Broadway is set to depict an interracial couple–Orlando Bloom and Condola Rshad–as “Romeo and Juliet,” according to the New York Times. The production will be directed by David Leveaux. Aside from the coolness of the mainstreaming of interracial love, I thought Leveaux’s quote about his casting decisions was illuminating.

“They could have been any number of different ethnicities,” Mr. Leveaux said in a telephone interview, referring to his casting choices. “The two actors I wanted to be together producing sparks just happened to be those two and I followed my nose in casting the families.” He decided to make the Capulets an all-black clan and the Montagues all-white to reflect real life rather than make a comment on race, he added.

The sparks between the two actors–Bloom and Rashad–”just happened.” Which further normalizes black female/white male relationships in mainstream media which we all know has a trickle down effect. But let’s not be naive, the director is looking around and seeing the writing on the wall–BW/WM couples are the next hottest thing in entertainment.

Little trivia–Condola is Phylicia Rashad’s daughter! And if you have to ask who Orlando Bloom is, please kindly see a real estate agent to help you relocate under that rock you’ve been living under.

I personally LOVE Do it Yourself (DIY) fashion, refashioning, or upcycling but of course some people are totally opposed to it, only want new things, will only wear something someone else has made, and only want the “real thing”. That’s fine, but this post might not be useful for you. Maybe open your mind and try something new, especially if you are struggling financially. If you want to stretch your dollar, buy items that can be worn in many different ways and are appropriate for different situations (e.g., buy clothes that are appropriate for work but can be made casual). Consult fashion blogs about how to make many different outfits from the same items (e.g., 7 basic pieces 14 different looks). Below are some things you can do to improve your wardrobe and bring out your inner feminine fashionista on a budget (well these things will cost more time rather than money… it can become a time consuming but useful and fun hobby).

New Ways to Improve Your Wardrobe

1) Buy a sewing machine and start sewing: Altering your own clothes will help you to look better, save you money from tailors, and allow you to wear more of the clothes you already have. It can also help you to look great in thrifted items even if they are outdated or ill-fitting. You can refashion your old clothes/thrifted clothes into entirely new items and join the green upcycling movement. Lastly, if you make your own clothes sometimes then you can always get exactly what you want instead of spending a lot of time and money to find something someone else made.

I am planning to buy a sewing machine next week. I will start off practicing with scrap fabric and then start making alterations to the clothes I already have. I have already watched many sewing tutorials on YouTube so I’m ready (e.g., sewing materials tutorial). Later on I will start making over thrift store items and eventually refashioning clothing into entirely new items (e.g., turn a t-shirt into a pencil skirt, use t-shirts to make banded skirt, make a lace tank top). When I feel confident I will use sewing patterns (e.g., from Vogue, Butterick, McCall’s, Burdastyle etc.) to make items from scratch but that can be expensive so I will have to limit how often I do that. PDF sewing patterns can be downloaded, printed, and used instantly so I’m excited!

2) Thrifting: Buying clothes from a thrift store is an easy and inexpensive way to add feminine items to your wardrobe. You can save so much money that you may lose all interest in buying retail (I have. Almost everything I wear is from a thrift store, I get compliments, and people can’t tell). You can find modern items from popular stores (sometimes unworn with the tags still on) or vintage items that are one of a kind. Or you can sometimes purchase fabric or clothing items to refashion into new items (cheaper than buying from a fabric store). It’s just fabric…think outside of the box and make it into whatever you want. There are many tutorials about how to thrift and women showing what they found at thrift stores (e.g., video1, video2, video3). Some people look down on thrifting but if you’ve been on Pinterest or YouTube you will see that all sorts of women are doing it and many are very fashionable (just wash before wearing items). I think that it’s way more important to spend money on education, housing, investments, healthy food, transportation, and necessities rather than on clothing.

3) Pinterest, Polyvore, and YouTube: Pinterest, Polyvore and the Internet can give you many ideas about how to add femininity to your wardrobe. I recently started some Pinterest pages to keep track of DIY fashion ideas and sewing patterns I would like to use. Choosing sewing patterns is like shopping for new clothes except most patterns are under $6 and you will be making the clothes yourself. The benefit of using Pinterest instead of just bookmarking items you like is that you can see what you pinned, like making an online scrapbook, instead of just a list of links. You can also save video tutorials on YouTube and many are posted on Pinterest as well. Polyvore can be used to put outfits or clothing collections together so there is no need to cut up magazines (reminds me of Cher’s computer program from Clueless). 

Simple Feminine Items to Add to your Wardrobe (many can be found in thrift stores. In DIY projects the way your items turn out will depend on your skill and artistic ability)

Peter pan or lace collars: Add some adorable to your plain shirts and dresses by adding a collar. These are all the rage and can instantly add cuteness to any outfit. They are super feminine, vintage, and maybe even hipster. I especially like the one’s with pearls. There are many tutorials about how to make them yourself (pearl collars, Peter Pan collar)

Scarves: Tie them around your neck in various ways as demonstrated in this 25 ways to tie a scarf video. Or you can tie a chiffon or silk scarf into a bow and pin it to a blouse.

