The 110 Institute: Updates

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, and I acted like a child… When I became a man, I put away childish things”. This quote and parable is well-known, but every generation or so we have to remind ourselves of this truth. I pen this commentary as a full-grown, most-times-mature African-American male. I have the same cultural deficiencies and flaws as any other man in America, and certainly, as any African-American man.

I don’t have anything against men wearing Cargo shorts or knee-length jean shorts as a style, per se. But there’s a time and a place for (almost) everything, and mid-day, mid-week, year-round is not the time… in my opinion. If one is on vacation, traveling, or home for the day after an early work shift, then almost any style of dress is appropriate (except hair rollers in public, or house shoes when you’re out of the house).

My issue goes more to the “appearance” of urban males, aged fifteen to fifty, and the “personal philosophy” that rings clear when the image of cut-off shorts, tank tops, and flip-flops at 9:30 in the morning, says he has no particular place to be. Not only that, but the widely-recognized clothing standard of the button-down shirt with slacks, or even the “polo-type” shirt with khaki pants, is a look that my guys wouldn’t even consider… even if it was sure to open new doors for them.

There are many times when I’m in a store or at an event, and I’m “people-watching” (as my dearly departed mother called it), and I literally can’t tell the men from the women. I see grown men wearing “wife-beater” undershirts, braids, two earrings, and sagging pants showing me their underwear. I wonder to myself, who this look is designed to please? Is this look aimed at a potential mate? Is it designed to impress other men? Does this personal style give added confidence to the wearer in these public situations, or just say to the rest of us that “I really don’t care what any of you squares think about me”? Never realizing that the person standing in line behind them could be a potential employer.

The larger point must be the overall thinking, beliefs, and preparation of the men who decide to adopt an image of “Thug Life” or urban machismo. In the 1970’s, the “Superfly” image dominated urban culture, and set a standard of behavior and appearance that has lasted to this very day. There are people who’s only success in life was in the 1970’s, with home purchases, local celebrity status, and a social network that kept them “connected”. The popular R&B band Tower of Power had a hit record entitled, “What is Hip?”, which summarized the mood and ethos of a generation. Today, the circumstances are very similar for urban men, with clothing, hair styles, mannerisms, and behaviors among their ranks, that will likely stay with them for decades.

The reality is that our young men and boys simply must begin to be more serious and forward-thinking about their opportunities and future success. Grown men - at least chronologically - simply can not continue to wear “little boy clothes”. It’s time for these men to adopt a more sober approach to modern life, and groom themselves as men of substance would. “Coo-lots” and Capri pants, flip-flops, bandanas, and the latest sneakers all speak to a choice of personal style, but these things simply are not appropriate for the next level of business or community engagement. I pray that we would all come to our senses, and start to teach our boys the right way to groom, and the right way to conduct themselves in public… including at school. Real men don’t wear Coo-lots or Capri pants when its time to take care of serious business. Now is a good time to start the process of re-training our boys, and teaching them how to recognize the appropriate time and place to act like men… and put away childish things.


Copyright 2011 Anthony Nichelson the110institute.com Memphis All Rights Reserved

I am truly appreciative and eternally grateful for the love and support that
has been shown for the Third Annual "Man of the House" Mentoring Event. A very special thanks to the Sponsors listed below, and to all of the men who
volunteered, and to our boys who demonstrated seriousness in the effort.

We'll start preparing for the follow-up (the MOH Mentoring Symposium in
September), and other activities to strengthen the hearts and minds of young
men being raised by single Moms.

Thanks to our Title Sponsors, G.I. Specialists and Dr. Paul Bierman... and The Motley Internal Medicine Group, with Drs. Todd & Ann-Marie Motley... and
thanks to all of you:

The Staff of the National Civil Rights Museum

The Black Rose Foundation for Children, Dr. Shelia Hunter

Yvonne Wolfe, Oak Court Mall

Pyramid Wine & Spirits, 2nd at Auction

The National Housing Protection Agency

The Citadel-Memphis Radio Group, Ms. Gennora Reed

The Tri-State Defender Newspaper

Mr. Jay's Barber Shop at Southwind

"Flavors" Catfish & More

The Beignet Cafe

Congressman Steve Cohen

Natasha Bowen, "The Growth Coach"

Attorney Chris Taylor

The Memphis Watch D.O.G.S.

