Opinion: The Palins: ‘Personal Responsibility’ Hypocrites

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February 4, 2016

By George Curry

Since former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin erupted on the national scene by telling everyone she could see Russia from her perch in Alaska, she has been lecturing everyone about accepting responsibility.

For example, speaking to Tea Party supporters in Nashville in 2010, Palin said, “My plan is quite simple. To support those who support the foundation of our country when it comes to the economy. It is free-market principles that reward hard work and personal responsibility.”

As Professor Melissa Harris-Perry explained, the “language of personal responsibility is often a code language used against poor and minority communities.”

For sure, accepting “personal responsibility” is not a trait of the Palin family. Take the latest family drama in the news – the arrest of Track Palin on Jan. 18 in Wasila, Alaska for domestic violence. According to formal complaints, the son of Senator John McCain’s 2008 vice presidential running mate was charged with 4th degree assault and misconduct involving weapons.

According to the 3-page affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Jordan Loewe, Track Palin’s girlfriend, stated he had physically attacked her and threatened to commit suicide with a firearm.

“Loewe stated the following: She and her boyfriend of one year, Track Palin, left a different residence together and were arguing the whole way home. Once they got to his home they argued in the car, then in the driveway. They were screaming and he was calling her names.

“…Palin approached Loewe and struck her on the left side of her head near her eye with a closed fist. Loewe then got on the ground in a fetal position because she didn’t know what else he would do. Palin then kicked Lowe on the right knee.”

The report also noted, “Sergeant Rader observed Loewe to have bruising and swelling around her left eye. She complained of pain to that area as well as to her right knee. He observed a small red area near her knee. The involved firearm, an unloaded AR-15 rifle was located on the kitchen counter.”

Rather than urging her 26-year-old son to accept personal responsibility for striking his girlfriend with his fist, Sarah Palin chose to blame President Obama, who was more than 4,200 miles away in the nation’s capital.

She said her son, an Army reservist who served in Iraq in 2008 under President George W. Bush, was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“My son like so many others, they come back a bit different, they come back hardened, they come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airmen and every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country. And that starts from the top. It’s a shame that our military personnel even have to wonder, if they have to question, if they’re respected anymore. It starts from the top. The question though that comes from our own president where they have to look at him and wonder, do you know what we go through? Do you know what we’re trying to do to secure America and to secure the freedoms that have been bequeathed us?”

Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said to Anderson Cooper on CNN, “You have known me for a long time, so I’m just gonna say it: she’s a liar. That’s a damn lie.”

Brazile said the Republican-controlled House cut more than $1.4 billion that Obama had proposed in a budget for veterans’ services.

“I care for all veterans – I am the daughter of a veteran,” she explained. “And to go out there and to insinuate that the president of the United States is trying to hurt veterans when in fact he is trying to put more resources so that we can give our young and old veterans the care we need, that’s just a damn lie. You can say Donna Brazile said it. I approve this message.”

Veteran groups also made similar comments.

“It’s not President Obama’s fault that Sarah Palin’s son has PTSD,” said Paul Rieckhoff, head of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). “PTSD is a very serious problem, a complicated mental health injury and I would be extremely reluctant to blame any one person in particular.”

Another Palin offspring, Bristol, has also proven to be a hypocrite.

She earned nearly a million dollars for giving abstinence-only speeches yet had two children out of wedlock. After having her first child as an unwed teen, Bristol Palin became a vocal advocate for teen abstinence, earning $15,000-$30,000 per speech.

She was 18 when she had her first child, shortly after her mother was selected to become John McCain’s running mate. The family announced that Bristol would be marrying Levi Johnston, the baby’s father, but the couple broke up before sharing wedding vows.

Under circumstances strikingly similar to her first pregnancy, 25-year-old Bristol Palin announced last year that she was pregnant a second time after becoming engaged to Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient. However, that relationship also ended and the couple never made it to the altar.

Of course, the Palins are human like everyone else. But all we expect is that they accept responsibility for their actions – instead of pointing the fingers at everyone except themselves.

George E. Curry is President and CEO of George Curry Media, LLC. He is the former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA). He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at twitter.com/currygeorge, George E. Curry Fan Page on Facebook, and Periscope. See previous columns at http://www.georgecurry.com/columns.

