South Carolina's S.A.T. Scores Plummet! Segregation & Discrimination In Education!

Average S.C. SAT score drops by 7 points

S.C. high school students' SAT scores dropped last year, but their performance on college-level Advanced Placement course exams improved.

That's according to new data released today by the S.C. Department of Education.

The average score of S.C. graduating seniors taking the SAT, a test that gauges college readiness, is 1,436 -- down seven points from the previous year. That compares with the national average score of 1,500 -- down six points.

Broken down by test sections, S.C. seniors scored 482 on the critical reading portion of the test, 490 in math and 464 in writing. The national average in those sections is 497 on reading, 514 on math, and 489 on writing.

State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais cited as a particular concern the state’s lagging scores in critical reading and writing.

“Like the other college admission test ACT, the SAT is not a measure of school effectiveness,” Zais said in a statement. “However, within the student population taking the SAT is another data point confirming a troubling trend: there is a wide reading gap between South Carolina and the nation.

“Addressing the reading gap in elementary school must be our top priority because reading is fundamental to everything else in a student’s education,” said Zais, a Republican elected last November. “If students cannot read, they will not succeed in school. To accomplish this goal, we must transform education from a one-size-fits-all system to one that delivers a personalized and customized education to each student.”

SAT scores for individual high schools and school districts were not made available today by the College Review Board, which oversees the SAT, the state Education Department said.

The state’s high school students fared better on Advanced Placement exams. Through AP courses, and the accompanying exams that demonstrate mastery of the course material, students earn college credit while still in high school. Since 1984, South Carolina has paid for AP instructional materials, paid students’ test fees and offered specialized training for teachers.

Every student enrolled in an AP course is required to take the exam.

The percentage of S.C. students receiving a passing score of 3, 4, or 5 on their AP exam increased by 10.3 percent and a total increase of 32.5 percent over the past five years. A 5 is the top score a student can receive.

“While AP scores are not a good indicator of school performance, the success of these individual students is a worthy accomplishment,” Zais said. “The students, their parents, and their teachers deserve all the credit for these gains.

“By taking advantage of the opportunities AP exams present, students can cut future costs associated with continuing their education,” Zais said. “These courses offer students college-level rigor without the price tag of college tuition.”


View Larger Map

Sources: The State, Youtube, Google Maps

For-Proft College Student Loan Defaults Skyrocket! Scams! Cosmetology Schools Too!

Student Loan Defaults Reach Highest Level In More Than A Decade

Students at for-profit colleges are more than twice as likely to default on federal loans as their peers at public institutions, according to new data released Monday by the Department of Education that also shows the highest percentage of students defaulting on loans in more than a decade.

The overall student loan default rate increased from 7 percent last year to 8.8 percent -- the highest rate since the government released similar data in 1999. An outsized share of that increase came from the for-profit college sector, which had both the highest percentage of defaults and the greatest increase in defaults, compared to public universities and private nonprofit schools.

Defaults at for-profit schools jumped from 11.6 percent to 15 percent this year, as opposed to an increase of 6 percent to 7.2 percent at public institutions and 4 percent to 4.6 percent at private nonprofit schools, raising questions about the degree to which for-profit schools are preparing students for careers that will allow them to pay off debts.

Because the government must track loan repayment over two years, Monday's data represents the first full assessment of students' ability to repay college loans in the Great Recession. And the numbers were bleak: the overall student loan default rate increased at the highest rate in two decades.

"We do think the economy is a big factor in the growth of these student loan default rates," said James Kvaal, a deputy undersecretary of education. "Another trend worth highlighting is the growth in for-profit colleges. Many of those colleges offer excellent, innovative programs, but we do also see disproportionate default rates among students who are enrolled in those programs."

For-profit colleges have been conspicuous beneficiaries of the economic downturn, as many of the publicly traded corporations that own such institutions expanded enrollments rapidly as legions of unemployed Americans looked to college as a way to improve their fortunes.

The high number of student loan defaults at for-profit institutions has prompted heightened government scrutiny in recent years, amid evidence that some schools aggressively market their programs to students but fail to deliver on the promise of careers. For-profit schools typically cost nearly twice as much as public colleges and universities, and students on average graduate with much higher student loan debt.

Because of the high costs, students at for-profit colleges borrow at much higher rates than those who attend public or private nonprofit schools. According to an analysis of federal education data by The Institute for College Access and Success, 92 percent of students at for-profit colleges took out student loans in the 2007-'08 school year, compared to 27 percent of students at public colleges and 60 percent at private nonprofit colleges.

For-profit colleges have also aggressively targeted minority students. Black and Hispanic students make up 28 percent of undergraduate students nationwide, but they represent nearly half of all students in the for-profit college sector.

"When you see 15 percent of borrowers at for-profit colleges are defaulting, its important to remember that almost all students at those colleges are borrowing, so that shows a much more significant problem in that one sector," said Debbie Cochrane, program director at the Institute of College Access and Success.

Nearly half of all student loan defaults measured by the Department of Education could be attributed to students at for-profit colleges, even though students at such schools represent less than 28 percent of all borrowers.

The federal government measures student loan default rates as a way to gauge student success, and to determine whether certain schools should be eligible to receive federal student aid dollars.

Student loan debt is among the most difficult to discharge, persisting beyond even bankruptcy. Borrowers in default on student loans can be subject to wage garnishment as well as deductions from federal income tax refunds, and they are ineligible to receive federal student aid in the future.

"What is really sad about this is that most of these people are done -- this is their last chance, because they have now defaulted," said Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. "That will follow them to their grave. You can default on your house, but you can’t default on a student loan."

The Department of Education data released Monday is a snapshot of students over two years: the government tracked those who began repaying loans between October 2008 and September 2009, and measured whether they defaulted on those loans before October 2010. A loan is considered in default if no payment has been made after 360 days.

In a statement, Brian Moran, the head of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, which represents for-profit colleges, said he was "disappointed" to see the data but noted, "we believe that the default rates will go down when the economy improves and the unemployment rate drops."

"Despite today's disappointing news, we should remain focused on the overarching missions, which is to help individuals rise as high as their talent, ability and ambition will take them," Moran’s statement read.

Under current regulations, schools that have student loan default rates in excess of 25 percent for three consecutive years can face sanctions or lose access to federal student lending programs. Five schools were subject to sanctions this year, four of which were for-profit schools.

Beginning in 2014, the Department of Education will start to analyze student loan default rates over three years, as opposed to the current two-year window. Data from the Department of Education shows that many more students default in the third year after entering loan repayment. And some schools have actively managed their default rates by putting students into loan deferment or forbearance plans that prevent defaulting within the two-year window, but do little beyond that timeframe.

