Yep, this article is able to link them all together.

First up we have this video of West Virginians being interviewed in regards to the Democratic Primary held there:

1. There are people who still think Obama is Muslim

2. There are people who think Obama isn’t American

3. There are people who think being president is about reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (which Obama does know by the way)

4. There are people who don’t want a Black president REGARDLESS of his stances on the issues and would rather vote for McCain, when they are a Democrat, as a result.

Now this leads me to the next part of this article: people saying that Black Americans are ONLY voting for Barack Obama because he is black and also saying that Obama is only this successful because he is black (I’m looking at you Bill).

Now this is pure rubbish. Think about it, if Black folks were ONLY voting for him because he were Black, then why isn’t Alan Keyes a serious contender for the office?

Now the next part: people thinking that Obama has only gotten this far because he is Black. Come on now, Obama has gotten this far for numerous reasons:

1. He represents change, and boy do we need a lot of that after the past 8 years.

2. Lets be real, he has run an EXCELLENT campaign that not only has stuck to his ideals, but has ignited the country in a positive way as well. Who else did that? John F. Kennedy. Now did Kennedy only get into office because he was white? Nope.

When talking to others about the disconnect between this generation and the generation of the Civil Rights Movement, I always bring up the following point: many of this generation look at figures like Martin and Malcolm as being larger than life. As a result, they don’t feel they can live up to that or make change on the level that they did and ultimately don’t try.

This is unfortunate, because Martin and Malcolm were regular men wanting change in the community, not for just Black folks, but society as a whole. And for those people who still live in the incorrect mindset that Malcolm was racist, check this quote from one of his interviews:

I believe in recognizing every human being as a human being, neither white, black, brown nor red. When you are dealing with humanity as one family, there’s no question of integration or intermarriage. It’s just one human being marrying another human being, or one human being living around and with another human being.

But back on point: they were regular men wanting to make change. They both come from different backgrounds but had a common goal. This to me is a prime example of how everyone has the power to make a difference in some way.

Look at Obama.

After graduating law school, he went to Chicago’s southside and became a community organizer (he could have easily gone on to some high paying corporate law job, but he didn’t). I have done the same thing (community organizing) and let me tell you, it is long hours for pitiful pay. What he and I recognized is that all it takes is one person to make a difference. Now what would happen if you got, instead of one person, you got MANY people to make change in their community. Now that is change.

This is what Obama is reminding us of and I absolutely love it.

Remember the early 90’s and Hip-Hop? The artists back then felt this way and the music reflected that hugely. There are some out today who embody the spirit of the 90’s Hip Hop movement. One artist is 6th Sense. Check out his video to see what I mean:

A snippet of a conversation I was having with my cousin, Timid, about this very subject:

Timid: see if hip hop was where it was in the 90’s stuff like this would be playing all over the place and obama’s place among the youth and urban vote would be more solidified
me: oh hell yeah
Timid: imagine if hip hop was in that same mindstate today
Timid: it would be a wrap
me: that would be insane, my head is ready to explode at the thought lol
Timid: groups like tribe, krs, black sheep all with videos about obama and the state of affairs and going at mccain and clinton
Timid: man it would be crazy

So what about you? What are your thoughts on the West Virginia video above? This notion regarding Obama and the Black vote? What do you do to make a difference in the community?

Say it ain’t so. I just read a Reuter’s article about how the Soul Train Awards are not happening this year. Check out the first line of the article that is very disturbing:

It’s the end of the line for the Soul Train Music Awards, which have largely been ignored by the African-American stars the event aims to honor.

(emphasis added)

That is truly disheartening that this generation of African American musicians are literally ignoring the Soul Train awards.

The article mentions that most of the winners did not show up to last year’s awards.

Ouch.

I bet every single one of them were at the BET awards (which I suspect will begin having a “video hoe of the year” soon).

Today is the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary. Everyone in that state needs to get out and vote because this primary has gone on too long. Hillary Clinton literally has no chance of winning even if she wins the state today.

The numbers just are not there.

So in celebration of Barack Obama, check out the below video. When I first started watching it, I was expecting to laugh, however, something else happened…

I GOT HYPED

The Erase Racism Carnival is a collection of blog posts dedicated to creating a world free of racism. The Carnival is published around the 20th of every month.

If you would like to submit a post written by you or someone else or host the carnival, check out the home of the Erase Racism Carnival for more information.

