The story of UCLA professor Dr. Christian Head is quite compelling, yet all too common.  Dr. Head is an Otolaryngology specialist at the Head and Neck Clinic at the UCLA School of Medicine.  Dr. Head has filed a racial discrimination suit against the university for a series of incidents, starting with one in which he was depicted as a gorilla being sodomized by his boss at a student/faculty event.

I watched a Youtube video of Dr. Head’s story while thinking back to all of the other incidents of racism I’ve seen in academia.  Obviously, my own experience with racially-biased treatment at Syracuse University first came to mind, where I was somehow told to think it logical that my business school (The Whitman School of Management), could exist for over 100 years without granting tenure to a single African American in any department (I told my dean that the word “Whitman” should be replaced by “White man”).

Then, as I read about Dr. Head’s story, I thought about countless stories I’ve heard around the country from other black faculty who’ve also been subjected to disparate treatment.  Like Dr. Head, they are convinced to remain quiet, in hopes that they can get tenure with good behavior.  Then, they either never get tenure anyway, or find (as Dr. Head did) that the racism continues even after they’ve been given “The Golden Lollipop.”

Racism in the workplace is a form of professional bullying.  Like any bully, it only worsens when you capitulate.  Fortunately, Dr. Head took a stand against his bully and filed suit against UCLA.  At the very least, he achieved his goal of shining a spotlight on the university’s abysmal record when it comes to racial diversity, particularly as it relates to African Americans.

When I wrote that black scholars around the country should get off the academic plantation, part of the reference was to the psychological plantation.  This is the one where your IQ is reduced right before your very eyes, as you are led to believe that being associated with the big white university with ivy on the walls somehow legitimates you as a scholar and as a human being.  When you buy into that mentality, you dramatically increase your chances of failure, for the easiest way for me to defeat you at a game is by convincing you to play a game that I designed in the first place.

Besides submitting ourselves, our careers and our self-esteem to the descendants of our historical oppressors, we also give them control of our financial security.  Then, when the white guy down the hall gets the promotion that you truly deserved, you end up feeling bitter and worthless.  This is the paradox that Malcolm X warned us about 50 years ago, but we were so drunk from the high of integration that we failed to listen.

Dr. Head’s lawsuit should be replicated at institutions all across America.  Every university that has a weak record on diversity should be called out for what it is, and discrimination NOT should be something that leads us to suffer in silence.   By telling his story, Dr. Head will hopefully liberate other scholars who’ve gone through the same thing, so that they can hopefully stand together to fight against the places (American universities) where intellectual freedom is least likely to exist.

I applaud Dr. Head for his lawsuit and I support it.  All parents of black athletes should not send their children to UCLA and the students on the campus should be embarrassed by the shameful behavior of their faculty.  Also, the case is bigger than Dr. Head, and should call for an across-the-board analysis of the university’s commitment to diversity, accepting no excuses for it’s racially-biased short-comings.  Finally, there are countless campuses across America where students and faculty should all speak out and stand up, for this problem won’t go away if we choose to remain silent.  It’s time to stand up to the bully.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

A friend of mine went to New York City to have a meeting with a billionaire.   One of the nice advantages of being an Ivy League Graduate is that there are super rich people in the alumni network who can hook you up with amazing opportunities.  In fact, that’s why our entire Supreme Court went to either Harvard or Yale for law school (one of them left Harvard to graduate at Columbia).  Elitist cronyism is bad for America, but it’s good for those who are allowed to take advantage of it.

My friend, a young brother seeking to start his own business, said that he was shocked to find that there was nothing extraordinary about the billionaire:  No Rolls Royce parked in front of the building, no secretary in a bikini serving him Martinis at work, no $10,000 suit, no office the size of Taj Mahal.  Nothing.

The only thing extraordinary about the billionaire was that he was pretty intelligent when it came to his craft, he loved to work hard, he loved his family and he wanted to make the world a better place.   That’s it.   In fact, he is planning to give half of his wealth to charity when he dies.

My friend concluded, after meeting with the man, that he’d obtained his massive fortune largely because he DID NOT spend his time “stuntin,” “flossin,” “shining” and all the other stuff that a lot of people might do if they had that kind of money.  Instead, he was focused on grinding and working hard to be successful.  He wasn’t judgmental about other people who spent most of their time engaged in leisure, but he was the one in college burning the midnight oil while others were seeking out the latest party.