Century Management, Mr. Fred Tillman and Angela Adams

The Taffi T. Crawford Domestic Violence Foundation

Ernest Towns / the Shifting Gears Initiative

Spikner Apparel on Madison

C&J Trophy and Engraving on Park Ave.

I'll be in touch soon, and if there's anything I can ever do to assist in your
efforts, don't hesitate to call...

All the best, and may God continue to Bless & Keep you.

Tony
(901) 336-2399

The 110 Institute announced its 2011 "Men of the Year" award recipients on April 20, 2011, marking the third year of honoring "men who exemplify excellence in Mentoring, leadership, and setting positive examples for young men to follow", said Institute director Tony Nichelson.

Previous "Man of the Year" winners are Congressman Steve Cohen (2009), and both Dr. Todd Motley along with United States Attorney General Eric Holder (2010).

The 110 Institute is proud to announce the 2011 "Men of the Year" are University of Memphis Men's Basketball Coach Josh Pastner, and Methodist-South Hospital CEO, Dr. Michael Ugwueke (pronounced U-wicki). In addition, four young Memphis Tigers are being recognized this year for their exemplary efforts in both academics and citizenship. Freshmen Tarik Black, Chris Crawford, and Joe Jackson, along with incoming Freshman Adonis Thomas have been selected as recipients of the first “Man of the House” Student Achievement Honor.

Melrose High senior Adonis Thomas has a 4.0 grade point average, and Tarik Black was chosen by his teammates as a leader and team spokesperson during the Tiger’s 2011 C-USA Championship season. Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford demonstrated maturity, leadership and consistency, “which are qualities every young man should strive for”, said Nichelson.

Coach Josh Pastner guided and Mentored a solid group of young men, and helped them over-achieve. Dr. Michael Ugwueke, CEO of Methodist-South Hospital, showed exemplary leadership in partnering with Dr. Todd Motley and the nurses of Methodist Hospital, to support Domestic Violence Prevention efforts in Memphis and Shelby County.

“Coach Pastner and Dr. Egwueke are the kind of men who create opportunities for others, and who guide young men to a more positive path”, said Nichelson.

The award is one of the highlights at the Third annual “Man of the House” Mentoring Event, slated for Saturday, June 18th at the National Civil Rights Museum starting at 8:00 am.

This text, examining our dire circumstance, is not intended to further dampen our resolve, but rather to awaken the innate survival skills of a cultural community that has endured almost every calamity known to man. Taken from the deepest jungles and Utopias of sub-Saharan Africa in the 15th century, through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, then enslavement for nearly 300 years, and through the cleansing of Emancipation, African-American people survived to rightly claim a part of the American experience and legacy. The same group fought systematic illness, medical experimentation at Tuskeegee, the institutional terror of the "Klan" in the deep South, the terror of assassinations in the 1960's, and the economic transitions of five generations, to stand in America today, on the verge of cultural collapse, with our children not even knowing the dates of the Emancipation Proclamation, or the Brown Decision, or "Bloody Sunday", or the name of the city that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed in.

The final crisis is now upon us, and there is no margin for error or delay in bringing a tangible focus to the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual development of African-American teenagers and young adults. We, as a cultural entity, are out of time, and the cadre of young African-American individuals among us is destined to endure many more decades of poor health, limited financial growth, criminal corruption, and general misery, for the nearly eight million children growing up poor and ignorant in America's inner cities.

We can no longer act like everything is fine, and that our children are simply expressing their individuality, or practicing their "free speech" rights, when they say and do the things that we see them do every day. If the African-American "community", as diverse as it is, can not agree on a basic set of principles, behaviors, and initiatives for its children, then five hundred years of cultural and economic contributions to America will be wiped away, as if it never happened. African-Americans have done very little in the past two decades to ensure that their children know and understand the significance of the African-American contribution to every aspect of American life, good and bad.

Fifty years after the start of the American Civil Rights Movement – a movement for human dignity and opportunity – we must ask ourselves, “how smart are our children?”, and what is it that they actually know? More importantly, we should ask, "what tasks do our children actually know how to perform?" What skills do they really possess? What personal "base of knowledge" do they call on every day, just to survive? How do they arrive at their most important decisions? How smart are our students, as they prepare to take standardized tests that could mean the difference between them graduating from high school with a diploma, or simply getting a "Certificate of Attendance" after twelve years of formal public education? And what are the consequences if young African-Americans really aren't smart enough to negotiate the realities of everyday life in these United States? The fact is that we say our children must be able to compete globally, when 80% of our pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults cannot even compete locally.