With that said, here are the posts for this edition of the Erase Racism Blog Carnival:

• Thugs are the new Uncle Toms - You are familiar with the term, it has been used as the other ultimate insult to Black folk - ‘uncle tom’. It is time to revisit the definition. [NubianWaves.com]
• Chinue Tao Hashim 1977-1998 - “I remember thinking that I had always heard that key phrase “police shoot unarmed black suspect”–but this time, I was working among the people who understood these events intimately. It wasn’t a political rally or TV show. It was Cynthia’s son.” [Daisy’s Dead Air]
• 2007 The Year in Race, Ethnicity, and Racism: The Top 10 List of the Most Fashionable Racial Trends - [AllyWork]
• 1512: Hatuey, defied Spanish colonization - “On this date in 1512, the Taino Indian cacique Hatuey was burned alive at Yara, Cuba — the prototypical martyr of heroic resistance against the centuries of colonial onslaught to come.” [Executed Today]
• America’s Next Top Model calls Black History Month racist - I included this, not because of the old news regarding Adrianne Curry’s involvement, but because the article breaks down the history of Black History Month and why it is still needed. [Nubian Waves]
• Race, Gender, Politics and Employment Law - “Two issues that have crept into the campaign and also find themselves well-established in the workplace and employment law are race and gender. ” And also - Lynch, Noose, Golf and Employment Law [HR Hero]
• Obama falsehoods examined - [Bite My Words]
• For Allies: How “gender trumps race” plays out in the real world - “I just wanted to point this out so that those who are committed allies to women of color can see plainly and clearly what women of color are talking about when they say that they have serious issues with how they are written out of ‘feminism’ and ‘justice’.” [Brown Femi Power]
• Color Blind Love-A Look At Interracial Relationships - “It seems rather silly to me that a black man and white woman, or black woman and white man, should have any more difficulty maintaining a healthy loving relationship than anyone else.” [Telling it like it is]
• Feminism still isn’t for black women - “There’s been this running patter from famous feminist authors as Obama collects delegates that essentially says that black women should be voting with their vaginas and not with their skin color.” [The Angry Black Woman]
• The Racial and Economic Politics of Babywearing - “According the Wikipedia, babywearing is the practice of carrying your child in a sling or other type of carrier.” [Anti-Racist Parent]
• We All Walk in Different Shoes: Kenneth Cole’s New Campaign Steps Ahead - “So as thousands of designers and modeling agencies around the globe continue to reject models of color, of size, or of varied physical abilities, Cole has provided his buying audience, or even those who just stop to admire the advertisements as art pieces, the opportunity to judge beauty for themselves.” [Racialicious]
• If Hip-Hop Is Dead, Why is The N-Word Still Kicking? - “I’m still thinking about why a person would reject the word black and self-identify as a nigga. (No “er” for those of y’all keeping track.)” [Racialicious]
• Dr. King - an example of taking charge of your beliefs - “This article is going to recognize Dr. King in a different context - beliefs.” [Nubian Waves]
• The Wrong Kind of Asian - “Apparently I was the first Asian Rick had ever seen in real life - up close and personal.” [Anti-Racist Parent]
• How to suppress discussions of racism - I LOVE this article because it is so true. Race deflectors have been using these tactics for years. [Coffee and Ink]
• Slavery continued until 1961 for Wall family - “I just got finished reading about this and did some research myself to make sure it was true - and true it is.” [Nubian Waves]

As you can see I posted links to blogs covering different aspects of race. That is just an example of how race isn’t a clear cut issue.

Get to reading and discussing!

You are familiar with the term, it has been used as the other ultimate insult to Black folk - ‘uncle tom’. It has been around ever since the character, Uncle Tom, made his appearance in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin‘.

Side note: The Uncle Tom character in the novel has long been debated as whether or not he was a noble hero or the proverbial ‘uncle tom’. This article ignores the debate and focuses on the use of the term today.  Also, the person pictured is Josiah Henson (his autobiography may have inspired Stowe’s title character, Uncle Tom).

The term uncle tom is generally used to insult African Americans whose political views or allegiances are viewed by critics as being detrimental to other blacks. In addition to seeming as being subservient to White America.

It is time to revisit that definition.

Why not add the word “actions”?

It would now be read like this - the term is generally used to insult African Americans whose political views, allegiances, or actions are viewed by critics as being detrimental to other blacks.

That opens up a new can of uncle tommery (yeah, I just made that up). If you add the word “actions” to the general idea, then you start seeing a lot of Black folks that are doing things that a detrimental to other blacks.

