Blogs

The ridiculous debate over whether President Obama is a real black man or even a strong black man has gotten out of control. He just proved to the world that he's American, now he has to prove that he's black? Wait, if he's not black, am I? Are you?

Video: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-611137

Once again Soledad did a wonderful job of drawing attention to the plight of our American educational system. While she brought up several points that were downright disappointing, there is one issue that deserved more attention. The fact that this robotics competition was spawned by an entrepreneur and not the local, state, or national government should be appalling to everyone. It's great for Arne Duncan to talk about the need for top notch students but where's the money?

I definitely enjoyed seeing the movie Thor. I like how it stuck to the story line. The one issue I had was really after the movie when they talked about how you could see more Thor in "The Avengers" movie. I wish they would let Thor stand alone. All of this promo for "The Avengers" could mean they're putting in a great deal of advertising for a product that's going to be crappy. I sure hope not. As for Thor itself, I look forward to part 2!

Video: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-605283

From teaching me the true joy that comes from giving to inspiring me to get my own TV show to continue her mission, Oprah has truly inspired me to live my best life and help others do the same. I've been in her presence twice: at the Oscar After Party in LA and at her "Live Your Best Life Weekend" in NY. I would love to just meet her and say thanks but until then (and after), I'll keep working to improve humanity and make people feel good about themselves, just like she did.

Video: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-605180

The late Dr. Manning Marable's book on the life of Malcolm X truly provides a view of Malcolm's life that even those of us who have studied him for years were not aware of. One of the revelations in the book is a period of Malcolm's teenage life where he was allegedly engaged in some type of homosexual relationship. This has led to a discussion particularly in the black community on sexuality because Malcolm has been a shining example of black manhood for decades. If this is true, we have to ask, does it matter?

It is truly sad that people have decided to condemn Ashley Judd for her comments about misogyny in rap music. Though she over generalized in her comments, much of mainstream hip-hop culture IS misogynistic. Why can't we discuss this? Why can't we have more music on the radio that celebrates women? The top 10 songs in hip-hop right now do not paint women in any positive light. This is not just the fault of the rappers. It is the fault of the record executives who promote this culture as well.

In the microwave society we live, we are so quick to talk about "overnight" success whether in entertainment or politics. The fact of the matter is that Egypt's revolution has been decades in the making. Furthermore, we cannot call this a "Facebook" or "Twitter" revolution. Of course social media played a part in this movement but again, it's not that simple. Lastly, we cannot become complacent because Mubarak is "gone." We in the West become so leader-centric as my father told me. We believe once a figurehead is gone a system will tumble.

While I am tempted to bundle my home package with a cell phone package and while I MAY not mind getting a new iPhone 4 case because the Verizon phones will be slightly different (thus an additional cost), I am NOT ready to go back to not being able to use online features and get calls. I had that issue with the iPhone 3GS before they did the upgrade and it was annoying. To not be able to do things like go on Pandora and take calls is sooo Treo 300 (remember that?)! Maybe when they get that taken care of I'll think about it but until then, I'm staying with my iPhone 4 for AT&T!

I had a fantastic time last night at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for the National Association of Black Journalists. It was a star-studded event with everyone from Wolf Blitzer and Eugene Robinson to Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Martin. In these 2 videos, Roland Martin and Brian Monroe (new to CNN Politics) talk to me about the importance of black journalism, and its future. You can also see some other pictures of an amazing evening! Keep watching the attachments and you'll see a video of Roland Martin interviewing Wolf Blitzer! Watch and read on!

It is simply ridiculous that people are looking at taking words like the n-word out of books like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. This is American history for goodness sakes. We have kids running around using that word like it's a term of affection because they don't know the history. Teachers are scared enough to challenge the youth on this word and now if we take it out of the books they won't have to. Furthermore, as a writer, I would never want anyone to change words of my texts whether I'm alive or gone. We as writers pour our hearts into our work.