First, let's look at a few cold, hard facts to begin this discussion, and to disprove any thoughts that the writer is biased, any more than an Italian-American, or an Irish-American, or a Jewish-American would be, correctly, if they insist that their children become smarter, learn, observe, and come to respect the cultural, economic, and spiritual contributions of their ancestors. I, Tony Nichelson, fully endorse and support the importance for all of us appreciating the culture and diversity of our neighbors. Further still, that every cultural and ethnic community should continue to have celebrations and create educational opportunities to share knowledge and culture with their children, and with all children whose parents approve. Having said that, allow me to share a few hard realities of modern life for African-American youngsters:

► The majority of African-American marriages end in divorce;

► Teen pregnancy in the African-American community, after a
decade of decline, is on the rise, with more 13 and 14-year old
mothers than ever before giving birth, many wearing the
"badge" as a fashion statement;

► The majority of African-American young men have a criminal record, or have
had juvenile contact with law enforcement;

► Thirty-six percent of African-American men, aged 21-35, are incarcerated;

► Millions of domestic violence incidents continue to stifle the familial and
spiritual development of children who witness the abuse;

► Only five percent of young African-American men are enrolled in college;

► African-American children continue to perform poorly, as a group, on all
standardized and state-based proficiency exams;

► Only 12 percent of African-American fourth grade boys read on grade level;

► Over the past ten years (1998-2008), nearly 500,000 African-American boys
and young men have been killed violently on the streets and back-alleys of
America, with another million or so maimed by gun-play, mischief,
and ill-advised decisions;

► One-in-four African-American teenagers suffer from Type-2 Diabetes,
or have Pre-Diabetes symptoms;

► More than half of all African-American teens could have diagnoses
of depression, but are never screened.

How is it possible that with all of the educational resources at their fingertips, ninety percent of African-American teenagers can not name five U.S. cities where significant Civil Rights battles were fought, but many can name the top five NBA draft choices from two seasons ago? How is it possible that ninety-five percent of African-American teenagers can not discuss the dates or events of the Harlem Renaissance, but many can name every Rap artist on a Top-25 List? How is it possible that virtually no public school districts in America offer "African-American Studies" as an Elective Course, when ninety-seven percent of public school students are African-American (except in border states where the same ratios are true for Hispanic students attending public schools)? Why do African-American parents look the other way, when school boards make such decisions, or when these so-called leaders give in to pressure from the very same people who would have these children remain ignorant about their cultural heritage and collective contributions to American society?

These things certainly should be taught in the homes of our children, and we will address that fact in the body of this work. But as a cultural community, African-Americans must now examine the behaviors and outcomes of the adults who were supposed to nurture African-American children, and prepare them – just as lion cubs, or baby eagles must be taught – to fend for themselves in a world that is hell-bent on chewing them up, and spitting them out, because that's simply the law and nature of survival. But we have created another layer of danger for our young ones.

Sagging pants on young men, depleted finances, unstable, toxic relationships, illiterate teens and parents, deceitful politicians, weak men, irrational women, failed institutions, and a hundred other social illnesses plague the African-American community in 2010. Forty-five million lost souls, who continue to impotently witness the internal decay and destruction of their cultural history, five hundred years in-the-making, and now on the brink of extinction. The primary excuse given is that we are still victims of oppression and racism, and that our men are still treated as boys in a man's world. And that the African-American community is "just a generation or two" removed from slavery. Even if those things were true, sagging pants and violent mistreatment of our women is a fairly new phenomenon.

Disrespect for senior citizens, armed car-jackings, epidemic drug sales and use, criminalization of teens, and a complete disregard for education are all issues that have nothing to do with slavery. Irresponsible men, greedy women, selfish entertainers and athletes, and unconcerned teachers are now rooted in the cultural fabric of the African-American community. The self-destructive behavior of our boys is only a symptom of the larger sickness that must someday surely overtake our cultural strength. Our sixty percent divorce rate, and the 51% rate of women over thirty-five years old, who have never married or had children, is as crucial as the four million confused, short-sighted, illiterate, and economically dysfunctional urban teens in our midst.