"That’s a good thing if that helps those students manage their student loan responsibilities, but in some cases it may serve just to delay the default and increase the amount of the loan," said Kvaal, the deputy undersecretary of education.


View Larger Map

Sources: ABC News, Huffington Post, Youtube, Google Maps

Educational Discrimination Still A Problem In The South! Federal Funds & Segregation

A Century Of Racial Segregation In Education 1849-1950

After the Abolition of slavery in the United States, three Constitutional amendments were passed to grant newly freed African Americans legal status: the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, the Fourteenth provided citizenship, and the Fifteenth guaranteed the right to vote. In spite of these amendments and civil rights acts to enforce the amendments, between 1873 and 1883 the Supreme Court handed down a series of decisions that virtually nullified the work of Congress during Reconstruction.


Regarded by many as second-class citizens, blacks were separated from whites by law and by private action in transportation, public accommodations, recreational facilities, prisons, armed forces, and schools in both Northern and Southern states. In 1896 the Supreme Court sanctioned legal separation of the races by its ruling in H.A. Plessy v. J.H. Ferguson, which held that separate but equal facilities did not violate the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment.

Beginning in 1909, a small group of activists organized and founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). They waged a long struggle to eliminate racial discrimination and segregation from American life. By the middle of the twentieth century their focus was on legal challenges to public-school segregation. Two major victories before the Supreme Court in 1950 led the NAACP toward a direct assault on Plessy and the so-called "separate-but-equal" doctrine.



Imprisoned for Teaching Free Blacks

The prohibition of education for African Americans had deep roots in American history. According to the 1847 Virginia Criminal Code: "Any white person who shall assemble with slaves, [or] free negroes . . . for the purpose of instructing them to read or write, . . .shall be punished by confinement in the jail . . . and by fine .

. ." Under this code, Margaret Douglass, of Norfolk, Virginia, a former slaveholder, was arrested, imprisoned, and fined when authorities discovered that she was teaching "free colored children" of the Christ's Church Sunday school to read and write. In her defense, Mrs. Douglass noted that she was not an abolitionist, and did not engage in undermining the institutions of the South.

Upholding School Segregation: The Roberts Case

Five-year-old Sara Roberts was forced to walk past several white schools to reach the "colored" primary school. Her father, Benjamin Roberts, a black printer, filed a lawsuit against the city of Boston to integrate public schools.

In 1849 reformer and future U.S. Senator Charles Sumner represented Roberts and challenged school segregation in the Boston court. Separate schools for African Americans, he argued, in effect branded "a whole race with the stigma of inferiority and degradation." The Massachusetts Supreme Court, however, upheld segregation in a widely cited ruling. Influential Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw noted that Boston's separate schools possessed substantially equal facilities and declared that school integration would only increase racial prejudice.

The Fourteenth Amendment

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed the Federal Government to protect the civil rights of individuals, including African Americans, against state encroachment, was ratified in 1868.

The amendment also defined national citizenship and extended it to former slaves freed by the Civil War. This 1866 letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase is from Associate Justice Stephen J. Field, whose judicial opinions would significantly influence subsequent interpretations of the amendment. Field termed the amendment, which had recently been passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification, "just what we need" and said it showed that "the American people do not intend to give up all that they have gained by the war."

Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896

By the time Homer A. Plessy, an octoroon (one-eighth Negro blood), who lived in New Orleans, challenged that city's right to segregate public transportation by riding in a Whites Only rail car, the constitutional amendments, passed after the Civil War and written to provide protections and rights for Negro citizens, had been eroded. The Louisiana state courts ruled against Plessy, and his subsequent appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court was denied in 1896. The impact of Plessy was to relegate blacks to second-class citizenship. They were separated from whites by law and by private action in transportation, public accommodations, recreational facilities, churches, cemeteries and school in both Northern and Southern states.

The National Negro Committee, 1909

In 1908 socialist William English Walling published an exposé about a bloody race riot in Springfield, Illinois. As a result, in January 1909, an interracial group assembled in his apartment to discuss proposals for an organization that would advocate the civil and political rights of African Americans. The group decided to issue a "call" for a national conference on the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, February 12, 1909. As a result of the "call," the National Negro Conference was held in New York on May 31 and June 1, 1909.

At the second annual meeting, May 12, 1910, the Committee adopted the formal name of the organization--the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Among the "first and immediate steps" listed at the bottom of this founding document is "That there be equal educational opportunities for all and in all the States, and that public school expenditure be the same for Negro and white child."

The Pink Franklin Case

The NAACP undertook its first major legal case in 1910 by defending Pink Franklin, a black South Carolina sharecropper accused of murder. When Franklin left his employer after receiving an advance on his wages, a warrant was sworn for his arrest under an invalid state law. Armed policemen arrived at Franklin's cabin before dawn to serve the warrant without stating their purpose and a gun battle ensued, killing one officer. Franklin was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. The NAACP interceded, and Franklin's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Eventually, he was set free in 1919. In this letter to Mary White Ovington, Albert Pillsbury, an attorney and NAACP supporter, recommends the appeal to South Carolina Governor Martin F. Ansel.

Buchanan v. Warley

The NAACP sought out cases that infringed on the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments in order to set legal precedents and ultimately secure the constitutional rights of African Americans. An early victory was Buchanan v. Warley, a case involving residential segregation in Louisville, Kentucky. Moorfield Storey, the NAACP's first president and a constitutional attorney, argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court in April 1917. The Court reversed the decision of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, ruling that the Louisville ordinance violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

As a result of the ruling, whites resorted to private restrictive covenants, in which property owners agreed to sell or rent to whites only. The Supreme Court declared this practice unconstitutional in Shelley v. Kraemer (1948). Buchanan v. Warley was cited in the Brown decision to challenge the legality of segregated public schools.


View Larger Map

Sources: Library Of Congress, Youtube, Google Maps

Kojo Nantambu Challenges Charlotte's Scared Black "Leaders" On Racism & Willie Lynch Syndrome!

Kojo Nantambu, Prez. Of Charlotte's NAACP Chapter Used To Be A Scared Figurehead Just Like Charlotte's Other Scared Black Leaders. (Charlotte, NC Is A Very Racist City Despite Having A Black Mayor.) Well Thank God Kojo Has Finally Awakened From The Coma He Was In & Now He's Speaking Up! He's Protesting, Writing Letters, Filing Civil Rights Lawsuits & Challenging Other Black Leaders To Join Him In The Struggle. YEAH!! Its About Time!! He Has My Support.


Letter From Charlotte's NAACP Prez. Kojo Nantambu Lashes Out At Some Blacks


Local NAACP President Kojo Nantambu has written a strongly worded letter criticizing members of the black community.

