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Video Premiere!! SPEECH featuring Kamren “I’ma Fight Back Now”
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Must Read! “Why Black Girls Get Pregnant at 19″
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Time to Have a Conversation about the Connection between Sex, Children and Responsibility
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Lamar Tyler: “The Wire” Star Tray Chaney Promotes Fatherhood in New Music Video
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What Da Cuss?! Grandmothers In Their Thirties Get There Own Reality Show
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Gwen Cannon: The Value of Adoption and Foster Care
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“Map Your Future” Update: Platform to Break e-Ground!
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Predators and Pimps: Saving Our Girls from Oakland’s Streets
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Video: Giving Away A Treasure; EPIC Father-Daughter Dance Routine!!
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Paul Carrick Brunson: A Father’s Voice
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Is the Economy Killing Fatherhood? Advocate Reveals Ways to Be A Better Father in Trying Times
Steve Harvey: “We Have Lost a Generation of Black Men”
This is a prime example of what NWNW is all about. I have my issue with Mr. Harvey, but the message he and his wife are teaching is one I wholly agree with. It’s time to face this head-on, stop LYING to ourselves while our kids suffer.
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Video: A Man to Watch…And Listen To.
Just a little example of what many young girls go through every day. See more of Vision here. Share on Facebook
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What Men & Women Can Learn from Emperor Penguins
These semi-aquatic birds seem to have parenting skills superior to some human beings.
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Decline in Marriage = Decline of the Middle Class
Higher-educated people are adopting a more traditional family model, while less-educated people are more and more cavalier about a cohesive family unit, which threatens the cornerstone of the U.S. economy: The Middle Class
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Unwed Fathers Make Less Money, Study Says
A study conducted by Princeton University and the Brookings Institute revealed that fathers not cohabitating with the mothers of their children earned 20 percent less than married or cohabitating men, with the gap widening over time.
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Video: 90 Students at Memphis High School Pregnant or Already Mothers
NWNW Featured on “Relationship Playbook!”
Host Will Wavvy and I had a great conversation. Take a listen! Listen to internet radio with Will Wavvy on Blog Talk Radio Share on Facebook
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LaShaun Williams: No Wedding, No Womb: Being a Baby-Mama Is Not OK
The normalization of single motherhood is singlehandedly destroying the youth of today and tomorrow. Women are incapable of raising boys to be men and girls learn what to expect from men from their fathers.
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New CDC Report Links Children’s Health with Family Structure
CDC comes out with health statistics on children in two-parent families vs. single-parent homes
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Heartbreaking Mini-Film: 16-year-old in Foster Care for 14 Years
This is part of a post about the out-of-wedlock problem in the Black Community. And while I don’t completely agree with social support being the panacea to solve the problem, because it COMPLETELY deflects personal responsibility. It’s still worth reading.
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Poynter: How social media can facilitate difficult conversations about race
“…the “No Wedding No Womb†debate gave Washington’s story fresh perspectives from the black community. It gave voice (or voices) to those who are most investment in that statistic. “
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Why No Wedding No Womb DOES Work.
For me, No Wedding No Womb is as simple as 1+1=2. Why do people have to make it so complicated?
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Are Times Changing or Are We Just “Jacked Up� (Via Fresh Express)
When did getting our women pregnant and not sticking around to raise the family become the “norm�
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NWNW December Gift Giveaway!
Tell us your story or give us ideas on how to spread the NWNW message and get a prize just in time for Christmas!
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NAACP: 1 in 30 Black Women; 1 and 16 Black Men Infected with HIV
My commentary: The rise of AIDS and the 72% out-of-wedlock rate are epidemics in the Black Community that go hand-in-hand. Managing one will get a handle on the other.
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The Culturatist: “So Today, I Joined the Movement.”
I wonder why is fatherless children are so prominent in the African American race?
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Get hooked on this like The Soaps: “Diary of a Single Mom”
Now in it’s third season, Diary of a Single Mom is sad, funny, compelling and true-to-life.
