Nike Did What?

For a brand of athletic shoes that arguably owes its success to small mom and pop stores Nike seems to have forgotten how they rose to become one of the biggest brands in the world.  In a recent story covered by CBS3 Philly Nike pulling its items off some local store shelves Nike is said to be terminating contracts of urban athletic shoe stores.  This cancellation issued without any justifiable cause could possibly cause several stores to shutter their doors.  This action by Nike is a blatant slap in the face to all of the mom and pop stores who have helped Nike’s business thrive.  This is also an action that consumers should not sit by ideally and allow big business to once again reap the benefits of the community and then cast them aside once they feel they have become a “premium brand”.  For a link at the exclusive report click the above link.

Poverty Still Not A Priority

Poverty has been an issue that has been given a lot of attention by H.I.P Wire and quite frankly it seems as if we have not given enough attention to this topic.  If you look through our archive of blog post you will see poverty from all angles and sides for this is an issue that strikes all Americans.  Poverty seems to be on everyone’s minds except the 1% and the government, which seem to have an immunity that no one else shares.  The problem is that these elected government officials have contracted a proverbial case of amnesia, which seems to have removed the fact of how they got into office.  Both Democrat and Republican have removed the core of their constituency from their agenda.  This is an outrage that should not and cannot be tolerated if we as American Citizens are to have hope for any type of positive future.  Recently an article titled “Missing in Action”: Congress Ignores America’s Poverty Crisis was published by Huffington Post.  This article gives various examples of how America’s poverty rate has continued to increase to levels that have not existed for decades.  The article also speaks to the fact that our government has ignored this issue and currently does not have poverty on its agenda.  One thing that is for certain the general public cannot simply decide to forget about poverty and our government should not have the option either.  Please click the link above or read some of our earlier post for a more in-depth look at this issue.

A Bright Spot In Detroit

For the past few years most of what we have heard coming from the Motor City has been bad news.  The staggering drop in population, high murder rates, high unemployment, and not to mention the instillation of an Emergency Manager by Gov. Rick Snyder.  Unfortunately, the negative tends to overshadow any positive, so we are here to shed some positive light.  A recent article published in the Detroit Free Press titled Northeast Detroit fights for respect gives a  perfect example of how community organizations can work together to strengthen the community.  This article which includes a video clip chronicles how community volunteers and organizations have banned together to fight blight in their community.  This is just one example of how people who have genuine concern about their community can overcome obstacles and transform the place they call home.  Please click on the link above to watch the video.

Racism in The Name of Politics?

Last week the annual CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) was held in Maryland.  Prior to the event taking place it was shrouded in controversy with the exclusion of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, however it appears that once things got kicked off the controversy only increased.  A recent article titled White Student Union Members Defend CPAC Segregation Comments exposes two CPAC participants for their arrogant racist views.  The above article includes video footage of the incident that shows an African-American participant giving a presentation on how the GOP needs to reach out to the minority community when he was rudely interrupted by the two white students.  Their rhetoric can be heard on the video footage.  The sad part about all of this lies in the fact tat the GOP has yet to condemn the remarks.  We have been subjected to numerous racist remarks perpetuated by representatives from the GOP since our current Presidents initial election. The major question that stands before us is whether the GOP has a few racist members that spoil the party or is the party a safe harbor for racist views.  Please click the above link and watch the video.

The Sequester and People of Color

The Sequester at this point is not news.  We all have been inundated with the deadline and how many Americans will loose there jobs if Congress does not act and stop this travesty.  What has not been discussed is which Americans the Sequester will affect the most.  The recent article Top 10 Reasons Why People of Color Should Care About Sequestration gives a clear picture of who will be affected the most.  With many things in our country those who can least afford economic setbacks are usually the first to be affected by them.  Please click the above link for an in-depth look at how the Sequester will affect people of color.

