“nationally, black babies are more than twice as likely as white babies to die before the age of 1. Here in Pittsburgh, the rate is five times. ”
—TIMOTHY WILLIAMS for NYTimesMaking History: Melissa Harris-Perry to be the ONLY black woman to host a political talk show in cable news
thegrio.comFrom theGrio.com:
Melissa Harris-Perry (courtesy of Blog Of New Orleans)
MSNBC has expanded their weekend line-up by adding a new show hosted by regular contributor Melissa Harris-Perry. The Melissa Harris-Perry Show will launch in February and it will be the only politically-themed show hosted by an African-American woman on a cable news network.
MSNBC Vice President and Executive Editor, Yvette Miley, who is also an African-American, explains how Perry reached this level of success, “Melissa Harris Perry has earned this opportunity not just to participate in the political discussion but to lead the conversation about America’s future and our future.”
“This is an extraordinary experience,” said Perry, who is currently a political science professor at Tulane University. “[MSNBC President] Phil Griffin and MSNBC are giving me the chance to have a much bigger classroom.”
The show will debut on MSNBC February 4th and is set to air on Saturdays and Sundays between 10AM-12PM. Griffin made the announcement and explained how he is thrilled to have her join the expanded weekend line-up.
The MSNBC audience is familiar with Melissa Harris-Perry. Perry is a frequent guest ofPoliticsNation with Reverend Al Sharpton and she also serves as an occasional host of The Rachel Maddow Show along with the The Last Word.
MSNBC is a division of NBCUniversal which is the parent company of theGrio
Seeing that Melissa Harris-Perry is obviously a role model that I as a socially conscious black female should be more informed about, I did a little more digging.
Here is her personal website which has her bio if you’re interested.
Highlighted accomplishments from her bio:
- “She previously served on the faculties of the University of Chicago and Princeton University.”
- Harris-Perry is author of the well received new book, Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America (Yale 2011) which argues that persistent harmful stereotypes-invisible to many but painfully familiar to black women-profoundly shape black women’s politics, contribute to policies that treat them unfairly, and make it difficult for black women to assert their rights in the political arena.
- Professor Harris-Perry is a columnist for The Nation magazine, where she writes a monthly column also titled Sister Citizen.
- In 2009 Professor Harris-Perry became the youngest scholar to deliver the W.E.B. Du Bois Lectures at Harvard University. Also in 2009 she delivered the prestigious Ware Lecture, becoming the youngest woman to ever do so.
- Professor Harris-Perry received her B.A. in English from Wake Forest University, her Ph.D. in political science from Duke University and an honorary doctorate from Meadville Lombard Theological School. And she studied theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York.
- She also lives in New Orleans, LA (my second home, and I presently regret not ever attending her lectures)
I am proud of her and I look forward to supporting her and actively seek other black women who make their voices heard in the political arena.
In Socially Conscious Love…
One thing I can't stand about being Black in America, is that we can't just call the police the way some other people can.
If we ever call the police because we’re the victim of a crime, we have to worry about the police arriving and automatically thinking you’re the criminal; have to worry about the police questioning you more about your activities than the actual crime that was committed; having to worry about being attacked by them, even though you called them to protect and serve like their job title says;
Having to worry about being carried away in handcuffs just because you called someone to help you.
Calling the police as a Black person in America can be like digging your own grave.
When The Revolution Comes
The Last PoetsWhen The Revolution Comes / The Last Poets
“Black isnt what I'm trying to be it's what I am. I'm running the same race and jumping the same hurdles so why are you tripping me up? You said we need to stick together but you dont even know what that means. If you ask me you're the real sell out.”
—Carlton Banks, on someone telling him that he wasn’t black enough to join an all black fraternityPeople of Color Should Have Been The First To Occupy Wall Street
The unemployment rate, recession and foreclosures as a result of predatory lending has disproportionately affected Blacks, yet I keep seeing blog posts lamenting how the “Occupy” movement has left out POC and women. Um…do you need an invitation? Why should anyone wait for someone to accept them and invite them to protest something that disproportionately affects them? I understand that as minorities we are frequently left out of the equation, but this is not the time to sit home out of spite. Get involved dammit!
Btw, to all the racist and sexist fucks who have given minorities and women a hard time for getting involved FUCK YOU!
