A new, old organization is being tauted by Obama and his contingent of keepers; Bloomberg and Soros. It’s called the new and improved My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. Because the old one didn’t take. Backed by $80 million – to start – it can’t lose… or can it?
What happened to the Foundation he started in 2014?
Obama is focused on the; ‘tragic history in the US which makes it tougher for some to succeed…” History? I am a woman. We were property in history. White men were persecuted in the UK for their faith and banished. White men were ostracized for their debt and imprisoned, only to be shipped to Australia. History? I’m sorry, but history is over. The reason certain minorities succeed and other’s fail has been proven over and over again – family.
His new and improved foundation uses the acronym – MBK. But when I looked it up, MBK already exists and has since 1999. It too is a nonprofit 501(c)(3). It’s logo and site are copyrighted. It’s purpose is to help minorities who have health issues they need to overcome. Initially, HIV was the focus.
There would appear to be a copyright infringement here…
Obama’s site was uploaded in 2015. It’s aim focus’s exclusively on men and boys – no women allowed club. It is exclusive to boys of color, so whites are specifically excluded. I went through the website and still could not find exactly what they do. They have ‘documents’ posted online that encourage businesses to hire ‘men of color’. And they ask for donations. I just don’t see what they do with the money except maybe write more PR documents.
I have a background in business and generally when one launches a new business there is a past, a track record, and a business plan of ‘action’. But this Alliance has none of this – no history, no proven track record, and no plan of action. They just want – money because the $80 million has vanished?
Playing with the statistics: In 2013, about 40 percent of whites between the ages of 25 and 29 had a bachelor’s degree or more, compared to about 20 percent of blacks, 15 percent of Hispanics and 58 percent of Asians, according to data from the Current Population Survey. Blacks make up 12% of the US population. Given these stats, 20% of the 12% should be represented in businesses – 2.4%.
So let’s take a look at the NFL: Of the 175 cornerbacks in the league, 170 are black. At running back, 107 of the 120 players are African-American. White players account for 27.7 percent of the NFL rosters.
In the NBA, 35.7% of all professional employees are people of color. But wait – only 12% of the US population is black, therefore whites are unjustly discriminated against in this venue. And 47% of head coaches are people of color. In the category of players, the discrimination gets even greater – 76% of all NBA players are African-American.
Does this mean we must require the NBA and NFL to alter their drafts so as to be less discriminatory?
No. Forcing coaches to hire more whites from a pool of applicants knowing that it could cost them the championship, is absurd. Forcing businesses to hire blacks from a pool of applicants when the qualifications are non-existent, is absurd. Every time we make ‘race’ the problem, we are creating the problem. It is not about race, it is about poverty and education. It is about family and values.
You can’t lift people out of poverty without education. You can’t lift people out of anger and crime when the value system of the family does not exist.
Statistics also don’t measure a person’s heart. For example, my ex-husband’s sister was a verifiable brainiac. She got a very prestigious degree from Stanford. She ‘chose’ to use that degree to teach high school. Income, for her, was not a measure of success. For her, teaching was the success.
Look no further for an example of minority success than to Asians in the US. They have a divorce rate of about 8-10% compared to African-Americans who have a significantly higher divorce rate as well as a significantly higher rate of children born out of wedlock. (And before you go there – no, the solution is not more condoms.) Asians have a lower unemployment rate – even compared to whites. They have the highest rate of income and education of any racial group in the US. Their value structure is about family, provision, and education. It works.
The solution is education. Education in school, but also education about values, morality, marriage, parenting and ethics. It is not about forcing businesses to hire a person based on race. It is about bringing everyone to the line of ability.
So what is the focus of this new and improved Foundation? Division. Race. Gender. Hardly a promotion of anything of value.
I meant still lives on
Wait, are you really saying race has nothing to do with why people can not improve. When race is embedded in the country since day one. I mean just because we voted for a black president does not mean race issues do not exist. The city, I live in and other cities had sections where it was white only (and many try to keep it to this day because they have stats that bring minorties in bring property values down) or had discriminatory practices like having apprenticeships for blacks. vs whites, which leads to being able to build wealth faster . Bank of america in 2012 just settled a case where they had discriminatory practices against blacks another other minorities when it came to loans and credit card interest. This country and especially white people think it ended with slavery , while Jim crow lasted almost into the 70s and the sentiment still love on.
Yes and no. Race and gender prejudices will always exist. How do you make them non-issues? By focusing on the core problem that creates disparities – education for ‘everyone’. By instilling values we can improve lifestyles of all races. If you want to blame ‘race’, then you will never rise above it. It will own you, it will make you live in anger. You can never change what other people think, you can only change – you. The point is to lift people out of poverty – whatever race. The laws are in place and Bank of America was called to the plate for violating a law. That’s a good thing! When you dwell in history (and it is rife with ugliness – thousands of years worth) you lose sight of the present and future. You can’t change history. You can change the future. The choice is yours in where you want to put your energy – anger or education? Surround yourself with people who have risen above – Ben Carson is a great example.
its nice when white people dont want to dwell on history but there is a saying if you dont know your past you dont know your future. its easy for you to condemn a community that you are not apart of then point out the one guy with an elitist outlook now thats he has made it. . Its also funny that you left out the african american women are the highest growing minority for educational attainment. Thats from the 2014 census. However classism in this country has roots in racism for this country. I am educated and getting ready to take the gre to attain a masters degree, my anger for my community is fueling my need to get higher education.
Dwelling and knowing are different completely. Knowing means you learn and rise above. Dwelling means you stew in anger. One has value – the other does not. I never condemned anything, I stated that poverty is the issue that needs to be tackled because it can be changed. Your posts indicate a significant prejudice that lives in you, and for that I am saddened. I pointed out a man who is well respected, well liked, well educated, and speaks in a calm way about the plight of family. He embodies an example of what strength, resilience and dedication look like and represents a positive in the slew of negativity. I am sure I have left out many things, and if you would like to write an article about this subject, that is truly your choice. It is also your choice whether you want to be racist, or whether you want to make a difference for those ‘people’ who need help. What do you plan to do when you graduate?
I believe the term is white privilege. It allows yout to believe that you are in right to tell others what to do with their communities , yet you forget those communities hurt from education because they were allowed adequate education. its like saying I dont know why you people who pull yourselves up when they have a boot on their neck and then to say there isnt struggle. I can not be racist ,actually, my race did not make the standards for goverment, religion and other instutions in this country. I am not white which is the majority who had made racist policies. I also believe races can mix. I am not racist. I am also not prejudice because I know that white people have a history of racism and prejudice to this day which has been brought to head with alot of the police shootings in different states.