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National HIV Testing Day: Obama and Congress Weigh In
Over the past couple of decades, numerous HIV/AIDS observance days have been established to address the epidemic’s impact in different communities. Among others, there are: * National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7) * National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10) * National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 20) * National Asian and…
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Obama and Congress Observe National HIV Testing Day
Over the past couple of decades, numerous HIV/AIDS observance days have been established to address the epidemic’s impact in different communities. Among others, there are: * National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7) * National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10) * National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 20) * National Asian and…
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Black Caucus Wants to Get You a Job
Things have not been working out for the Congressional Black Caucus. Between its 43 members, this year the organization has introduced 40 different jobs bills to address the national unemployment rate of 9.1 percent (and 16.2 percent for African Americans in particular). They’ve met twice with President Obama on the issue. But their legislative efforts…
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Obama's Not-So-Major Afghanistan Announcement
When President Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan in 2009, deploying 30,000 additional troops there, he summarized the mission with three objectives: 1. Deny al-Qaida a safe haven. 2. Reverse the Taliban’s momentum. 3. Strengthen Afghani security forces in order to transfer responsibility of the country over to them. The president’s decision came with a…
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What's Michelle Obama Doing in Africa?
Whether speaking to students in Mexico, Brazil, the U.K. or Washington, D.C., first lady Michelle Obama has always focused on leadership, encouraging young people to excel academically, serve their communities and know that they control their destinies. Reflecting her own personal story, it’s an inspirational and sometimes emotional message that Mrs. Obama will revisit this…
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Welfare, Fathers and Those Persistent Myths
Does the state discourage poor fathers from being present in their children’s lives? There are the emblematic images, like Diahann Carroll as a single mother on welfare in the 1974 movie Claudine, struggling to hide her boyfriend from a social worker. Urban legends tell of “man in the house” rules that prohibit men from living…
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2012 Campaign: Who Is Katherine Archuleta?
I’ll admit: Last week when the Obama 2012 re-election campaign announced its new political director, I thought: “Who?” But even if the president’s pick, Katherine Archuleta, doesn’t yet have national name recognition, she’s certainly a strong political operative: 1. She’s the chief of staff to Secretary Hilda Solis in the U.S. Department of Labor. 2.…
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Can the Government Create Better Dads?
It sometimes rubs people the wrong way. But President Obama has a tendency to talk about parental responsibility, especially as it pertains to absentee dads, when addressing African-American audiences. “Michelle and I happen to be black parents, so I may add a little ‘umph’ to it when I’m talking to black parents,” he joked to…
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Head-Scratching Moments in the GOP Debate
It was a given that the seven presidential candidates in Monday night’s Republican debate would bandy about plenty of “Obama is doing it wrong” arguments. Whether the issue was stabilizing the economy, the auto-industry bailout, health care reform, being tough enough on terrorists or deporting enough undocumented immigrants, everyone thoroughly condemned the president for his…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