I think about this as I recall a recent story about NBA star Deshawn Stevenson, who actually installed an ATM machine in his house, just because he thought it was cool.  I think about all the rappers who wear 100 pounds of jewelry, toss money in the air at the club, and feel that they need to have 15 cars in the driveway.  The number of cars in the driveway, in many cases, is only exceeded by the number of baby mamas who will be sucking him dry once his economic opportunities run out.  The buffoonery is both sad and pathetic.

Mind you, not every person with money behaves in such a ridiculous way.  But there is a culture that seems to influence young black kids to believe that income should be used solely for irresponsible and counter-productive consumption.  You are not here to build wealth, become captains of industry or use your money to improve the world around you.  Instead, you are meant to use your money to become like the “N*gga in Paris” (Jay-Z) who earned $63 million dollars last year, gave only $6,000 to charity, and sings songs about private jets flying over your head.  Jay-Z himself engages in some principles of wealth-building, but what he teaches our youth will leave them broke – some might even call him a slumlord.

The bottom line is that running away from education and economic responsibility is the best way to run right back toward slavery.  You can’t complain about the white man having his foot in your neck if you laid on the ground and placed your neck right underneath him.  All of us have to call out buffoonery when we see it and encourage one another to make better and more productive choices.  It all starts with what you do with your time, your money and your mind.

Perhaps it’s time for us to elevate our thinking.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

RELATED: Rep. Keith Ellison: ‘We Were Held In Slavery Longer Than We’ve Been Free’

You’ve seen the numbers presented on how much money Black Americans whose ancestors went through the American slave experience have lost. According to Harper’s magazine (November, 2000), the United States stole an estimated $100-trillion for 222,505,049 hours of forced labor between 1619 and 1865 with a compounded interest of 6 percent. You’ve read the opinion of former attorney and current U.S. congressman, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), who believes that “reparations has everything to do with slavery and African Americans being denied their God-given right to own themselves.”

Now we want to hear from you! Please weigh in on the following questions:

1.)

2.)

3.) 

4.)

5.)

6.)

7.)

8.)

Check with us next week when we bring you the results of this survey.

RELATED: Should Black America Receive Reparations?

Music is a universal language that binds us all, with many African-American artists serving as an inspiration to individuals in our society that have gone on to do great things. For Rev. Dr. Jamal H. Bryant (pictured) of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, music is an important fixture within his church and in his personal life. Rev. Bryant named the late and legendary crooner Marvin Gaye as his musical inspiration.

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When asked what musical artist of today has the potential to carry on Marvin’s vision, Rev. Bryant named Wyclef Jean,  Common, Talib Kweli, and even added Nas to his list. “Depending on what moment or mood Nas is in for today, he can go that way or go in the opposite direction,” said Dr. Bryant with a chuckle.

Check out the interview with writer D.L. Chandler and Rev. Dr. Jamal H. Bryant below:

SEE ALSO: Black UCLA Doc Suing For Racism Talks

Obviously, once a conspiracy theory starts, it can pick up incredible steam, lasting for decades. Although there have been quite a few that have turned out to have some truthful beginnings, many experts believe that the more elaborate a conspiracy theory is — and the more people are involved — the less likely it is true, with these types of theories often discrediting themselves in the long run. Twice a month, NewsOne will look at some of the top urban legends in our community. Enjoy!

SEE ALSO: Breakdown Of Zombie Drug Bath Salts

Food conspiracy theories are pretty interesting. The famous Church’s Fried Chicken chain has one associated it, and it originated in the mid-’80s. At the time, it was believed that the company was owned by White supremacist gang the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), who have always had a vendetta against African Americans.

Since it is no secret that the KKK hates Black people, it was allegedly thought that these haters tainted their chicken recipe with an ingredient that would render all Black men sterile.

Yes, you read that right.

The Church’s Fried Chicken chain was started by a San Antonio, Texas, entrepreneur named George Church in 1952.  The business first began as a single run stand, but then it quickly gained popularity and branched out across Texas and eventually on to other states. Church’s son, George Church Jr., took the business over in 1965, the same year that the company went public.

Author/folklorist Patricia Turner, who wrote “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” about conspiracy theories, says that the Church’s Fried Chicken myth seems to have been exacerbated by the fact that it located its franchises primarily in neighborhoods with high concentrations of Blacks.  The chain also did little advertising as compared with other fast-food companies.