CHANGE ON THE HORIZON

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Birmingham Times

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February 4, 2016

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ANDREA TAYLOR’S GOALS FOR THE BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE IN HER OWN WORDS

• Plan for 2017’s celebration of 25 years for this important institution that really has lessons to offer to the community, to the country and to the world about revolution and reconciliation, which is one of the cornerstones in Kelly Ingram Park. We have something to teach and share with the world that continues to struggle with civil and human rights issues and we want to do that by building on the lessons of the past and putting it in a context that will be helpful for the present and the future.

• Become a museum of the future that addresses issues of the past and provides a framework for operating and moving forward in a positive and constructive way in the present. As the institute ages, we need to look at new opportunities for using technology and other assets to really make it a contemporary exhibit that has more interactivity and is perhaps more three-dimensional. So there is an opportunity there to look at how we can continue to stay relevant and use the tools of the 21st century to tell the stories for present and future generations.

• Continue to be a place of education, research and documentation of oral histories that are contemporary and grow out of the work that has been generated, and the opportunities that have been generated, by the civil rights movement.

• Bring about lasting and meaningful change for the benefit of all. A place where civil dialogue and discussion can take place, and can occur around sometimes conflicting and contentious issues. I hope that we continue to straddle and explore the lines of possibility in both civil and human rights activities.

• Be a critical resource in this city and in the state, in the United States and in the world. Be that museum of the future that deals with the past to help us live productively in the present.

2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

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Birmingham Times

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February 4, 2016

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By Frank S. Washington

DETROIT – Last spring Hyundai introduced the second generation of its Sonata Hybrid. The sedan had different wheels and altered front and rear fascia that distinguished it from other Sonata models. The automaker said the alterations helped with aerodynamics and that undoubtedly aided fuel efficiency.

The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid had an EPA rating of 39 mpg in the city, 43 mpg on the highway and 41 mpg combined. That fuel economy is aided by a larger electric motor, 38 kW, on the new model. The new Sonata Hybrid also had a new 2.0 liter four cylinder engine that was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The engine made 154 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque. The electric motor made 51 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. The net horsepower was 193. In the real world, that meant when we pressed on the gas pedal of the test car, there was some spunk under the hood. Our 2016 Sonata Hybrid could move swiftly when needed.

Another upgrade was made to the transmission. The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid can operate solely on electric power at speeds up to 75 mph by decoupling the gasoline engine from the rest of the drivetrain. We think this just might be a gateway to even better fuel efficiency for all Hyundai hybrids.

In addition to the fascia change, Hyundai designers gave the Sonata Hybrid a larger grille, new front and rear bumpers, front fenders and new rear lights. There was also new chrome side sill molding and of course hybrid badging along with the new eco-spoke alloy wheel design. It was a very stylish sedan.

Inside, as will all hybrids, the 2016 Hyundai Sonata had a unique instrument cluster with a 4.2-inch color LCD multi-purpose display that provided additional information about the hybrid system’s operation such as when the regenerative brakes were charging the battery or when the car was running in eco mode.

The Sonata Hybrid was comfortable, quiet and the suspension smoothed out the pavement. Both steering and braking were good. There was decent headroom, especially in the rear, despite the panoramic roof.

The midsize sedan had a smart trunk, a smart key and smart cruise control featuring full stop capability. There were rear window shades, heated and cooled front seats as well as a heated steering wheel. Both front seats were four-way power.

Our test car was equipped with the ‘Ultimate Package.” It included lane departure warning, forward collision warning, automatic high beams, and rear parking assistance, a navigation system, premium audio system, satellite radio, LED interior lights and a high gloss window surround. There were almost $5,000 worth of options.

Still, the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid cost what we thought was a reasonable $35,765.

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.

Looking toward Birmingham’s future

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Birmingham Times

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February 4, 2016

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By Barnett Wright
Birmingham Times Staff

Andera Taylor — Birmingham Civil Rights Institute president and CEO Andrea Taylor has been at the helm since 2015. (FRANK COUCH PHOTOS)

The view just outside the window is of the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in downtown Birmingham, but the vision goes well beyond one of the city’s most visible landmarks.

Andrea Taylor, president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, can see the church from her window in her office. She can also see beyond the church to the future of a city that can be among the greatest in the nation — and perhaps the world.

Fulfilling that vision can start simply with a conversation like the one Taylor moderated with four young professionals in January during the 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center. Taylor was the keynote speaker and took a “nontraditional approach” to her speech. Instead of standing in front of the audience with prepared remarks, she sat amid the participants and asked, “What is your vision of the future?”

