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Monday, June 29, 2009
Rothschild & Freshfields' founders had links to slavery, papers reveal
Journalist Carola Hoyos writes in the Financial Times that, "Two of the biggest names in the City of London had previously undisclosed links to slavery in the British colonies,
documents seen by the Financial Times have revealed.
"Nathan Mayer Rothschild, the banking family's
19th-century patriarch, and James William Freshfield, founder of Freshfields, the top City law firm, benefited financially
from slavery, records from the National Archives show, even though both have often been portrayed as opponents of slavery.
"Far from being a matter of distant history, slavery remains a highly contentious issue in the US, where
Rothschild and Freshfields are both active.
"Companies alleged to have links to past slave injustices have
come under pressure to make restitution."
6:48 am est
Friday, June 19, 2009
ARGENTINA: Drumming Up Black Awareness"Argentina's small black community, ignored by historical constructions that
have traditionally focused on the influence of European immigration, is now fighting for recognition of its contribution to
culture in the Argentine capital," Marcela Valente writes for IPS. "
'We are fighting for visibility, for recognition of our contribution to culture, and to resist the prejudice that associates
black people only with entertainment and carnival,' Diego Bonga, a musician and luthier of Angolan and Congolese ancestry,
and an active member of the Afrocultural Movement in Buenos Aires, told IPS."
2:58 pm est
"Two months after foreign
donors pledged more than $300 million in aid to Haiti," Jaqueline Charles writes in the Miami Herald, "the hurricane-ravaged Caribbean nation has yet to receive any of the promised funds -- or even an outline of where
the money will go, Haitian Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis said Thursday. ''
'We are frustrated,' said Pierre-Louis, using her first official visit to South Florida to repeat her government's call for
donors to make good on pledges at April's donors conference in Washington. "
'We are in dire need of financial support, so it would be helpful to know exactly if they want [the funds] to go into agriculture,
in environment, education or health. This was the plan that was presented and they all agreed on it.' ''
2:32 pm est
Saturday, June 13, 2009
7:40 pm est
Afro-Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba honored
in Newark
By Karen Juanita Carrillo 
On May 29, 2009 the Afro-Colombian
Senator Piedad Córdoba traveled to Newark, New Jersey and was honored by the non-profit Norma Lozano Jackson
Foundation (http://NLJF.org) for her work as a peace negotiator in war-torn Colombia.
Senator Piedad Córdoba with Dr Norma Jackson
of the NLJ Foundation.
Photo credit: Karen Juanita Carrillo Senator
Córdoba is a lawyer by trade and as Dr. Jackson said in her introduction, “Senator Cordoba is recognized
for her tireless efforts to obtain the inclusion of Colombian minorities in all aspects of society... The humanitarian agreement
that would allow the release of all kidnapped individuals presently in the jungles of Colombia is part of the Senator’s
daily struggle. She strongly opposes a military solution to the armed conflict in Colombia.
Jackson added that, “Senator Cordoba has been the victim of many attempts against her life, was kidnapped
twice and forced into exile in Canada for criticizing the long armed conflict in Colombia.” read more
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