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“I am a white woman who supports NWNW for all races.”
I was very relieved to hear such a campaign even existed. I was beginning to feel like I was the only one who worried about the out of wedlock birth rate (the overall rate of 41%).
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Back in the FOXXHOLE with Zo Williams
In case you missed Zo Williams’ “No Wedding No Womb” show on Thursday, November 18 on the FOXXHOLE on Sirius Satellite Radio, here’s a clip of my commentary on the program, which was primarily focused on abstinence. While NWNW is not SPECIFICALLY an abstinence program, we support WHATEVER WORKS to turn the tide on the [...]
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Must-Watch Series: “A Week with my Fatherâ€
Giacomo Knox launches a web-TV series all about sons estranged from their fathers.
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Author Spotlight: April Gabrielle
With a son, 22, and a daughter, 14, this single mother knows a thing or two about the struggle of a single mother.
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Herb Way: A Picture is Worth 1,000,000 Words.
Photographer Herb Way is a man to watch. He was kind enough share this beautiful family photo because he’s a BIG supporter of NWNW. His beautiful photography book, “Protraits of Eve” is absolutely amazing.
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Investor Joshua Kennon: “Look at the dataâ€
Look at the data. Out-of-wedlock pregnancies are a broad spectrum problem across most demographic groups. It has real ramifications for family income levels, educational attainment and more. As an investor, one of my goals is for the average family to be as successful and financially independent as possible. The pregnancy crisis threatens that goal.
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Since when is it “lame†to save yourself till marriage?
13-year-old gets heckled for wanting to wait for sex till marriage. Anyone see a problem here?
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Chicago Sun-Times Critic of NWNW Takes Heat from Readers
Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Mary Mitchell’s piece, “Kicking Single Moms While Thier Down,” was a critical piece in response to NWNW got blowback from readers sick and tired of the same old excuses.
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Down In The District: “Baby Mama Dramaâ€
Down in the District
Washington, DC, United States
The Black Public Health Student Network (BPHSN) of The George Washington University (GW) was established to develop Black leaders in the Washington, DC public health community. We exist to support and guide Black public health students in academic, professional, service and social endeavors, to encourage cooperation and closer ties between Black students of GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), to establish a vehicle through which our concerns are brought to bear on GW policies, and to advocate for sound public health for the community at large.
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Austin Weekly News: “No Wedding No Womb Does Have It’s Placeâ€
There is something very wrong when a man is good enough to father your children but not good enough to marry and build a life together.
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Essence.com: Dealing with the 72 Percent Unwed Mothers Rate
Amy Wax: “The 21st century for the Black community is about building human capital. That is the undone business. That is the unmet need. That is the completion of the civil rights mission.”
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Field Negro: “Daddy’s Homeâ€â€¦(Not)
But I submit to you my brothers that we could start bringing these numbers down tomorrow if we would just remember to strap on “jimmy” before we jam.
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BlackVoices.com: 72 Percent of African-American Children Born to Unwed Mothers
We must get it together, black people. Maybe marriage is not necessarily the answer, but a committed relationship would definitely go a long way to ensuring the well-being of our children.
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FamilyScholars.org: A New Marriage Leader…Who, Me? ;-)
My dad on my wedding day as he wipes tears from his eyes after he told me he was “so proud.” I hope I still do, Dad. Until we meet again in Heaven…
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The Problem Addressed, Not Not Even Close to Being Solved, but NWNW Reaches Millions and Millions
Dr. A. Duker: Guard Your Womb!
At times I’ve wondered about the real value of marriage as being the ‘ideal’ situation in which to parent and raise a child. I’m not going to quote the many depressing statistics about single parenthood in the African-American community that we’ve all heard before, but I’ll just give my commentary on the ‘No Wedding No [...]
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NWNW Associated Press Article!!
This feature hits full force on Sunday, November 7. Kudos to Jesse Washington for his great reporting.
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Bootstrap Theory: More Personal Responsibility, Please!
