Phi Beta Sigma, Historically Black Fraternity, Inducts President Bill Clinton As Honorary Member

Well, it seems that the black community and former President Bill Clinton have kissed and made up. Phi Beta Sigma has voted to induct Clinton as a honorary member. Paul Griffin Jr., president of the fraternity, said that Clinton is the first U.S. president to be inducted into a historically black fraternity. Clinton's induction occurred at its 95th Anniversary Conclave in New Orleans. Stevie Wonder, Al Roker, Rev. Al Sharpton and jazz musician Ramsey Lewis are also honorary member of the fraternity. President Clinton, unlike Presidents George H. W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush, has used his time wisely since he left office. He has done a lot of humanitarian work that is highly commendable. He deserves every accolade possible for his tireless work.

President Clinton has been focusing on the activities of the William J. Clinton Foundation since he left the White House. He wanted the Clinton Foundation to address the areas where he could make the most difference as a private citizen. The Foundation has grown into a global non-governmental organization with more than 1,400 staff and volunteers in more than 40 countries and with offices in New York City, Little Rock, Ark., Boston, Mass., and other cities around the world. The Foundation, working in collaboration with governments and other partners, makes a significant impact in the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Phi Beta Sigma's programs, including Bigger and Better Business, Social Action and Education are compatible with the mission of the Clinton Foundation. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to help combat childhood obesity, is in alignment with Phi Beta Sigma's partnerships with the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society. The Clinton HIV/Aids initiative is right on target with Phi Beta Sigma's partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which provides awareness and prevention strategies through its Conversation Among Brothers Series (CABS). Clinton's Economic Opportunity Initiative embraces the same values that have been core to Phi Beta Sigma's Bigger and Better Business program since its inception in 1925.

Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), a long-time member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. responded, "I am so pleased and delighted that President Bill Clinton has accepted membership in my fraternity. As a true servant-leader it is fitting for him to join the ranks of civil rights activist and labor leader A. Philip Randolph, Atlanta businessman Herman Russell, former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, former NAACP Leader James Weldon Johnson and renowned scientist George Washington Carver. My heart is warmed today." Source: PR Newswire

Phi Beta Sigma was founded in 1914 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. It has more than 150,000 alumni and college members in about 500 chapters throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

So, it's safe to say, that the fallout from President Clinton's comments about then-presidential candidate Barack Obama is water under the bridge. Bill, you're back in the fold again!

NY Governor Patterson Takes Offense to Saturday Night Live Skit Mocking His Blindness

I must admit, I found the skit on New York Governor Patterson hilarious but apparently he failed to see the humor in a "Saturday Night Live" skit that he felt mocked his blindness. During the "Weekend Update" segment of NBC's irreverent comedy show, actor Fred Armisen played Paterson, imitating his wandering eye, gravelly voice and blunt, self-effacing demeanor.

Paterson and advocates for the visually impaired did not find stock blind jokes that had Armisen pretending to be disoriented and wandering aimlessly.

"I can take a joke," Paterson told reporters. But he called the SNL spoof a "third-grade depiction of people and the way they look" that could lead others to believe that "disability goes hand-in-hand with an inability to run a government or business." "I run the place I work in, so I don't have to be worried about being discriminated against," noted Paterson

Even though Paterson is legally blind and has aides help him with some tasks, it seems that he is rarely out of step with his surroundings and seems comfortable in virtually all settings.

The joke continued even after Armisen's sketch with "Weekend Update" co-anchor Seth Meyers, was complete. As longtime "SNL" player Amy Poehler was announcing her departure from the show, Armisen's Paterson started wandering, as if lost, in front of the camera. "Gov. Paterson . . . you're in the shot!" a chuckling Poehler said. I am sorry, but I found it funny.

The skit could leave viewers with the impression that blind Americans cannot be competent employees, advocates for the disabled said.

"When you have a perception problem like we have, you take these things a little more seriously," said Chris Danielsen, spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind. "We have 70 percent unemployment - and it's not because we can't work. Obviously, the governor of New York is blind, and he's doing the job. Whenever you have a portrayal that calls the basic capacity of [blind people] into question, that's a potential problem."

This isn't the first time "Saturday Night Live" has made fun of the blind. They have done skits on Stevie Wonder and I can't recall hearing anyone complain about that. They have portrayed presidents as bumbling idiots and womanizers. Take Sarah Palin, for example, they portrayed her as an idiot with no clue about foreign policy, among other things. Okay, I understand why the blind among us would take offense to this. I guess it is much the same as when blacks stereotyped, but I think this was in good fun. Wait, didn't I hear that Stevie Wonder was being considered for "Dancing With the Stars?"

NY Governor Patterson Takes Offense to Saturday Night Live Skit Mocking His Blindness

I must admit, I found the skit on New York Governor Patterson hilarious but apparently he failed to see the humor in a "Saturday Night Live" skit that he felt mocked his blindness. During the "Weekend Update" segment of NBC's irreverent comedy show, actor Fred Armisen played Paterson, imitating his wandering eye, gravelly voice and blunt, self-effacing demeanor.

Paterson and advocates for the visually impaired did not find stock blind jokes that had Armisen pretending to be disoriented and wandering aimlessly.

"I can take a joke," Paterson told reporters. But he called the SNL spoof a "third-grade depiction of people and the way they look" that could lead others to believe that "disability goes hand-in-hand with an inability to run a government or business." "I run the place I work in, so I don't have to be worried about being discriminated against," noted Paterson

Even though Paterson is legally blind and has aides help him with some tasks, it seems that he is rarely out of step with his surroundings and seems comfortable in virtually all settings.

The joke continued even after Armisen's sketch with "Weekend Update" co-anchor Seth Meyers, was complete. As longtime "SNL" player Amy Poehler was announcing her departure from the show, Armisen's Paterson started wandering, as if lost, in front of the camera. "Gov. Paterson . . . you're in the shot!" a chuckling Poehler said. I am sorry, but I found it funny.

The skit could leave viewers with the impression that blind Americans cannot be competent employees, advocates for the disabled said.

"When you have a perception problem like we have, you take these things a little more seriously," said Chris Danielsen, spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind. "We have 70 percent unemployment - and it's not because we can't work. Obviously, the governor of New York is blind, and he's doing the job. Whenever you have a portrayal that calls the basic capacity of [blind people] into question, that's a potential problem."

This isn't the first time "Saturday Night Live" has made fun of the blind. They have done skits on Stevie Wonder and I can't recall hearing anyone complain about that. They have portrayed presidents as bumbling idiots and womanizers. Take Sarah Palin, for example, they portrayed her as an idiot with no clue about foreign policy, among other things. Okay, I understand why the blind among us would take offense to this. I guess it is much the same as when blacks stereotyped, but I think this was in good fun. Wait, didn't I hear that Stevie Wonder was being considered for "Dancing With the Stars?"