibly unpatriotic, and their continued dirty tactics and tricky smears on Senator Obama, Pastor Jeremiah Wright and others will not be tolerated.

Fortunately, the black community is behind me on this one. When I sent a call out to our readers on YourBlackWorld, I received hundreds of emails within one day. Additionally, our readers have sent hundreds of letters to the FCC, and we are also in position to hold two of Fox's top corporate sponsors accountable for their behavior.

The fact is that Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Fox News do not represent American values. Also, most of the major networks will allow this racist hate to hit the airwaves, yet they do not have a single host of color representing viewpoints of the silent majority.

This is wrong, it's unAmerican and it must stop TODAY.

Bill O'Reilly, do what you must. Deep down, you know you are wrong.

Meet the Real Jeremiah Wright

I was concerned about the recent attacks on Jeremiah Wright, mainly because I understand what he went through. Last fall, Bill O'Reilly spent 5 days calling for me to be fired from Syracuse University. They claimed I was a racist because I criticized O'Reilly and his condescending views toward people of color. I also had the audacity to ask why my business school has existed for 120 years without granting tenure to an African-American. He, Hannity and others engaged in the same petty attacks that they used to undermine the credibility of one of Chicago's most respected pastors, Jeremiah Wright. Oprah, Obama and many respected members of the Chicago community have been in regular attendance at Pastor Wright's church, and it is non-sensical to allow the buffoons at Fox News to reduce this man's distinguished 40 year career to that of a worthless hack.

But truth is be told, this is to be expected: They did the same thing to Dr. Martin Luther King and other strong black pastors in the past. Even black people and scholars felt compelled to attack Dr. King and Dr. Wright, since that was the safe and "academicky" thing to do. Jeremiah Wright and most strong black intellectuals who've changed the world truly understand that white supremacy breeds a steady, bumper crop of "haterologists" who will attack your every move, every word, and every action. But I am a believer that the more empowered black men and women are, the more haters you will have, so black scholars should speak truth to power, engage in true intellectual leadership and be strong enough to withstand the backlash. That is what our forefathers expect from us, and I'm not talking about George Washington.

What is most interesting is that Jeremiah was a Marine and served his country with honor, while those who attack him hide behind their privilege to avoid fighting in the very war in which they so readily send others to die. Before you judge him, hear him speak. He is a scholar and an empowered leader of faith. I respect him. He is definitely smarter than Bill O'Reilly, but then again, most chimps can make the same claim.

Juanita Bynum: Prophetess or Profit-ess?

Juanita Bynum: Do Blinged Out Pastors go to Heaven?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.com

People have asked me what I think about Juanita Bynum and her post, pre and intra-marital drama. In case you haven’t heard, Juanita Bynum is a well-known black evangelist who was allegedly beaten by her husband Bishop Thomas Weeks. The alleged incident took place in an Atlanta Hotel Parking lot, and received a great deal of media attention.

As one would expect from a woman who’s been recently beaten by her husband, Juanita Bynum held a press conference. No trial, no hearings, no indictment, no conviction: just a press conference. Bynum then declared herself to be the new face of domestic violence in America.
That was my introduction to the peculiar world of Juanita Bynum.

I am not sure what world Juanita Bynum lives in, but it can’t be my own. When hearing that she held a press conference after the alleged attack (along with appearances on Divorce Court and Essence Magazine), I immediately wondered if any good could come from this. I was hopeful that the goal was to truly fight domestic violence, thus empowering women around the world from her experience. I also wondered if this was Juanita Bynum’s version of Celebrity Pastors Gone Wild.

It is no secret that Juanita Bynum wants to be the next Oprah. Such lofty ambitions require you to sometimes sell your soul for success: Halle Berry shaves her head and signs a big movie deal. Vivica Fox gives oral sex on camera and then gets a new show. Rappers get shot on purpose.

That’s the celebrity fame game, and Juanita appears to be a part of it.

As a specialist in marketplace buying and selling, I quietly wonder if those responsible for saving souls should be so quick to sell their own. At the same time, there are many in the ministry who’ve made money and power their primary objectives, and spend a lot of time praying to the false God of capitalism. Anybody got a Dollar for the collection plate? How about some Taffi? Praise the Lord, amen.

I don’t consider Juanita Bynum to be a bad person. I just hope that she hasn’t allowed blind ambition to turn her into a spiritual Stevie Wonder. Mixing the idea of celebrity with service to God is a slippery slope, and if Jesus were among us in the flesh, I am not sure he would be appearing on Divorce Court. But spiritual leaders are the first to remind us that they can’t quite match up to Jesus. At the same time, one expects a higher standard from Juanita Bynum, TD Jakes and others who expect to preach to us every week.

I am a finance professor and a hardcore capitalist. I fully understand the drug of money. In some ways, I feel like the drug pusher who looks at the church going mother of 3 and says “Ma’am, you don’t want to smoke that crack pipe.” I know that addiction to the drug will cause the mother to abandon her children and destroy everything she holds sacred in order to get another hit. Hearing pastors (i.e. TD Jakes) referring to Jesus as a “product”, or seeing men and women of God speaking on money more than I do is beyond disturbing. It’s just downright crazy.

I don’t consider Juanita Bynum to be the face of domestic violence. Domestic violence has millions of faces of women who never held a press conference. But I certainly hope that she is working to use her newfound fame to support and protect those who are in abusive relationships. But truth be told, I haven’t seen much out of Bynum other than publicity stunts designed to promote the name, fame and wealth of Juanita Bynum.

If the leaders of the flock have been blinded by their own ambition, what does that mean for the sheep? I would hate to imagine that going to church might somehow jeopardize my salvation, since Jesus has been reduced to a product for sale. Perhaps it implies that we should cut out the middle man and find our own connection to God. What would Jesus do?

Video: Dr. Boyce on Juanita Bynum