The majority of Black Americans will not have equal footing with most White Americans for at least another two generations. Social change takes time, lots of time. Thus, waiting for structural change instead of focusing more heavily on personal responsibility will continue to give us the same (if not worse) results that Black Americans currently see in most of our communities.
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A Lawyer Gives FREE Advice: Married/Divorced Women Have Fare Far Better in the Family Court System
In the past, I’ve defended men in oow paternity cases, and have done opposing depositions of unmarried women who had oow babies. I found those proceedings to be extremely unpleasant for everybody involved.
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101 Ideas To Strengthen Marriage: Featuring Hampton University Professor, Linda Malone-Colon
These 101 ideas are offered by David Blankenhorn and Linda Malone-Colón, and do not necessarily represent the views of the scholarly contributors to this Marriage Index or No Wedding No Womb.
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Is Marriage Still for Everyone? (Open Forum)
Is Marriage Still for Everyone? by David Lapp, Family Scholars.org Over at First Things, I have an essay in which I argue that, a changing economy notwithstanding, marriage remains a vital institution for people from all classes–including the less-educated. I also suggest that it’s precisely traditional norms like lifelong marriage and bearing children within marriage that [...]
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Dr. LeslieBeth Wish: Does Your Mom Really Want You To Do Better?
Few of the women connected their poor choice of partner with identifying with their mother, so you are not alone if you are surprised, too, with the lack of success in your love life. It’s hard, after all, to really leave home completely, and becoming even a little like your mother is one way of keeping her close.
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Still Need Proof? A Brookings/Princeton Collaboration Says Children Are At Risk
Compared with more traditional families, these fragile families face greater risks in terms both of family stability and of economic security—risks that can imperil child well-being.
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Broken Brown Egg: Responsible Conception
“…to those who have no issue with the message of NWNW but claim their aggravation is on it not serving a real purpose or having any real “focusâ€, I dare you to work with Christelyn at developing one. I DARE you to do something.”
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Me & My Bourgie Baby: A Womb Full of Wedding Cake
Many believe the “village” concept of raising a child is not working, but it cannot work if we do not “absorb foreign experiences” that will lead to our expansion as a people. Thus, there is more than one way to raise a child. As mothers and fathers, we have to create support systems to keep us sane, to nurture our children when we are absent or in addition to, to offer advice, and to create a community.
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One Midwife’s Advice For An End to Baby Mama Drama
The effects of single-mother stress: Her social challenges eventually manifest into physical challenges. High blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and maternal obesity, just to name a few. Her immune system becomes even more compromised because she is not eating well.
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Location, Location, Location: The Moynihan Report
Moynihan’s report presaged the ‘tangle of pathology’ would tighten in the black community unless the government intervened. The black underclass did not need overt, systemic racism to continue the downward spiral; it did not need racism and discrimination to perpetuate poverty within the black community. It was doing a perfectly respectable job on its own.
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Video: Fatherlessness–A Cultural Epidemic
thegreatdanj: “Guard Your Body, Heart, & Mind
Look beyond the now and at the future that you want. It’s challenging not to give in to the new romanticized and over sexualization of reality. But far beyond what I see now is everything that I truly desire for my future. Think about what you want and be careful.
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In Her Own Words: “I Truly Support NWNWâ€
My name is India N. Parson and I am a 24 year old Business Marketing Student from Virginia who passionately supports NWNW. I don’t have any children and everyday for that I feel like an exception. In my community 1 out of every 5 friends I have already have a kid(s) out of wedlock, black [...]
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Transcript from Essence.com Online Chat!
Special thanks to Sophia Nelson, Dr. Janet, and Deborah Roberts, Crunk Feminists, Essence editors and all the participants for such a great and productive conversation!
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NWNW Participant Jenee Darden: An example of the importance of CARING fathers.