Taylor is a strong advocate of young people and encourages proactive ways to explore opportunities to address challenges.

Presence Felt

Taylor assumed the role at the BCRI in the fall of 2015, and her presence was felt immediately among young and old, black and white, city and suburban folks, corporate and neighborhood leaders.

“It’s a very humbling role to walk into my office every day, open the blinds, and look out at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church,” Taylor said. “The history of that church, that institution where four little girls died in the 1963 bombing, is a reminder to all of us in Birmingham, across the nation, and around the world of the importance of promoting civil and human rights.”

Sixteenth Street Baptist can help people understand in an ongoing and contemporary way “the importance of preserving the rights of others and making it possible for all people from all communities and all colors to participate in our society and to do so without threats to their safety and well-being,” she said.

Taylor’s first day with the Institute was in September and since then her schedule has been packed with travel, forums, meetings and interviews. Still, she vividly recalls her first visit to the Institute.

“I came in 2012 when I was at Microsoft with the Faith and Politics Institute Civil Rights Pilgrimage led by [Georgia] Congressman John Lewis and [Maryland] Congressman Steny Hoyer,” she said. “Never in my wildest dreams during that visit would I have thought I would be coming back to Birmingham, and certainly not as the president and CEO of this important institution.”

Indeed, Taylor’s professional accomplishments laid the foundation for her leadership of the BCRI. She served as the director of citizenship and public affairs for Microsoft. Prior to that tenure, she created and led national and global grant programs for the Ford Foundation and the Benton Foundation. She also has served as a delegate to four global summits of the United Nations, in Africa, Switzerland, China and Egypt.

Those are among the myriad achievements that appealed to a local search committee looking to replace Dr. Lawrence Pijeaux, who retired from the BCRI in the summer of 2014.

Bobbie Knight, chairman of the board for the BCRI, says of Taylor, “She brings a wealth of senior leadership experience in business, philanthropy and media — skills that are desperately needed at the BCRI at this time in its history. She has a very impressive national and global reach that will help strengthen our impact as we prepare for our 25th anniversary in 2017.”

Odessa Woolfolk, president emeritus of the BCRI, who introduced Taylor during the MLK Jr. Unity Breakfast, told the audience of more than 2,000 that Taylor, as a high school student, attended the March on Washington in 1963; joined picket lines in West Virginia and participated in student takeover of a campus building while in college.

Family Ties

Taylor was attracted to Birmingham and the BCRI because of personal and professional experiences, she says.

“My own life, in many ways, was shaped by the civil rights movement,” she said. “I’m a child of the 60s. I grew up in that era. I came from a family of advocates and activists. In my own work, I have been involved in philanthropy, the media and education. There has always been a line through those activities that has to do with helping people realize their full potential and gain access to opportunities so they can develop and use their skills to contribute to their community.”

Of her family, she says, “My uncle was the president of the NAACP chapter in Charleston, W.Va., for almost 20 years (as an attorney), and he was part of the leadership that organized the bus we took to go to the March on Washington in 1963 when I was a young person.”

Coming to the BCRI was almost a natural for Taylor, who grew up visiting museums around the world.

“My mother believed in travel … because she was an artist, and going to museums was part of her work,” Taylor said. “She was very clever in articulating that she couldn’t teach western art and other art history if she herself hadn’t seen it. So, when I was 11 years old, she and several other professors from [West Virginia State College, now West Virginia State University] organized a trip to Europe.

“I probably went to 30 or 40 museums that summer. As a result, whenever I visit a new city or go to a new community one of first things I do is go to at least one museum. That is something that was instilled in us. My mother believed in lifelong learning.”

Taylor, a former journalist, knows the importance of being an eyewitness to history and did not pass up an opportunity to attend President Barack Obama’s election-night celebration in Chicago’s Grant Park — even though she was in her Seattle, Wash., office on Election Day.

She took a day trip to Chicago to celebrate Obama’s historic election as the 44th President of the United States, leaving her Microsoft office in the afternoon and arriving at Grant Park by 7 p.m. She returned to Seattle the next day for work.

“Everybody in that park that night was just overjoyed,” she recalled. “There was such a sense of disbelief and jubilation and celebration at the same time. It was an interesting demographic. There were black people and white people, young people and old people.”

Get Started

Speaking of the president, one person saw potential in Obama before everyone else — Taylor’s mother, Della Brown Taylor Hardman.