Furthermore,  by  being a southern-based company and offering a southern menu that commonly identified with the African-American home kitchen, Church’s had transgressed into somewhat sacred territory.  Therefore, when people heard the rumor, they totally believed that the Klan was more than capable of carrying out such a well-devised and diabolical plan.

By the time Church’s was taken over by Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken and Biscuits in 1989, the unfounded conspiracy theories had waned.

Still, this provocative conspiracy theory continues to be shared, with some authenticating the myth by swearing they saw this theory reported on television.

To this day, I  — and I hang my head down in shame as I write this — will not allow any of my male family members to consume Church’s Fried Chicken!

Tell us!

SEE ALSO: Will Ron Paul Ever Give Up?

The request came in response to West being questioned by a constituent over charges that he’d assaulted an Iraqi police officer while serving in 2003. Instead of addressing the matter at hand, Allen wanted to talk about Barack’s blunt from three decades ago.

The exchange went as follows:

QUESTIONER: Please release your Article 15 conviction.

WEST: I was not convicted of anything. I think everyone knows what happened. I mean, if you guys have a problem with the fact that people were out there planning to kill my soldiers and I found a guy, I put a pistol, shot over his head, and they weren’t killing my soldiers anymore.

If you guys have a problem with that, you need to go talk to someone else, because if I’m in that exact same situation, I’m making the same decision for those men and women. [...] So if you guys want to go back and talk about what happened nine years ago for me, let’s talk about the president doing blow, and smoking dope.

I’m surprised he didn’t finish this whine up with “na-na-na-boo-boo, you can’t see me! You can’t see me! You can’t see me!” or a “Basketball Wives”-like cry of “you ain’t about this life!”

SEE MORE: The GOP Backpedal On Attacking Affordable Care Act

Maybe someone forgot to explain this to Allen West in his developing years, but what someone else does has no real bearing on your behavior. Which means then that college student Barack Obama could’ve sniffed crack off cement and you’d still be the man, who in 2003, was a lieutenant colonel accused of watching on as soldiers beat an Iraqi officer. And not just that. Allen was also accused to have placed the officer’s head in a barrel and fired into it, aiming away from the soldier’s head.

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How exactly is any of that comparable to mistakes made 30 years ago in school?

Obama wrote eloquently about his drug experimentation in his memoir, and by doing so, explained an issue millions of people — both old and young — can relate to.

A vice isn’t the same as torture. The president has never ran away from his past, but apparently, Allen West continues to sprint away from his.

Suffice it to say, West can try to paint Obama as a drug user based on activity 30 years ago in vain all he wants, but all it does is prove what a coward he can be when it comes to addressing his own transgressions.

Sound off!

Black UCLA Doc Suing For Racism Talks

What HBCUs Must Do To Survive

Michael Arceneaux is a Houston-bred, Howard-educated writer and blogger. You can read more of his work on his site, The Cynical Ones. Follow him on Twitter: @youngsinick

SEE MORE:

Breakdown Of Zombie Drug Bath Salts

12 Juicy Bits Of Michelle Obama’s Garden Book

SEE ALSO: Will Ron Paul Ever Give Up?

The request came in response to West being questioned by a constituent over charges that he’d assaulted an Iraqi police officer while serving in 2003. Instead of addressing the matter at hand, Allen wanted to talk about Barack’s blunt from three decades ago.

The exchange went as follows:

QUESTIONER: Please release your Article 15 conviction.

WEST: I was not convicted of anything. I think everyone knows what happened. I mean, if you guys have a problem with the fact that people were out there planning to kill my soldiers and I found a guy, I put a pistol, shot over his head, and they weren’t killing my soldiers anymore.

If you guys have a problem with that, you need to go talk to someone else, because if I’m in that exact same situation, I’m making the same decision for those men and women. [...] So if you guys want to go back and talk about what happened nine years ago for me, let’s talk about the president doing blow, and smoking dope.

I’m surprised he didn’t finish this whine up with “na-na-na-boo-boo, you can’t see me! You can’t see me! You can’t see me!” or a “Basketball Wives”-like cry of “you ain’t about this life!”

SEE MORE: The GOP Backpedal On Attacking Affordable Care Act

Maybe someone forgot to explain this to Allen West in his developing years, but what someone else does has no real bearing on your behavior. Which means then that college student Barack Obama could’ve sniffed crack off cement and you’d still be the man, who in 2003, was a lieutenant colonel accused of watching on as soldiers beat an Iraqi officer. And not just that. Allen was also accused to have placed the officer’s head in a barrel and fired into it, aiming away from the soldier’s head.