Our children are "intellectually blind", walking through life without even a cane to find their way. Looking at their plight another way, we could say that our young boys are in a fight for their cultural lives… unarmed. And that young ladies in their cadre are ignorant, poor, lustful, star-struck, confused, and quite vulnerable to almost anything that comes along… including domestic violence and disease. Our seniors are frightened, economically ravaged, and unable to negotiate our modern world. And our families rarely have dinner together, except for the tattered remnants of "Sunday Dinner" at Grandma's house, or for a special occasion like Christmas.

Even the revered, and once high-regarded "Black Church" experience, can now only be regarded loosely as the "faith-based" community, with their doors open only from nine-to-five, and virtually no Social Justice being carried out for the grandchildren of Civil Rights veterans who attended Mass Meetings, risking both life and limb, to see a better day for their children's children. The African-American experience in this country has always been fraught with danger, deception, disease (the Tuskeegee Experiment), and dislocation, but always moved forward; often disjointed, and mostly sporadic, but forward-moving none the less.

The Cultural strength needed was always there, and saw victories in Topeka, Little Rock, Montgomery, Birmingham, and in 2008, in Washington, D.C., with the election of an African-American President. There are millionaire athletes and entertainers, as well as successful businesspeople among the ranks of modern Black folks. But ninety percent of the African-American population still lags behind in every economic, social and educational statistic worth measuring. From premature births, to infant mortality, early nutrition, and academic failures, through unemployment, failed marriages, chronic economic instability, preventable adult illnesses, and finally to dying poor, African-Americans face real challenges, literally "from the womb to the tomb".

I'm extremely proud to be an American of African ancestry, and there is still hope for our collective cultural survival. But not as long as we continue to say "things are fine", and these boys should be able to earn a living as Rappers, no matter how raunchy and degrading their statements and video offerings may be. "Thug Life" has dominated African-American cultural street-experiences for nearly three decades now, and the evidence is starting to clearly show what a complete lack of intellectual development can do to a people. Materialism has replaced morals; greed has replaced generosity; and "whatever" has replaced the work ethic. The "Harlem Renaissance" of the 1920's served a specific purpose, and now we need another "renaissance" to repair and strengthen that single thread that still holds together the tattered fabric blanketing the African-American experience in the United States, circa 2011.

*This excerpt is taken from Chapter One of the forthcoming book, "Ethnic Cleansing", by Tony Nichelson, scheduled for publication in early 2011.

Saving Our Mothers from Domestic Violence
Finally Changing the Game, to Help Women & Girls

Tony Nichelson

The only issue in our society that is more prevalent than Domestic Violence is cancer. In fact, domestic violence probably touches and affects more people than cancer. It’s that serious. The hitting, punching and emotional abuse that befalls women caught up in abusive relationships leaves the victims and their children shattered for decades.

When Taffi Crawford, a Nurse and mother, was gunned down on the Friday before Valentine’s Day by her ex-boyfriend, we were all stunned. Just as we were stunned last year when a lovely and talented teacher, Ashley Scott was beaten and left for dead by her husband on their cold garage floor. This community is second in the nation in ‘reported’ cases of domestic abuse, with only 25 percent of cases ever being reported. Beatings and threats that don’t require medical attention or police involvement rarely get reported, but the damage is done to the women, girls and children who hear the harsh profanity, hear the punches landing, and see the rage of the animals who inflict the daily beatings.

Why does the woman stay, and why won’t the man stop hitting her? These questions are pondered by the YWCA Abused Women’s program staff, and by the authorities who continue to see the broken and battered bodies of the ladies who end up in the Emergency Room at the Med. The answer to “why the women stay”, can be summed up in three words… fear, economics, and love. The victims FEAR what will happen to them if they try to leave; the victims can’t financially afford to leave (or so they think); and in too many cases, the women actually still have love for the abuser, thinking he will one day change. False pride, low self-esteem, confusion, and embarrassment all contribute to the most reckless decision that these women will ever make. They give up their best years to this creep who only wants to control her, because he controls very little else in his life.