After retiring from teaching, Taylor’s mother moved to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where she became a local newspaper columnist, writing about the comings and goings of the seasonal and permanent residents.

“One of the people she had the opportunity to meet was a young politician named Barack Obama, who in 2004 who was running for Senate,” Taylor recalls. “They had a brief chat, and [my mother] came away from that experience convinced that she had met a young man we all were going to hear a lot more about in the future.”

Taylor learned how to “get started” from her mother, who earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree at age 72, after retiring from a lifelong career as an educator.

“She was always in pursuit of more knowledge and more education,” Taylor says. “The reason she said she wanted to get her PhD after retiring from a successful career in college teaching had to do with the fact that she wanted her children, grandchildren, and anyone else who might be interested to know that if you have goals, set goals, and get started on your goals, you can complete and achieve your goals. If you have the capacity, there is nothing stopping you from doing just about anything you want to do — at any age or any stage. That’s a very empowering attitude to have.”

Family focus

Taylor has three adult children — two sons and a daughter — five grandchildren and two daughters-in-law. Two of her children are in banking and one is an educator.

“My focus, at this point and time, is on the five grandchildren,” Taylor says. “I say to the children, I’m done with them. I did all I could to help get them to this point, and I go straight to the grandchildren. We are allies.”

Black Actors Rack Up at Sundance, SAG Awards

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Birmingham Times

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February 3, 2016

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By Staff Reports

Most of us remember him from The Great Debaters as the rebellious Henry Lowe and the charming Kaz Nicol from Beyond the Lights, and now Hollywood has no choice but to recognize him and his hard work.

Nate Parker, wrote, directed, produced and starred in “The Birth of a Nation,” the critically acclaimed Sundance film that tells the story of Nat Turner, a precocious boy who is later deemed a leader by his African elders, but grew up as a prisoner of slavery in Virginia.

“I’ve poured everything that I am into making it,” Turner said following an uproarious standing ovation. “I made this film for one reason, with hope of creating change agents, that people could watch this film and be affected.”

The film comes at a time where there is much debate about African Americans in the Hollywood film industry. Amid the controversy, Parker took not only the U.S. Drama Grand Jury Prize, but also the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

“Thank you, Sundance, for creating a platform for us to grow, in spite of what the rest of Hollywood is doing,” Parker said.

That was the icing on the cake after Fox Searchlight scooped the movie up for a cool $17.5 million, and the film quickly became the must-see of the festival, commanding reported $100 offers for tickets.

The film was difficult to make, Parker said, and not just because of the painful roles for both Black and white actors.

“Anytime we’re dealing with our history, specifically with slavery, I’ve found it’s been desperately sanitized, so there’s a resistance to dealing with this material,” Parker said. “The original D.W. Griffiths, the original ‘Birth of a Nation,’ was the foundation of our industry. We’re built on sand in this industry. We just are. And if we don’t give it attention, we’re going to have these issues, this racist infrastructure that we’re going to have to deal with from generation to generation.”

While Parker racked up in Park City, Utah, actor Idris Elba also accepted two awards at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.

Elba won for his supporting performance in the Netflix child soldier drama, “Beasts of No Nation,” and for his lead performance in the BBC miniseries, “Luther.”

“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to diverse TV,” Elba said in his third trip on stage as presenter.

Joining Elba as winners at the SAG Awards were Queen Latifah for most outstanding female performance in a TV movie or miniseries in HBO’s “Bessie Smith,” Uzo Aduba accepted her second SAG Award for best actress in a comedy in the Netflix original series, “Orange is the New Black,” and Viola Davis for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series in “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Davis reminded that “diversity is not a trending topic.”

“All of the actors of color I know don’t place any limitations on themselves,” said Davis. “So regardless what is going on with the academy, what is going on with Hollywood, they will find a way to be excellent. We always have and we always will.”

For the World’s Most Scrutinized Body, Barbie Has a New Look

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Birmingham Times

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February 3, 2016

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NEW YORK (AP) – At 57, Barbie is getting a major makeover.

The iconic plastic doll, whose small waist and long legs have been criticized for creating unrealistic expectations for girls, will soon be sold with three new bodies – curvy, tall and petite. Barbie will also be more diverse, coming in seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.

Mattel Inc. has been searching for ways to recharges sales of Barbie, which fell 4 percent in the most recent quarter as ‘want lists’ from girls increasingly include iPads and other things. The company hopes more kids will be able to relate to the new dolls.

