Julius Jefferson, a researcher at the Library of Congress, wants to recruit and retain more black men as librarians.

Put another way, if they all got together for a meeting, they could probably hold it comfortably in your local library.

And, in fact, many of them are now at a meeting — the annual American Library Association's conference in Anaheim, Calif., where this weekend Library of Congress researcher Julius Jefferson is chairing a panel on the scarcity of black male librarians.

It's not that qualified black men are being turned away, Jefferson says. "We just don't have a lot of African-American males — and even a lot of African Americans — seeing librarianship as a viable career option." The vasy majority of all credentialed librarians are female, and Jefferson says that helps to fuel the stereotype that it's not a job for men. The numbers of black male librarians have actually been declining in recent years.

It's not as if there's ever been a golden age of black librarians, says Jefferson, but there is a history of African-American men who are bibliophiles who document black culture in their communities. It's important, says Jefferson, because librarians are culture-keepers who help to transmit awareness of identity and an understanding of community and cultural history.

"Whatever you want to do in life, there's a librarian behind that," Jefferson says.

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By Joshua Alston

Ta-Nehisi Coates grew up in the type of family unit that causes census takers to develop stomach ulcers. His father, Paul, was a bit of a free spirit, which is how it came to be that he fathered Coates and his six siblings with four different women. Despite this peculiar scenario, Paul was an active, present father in all his kids' lives. Coates certainly had his share of issues growing up in a tumultuous corner of Baltimore, but as he writes in his new memoir, "The Beautiful Struggle," his father was a source of security and stability in a neighborhood subject to rampant, random violence. "I don't know if there's an environmental explanation for why my father was the way he was," says Coates, 33. "For some reason, he just took being a father really seriously."

The engaged black father is an elusive character in popular culture. The percentage of black children living in fatherless homes—roughly 50 percent—has perpetuated an orthodoxy that black men are irresponsible and indifferent to fatherhood. Authors such as Coates are in a position to change that. In addition to "Struggle," last year saw the release of two photo-essay books, Carol Ross's "Pop" and Rachel Vassel's "Daughters of Men," which aimed to show black men celebrating their love for their children.

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No one can speak honestly of black family hardships without addressing the issue of the estrangement of "unwed fathers" from their children. Real men do not walk away from the mothers of their babies. A father is expected to help take care of his children, but some of these men have trouble taking care of themselves. The more socially impotent black men are feeling, the more they will rely on sexual conquests to prove their manliness. But having drive-by babies whom they abandon only reflects their insecurity.

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 "Be more than just a protector, more than just the bank for your daughter and your family. Be her nurturer; be a loving entity within the family."

"Daddy's Promise," Gordon's national initiative to celebrate the father-daughter bond, officially launches Sunday -- Father's Day -- with a Web site that allows dads to download a pledge of love, support and duty they can give their children. He also hopes families will upload father-daughter pictures -- and that the movement will spread via a cross-country series of panel discussions and events.

Alarming statistics on the rise of girls in gangs and black women in prison -- the fastest-growing segment of the prison population -- make the initiative especially important for the black community, Gordon said. But he emphasized that his message is for all fathers.

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PURCHASE, N.Y.,  - Pepsi is celebrating Father's Day and the essential role of fathers and father figures in the African-American community with "Four Weeks For Father!," a free booklet available at www.pepsigreatfathers.com. The booklet features words of wisdom from notable African-American dads, including Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, Grammy Award-winning musical artist Common, former professional football player Jerry Rice, acclaimed actor Mekhi Phifer and Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), among others.

Pepsi partnered with the Howard University Division of Fine Arts to gather the four contemporary and engaging images featured in the "Four Weeks For Father!" booklet. Student artists at the university submitted drawings for the project and graduating senior, Nia Lindsey, 22, was chosen as the winner. Nia was awarded the $5,000 grand prize and her designs are featured on the Web site as well as throughout the booklet. Three first prize winners received a $500 gift certificate and are also highlighted in "Four Weeks For Father!"

"We're proud to honor the important role of fathers in the community this month," said Marcus Minifee, senior manager of multicultural marketing, Pepsi-Cola North America. "A number of outstanding men contributed to 'Four Weeks For Father!' and we thank them for sharing their thoughts and experiences."

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In the 67-page report, “Targeting Blacks: Drug Law Enforcement and Race in the United States,” Human Rights Watch documents with detailed new statistics persistent racial disparities among drug offenders sent to prison in 34 states. All of these states send black drug offenders to prison at much higher rates than whites.

“Most drug offenders are white, but most of the drug offenders sent to prison are black,” said Jamie Fellner, senior counsel in the US program at Human Rights Watch and author of “Targeting Blacks.” “The solution is not to imprison more whites but to radically rethink how to deal with drug abuse and low-level drug offenders.”

Key findings in the Human Rights Watch report include:

• Across the 34 states, a black man is 11.8 times more likely than a white man to be sent to prison on drug charges, and a black woman is 4.8 times more likely than a white woman.

• In 16 states, African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at rates between 10 and 42 times greater than the rate for whites. The 10 states with the greatest racial disparities in prison admissions for drug offenders are: Wisconsin, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia, Colorado, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

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By Rosemary Gund

The most complete scientific-journalistic study about racism in Brazil was conducted just last year by the major newspaper Folha de São Paulo and the Institute of Research Datafolha. Some of the results were very surprising: while 89% of Brazilians said they believe there is racism in the society, only 10% admitted they were prejudiced; but 87% manifested some sort of prejudice by agreeing with racist statements or admitting having had discriminatory behavior in the past.

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Speaking out on NY1's "Inside City Hall" Tuesday, Simmons said Eliot Spitzer is failing to live up to promises to reform the state's strict drug laws. Political reporter Josh Robin filed the following report.

Russell Simmons

Govenor Elliot Spitzer

“I'm very disappointed in the governor. I should say that the hip hop is getting ready to get in his ass,” Russell Simmons said on Tuesday night’s “Inside City Hall.”

Simmons says Governor Eliot Spitzer as a candidate talked a good game about reforming the Rockefeller drug laws.

But 14 months after inauguration, some feel cheated.

"He promised all of us that he would do something about this prison reform issue,” said Simmons.

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