In the letter published Monday by Observer news partner Qcitymetro.com, Nantambu charges that some in the African-American community are diminishing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s crusade and losing sight of the injustices against minorities in education and housing.

Nantambu came under fire last month after protests he led over Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' decision to hold a snow makeup day on the MLK holiday. Nantambu called Charlotte "a racist bastion" and called for a drive to keep the CIAA basketball tournament and other events from coming to Charlotte.

In his letter titled "Letter from off the plantation," Nantambu cites King and the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., to counter his critics and to question the community's priorities.

"The only thing the Negroes in this community are concerned about is one week of fun and games and mammon and Massa," he wrote, referring to the weeklong CIAA basketball tournament. "Please let us not forget the four little girls blown up in the church; that's shared sacrifice nothing comparable to what we've asked of you, here in Charlotte..."

In a second letter sent to media outlets Tuesday providing more context, Nantambu cites disparities in the lack of government contracts given to minority contractors, the widening achievement gap for students, and the lack of affordable housing for minorities as evidence of Charlotte's problems.

Reaction from community members has ranged from criticism that Nantambu is out of touch to applause for raising issues so many are afraid to speak to. Some leaders, however, are concerned that the valid points Nantambu is trying to make are getting lost in his rhetoric.

"The whole demeanor of the piece is 'I get it. You don't. And let me tell you what it is you don't get,'" said Democratic state Rep. Kelly Alexander Jr., a former state and local NAACP president.

Alexander said Nantambu raises real concerns about the achievement gap and the lack of affordable housing for minorities. But he said some people might feel insulted by the style of Nantambu's letter and could resent how they're being spoken to. If that happens, he said, they'll simply ignore the message.

Alexander, however, said it's healthy to hear from people like Nantambu, whose views represent a segment of the community.

"Whether you like it or not, it contributes to the discussion of the dialogue. And I think ultimately it's a good thing."

The Africana Studies department at UNC Charlotte plans a roundtable forum on April 14 to discuss the issues Nantambu raised. Department chair Akin Ogundiran said he hears frustration in Nantambu's message and may feel that people don't understand his goals. But he sees Nantambu's style of "admonishing the people" as counterproductive.

"You can't attack the community you lead," he said. "You cannot say that you just don't get it. There is something wrong with that kind of leadership."

Colette Forrest, a former NAACP board member, said she doesn't want to read the letter. She's heard excerpts and feels the language will only hurt the community.

"We don't need any more divisions because basically black folks, white folks, we all need jobs," she said. "All this racial rhetoric, conquer and divide, is not solving these problems. We need economic vitality."

Reached at Green Oak Missionary Baptist Church, where he is the pastor, Nantambu said he realizes some people are not going to like his words.

"I just want people to pay attention to what's going on in Charlotte," he said. "I've always been taught that you will be persecuted for righteousness... You'll never get people to change if you don't address them honestly and forthrightly."




First Letter From Kojo Nantambu


Letter from off the plantation

(21st century letter from the Birmingham Jail)

In the past two weeks there has been an enormous amount of clamor, incrimination and condemnation by members of the community who were angry about the decision to protest the racism bigotry and hypocrisy evident throughout Charlotte. Even more atrocious is the disservice to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. illustrated by the myopic revisionist plantation ravings about Dr. King as to who he was and what he would do.

The sad part about it is many of you really don’t know anything about Dr. King and his righteous crusade to end racial injustice and discrimination to end segregation and separation of the masses for such reason as race, religion, color or creed. All you know is what "Massa" promotes and what "Masssa" prefers. King was a very bold courageous and God filled man, determined to fight the evil of racism in this country. Those of you espousing all of this sad and erroneous commentary about Dr. King have not a clue to the infinite dimensions of the man.

Though, relative to this incident I've never uttered the word boycott which was a(sensational fabrication) by the media and it is unbelievable how ignorant you are about Dr. King's beginnings.

The first official act by Dr. King and his supporters, that hurled him into world history was the "Montgomery Bus Boycott" yes "Boycott" get it boycott. Dr. King wasn't trying to make friends or please Massa he was trying to show the economic strength and effectiveness of African-American minorities when they come together in unity, remember Psalm 133. He was trying to demonstrate that we all must share in the sacrifice of self to receive the reward of freedom for the many".

The "Montgomery Bus Boycott” (remember boycott) lasted a year not a week, a year. People lost their jobs their homes there cars. They lost white friends and black friends some lost their lives but they won the battle. They weren't concerned about the loss of a week of fun and games and mammon or Massa unlike some contemporary Negroes, the people of Montgomery were concerned about justice.

Some of our community; Negroes included have lied and said that Dr. King would not want our children to stay out of school for any reason because he loved education. Yes you are right Dr. King was definitely for education but he was against racist, separate, segregated so-called "neighborhood school" education. Do any of you remember Birmingham, Alabama, the children walked out of schools for days went to jail by the hundreds for weeks (missing school) and enjoyed going to jail so much so often they over filled the jails. And as soon as they got out they went right back to marching and going back to jail saying "I'm going to jail for my freedom." They understood the need for personal and group sacrifice not like some of these Negro elected officials and modern Massa's.

Martin was there, he knew what was going on. Did you know some of those children not only missed school but were beaten by police, bitten by dogs, had their clothes torn off by fire hoses under full pressure as they were tossed into brick walls on sidewalks rolled up and down asphalt streets. And the only thing the Negroes in this community are concerned about is one week of fun and games and mammon and Massa. Please let us not forget the four little girls blown up in the church; that's shared sacrifice nothing comparable to what we've asked of you, here in Charlotte, write a letter!

Not only was Dr. King in Birmingham he was on the frontline in all his marches, boycotts, pickets, protest and anything he did. Martin Luther King had guts he didn't hide behind his title of scurry off like a little rat like a lot of his contemporaries and modern preachers or so-called Negro Leaders who wouldn't stand up to a "junebug" not to mention this racist city. Dr. King stood up to George Wallace, Lester Maddox, Bull Connors and many others because he wasn't afraid of controversy he said "The measure of a man is not where he stands during the time of comfort and convenience but where he stands during conflict and confusion."

Do not any of you realize or recall that Dr. King faced death everyday. Everyday he lived he stood up in a time where black men were killed for speaking out are speaking up. He not only spoke out he stood up and stood out. During the era in which Dr. King began his involvement Black men were killed for even looking at white women, remember Emmett Till or the Scottsborough Boys. Dr. King understood and lived the Word of God that said give your body as a willing sacrifice holy unto God and he did that, willingly and knowingly twenty four seven. Don't you remember the call at midnight they said to him in substance 'Nigggaahh we're tired of your mess now, if you're not out-of-town in three days we gonna blow your brains out and we gonna blow up your house." He did not try to run he did not try to hide, he didn't back down.

