In a joint effort to save the lives of black boys and rebuild the spirit of the black community, the Black Star Project and the pastors of twenty-five black churches have come together, urging religious leaders to invite African-American boys and men to their churches.

“Take A Black Boy To Church” day, sponsored by the Black Star Project’s Million Father Movement, is part of a coordinated effort to save the lives and spirits of Black boys.  

The Black Star Project, U.S.A., along with participating pastors, held press conferences at two Chicago churches – New Memorial Baptist Church and Gospel Temple C.O.G.I.C. – urging churches, mosques, synagogues and temples to “organize their congregations to invite Black boys and men between the ages of 2 and 32 years old into their worship services.”

In a prepared statement prior to the press conferences, the group stated that “The Black church is truly the heart of the Black community. Throughout all struggles for progress for Black people in America, the Black church has been a constant voice and leader in the improvement of the Black community.  

With the issues of Black boys and Black young Black men quickly becoming national emergency, the Black church is needed now more than ever.  Churches are being encouraged to reach out to Black boys and young Black men, wherever they are, and Black boys and young Black men are being encouraged to reach back to these churches.”

Churches participating In the 2008 “Take A Black Boy to Church Sunday” Day are:

City, Church, Pastor/or Organizer                                                                                                
Buffalo, New York
Zion Missionary Baptist Church            
Gregory Brice

Charlotte, North Carolina    
Greenville Memorial AME Zion Church  
Dr. Sheldon Shipman

Chicago, Illinois               
Gospel Temple C.O.G.I.C.  
Elder Sidney Grandberry & Gloria Grandberry

Chicago, Illinois                
True Vine of Holiness Missionary Baptist
Rev. Dr. Henderson Hill

Chicago, Illinois               
Cathedral of Love Church         
Daniel Allen

Chicago, Illinois
Inspirational Deliverance C.O.G.I.C.
Evangelist Shirley Hughes

Chicago, Illinois            
St. Mark Church                 
Rev. Ed Harris

Chicago, Illinois            
Midnight Warriors Ministries                    
Apostle Ulyesses Ruff

Chicago, Illinois           
Abba Church of Renewal Faith                 
Rev. Sharyon Cosey

Chicago, Illinois           
New Memorial Baptist Church
Dr. Roosevelt Walker, Jr.,  Minister Bernard Clark

Chicago, Illinois        
Stone Temple Baptist Church
Rev. Derrick M. Fitzpatrick

Chicago, Illinois       
New Pentecostal House of Glory
Pastor Lafayette E. Young, Sr.

Chicago. Illinois       
God Seed Ministries                               
Pastor Glenn Bone

Cleveland, Ohio        
Apostolic Faith Church                           
Lauren Clark

Cleveland, Ohio          
St. James AME Church                           
Mr. Steven Sims

Detroit, Michigan      
Liberty Baptist Church                            
Rev. Steve Bland

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida  
Mount Bethel Baptist Church                
Rev. C. E. Glover

Harvey, Illinois             
First Wesley Academy                         
Rev. Charles Woolery

High Point, North Carolina     
Temple Memorial Baptist
Rev. Thomas A. Bannister, contact Bridgett Herring

Kansas City, Kansas       
Cross Roads Christian Cathedral              
Pastor P. T. Hood
    
Los Angles, California     
Higher Order of Discipline Ministries          
De’Niece Williams

Mooresville, North Carolina        
St. Paul United Methodist             
Rev. Donald Mc Coy

Oakland, California        
Watson Temple Apostolic Church
Pastor James L. Williams

Rockford, Illinois          
Liberty Baptist Church                  
Rev. Herbert Johnson Jr,

The Silent Genocide -
Facts about the Deepening Plight of Black Men in America

In Education/Family

• In Chicago, only three out of 100 Black boys will earn a college degree by age 25.
• Only 42% of Black men graduate from high school in the United States.
• Just 22 % of Black males who began at a four-year college graduated within six years.
• 69% of Black children in America cannot read at grade level in the 4th grade, compared with 29% among White children.
• 7% of Black 8th-graders perform math at grade level.
• 32% of all suspended students are Black. Black students (mostly Black males) are twice as likely as Whites to be suspended or expelled.
• 67% of Black children are born out of wedlock.

In Employment/Economics

• In Illinois, 47% of all non-institutional Black men are not working.
• At comparable educational levels, Black men earn 67% of what White men make.

