Condoleezza Rice was confirmed as Secretary of State Wednesday, making her the first black woman to hold the position. Bred from segregated Birmingham, Ala., Rice went on to receive several degrees and hold high academic positions across the country.
As one of President George W. Bush’s closest advisers, Rice has taken her place among the elite in Washington, D.C. She should be commended for the many accomplishments she has had in American politics, but her significance should still be kept in perspective. Rice, like many other black conservatives, has not only chosen to ignore issues prevalent in black communities but to support initiatives detrimental to black people.
At times, blacks blindly applaud trailblazing blacks simply because they’re the “first” to do something. Rice, like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and former BET and current Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert Johnson, is often more disturbing than her white counterparts because she has completely misused the platform she has been given. There are so few prominent blacks who choose to speak in support of their own, and so it is disappointing to those who are given the stage but remain silent. Black people need only pledge their allegiance to people who are attempting to uplift their community and not blindly praise all successful black people. Those who turn their backs on the community should realize in the end they will be sucked dry and left yearning for outside acceptance.
History maker selfish, not innovative
Romanian doctor Bogdan Marinescu artificially inseminated Adriana Iliescu, a 66-year-old woman, because he thought that she would be able to have a successful pregnancy.
After nine years of failed fertility treatments, Marinescu artificially inseminated Iliescu with success on the first try. Iliescu became pregnant with triplets but lost one baby the first trimester. An emergency cesarean section was performed after the second baby died in the womb. However, Iliescu did give birth to a baby girl, Eliza Maria, early Sunday.
Any birth is wonderful, but did the mother or doctor ever consider how the child would be affected?
When Eliza is a playful 5-years-old, Iliescu will be 71. At this age, what woman wants to chase a 5-year-old around all day every day? It’s hard enough for grandparents to look after their grandchildren, but to have to care for a child of their own at this age is a different story.
It seems a bit selfish for Iliescu to want a child this late in her life. She may not be able to give Eliza the life that she deserves because of her age. Unfortunately one day, just like any parent, Iliescu will no longer be in Eliza’s life, but the time this mother and daughter will have together already looks abbreviated.
When Iliescu is no longer around, who will care for the little girl? Of course an obvious solution is adoption, but it doesn’t seem like this little girl will ever really have the chance to get to know her mother.