Leslie Jones McCloud: NWNW Aims to Lessen Single Mother Birthrate
No Wedding No Womb attempts to challenge men and women who think it is cool to go half on a baby to get married first and then plan a family. Note: I wrote “plan a family,†not roll the dice and have unprotected sex and what may be, may be.
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New York Times: Culture of Poverty Re-Examined…Finally.
Now, after decades of silence, these scholars are speaking openly about you-know-what, conceding that culture and persistent poverty are enmeshed.
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NWNW Participant, Arielle Loren Featured on “Abiola’s Kiss & Tell TV!!â€
Arielle Loren penned a piece on September 22, and then later wrote another that appeared on Clutch. Keep your eye on her, she’s going places! Arielle appears in the program around 35:46. Way to go, Arielle! Share on Facebook
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JenebaSpeaks: Why Won’t Main Stream Media Cover Black News?
This is a portion of an article written by NWNW participant, Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt, founder of The Ghatt Law Group LLC, the nations’ first communications law firm owned by women and minorities.
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BBC Reports on Black Dating/Marriage Problem
And now the whole world knows… http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/p009yfwg/ From the BBC It’s hard finding your man in America if you’re black and single. Recent US studies have shown that the number of college educated black women getting married has decreased by a third since the 1970s. Although part of a wider trend, African American women are [...]
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It’s About The Youngins: NWNW Catching On in Cyberspace!
I agree with the message that it sends because it is a message I barely see promoted in the world of today. As most can see now, more and more young, beautiful women are subjugating themselves to the status of “baby mama” and nothing more.
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My Interview with Off Page Radio
Off Page Radio is a strong critic of No Wedding No Womb! Â But I felt it was necessary for me to clarify my position. Â Take a listen, and judge for yourself. Listen to internet radio with OffPageRadio on Blog Talk Radio Share on Facebook
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Unite and Attack
Statistics do not lie. Disparities between children in two-parent homes and single parent homes are scientific fact. The repair of this epidemic will not occur overnight, as the black family has had over 50 years of deterioration. The solution begins with us.
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Video: Nikki and the City, “My Solution to No Wedding No Wombâ€
**Note**NWNW is non-denominational and non-partisan. However, we believe in highlighting topics that offer potential solutions to a widespread problem. Nikki And The City http://www.nikkiandthecityadventures.blogspot.com/ Original NWNW post here Share on Facebook
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Naked With Socks On: Being a ‘Baby Mamma’ is No Badge of Honor
No matter how pretty we paint the picture that is our life to others, whether we have a supporting father for our child or have one that’s an asshole, we [unmarried mothers] are “baby mamas.â€
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From the Mouths of Babes:18-Year Old Student Spreads NWNW Message to the Virgin Islands
Amiquah Freeman, 18, was inspired to bring the NWNW message to her home in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Â We chatted about it today:
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Politic 365: No Wedding No Womb, No Future?
Practically all African American legislators and policy makers have (wisely) stayed away from the NWNW fray. To engage in such a controversial, and quite personal, topic would serve to alienate a good portion of their constituents. Ironically, many of these same constituents are suffering the most from the problems Karazin and her supporters believe stem from homes headed by single mothers.
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![[Video] Courtesy of Dryer Buzz: Could this have been the beginning of the end?](http://www.noweddingnowomb.com/wordpress/wp-content/themes/equator/timthumb.php?src=http://www.noweddingnowomb.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Claudine-family.jpg&w=200&h=260&zc=1)
[Video] Courtesy of Dryer Buzz: Could this have been the beginning of the end?
Claudine, a single mother of six living in Harlem, falls in love with a garbage collector, Rupert. Complicating their relationship is the fact that marrying would cause her to lose the welfare that helps her support her children and her eldest son’s distrust of Rupert.
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Black Conscious Thought: “The Idea That It Takes a Village to Raise a Child is B.S.â€
In my opinion…this is just another way for black folks to OUTSOURCE their responsibility as parents, educators, protectors, and providers of THEIR children.