• White males with a high-school diploma are just as likely to have a job and tend to earn just as much as Black males with college degrees.
• Blacks make up only 3.2% of lawyers, 3% of doctors, and less than 1% of architects in America.  Many of these are Black women.
• 53% of Black men aged 25-34 are either unemployed or earn too little to lift a family of four from poverty.
• Light-skinned Blacks have a 50% better chance of getting a job than dark-skinned Blacks.
• While constituting roughly 12% of the total population, Black America represents nearly 30% of America’s poor.
• The net worth of a Black family in America is $6,100 versus $67,000 for a White family.
• In New York City in 2003 only 51.8% of Black men ages 16 to 64 were employed vs. 75.7% for White men and 65.7% for Latino men.
• White men with prison records receive far more offers for entry-level jobs in New York City than black men with identical records, and are offered jobs just as often – if not more so – than black men who have never been arrested.

In Incarceration/Crime:

• In 2001, the chances of going to prison were highest among Black males (32.2%) and Hispanic males (17.2%) and lowest among White males (5.9%).
• Blacks account for only 12% of the U.S. population, but 44 % of all prisoners in the United States are Black.
• Blacks, who comprise only 12% of the population and account for about 13% of drug users, constitute 35% of all arrests for drug possession, 55% of all convictions on those charges, and 74% of all those sentenced to prison for possession.
• In at least fifteen states, Black men were sent to prison on drug charges at rates ranging from twenty to fifty-seven times those of White men.
• In 1986, before mandatory minimums for crack offenses became effective, the average federal drug offense sentence for Blacks was 11% higher than for Whites.  Four years later following the implementation of harsher drug sentencing laws, the average federal drug offense sentence was 49% higher for Blacks.
• 1,172 Black children and teenagers in the United States died from gunfire in 2003.
• A young Black male in America is more likely to die from gunfire than was any soldier in Vietnam.
• The Justice Department estimates that one out of every 21 Black men can expect to be murdered, a death rate double that of U. S. soldiers in World War II.
• 1.46 million Black men out of a total voting population of 10.4 million have lost their right to vote due to felony convictions.

These statistics were compiled from various sources by The Black Star Project.  You may email the organization to request sources at blackstar1000@ameritech.net.  To join the movement to save young Black men and to educate Black children, call 312/842-3527, or email,  blackstar1000@ameritech.net or visit the website at www.blackstarproject.org.
For more information, contact: The Black Star Project at (773) 285-9600 or (312) 771-1010.

Roland and I are from the same part of Illinois.  Roland Burris was born a few miles from my hometown of East St. Louis, Illinois, in Centralia. But there is more.  That is one of the central parts of our nation when it comes to when it comes to railroads.  I come from a railroad family.  My mother, father, two brothers and I all worked for the New York Central Railroad.  Roland Burris’ father, Earl, ran a small grocery store to supplement his income as a laborer for the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.

Earl Burris had a strong sense of community—and a low tolerance for injustice.  On Memorial Day 1953, Earl Burris decided to take a stand against injustice by defying Centralia’s unofficial “white only” policy for the city’s public swimming pool.  So he hired a lawyer and arranged for that lawyer to meet him and young Roland, then 16, at the swimming pool.

Guess what?  The lawyer didn’t show up.
Roland Burris later said he remembered his father, all summer long, saying if segregation and injustice were ever going to end, people needed to show up and be accountable. By the end of the summer, 16-year-old Roland Burris had made up his mind. He would show up.  He would pursue a career in politics and law.

Off he went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, which incidentally has a record of being one of the most productive colleges in America for African American graduates.  Roland Burris studied political science, distinguished himself as a leader on campus, and headed a group that exposed discriminatory practices among Carbondale merchants toward African American students.
In 1963, he earned a law degree from Howard University, then became a federal bank examiner in the U.S. Treasury department—the first African American ever to hold such a position.  In 1964, he was hired by Continental Illinois National Bank, where he rose to the post of vice president in less than a decade.  He is also a past national executive director of Operation PUSH.

In Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, we have elected more African Americans statewide than any state in our union and we are proud of it.

Roland Burris paved the way for so many, including the man who will be sworn in as President next Tuesday, Barack Obama.  He has held two of our state’s highest elected offices and was Illinois’ first African American Comptroller, as well the first African American Attorney General.  He is a good man and a dedicated public servant.

Now he is the 48th United States Senator from the great state of Illinois, and the 1,907th person to be sworn in to this distinguished body.