Here are some realities that Memphis must now consider. We can not continue to care more about the Memphis Animal Shelter than we do about the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center. I love animals, especially kittens, but we can not continue to make the discovery of three dead dogs in a Mississippi corn field a “Breaking News” story, while a woman has been beaten, raped, and told to clean up the mess. Let’s see the televised photographs of the black eyes and broken bones of abused women, just as we show emaciated dogs and cats, with a warning that these pictures are “graphic”. If we could only show the rage of these cowardly abusers on video, while they were actually swinging at vulnerable frightened women, the public would quickly turn on these creeps, just as we've turned on drunk drivers. Domestic violence happens behind closed doors… usually. It’s a private matter with huge public health implications.

Starting today, we have to empower women, and teach them self-defense techniques. We have to equip our boys with tactics and resources that can help their mothers break the cycle of brutality and domestic violence. We have to pass legislation that makes Protective Orders mean what they say, and teach women that it’s not okay to allow the suspect to talk his way back in with his promises to “do better”. We have to start early, teaching our boys that they don’t OWN this woman, and that she has a right to exist as a human being, not merely as a sex object that he can isolate from the outside world as he pummels her to the kitchen floor.

The only issue in our society that is more prevalent than Domestic Violence is cancer. It’s that serious, and the situation can only change with a constant focus on the reasons men do it, the reasons women stay in such violent conditions, and the real impact on the children who witness a beating in the early morning hours or in the middle of the night. I’ll stop short of calling for “good vigilantes” who will go to the aid of abused women, and we don’t want her brothers or uncles to go to jail for Assault while the abuser walks free as a crime victim. That would be the ultimate irony and insult. Self-defense techniques for women, new legislation modeled after Drunk Driving laws, greater public awareness, and real concern for the Mothers, aunts and sisters in our society who are beaten every day will level the playing field, and finally "change the game" in favor of women. We love you Taffi.

© Copyright 2010 Anthony Nichelson the110institute.com Memphis
All Rights Reserved

CULTURAL COLLAPSE:
The REAL Danger to the African-American Community
Tony Nichelson

Sagging pants on young men, shaky finances, unstable and toxic relationships, illiterate teens (and parents), deceitful politicians, weak men, irrational women, failed institutions, and a hundred other social illnesses plague the African-American community in 2010. Forty-five million lost souls, who continue to impotently witness the internal decay and destruction of their cultural history… five hundred years in-the-making, and now on the brink of collapse. The primary excuse given is that we are still victims of oppression and racism, and that our men are still treated as boys in a man's world; that the African-American community is "just a generation or two" removed from slavery. Even if those things were true, sagging pants and violent mistreatment of our women is a fairly new phenomenon.

Disrespect for senior citizens, armed car-jackings, epidemic drug sales and use, the mass criminalization of teens, and a complete disregard for education are all issues that have nothing to do with slavery. Irresponsible men, greedy women, selfish entertainers and athletes, and unconcerned teachers are now rooted in the cultural fabric of the African-American community. The self-destructive behavior of our boys is only a symptom of the larger sickness that must someday surely overtake our remaining cultural strength. Our sixty percent divorce rate, and the 51% rate of women over thirty-five years old, who have never married or had children, are factors as crucial as the four million confused, short-sighted, illiterate, and economically dysfunctional urban teens in our midst.

Our children are "intellectually blind", walking through life without even a cane to find their way. Looking at their plight another way, we could say that our young boys are in a fight for their cultural lives… completely unarmed. And that young ladies in their cadre are ignorant, poor, lustful, star-struck, confused, and quite vulnerable to almost anything that comes along… including domestic violence and disease. Our seniors are frightened, economically ravaged, and unable to negotiate our modern world. And our families rarely have dinner together, except for the tattered cultural remnants of "Sunday Dinner" at grandma's house, or for special occasions, like Christmas.

Even the revered "Black Church" must now be referred to loosely as the "faith-based" community, with doors open only from nine-to-five, and no social justice being carried out for the grandchildren of Civil Rights veterans who attended Mass Meetings, risking life and limb, to see a better day for their children's children. The African-American experience in this country was always fraught with danger, deception, disease (the Tuskeegee Experiment), and dislocation. Our cultural journey always moved ahead, often disjointed, mostly sporadic, but forward-moving none the less. The Cultural strength needed was always there, and saw victories in Topeka, Little Rock, Montgomery, Birmingham, and in 2008, in Washington, D.C., with the election of an African-American President. There are millionaire athletes and entertainers, and successful businesspeople among the ranks of modern Black folks. But ninety-five percent of the African-American population still lags behind in every economic, social and educational statistic worth measuring.