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Real Clear Politics: “It’s the Marriage Rate, Stupidâ€
Real Clear Politics October 1, 2010 It’s the Marriage Rate, Stupid By Mona Charen Income inequality, we learn from the Census Bureau, has reached the highest level since data were first collected on the subject in 1967. Poverty has increased dramatically, with one of seven Americans now falling below the poverty threshold. Additionally, the Census [...]
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William & Policy Review: No Wedding No Womb?
Is marriage a laudable goal to promote within the African-American community and the nation as a whole?
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Three weeks later, is the NWNW campaign still worth talking about?
In the third week of this “movement”, it is still quite early to determine what are substantive outcomes of its premise. While the founder, Karazin admits that she does not have all the answers, it will be interesting to see how exactly she will propose to get black people married before having children when there appears to be no particular game plan in place.
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Examiner:No Wedding No Womb promotes marriage before parenthood
The point is not being made to criticize those who chose this road in the past. This is more a point that women today should have their education and gain some maturity before parenting. Maturity may include the decision to marry before giving birth.
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No Wedding No Womb: D*cks, Dudes & Decisions
Knowledge equals power, so if we tell these young people that becoming a parent is both a decision and a commitment then maybe more will wait until a more stable time in their lives.
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Video: My Dad, My First Love
My father died June 1, 2009, just one day after his and my mother’s 45th wedding anniversary.
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Eric Payne: Fear, the Fatherhood Killer
I was hardly happy when I was told I was going to have a child. In fact, I nearly had a panic attack. My stomach tightened. My mouth dried out. My heart pounded out against my rib cage and I didn’t think there was enough air in the world to fill my lungs. For a second I began to hallucinate that I was asleep dreaming that I was awake.
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![Time’s Up: Legitimate Dissent Versus Sabotage ~ by Khadija Nassif of “The Sojourner’s Passport†[Relevant, 2nd Essay, Open Forum]](http://www.noweddingnowomb.com/wordpress/wp-content/themes/equator/timthumb.php?src=http://www.noweddingnowomb.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Times-up.jpg&w=200&h=260&zc=1)
Time’s Up: Legitimate Dissent Versus Sabotage ~ by Khadija Nassif of “The Sojourner’s Passport†[Relevant, 2nd Essay, Open Forum]
The topic of online activism, and the difference between dissenters and saboteurs came up during a recent conversation. I believe that far too many African-American bloggers are dangerously naive about the difference between these two categories. I believe this is because most of them have never had the opportunity to participate in an actual, sustained movement (as opposed to agitating about a single individual or incident).
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Angela Nichelle: A Call to A.R.M.S.
The first step to working on this multi-layered problem is to admit a problem exists within the African American community because of the structural collapse of our families.
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Mama Locs: “I Am Very Defensive About Being a Single Motherâ€
So I felt like I was being attacked but realize the truth hurts. Raising a child in a single parent household is not ideal. As parents we model behavior for our children. Right now he sees only his mother, juggling so many things. I don’t think that I’m a bad parent, but sometimes I wonder what life would be like with a partner in this journey of parenthood.
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ABSOLUTE MUST READ: “Gift Wrapping a Soiled Diaperâ€
Black women have to look at deeper issues concerning their values, the choices they are making (especially choosing bad men), etc if they want to really deal with this problem. Too many Black women see people like Beyonce (and others in Black urban circles- particularly in Hip Hop- and yes I hate them all), as their role models.
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Veronica Miller: “Hey Girls, Listen Up–You Have a Choiceâ€
HEY GIRLS, LISTEN UP — YOU HAVE A CHOICE Veronica Miller @veronicamarche http://veroniiblog.blogspot.com/ I was 15 years old. It was September, school had just started back up, and a classmate (We’ll call her Vanna), was asking me if my boyfriend and I were still together. “Yep,†I said. “Still together.†“Even through the whole summer?†[...]