Want to Keep Up With NewsOne.com? LIKE Us On Facebook!

How exactly is any of that comparable to mistakes made 30 years ago in school?

Obama wrote eloquently about his drug experimentation in his memoir, and by doing so, explained an issue millions of people — both old and young — can relate to.

A vice isn’t the same as torture. The president has never ran away from his past, but apparently, Allen West continues to sprint away from his.

Suffice it to say, West can try to paint Obama as a drug user based on activity 30 years ago in vain all he wants, but all it does is prove what a coward he can be when it comes to addressing his own transgressions.

Sound off!

Black UCLA Doc Suing For Racism Talks

What HBCUs Must Do To Survive

Michael Arceneaux is a Houston-bred, Howard-educated writer and blogger. You can read more of his work on his site, The Cynical Ones. Follow him on Twitter: @youngsinick

SEE MORE:

Breakdown Of Zombie Drug Bath Salts

12 Juicy Bits Of Michelle Obama’s Garden Book

SEE ALSO: 12 Juicy Bits Of Michelle Obama’s Garden Book

Perhaps in the spirit of hip-hop, I should have (as Reilly on “The Boondocks” would) said the words “pause” and “no homo” before discussing how close these two women have become.  But out of respect for President Obama’s announcement in support of gay marriage, I would like to publicly banish the term “no homo” from my vocabulary.

With that being said, eyebrows were extra arched as one amazing First Lady (Michelle) has become especially chummy with a first lady in her own right (Beyonce). One woman is married to the leader of the free world, and the other is married to the world’s most-famous slum lord (did I say that?).  OK, Jay-Z isn’t a slum lord, but he is a very talented artist who goes around the world calling himself a “Ni**a in Paris” and even goes as far as to say that Beyonce is the “b*tch in his home.“

When I get married, I don’t expect that my wife will be happy to hear that I’ve called her a “b*tch” in public, no matter how much money some White guy paid me to say it.

But in spite of their superstar husbands, neither of these women are Basketball Wives, whose greatest source of achievement comes from the hard work of someone else.  Beyonce has earned more than her husband Jay-Z, and Michelle would probably make a better president than Barack (well, she would at least be a better Black president).

Both women are beautiful and intelligent wives, mothers, and career women.   That point is abundantly clear.

Some wonder, however, if Beyonce is an adequate role model for young women.  My friend Demetria Lucas at TheRoot.com openly questioned whether or not Michelle should be following Beyonce around the country and sending tweets of admiration across cyberspace.  I can understand where Demetria is coming from, since we can say that Beyonce did choose to marry a former drug dealer and made a song (“Soldier“) encouraging young girls to date dudes with “hood status” who “carry big thangs,” “make money three ways,” and “keep it real.”

That song irked me to no end, because a whole lot of brothers have died or gone to prison trying to “keep it real” over some nonsense.

But as we think about what Beyonce represents, the good clearly outweighs the bad.  She carries herself with a tremendous amount of grace, poise, and civility that makes her worthy of her superstar status. She’s not like Rihanna, seen on a blog every week smoking weed with no top on.  She’s not beating women down on television like Evelyn Lozada, and she’s living her life with dignity in a media space that loves to see Black women at their absolute worst.

Is Beyonce a bad role model for Black women?  I don’t think so.

The mutual respect among Michelle, Oprah Winfrey, and Beyonce represents growing empowerment among women in a country where women now officially comprise the majority of the American workforce.  Michelle and Beyonce are not feminists, they are womanists.  They are proud to be feminine, accept some traditional gender roles, but command the respect that they deserve.  They know they don’t need a man, but they allow themselves to need good men in order to make their relationships work – that makes them both powerful and lovable, which is an awesome combination.

I don’t think that Michelle wants Sasha and Malia to grow up and marry their own version of Jay-Z (if Malia’s boyfriend ever calls her a “b*tch,” he might end up in Guantanamo Bay), but there are a few things that they can learn from their mother’s friends, all of whom show them a little bit of what it means to be an empowered Black woman in America.

That sounds pretty good to me.

Sound off!

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

A lot of conversation has centered around the growing love affair between first lady Michelle Obama and Beyonce Knowles.   Beyonce sent Michelle a very nice public letter, sharing her admiration for the first lady.  Michelle responded by tweeting “Thank you for the beautiful letter and for being a role model who kids everywhere can look up to.”

