Category Archives: syracuse university
Dr. Boyce and Lola Adesioye Talk about the Black Agenda
by Lola Adesioye, Huffington Post – www.LolaCreative.com
Should there be a "black agenda" in America? And if the answer to that question is ‘yes,’ what is the black agenda?
These are the questions that black leaders and black people have been discussing more and more since President Obama took office. Last week, Reverend Al Sharpton hosted a leadership summit addressing this very issue. Today a group of black leaders got together on an MSNBC special to talk about this issue in more detail. And many will remember the on-air argument that Tavis Smiley and Rev Sharpton had a few weeks ago about this topic.
Tavis believes that Obama isn’t doing enough. Sharpton believes that Obama need not ‘ballyhoo’ a black agenda. I think most agree, though, that something needs to be done.
With a 16.5% unemployment rate (compared to 9.7% for white Americans), an education system that is under serving black children, higher than average rates of death from diseases like breast cancer, and continued social issues, it is hard to disagree that there is need for some kind of targeted and focused approach to dealing with the issues that affect African-American. But many are divided on whether or not the president is doing enough for black people, whether or not it’s incumbent on him to do anything at all, and what should or shouldn’t be done.
Dr. Boyce on NewsOne.com – 2/24/10
The Bottom Line
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and author of the book, "Black American Money." For more information, please visit www.YourBlackWorld.com.
DR. BOYCE: Al Sharpton, Tavis Smiley Fight Is Post-Obama America
By Dr. Boyce Watkins February 24, 2010 12:17 pm
Read more about DR. BOYCE: Al Sharpton, Tavis Smiley Fight Is Post-Obama America
TAGS: Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, Tavis Smiley
DR. BOYCE: Do Young Leaders Now Make the NAACP Relevant?
By Dr. Boyce Watkins February 22, 2010 2:59 pm
Read more about DR. BOYCE: Do Young Leaders Now Make the NAACP Relevant?
TAGS: NAACP
DR. BOYCE: The Guts Behind Tiger Woods’ Press Conference
By Dr. Boyce Watkins February 19, 2010 12:47 pm
Read more about DR. BOYCE: The Guts Behind Tiger Woods’ Press Conference
TAGS: sex scandals, Tiger Woods
Rev. Al Sharpton: Time to Shut Down some Prisons
- (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)
by Rev. Al Sharpton
As the battle lines for health care reform are being drawn – and redrawn – a silent segment of the population is strategically left out of the conversation. It’s a group of individuals who have been deemed enemies of society, and cast away behind iron bars to fend for themselves. In California’s 33 prisons, healthcare is so inadequate that one unnecessary death takes place per week, as inmates are often stacked in triple bunk beds in hallways and gymnasiums. With nearly twice the number of prisoners than they were designed to hold, California prisons will have to reduce at least 40,000 prisoners in the next two years – and it’s about time.
Federal judges just released a 184-page order demanding that California’s inmate population be reduced by 27%, and gave the state 45 days to come up with a plan. In what they termed an “unconstitutional prison healthcare system”, the three-judge panel concluded that disease was spreading rampantly and prisoner-on-prisoner violence was all but unavoidable. Forced to close a $26 billion dollar budget gap, California will now have to look at mechanisms to reducing its extensive prison spending, which in 2007 topped out at nearly $10 billion (approximately $49,000 for each inmate).
Whether it’s for pure economic reasons or for an actual concern over the well being of prisoners, California will hopefully serve as an example for a reversal of the ever-growing prison industrial complex. A system that unfairly profiles and detains minorities, American jails produce a vicious cycle of recidivism and community breakdown. Last year, the Pew Center on the States released a scathing report stating that one in every 100 American adults was in jail, and that an astonishing one in 15 black adults was behind bars. According to government reports in 2007, there were three times as many blacks in jail than in college dorms, with Latinos not far behind at 2.7 times more behind bars than in secondary schooling.