Spats: Spats are a vintage shoe accessory that have made a comeback thanks to the steampunk trend. I think they are adorable! You can transform any pair of shoes or boots into a unique vintage style or tall boot (tutorial Part 1 & Part 2).

Pearls: Pearls are always classy and elegant. I heard it was bad luck to buy your own pearls but who believes in superstition anyway? You can buy imitation pearls for low prices and wear them in different ways (9 ways to wear a pearl necklace).

Cute belts: My favorites are belts with bows. They are usually inexpensive and add a touch of femininity to any outfit. Here are tutorials for makingbow belts, elastic belts, and peplum belt 1, peplum belt 2.

Shoe accessories: I prefer the ones with bows (I love bows on everything lol!) or the ones that look like jewelry. If you have a pair of plain boring shoes then accessories may be exactly what you need. Here are some tutorials: add bows to shoes Part 1 & Part 2, pinup Valentine’s Day bow shoes, add ruffles. 

Tights and Nylons: I really like wearing tights. I prefer them to nylons because they don’t run but nylons are great too. Thick tights will allow you to wear skirts/dresses even in the winter. I like tights with cute patterns and nylons with vintage styles. Fishnets are also awesome in the bedroom lol

Alterations you can Make to your Clothing 

You can buy items and wear them as is. Or you can add feminine details to the clothing. If you can sew you can also alter your clothing to fit you in a more flattering manner. Once you see how easy it is to add feminine touches to items you won’t feel the need to pay $30 for a tank top with flowers or a blouse with a studded collar since it is so easy and inexpensive to add these details yourself. Some of the alterations can be done without sewing (e.g., no sew hemming tape), with simple hand sewing, or using fabric glue if necessary (tutorial). Save money by looking for fashion inspiration online instead of buying magazines.

All of the looks below will depend on your skill and imagination. A designer or artist could make awesome alterations that you can not, at least not without practice. I strongly advise looking at retail/designer items for inspiration or else your project may not look very good. There are MANY ways to alter clothes, these are just some examples. Good Luck!:

1) Hem your clothes, shorten sleeves and hems, and bring in the sides of items that are too large (how to hem and fit a thrifted skirt)

2) Add fabric flowers, bows, or ruffles to your t-shirts, tank tops, and blouses (flowers, large ruffle, ruffles1, ruffles2, tulle flower, add frills)

3) Add lace/fabric inserts/add-ons to clothing (DIY lace sleeves, lace cap sleeve, flutter sleeves, add lace, ruffle sleeve, bow sleeve)

4) Add beads, pearls, or studs (embellished sweater, studded blazer)

5) Add an iron on or stenciled detail (use templates to paint clothes, lace pattern tutorial)

6) Use fabric paint to change the look of your clothes (sweater DIY, puff paint beads)

7) Add pre-made or homemade appliques (DIY applique collar)

8) Change the buttons on your shirt or jacket (self-explanatory)

9) Cut up a t-shirt and use a no-sew method to embellish it (tutorial)

10) Dye your clothes (tutorial)

11) Paint your shoes or add decorations (tutorial-don’t like the style but you can do whatever your want, add shoe bling)

Dresses For Work and After Work by elegantbw featuring a sleeveless dress

Feminine accents: frills, ruffles, flowers, lace, bows, peplums, accentuating curves. These dresses are appropriate for work especially if paired with cardigans and blazers and if they are knee length.

Note: Top image is of pinup model Angelique Noire, I LOVE her style

Could this beautiful baby be predisposed to poverty?

Poverty is the world’s most common issue. And, though many of us have not experienced it personally, we are all aware that poverty exists around the globe. On some continents, like Africa, poverty is much more commonplace than in other regions. For example, the Americas, Asia, and Europe have all made vast economic improvements over recent centuries and decades situating them well ahead of other developing nations. But, according to a recent study by two economists, this demarcation could have less to do with issues like agricultural development or terrain and more to do with simple genetics. So, is poverty in our DNA?

What is this topic even about? Something called “genoeconomics.” And, put simply, it is the linkage of chromosomes and money. In essence, scholars have ventured to find a direct relationship between DNA and aggregate economic success or impairment. And, a very important work will be published in the American Economic Review which makes some key assertions about nationality and money making potential.

The forthcoming article, titled “The “Out of Africa ”Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, and Comparative Economic Development,” by Quamrul Ashraf and Oded Galor, maintains the following claim.

“While the low degree of diversity among Native American populations and the high degree of diversity among African populations have been a detrimental force in the development of these regions, the intermediate levels of genetic diversity prevalent among European and Asian populations have been conducive for development.”

Many people assign socioeconomic indicators like region, capital, class, and nationality to poverty. And, while all of these things have a correlative relationship with the phenomena, it has been quite difficult to assign a causal relationship to any one issue.

What is the difference between correlative and causal? Well, correlation says that where you find one thing (x) you are likely to find another (y). But, causality says that one thing (x) actually causes the other(y) to exist. And, this recent article on poverty has misleadingly claimed that racial or genetic diversity causes poverty.