No, he was emboldened he said "I've seen the lightening flash, I've heard the thunder roll, I've felt sin breakers dashing against my soul but I heard the voice of Jesus saying "Martin Luther King Jr. stand up for truth, stand up for justice, stand up for righteousness and low I will be with you even until the end of the world"! Not only did Dr. King here it and say it,he lived it. I know most of you Negro readers don't remember it probably never heard it and Massa doesn’t want you to know it. Dr. King lived in fear constantly, being faced with the possibility of his own death daily and here we are today worried, mad, sick. not about the loss of life or liberty but worried about a week of fun and games, mammon and Massa.

It is obvious the only thing this country and the daily media want you to remember is his dream. But if you decide to live in his dream that means as is evident by the way some of you act - you're still asleep or even worse, dead. Because his dream has not come true yet; We have more poverty than ever, the schools in Charlotte are just as segregated as they were 40 years ago, banks still won't give minority businesses any help, they won't modify mortgages for low / middle income families and there is still enormous gaps in housing with disgusting pockets of poverty and excessive pockets of affluence no add mixture of mixed and affordable housing hardly anywhere recognizable, Jerry Orr still wants to get rid of 144 minority cabbies, for one white cabbie. That's not promoting small-business. Though we have had many successes, the current state of Charlotte, the state and nation is upsetting.

Congress threatening to challenge the 14th amendment, most of the 'Civil rights Bills"; the General Assembly threatening to use voter ID, challenge the voting rights bill and health care, makes the "Dream" sound more like we're living in a continuous relooping "Nightmare"

So people need to hone in on the first 16 lines of that speech Dr. King wasn't dreaming, he was dealing with reality the reality of the awful, abhorring, depressing and godless conditions in which we were living. Exposing this supposed land of freedom, justice and equality as one big diabolical contradiction.

Please make sure you study his discourse or speech on the Vietnam War. Many told him that the speech would be his death knell. But he was not worried are deterred. Remember he said “If a man has not found something he is willing to die for, he is not fit to live!” So I would guess many of you in Charlotte are willing to die for a basketball game, but are not as zealously inclined to fight for your children, who are being permanently, emotionally and academically scarred as they suffer in this racist school system!

During his long 13 year journey, Dr. King lost many friends, acquaintances and allies but he understood it was a small price to pay when looking at the bigger picture. He gave the Vietnam war speech on April 4, 1967 at the Riverside Church in New York, lambasting the heresy, hypocrisy, racism and bigotry of America for the Vietnam War delineating all the money wasted in that war when the money could have been better used for schools and education, we had growing expanding ghettos, and a rapidly growing underclass, sounds familiar.

After King's speech Pres. Lyndon Johnson who had become a good friend who signed the civil rights bill, the voting rights act and other such legislation, never spoke to Dr. King again. King was killed on Thursday evening, April 4, 1968 exactly one year after the Vietnam speech, quite interesting.

Dr. King was truly a man's man he didn't talk about putting on the armor of God then hide behind the pulpit. He put on the armor of God and went to war.

It's so sad that we have forgotten how great Dr. King really was and all he really is spiritually. He has been reduced to a very ineffective monolithic sound bite, year after year after year. The masses really not caring to explore the real man which has left us with some glaring realities that the tactics and teaching of Mr. Willie Lynch are alive and well and Mr. Lynch is probably dancing in hell, rejoicing in the fact that after 300 years, his plan is working perfectly and that many of Charlotte’s Negroes are the manifest personification of the Willie Lynch Proto type.

In the last three weeks I've come to realize some of our Negroes have earned their PhD in the WILLIE LYNCH SYNDROME. Thank God, King was more than talk more than show.

He lived what he said. Most of you keep running off at the mouth like you new the man. You heard his word, you saw all his deeds but you still failed to capture his essence, his heart. I don’t have his demeanor nor do I have his tact but I do have his courage and heart and understand the ”moral and spiritual constitution” that drove the man, not politrics. Thank you and To God be the Glory. Na'Maste'

Reverend Brother Kojo Nantambu



Second Letter From Nantambu


Open Letter to the Elected Officials of Charlotte


Of course this letter is to the members of the NAACP as well as the greater Charlotte community. First, we would like to say thank you to the many parents, students, and other individuals who joined with us for the MLK Day March and visits to the Levine Museum and the Harvey Gantt Center.

And to the many leaders of Charlotte let me say, we respect every opinion given regarding the NAACP’s decision to put Charlotte in the National spotlight. Our call was a call for a letter writing campaign not a boycott, a call to various groups such as CIAA, NCAA, PGA, to reveal the consistent growing racial disparities in our schools, our neighborhoods, against small businesses, against our parents, but most importantly against our children.

In the last ten (10) years, several research studies have shown the many disparities within this community:

We wanted to bring attention to the deplorable disparity of jobs through government contracts for our minority contractors. We are about 30% of this community yet we get less than 1% of all contracts, this is unacceptable. Many contractors in Charlotte have had to go out of business because of this fact and a lot of large construction companies are very crafty in getting around the utilization of minority contractors.

We need to highlight Jerry Orr’s attempt (Charlotte Douglass Airport) through City Council to put 144 small businesses out of business. Mr. Orr wants to replace 144 independent minority cab drivers with one major white cab company called Yellow Cab (I’m sure you’ve heard of it). He wants to make these men go to work for Yellow Cab, that’s tantamount to making them share croppers or tenant farmers and they will never get anywhere financially, probably die owing Yellow Cab for the cabs they already own.

Our members and citizens should be aware of the reports done by Crossroads Charlotte whose research about the relations in this city showing Charlotte headed toward four possible outcomes as a community, the one they fear most seems as though it is the one that it is rapidly becoming (Fortress Charlotte). Think about it!

The University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights, headed by Attorney Julius Chambers, did a study on education and housing in Charlotte and completed the study in 2005. The study clearly showed the Board of Education that the direction it was going and the policies it was making were actually widening the achievement gap creating despair and disenchantment with minority students, forcing a higher failure rate. The report warns CMS that the continuation on this course would destroy communities and get progressively worse. The report proposed alternatives but CMS has refused to use any of them. Once you read the report you realize that the CMS Board seems to be doing everything the EXACT opposite of what was recommended. During this same period Judge Manning, a white republican judge stated that what’s happening in the Charlotte school system is nothing but “Academic Genocide.” What do you think?