Here is an interesting fact as well: Roland and his wife Berlean live on the South Side of Chicago in a home once owned by the great—the immortal—Mahalia Jackson, the original “Queen of Gospel Music.”  In 1948, Mahalia Jackson recorded a song that was so popular, music stores couldn’t keep it in stock.  It sold eight million copies.  The title of that song was, “Move On Up A Little Higher.”
For 50 years, Roland Burris has sought to “move on up a little higher”—not for his sake alone, but for the chance to help others, including our great state of Illinois. I congratulate him.”

Poll for New America Media Puts Penetration at 82% of Targeted Markets

ATLANTA –Over the last four years, the ethnic media have picked up 8 million new readers, viewers and listeners, and now regularly reach 57 million people in the US, according to a poll released today by New America Media (NAM).

The increase comes as mainstream media, especially metropolitan daily newspapers, struggle to keep their audiences.

NAM, an organization that collaborates with more than 2,500 ethnic media outlets, released the poll during their National Ethnic Media Expo & Awards at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel.  The survey, conducted by Bendixen & Associates, contacted 1,329 African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American adults. It has a 2.7 percent margin of error.

“The poll results demonstrate significant penetration for the ethnic media,” said Sandy Close, NAM’s executive director, noting they regularly reach 82 percent of African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American adults. “The thirst for relevant news and information has made many residents of ethnic communities turn to media outlets that do substantial reporting on their culture, issues and neighborhoods. The increase in ethnic media audiences is incredible, considering the declines that many mainstream media outlets are confronting.”

Moreover, the poll found that Asian Americans reported that they turn to ethnic media for news coverage of their home countries.  For instance, new ethnic television stations, such as KCNS-TV (Chinese) in San Francisco and VATV (Vietnamese) in the Washington D.C. metro area, are popular because of their home country coverage.
The poll also found that:

• The penetration of Spanish-language television – led by network giants Univision and Telemundo – increased during the last four years and is now almost universal, covering 86 percent of the country’s Hispanics.  New Spanish language television stations are broadcasting in Raleigh, N.C. and Seattle.
• The availability of African American-oriented channels is still limited, but a majority of black adults report watching Black Entertainment Television (BET) and similar channels on a regular basis.  Meanwhile, the penetration of African American-oriented radio stations has increased. They now reach two-thirds of black adults.  
• Newspapers like Sing Tao, the World Journal, Korea Daily and Korea Times have substantially increased their circulation during the last four years.  The reach of weekly and monthly publications that cater to the interests of the Filipino and Asian Indian populations has also expanded.  A biweekly newspaper for the Filipino community launched in 2007—the FilAm Star published in San Francisco.
• Many new Spanish-language newspapers have begun publishing in the last four years and now reach more than one-third of Hispanic adults. New publications include Padres & Hijos in Atlanta and La Voz de San Diego.

Sergio Bendixen, president of Bendixen & Associates, said the polling also showed that a substantial percentage of African American, Hispanic and Asian American households have cable or satellite service.  “What’s clear is that even as the country suffers through a recession, ethnic communities are staying tuned into ethnic media,” Mr. Bendixen said, noting that an increase in penetration for African-American publications was sparked, in part, by interest in Barack Obama’s candidacy and presidency.

Ms. Close said the increases in penetration come as the ethnic media are transforming themselves and preparing to play broader roles in their communities.

Ms. Close unveiled an emergency network system that will send urgent health and disaster alerts to 3,000 ethnic media outlets, which will then transmit those messages to ethnic communities.

“This state-of-the-art system will open the doors to ethnic communities that are not reached by mainstream media,” Ms. Close said. “The poll results reinforce the importance of using the ethnic media to communicate with populations—many don’t speak English–which have often been ignored.”

It’s clear, Ms Close said, that “ethnic media can be counted as an important segment of the New Media, and will continue growing in audience and influence in the future.” 

New America Media is the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate for more than 2500 ethnic news organizations. Over 51 million ethnic adults connect to each other, to home countries and to America through 3000+ ethnic media, the fastest growing sector of American journalism. Founded by the nonprofit Pacific News Service in 1996, NAM is headquartered in California with offices in New York and Washington D.C. NAM also partners with journalism schools to grow local associations of ethnic media around the nation.

Visit NAM’s homepage for news and updates programs.

The Pop-Culture Icon’s Music Will Never Fade Into Oblivion 

By Juanita Bratcher

Michael the singer.

Michael the dancer.

Michael the performer.

Michael the entertainer.

The showmanship Michael.

Michael the whole package deal…and more.