So, in this case, the paper’s central thesis is simply that, historically,  African populations fought too much and Native American populations were too complacent. But, European and Asian populations had just the right amount of diversity to assist them in their cooperative efforts towards economic development. They use broad-based survey data to support these claims. And, to qualify the paper’s findings on “genetic diversity,” the authors have a lengthy set of peers from a host of reputable institutions, with economics being their primary expertise, to back-up their findings.

The claim seems flawed. Even from a bird’s eye view, it seems nearly impossible to find a singular causal link for something as monolithic as poverty. And, several other authors agree with that perception.

Contending authors, Jade d’Alpoim Guedes et al., have published a scathing critique of Ashraf and Galor titled “Is Poverty in Our Genes?” In the piece they note three main issues with the economists’ findings. First, they claim that Ashraf and Galor misuse scientific terminology and therefore do not understand key issues of genetic diversity. Second, they believe that the underlying data utilized in the analysis is flawed. And, lastly, the authors note a vast body of work out there which is in direct discord with Ashraf and Galor’s assertions.

Now, while these three criticisms are important in understanding why this article is receiving so much negative publicity, it is most important to measure the impact of the study’s findings on real human beings. These findings could suggest to countries struggling with economic development that they simply need to increase or decrease their levels of genetic diversity to meet Ashraf and Galor’s optimum levels.

In an email, when asked about the purported “bad science” in Ashraf and Galor’s piece, d’Alpoim Guedes wrote the following.

“People are upset, they are jobless and they are looking for an explanation. They are offered one by a government who decides to point the finger at their immigrants and which states ‘Scientists have proven that in order to help our economy we need to get rid of our genetic diversity, hence immigrants.’ (They are not going to read or understand any of the subtler points of the argument). Because of the dangers of statements like this, scientists need to be held to the highest ethical standards when it comes to informing the public of the limitations of one’s research.”

And how exactly do you change your genetic diversity? Well, there’s genocide. And, you could simply try your best to exile immigrants from your country. Or, you could limit the birth rate in naturalized citizens in an effort to dilute the natural population with immigrants from other lands. In any case, the idea sounds completely unrealistic or ethically unsound as a governmental means to economic improvement.

When asked about the “false positive” identified in the study, d’Alpoim Guedes answered simply, “There is no underlying truth to be found here.”

I am inclined to agree. So, what is the cause of poverty? Or is there one single cause at all? I once heard someone coin the term “moral luck.” I wonder if that applies here. If so, then there is nothing we can do to improve at all. But who wants to believe that?

How Did We Get Here…Again?

Well, simply, Congress continues to fail at reaching a consensus as to how to govern effectively. In 2011, Congressional Republicans fought with President Obama on a compromise on the debt ceiling debate. And, in an effort to move them toward a handy solution, the President offered “sequestration” - sweeping cuts to the military and domestic spending - to incentivize their action on the debt ceiling. Well, sadly, the special committee chosen to handle the issue failed miserably. Not only that, Republicans deemed the sweeping cuts the “Obama budget cuts” as a talking point, signalling that they would no longer take control of the looming crisis.

In essence, these periodic economic scares are 100% self-imposed by Congress. And, we continue to arrive at these impasses as a direct result of their incompetence. But, will it really happen this time?

Will the Cuts Really Happen?

Many economists agree that the sequester is likely to occur. To them, it seems to be a foregone conclusion. Why? Well, with the previous battles over simple congressional duties like passing a budget, increasing the debt limit, or passing policy to avoid the fiscal cliff, it has become apparent that our “do-nothing” Congress is actually great at consistently failing the American people. And, there have been no indications that this time will be any different.

And, while a majority of Americans want to stave off the sweeping cuts, it is clear that many in the voting public do not quite grasp the current state of the US deficit. For example, a majority of those polled recently indicated that the deficit was increasing when, in actuality, the 2013 budget is projected at “$845 billion, down from last year’s $1.1 trillion.”

Similarly, it is clear that a lack of understanding about the current status of the economy might be the key obstacle shielding Congress from the negative attention it rightfully deserves. And, Congressional Republicans are likely the greatest candidates for disdain in this case.

But, maybe the public’s inability to personalize this crisis has also enabled the issue to thrive for so long. But, just this week, the White House released reports detailing how this ominous sequestration issue could turn into a major pocketbook issue, personalizing it for each every personn living in this country.

What Could This Mean for You?

The President is still working with Republicans on an alternative to the sequester. But, for now there are several finite impacts the current sequestration bill could have on the American public. The $85 billion cuts – $1.2 trillion by 2021 – could  impact local, state, and Federal economies for quite some time.

According to the Washington Post, the White House has listed the following impacts – along with many others - as very likely to occur if no changes are made in Congress by Friday, March 1st.

1. Public schools across the country could face millions of dollars in losses including reduced staff and lower rates of students served.
2. Thousands of children could lose access to child care programs on which they depend.
3. There could be millions of dollars in cuts to the “STOP Violence Against Women Program” reducing the number of victims served and the cash available to assist current program participants.
4. The sequester could slow the recovery efforts in New Jersey from Superstorm Sandy.
5. There could be cuts to the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and Clean Air and Clean Water programs.
6. The Small Business Association could face cuts to its business loan programs.
7. Public health initiatives like HIV testing, substance abuse programs, and access to public health threat programs could face drastic cuts leaving many without quality resources to ensure their personal health.

