Essay 672

Another Friday Morning MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Washington Post continues its series titled, “Being a Black Man.” The latest piece celebrates the unique challenges of raising Black boys. Click on the essay title above to check it out.

• A Cook County judge ruled that the press and public may view the infamous R. Kelly videotape during the upcoming trial (see Essay 655). This is good news for the three people in America who have not already seen it.

• The Governor of Texas announced plans to install night-vision cameras along the Mexican border and let the public report incoming illegal immigrants via a toll-free hotline. The governor said, “I look at this as not different from the neighborhood watches we have had in our communities for years and years.” Or potential material for a spin-off to “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

• A Philly cheesesteak joint has mandated that customers speak English when ordering. “They don’t know how lucky they are. All we’re asking them to do is learn the English language,” the restaurant owner said. “We’re out to help these people, but they’ve got to help themselves, too.” You know the apocalypse is upon us when folks from Philly are trying to enforce English as the primary language.

• The archives of Martin Luther King Jr. are being put up for auction. The King family sought to sell the collection to an institution or library, but they were unable to find interested buyers. Now the items will be sold via Sotheby’s. And if that doesn’t work, look for everything to appear on eBay.