Finally, the NCAA Has Been Sued
8:50 AM on 08/11/2009
- In this April 3, 1995 photo, UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon celebrates after his team won the NCAA championship game against Arkansas in Seattle. O’Bannon is suing the NCAA over its use of former student athletes’ images in DVDs, video games, photographs, apparel and other material. (AP Photo/Eric Draper, File)
The revolution has been televised.
I always knew it would be, since African American athletes have always been center stage in the NCAA’s multi-billion dollar money machine. Millions of Americans go mad during the month of March to see “Tyrone G. Anyhood”, the latest corporate product being lined up on the Great American assembly line of mass exploitation and academic fraud.
The NCAA has profited handsomely from the black community’s commitment to producing and delivering hoop dreams that put young black men on the court during the hours they should be spending in a book. We perform death-defying athletic circus acts for the amusement of America, while universities profit under the guise of providing education. The NCAA’s professional sports league has created hundreds of multimillionaires and has facilitated the purchase of summer homes, yachts and private planes for many of the fat old men who refuse to even hire African American coaches.
Some of the players have finally said, “enough.”
Ed O’Bannon, a former star for the UCLA Bruins, has put his name at the top of an historic class-action lawsuit being filed against the NCAA for the illegal use of player images in videogames. This lawsuit is significant and opens a Pandora’s Box of disturbing issues, like a maid charged with cleaning out a house with dead bodies and asbestos. To make things simple, here are just a few reasons the suit may actually end up having massive implications for the African American community:
Dr Boyce on AOL – 8/11/09
The Latest
Love Gone Bad: Scorned Women Krazy Glue Man’s Genitals
- OK, if you cheer when you read this story, then you need some serious help. If you squirm when you … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (0)
Black Professors, Black Scholars and Intellectual Suicide
- If you’ve ever attended college, you’ve interacted with a professor. If you were lucky, you might … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (16)
Dr. Boyce Money: Soulja Boy’s Bad Financial Advice
- In his video called ‘Rich N*gga Sh*t’ (I can’t even write the title, because I don’t want to … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (17)
Dr Boyce: Why Everyone Should Go to College
- The following is an exerpt from the book, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College.” … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (34)
Financial Lovemaking: Tiny, Toya, Weezy and TIP
- OK, was I confused when I found out that Tiny and Toya (TI’s “baby mama” and Lil Wayne’s ex-wife, … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (21)
Dr. Boyce: ‘Jungle Monkey’ Cop Sues City of Boston?
- I did some commentary on CNN last week about Justin Barrett, the cop who referred to Harvard … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (35)
Dr. Boyce: Jasmine Sanders Makes it Big in NYC Radio
- Jasmine Sanders is more than the woman who works down the hallway from Wendy Williams. She is a … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (2)
Dr Boyce Money: Is the NCAA Racist or Just Getting Rich?
- In a letter written to NCAA president Myles Brand, Chairman Bill Thomas of the House Ways and Means … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (17)
Financial Lovemaking: Should You Marry a Professional Athlete?
- Many of us remember the nearly $822,500 gambling debt and subsequent arrest of former NBA star … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (3)
The Intellectual Suicide of the Black American Scholar
If you’ve ever tried to go to college, you’ve interacted with a professor at some point in your life. If you were lucky, you might have run into a black professor. Chances are, you probably never had a black professor in college. Personally, I’d never taken a class from a black professor until I actually became one, since many universities don’t hire black scholars very much. When universities hire black scholars, they enjoy getting rid of them after concluding that they are not as qualified as the white people on the faculty. Like my respected colleague Dr. Cornel West, I’ve had battles on this issue with my own school, Syracuse University, which has a horrible history when it comes to hiring black people who don’t dribble a basketball. Even Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) have this problem. Have you ever counted how many black professors there are in the sciences and business schools of HBCUs? The numbers might surprise you – your kids are not being taught by black professors as much as they might lead you to believe.
