Back to the top

Last Chocolate City

Catwalk to Perp Walk

Of course.

From The New York Times:

Ms. Campbell pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor charge, acknowledging that she had lobbed a cellphone and hit her maid, Ana Scolavino, on the head. Ms. Campbell was ordered to pay Ms. Scolavino’s medical expenses, $363, attend a two-day anger-management seminar and do five days of community service, of which yesterday was Day 1.

The 36 year-old supermodel has some infamous anger issues, but was making her a laughing stock really the best way to teach her a lesson? Why not have her talk to groups of girls or find some other more productive outlet for her?

Broom and mop detail is meaningless. Compared to standing in the snow in next to nothing or dealing with fashion nazis, cleanup is a cakewalk. Naomi is a smart business woman. She will milk this free publicity for years to come.

New York Times

Catwalk to Perp Walk

Of course.

From The New York Times:

Ms. Campbell pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor charge, acknowledging that she had lobbed a cellphone and hit her maid, Ana Scolavino, on the head. Ms. Campbell was ordered to pay Ms. Scolavino’s medical expenses, $363, attend a two-day anger-management seminar and do five days of community service, of which yesterday was Day 1.

The 36 year-old supermodel has some infamous anger issues, but was making her a laughing stock really the best way to teach her a lesson? Why not have her talk to groups of girls or find some other more productive outlet for her?

Broom and mop detail is meaningless. Compared to standing in the snow in next to nothing or dealing with fashion nazis, cleanup is a cakewalk. Naomi is a smart business woman. She will milk this free publicity for years to come.

New York Times

Slaveowning Ancestors and The American Way

Originally posted by Nadir at LastChocolateCity.com

As Black History Month came to a close, two news items prove that the legacy of slavery in America is far from over.

The first was former presidential candidate, the Rev. Al Sharpton’s, revelation that one of his ancestors was owned by a relative of late South Carolina Senator and segregationist Strom Thurmond.

Professional genealogists working for Ancestry.com found that Sharpton’s great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond’s great-great-grandfather. Coleman Sharpton was later freed.

In the second report, a geneaologist claims that an ancestor of current presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s white mother owned slaves.

According to the research, one of Obama’s great-great-great-great grandfathers, George Washington Overall, owned two slaves who were recorded in the 1850 Census in Nelson County, Ky. The same records show that one of Obama’s great-great-great-great-great-grandmothers, Mary Duvall, also owned two slaves.

None of this should be a surprise to anyone. If your ancestors were in the United States before 1860, then it is highly likely that their lives were touched by the peculiar institution in one way or another. So why is this such a big deal? Continue reading

Slaveowning Ancestors and The American Way

Originally posted by Nadir at LastChocolateCity.com

As Black History Month came to a close, two news items prove that the legacy of slavery in America is far from over.

The first was former presidential candidate, the Rev. Al Sharpton’s, revelation that one of his ancestors was owned by a relative of late South Carolina Senator and segregationist Strom Thurmond.

Professional genealogists working for Ancestry.com found that Sharpton’s great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond’s great-great-grandfather. Coleman Sharpton was later freed.

In the second report, a geneaologist claims that an ancestor of current presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s white mother owned slaves.

According to the research, one of Obama’s great-great-great-great grandfathers, George Washington Overall, owned two slaves who were recorded in the 1850 Census in Nelson County, Ky. The same records show that one of Obama’s great-great-great-great-great-grandmothers, Mary Duvall, also owned two slaves.

None of this should be a surprise to anyone. If your ancestors were in the United States before 1860, then it is highly likely that their lives were touched by the peculiar institution in one way or another. So why is this such a big deal? Continue reading

© Nadir Omowale