So, overall, this is not a positive story to tell. But, knowing this information is half the battle. If Congress does nothing, Americans could not only suffer in the immediate future, there could be lasting educational, health, and economic consequences felt for generations to come.

Urge your officials to act before it is too late. And check out the impacts to your state to prepare youself for what seems to be the inevitable.

Thirty is the new twenty.

Forty is the new thirty.

Oh girl, don’t worry! Women are having kids well into their forties nowadays; you’ve got plenty of time!

They intend to be helpful and supportive, upbeat and modern–but, although their intentions are good and their hearts are (probably) in the right place, those who are advising today’s twenty-somethings by offering the above italicized platitudes are actually doing more harm than good, according to Dr. Meg Jay.

Dr. Jay earned her doctorate in clinical psychology and gender studies from the University of California, Berkeley. It was her work counseling and teaching twenty-somethings–as a clinical professor at the University of Virginia, and in her private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia–that led her to write “The Defining Decade: Why your twenties matter–and how to make the most of them now.”

According to Dr. Jay, twentysomethings are more confused than ever, and their confusion is partly due to receiving well-intentioned, but ill-informed and inaccurate advice. Twentysomethings are also confused because they fail to realized just how important their twenties actually are.

Your Twenties Are Serious Business…Treat Them That Way

In “The Defining Decade,” Dr. Jay lays out the facts.

Two-thirds of lifetime wage growth happens within the first decade of your career. Your salary will most likely reach its peak by the time you hit 40–wage increases after that point are mainly cost of living increases. Thus, you need to have a career established by 30 so that you can rise within the ranks and gain salary increases by 40. Yet, Dr. Jay sees many twentysomethings choosing the low-paying, low responsibility, dead-end, job that gives them ‘freedom,’ over the position that may be more demanding and challenging in the short-term, but in the long-term provides more room for career advancement.

Look at it this way: Say a woman wants to be able to save enough money to supplement her family income in her thirties for a few years while she stays home with small children. In order to accumulate this fund, the women will need to have been saving money in her twenties. If, instead of saving, she has been working to fund back-packing trips through Europe, how will she be able to comfortable stay home with kids when her thirties arrive? Yeah, a husband who earns enough money may make her dreams a reality, but what if he did the same thing with his twenties as she did with hers? You can see that by not taking the prime working years of their twenties seriously, both men and women are closing off their options for the future in a way that they may not yet realize.

Network, Network, Network… and Then Network Some More

Your twenties are the time to take the task of meeting new people seriously, says Dr. Jay.

Familiarity breeds similarity. The more time we spend with someone, the more likely we are to share a common set of experiences and to share confidences; in other words, we become like the people we are around all of the time. We develop what are called strong ties with people with whom we spend significant amounts of time. We develop strong ties with our friends, family, and romantic partners, among others. The opposite of a strong tie is a weak tie.

A weak tie develops with “the people we have met, or are connected to somehow, but do not currently know well” (The Defining Decade, pp. 20).

Rose Coser, a sociologist cited in “The Defining Decade” states: “Our strong ties feel comfortable and familiar but, other than support, they may have little to offer. They are usually too similar–even too similarly stuck–to provide more than sympathy. They often don’t know any more about jobs or relationships than we do.”

Surprisingly, it is the people with whom we develop weak ties who often end up being the most meaningful and propitious relationships in terms of how our lives end up. Weak ties introduce us to people who can help us in unforeseen ways; we even communicate differently with weak ties than with strong ties, and thus are speech becomes more elaborate and informative the more we communicate with our weak ties. Those who limit themselves by failing to develop weak ties with a wide web of people are limiting their chances at randomly meeting a future romantic partner or hearing about an as-yet-unadvertised dream job.

Your Eggs are Getting Old…Accept It, and Then Plan For It

“The Defining Decade” is mostly upbeat and optimistic, but the good doctor does engage in a bit of ‘real talk’ about the reality of the aging process. The truth is, thirty really is not the new twenty, and forty really is not the new thirty. A woman’s eggs have a clock, and if a woman wants to have a family, she needs to start planning for that family sooner rather than later. One of Dr. Jay’s patients said that she wanted to get married, have a year or two to enjoy her husband, and then get pregnant. Sounds like a plan. The only problem was that the woman was already 33–and not yet married, but close to being engaged–when she announced this plan. Long story short, the woman worked her plan: she got married, enjoyed her husband, and then tried to get pregnant. Unfortunately, the woman’s body had a different plan and she was unable to conceive. After spending thousands on fertility treatments, the couple eventually gave up on their dream of having children.

Dr. Jay cites the data: “In 1970, one in ten fortysomething women were childless. Today, one in five are” (pp. 182). The doctor continues, “But according to a National Survey of Family Growth, about half of childless couples are not childless by choice.” A woman’s egg quality decreases as she ages. By waiting until they are older, more and more women are ending up involuntarily childless. Older mothers are also causing a spike in the number of children born with birth defects.