His career was like magic, magnificent, magnetic. He was electrifying, energetic, spectacular…courting a barrage of flashy outfits/costumes that made his performances complete. 

Michael Jackson, pop-culture icon, was a phenomena, a brilliant singer, dancer, performer.

From “Thriller” to “Beat It” to “Billie Jean”And “Man in the Mirror”, Michael Jackson’s music will always be an electrifying presence in our lives. Jackson’s music is classic.

He was global. He was a legend. His music transcended race. And although the pop-culture/music icon died June 25, it would be hard-pressed for those who attended his many concerts or purchased his albums and videos, to forget that awesome energy he exhibited onstage, his musical brilliance, his stage dominance, and the incredible showmanship he exhibited at concerts here and around the world.

The images are tantalizing. Fans couldn’t get enough of him, and at times cried out in awe and admiration. He sang the kind of music that made its marks in our minds, souls and spirit. It’s the kind of music that will always be around, and will never fade into oblivion. Many of the songs are classics already.

 Jackson was a music genius, super-talented, a kindred spirit, and in a musical class all by himself. During his career, more than 750 million albums were sold worldwide. Once the king of pop put his mark on a song and released it out into the domain, it had staying power and it would be there forever. No matter how old the song or the music, it kept that magic and emotional touch in your heart and mind. There was just something about Jackson’s music; it was soothing, electrifying and played on your emotions.

Michael Jackson, by far, was the greatest entertainer ever. Other songs that were sheer delight were: “I Want You Back”, “Never Can Say Goodbye”, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, “I’ll Be There”, “Off The Wall”, “We Are The World”, which he co-wrote with Singer Lionel Ritchie; “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ “, and many many more.

The iconic star grew up right before our eyes.  He came onto the stage at the age of six, and remained there for more than four decades, until his death. We couldn’t get enough of the man and his music. And we always wanted more.

He was a born entertainer debonaire. He owned the stage. He made an indelible impact on the music industry. His famous “Moonwalk”, and his enduring music matched his enduring energy and spirit. He was driven. He was king.

Not only do we grieve the loss of Jackson, but one wonders what kind of music might have come from this talented music giant if he hadn’t left us so quickly. He had an incredible life and career.

Jackson was a legend, a musical genius. He made a profound impact musically in the lives of so many. He left a great legacy. And that legacy he left will always be a part of the music world culture. It will never fade into oblivion.

“Beyond The Boardroom”, the long awaited biography of former Cook County Board President John Herman Stroger, Jr., has been officially released.

Stroger, former Cook County Board President, and an icon in Illinois politics, served 38 years as a public elected official – 36 continuous years as a sitting Commissioner and 12 as Commissioner and President, at the Cook County Board.

Stroger retired from the Board after suffering a debilitating stroke a week before the Primary Election. Although he won in the 2006 election, he resigned from the post before the November 7th general election, and Democratic committeemen – 50 from Chicago and 30 from Downstate – slated his son, Todd, a Chicago alderman at the time to replace him on the ballot.

As President of the Cook County Board, Stroger was the overseer of a more than $3.4-billion budget, 27,000 county employees, and several County agencies and healthcare facilities. He also served as a spokesman, Vice President and President of NACo (National Association of Counties), an organization with a membership total of more than 2,000 counties from across the country. He was the first African-American elected president of NACo. He was appointed by President William “Bill” Clinton to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, and selected by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean to serve as a member of a DNC Committee.

“Beyond The Boardroom” captures and capsules Stroger’s almost four decades in public office.

The book is written by author Juanita Bratcher, a former news reporter and journalist for 31 years. Bratcher is the published author of six books, including “Harold: The Making of a Big City Mayor”, a book that traces the grassroots’ efforts that successfully propelled Mayor Harold Washington into the 5th Floor of City Hall. He was the first African-American elected to the post.

Bratcher served as a “Personal Assistant” to Stroger in Cook County government, served as a Press Aide in his 1994 run for President of the Cook County Board, and Press Secretary to his 2006 re-election campaign.

For more information about “Beyond The Boardroom”, or to purchase a book, call (773) 375-8127. The cost of the book is $22.95.