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Think Pretty Smart: NWNW Opponents Focus Too Much on Entitlement Programs
There was an ugly hint of entitlement to a lot of the discussions. Nobody is really entitled to ‘safety nets’–especially in a time when this country is finding it hard to pay for the ones we have, and go to war, and pay contractors, and encourage green energy, and…
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Booker Rising Response to NWNW Opponents
Fatherlessness and out-of-wedlock birth rates are the top challenge facing Black America, and we will not continue to progress without tackling it.
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No Wedding, No Womb: I’m Searchin’ For a Real Love
So now that I have been a mother (both a single mother and a married mother) for almost 18 years, what would I say to a young woman or man that may be looking for love in all the wrong places:
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New Music: Arrested Development “The World is Changingâ€
Support artists who give a positive message to kids and young adults! Share on Facebook
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(Open Forum) Can You Be in Both Support and Opposition to NWNW? Well, Yes and No.
This anonymous blog post was sent to me by a fellow NWNW participant. Kind of like the John Kerry, “I was for it before I was against it,” just vice versa. She makes good points, though. I think that if we can move beyond some of the vitriol and address the central issue, we’ll all be better off and I can cancel my prescription for Xanax.
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@blacksnob: The Case For and Against “Maturity†on Twitter
by Danielle Belton The Black Snob By all accounts, I was born old. Like Benjamin Button. Only I looked like a normal baby and somewhat acted like a normal baby (being pre-verbal, the crying, the pooping, the eating, the sleeping, etc.), but for the most part of my youth I was unnervingly serious to the [...]
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NWNW on Twitter: “WHEW!!! JESUS BE A BOXING REFEREE!!â€
The angels and demons of Twitter have come together in a “Clash of the Tw-itans†and all of this for the WHOLE WORLD TO SEE!! PEOPLE THE WHOLE WORLD…
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“Hoodrat†Writer Clarifies Her Position on NWNW
All along, I was thinking that there must be something wrong with us as a group if we can seriously consider shooting ourselves in the foot like this by promoting single motherhood. There is no shame in single motherhood. Let me repeat that for you really dense people out there: There is no shame in single motherhood. It’s not a matter of shame. It is a matter of people advising others against taking a risk that usually does not work out well.
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Happy Black Girl: Black Marriage Isn’t Dead Unless We Want it to Be
happy black woman This week, the Twittersphere has been on fire in response to the words of two separate bloggers. First, Christelyn Karazin kicked off the No Wedding, No Womb (NWNW) movement. Then, over on Madame Noire, LaShaun Williams gave us 8 Reasons to Date a White Man. While the two bloggers are unrelated in [...]
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White Feminism vs. Black Feminism: Distinctly Different?
Many bw who pledge feminsist act like the theories are set in stone, sacred and cannot be adapted to suit but must be applied as is, many act like bw are to be held prisoners to the precepts of feminsism rather than the precepts being their for serving bw.
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(Open Forum) Rebuttal and Advice by Relationship Expert, Deborrah Cooper
Original NWNW participant and dating and relationship columnist, Deborrah Cooper lays out her candid opinions. Cover your ears if you’re under 12! www.survivingdating.com
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Debra J. Dickerson: So You Increase the Black Marriage Rate. So What?
“You’re anti-feminist!” “No, you are!” “You’re an Uncle Tom for making this a black issue!” ” You reprinted my post without permission!” Meanwhile, the prospective newlyweds schtup along, unaware and unperturbed, while the pixels fly.
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Counterpoint to Slate Article: All forms of birth control are less expensive than an actually having a kid.”
So what gives? If black men and women have access to all this ‘female-controlled’ and male-controlled contraception, then why aren’t they using them effectively at the same rates as whites or Hispanics?
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2011 Theme Song: “I’ma Fight Back Right Now” SPEECH & Kamren
Have you heard of our “Map Your Future Campaign?”
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STUCK ON STUPID ALERT: Deadbeat Dad Reinforces Stereotype
Family, I can no longer speak in nice, politically correct terms about this issue. So, I won’t even try. Sadly, black men having babies and not taking care of them is no longer an ugly stereotype, but rather a truth.
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