For those who couldn’t make it to the Schomburg last week, Herb Boyd wrote an article on the event. It can be accessed at:

http://www.tbwt.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=728&Itemid=2

The word around town is that Rosa Parks’ family is not happy that Proof, the recently slain rapper and Eminem’s best friend, is buried in the same chapel cemetery as Parks.

William McCauley, Parks’ nephew, told the Detroit Free Press, “I don’t see the appropriateness of someone like this young rapper being buried with Rosa Parks. She was a person of nonviolence and obviously this young rapper had a different creed when it comes to resolving issues.” Lawrence Pepper, Parks’ attorney, added “I don’t think his music is anything like Mrs. Parks. To me, it’s disrespect to Rosa Parks.”

Wow.

Of course, this isn’t Parks’ first run-in with the hip-hop world. Before her death, Parks sued Outkast for their 1999 song “Rosa Parks,” which she says used her name without permission. Although the suit was dismissed, a second suit was filed and settled in 2004.

Like the Outkast situation, which I believe was instigated by Parks’ family and not the Civil Rights icon, this seems to be another example of the kind of inter-generational warfare that undermines our community. Of course, Proof and Rosa Parks are not moral equivalents. But when did that become the litmus test for a dignified burial?

I understand that the chapel cemetary, which was recently renamed after Parks, isn’t the only place to received such a burial. Still, I can’t help but think that having these two buried in the same place might signify something powerful for a generation of young people who feel aliented by the very generation whose moral and civic legacy they are trying to replicate.

Mos Def recently conducted an interview with The Source magazine about the current state of hip-hop. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks that hip-hop sucks.

“Our priorities is gettin’ fucked. Lil Jon-I love his music. But why are the East Side Boyz names Big Sam and Lil Bo? What the fuck? What’s next, Kunta and Kinte? The South should know better. This is the same country that ran up in Fred Hampton’s crib and shot him in bed with his pregnant wife. You think the rules changed cause niggas got No. 1 records? What are we supposed to tell our kids? After Malcolm, Martin and Dubois we got Sam-Bo? I’m supposed to be down with that ’cause it makes me dance?”

-”Jimmy Iovine, Lyor Cohen, Doug Morris…all of these dudes were not prepared in their schooling or in any of their social upbringing for a world where they have to deal face to face with, not only people who are outside of their class, but people who in their minds could very well be their servants. Now you gotta deal with somebody you’ve been trained to deal with as your underling as your partner. It’s a bitter fuckin pill to swallow cause now you need this person. Jimmy Iovine is not your buddy. Lyor is NOT happy about Jay Z being president of DJ. I dont give a fuck what he say. If the dude could go from rhyming to being a CEO in 10 years or less, what is he going to be in 15 or 20? He might have Lyor’s job at this rate”

-”Paris Hilton don’t really care about ya’ll niggaz, man. She can’t even hear ya’ll niggaz. I’m just keeping it real. THis shit is entertainment to them. We’re adopting their morals like we them and we never been them. We don’t have the same struggle. Dudes is no more than 20 years removed from real poverty. For dudes to have this much access to money and it’s not translating to people power, its inexcusable”

Over the past year, my career has taken me to numerous cities around the country. While many people (especially haters) presume that my hectic schedule prevents me from reading, the opposite is actually the case. The countless hours that I have spent riding and waiting for airplanes and trains have afforded me more time to read than ever before. This past year, I’ve had the opportunity to read dozens of wonderful books. If you haven’t had an opportunity to read them, put them on your summer list. Here they are, in no particular order:

T.D. Jakes America’s New Preacher by Shayne Lee

Whether you consider him T.D. Jakes the preacher or T.D. Fakes the hustler, Thomas Dexter Jakes is transforming American Christianity. In this thoughtful and accessible book, Shayne Lee examines Jakes’ meteoric rise and the conditions that enable his continued stranglehold on the public pulpit. Although he falls short of completely critiquing the capitalist forces that are assaulting the church, he provides an otherwise critical yet balanced analysis of America’s New Preacher

Prophets of the Hood by Imani Perry

Rutgers law professor Imani Perry provides one of the most rigorous contributions to the burgeoning field of hip-hop studies. Unlike many hip-hop texts, Prophets of the Hood moves beyond mere historical analysis and focuses on the lyrics. Such an analysis, she argues, reveals a quintessentially African American art form filled with underexamined aesthetic value. This book is indispensable for anyone interested in hip-hop culture and the rich cultural legacy to which it is inexorably connected.

Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Minds by Michael Eric Dyson
With 13 books in 13 years (3 in the last 12 months!!!) and a ubiquitious presence in the public sphere, Michael Eric Dyson has emerged as the towering Black public intellectual of the 21st century. While Reflecting Black was his most groundbreaking, and I May Not Get Here With You was his most timeless (and my favorite), Is Bill Cosby Right? is Dyson’s most important text. By taking on American heavyweight Bill Cosby for his attack on the Black poor, Dyson successfully intervened in a critical public conversation about individual responsibility, social inequality, and the possibilities for Black youth. This principled and persuasive defense of the Black, the poor, and the young epitomizes high quality public intellectual work.

New Black Man by Mark Anthony Neal

Few books literally change my life. Even fewer come from academics. After reading cultural critic Mark Anthony Neal’s most recent book, however, I was forced to reassess who I was and who I wanted to be in my personal and professional life. The book’s central claim, that traditional notions of black masculinity have been underwritten by vicious homophobic and sexist ideologies that divide our community and alienate our most vulnerable members, is supported through insightful cultural critique and revealing personal narratives. As a Black male feminist, queer theorist, and aspiring “New Black Man”, this book was a much needed intervention in my life.

Real Black: Adventures in Racial Sincerity by John L. Jackson Jr.

Like “superstar” in sports, “brilliant” is a term that is overused in academy. Far too often, really smart people with interesting ideas are given a title that should only be reserved for the best of the best. That said, John L. Jackson is brilliant. In Real Black, the second book of Jackson’s 5 year career, the anthropologist adds a needed layer of complexity to racial authenticity debates by introducing the notion of “racial sincerity.” Through rich ethnographic detail and engaging prose, Jackson raises the theoretical and empircal stakes for urban anthropology. Additionally, the book’s mix of vernacular writing, complex methodology (including visual and autoethnography), and the invocation of his alter-ego “Anthroman”, have the possibility of transforming the field. I wish I had written this book. I want to be John Jackson when I grow up!

Feel free to post your own!!!

Soon after I was made aware of the Duke rape case, I received numerous e-mails, letters, and phone calls revealing the identity of the accuser. Some people have gone so far as to send me photos of the woman. Nearly everyone who provided me with such information asked me to post it on the site in the interest of fairness and justice.

Although I wouldn’t dream of posting such information, there are several popular websites that have revealed the accuser’s name, photo, and other information. Like the Kobe Bryant rape case, these people have argued that accusers deserve to have their identities held under the same public scrutiny as the alleged offended.

In recent years, the media taboo against revealing victims’ names is becoming less and less pervasive. Major news outlets, as well as cyber-journalists, have revealed the names of accusers in high profile case. Wendy McElroy provides an explanation for this position:

“Rape has become an exception because of the public shame attached to being sexually violated. Yet, today, the greater disgrace adheres to whoever is accused of sexual misconduct. The disgrace involves not merely shame but also the likely loss of marriages, friends, reputation, career and wealth. Yet the damage and shame inflicted on those who are merely accused does not prevent the media from naming them.

Debate over the propriety of identifying both parties is quickly followed by speculation over whether anonymity for only one side is even possible. Once half of the story becomes public, can the other half remain confidential? The Internet has ushered in an age of instant and omnipresent information. Nothing short of totalitarian censorship may be able to enforce anonymity for ‘victims’.”

While it may be true that complete anonymity is impossible in the current techonological moment, that doesn’t mean that this shouldn’t be our goal in rape cases. The reason that “rape shield” laws were proposed in the first place was to protect women from the sexist “Is she a hoe? Did she ask for it?” discourses that have been historically central to rape investigations.

Some argue that such questions are indispensable for certain types of cases, namely acquaintance rape, when issues of consent are more complex and nuanced. Even if this is true, such inquiry is unnecessary in this case, as this is not an alleged date rape. Rather, this seems like another excuse to blame the victim and deflect attention from the real criminals.