Friday, January 15, 2010

Bsi 2,048.34 -4.15 -.2%

Marvin Harrison would probably end up in the week's "Losers" column after the recent GQ article but for two things: he's never been charged and it doesn't look like it'll keep him out of the NFL Hall of Fame. Still, it doesn't look good.

Rut ro, Rarvin...

WINNERS

Ebony Magazine (EBNY) 1.29 +.41 +31.78%

They recently lost their matriarch and we don't know who reads it anymore, but that Ebony's posted their entire archieves online will at least provide future generations with a connection to the once iconic magazine.

LOSERS

Harold Ford (FRDTN) .38 -2.79 -88.01%

If anyone was wondering whether Mr. Ford may be biting off more than he can chew by running for Senate in New York a New York Times interview this week answered that question. Yes.

WTF Harold. WTF.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Bsi 2,052.49 -17.21 -.83%

Earthquakes in Haiti and the death of Teddy Pendergrass send the Index reeling.

One of the greatest slow jams or the greatest slow jam?

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Bsi 2,069.7 +23.71 +1.15%

Black America is changing -- and we have the stats to prove it.

• African Americans are nearly six years younger than all consumers; 47 percent are between 18 and 49 years old, which is considered the top-spending age demo by marketers.

• Black households making $75,000-plus have increased 47 percent in the last five years—1.5 times faster than the general population.

• If current trends continue, by 2015 more than half of all black Americans will live in the suburbs.

All this to illustrate our favorite quote ever about black America today, from author Randall Kenan

"The truth is there are over thirty-six million ways to be black, from the curious guy who raises pigeons on the roof across the street from me, who wears the same jacket 365 days of the year, to the Tennessee mountain minister who teaches Greek and Latin to high school students, to the NBA player from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who loves his mother to death, to the matriarch of an apple orchard in Washington State who hates to see her children go off to school, to the crack addict in some Philadelphia alley, with a hard-on and thirty-seven cents to his name, just wanting to stay up and UP, to the congresswoman, to the cowgirl, to the fisherman to the dogcatcher, to the young lovers, at this very moment, engaged in that ancient act that will undoubtedly bring, nine months hence, yet another brown-skinned girl or brown-skinned boy into this world, into this country, into this city, into this block, into this building, into this room where they shall learn their own uniqueness, and, one fine morning, say softly, I am."

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Bsi 2,045.99 +11.55 +.56%

We weren't the biggest fans of Precious, but that Lee Daniels snagged a Directors Guild nomination -- the first ever for an African-American -- is something to be noted.

BUY

Treme

SELL

Michael Steele

Again. Steele and the GOP have no problem pointing out the mote in Harry Reid's eye while disregarding the beam in their own.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Bsi 2,034.44 -4.73 -.23%

Here's the thing. Harry Reid is right. Way to infight Democrats.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Bsi 2,039.17 -9.25 -.45%

The first week of the new decade sees the New York Times declare Harlem safe for the masses and Glen Beck show his racism -- again.

African-American is a bogus, PC, made-up term. I mean, that's not a race. Your ancestry is from Africa and now you live in America. Ok, so you were brought over -- either your family was brought over through the slave trade or you were born here and your family emigrated here or whatever but that is not a race.

Thanks Glen. Cause Afric-- I mean, blacks aren't allowed to define ourselves.

WINNERS

NAACP Image Awards (N2ACPI) 4.29 +1.21 +28.21%

While we are generally skeptical of any award show that heaps praise and recognition on House of Payne, we have to give the Image Awards some dap for nominating Barry Jenkins' Medicine for Melancholy.

If you haven't seen it yet -- do so now.

LOSERS

Harold Ford (FRDTN) 3.17 -1.11 -25.93%

Too much heat and/or racism in Tennessee leads Harold Ford to give up and look to New York for a senate seat.

The cause of the new carpetbagging?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Bsi 2,048.42 -7.73 -.38%

Sometimes, someone else says it so well that there's nothing for you to add (via gawker).

Tavis Smiley Ends Racism

Declarative PBS host and multimedia phenomenon Tavis Smiley is ending his "State of the Black Union" conference after ten years, because he needs time for other projects like—seriously—publishing R. Kelly's memoirs. Post-racial world, you're a wondrous place!