What's going on with Michael Jordan?

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com EMAIL

In the last couple of weeks something has happened to NBA legend Michael Jordan. In the past, Jordan has been notorious for doing little to help his own while profiting off his own by selling them $200 sneakers that they can't afford. This is a man who for most of his professional life has avoided even talking about issues that affect African Americans. He has not done or said anything that might piss off anyone for fear of hurting sneaker and apparel sales of Nike and his own brand.

But recently things seem to be changing. Jordan has given $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and another $5 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. That's not the Michael Jordan many of us have always heard about.

What is going on here? I have three theories.

THEORY ONE: An alien has inhabited the body of Michael Jordan and is trying to curry favor among humans before sending for his fleet of starships to blow us all to hell and take our entire species as a food source.

THEORY TWO: As Theory #1 is probably not likely here is my second theory. Mr. Jordan fell asleep and had a dream where three ghosts, the ghost of basketball past, the ghost of money loving present, and the ghost of lonely and despised future came to give him a visit. Jordan woke up terrified after seeing his grave site that no one except Nike employees visits and vowed to mend his selfish ways.

THEORY THREE: This is what I think is the most likely theory. Mr. Jordan has started to realize that he doesn't live in a bubble and is acknowledging what is going on around him. He has seen young NBA players like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul step up and want to help their communities with just not words but with their actions. Jordan did a self-check after watching those younger players and realized that it's a shame that he didn't carry on the activist legacy of James Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Muhammad Ali. He then realized that he is still a relatively young man, and there is still much that he can do with his fame, voice, and yes his money.

Micheal Jordan may not have come to this point in life when many of us would have liked him to, but it's better late than ever.

NAACP National President Cornell William Brooks arrested after sit in

NAACP National President and CEO Cornell William Brooks was charged with trespassing by local police after refusing to leave a Congressman’s district office in southwest Virginia on Monday.

The charges came after a six-hour, nonviolent protest calling for restoration of the Voting Rights Act in the Roanoke office of Representative Bob Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

After refusing to leave the building, Brooks was cited by Roanoke Police Department at the end of the business day along with Stephen Green, national director for the NAACP Youth and College Division. The protest was accompanied throughout the afternoon by members of the Roanoke NAACP and youth council.

NAACP officials have been urging congressional action to restore federal protection against state laws barring ballot access in states with the worst histories of voter suppression and discrimination. Goodlatte chair the House Judiciary Committee, which has refused to hold hearings on legislation to combat egregious voter discrimination in recent years.

“We’ve seen a Machiavellian frenzy of voter suppression in states that have worked deliberately and creatively to make it harder for young people, college students, minorities to vote for the candidate and party of their choice on Nov. 8,” Brooks said. “With the fate of our national moral character at stake, we must hold our elected leaders responsible to act to uphold the constitutional rights guaranteed for all citizens to vote and participate in our democracy.”

It is the 51st anniversary since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965, effectively banning state laws that denied the vote to black and minority voters for decades in Virginia and other southern states. Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down portions of the law that prohibited states from changing local election laws without federal review in the case of Shelby v. Holder.

Within days of the 2013 ruling, several states enacted exclusive voting laws designed to prevent young, old and minority residents from voting by requiring hard-to-obtain ID cards to register and cast a ballot on election days, as well as cutting back on successful registration programs and early voting hours that drove minority turnout to record-setting levels in 2008 and 2012.

Federal courts last month struck down voting laws in Kansas, Georgia, North Carolina, North Dakota, Michigan, Texas and Wisconsin as attempts to deliberately prevent entire populations from having easy access to the ballot.
After hours of occupying his office, Goodlatte issued a statement declining to take further action, saying that remaining provisions in the law are adequate. Brooks said the statement is insufficient.

“Congressman Goodlatte has said that he would support strengthening the Voting Rights Act if discrimination could be shown.  Six courts and six states have revealed such discrimination.  In the Congressman’s home state of Virginia, the U.S. Court Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found intentional discrimination in voting by the state of North Carolina,” Brooks said. “It is time for Congressman Goodlatte and Congress to honor the demonstrations of the past, and these demonstrations today to stop this widespread abuse. The congressman’s refusal to act for three years is insulting to these young men and women who want to exercise their basic rights under the Constitution.”  

Why Black Teens May Feel Pulled Between Health and Hair

Cultural pressure surrounding hair is so powerful that some African-American adolescents say they avoid sweating because it could mess up their tresses.

Gym class, school sports and other exercise routines bring important health benefits. But sweating also means potentially bad hair days and ruining time-consuming and costly hairstyles.

So Woolford, a pediatrician at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, along with her sister Carole Woolford-Hunt, Ph.D., of Andrews University in Michigan, and David Williams, Ph.D., of Harvard University, studied this cultural phenomenon. The researchers asked: Are lower levels of physical activity among African-American teens related to hair care?

The small study, which was recently published in BMC Obesity, included 36 African-American girls ages 14 to 17 in three states. The authors found a consistent theme among participants: Adolescent girls preferred straightened hair, which was viewed as the most “attractive” style, and said they avoided getting wet or sweating during exercise because they worried it would ruin their hairstyle.

Four main themes emerged from the study:

When concerns about hairstyles began between ages 8 and 15, participants changed from “juvenile” (natural) styles to “adult” (straightened) styles.

Participants avoided getting wet or sweating during exercise because their straightened hair became “nappy.”

Braids with extensions and natural styles were viewed as better for exercise, but not viewed as attractive.

Participants almost universally selected long, straight hairstyles as most attractive. Some thought short, natural hair was OK but that it “only looks good on some people.”

Read more about the study here: Why Black Teens May Feel Pulled Between Health and Hair

Micheal Jordan pledges 5 million to National Museum of African American History and Culture

Basketball icon Michael Jordan has donated $5 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, museum officials announced Monday.

The gift, the largest from a sports figure to the 19th Smithsonian museum, pushes private donations to the museum to $278 million. Including federal aid, the museum, which President Obama will open Sept. 24, has raised more than $548 million.

The Chicago Bulls star also gave a jersey that he wore during the 1996 NBA Finals to the museum’s permanent collection. In recognition of the gifts, the museum will name a section of its sports gallery the Michael Jordan Hall.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to support this museum,” Jordan said in a statement. “I also am indebted to the historic contributions of community leaders and athletes such as Jesse Owens, whose talent, commitment and perseverance broke racial barriers and laid the groundwork for the successful careers of so many African Americans in athletics and beyond.”

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Black Olympian Spotlight: Jenny Arthur, Weightlifting

Other Black Olympians: Shakur Stevenson boxer, Colton Brown wrestler

The 2016 Olympics are now under way and I will be highlighting black athletes competing in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio who wont get as much publicity as a Serena Williams or the USA men's basketball team. I would like to introduce to you to weightlifter Jenny Arthur.

Weight class: 69kg

Height: 5'5

What year did you being lifting? October 2009

How did you get involved? I started lifting to improve in other sports.

Favorite Competition Lift? Clean and Jerk 

Favorite Training Lift? Snatch off the blocks

Education: I want to major in Child Development.

Personal Goals: I feel my talents are a complete gift from God so my goals are to use them with the best of my ability.

Favorite Food: Chinese Food

Favorite Book: Bible

Favorite TV Show: Extreme Home Makeover

Favorite song that gets you motivated: Victory By Yolanda Adams

Hobbies/Interested outside of Weightlifting: Spending time with family/friends,Track and Field,Tennis, Softball and reading magazines.

Most people don’t know that….I want to volunteer at many different homeless shelters across the world.