Dozens and dozens of women, men and children gathered Sunday for a rally on a windswept corner in St. Louis, Missouri, for a rally to call for an end to violence that has earned their community the dubious distinction as the "Most Dangerous City in the Nation.''

The League of African American Women, a nonprofit organization, and several other groups came together to use women's soaring voices to help lower skyrocketing violence. King's birthday celebration is the perfect time to draw attention to the nagging problem because of his legacy and commitment to peace. Speakers urged one another to fight against the violence and to act as a solution.

Carrying placards, holding hands and chanting, "They killed the king, but they can't kill his dream,'' an estimated 100 people came together for the hour-long rally at one of the city's most dangerous intersections at Natural Bridge Rd. and Newstead Ave. on the North Side. Residents, young and old, battled a temperature of 20-degrees with a slight wind to participate in the emotional event that drew tears and shouts of hope. Dozens thrust signs in the air, including some that read, "be the peace,'' and "black life is valuable.''

"I had a flood of emotions," Zekita Tucker, executive director of the League, who is photographed on the right, said before the rally. "Participants brought their children and thanked me for holding the rally. I was just happy so many people showed up for such an important event. It was very emotional.''

Just days after becoming the leading black contender in what is shaping up to be a contentious mayoral race in Chicago, Carol Moseley Braun displayed her fiery political style.

On Monday, Braun, a former U.S. Senator and ambassador to New Zealand, lashed out at some opponents who insisted that she turn over her tax returns before the February 22 election, saying "Because I don't want to.'' But she changed her mind in the wake of intense media scrutiny and is scheduled to release them today.

Braun, 63, has said she delayed paying property taxes because she was trying to make ends meet while running a small business, Ambassador Organics, an organic tea, coffee and spice company. Other candidates, including Rahm Emanuel, City Treasurer Miguel del Valle and Gery Chico, former Chicago school board president, released their returns last month.

Despite her zeal, Braun emerged as the leading black candidate after a series of back-door deals. Days after Emanuel won a fight challenging his Chicago residency, state Sen. James Meeks withdrew from the race., and U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis withdrew shortly thereafter. Throughout the weekend, Braun made key appearances with black leaders, including Davis and the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., to highlight the fact that they had indeed selected a "consensus candidate.'' Jackson reportedly helped broker the deal to consolidate the slate of black candidates.

State Sen. James T. Meeks (pictured right), a Chicago mayoral candidate and reverend at the South Side mega-church Salem Baptist, found himself in boiling water this week, when he made some interesting comments on WVON-AM radio.

According to FOX-TV Chicago, Meeks made these comments while discussing his education policy during a forum radio:

"I think that the word 'minority,' from our standpoint, should mean African-American," Meeks said, according to FOX-TV, a conservative news station known for its political bent.

"I don't think women, Asians and Hispanics should be able to use that title. That's why our numbers cannot improve, because we use women, Asians and Hispanics, who are not people of color, who are not people who have been discriminated against. We fought for these laws based on discrimination. Now, groups that have not been discriminated against are the chief beneficiaries."

The comments caused a firestorm of controversy among other elected officials, conservatives, voters and business leaders, who asked Sen. Meeks to clarify what appears to be reverse discrimination and sexist statements about women, Hispanic and Asian business-owners not deserving the benefits of affirmative action.

Now Meeks says his comments were taken out of context and is trying to distance himself from the remarks. In a statement released late Thursday, Bryan Zises, director of Sen. Meeks's campaign, said:

"Senator Meeks strongly believes all minority and women-owned businesses deserve their fair share of City contract opportunities.

"But there's no pretending that Chicago has a history of systemic corruption in its minority and women-owned business program and that African-American owned businesses are the most underrepresented among city contractors. Lucrative contracts have repeatedly gone to companies disguised as minority- or women-owned, resulting in multiple investigations, firings and imprisonment on this issue."

While President Barack Obama's landmark health care law will benefit all Americans, it is especially helpful for African Americans who suffered the most under the former broken, imbalanced system, a senior White House official said:

"The facts supports this, considering that 1 in 5 African Americans [19 percent] do not have any health insurance,'' Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, said in a conference call on Tuesday, after the president signed the historic bill in to law.

According to Jarrett and Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, here are the Top-10 immediate benefits for blacks under the the new health care law.

When asked by a reporter last week why he voted against defunding ACORN amid a firestorm controversy involving workers who encouraged a couple to pose as a hooker and pimp to get housing, Sen. Roland Burris (Dem-Ill.) evaded the question. "I voted for ACORN,'' he said, and then disappeared behind a door.

