Essay 659

Putting On The Sunday Best For A MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• “Black men in America today are deeply divided over the way they see themselves and their country.

Black men report the same ambitions as most Americans -- for career success, a loving marriage, children, respect. And yet most are harshly critical of other black men, associating the group with irresponsibility and crime.

Black men describe a society rife with opportunities for advancement and models for success. But they also express a deep fear that their hold on the good life is fragile, in part because of discrimination they continue to experience in their daily lives.”

That’s the start of the latest installment of “Being a Black Man” — a new series from The Washington Post. Click on the essay title above to check it out.

• If the proposed expansions go through, the Border Patrol may surpass the F.B.I. as the biggest federal law enforcement agency. But recruiting and training remains a difficult chore, especially with lots of officers being accused of misconduct. “This is not something where you can snap your fingers and have thousands go on the job,” said an analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. “It is a demanding job, and training is important and intense.” Which makes The Minuteman Project volunteers all the more pathetic.

• UCLA expects 4,852 freshmen this fall. But only 96 will be Black, which translates to about 2 percent — and for those wondering, 20 are recruited athletes. School officials are calling the situation a crisis. Maybe UCLA just needs to create a cooler drumline.

• A California jury awarded $61 million to a couple of FedEx drivers of Lebanese descent who accused a manager of harassing them with racial slurs. The abuse included being called “terrorists” and other epithets. The lawsuit charged FedEx with failing to enforce its anti-discrimination policies. FedEx officials called the award excessive, and the company plans to appeal. In other words, the drivers shouldn’t expect to have the money delivered overnight.