In October of 2010, Johnson C. Smith University’s School of Business released a report that graphically illustrates “Though Charlotte maybe the second largest financial center in this country, minority businesses here (Black and/or Hispanic) get less help from the financial industry than in any other city in America. No help jump starting minority businesses, not enough if any joint, corporate/community training programs, no special small business seed programs. And let’s not forget minority home owners in Charlotte are getting little to No Help on restructuring their mortgages. We should remember how Bob Johnson, a very wealthy American and former owner of the Charlotte Bobcats expressed in an exit interview his disappointment with Charlotte and it’s resistance to work with young black entrepreneurs. He found it just as hard to do business here for himself.

First Century Foundation has completed a study in Montgomery County, MD that shows that diversity in housing and socio/economic diversity in the schools has shown to unequivocally increase academic performance of minorities and is closing the gap by 2, 3 and in some cases 8 points a year. The study also shows that neighborhoods and the people in those communities get along much better with much more harmony than before. Over 100 school districts across the nation have adopted this model. CMS refuses to accept the report, and the Charlotte City Council seems reluctant to or is too inept to enforce a mandate for mixed and affordable housing anywhere.

An impact study done by the Charlotte Housing Authority and additional study by members of the Northwest Corridor shows a great disparity in mixed and affordable housing in the city. There is a need for at least fourteen thousand (14,000) more units of mixed/affordable housing throughout the city. Less than 35% of possible affordable housing even exists in the NW corridor though space is available. The study shows the continued devaluation of property in the corridor which effects schools, businesses, and neighborhoods but plans for upgrading the corridor seems to be slow in coming. There is no Lynx and now due to the economic downturn maybe no trolley.

Some say “Charlotte can not be a bastion of racism, look at all the African Americans that are elected officials.” I say “We have a black president now and I have seen more racism and hatred in America, in the streets and in Congress than anytime over the last 40 years and Charlotte’s no exception.”

These are the reasons for our protest, not to mention the total resegregation of our schools, putting all of the predominantly black schools in a special separate zone by themselves and the closing of the ten schools in the Black or minority community.

These are the reasons for our reasonable and rational discontent and we are determined to do more, to bring national attention to this city and the glooming racial disparities that exist here. Everything we’ve mentioned is a glowing sign of injustice to the minority and poor in this city. Injustice, discrimination, and racial hatred are the fundamental causes for which all NAACP battles have been fought for over 102 years. And we won’t stop now, “Forward Ever, Backward Never, On ward Forever.”

Reverend Brother Kojo Nantambu


View Larger Map


Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Qcity Metro, WCNC, Google Maps

Elaine Marshall Represents North Carolina's Status Quo Politics

On June 22, 2010 a state run-off election between N.C. Democratic Party Rivals Cal Cunningham and Elaine Marshall will take place.

Both candidates are running for U.S. Senate in hopes of defeating current seat holder Richard Burr (R).

Following the May Primary Elaine Marshall a Career Politician (N.C. Secretary of State), tried to stake her claim in this race by professing to be a person "with guts" who really cares about North Carolina voters.

I won't dispute she actually cares about North Carolina voters, my only concern is which N.C. residents is she referring to?

North Carolina's White citizens or ALL citizens because thus far she hasn't really done a darn thing for North Carolina's Black residents since her time in public office.

Just because well-known African-American N.C. Attorney Kenneth Lewis (sell-out) endorsed Marshall, doesn't mean she is the right fit for North Carolina.

In fact since Lewis did endorse Marshall I'd be a little wary of supporting her because he most likely did so as the result of a back room deal to benefit himself.

This also applies for other Black North Carolina "Elite" sell-out leaders supporting Elaine Marshall.

Unless North Carolina's Black so-called "Leaders" can publicly prove Marshall has an established public service record of helping North Carolina's Black community, they too deserve to be voted out of office!

Here's a bit of advice and something to consider before June 22 arrives:

If I had to bet my money on which N.C. Democratic Party candidate campaigning for U.S. Senate represents North Carolina Democrats' Status Quo most, it would be Elaine Marshall NOT Cal Cunningham.

Elaine has close ties (guilt by association) to former N.C. Governor Mike Easley and current Governor Bev Perdue. Cal Cunningham does NOT.

Elaine is trying too hard to distance herself from President Barack Obama, also a Democrat.

Let's see Elaine Marshall can't prove she's EVER done anything much to help North Carolina's Black citizens yet she's constantly berating President Obama a Black man.

Hmmm, I'd say something is definitely wrong with this picture.

Does she oppose Obama's policies or his race?

Now I could be wrong but usually if it smells like Racism and looks like Racism, its probably Racism!

Elaine also tried to dissuade Cal Cunningham from proceeding with the Run-Off Election.

Is it because she's afraid?

Afraid of what?

Afraid of Cal exposing her Status Quo nature and her Status Quo N.C. Public Service record.

People its time we woke up in the Tarheel state and stop allowing N.C. Democrats, especially Career Politicians railroad us.

As I stated previously I plan to cast my ballot for Richard Burr in the General Election this Fall, however during the Run-Off I'm voting for Cal Cunningham.

Why?

I'm tired of North Carolina's Status Quo Politicians ruining the Quality of Life for ALL North Carolina residents, especially Black residents.

Blacks in this state will be better off if either Richard Burr or Cal Cunningham wins.

But we will most certainly regret it if Elaine Marshall wins.

Perhaps this explains why North Carolina Newspapers (Newsobserver & the Charlotte Observer) wants Marshall to be victorious.

The Editors of both publications appear to be on a laser-focused mission to help keep Black citizens in Slave-like conditions in these areas: Affordable Housing, Education, the Criminal Justice system, Taxation, Jobs, Health Care, Notary Public Licenses, Voting Rights, etc.,

Elaine Marshall would be just the individual to continue carrying out North Carolina's historically Racist/Slavery agenda.

Check out the videos and articles below to learn why North Carolina citizens need to vote responsibly this year versus listening to the local biased media.

Hasn't North Carolina seen enough Corruption and Discrimination?

LET'S KEEP STATUS QUO POLITICIANS OUT OF PUBLIC OFFICE.








N.C. Democratic Candidates Gear Up for U.S. Senate Run-Off


North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and former state Sen. Cal Cunningham were gearing up Wednesday for a runoff election to decide who will challenge Republican Richard Burr this fall for his seat in the U.S. Senate.

In Tuesday's Democratic primary, neither candidate drew the 40 percent of votes necessary to avoid a runoff. Marshall led the six-candidate field with 36 percent, while Cunningham came in second with 27 percent.

"The momentum belongs to us, and we're going to capitalize on it," Marshall said Wednesday. "I'll put my energy up against his any day of the week."

