Burning the Confederate Flag

The Grio reports that artist John Sims will spend Memorial Day burning the Confederate flag in states aross the South. 

 John Sims, an artist from Sarasota, Florida, is honoring the constitutional right of self-expression by staging burnings and burials of the Rebel flag, that troublesome symbol of the Old South that many, particularly African-Americans, associate with slavery, white supremacy and state-sponsored terrorism and lynchings.

“We are in America, and people have the right to fly whatever flag [they want],” Sims said. “And I have the right to bury whatever flag, and to burn whatever flag.”

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 Video: Black women talk about dating with Larry Wilmore

Video: Dr. Ivan Joseph on The skill of self confidence |

As the Athletic Director and head coach of the Varsity Soccer team at Ryerson University, Dr. Joseph is often asked what skills he is searching for as a recruiter: is it speed? Strength? Agility? In this TEDx Talk, he says self confidence is not just the most important skill in athletics, but in our lives.

Fear that Tamir Rice will be forgotten

In The Root Breanna Edwards keeps us up to date with progress in the Tamir Rice case, where a 12-year-old boy playing with a toy gun was shot by police. 

 A federal judge will be holding a hearing at the beginning of June to decide whether a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Tamir’s family should be put on hold while the criminal investigation is pending.

According to Cleveland.com, lawyers for the city and the officers involved claim that their clients want to protect their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination and wish to wait until the criminal case is closed so that they can give testimony at a civil trial without fear of reprisal.

But Tamir’s family does not want to put the civil case on hold, fearing that memories may fade and people may move, thus harming the potential for a successful case.

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Video: Nadine Burke Harris on the impact of childhood trauma 

The stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health. substance abuse -- and may we add poverty --has real effects on brain development. Across a lifetime high levels of trauma can triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer.”

The Remedy? More Black Doctors

The New York Times says more Black doctors could help improve healthcare for Black Americans.

“As a general rule, black patients are more likely to feel comfortable with black doctors. Studies have shown that they are more likely to seek them out for treatment, and to report higher satisfaction with their care. In addition, more black doctors practice in high-poverty communities of color, where physicians are relatively scarce.” 

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 High Flown Beat: Chill out music to relax to.

Malcolm X at 90

If Malcolm X had lived he would be 90 now. The New Orleans website nola.com takes a look at his relationship with Coretta King and Dr. Martin Luther King.

 "I think that Martin and Malcolm agreed in terms of the ultimate goal of the freedom struggle," Coretta Scott King said. "I don't think there was any difference there.... Martin had the greatest respect for Malcolm and he agreed with him in terms of the feeling of racial pride and the fact that Black people should believe in themselves and see themselves as, as lovable and beautiful... I think if he had lived...if the two had lived, I am sure that at some point they would have come closer together and would have been a very strong force in the total struggle for liberation and self determination of black people in our society." 

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 Demcracy Now also takes a look at Malcolm X’s life and achievements. 

Video: Malcolm X: Make It Plain

Video: Highlights of Damien Lillard's 2014-15 season 

 Video: Vursatyle 

Vursatyle gets us fired up for change with Bring It To A Halt a single from his solo effort Crooked Straights.

"Full of warm, soulful, Dilla-esque hip hop beats created largely by local Portland producers, Vursatyl provides a master-class in the art of lyricism with a record which surely cements his reputation as one of the most respected artists in the hip hop community. Conscious lyrics delivered with a sense of fun and a touch of swagger makes this a 'must check' record for fans of golden era Hip Hop."Black Fatherhood

A Black father against the odds

Not all Black fathers are missing. But what happens when they try to parent children against the odds. Paul Gayle had no job, no money and a 7-month-old baby. He needed help. The Obama administration gave him 16 lessons in fatherhood.

When he found out he was going to be a father, he felt both excited and scared. He was unemployed, broke, single and still pursuing his high school diploma — an accidental teenage father, the exact thing his mother had warned him not to become. He hid the pregnancy from his mother for several months, hid it from nearly everybody, until his daughter arrived in August at 6 pounds and 13 ounces, with tousled hair, soft skin and normal results on her first hospital check-up. “Health: Good.” “Ethnicity: Black.” “Risk factors: None.”

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 Have a great week from all of us at The Skanner.