News Update - Black Accountability Project

Black Accountability Project
News UPDATE

In today's update: Politics, Race and the Black vote, Internet Use and the $860 billion black family, and bad news.

Most Democratic candidates are ignoring African Americans
Chicago Sun-Times, United States - Yet the Democratic candidates -- with the exception of John Edwards, who opened his campaign in New Orleans' Ninth Ward and has made addressing poverty central to his campaign -- have virtually ignored the plight of African Americans in this country. The catastrophic crisis that engulfs the African-American community goes without mention. No urban agenda is given priority. When thousands of African Americans marched in protest in Jena, La., not one candidate showed up.

Black Accountability Project says That's because no one is holding them accountable, including Jesse Jackson who endorsed Obama! Read More HERE

Black voters tilt toward Clinton: study

Boston Globe, United States - Hillary Clinton is overwhelmingly popular with black voters, drawing higher approval ratings than the only major African-American candidate running for president, according to a study released today by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Clinton's own record as First Lady and New York senator -- along with her marriage to former President Bill Clinton, who is very popular among black voters -- earned her an 83 percent approval rating among likely black voters, compared to 75 percent who ranked Illinois Senator Barack Obama positively, the study said.

It's not that black voters don't like Obama as much, said David Bositis, senior research director for the Washington-based group. But African-Americans -- especially those in the South -- haven't seen black candidates do well statewide, and are concerned Obama can't win, Bositis said.

Black Accountability Project says: What do you expect when black political and social bloggers have failed come together as a group to give black communities information that will provide them with opportunities to become more intelligent voters? Time is running short folks, the 2008 primaries are near. time to develop 50 Questions for all the presidential candidates to answer on issues of importance to black communities, and give the all a report card. OK afrospear it's time to come up with 50 of the most important and toughest questions for the Presidential candidates to answer.

African Americans Will Make Up 11.8% of All US Internet Users
Business Wire (press release)
Following Hispanics, African Americans are the second-largest minority market in the US. Researchers estimate they will spend $860 billion in 2007, rising to $1.1 trillion by 2012. The factors driving this buying power, such as improvements in education, income and employment, are also increasing African American Internet usage.

The African Americans Online report analyzes the many factors that have gone into creating the digital divide, including why it is closing slower than expected.

eMarketer estimates that African Americans will make up 11.8% of all US Internet users in 2011, up from 10.8% in 2006.

But despite the fact that the costs of computer equipment and Internet access have fallen over the last few years, there continues to be a significant digital divide between White and Black America.

Key questions the African Americans Online report addresses:

-How many African Americans are online?
-Is the digital divide closing?
-What is distinctive about the attitudes and values of African Americans that drive their spending behavior?
-What lessons can be learned from successful marketing targeting African Americans?
And many others

Black Accountability Project says: Buying power? yes, In debt power ? yes, Building personal and family wealth? no. Political power? yes, using our political power? no, Time for individual accountability? Yes.

Why is bad news about African Americans so popular?
Louisiana Weekly, LA

Last year the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta issued a report showing that the steady increase in the HIV/AIDS infection rate for African Americans had actually declined. This was very good news! It suggested that at least in the area of slowing down the spread of a killer disease Blacks as a group were doing something right. Thus, as a journalist who stays pretty well abreast of what is taking place in the media, I was saddened and disappointed when this news received virtually no mention in the mainstream media and very little coverage even in Black media.

History teaches that if the news had been negative or the HIV/AIDS infection rate had increased significantly, it would have been given widespread coverage. The episode prompted the following question: Why is virtually all the news receiving massive coverage and specifically relating to African Americans usually negative? Read more Here

Black Accountability Project says: It's time to flip the script. Bring positive messages to our community about what we can do instead of what we cant do. Anybody that is willing to flip the script in America, and in Black America, come join us.

Black American opinion and social networking members: You can become a Black Accountability Project Blogger in your city/state. Learn more by emailing BlackAccountabilityProject@GMail.com