"We feel very good about where we are in this campaign," Cunningham said. "The closer we got to election day, more people were responding to our message about jobs and the economy."

The two candidates have 49 more days to campaign before the runoff election on June 22.

Cunningham was quickly back on the campaign trail Wednesday, speaking to small-business owners about how he could help them in Washington, D.C.

"Main Street, North Carolina, needs an advocate in Washington, a U.S. senator who stands on their side," he said.

Marshall maintains that a runoff is unnecessary and potentially divisive, but Cunningham said that it simply gives the candidates more time to make their case to voters.

"This runoff is not necessarily in the best interests of party unity. It's not necessarily in the best interests of the future of North Carolina," Marshall said. "It's time that people put their personal ambitions aside and looked at those issues also."

"Between President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, we went long in those (2008) primaries. That was good for our party," Cunningham said. "This is going to give us an opportunity to continue to build on the coalition we've already put together."

Durham lawyer Ken Lewis, who finished third in the primary with 17 percent of the votes, said he has no immediate plans to endorse either Marshall or Cunningham.

Republicans will have two runoffs in congressional races. William Randall and Bernie Reeves will vie for the nomination in the 13th Congressional District, where the winner will face Congressman Brad Miller, and Tim D'Annunzio and Harold Johnson will compete for the right to face 8th District Congressman Larry Kissell.
Poll favors Marshall

Marshall has run a grassroots campaign on a shoestring budget based largely on her 14 years experience in state government, while Cunningham was hand-picked by the national Democratic Party to go up against Burr and has enjoyed steady funding from the party.

"The primary results show I've got the grit, the energy and the connection to the public to win a race against someone they've anointed," Marshall said.

Left-leaning Public Policy Polling said Tuesday night that Marshall begins as the favorite in the runoff. Voters surveyed in a pre-election poll favored Marshall 43 to 32 percent over Cunningham.

PPP's analysis says that Cunningham will have to "significantly improve his appeal to black voters." Slightly more than half of the supporters of former candidates Ken Lewis and Marcus Williams, who are black, indicated that they would support Marshall in a runoff, according to the PPP poll.

Cunningham said he overcame a large deficit in the polls to pull within single digits of Marshall.

"We came from a 37-point deficit to put this into a runoff," he said. "We like where we are, and we're confident of success on June 22."

Both candidates pledged to stay focused on the issues and their Republican opponent, rather than personal attacks, in the campaigning to come.

"We continue to take on Richard Burr, hold him accountable for the bad decisions he's made in Washington. We continue to highlight the voices of North Carolinians who are struggling through this difficult time to make ends meet," Cunningham said. "That's our strategy, and we're going to continue to execute it."

"The strategy's going to be to work harder, work longer, work smarter," Marshall said, "keeping talking about the needs of North Carolina and the long-range future of this state and this country."

Burr, who won his primary with 80 percent of the vote, said he would leave it up to North Carolina voters to judge the job he has done in the past six years. He said he has tried to be a rational, conservative voice in the Senate.

"I've got the same frustrations with the direction of the country, but I also want to be part of the solution and change the direction that we go and, more importantly, bring the brakes to this outrageous spending going on," he said.

Burr on Wednesday committed to debate the eventual Democratic nominee in June and again in October, and he challenged the runoff winner to take part in two more debates before the November general election.

Marshall said that her decades of service in state government best qualify her to represent North Carolina, while Cunningham pointed to his military service and attitude.

"Clearly, I have experience. I have experience in taking on Wall Street, special interests," Marshall said. "That gives me a proven track record."

"I'd be the first Iraq war veteran elected to the United States Senate," Cunningham said. "But I also bring an energy, a commitment and an optimism about the future of our state that is what this state needs to make sure its voice is being heard in these debates in Washington."




50 Examples Of North Carolina Democrats' Corruption & Discrimination (Shameful!)



Here's 50 examples of North Carolina Democrats' Extreme Corruption and Discrimination.

This is shameful considering the fact that so many of North Carolina Democrats are African-Americans.

Isn't it time we wake up people?

Seems New York isn't the only state with serious Corruption problems, North Carolina has its share too. Its also quite possible Obama's Administration has ordered the Mainstream Media NOT to report this stuff probably as a result of some sort of deal he made with either Gov. Bev Perdue or Senator Kay Hagan.


1) Crooked Campaign Finance deals, possible stolen Elections (ACORN helped NC in 2008), Unnecessary Gerrymandered Districts (12th), pushing or forcing Straight Ticket Voting from Minority Low Income citizens who are treated the worse in North Carolina (Democrats),

2) Unnecessary Early releases from Federal Prison (Jim Black),

3) Not spending NC Education Lottery money on Education,

4) Extreme Racial Discrimination within the NC Job Market, Criminal Justice System and Education System,

5) Very Strong Allegations of Insider Trading by NC Senators,

6) Crooked Health Care deals with NC Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS raised its rates again this year),

7) Not reporting Campaign Flights to the State Board of Elections,

8) NC Politicians involved in Serious Conflict of Interest as it relates to Employment and Lobbying,

9) No-Bid Medicaid Contracts to Corrupt companies whose products may cause Deaths for Low Income, Senior Citizen Diabetes patients,

10) Spending Federal Stimulus Money on Political Favor projects (Cocaine research on Monkeys) instead of Real Jobs,

11) Re-Segregating Public Schools (Civil Rights Violation),

12) Huge Achievement Gaps & Disparities in Education between White and Minority Students (Civil Rights Violations),

13) Using Black Foster Care children to secure more Federal Revenue but not using the funding on those children,

14) DSS Funding Embezzlement by NC DSS employees (more than $100,000.),

15) Food Stamp Fraud by Charlotte DSS employees,

16) ABC Board bribes,

17) Serious Alcohol Law Violations,

18) Serious Misuse of Authority,

19) Illegally Firing Qualified, High Performing Teachers from Low Income Schools to save jobs for Teachers in Wealthy White Schools,

20) Medicaid Fraud by State Officials ($300 Million intentional Overbilling from NC Doctors & Hospitals),

21) DMV employees conducting Illegal Wiretapping and selling Driver Licenses,

22) Appointing Federal Judgeships in exchange for other favors,

23) Sheriff Deputies scrubbing Criminal Records for Sexual Favors,

24) Continuing to hire outside Contractors (Chicago based)even after Gov. Perdue promised to give NC Contractors first priority,

25) Creating Jobs for Politicians' spouses during Hiring Freezes after the vacancy is advertised for just one day,

26) Only collecting Taxes from the Middle Class & Low Income citizens, while allowing North Carolina's Wealthy White citizens and Businesses to forgo paying their taxes,