The body transformations have been in the works for two years, said Mattel spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni on Thursday.

The doll has changed in some ways already. New skin tones and looks were added last year. And Barbie’s foot was movable for the first time, allowing her to kick off her heels and wear flats.

The El Segundo, California, toy company said it will also continue to sell the original 11.5-inch Barbie. The new versions will begin arriving on U.S. store shelves in March and will roll out globally after that. They are available for preorder at shop.mattel.com, and will ship in February.

Whether the new models will be a hit with children remains to be seen, though Chidoni said previous changes were “positively received.”

Marketing experts said more will have to be done to return Barbie to her former glory.

“The look of the dolls is great,” said Marc Rosenberg, a marketing consultant in Chicago that has worked in the toy industry for 25 years. But in order to connect with kids, the new dolls need to show up in Barbie YouTube videos, apps and shows, said Rosenberg.

Worldwide sales for Barbie have fallen every year since 2012 and Mattel will release 2015 sales figures next week. Mattel sells other dolls, including Monster High and American Girl brands. But Barbie remains very important to the company, bringing in about 27 percent of total revenue in the most recent quarter.

It is hoped that the new models will reinvigorate sales by bringing back into the fold the parents who had grown tired of the familiar blonde doll.

“One size doesn’t fit all,” said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TTPM, a toy review site in New York. “This gives people different options when choosing a Barbie for their child.”

Barbie may have a new look, but she’s still not shying away from media attention. The doll is on the cover of Time magazine, which first reported the changes. Barbie’s new curves are shown in shadow on the cover, next to the headline, “Now can we stop talking about my body?”

It’s a stark contrast to when Barbie showed up in the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue nearly two years ago. Back then, the doll wore a black and white swimsuit, black heels and had white sunglasses tucked into her blonde hair.

Dozens of homes destroyed after tornadoes touch down in Alabama, Mississippi

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Birmingham Times

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February 3, 2016

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Strong storms in the Southeast spawned tornadoes that touched down in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday, damaging or destroying dozens of homes and at least one church, as well as a prison. No fatalities or major injuries were reported.

The worst damage occurred Tuesday in Sapps, Ala., a small community near the Mississippi border approximately 40 miles west of Tuscaloosa.

AL.com reported that dozens of homes were reduced to rubble and at least one mobile home was cracked in half after it was apparently picked up, carried and dropped by high winds.

“I was in the bed asleep at the time and it woke me up. It sounded like a train,” Anthony Walker told AL.com. “It’s the first time in about 25 years a tornado hit here.”

The National Weather Service in Birmingham confirmed that a “large and destructive tornado” touched down near the city of Aliceville, about 45 miles west of Tuscaloosa, early Tuesday evening.

Aliceville Police Chief Tony Jones told AL.com that he only knew of two minor injuries in Sapps. “The No. 1 thing is this community itself,” Jones said. “Neighbors were getting neighbors out of homes and to the shelter.”

Aliceville is also home to a federal prison that was in the path of the tornado. A Pickens County sheriff’s deputy barred reporters from going beyond the front gate of the facility Tuesday evening.

“They’re trying to take care of the inmates right now,” the deputy said. “The windows blew out and there’s extensive damage.”

Several Nebraska schools and businesses remained closed a second day Wednesday as workers tried to reopen snow-covered roads. Interstate 80 was reopened after a 275-mile stretch was closed from Ogallala east to Lincoln, though other highways remained closed as snowplows pushed aside ice, slush and snow from the massive storm that moved across the state Tuesday.

In south-central Nebraska, more than 18 inches of snow were recorded in Grand Island and nearly 16 inches in nearby Hastings, according to the National Weather Service. The northeastern Nebraska communities of Verdigre and Wayne had 16 inches of snow, while 14 inches was reported in Norfolk. Utilities reported that electricity has been restored to almost all of the more than 20,000 customers who’d lost power.

In Mississippi, Greg Flynn, spokesman for the state’s Emergency Management Agency, said a confirmed tornado was reported just before 3:30 p.m. in eastern Newton and Lauderdale counties, largely rural areas in the eastern part of the state. Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie said the storm damaged homes, toppled trees and knocked out power.

The tornado appeared to be on the ground for about 5 miles in and near the small town of Collinsville, northwest of Meridian, Sollie said.

