Results tagged “africanamericans”

From making a round of appearances at black churches to taking calls from listeners of KISS-FM, Governor Paterson is doing everything he can to reclaim the support of African-American voters that he appears to be losing. A poll last week saw Paterson's support among blacks drop below 50 percent, a "desperation line" pollsters say. The Times says that the low numbers in minority communities may stem from his controversial proposed health care cuts. But some African-Americans believe that the perception of the governor is being distorted by overwhelmingly negative press and poll numbers. The president of New York's branch of the NAACP told the Times, “I think the polls are not reflecting David’s standing in the community." But City Councilman Charles Barron thinks that the abandoning of Paterson is legitimate. He said, “There is some letdown from people who were so proud of his ascension. People have to realize that when we invest our aspirations in you, we expect more. We expect better.”

Faculty and students are reeling after a noose was found on the door of a black professor's office at Columbia University's Teachers College yesterday. The NYPD's Hate Crime task force is investigating the incident and the professor has been identified in the media as Professor Madonna Constantine, whose interests are listed as "Cultural competence in counseling, training, and supervision. Mental health issues of people of color in the United States and immigrants. Vocational issues of adolescents and college students of color."

There's nothing like an endorsement from Gray's Papaya to show that NYC generally likes Mike. But it seems that to hinge upon his subway straphanger credentials - will the hot dog eatery reconsider, given that he is chauffeured to a subway station 22 blocks away (when there's one four blocks away), only likes to take the express and that his spokesman thinks people who like riding the subway need a shrink (hello, universal health care with great mental health benefits for NYers)?

Members of Columbia University's Chicano Caucus and International Socialist Organization had a press conference yesterday to discuss the fallout from last week's clash with the Minutemen group on campus. The protesters said they didn't mean to stop the Minutemen's head from speaking when they went on stage, but, as the Chicano Caucus' political chair reasoned, "We are sure that if the Ku Klux Klan came to campus, African Americans would be there to protest. So would we." The protesters also emphasized that the violence was instigated by the Minutemen and College Republicans - not the protesters.

Get a (Longer) Life

Did you make it to any of the festivals we mentioned a short while back? If you did, good for you, and you’ll know that these late fall smorgasbords have been putting some nifty stuff on stage; if you didn’t, this is a great week to make up for it, as the One Festival includes some very interesting pieces – all by solo performers, as the name implies. The range is pleasingly head-spinning: from Ryan Paulson’s white-bread Pentecostal Wisconsin to Wild Rice, Scarlett Lam’s portrayal of generational conflict between traditional Chinese values and modern New Jersey reality, to Joyia Bradley’s Soul To Keep, which weaves lives of African Americans from the past and present together, plus four other shows, there are bound to be some striking performances.

Some "hip" African Americans we'd like to help Gothamist over our obstacles: Samuel L. Jackson, Dave Chappelle, and Tracey Reese.