We tend to harbor this huge amount of disdain for those who “sell out” or “live to serve White folks”, but what about those people who are destroying our community and reinforcing negative images?

Rappers

Yeah, you know I had to bring them up. Now I have to say that I am a hip hop head and love the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Common, and underground cats like Jean Grae, MF Doom, Jazzy Jeff, and of course the beat mastery of J-Dilla.

Even though there are rappers that are producing phenomenal music, there are also those who are producing crap. You know, the music filled with the usual talking points: violence, sex, alcohol, and misogyny.

No one with a straight face can say music like that impacts the community in such a massively positive way that you would start reciting poems every morning about rainbows.

So with that said, why aren’t rappers who are negative influences regarded as uncle toms as well?

Street Thugs

Yeah, you know them - the carbon copies of what you see in music videos. The ones who think respect is gained by pulling a gun on someone or fighting someone over shoes. Those who think that the only way to make it in this world is through the misery of other Black folks.

Yep, you guessed it - shouldn’t they be considered uncle toms as well?

I’ve had a gun pulled on me twice in my life time and it is not fun. The first time, the guy got a chain and the second time the group (yes, group) got about fifty cents and a hat. I was a teenager when those instances happened and I was robbed by other teenagers. (Side note: what makes broke teens think they are going to get a dope pay day by robbing other broke teens??)

Those who feel the need to recite rap lyrics in public to feel ‘hard’ - and similar situations

This happened to me the other day on the subway. This dude was sitting a few seats down from me and was listening to his Ipod. The guy barely knew the lyrics he was reciting, but he knew the buzz words handily (the cuss words, anything talking about how he is going to rob someone, etc.)

It was all a show to let people know around him that he was ‘hard’. That he was not someone ‘to be messed with’.

Whenever this happens I just want to yell at the person and tell them to shut up because it makes you angry and embarrassed at the same time. If you are not familiar with this scenario, rent the Chris Rock movie, “I Think I Love My Wife”, and wait for the elevator scene where the guy gets on rapping and Chris Rock, in embarrassment, moves to the back of the elevator.

Yeah, so people who choose to spread the buffoonery - why aren’t they regarded as uncle toms?

In Conclusion

I can go on and on listing things that could be seen as uncle tomish, instead, I am going to leave you to do that in the comments.

I know there are social factors at work when it comes to the behavior of my brothas and sistahs. However, there were social factors at work 50 years ago and we chose to enlighten and empower ourselves. Why can’t that happen today?

Change happens when you choose to make change yourself. If we choose to stay in the same mindset, we will never move forward.

It has been announced that the Broadway musical, “The Color Purple”, is ending its run after 910 performances.

As you probably already know, the show is based on Alice Walker’s novel of the same name. It was produced by Oprah Winfrey, who also starred in the film adaptation of the novel.

“The Color Purple” will take its final bow after the evening performance on February 24. The musical, which has been bringing black theatergoers to Broadway in unprecedented numbers, recouped its original $11 million investment in less than a year.

The current cast includes Zonya Love as Celie, as well as Grammy winners Chaka Khan and BeBe Winans and “American Idol” finalist LaKisha Jones.

Currently, there is a ‘buy 1 ticket, get a 2nd ticket free’ special being offered for all performances from now until February 17. To take advantage you must either call 212.947.8844 or visit the Broadway Offers website and use the promotional code: CPNWS56

I have seen the show twice and definitely plan on seeing it again. Nubian Waves is committed to providing tips on how to live life to the fullest. What better way to get forget the work week than to see this show??

By the way, if you are not in New York City or can’t make it here to see the show, check out the dates for the touring production.

• “he fought for equal rights”
• “I can eat where I want”
• “dream” this, and “dream” that

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking any of those quotes, however, it has come to a point where people are just programmed to spew off those quotes when they don’t even know the context. With that said, this article is going to recognize Dr. King in a different context - beliefs.

“Whether you believe you can do something or you believe you can’t, you’re right.”

Think about that quote for a minute.

There were many people ‘back in the day’ that disagreed with what civil rights leaders were trying to do. I am talking about black folks. Those who felt that “it was no use”, “we should give up”, “we should stay in our place”, and that “the world is just how it is, there is nothing we can do about it.”

All of those naysayers have one thing in common with Dr. King and those active in the civil rights movement - their beliefs defined their actions.