Dr. Jay’s advice is simple: If you want children, start thinking about that ASAP and then plan accordingly to get what you want.

“The Defining Decade” is filled with tons of good advice about how twentysomethings can and should make the most of the decade between OMG-I-Can-Get-Drunk-At-The-Bar and OMG-I-Want-To-Finally-Start-A-Family.
_____________________

Jamila Akil is a Senior Editor at Beyond Black and White. Follow her on Twitter @jamilaakil

David Bakke dug himself out of over $30k in credit card debt he accumulated during his college years. He is now debt-free and shares his tips on the blog, Money Crashers Finance.

Whether you’ve got a little debt or a lot, it puts a strain on managing your finances. Interest payments are a waste of money, and climbing out of that hole is never fun. But the truth is, getting out of debt doesn’t require a ton of sacrifice. With some thoughtful planning, a little research, and some spending discipline, you too can become debt-free.

Knowing where to start is the hardest part, so check out these six strategies first:

1. Effectively Pay Down Credit Card Debt
Map out a game plan for paying off your debt and prioritize your efforts. Start with the credit cards with the highest APRs and work your way down the list – you’ll pay less overall†interest in the end. Once your balances are out of your life for good, always remember: If you can’t pay something off by the end of the month, then you simply can’t afford it.

2. Reduce What You Pay for Food
The best way to reduce the cost of your grocery purchases is to clip coupons. Depending upon how much time you invest, you can trim your grocery bill by as much as 80% using extreme couponing strategies. Next, look for a farmers’ market or a local farm and do your produce shopping there. The quality is equal to (if not better than) your local supermarket, and the prices are much more affordable.

3. Reduce Personal Purchases
Whether you’re carrying too much debt because of bad spending practices, medical expenses, or unforeseen personal events, now is the time to better discipline your spending. When you consider buying something, ask yourself if this is something you want or something you need. “Needs” are required for survival (such as housing, transportation, basic utilities) and “wants” are everything else. Eliminate as many wants as you can until you’re debt-free.

4. Generate More Income
You may have a goldmine of money-making opportunities right under your nose. All those old electronics, clothes, and college textbooks can be sold on eBay or Amazon. If you’re unsure about an item’s value, check its sales’ history on eBay through the “Completed Listings” tab. You’d be surprised at what people are willing to pay for.

Next, check out paid survey websites such as LightSpeed Research and Pinecone Research. They offer $2 to $3 per survey, and they generally take about 30 minutes to fill out. You won’t make a fortune, but every little bit helps. If you’re looking for something more substantial, you can look to start a business or explore some of the additional ways to make money from home.

5. Cut Utility Bills
Adjusting your thermostat by just three degrees can result in a 20% savings on your energy bill. Take shorter showers, and run only full loads of clothing and dishes to reduce your water bill. Turn off all lights and appliances when not in use, and unplug the ones you don’t use very often. Just some minor tweaks in the way you handle your home energy use can add up to significant savings at the end of the year.

6. Pare Back Services
Do you really need 500 TV channels and three paid movie streaming services? Is an unlimited data plan for your cell phone really necessary? Most of the time we can get by with less and still be very comfortable. Explore reducing your fixed monthly rates, and you can pay off your debt that much quicker.

Final Thoughts
Remember that these are not lifelong sacrifices. They’re only necessary until that last balance is paid off. It’s up to you whether to leave them in place once you’re debt-free, but if you’ve become a more disciplined spender, try leaving them in place. In either case, just make sure you don’t revert to your old spending habits, or you’ll find yourself right back in debt.

What other strategies can you think of to get out of debt?

The Negro Family, which later came to be widely known simply as “The Moynihan Report,” did not even originally have Moynihan’s name on it’s cover–the document was only meant to be distributed to high-ranking members of the Johnson administration in order to spur discussion regarding what policies could be implemented in order to assist the Negro family with the task of fully integrating society. But, Moynihan was also issuing a warning. The Negro family was already suffering rates of familial disintegration, poverty, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy at rates far higher than white families; if something was not done soon, he warned that the problems of lower class blacks (i.e., a “tangle of pathology”) may well become self-perpetuating, if they had not become self-perpetuating already.

To the dismay of many within the Johnson administration, including Moynihan himself, the Report was leaked to the press. Black leaders and leaders were less than impressed with the way that Moynihan described the black family, using language that they felt was overly pessimistic and which blamed the victim instead of blaming the racism of whites. The usage of the phrase “tangle of pathology” to describe the multitude of problems in which lower class blacks were often enmeshed infuriated black leaders. Before the report had even been officially released to the public, articles appeared attempting to call Moynihan’s words and intentions in writing the report into question.