What is saddest, however, is not the racism of academia. Even more shocking is the manner by which many intellectuals (black and non-black) are “dumbed down” by the way scholars and professors are trained to think. Rather than exploring the world and engaging in high action scholarship, we are trained like monkeys to sit inside our man-made bubbles within the ivory tower, focusing on miniscule, insignificant problems. Once these problems are solved, we are told to publish the work in academic journals that are read by a very small number of people in our tiny little niche. We become like some Baptist ministers who are so caught up with the collection plate that they no longer care about God – professors are here to share knowledge, and we’ve lost the desire to educate anyone other than ourselves.
Soulja Boy Tellem: Never Take Financial Advice from a Rapper
by Dr Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University
In his video called “Rich N*gga Sh*t” (I can’t even write the title, since I don’t want to pollute the eyes of my readers. Maybe you can fill in the missing letters, like in the TV gameshow “Wheel of Fortune.”), the rapper Soulja Boy has worked overtime to set an all-time record for massive hip hop buffoonery. But he’s only 19-years old, so I am going to give him a pass in hopes that he will choose to wise up at some point.
Showing off his new diamond chain that doubles as a remote control toy Lamborghini, the young brother proceeds to wow his audience by pushing the limits of financial extravagance. I’ve seen rappers with chains shaped like the state of New York or jewels that have their names on them, but I have never seen a chain that doubles as a remote control car. When I saw his latest “achievement,” I truly felt that he’d lost it. I am not here to say that Soulja Boy has not planned for his financial security, I really hope he has. At the same time, I’ve seen a ton of rappers get wads of dough, only to find themselves broke and spending their lives in the studio trying to create their next breakout hit. Let’s be real: the industry is not here to empower the rappers – it is here to enslave them. Soulja Boy’s comments about giving “big ups” to slave masters (for bringing black people to America) should have been saved for the slave masters in the recording industry who control his destiny right now.
Dr Boyce Hosts the Jim Reith Show – Listen!
Click here to listen to Dr Boyce host the Jim Reith Show. It’s explosive!
Dr Boyce Watkins: Going to College Should Not Be an “If”
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University
The following is an exerpt from the book, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College.”
Before I tell you all the great things about college, and all the things that are going to happen before, during and after, we should start with a very basic question: why do you want to go to college anyway? I mean, you could be doing a lot of things: playing in the NBA, bustin rhymes with your boys on stage, acting in Hollywood, or just plain old “kickin it”. More realistically, you could also just jump right out and get a job after high school. There was a time when that wasn’t such a bad thing. My grandmother always tells me stories about the days when a high school diploma went a long way, when a house cost 8 cents, when dogs didn’t bite and you could leave your front door open at night. But a lot of things have definitely changed since then, and a person must adjust to the times.
If you want to increase your chances to getting a good job one day, then getting a solid education under your belt is a great place to start. Once, I asked a friend if she was going to college. I think that she was the kind of person that wanted to make the quick money, rather than spend 4 years investing in her education. In her mind, it was all about making money right away, and college would be a waste of 4 years for her. When I asked her if she was going to go to college, she said “I like money too much to go to college”. I said to her “I like money too much not to go to college!” So the fact is this: you need degrees to get to the cheese! To lay it down in concrete terms, a census bureau survey showed that college graduates earn nearly one million dollars more during their lifetime than people with high school diplomas. What would you do with your extra million?
Sure there are exceptions. I went to college with guys who never graduated and left early for the NBA to make more money than most of us will ever make. However, this is clearly the exception. For every Kobe Bryant or Allen Iverson, there are literally millions of other students who are not quite good enough to make the big money. For every Vivica Fox or Jenifer Aniston, there are a lot of women out there in Hollywood with roaches crawling across the bathroom floor. I am not saying this to stamp out the dreams you may have, it’s a reminder that you should pursue higher education no matter what you decide you want to do. This guarantees that you will have something to fall back on in case your plans don’t turn out quite the way you thought they would.