I'm proud to be an American of African ancestry, and there is still hope for our cultural survival. But not as long as we continue to say "things are fine", and these boys should be able to earn a living, no matter how raunchy and degrading their statements and video offerings may be. "Thug Life" has dominated the African-American cultural street experience for nearly three decades, and the evidence is starting to show what a complete lack of intellectual development can do to a race of people. Materialism has replaced morals, greed has replaced generosity, and "whatever" has replaced real work.

The Harlem Renaissance served a very useful and specific purpose, and now we need another "renaissance" to repair and strengthen the single thread that still holds together the tattered fabric that is the African-American experience in the United States. If we do nothing, as we have done, we will have no one to blame but ourselves… and it won't really matter, because no one will even care to continue the struggle that gave us this opportunity in the first place.

Sagging pants on young men, poor finances, toxic relationships, illiterate teens, crooked politicians, weak men, irrational women, failed institutions, and a hundred other social illnesses are what we must overcome… just to keep our cultural dreams alive. Those are the real dangers to the survival of African-American culture as we know it.

© Copyright 2010 / Anthony Nichelson / the110institute.com / Memphis

All Rights Reserved

110 Tasks Every Young Man Should Know How to Do…
Before Ninth Grade ®

Parents and guardians should constantly seek to provide real opportunities for young urban males to learn an abundance of new skills, as often and as early as possible. Parents should seek visible signs of increasing maturity and self reliance by their young men. The personal development and overall self improvement of our young people will increase only because of (and in direct proportion to) the actual number of life skills that they are able to master and do well.

Single mothers, in particular, need look no further for a secular guide to growth and development for their young sons than these “110 Tasks” which we offer as a means of teaching skills and responsibility to a group which often lacks both. The words and practices recommended here will do more to turn boys into men, than any other self-help program or youth development initiative they may have tried or thought of trying.

Avoid being arrested or involved in crime /
Stand up straight, without shuffling /
Practice reading, writing and spelling / Complete a job application /
Open doors for ladies, as a rule / Maintain personal composure /
Tie a necktie perfectly / Check the oil & tires on the family car /
Plan a weekly schedule of activities / Hem a pair of pants /
Sew on a button /
Know his Clothing Measurements /
Respect the role of teachers / Walk away from an argument /
Eat with proper utensils / Groom himself completely, head to toe /
Use a socket wrench set / Write a perfect paragraph /
Choose language other than profanity /
Clean out the refrigerator /
Clean the bathroom, completely / Set a table for a sit-down family dinner /
Name local officials & politicians / Hang a picture /
Properly dust furniture /
Hang curtains /
Repair, plaster and re-paint wall cracks /
Properly use an encyclopedia /
Effectively use a Library / Give a firm handshake /
Establish & maintain eye contact / Pray… and Believe

Contact Information:
Tony Nichelson, Author
anthony.nichelson@citcomm.com
The 110 Institute.com
Phone: (901) 336-2399
Email : 110tasks@americamail.com

Paving the Way for President Barack Obama:
American Civil Rights, Circa 1954-2009
Big & Little Events That Shaped the African-American Destiny

1954 – Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education, / Emmett Till abducted and murdered in Mississippi
1955 – The Montgomery Bus Boycott launches the modern Civil Rights Movement, and the career of Martin Luther King, Jr.
1956 – Victory in overturning desegregation of public transportation, as Montgomery Bus Boycott ends December 31, 1956
1957 – SCLC founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Fred Shuttlesworth; / Desegregation of Central High, Little Rock, Arkansas
1959 – Lunch Counter Sit-Ins begin in North Carolina; Woolworth’s agrees to desegregate followed by other southern businesses
1960 – John F. Kennedy elected President of the United States
1961 – “Freedom Riders” begin campaign to desegregate interstate travel, beaten in several southern cites; draws national attention
1962 – James Meredith becomes the first African-American student admitted to the University of Mississippi
1963 – March on Washington (DC); / President John F. Kennedy assassinated while campaigning in Dallas; / Medgar Evers killed
1964 – Civil Rights Act passed in Congress, signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ)