By Juanita Bratcher

Day after day, one politician after the other has urged U.S. Senator Roland Burris to resign from the senate seat he was appointed to by former Governor Rod Blagojevich. It’s not surprising that Republican politicians would ask for his resignation, that’s a coveted seat they would like to have placed in the Republican column. But many of these declarations are coming from politicians (elected officials) within Burris own Democratic Party.  And much of the rhetoric – if not all – appears to be political in nature. It’s unfair that a tainted medal is being placed around Burris’ neck simply because he was appointed by impeached Governor Blagojevich; but what’s fair in politics, anyway? And by asking Burris to resign sends a message to Illinoisans and to the U.S. Senate – whether directly or indirectly – that somehow he is not worthy of the seat, muddies up his name in the process, and probably, will make it impossible for him to win the seat in the 2010 election.

Many Illinoisans have voiced concern over the way Illinois law states that a vacant Senate seat should be filled – the governor appoints a candidate to serve out the remaining term; in this case the Senate vacancy left by President Barack Obama. Burris was chosen according to Illinois’ law.  There was also the fiasco in New York in filling the vacant senate seat left by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, just not as controversial as here in Illinois.
That said, the law in Illinois did not call for a Special Election to fill the vacancy, but rather that the appointment be made by the governor. And faced with a shaky economy and the state billions in deficit, Illinois can ill afford a Special Election that will sap-up, by estimates, upward of $50-million. Burris should remain a U.S. Senator until 2010, and then the voters will decide on whether to keep him in the post or choose someone else.

 But there are whispers going on within the African-American community that are saying “enough already,” and that those politicians asking Burris to resign just might find themselves in the mist of a political storm and end up on the losing end if and when they run for re-election; that Black voters will retaliate at the polls.

That scenario played out in 1983 when blacks decided to oust Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne from office because of her “cavalier attitude” toward the black community, her appointments to the Chicago Housing Authority, and insult after insult even though blacks had played a pivotal role in her successful win over the Powerful Democratic machine.
At a press conference this week, eight members of the City Council Black Caucus expressed that same sentiment, calling the declarations asking for Burris to resign a “feeding frenzy,” and warned there would be a price to pay.

Sixth Ward Alderman Freddrenna Lyle who also serves as the city chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, suggested to “those people who seek to run in the wards of the city of Chicago where there are people of color living that they should tone it down because some of us are taking notes…I can’t go to the residents of my ward and ask them to vote for someone who they feel have disrespected them…”

The chairman of the Black Caucus, Alderman Carrie Austin (34th), said it was time for the Burris bashing to stop. “To just muck up somebody’s 30-plus year record of loyalty to the Democratic Party – for all of them to turn on him – we say it’s time for this to stop. And if it does not, we shall remember this at the next election.”  

Burris has said he won’t resign. And regardless of the circumstances under which he was appointed, he is an excellent choice for the U.S. Senate. He is a man of integrity, ethical, and a no non-sense politician, capable and certainly able to serve and represent the citizenry of Illinois.
But since being appointed to the senate seat by former Governor Blagojevich to serve out the remaining senate term of President Barack Obama, Burris finds himself in the middle of a fiery political storm, a hornet’s nest.

So those calling for his resignation should be careful what they ask for because they may face a political backlash in their re-election efforts from Black voters when they go to the polls in the next election.

According to a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the Housing Wage for the state of Illinois is $17.17 for a two-bedroom apartment, while the actual wage a renter in Illinois earns is $15.33.  The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year—to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment renting for $893- the average rent in Illinois.  The Housing Wage in Illinois has increased 32.5% since 2000.

The report, Out of Reach 2009, was jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group, and Housing Action Illinois.

Federal guidelines state that no one should spend more than 30% of their income on housing, including rent or mortgage payments, utilities, property taxes and insurance.

“The increase in the housing wage compared to a year ago suggests that the foreclosure crisis and the economic slowdown have actually driven up rental costs overall as competition for affordable rental units increases as fewer people are buying homes and people who lost their homes to foreclosure have reentered the rental market,” said Mimi Chedid, Policy Coordinator for Housing Action Illinois.  The housing wage for Illinois in 2008 was $16.23.

In Illinois, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $7.75. In order to afford market-rate rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Illinois, a minimum wage earner must work 89 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.  Or a household must have 2.2 minimum wage earners working 40 hours per week year-round in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

In Illinois, among metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, the lowest Housing Wage for a two-bedroom apartment is $10.50 in the Bond County metropolitan area. The highest housing wage for a two-bedroom apartment is $19.31 in the Chicago metropolitan area.

An estimated 49% of renters in the Illinois area do not earn enough income to afford a two-bedroom unit at the Fair Market Rent.