What people believe, what they think is possible or impossible, determines greatly what they can or cannot do.

This is true today. When it comes to personal empowerment, it all starts with our beliefs. However, our beliefs are greatly influenced by our environment.

During the civil rights movement, African Americans were influenced by the hate and despair around them. However, many individuals did not allow their surroundings to deter their fight for what was, and is, right. They turned it into fuel to empower themselves.

Dr. King and others serve as an example of the fact that you can control your beliefs. Studying our past leaders and current ones (this includes teachers, family members, friends, etc.) is a good start in obtaining the life you want. This is called modeling.

If you have a friend that is successful in a field that you are interested in, talk to him or her. Learn what they did to get where they are and apply it to yourself. But to do this, you have to BELIEVE you are capable of living the life you desire.

Take a moment and write down five beliefs that have limited yourself in the past. Examples: “I’m not smart enough”, “I cannot succeed because I am black”.

Now, take a look at the list you just created. The next thing I want you to do is to write down five empowering beliefs that can support you in achieving your goals. Examples: “What I don’t know, I can learn”, “Because I am Black, I can accomplish anything I desire”.

Our negative beliefs hinder our growth. Turning those negative beliefs into positive ones is just one step toward living the life that you desire.

Just keep in mind our belief systems are not permanent, we have brains and we can change our belief system whenever we desire to do so. Dr. King and many other leaders, especially Malcolm X, not only formed their own belief systems, but helped others to do the same.

Now it is your turn.

A bootleg copy of the latest trailer for ‘The Dark Knight’ has made its way to the internet and we have it.

Morgan Freeman returns as Luscious Fox alongside Christian Bale as Batman. Heath Ledger is The Joker.

Here is the trailer:

TMZ is reporting that the ex-husband of Tina Turner, Ike Turner, has died.

Ike Turner was a musician, band leader, talent scout and record producer, best known for his work with his former wife Tina Turner as one half of the Ike & Tina Turner duo. Ike’s repertoire included blues, soul, rock and funk. Alongside his former wife, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

From TMZ:

TMZ has confirmed that music legend and the former Mr. Anna Mae Bullock has died. He was 76.

Turner apparently died in his home in San Marcos, Calif., just outside of San Diego.

Sources close to the family tell TMZ he may have died in his sleep.

Ike Turner was portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the movie, ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?‘. Tina Turner (real name, Anna Mae Bullock) was played by Angela Bassett.

Their tumultuous relationship, which included physical as well as mental abuse, was the basis of the film.

His website, IkeTurner.com, is at the time of writing, down (probably being updated).

Gabrielle Union is insisting that movies, especially her new movie ‘The Perfect Holiday’, should not be called ‘urban’ just because black people star in them.

In a recent interview she said:

“No one calls Fred Claus the white Christmas movie. The Perfect Holiday is a movie about the holidays. It’s not race-specific.

“If there’s more than one black person in the movie, it’s an urban romantic comedy, an urban thriller - it’s just a flipping movie. The way kids think, the demographic they pander and chase - they don’t care.

“The same way guys are like, ‘Halle Berry’s hot, Jessica Alba’s hot’ - they don’t say, ‘She’s a hot black girl’ or ‘a hot Latina’. They notice trends, they buy movies they like, they Google people they like. It’s not race-specific…

“Give me a break. It’s an old-fashioned notion of marketing, and how they like to label things.”

I agree with her, because, black movies of late tend to be the same stereotypical stuff rehashed:

• Fish out of water comedy - Black person in ‘white setting’ teaching white people how to be ‘hip’
• Eating and praying - I liked Soul Food, great movie, however, does every ‘black’ movie made after Soul Food have to center on black folks eating big meals of soul food and praying? Check out ‘This Christmas‘ and you will see what I mean (it could have easily been Soul Food 2 by the way). Oh yeah, please, for the love of God - NO MORE SOUL TRAIN LINES!
• Can’t forget about the magical black man story lines where the character’s sole purpose is to help the white stars and rarely has a back story that would conflict with that. (Side note: these movies aren’t called ‘urban’)

;

As a result of the same ol’ stuff being done over and over, the ‘urban’ tag tells black folks exactly what is going to be in the movie, and guess what, WE EAT IT UP.

Studios make movies to make money. If these ‘urban’ flicks didn’t make money, they would not be made. Studios know that to make money, they need to make movies like ‘The Cookout’, ‘Who’s Your Caddy?’, etc.