Eleanor Holdmes Norton, civil rights activist, graduate of Yale Law School, and feminist, was one of the few black leaders who agreed with what Moynihan wrote in his report:

As far back as the early 1970′s she had tried unsuccessfully to get civil rights leaders–most of them men–to pay more attention to the needs of black families. Discouraged by the response, she had defended the Moynihan Report to [Ken] Auletta, observing sadly, “that it had to come from a white person tells you about the failure of black leadership.” (Freedom Is Not Enough, author James T. Patterson)

Some black scholars such as Herbert G. Gutman, author of the tome’The Black family in slavery and freedom, 1750-1925′ insisted that although the black family has not come out of slavery unscathed, blacks were “resilient”–black families had retained an extended family structure to support each other and to protect against the vicissitudes of life during slavery and Jim Crow. According to the Gutman, the black family members should be praised for their adaptiveness in response to the conditions of racism. This insistence that there was really nothing wrong with black families–white racism was the real problem–deflected attention away from arguments seeking to create policies to help ‘heal’ the black family; if the black family isn’t broken, then why continue to talk about fixing it?

President Johnson, who was seeking to keep support of the Vietnam war high and needed that support in order to ramp up the war efforts, did not want to simultaneously request funds to divert towards social programs designed to assist the black poor.

And then, in mid-August of 1965, riots erupted in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California. The racial tension in the Watts neighborhood erupted into violence that lasted 6 days until being squashed by the National Guard. Despite the fact that blacks were rioting after a long period of being discriminated against and outright harassed, many white Americans began to see blacks as being ungrateful and unworthy of having their needs assuaged or their complaints addressed.

At the time the report was released, some feminists felt that too much ink was being spent writing about the problems of black men. Why should the focus be on black men when it was black women who–by working low-wage, unskilled, dead-end jobs–were raising children alone in impoverished and often violent surroundings? Moynihan was referring to the black community as being a matriarchy, yet the majority of black women were struggling just to make ends meet.

The black family continued to take a metaphorical beating while everyone was discussing and disagreeing with each other. Drugs became more easily and more widely available with black communities in the 60′s and 70′s, which lead to an increase in crime and problems related to drug addiction. Mass incarceration of black males facilitated the creation of a pseudo-prison culture among young black men.

Finally, decades after the Moynihan Report had been published, black academics, scholars, and other public figures began to speak out about effects of the disintegration of the family on black Americans. Comedian Bill Cosby gave his infamous speech before a meeting of the NAACP about the reckless behavior of lower class blacks. John McWhorter wrote Losing the Race, a book about how blacks were falling further and further behind the rest of society due to their own failure to adapt and acclimate the standards and mores that were allowing all other racial and ethnic groups to improve their standing.

Over 40 years after The Negro Family, all that has happened is talk. The Million Man March, a historic event that was supposed to encourage black men to step up and fully participate in the healing of black families had virtually no effect.

Barack Obama has done nothing directly to help black families, besides giving a few speeches in black churches where he admonishes black men for their failure to be loving husbands and fathers. Obama has talked, but he has done nothing to change policy in any way that would turn the tide on the unraveling of the black family. When 20 children were killed in a mass shooting in Newtowne, CT, the President announced proposals addressing gun control approximately 2 months later. How many black men were killed in Chicago and Detroit last year and yet the President has committed to no efforts to either modify or create new public policy to help black men or black families?

At this point, it remains highly doubtful that there will be a turning of the tide. For the last 40 plus years the trends that Moynihan pointed out, particularly that of rising rates of out-of-wedlock children, have been increasing, not just for blacks but for all Americans, although blacks still have by far the highest rate of out-of-wedlock childbearing. The black family has become ever more fragile, with fewer and fewer black children expected to grow up in a home with 2 parents. And, this at time when family structure is a better predictor of whether or not a child will be successful in life than that child’s race. Children who grow up in a single-parent home are truly the disadvantaged, just like Danial Patrick Moynihan predicted.
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Jamila Akil is a Senior Editor at Beyond Black and White. You can follow her on Twitter @jamilaakil

A few weeks ago, Rep. Boehner offered a Plan ‘B’ option. This option, once again, attacked spending and did little to meet the demands from Pres. Obama and congressional Democrats that tax rates for the wealthiest Americans go up unilaterally. The Dems had argued consistently that increased revenues in the form of tax hikes for the rich were nonnegotiable options for averting the fiscal cliff. But, with Grover Norquist breathing down their necks about their pledge to never ever ever never increase taxes, Republicans had steadily buckled under the pressure of this recent political debacle. He had repeatedly emphasized that tax increases were not an option. And while many Reps had said that Norquist’s words have no impact on their political decision-making, they held to their pledge. And, even when presented with the option to raise taxes on a small percentage of Americans (with Norquist’s support), Republicans turned it down.

More recently, Mr. POTUS took the fiscal cliff issue to the American public. He had repeated press conferences where he put his foot down demanding that Boehner develop a reasonable plan to avert the fiscal cliff. He laid out a plan to “set $400,000 as the income threshold for a tax rate increase, up from his original plan of $250,000. It also had a new formula for the consumer price index — called chained CPI — that wraps in new assumptions on consumer habits in response to rising prices, such as seeking cheaper alternatives, and would result in smaller benefit increases.” But, what seemed like a foot in the door with House Republicans was ignored when Boehner lost the support of his party.