Student housing was damaged at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, which is northeast of Meridian in Kemper County, near the Alabama state line.

“Everyone is accounted for and safe, but student housing was damaged and EMCC is working to provide alternatives,” college spokeswoman Suzanne Monk said in a statement. She said it was unclear whether the damage on campus was caused by the tornado or straight-line winds.

First Baptist Church of Collinsville had “a good bit of structural damage,” Sollie said. He also said many trees were toppled, and power was knocked out.

Five counties in south and central Mississippi opened community safe rooms for people to take shelter, if needed, because of severe weather as a strong cold front moved through the state. The shelters were in Adams, Copiah, Forrest, Jones and Rankin counties.

The state emergency agency asked residents to prepare for the possibility of severe storms into Wednesday morning.

Later, in west Tennessee, high winds damaged several homes and school buildings in Crockett County. Public schools there were to be closed Wednesday as officials surveyed the damage. Law enforcement officials believed a tornado had passed through, but Weather Service meteorologists in Memphis said late Wednesday they couldn’t confirm a touchdown, The Jackson Sun reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report originally seen on www.foxnews.com

Schools, Black Children, and Corporal Punishment

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Birmingham Times

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February 3, 2016

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by Ariel Worthy

With so much race debate in the country, there is one topic that sometimes gets overlooked: how Black children are disciplined compared to white children in school.

In public schools in the U.S., Black children are twice as likely to be subject to corporal punishment compared to white children.

Figure 1 shows the comparison, derived from nationwide data reported by schools to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education.

There have been 42,000 reported incidents of Black boys being beaten, and 15,000 incidents for Black girls, by educators in their schools. These reports indicate two facts: Black students are more likely to be located in states that use corporal punishment extensively; also, in many states Black students are disproportionately likely to be singled out for corporal punishment.

While corporal punishment is used in almost every state, seven states account for 80 percent of school corporal punishment in the U.S.: Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. For Black students, six of those states – Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas and Tennessee – as well as Louisiana account for 90 percent of corporal punishment. One reason that Black students are subject to more corporal punishment is that they live in those states responsible for most of the corporal punishment of all children.

The annual incidence of corporal punishment by state, with states where the incidence is less than once per ten thousand students greyed out.

So where does this show that corporal punishment is disproportionate? Sadly (and somewhat unsurprisingly), right here in the Deep South. Black students are twice as likely to be struck as white students in North Carolina and Georgia, 70 percent more likely in Mississippi, 40 more likely in Louisiana, and 40 percent more likely in Arkansas.

The ratio of the frequency of corporal punishment for black students compared to the frequency for white students, with states where the incidence is less than once per ten thousand students or where the rate is equal or lower for black students greyed out.

Some high corporal punishment states are not racially disproportionate. Texas, notably, uses corporal punishment on Black students and white students with equal likelihood. Texas shows up on the lists of where Black students are hit because it is a large state that administers corporal punishment at a moderately high rate.

Here in Alabama the rate of corporal punishment is 10 times the national average. It does, however, show equal rates of Black and white children experiencing physical violence from educators.

In North Carolina, Black students are twice as likely to be struck as white students, but North Carolina uses corporal punishment infrequently and so accounts for a small proportion of punishment of Black students. In South Carolina the rate of corporal punishment is below the national average and is not racially disproportionate.

While the Confederate states use corporal punishment more frequently, racially disproportionate application happens in northern states as well. Schools in Pennsylvania and Michigan are nearly twice as likely to beat Black children as white children, although both have low overall rates of corporal punishment.

Surprisingly, Maine is significantly disproportionate – with Black children being eight times as likely to be hurt as white children. Colorado, Ohio and California also have rates over corporal punishment for Black children that are 70 percent or more higher than for white children.

Rates of corporal punishment for white students on the horizontal axis and for black students on the vertical axis. States above the 45° line in Figure 2 have racially disproportionate corporal punishments. The states clustered at the lower left of the graph have relatively lower rates of corporal punishment, sometimes disproportionate and sometimes not.

While the symbolism of continued physical violence against Black children is inescapable, the disproportionate application of other forms of discipline may be of even greater concern. Except in Mississippi and Arkansas, the typical Black student will probably not be subjected to corporal punishment during his school career.

In contrast, school suspensions are much more common.

Figure 5 shows rates of suspension by race.

