The first of the "10,000 Men" step out for some
"field training."

With enthusiasm that belied their numbers, the first 100 men committed to encouraging thousands of African Americans to become community activists took to the street yesterday in a "field training" exercise.
On a sunny, brisk day, the initial public patrols of "10,000 Men: A Call to Action" set out from the Vare Recreation Center at 26th and Morris Streets to canvass about 16 blocks of South Philadelphia and Point Breeze.
Trained to be polite and nonconfrontational, the men walked the neighborhoods and distributed printed door-hangers introducing the outfit, which was organized in reaction to a violent crime wave that has affected black neighborhoods more than most.
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Domestic violence on the rise in Jamaica
BY TYRONE S REID Sunday Observer staff reporter

The rate of domestic violence in Jamaica is on the rise, according to data from the Jamaica Constabulary Statistics Department. Domestic-related murders, in particular, jumped 20 per cent between 2005 and the end of 2006.
In 2004, the police received 4,149 reports of domestic wounding and 4,568 reports of domestic assault - 200 more than the previous year. In 2005, of the 1, 674 murders reported across Jamaica, 49 were domestic-related. By the end of 2006, the police tallied 61 domestic-related murders that were investigated - 12 more than the year before.
Overall, according to the police, between 2001 and 2006, 17 per cent of all murders on the island were committed in the household. For the same period, all domestic offences (including murder, assault and wounding) totalled 49,047 - the highest in a long time. In the majority of the cases, women are the victims.
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More black men must go to college
The problem of black male enrolment in college starts with the lack of
black males in high school and junior high.
By TOM JOYNER

Every year, I visit more than a dozen black college campuses giving graduation speeches and helping them raise money. It makes me feel good to see all those students' smiling faces, but there's something missing. As much as I like to see all the African-American women graduating from historically black colleges and universities and enjoy getting all those hugs, I'd like to get more firm handshakes from young brothers in caps and gowns. In other words, I'm not seeing enough black males' faces at these graduations, and that's got me worried.

In fact, I'm so worried, my foundation started a scholarship fund – "Brothers on the Move" — to make sure more black men stay in school — and graduate. Already, I've given $2,500 scholarships to young black men at Tougaloo College, Cheney University of Pennsylvania and Tennessee State University. Before the end of the year, young men at Edward Waters College and Savannah State University will be recognized. I had to do something to at least level the playing field for these brothers and make sure they have every chance they can to get a college degree. The reality is that the statistics tell the story.
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Black Focused School Debate Set
thestar.com

By 16, more than half of all young black males in Toronto public schools have fallen behind. They don't have the required credits – 16 by age 16 – which means they're more likely to drop out.

That statistic alone had trustee Michael Coteau rethinking his opposition to black-focused schools.

"I was brought up in the public system, a very multicultural system, and I think it's important for young people to interact with other cultures. However, when I see those numbers, there's a failure, a breach in the system. Something's gone wrong," said Coteau, 35, one of two black trustees on the Toronto District School Board.

Later this month, the board is expected to debate opening a black-focused school. But already, Premier Dalton McGuinty has weighed in, saying while the board is free to make its own decision, he doesn't support it.
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Slave trades legacy lingers among Britain’s
Slave trades legacy lingers among Britain’s
black people, says Jackson
by Maria Mackay

Britain’s black community is still enslaved despite the end of the slave trade 200 years ago, the Rev Jesse Jackson has warned.
“The slave trade ended; slavery did not end and the legacy has not ended,” Rev Jackson told Christian Today after a meeting with black church leaders on Monday.
Rev Jackson is in the UK this week as part of a visit organised by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland to highlight racial justice.
“The legacy of slavery lingers in ways that can be measured today,” he said, pointing to the higher mortality rates and shorter life expectancy within black communities, as well as high numbers of young black people in prison and substantial disparity between black and white students at top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
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