Fury Over Racist Black Cake in Sweden

Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Sweden's culture minister, faced furious calls to resign after she was pictured cutting a 'racist' black cake designed like a naked African woman as the "cake" was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm. she was invited to cut the cake which was designed like a naked African woman.

The Swedish minister cut pieces from the black cake, which had blood-red sponge and was designed to highlight the issue of female genital mutilation.

Despite the intentions of the bizarre cake, however, critics described it as a 'racist spectacle', and demanded Ms Liljeroth resigned for participating in the 'tasteless' event. The Association for African Swedes said the cake was a crude racist caricature which 'makes a mockery of racism'

Makode Linde, the artist who came up with the cake, had placed his own head at the top of the cake and said it had been misunderstood.

The black cake, part of an exhibition on World Art Day, was intended as part of the artist's project illustrating degrading stereotypes of black people through history.

Liljeroth, whose photograph cutting a piece of the cake was widely shown in Swedish media, said she understood why people would be offended by the incident.

She said in a statement: 'I was invited to speak at World Art Day about the freedom of art and its right to provoke.

'And then they wanted me to cut into the cake. I don't review art, but I can very well understand that this whole situation was misunderstood.'

Is this just a "tasteless" event or is it racism and racist caricature?  What do you think?

Afro Style Washing up Sponges from U K

Tom Gardner, Mail Online, reports on a company behind a new range of Afro style washing up sponges has been slammed for being racist.

Campaigners have attacked British makers Paladone for its latest range of dish cleaning products which caricatures black soul legend Diana Ross as having a brillo pad for a hairstyle.

The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto

Cornell West and Tavis Smiley

Tavis Smiley said on "Face the Nation" Sunday that poverty in America "threatens our very democracy," and that it threatens our national security.

"There seems to be a bipartisan consensus in this town - and you know how hard that is to do - but a bipartisan consensus that the poor just don't matter, that poverty is just not an important issue," Smiley said. "We cannot abide another campaign for the White House where the issue of poverty isn't raised higher on the American agenda."

Black Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling

I read an article in The Root that caught my fancy."Black, Female, and In Charge" sounded good to me. The survey of the accomplishments of twenty Black women who become CEO in their companies encouraged me to reach out to young women, share some of these role models that might be unfamiliar, and highlight some of the traits they exhibited that contributed to their success.

When we think black, female and in charge, we think Oprah Winfrey, Madame C. J. Walker, Linda Rice Johnson, Tracy Edmonds, Debra L. Lee and Desiree Rogers. You might even know Rosalind Brewer, new CEO at Sam's Club or Ursula Burns, CEO at Xerox. If pressed to name others, we probably couldn't add names to the list.  So let's get started, find out who some of the women are, and what helped them succeed.

'60 Minute' Icon Mike Wallace Dead at 93

Broadcasting legend Mike Wallace has died, CBS News announced on Sunday. He was 93. After years of illness, Wallace died on Saturday night in a long-term care center in New Canaan, Connecticut. He was surrounded by family. 

Wallace, a veteran CBS journalist, was one of the original hosts and correspondents of "60 Minutes." He was a trailblazer, known for confronting his subjects and originating the news magazine format. His style became standard for television news. He joined "60 Minutes" at its inception in 1968, and retired at the age of 88 in 2006. He continued to do occasional interviews until 2008.

Mike Wallace was married four times. In 1986, he wed Mary Yates Wallace, the widow of his close friend and colleague Ted Yates, who had died in 1967. Besides his wife, Wallace is survived by his son, a stepdaughter, Pauline Dora, and stepson Eames Yates.

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Mike Wallace, `60 Minutes' interrogator, dies
Huffington Post

Tulsa Shooting Spree Suspects Arrested

Recent shootings terrorized Tulsa's black community and left three people dead and two others critically wounded. After police received an anonymous tip, they arrested two men at a home just north of Tulsa about 2 a.m. Sunday. The men are expected to be charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill in the wake of shootings early Friday.

Rest in Peace, Tyler Winstead

Another family mourns the death of a young family member.

Tyler Winstead, a high honors student in the eighth grade at Wilkes-Barre Area's GAR High School, was shot in front of 117 Hill St., just two houses away from his home at 121 Hill St., where he lived with his grandparents Willie and Carol Golden, just before 7:30 Thursday night.

Tyler was walking with a friend from the Catholic Youth Center on South Washington Street where he played basketball Thursday night when he was shot. Carol Golden said Winstead, her grandson loved playing basketball and video games.

Life Serving Service: African Americans in U. S. Coast Guard

Alex Haley

In my close to 70 years on earth, I'm ashamed to say that I've only read two items about African-Americans in the U. S. Coast Guard.  On May 24, 1939, Alex Haley began his service in the Coast Guard. During his time in the Pacific Theatre Operations, he wrote love letters for his fellow enlisted men to fight his boredom and was able to transfer into the field of journalism in 1949. After twenty years of service, Haley retired from the Caost Guard as Chief Petty Officer.