Category Archives: Authors A-H

Authors listed by last name A-H

The Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon – by OTIA BINIKISEH N. Eric

April 7, 2019 Otia Eric 11 Comments

A reality of Cameroon, the country fondly referred to as “Africa in miniature”, “the land of milk and honey”, the most peaceful country.

Camaroon English Speakers

Former Southern Cameroon (Northwest & Southwest regions of Cameroon) is considered a minority group in Cameroon. Approximately 20% of the population (5 Million) of Cameroon are from and reside in these two English-speaking regions. This minority population has been marginalized both in public institutions and state positions. The feeling of marginalization started developing and growing among the anglophone population, when the 1961 Federal Constitution was changed by President Ahidjo in 1972; changing the status of Cameroon from the Federal Republic, to the United Republic of Cameroon. The sentiment started to develop among the anglophone population that the francophone population was better represented politically, economically and socially. This fueled claims of self-determination within the Anglophone population. (ICG 02/08/2017).

This feeling of marginalization has been justified over the past years, where official documents are mostly released only in French. There was infiltration of English common law system practiced in the English speaking parts of Cameroon and infiltration of the Anglo-Saxon system of education practiced in the English speaking regions of Cameroon with the French system of education. Worst of all, French speaking teachers who can barely say “good morning” in English, were sent to teach major subjects in Anglo-Saxon schools in the English speaking regions of Cameroon. This has made the Anglophone population feel that their culture and identity is being assimilated and wiped out.

Continue reading The Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon – by OTIA BINIKISEH N. Eric →

Authors A-H, Poetry 2014-2019

NEVER INTO – Poem by Sharon Fernando

April 5, 2019 Sharon Fernando 2 Comments

I was never into conspiracy theories
Until they began stealing powerful black beings
With real voices, and real dreams
uplifting communities, doing positive things
Muted by sudden deaths, shootings and accidents
Spirits too broken to notice this is no
coincidence

Promoting ownership of talent and property
Securing future generations with the
promise of the same opportunities
as the “privileged” majority

Continue reading NEVER INTO – Poem by Sharon Fernando →

Authors A-H, Inclusion

Diversity and Speech Part 3: The Diversity Movement – by Carlos E. Cortés

April 4, 2019 Dr. Carlos E. Cortés Leave a comment

Diversity advocates cannot avoid dealing with the intersection of inclusive diversity and robust speech. Tensions between those two imperatives are inevitable. These tensions complicate our efforts to address such speech-related issues as privilege, power, marginalization, hostile work environments, and the expression of intergroup hate.

This is the third in a series of columns based on my research as a current fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. In the first two columns I argued that diversity advocates should not be drawn into the position of opposing free speech. We don’t need to, because totally “free” speech does not exist in the United States.

Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 3: The Diversity Movement – by Carlos E. Cortés →

Authors A-H, Race & Ethnicity

“Affirmative Action” for the Rich and Privileged! – by Terry Howard & Elwood Watson

March 14, 2019 Elwood Watson and Terry Howard 3 Comments

LATE BREAKING NEWS: The college admissions scandal, in which 50 people including celebrities have been indicted for scheming to get the children of rich and privileged parents into top schools. It involves parents who, prosecutors allege, bribed and cheated their kids’ way into prestigious universities.

A mother’s remorse: My daughter received multiple mailings from Stanford, Harvard, Yale and other prestigious schools based on her high SAT scores as a 10th grader. Her dream was to apply to Stanford. She decided to focus on academics and her musical instrument, and practiced hours each day in order to achieve a skill level high enough to be accepted via auditions into the most competitive youth orchestra in the entire southeast United States. She focused on volunteer work with a group providing music enrichment to under-privileged children and started attending a state school as a dual-enrollment student when she was a senior in high school. Her academics were stellar, and her final SAT scores were exceptional (good enough to earn her the same scholarship that valedictorians get in our state). She was contacted for interviews at Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton, as well as several other prestigious schools but she was devastated to receive rejections from those schools that had given her some hope. As a parent, I am angry! We spent so much time and energy on her applications and extra activities. We are just a middle-class family, but it was an amazing idea to dream that our daughter could get accepted to one of these schools. Seeing the news yesterday made me sick to my stomach. All the hard work that my daughter did was never going to be enough to overcome the privilege that those kids are born with. I tried as hard as I could as a parent to try to level the playing field for her but it turns out it is much more unequal than I ever could have imagined. – A white mom, March 13, 2019

Continue reading “Affirmative Action” for the Rich and Privileged! – by Terry Howard & Elwood Watson →

American Diversity Report: QUANTUM * DIVERSITY