27) Only raising property taxes in NC Communities heavily populated by Black and Hispanic citizens,

28) Allowing Violent Federal Ex-Convicts on Probation to adopt Black Foster Care Children, (Royce Mitchell & Tiffany Wright)

29) Trying to cover up deaths of Black Foster Care Children in order to save jobs of Black NC DSS Fraternity/ Sorority friends of NC Politicians,

30) Firing White DSS Social Workers to save jobs of Black Social Workers who are friends of NC Politicians, (Reverse Discrimination is still illegal)

31) Not awarding NC State Contracts to Minorities,

32) Continuing to award State Contracts to Contractors with records of Shoddy Products, Terrible Service and many Consumer complaints,

33) Luring Companies to North Carolina by promising them they can pay employees very low salaries and don't have to pay Taxes,

34) Cooking the numbers of North Carolina's Public School Drop Out rates especially among Minority Students who are currently receiving an Inferior Education,

35) Securing millions in Federal money for Homelessness Prevention but using it for other purposes and letting Homeless citizens freeze to death on the streets,

36) North Carolina Law Enforcement Officials refusing to provide the same protection for Minority citizens (Greensboro, N.C. A & T Students) as they do for White citizens and not sending out Amber Alerts for missing Black Children right away versus immediate responses for missing White Children,

37) Refusing to collect Child Support for Black Children (Charlotte) while doing so wonderfully for White Children,

38) Using Credit History as an excuse NOT to hire Black Job Applicants but doing the exact opposite for White Job Applicants,

39) Allowing serious Housing Discrimination to take place and dismissing numerous Complaints about Violations from Minority citizens on this issue,

40) Allowing Developers to build Shoddy homes for Minority citizens & Minority Homebuyers (Charlotte),

41) Intentionally sending raggedy City Buses into Minority communities but sending out nice, well-maintained buses to White communities while ALL riders pay the same fares (Charlotte). In Black communities the buses are often late or fail to even arrive thus hindering many Low Income people from getting to work on time.

Also securing Federal DOT & Mass Public Transportation Funding but only investing it in North Carolina's Wealthy White or Pre-Dominantly White communities,

42) Allowing North Carolina City Councils to make risky investments in the Stock Market using Taxpayer money,

43) Using Federal Neighborhood Revitalization Funds only in NC's White Communities and intentionally leaving Black Communities out of City Planning (except for West Charlotte where many Low Income Straight Ticket Voters live),

44) Terrible Age Discrimination used in NC Hiring & Firing Practices,

45) Giving Black Youth Life Sentences for committing Non-Homicidal, Non-Drug Related offenses while giving White Offenders much less jail sentences for committing worse crimes,

46) North Carolina Media organizations refusing to publish and report FACTS instead citizens keep getting Partisan Propaganda from the state's Corrupt Democrat party,

47) Allowing Bank of America to Foreclose on thousands of homes owned by Minority citizens. How? BOFA officials intentionally ignore or lose Loan Modification Applications,

48) Giving North Carolina's Black Colleges much less money than pre-dominantly White student populated Colleges & providing Financial Aid to fewer Black College Students than White College Students,

49) Refusing to provide Mental Health Counseling for Low Income Minority citizens. I'm NOT speaking of locking up people. Instead I'm referring to providing Mental Health Counseling to stop Child Abuse, Drug addictions, Alcoholism, etc.,

In North Carolina White citizens often receive State-Funded Mental Health Counseling, while Black citizens are sentenced to Prison.

50) Encouraging Low Income Women to have Abortions or to have more babies out of wedlock, in order to help secure more Federal Funding from the U.S. Dept of HHS.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As you can see North Carolina Politicians within the Democrat Party can do whatever they please without any real consequences, unless your Black.

For Black North Carolina Democrats they may get a pass, they might not.

It depends upon how low their willing to go as it relates to selling out the North Carolina Black Community to help White constituents.

I find it strange the Federal Gov't is suddenly no longer getting involved while all of this obvious Corruption is being committed by NC Politicians and State Officials (all Democrats).

Under President Bush's Administration NC Corruption was being cleaned up, however strangely since Pres. Obama has been in Office, the FBI Investigations have slowed considerably and NO one else is being prosecuted regardless of what they do (except Low Income Black citizens).

Perhaps its because he has cut a deal with North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue to look the other way if she and other Influential Dems will endorse his next campaign.

Maybe this explains why so many North Carolina Democrat and Independent Voters will be voting for Republicans come November 2010 and in 2012.




Kenneth Lewis Rubber Stamps Elaine Marshall, She Doesn't Deserve It (Deals)



Yesterday former candidate for U.S. Senate (Dem) Kenneth Lewis (an African-American) endorsed Elaine Marshall, Cal Cunningham's rival in the upcoming N.C. Democratic nominee U.S. Senate run-off election.

I would like for someone to please name ONE thing Elaine Marshall has actually done for North Carolina's Black Voters?

I mean really show me or tell me one thing!

I'll wait.

What's that I hear? Crickets?

Last news (or rumor) I heard about Elaine Marshall (current N.C. Secretary of State) was that she scrutinizes Black North Carolina Notary Public applicants more heavily than White applicants.

And....

That she rejects more Black North Carolina Notary Public applicants than White applicants. This includes Black North Carolina Notaries applying to have their commissions renewed.

With that said can someone please tell me one thing she has done to help North Carolina's Black community?

Lewis' endorsement of Marshall is just another example of scared Southern Black Politicians rubber stamping N.C. Democrat Incumbents for the sake of attracting Black Voters.

Or....

His endorsement could be the result of some sort of backroom deal.
Maybe Marshall promised Lewis a job in Washington, D.C. if he supports her and delivers the Black vote to her on a silver platter.

Or...

Both Lewis and Marshall could just be angry and vindictive that the national Democratic Campaign Committee chose to back Cal Cunningham instead of them.

Who knows? It could be a combination of all three theories.

At least Cal Cunningham fought for our Freedom overseas while serving in the U.S. Army Reserves.

But what has Elaine Marshall done for ALL Americans?

In case anyone forgot serving yourself and your buddies doesn't count.

Lewis claimed during a forum in March of this year "We can't change a broken Senate simply by sending career politicians to Washington".

Excuse me!

But as N.C. Secretary of State for several years, isn't Elaine Marshall already an Incumbent and a Career Politician??

Man this guy (Ken L.) is so FAKE!

No wonder he lost the primary.

Now do you understand why I no longer throw my weight behind North Carolina's Black Politicians?

This is so sad but what's even sadder is the majority of North Carolina's Black Voters lack courage or guts to use their own minds when casting ballots in state and general elections.