African American Unemployment Just Not The Same

Unemployment is no new subject when it comes to most American’s.  We either know someone who is unemployed or may have been unemployed ourselves over the past six years, but that does not mean we fully understand the complexities that surround this unwanted issue.  America’s unemployment rate has hovered between the 7.9%-9.0% range for quite awhile now, but these numbers only speak to the national average, African-American unemployment is another animal all together.  Historically African-Americans unemployment numbers far exceed their counterparts and in some instances it can be double or even triple that of their white counter parts.  In fact the Dept. Of Labor and Statistics recently reported that African-American unemployment had reached an astounding 13.8% as a national average!  Today,  CNNMoney’s report Black workers’ unemployment gap sheds light on the issue of unequal unemployment in the United States. In fact the report shows how African-Americans with degrees still have a higher unemployment rate than their white counter parts. What we have to realize and accept is that America still has the debilitating issue of institutional racism to deal with. Unless we are willing to address this issue we are no better than our society was before the Civil Rights movement as the dream in terms of equal opportunity has yet to be fulfilled. Please click the above link to get a better picture of the data.

What’s Happening In NYC?

 According to a recent CNN Radio news report NYC budget cuts cause homeless crisis the number of new homeless families is skyrocketing.  The report states that because of budget cuts families that once received rent subsidies are now finding themselves homeless.  The major question at hand is does saving city budgets by increasing the number of homeless in one of the world’s most famous city’s make sense?  One thing we must keep in mind is that if these types of cuts are taking place in NYC, they must also be taking places in smaller corners of the U.S.  We must find better solutions to budgetary concerns before we place families on the street.

The Forgotten City

Stopping gun violence in America has been at the forefront of many political press conferences since the tradegy in Conneticut, but a long lingering history of gun violence has existed in major urban areas across our country for in some cases decades.  Case in point Chicago, IL.  Chicago seems to be a modern day Vietnam with more than 500 murders in 2012 and already over 40 this year!  One story that seems to be the saddest of all is that of a mother who has lost all four of her children to gun violence in the city of Chicago.  The article Chicago mother losses all children to gun violence tells this sad story, but the question that remains is how and when will the killing fields of Chicago grow voice and attention from government officials like that of Sandy Hook?  The question we have to ask ourselves is whether we look at the killing of children with an open lens or do we close the lens when it involves black and brown or those who are economically disadvantaged.  Please click the link above for more in-depth look at this sad situation.

Mississippi, “Ain’t Nothing Changed But The Weather”!

Mississippi is no stranger to racially charged sentiment, but what has happened in one corner of what could be called “The Reddest State of Them ALL”  has taken on a feeling of the states ugly past being revisited.  In Panola County Mississippi three white teenagers ran over a 61 year-old African-American man as he walked down a rural hi-way.  The issue is not that the case is not going to trail in fact the trail begins within the next month.  The issue is that the charge of hate crime has not been added along with murder.  A CNN report issued just yesterday Outrage over Miss. hit and run chronicles the events that led up to the case.  We as a nation cannot allow the horrific past of this nation to rear its ugly headed as we stand by idly and do nothing.  Please click the above link for the CNN video report.

Big Business Does It Again!

We all know the motto of American Society “Money Talks”, but we all hope that common sense and a sense of humanity would override this underlying consciousness.  Well, an article published today proves that big business seems to win every time.  The article EPA Halted Water Investigation Following Pressure From Oil Company  discusses how the EPA has bowed down to a major oil company that seems to be involved in polluting water supplies in Fort Worth, TX.  Local residents called the EPA when they noticed their water took on the physical appearance of champagne!  The EPA jumped into action and seemed to be on the side of the residents.  The report states that the EPA had evidence that the company’s hydraulic fracturing had indeed contaminated the water supply, but once the evidence was brought forth the company made threats not to participate in an EPA study and they backed off.  Time and time again we find ourselves as citizens at the mercy of our government and every time we have been portrayed.  Please read the above link for more in-depth information, also read our previous post The Tragedies of Hydraulic Fracturing