Housing Action Illinois’ mission is to increase and preserve the supply of decent, affordable, and accessible housing in Illinois for low-and moderate-income households through advocacy, public education, and technical assistance to nonprofits.

Data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country is available online, at www.nlihc.org/oor.

“A terrible day in Illinois history”

Calling it a “terrible day in Illinois history,” Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the indictment of former Governor Rod Blagojevich by the U.S. Attorney’s Office “serves to confirm the public’s long-standing distrust” of Blagojevich and his administration and that “it underscores the culture of corruption that has afflicted our state for far too long.”

In a released statement by Madigan, she stated that “While this is a terrible day in Illinois history, it is also a moment in which we can recognize an opportunity for real reform. Today provides us a chance — not just to bring to justice former Governor Blagojevich — but also to move forward by putting into place changes that will enable state government to establish a true sense of accountability and restore the public’s trust. I am thankful for the extraordinary work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the legislature and the executive branch to enact positive changes that end this dismal chapter in our state’s history.”

Blagojevich was indicted on 16 federal corruption charges of racketeering, fraud and extortion. Others indicted were Blagojevich’s brother, Robert, fundraiser Christopher Kelly, Alonzo “Lon” Monk, a former chief of staff to Blagojevich; John Harris, Blagojevich’s chief of staff; who was arrested on charges the same day as Gov. Blagojevich; and William Cellini.

Blagojevich was also accused of a “Pay to Play” deal with the Senate seat left vacant by President Barack Obama

by Juanita Bratcher

It is appalling that President Barack Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, is being subjected to unwarranted attacks by a bunch of bullies labeling her a “racist” and “bigot.” And many of these amplified, strident and incendiary voices are coming from people on the sidelines – not from elected officials who will ultimately make the decision to confirm or not to confirm her – but by some who themselves are looked upon by others as racists.

Shortly after U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced his retirement, it was obvious that the battle lines would soon be drawn for verbal combat over his successor. And no matter whom the nominee, there was bound to be a shootout of words between various factions – pro or con, but certainly not expected to accelerate to the ugly level of name calling it has now come to be. President Obama wasted no time in naming Souter’s replacement. That was the beginning of a vicious war of words about his nominee on blog sites across the Internet, talk radio and TV.

There’s nothing wrong with constructive, valid criticism, but in this case, some have gone beyond the pale. Criticism should focus on Sotomayor’s 17-year record on the bench – her judicial career overall – judicial decisions, opinion papers, character, and qualifications. It should never involve name calling, disrespect and bullying.

A lot of the rhetoric is much ado about nothing, just plain political spin talk - character bashing, distorting her words, using selective quotes while omitting some of the content, or not giving the full quote that was made.

Then again, perhaps it’s not just about her judicial opinions or persona. Maybe it’s an issue of racism, that she is not entitled to this post because of her ethnicity. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court and the third woman, coming behind Sandra Day O’Connor, who announced her retirement in July 2005 and was replaced by U.S. Justice Samuel Alito on January 31, 2006; and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Ginsburg replaced U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White. She was confirmed by a 96-3 vote.

Some people just can’t swallow change so easily.

When President Lyndon Johnson nominated Justice Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court in 1967, he was the first Black to be nominated for the post. The nomination didn’t sit too well with several southern senators on the Judiciary Committee. His appointment was met with strong opposition from them, but he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a 69-11 vote and was seated on Oct. 2, 1967. Once in an interview, Marshall said he would serve on the court until he was 110 years old. He died at the age of 84.

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the 102nd person to sit on that august body, appointment infuriated conservatives because of her support for the Equal Rights Amendment. However, President Ronald Reagan, in nominating her for the Court, said he saw a sense of fairness in O’Connor. In the end, O’Connor was confirmed by a vote of 99-0.

In her 17 years on the bench, Sotomayor has made many decisions and opinions. These are the things she should be judged by.

When President Barack Obama won the presidency, he vowed that change would be coming to America. And indeed it has in a short period of time. There are some who cannot accept change, and change to them can be a bit hard to swallow. Diversity on the court is ideal, certainly a far stretch from its status of many decades ago.

During President Obama’s weekly radio and Internet address Saturday (May 30, 2009), he said of Sotomayor:  ”I am certain that she is the right choice.”

Sotomayor’s confirmation should be decided on her merit, and not a speech she delivered in Berkeley, California, in October 2001, where she reportedly stated that, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

The White House said Sotomayor admitted that she made a poor choice of words. But even that won’t stop the bullies from attacking; they’ll find something else to whine about.