Why do Black Voters need a Black Political Caucus organization or a Black "sell-out" Politician who really couldn't care less about their well-being (unless they run in Elite circles), to tell them whom to support for Public Office?

Most of North Carolina's Black Politicians are "Uncle Tom" sell-outs who only care about themselves and getting their palms greased anyway.

Didn't God Almighty give each Human Being born on planet Earth a mind of his or her OWN, to make their OWN decisions??

People please vote responsibly when you visit the polls this Fall.

For the record I am voting for Richard Burr however....

If I were voting for a Democrat U.S. Senate Candidate from this region it would definitely be Cal Cunningham NOT Elaine "Incumbent, hasn't done anything for North Carolina's Black citizens" Marshall!

"I prefer Liberty with danger than Peace with Slavery". - Jean Jaqueas Rousseau

"A Slave is one who waits for someone else to Free him". - Rosellen
Brown


View Larger Map


Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, My BlueNC.com, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte's Progress Hindered By Extreme Racism & Small-Mindedness, No Zoo!

I recently returned to Charlotte, NC (my current place of residence) after vacationing for a week on Long Island, NY. (Suffolk county)

Brooklyn is my native hometown and usual stomping ground, but this time I decided to spend my money elsewhere. Thus Long Island was selected as this year's pick.

If you've never visited Long Island I encourage you to get there right away and see what the fuss is all about.

Its especially beautiful this time of year.

Clean, quiet, somewhat diverse, an abundance of healthy trees, friendly residents, great (although expensive) public transportation including trains (not subways) that run all night, low crime, plenty of businesses, great schools, etc.,

And....it looks like Charlotte, NC!

Yes, for those who can afford to live there year-round, Long Island is the perfect spot.

So what's the real difference between Charlotte, NC and Long Island, NY?

Everywhere my husband and I ventured while on Long Island, the residents (mostly Caucasian population) welcomed us with open arms and were very kind.

These Northeastern, Wealthy White people treated us (two Blacks) with "Southern Hospitality" so often NOT seen in Charlotte, NC.

In Charlotte such demonstrations of "Southern Hospitality" and warmness is usually only reserved for White residents or White visitors but NOT Black citizens!

Black citizens visiting Charlotte are often treated indifferently even by other Blacks, unless of course those Black visitors are attending events such as the CIAA Basketball tournament (a sports event which attracts Black tourists).

Is it any wonder as to why Bob Johnson blasted Charlotte for being "Small-Minded", "Incestuous" and "Racist" on his way out?

Charlotte's landscape while lovely like Long Island's, can't hide the ugly Racial Discrimination eating away at Charlotte's potential to become a World Class city.

Charlotte (nicknamed the "Queen City") should be equal if not more further along than Atlanta.

What's stopping Charlotte from realizing her true potential?

None other than Racism.

Extreme, Ugly Racism and...Small-Minded Black "Leaders" afraid of helping other Black citizens achieve levels of success equal to that of White citizens.

Deep rooted Racism derived from Charlotte's close alliance with the Klu Klux Klan organization.

Black Leaders stuck in time by accepting and allowing a Willie Lynch Mentality to paralyze them from rescuing Charlotte's Minority community.

Rescuing Charlotte's Minority community from Failure and Obscurity.

Charlotte also lacks the Creativity and Urban Planning necessary for this "diamond in the rough" to step into the 21st Century.

In other words refusing to move forward yet expecting results similar to that of cities like Atlanta, Long Island and New York, NY is ludicrous!

Come on Charlotte where's your Zoo??

Atlanta has an Aquarium and New York City has a Real Zoo!

Where's Charlotte's Aquarium or Zoo?? Come on and get with it!

Isn't it time to catch up to the 21st Century?

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Albert Einstein


For example: Charlotte has a Light Rail system.

(only North Carolina city with a Light Rail system)

This Light Rail system primarily serves which local citizens?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents.

The cleaner, more modern city buses service which communities (on time)?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Better Paying jobs, mainly Managerial positions, are reserved for which citizens?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White citizens.

Local public schools with More Experienced Teachers and Plenty of Resources are filled with type of students?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White students.

The region's best city & county services (trash collection, low water rates, low heating bills, faster Internet speed, low Cable bill rates, etc.,) are reserved for which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Better priced stores (Clothing, Grocery, Retail) with an abundance of Nice Businesses are found in which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Bike Trails, Free Wi-Fi, Museums, Nature Trails, Nice Libraries, Nice Parks, Public Swimming Pools, etc., are reserved for which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

While Crime in Charlotte's Black communities skyrockets, Excellent Public Safety efforts and Effective Neighborhood Partnerships with the region's Police dept. are reserved for which communities?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

Fair Business Opportunities and Fair Property Taxes are reserved for which citizens?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents.

Last but certainly not least, which local communities will probably NEVER see Affordable Housing units constructed within its perimeters?

That's right!

Charlotte's Wealthier, White communities.

On the other hand Progressive cities like Atlanta, Long Island and New York, NY are reaching out to Equally help ALL of their citizens regardless of Ethnicity and Socio-Economic status.

Now I know you would like to rationalize Charlotte's Indifference and Mistreatment of Minority residents by perhaps attributing it to Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents paying higher Property Taxes right?

WRONG!

Charlotte's Wealthier, White residents do NOT pay extra or more for their city/ county services.

In fact many of them pay far less than Charlotte's Minority residents.

How so?

Charlotte's Wealthier, White citizens are allowed to Legally NOT pay their Property Taxes without being penalized or thrown in jail.

Charlotte's Wealthier, White citizens also haven't experienced a Property Tax increase in 7 years, while Charlotte's Minority residents have received a Property Tax increase each year.

I could continue on on but I believe you comprehend what I'm conveying here.

However just in case you didn't get it, Charlotte's Progress is hindered by Extreme Racism.

What a shame!

Isn't it time for this kind of Regional Ignorance to be eliminated forever?

Doesn't Charlotte, NC have a Black Mayor you ask? (Anthony Foxx)

Yes but Mayor Foxx is just a Token with NO teeth.

He wanted the job more or less for personal gain versus wanting to do what's in Charlotte's Best Interest.

If Charlotte doesn't stop such foolishness it will NEVER rise to Atlanta and New York's fame of being World Class cities.

By the way using precious dollars to establish "Collard Green" Museums is NOT going to fix Charlotte's terrible Race Relations & Lack of Creativity issues.

After reading this post please don't tell me to move!

Instead why not channel some of that energy into improving Charlotte-Mecklenburg's status in comparison to other REAL World Class cities?

In the meantime carry on Atlanta, Long Island & New York with your bad selves! And I do mean good!


View Larger Map


Sources: Brainy Quote, Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Wikipedia, Google Maps