Scholarship in Action at Syracuse University

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Panelists for the Black Leadership Forum in NYC

The event is set to take place in New York at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers from April 14 - 17. The list of panelists is as follows:

Host: Tom Joyner- Host, "Tom Joyner Morning Show"
Moderator: Roland Martin, CNN/TV One analyst
Rev. Al Sharpton- President, National Action Network
Marc Morial- CEO, National Urban League
Ben Jealous- President & CEO, NAACP
Dr. Elsie Scott- President and CEO, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) in Washington, D.C.
Angela Sailor- Coalitions Director, Republican National Committee
Lezli Baskerville- - President & CEO, NAFEO- America's Black Colleges and Universities
Warren Ballentine- Host, "The Warren Ballentine Show"
Dr. Boyce Watkins- Assistant Professor, Finance- Syracuse University
Dr. Charles Ogletree- Professor, Harvard Law School
Jeff Johnson- BET Personality
Judge Greg Mathis - Television Show host
Chuck D - Recording artist

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Black Athletes: Tiger Makes His First TV Appearance

Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

Tiger Woods chose ESPN and the Golf Channel as the venues for his first interviews, since his sex scandal began four months ago. He gave the interviews with the requirement that they be only five minutes long.
"If you limit it to five minutes, when you account for structure, there's not much time to get into anything, which is probably best," said Syracuse University professor and pop culture expert Robert Thompson.
Woods had to be careful to ensure that the interviews were done in a such a way that they did not overshadow the PGA event being played this weekend. Woods has been able to transcend the game of golf in ways that no player in history has been able to accomplish. His presence (or lack thereof) can make or break a golf tournament's financial outcome.
"We really had two main things that were most important," said an ESPN spokesman. "No. 1, no restrictions on questions, and No. 2, we chose the interviewer."

Click to Read

Monday, March 22, 2010

Dr. Boyce: Michael Steele Bows to the Tea Baggers

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

The Tea Party Protesters might need a little bit of brand management to overcome the growing perception that they represent a racist, homophobic, extremist fringe of disgruntled voters. The most recent incident of very bad PR came this week, as a small group of Tea Party protesters gathered on Capitol Hill and yelled "n*gger" and "f*ggot" at members of Congress as they walked past the crowd. The group has taken heat for the actions of those who don't know how to be cordial in their discourse, and it's not good for the Republican Party.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was put in yet another awkward position, trying to defend that which is not defensible. A man who appears to be disrespected at every turn by his own party, Steel dismissed those using the n-word within the Tea Party group as "idiots out there saying stupid things." Of course, Steele was not in a position to dismiss the Tea Partiers themselves, likely because they would have put him in a pile with the other black people they hate the most.

Click to read

Friday, March 19, 2010

Dr. Boyce Watkins on TheGrio.com - 3/19/10

11-year-old caught in the middle of health reform mudslinging

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

3:00 PM on 03/19/2010

OPINION - Marcelas Owens' story can bring realism and relevance to a debate that has been about posturing, bickering and mid-term elections...

> READ MORE

Presidential disrespect goes prime-time in Obama's Fox interview

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

11:22 AM on 03/18/2010

OPINION - Republicans should realize that when they disrespect the presidency, they are disrespecting themselves...

> READ MORE

Clarence Thomas' wife's Tea Party ties are supremely disturbing

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:20 AM on 03/16/2010

OPINION - When you sleep next to someone who openly states they want to undermine the president's "hard left agenda" you can hardly call yourself impartial...

> READ MORE

Democrats' crack-cocaine compromise is still 'racist'

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:00 AM on 03/15/2010

OPINION - While some might call this political pragmatism, others might describe this outcome as the modern-day version of the Three-Fifths Compromise...

> READ MORE