Black Love: What Tiny and Toya Teach the Rest of America
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University
OK, was I confused when I found out that Tiny and Toya (TI’s “baby mama” and Lil Wayne’s ex-wife, respectively) were being given a reality show on BET? Yeah, I was a little surprised. If only I could find a way to become a high profile baby mama — that seems to be the way to go. With my being a man, I guess that might be difficult to accomplish. All jokes aside, I watched this show with tremendous curiosity, as I think we can all learn from observing the thought patterns of those who live behind the scenes of our favorite celebs. Part of me feels sorry for both of these women, who seem to be desperately fighting their way out of the massive shadows being cast by the powerful men in their lives. Even the daughters of TI and Lil Weezy are trying to get their own reality show. Maybe they too are feeling the weight of their daddies’ collective fame. Why don’t we just give a reality show to the family dog? Now that would be hot!
The Latest: Dr Boyce Watkins and Roland Martin Go at it Again on CNN Headline News
Click here to watch Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University debate Roland Martin on CNN.
Dr Boyce on AOL – 8/4/09
Dr Boyce: Jasmine Sanders Makes it Big in NYC Radio
- Jasmine Sanders is more than the woman who works down the hallway from Wendy Williams. She is a … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (0)
Dr Boyce Money: Is the NCAA Racist or Just Getting Rich?
- In a letter written to NCAA president Myles Brand, Chairman Bill Thomas of the House Ways and … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (3)
Financial Lovemaking: Should You Marry a Professional Athlete?
- Many of us remember the nearly $822,500 gambling debt and subsequent arrest of former NBA star … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (1)
Dr Boyce Money: What Do Black Female Entrepreneurs Go Through?
- It’s not easy to be an entrepreneur, but the rewards are high. Owning your own business can be one … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (1)
Shanelle Walker: One of the Dopest Young Poets in America
- Shanelle Walker is the former student body President at Kentucky State University. She wrote … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (11)
Big Ben vs. Kobe? Does Race Matter in Rape Allegations?
- Okay, for those of you who got angry with me for not taking sides in the case between Henry Louis … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (29)
Dr Boyce, Roland Martin Debate Race on Anderson Cooper 360
- The events which transpired last week before Professor Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (7)
Dr Boyce Money: Why Consumer Confidence Actually Matters
- Beyonce has a song about how she loves men with “big egos.” This might imply that she likes men … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (2)
Terrie Williams on “Black Pain” and Depression
- Have you ever been depressed and afraid to talk to other people about it? Well, it happens to … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (1)
Dr Boyce: How Companies Make Money off Prisoners
- Dr. Byron Price is a black scholar with a mission. His book, ‘Merchandizing Prisoners’ opens the … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (70)
Dr Boyce: 911 Call on Henry Louis Gates Released – Obama’s Having Beer
- This was an interesting week for me, as I’ve been engaging in the impossible task of finding ways … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV Black Spin | Comments (70)
Dr. Boyce Money: NCAA Finally Gets Sued
- I’ve written extensively about the NCAA and what I perceive to be its consistent effort to … Read More
- Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD in BV on Money | Comments (27)
Dr Boyce Watkins and Anderson Cooper Talk Obama – 8/1/09
Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University and Anderson Cooper talk about the Obama Administration.
News: Rick Sanchez Clashes with Dr Boyce Watkins on CNN – 8/1/09
Click here to watch Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University speak with Rick Sanchez of CNN.
News: Rev. Eugene Rivers and Dr. Boyce Watkins on MSNBC
Click here to watch Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University with Pastor Eugene Rivers on MSNBC.
Dr Boyce, Jesse Jackson Talk Sunday Morning
Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University will be on Keep Hope Alive with Jesse Jackson Sunday morning at 8:30 am. For a list of affiliates, please visit www.keephopealiveradio.com.
He will also be on Kiss FM in New York City at 10 am on Sunday. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.
Dr Boyce and Michael Fauntroy on CNN American Morning – 7/29/09
Click here to watch Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University on CNN American Morning with Dr. Michael Fauntroy
Dr Boyce to appear with Montel Williams Thursday – 7/30/09
Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University will appear on the Montel Williams Show on Air America radio Thursday, July 30, 2009. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.
Dr Boyce Speaks Up on Anderson Cooper 360 – 7/27/09
Watch Dr Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University on Anderson Cooper 360 speaking on the problem of racial profiling. Click here to watch!