Then, just yesterday, President Obama stepped out one last time to address the lack of sufficient progress made by Congress on the fiscal cliff deal. Even Vice President Joe Biden had to lend his negotiation techniques and long-time experience in Congress to help our legislative representatives along.

And, in true movie fashion, the Senate answered Pres. Obama’s call for action in a 2AM vote to avert the fiscal cliff. This swift move on New Year’s Day signaled the opportunity to conquer the impasse on the fiscal cliff deal. The deal the Senate passed this morning does several things (per ABC News).

1. It extends Bush-era tax cuts permanently for individuals making less than $400,000 per year and couples making less than $450,000.
2. It allows the top marginal tax rate on incomes above those levels to rise to 39.6 percent.
3. Capital gains taxes would rise to 20 percent from 15 percent.
4. It raises the estate tax from 35 to 40 percent for estates larger than $5 million.
5. It prevents the alternative minimum tax from hammering millions of middle-class workers.
6. Lastly, it extends unemployment benefits for one year.

Some have said President Obama’s rigidity on this issue stems mainly from the fact that he was reelected in November and has no concerns about campaigning again. And, since this is true, it makes sense that he would put his proverbial foot down on this self-inflicted issue.

So what happened next? Well, the House had the power. They attempted to amend the Senate bill to suit their fancy. But, since the bill would have to go back to the Senate no later than tomorrow if that happened, they ended up voting on the bill in its original fashion. The President still has to sign off on the final bill to make it the law of the land. And, the impending danger here was that any work done before the Jan.3rd deadline would have become null and void after noon on Thursday. And even though the bill itself seemed pretty solid, Rep. Cantor had explicitly stated that he did not support the bill in its current form. Since Rep. Cantor is the No.2 Republican in the House, some had said that his opposition came from a desire to dethrone Rep. Boehner who has to survive a vote this week to keep his position as Speaker of the House. Luckily, none of this minutia mattered when Rep. Boehner was able to rally the troops around the Senate bill.

The bill passed the House tonight in a 257-167 bipartisan vote, a majority well over the number of votes needed to pass a bill in Congress’ secondary body. And, in addition to the attributes listed above, the passed bill includes several key pieces of legislation (per CBS News).

1. A provision called the “Doc Fix” which shields medical care providers from a reimbursement gaps for Medicare services.
2. An extension on renewable energy subsidies for companies who qualify
3. A patch for the “milk cliff” which would have resulted in giant increases in milk costs
4. A freeze on congressional salaries

In a press conference tonight, President Obama praised Congress for passing the bill. But noted that he would like it to be much smoother in the future.

“I am very open to compromise…we can’t simply cut our way to prosperity…while I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress over whether or not they should pay the bills that they’ve already racked up through the laws that they’ve already passed…if we can put a package like this together with a little bit less drama, a little less brinksmanship…I look forward to working with every single member of Congress to meet this obligation in the New Year.”

In all, there will be a lot to talk about in politics over the next few weeks. Most notably, an issue looming in the distance is the US debt ceiling. Well, we’ve reached it. This means that we have hit our credit limit legally allowed by the federal government. And, we have only got another two months before it has to be raised to meet our current spending levels or patched through cuts and other resolutions. Last year, the debt ceiling conflict rolled on like a cheap soap opera. I’d expect this one to be no different.

These are definitely pocketbook issues. They affect take home pay, spending ability, and social welfare provisions. For now, I say, stay tuned. November was exciting but there’s always something whacky going on in DC.

For all those screaming on the sidelines at one another, this is not to say that your passion isn’t warranted. But, have you ever heard the phrase “he who argues with a fool…”? Well, who’s to say anyone’s a fool here? One thing that can be said is that the American public is totally over this whole partisan, political football thing and they simply want their Representatives and Senators to figure this whole mess out.

What is the “Fiscal Cliff” and How Did We Get Here in the First Place?

Those on the right will argue about this, but this whole mess started because of the “Bush Tax Cuts.” And, I find that the most thorough, unbiased explanation of these relief measures comes from Investopedia.

A series of temporary income tax relief measures enacted by President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003. The tax cuts lowered federal income tax rates for everyone, decreased the marriage penalty, lowered capital gains taxes, lowered the tax rate on dividend income, increased the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000 per child, eliminated the phaseout on personal exemptions for higher-income taxpayers and eliminated the phaseout on itemized deductions and eliminated the estate tax.

With this understanding, it is clear that the Bush Tax Cuts lowered tax rates for everyone. The rich and poor alike have gained from these measures. And, the easiest way to understand the cuts is simply to grasp that there were previously higher rates and, after these laddered measures became active over the past ten years, the rates have been lowered across the board.

So, where does this fiscal cliff come in you ask? Well, Congress has been wrestling over these temporary tax measures since President Obama was elected. And in 2010, against the advice of many in his party, Obama signed an extension of the tax measures until December 31st, 2012. And, since Congress couldn’t get their act together to solve this issue, President Obama pushed for spending cuts that would automatically activate if no compromise was made. The Republicans signed up for this, to their dismay, and everyone kicked the tax cut can down the road and moved on to the next issue.

