My initial thought is to recommend to not overthink the situation. While Steve Harvey has an interesting point about trying to find a companion as if you’re picking out a car, I think the one piece of advice that keeps coming to mind for me is the misnomer that being married is about you.
The definition of love, in my eyes, is when someone else’s priorities come before yours. The foundation of a relationship is trust, trust that your partner understands that sentiment. To equate finding a mate like an acquisition akin to achieving a degree, getting a position, buying a car, buying a house, or making a certain amount of money highlights the issue more than one admits.
I understand the need to have these things. It creates a sense of safety and comfort that all people associate a marriage to be. I’m sure one has a big house and a big car, then nothing can go wrong. Why would we argue about money? Why would be worried about what other people think of us? Why would anyone get in between us if I have everything and so do you?
To that, I say read typical marriage vows. Slowly. Then re-read them again. Wait, I’ll post some for you.
To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ’till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.
It is with a lot of happiness and gratitude that I announce the return of the Young Black Professional Guide blog under brand new ownership, Black Web Media LLC.
You are no doubt familiar with Angela and Markus’ work over at Black Web 2.0. They have decided to take up the reigns of YBPGuide, after a 8 month hiatus, to continue their vision of bringing a much needed perspective to the web world.
While I, Fredric Mitchell, will undoubtedly be popping in, commenting, and posting, as I always have, the new leadership from Black Web 2.0 will continue the tradition Kimberly and I started at YBPGuide with consistent, fresh, and new ideas.
Thanks, again, to all those who have continued to support the website and for your continued support as Black Web Media LLC takes this community into an exciting new direction!
This may, or may not, come as shock, but I am officially retiring YBP Guide.
It’s been a wonderful two and half years of frank discussion, interesting perspective, and wonderful insight. I’ve learned a lot about the community, our country, our readers, and our history throughout the process. From our techie-focused rants to our spirited conversation during the election, I can truly say that the experience has been a blessing.
The simple matter remains that I just don’t have the time to put in quality posts. I’ve tried to provide an avenue for other writers to take up the slack, but I guess we are all busy or trying to survive in these economic times.
Rest assured that I will still be active on Twitter and Facebook, as that service seems to be more conducive to a busy lifestyle. I can also be found hard at work building web applications and websites through my company, Bright Plum.
While I can’t definitively say that this is the last blog I’ll write or that a savvy and insightful patron may take up the reigns, I can say that it’s been a good ride. A special thank you to all those that made it special, either in your comments or your posts.
Is this discussion a precursor to some of our discussions today? Here, Dr. King talks about the confidence, assertiveness, and honesty the new Negrow has as compared to the duplicity seen before in the face of an oppressive society.
Ray Suarez, of the NewsHour on PBS, will moderate an interesting panel tonight regarding the conversation of Affirmative Action. Julian Bond, John McWhorter, and a host of others will formally debate the merits of the resolution: Affirmative Action should focus on class and wealth, instead of race and ethnicity.
Should Affirmative Action Focus on Class?
Over the past several years, race-based opportunity policies have been on the defensive. In 2006, 58% of Michigan voters approved a statewide referendum ending affirmative action in public education. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court forced public school administrators to use socioeconomic status, not race, to integrate segregated public schools. In 2008, Nebraska voters approved a statewide ballot initiative banning all racial preferences, while voters in Colorado rejected a similar measure; future referendums are being prepared in other states. President Barack Obama injected energy into the race-versus-class debate when he suggested that poor whites should at times be given preference over more privileged blacks.
The debate will be held tonight at 8pm EST at the University of Virginia at the Miller Center. For those unable to attend, it will also be broadcast live via the Miller Center website.
While I absorb the merits of the resolution, my ultimate opinion is that it is flawed. It assumes that human nature has evolved past our visible assumptions with the election of Barack Obama and that we now treat each other with more context.
The fact remains that while we all would like to believe we are bigger than this, we still judge people by how they look, how they talk, where they come from, and what images are beamed to us everyday. Case and point, the recent YouTube sensation of Susan Boyle, a frumpy-looking Irish woman who stunned the cynical audiences of Britain’s Got Talent with her angelic voice. We judge people by how they look. The laws of Affirmative Action, in its best day, lawfully tries to even out the playing field.