But during a wide-ranging interview with Black Voices on the 39th floor of his downtown Chicago office, he explained why he cast one of seven votes to keep federal dollars flowing to the embattled grassroots organization. (Eighty-three senators voted to defund the organization.)

"The ACORN I know here in Illinois does a tremendous job helping underprivileged and poor people, and there are rotten apples in every barrel,'' a garrulous and spirited Burris said, seated behind an imposing glass-topped wooden desk in the office once occupied by President Barack Obama.

"But you don't throw out the whole barrel of apples because one or two are rotten. You get rid of the rotten apples,'' he said. Then turning defiant, "Don't tell me you are dealing with an organization that is trying to uplift people and you are going to take the money away because of entrapment by some media forces who have outright agendas of destroying the president. That's what this is all about.''

(Shown: Then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, left and Joshua DuBois, right, at a presidential debate in April 2008 at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. DuBois is now spearheading President Obama's responsible fatherhood agenda ).
black fatherhood
Despite a trenchant fight over health care reform, and grappling with an intractable recession, President Barack Obama on June 5 dispatched top White House staffers to Chicago to discuss another important matter on his agenda: Fatherhood.

The officials, including Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith Based Neighborhood Partnerships (FBNP) and Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff to Obama's senior advisor Valerie Jarrett), hosted a town hall meeting at the University of Illinois in Chicago. It drew an estimated 500 people to the South Loop, with Black Voices in attendance. Speakers included Rep. Danny K. Davis (D, Illinois), who reflected on growing up with his father, saying it was instrumental in his development.

"When you talk about responsible fatherhood, it gives us the opportunity to explore so many of the issues facing our society and our world," Davis said. "I'm just delighted. So again, I can't commend the president enough."

Beginning next month, a controversial single pill will become available over-the-counter for women 17 and older to prevent unintended pregnancies due to contraceptive failure or unprotected sex.

The single-dose pill replaces the two-pill emergency contraceptive known as the "Morning-After'' or Plan B-One-Step pill and will be available to women younger than 17 with a prescription. About seven out of eight women who would have gotten pregnant will not after taking the pill, according to officials at Plan-B, which is manufactured by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.

Family planning experts, such as Ashlesha Patel at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, hailed the product as efficient, saying it allows patients to act quickly, while providing a high-level of safety and efficacy.

In an effort to calm anxiety and ease skepticism about his plan to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system, a stern and adamant President Obama took his message directly to the people Wednesday during an hour-long, prime-time news conference.

"This debate is about the letters I read when I sit in the Oval Office every day, and the stories I hear at town hall meetings,'' he said. "This debate is not a game for these Americans, and they cannot afford to wait for reform any longer. They are counting on us to get this done. They are looking to us for leadership. And we must not let them down.'' ...

Well, it seems as if Kanye West has finally calmed down, especially with news of girlfriend troubles and a brutal caricature on South Park.

West returned home last week to Chicago to carry out a mission started about two years ago by his educator mother before her untimely death: To help combat the skyrocketing national high school dropout rate.

The Chicago native performed twice on Thursday at the historic Chicago Theatre for the Kanye West Foundation, which he co-founded with his mother, Donda West. It was the first major foundation event since her passing.

"It was definitely a great experience just to see the work that the team put together and to take it to this level,'' West told AOL Black Voices on the red carpet. "I've been to many foundation events and I feel like now this foundation is at a point where it can really expand and the ideas can really be heard on a national level. And it can become what my mother dreamt about.''

More than 2,000 students who improved their grades during the school year were treated to a free performance. The star-studded red carpet event in the evening was the second Stay In School Benefit Concert and was attended by more than 3,000 people. It will air July 25 on the cable channel Fuse.

The performances served as a catharsis for West, he acknowledged to AOL Black Voices. Surprisingly subdued, he said he hoped the effort would have a major impact on helping students stay in school. The foundation works with schools to partner with community organizations to help indigent youth gain access to music production.

Tickets ranged from $49 to $500 for a VIP reception and benefit concert attended by John W. Rogers, founder and chief investment officer of Ariel Investments and who played basketball at Princeton University with Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson; Michelle Williams, singer from Destiny's Child who sported a new short asymmetric hairstyle; Raven-Symoné, actress; Matt Forte, a running back for the Chicago Bears; and Antoine Walker, NBA free agent who attended Mt. Carmel High School on Chicago's South Side, also Craig Robinson's alma mater. Many of the celebrities said they were there to support West and the work of his foundation.

"I am here to support Kanye and his show,'' said Raven-Symoné, who said she is impressed with the work of his foundation. "I love his music.''

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