Upon expiration, these tax cuts would be joined by sweeping cuts across other spending, like defense, for example, would face strict cuts. This is where the term “sequestration” comes from. So, here we are, perched atop the fiscal cliff.

What are the Options Right Now?

Really, it is a simple linear equation on this one. You have your outflow variables on one side like defense spending, education, healthcare, and the like. And, on the other side you have your inflow variable: taxes. People will try and muddy up the conversation and throw Social Security in there but, ever noticed how your pay stub deducts that automatically? Well that’s called a payroll deduction. We are talking about income taxes. These are two separate conversations and for now, the twain shall not meet.

So, it is supposed to look something like this:

Incomes Taxes =Defense Spending + Education + Healthcare + Other Stuff

But, with our huge deficit and other income from the few loans we have out there, it really looks like this:

Incomes Taxes + Other income =Defense Spending + Education + Healthcare + Other Stuff +Federal Deficit/Credit Payments

You get the point right? These are the levers that need to be pulled. They are toggles that need to be, I don’t know…toggled. And, everyone has an opinion about which ones should be toggled when and by how much. Liberals say we should raise taxes and cut defense. And Conservatives say the exact opposite. But, being that this is a linear function, isn’t the answer somewhere squarely in the middle? Arguing back and forth about who did what really solves nothing. And, until we start really understanding and thinking through the options before us, we will get nowhere.

It wasn’t long ago that this country had to buckle down and face World War I. Subsequently, the Great Depression, caused by a host of factors, led into the start of World War II. And, during this evolutionary period for our country, we didn’t spend so much time denigrating and vilifying one another for political gain. Folks figured out that things would be harder and they wouldn’t have all the things they wanted but they would work to get what they needed. This isn’t meant to be preachy, but when are we going to start talking about what might happen if we do go over this fiscal cliff? Have we even considered the fact that we, the people – no pun intended – have some control over our own domains? What are we going to do to get serious about our body politic? And, what does this fiscal crisis mean to the Average Joe?

What is the Likely Outcome?

Politicians and pollsters would like you to believe that the world is going to end if the other side gets what they want. But, the truth is, the two sides are a lot closer on this stuff than they’d like to put on. The focus on reelection sometimes gets them all up in a tizzy. But, it is highly likely that the next few weeks of political melodrama will be capped off with an anti-climatic middle of the night vote. And, surprisingly, all will be saved. Even if all is saved for only a few more years, all will, nonetheless, be saved. I mean, that’s what happened last time.

But, in the meantime, this might be a good time to put the pointed finger away and turn some attention to the fact that we have got a looming fiscal crisis threatening to undue the progress made in the past few years. Not only that, this crisis is totally controllable. With some finesse and a lot of compromise, our leaders could get a solution passed tomorrow (this is a tad hyperbolic but you get the point). But, how are they going to get there with all the bickering and political grandstanding? The truth is, within this country, there are two spheres which exist in parallel. In a political sense, the right and left exist in almost perfect disharmony. And, they operate in disjointed bubbles which allow them to only reinforce their own beliefs. But, sometimes, you just need to hear a voice of reason to snap you back into reality.

What would you tell our friends in Congress to do if you could? What lessons have you learned that might be worth passing on to another person stressed out over the looming fall? Maybe we could all think about increasing our savings and starting a money market account before rates get any worse. Or, one might consider cutting back on gas usage to use the saved dollars to pay off school loans or other debt.

There are many lessons to be had here. But, what I would say is, let’s stop debating and start listening. Rep or Dem, conservative or liberal, we have got to get this straightened out. The New Year will be here before we know it. And, we have got to get our political houses in order. What do you think we really need to do about the fiscal cliff? Without blaming anyone or pointing fingers, what are some real solutions to this very very real problem?

Still fired up about the cliff, tell your Representative directly here.

Or, contact your Senator here.

According to Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) analysis of the October employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job growth improved in October with women gaining 53 percent of jobs added to nonfarm payrolls. Job growth was strong for both women (91,000 jobs) and men (80,000 jobs) for a total of 171,000 jobs added.
Women’s employment growth was aided by strong growth in education and health services (23,000 jobs added for women), retail trade (22,000 jobs added for women), and leisure and hospitality (18,000 jobs added for women). While government employment declined by 13,000 jobs overall in October, women gained 12,000 government jobs.
The latest data increased the number of jobs on payrolls by 50,000 for August (from 142,000 to 192,000) and 34, 000 for September (from 114,000 to 148,000). Since January 2012 an average of 157,000 jobs have been added each month, 45 percent of which went to women.
Both men and women now have a higher number of jobs than they did in February 2009, the time of the first jobs report after President Barack Obama took office. Men have experienced net growth of 862,000 jobs as of October 2012. Women, whose job peak and job trough occurred later than men’s peak and trough, are 56,000 jobs above their February 2009 jobs number. In the past year, women’s job growth has accelerated and women have now regained almost as large a share of their lost jobs as have men.

So, BB&W, do you think this tenuous recovery will hold?
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