Perhaps in the spirit of hip-hop, I should have (as Reilly on “The Boondocks” would) said the words “pause” and “no homo” before discussing how close these two women have become.  But out of respect for President Obama’s announcement in support of gay marriage, I would like to publicly banish the term “no homo” from my vocabulary.

With that being said, eyebrows were extra arched as one amazing first lady (Michelle) has become especially chummy with a first lady in her own right (Beyonce).   One woman is married to the leader of the free world, and the other is married to the world’s most famous slum lord (did I say that?).  OK, Jay-Z isn’t a slum lord, but he is a very talented artist who goes around the world calling himself a “Ni**a in Paris,” where he even refers to Beyonce as the “b*tch in his home.”  When I get married, I don’t expect that my wife will be happy to hear that I’ve called her a b*tch in public, no matter how much money some white guy paid me to say it.

But in spite of their superstar husbands, neither of these women are Basketball Wives, whose greatest source of achievement comes from the achievements of someone else.  Beyonce has earned more than her husband Jay-Z, and Michelle would probably make a better president than Barack (well, she would at least be a better black president).

Both women are beautiful and intelligent wives, mothers, and career women.   That point is abundantly clear.

Some wonder, however, if Beyonce is an adequate role model for young women.  My friend Demetria Lucas at TheRoot.com openly questioned whether or not Michelle should be following Beyonce around the country and sending tweets of admiration across cyberspace.  I can understand where Demetria is coming from, since we can say that Beyonce did choose to marry a former drug dealer and made a song (Soldier) encouraging young girls to date dudes with “hood status” who “carry big thangs,” “make money three ways,” and “keep it real.”  That song irked me to no end, because a whole lot of brothers have died or gone to prison trying to “keep it real” over some nonsense.

But as we think about what Beyonce represents, the good clearly outweighs the bad.  She carries herself with a tremendous amount of grace, poise and civility that makes her worthy of her superstar status.  She’s not like Rihanna, seen on a blog every week smoking weed with no top on.  She’s not beating women down on television like Evelyn Lozada, and she’s living her life with dignity in a media space that loves to see black women at their absolute worst.

Is Beyonce a bad role model for black women?  I don’t think so.  The mutual respect between Michelle, Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce represents growing empowerment among women in a country where women now officially comprise the majority of the American workforce.  Michelle and Beyonce are not feminists, they are womanists.  They are proud to be feminine, accept some traditional gender roles, but command the respect that they deserve.  They know they don’t need a man, but they allow themselves to need good men in order to make their relationships work – that makes them both powerful and lovable, which is an awesome combination.

I don’t think that Michelle wants Sasha and Malia to grow up and marry their own version of Jay-Z (if Malia’s boyfriend ever calls her a b*tch, he might end up in Guantanamo Bay).  But, there are a few things that they can learn from their mother’s friends, all of whom show them a little bit of what it means to be an empowered black woman in America. That sounds pretty good to me.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

SEE ALSO: Why Shaunie Should Leave ‘BBW’

Not everyone agrees that Justin should have to give back the dough, since the scholarship was athletic and not academic.

“He’s done what he needs to do to be successful, and in ‘Ameritocracy,’ we have to accept that no matter who your father is, whether he be rich, poor, or absent, that you can in fact be successful on your own merit,” said educator Steve Perry.

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While I can appreciate the sentiment of those who are keenly aware that Diddy doesn’t need the money for his son, the fact is that critics are wrong.

There’s something about being Black that makes others far more aware of when you’re allegedly milking the system in ways that would be overlooked if you were White.

The “outrage” over Justin’s scholarship would make sense if Justin was the first wealthy kid to ever receive an athletic scholarship.  It’s not as if Justin got the money based on need or even based on his minority status.  He got it for playing football and being pretty good at his sport.  Mind you, I wouldn’t be surprised if his father’s connections helped him to jump a bar that he wouldn’t be able to jump if he were some regular kid from the ghetto.

But I guess that’s the benefit of having a Father who’s made millions by feeding bottles of liquor to Black people all over the world and making a lot of mediocre music (Seriously, Diddy hasn’t made hot music since Biggie was alive 15 years ago, and you know it).

With that being said, Justin’s scholarship is a non-issue and a non-conversation topic.  When every rich kid in America gets his scholarship taken away, then we can talk.  Until then, let the boy go to college like everybody else, he earned it.

Sound off!