1965 – Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City; / “Bloody Sunday” takes place in Selma, Alabama
1966 – Black Panther Party founded in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale
1967 – Large scale urban riots take place in cities across the United States: Watts, Newark, Detroit; / SNCC breaks with SCLC
1968 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee; Riots take place in 125 American cities
1969 – Overall urban instability / Continuing militancy by young urban males / Vietnam War escalates, thousands drafted
1970 – The first of many “Black Exploitation” films began to appear in theaters across America
1971 – Large scale family migrations from central cites to suburban communities; / Greater African-American economic mobility
1972 – Black Exploitation films thrive, / “Good Times”, “Sanford & Son”, “The Jeffersons”, other programs come to prime time TV
1973 – African-American political leadership expands with election of city Mayors, Congressmen, federal Judges
1974 – President Richard Nixon resigns under the threat of impeachment for Conspiracy and other “high crimes” / Watergate

1975 – Vietnam War begins to wind down, Thousands of “shell-shocked” veterans return to blighted urban communities
1976 – Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter elected President of the United States; / America celebrates the “Bi-Centennial”
1977 – Television series “Roots” airs for the first time / South African Stephen Biko beaten by Apartheid jailers, later dies
1978 – American diplomats and families taken hostage in Iran by the Ayatollah Khomeini, held for more than one year
1979 – Tony Nichelson graduates from Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee
1980 – California Governor Ronald Reagan elected President of the United States
1981 – President Ronald Reagan shot outside DC Hilton Hotel by John Hinkley, President survives
1983 – “Shannon Street Hostage Siege” ends violently in Memphis with the deaths of one police officer and seven Black men
1984 – Ronald Reagan re-elected President of the United States

1985 – “MOVE”, a radical organization in Philadelphia, bombed out of their homes by police, killing eleven, including 4 children
1986 – Iran-Contra Affair in Washington; Mike Tyson wins first Heavyweight boxing title; “Howard Beach” incident in Queens, NYC
1987 – “Freebasing”, and Crack-smoking addictions take root in African-American communities / Tawana Brawley incident is uncovered
1988 – George Herbert Walker Bush elected 41st President of the United States
1989 – Crack epidemic thrives nationally; Hip-Hop and Rap Music culture dominate media, urban youth crime patterns intensify
1990 – First Iraq War begins as Sadaam Hussein invades Kuwait; / The Internet launched / DC Mayor Marion Barry arrested
1992 – Former Arkansas Governor William Jefferson Clinton (Bill) elected 42nd President of the United States
1993 – Significant welfare reform begins across the nation; “Workfare” becomes the standard for public assistance
1994 – Nelson Mandela elected President of South Africa / O.J. Simpson leads police on a “low speed” chase after his wife’s murder

1995 – Federal Building in Oklahoma City bombed by Timothy McVeigh / O.J. Simpson acquitted on all counts in death of wife, Nicole
1996 – Bill Clinton re-elected President of the United States
1997 – Princess Diana killed in a car accident in Paris
1998 – The 110 Institute established in Memphis, Tennessee by Tony Nichelson
1999 – White supremacist is found guilty of kidnapping and killing African-American James Byrd in Texas, dragging him behind a truck
2000 – Texas Governor George W. Bush elected 43rd President of the United States / Amadou Diallo case unfolds in NYC, killed by 4 cops
2001 – “911” The Twin Towers in New York City were hit by two hijacked airliners, collapsed, 3,000 killed
2002 – The second Iraq War begins with unproven allegations of “weapons of mass destruction”
2003 – At the conclusion of its mission, the Space Shuttle “Columbia” disintegrates over Texas, killing all 7 astronauts on board
2004 – President George W. Bush re-elected, Iraq War continues, billions spent, 3,000 U.S. soldiers killed, political scandals exposed

2005 – Notable passings of historic African-Americans: Shirley Chisholm, Johnnie Cochran, Rosa Parks, Richard Pryor
2006 – Senator Barack Obama launches his bid to become the 44th President of the United States
2007 – U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez resigns under pressure; accused of misconduct in firing of 8 federal prosecutors
2008 – Illinois Senator Barack Obama elected 44th President of the United States / Judge Eric Holder selected to be U.S. Attorney General
2009 – The nation, under new leadership, begins to address a recession, financial collapse, and responds to global unrest

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