Strife Among Black People....

WHY DO BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEM TO OPPOSE EACH OTHER? THAT’S ONE OF OUR BIGGEST PROBLEMS. NOW, I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT ON A FOOTBALL FIELD OR EVEN IN A BOXING RING, I’M SPEAKING OF OUR OPPOSITION TO EACH OTHER WITHIN OUR VERY INSTITUTIONS, WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS WE CONTROL. WE OPPOSE EACH OTHER IN OUR SCHOOLS, WE OPPOSE EACH OTHER IN OUR COMMUNITIES, WE OPPOSE EACH OTHER IN POLITICS, AND WE EVEN OPPOSE EACH OTHER IN CHURCH. SURE WE WILL NEVER ALL ALWAYS AGREE, BUT WE OPPOSE EACH OTHER SO VEHEMENTLY, THAT WE’VE RAISED A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE EACH OTHER WITH VIOLENCE. WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND UNDERSTAND THAT OUR DESTINIES ARE CONNECTED AND THAT WE NEED TO SET THE RIGHT EXAMPLES FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW.

Work Ethic

Some people have it and some don’t. Some folk don’t mind doing whatever it takes to get a job done, while some others always have an excuse as to why a task isn’t finished. There are some people you have confidence in knowing that a thing will be done and done right. Then there are the ones with a poor work ethic that always say, “it’s time to go home, so I’ll finish that tomorrow”. There are some people who come in early and work as long as it takes to get the work done. Those people have a good work ethic. Then there are others you can set your watch by, they’re never around after quitting time. Ask yourself a couple of questions. Am I committed to completing projects even if it means coming in early or staying late? Am I easily discouraged and do I take defeat easily, almost lying down? Ask and decide for yourself whether or not you have a good work ethic.

Church Gossip

We all know people who seem to happily pass on bad news. When they hear something bad or hear of others problems or misfortunes, they immediately and seemingly cheerfully pass on the news. You always hear them asking “did you hear such and such about so and so”. You know the folk I’m talking about. Many of them are our church members, they sing in the choir, serve as ushers, good church folk but they gossip and seem so happy to be able to tell that someone else is having a hard time. Brothers and sisters, your trials trouble me. If you’re sad, then so am I. If you have a problem, rather than talk about you, I’d rather see if I could help. And should I have to pass on bad news, I will never be happy to do so. No matter who you are.

The New Predators in our Community

In the past on the Countdown, I’ve talked about the title pawn shops and payday lenders and the way they prey on poor people. Now let me introduce you to a new term, Subprime lenders. These are the people who make home mortgage loans at sometimes outrageous interest rates. Recent data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development unveils the fact that African Americans are again the targets of these predators. Almost one third of the conventional mortgage loans made to blacks in 2004 were Subprime, meaning they carried higher interest rates and fees. All of this is happening at the same time lenders and the U.S. Congress are considering weakening the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which requires banks to provide loans and other services to all areas regardless to their economic condition. There is a disparity in lending and it isn’t fair. Members of the clergy, community activists, politicians and concerned citizens, we must engage lenders and seek changes in their practices. We must insist on fairness and equity in our community and put an end to predatory lending in each and every category.

Welcome!

Greetings, you are now visiting 'NTheBlack. Get ready for various nuggets on how you can find yourself in a better position and what is fondly referred to in the financial realm as 'N The Black!