Out-of-school suspensions are applied disproportionately in every state – all points are above the red line. And these discipline patterns do not line up with old geographic patterns. The highest suspension rates for Black students are in Wisconsin. And the greatest disparities (measured as the ratio of Black-to-white suspension rates) are in Washington D.C.

Out-of-school suspension rates for Black and white students by state.

Every time a child is beaten in school and every time one is suspended and thus loses learning time, something or someone has failed that child along the way, regardless of the “reason” for the punishment. So long as these failures fall disproportionately on Black children, we are not yet living up to the dream that “children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

(All data is for the 2011-2012 school year, the latest year available.)

(Charts and information found on Brookings.edu.)

Daily Quote ♡ February 3, 2016 ♡

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Birmingham Times

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February 3, 2016

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Inspirational Message

The 2016 Chrysler 200C

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Birmingham Times

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February 3, 2016

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by James Lewis Jr.

The Chrysler 200C underwent a full redesign last year and it proved to be the brand’s best (as of yet) midsize sedan. It has an elegant look that allows it to stand out without going overboard when competing with other midsize sedans. The 2016 Chrysler 200C that I had the pleasure of driving this week was in the Granite Crystal Metallic Clear Coat paint on the exterior of the vehicle and a Black/Deep Mocha Premium Leather-Trimmed Vented Seats on the Interior throughout the car along with Vented Seats on the both the driver and passenger seats. The Engine is a 2.4-Liter 14 MultiAir 4-Cylinder with a 9- Speed 948TE Automatic Transmission (my personal preference is the 3.6Liter V6 Engine); which translates into a 4-cylinder base and the performance when compared to others within its class is… well…decent, while that maybe it’s only shortcomings it has a lot of other features to make up for what it lacks in that department. The Base Price of the 2016 Chrysler 200C was roughly $28,000. But the one I was driving came with the Optional Equipment on it such as: the Customer Perferred Package 28N SafetyTec which consisted of Advanced Brake Assist, Rain Sensitive Windshield Wipers, Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, Automatic High Beam Control, Full Speed FWD Collision Warning Plus Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go Blind Spot and Cross Path Detection (Parallel and Perpendicular), Park Assist with Stop; to name a few. The Interior of the car was very elegant with design features such as a Luxury Door Trim Panel (the interior accents on the inside of the car was Real Wood/Bronze Chrome hue which really complimented the Black and Deep Mocha color scheme). An Auxiliary Power Outlet, Exterior Mirrors with Memory, Radio Presets/Exterior Mirrors and Driver’s Seat Memory with get this a heated 2-Tone Leather Steering Wheel that I thoroughly enjoyed given our sudden temperature drop last week! The GPS Navigation consisted of Uconnect 8.4 Inch Touch Screen Display and Sound Group consisted of the Sirius XM Travel Link with 9 Alpine Speakers with Subwoofer HD Radio Alpine 506-Watt Amplifier along with Sirius XM Traffic. The Premium Lighting Group consisted of HID Headlamps with LED Daytime Running Headlamps, LED Fog Lamps with 19”x 8” Polished Face/with Painted Pockets Aluminum Wheels with a Heavy Duty Anti-Lock 4-Wheel Disc Brakes. The Safety Features on the 2016 Chrysler 200C consisted of an Advanced Multistage Front Airbags Supplemental Front Seat Mounted Side Airbags along with a Side-Curtain Front and Rear Airbags, both the Driver’s and Passenger side had an inflatable Knee-Bolster Airbag and it also had the LATCH Ready Child Seat Anchor System. It also had the Parkview Rear Back-Up System, Remote Start System, an Assist Electric Park Brake and Electric Power Steering System along with a Keyless Enter’ n Go Security Alarm System. The interior of the car consisted of Air Conditioned Automatic Dual Zone Temperature Control.

The EPA’s Fuel Economy places the 2016 Chrysler 200C within the perimeters of 28mpg combined (based upon 23city/36highway) on the 2.4-Liter 14 MultiAir 4-Cylinder Engine. Bottom line folks, the was amongst the quietest and smoothest engines in this class that I have driven so far and it is great when merging and passing others during highway maneuvering and back road driving but truthfully when it comes to “Back Road Driving” you may ultimately prefer the 200S model. But hey, what do I know about your preferences?!

If you’re seeking a great midsize vehicle with great fuel economy and a stylish flair like no other; check out the 2016 Chrysler 200C, you will not be disappointed.

As always drive smart and safe!