CNN, the Atlanta based cable news channel, has suspended contributor Roland Martin for anti-gay tweets he made during the Super Bowl. Martin, who also hosts a Sunday morning political show on TV One, tweeted ""If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl." He also tweeted "[...] he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass" in referring to a New England Patriots player who was decked out in pink. Martin insists the comments about Beckham were aimed at soccer and not homophobic; a claim that is simply not believable.

The instant the world heard the news of Whitney Houston’s death the predictable happened. The whispers quickly became loud gossip, endless speculation, and mindless chatter that her death had to be from drugs. Houston’s dedicated fans, Grammy officials, and Houston’s entertainer associates were in agony. They were careful to express their respect and admiration for her prodigious talent and influence on the musical and entertainment industry. But for much of the public and the media, that took a backseat to the mad dash to spin Houston as a washed up, self-destructive druggie. Pop mega star Celine Dion reinforced that line when she prattled on ABC’s "Good Morning America" about drugs, the destruction, havoc, and chaos that they wreak among entertainers and that she stays away from the show business because scene of the danger. Dion was, of course, talking about Houston. Then there was the headline in national newspapers" Whitney Houston death: ‘too early’ to confirm drug link. "But it wasn’t too early for the press to replant the seed of suspicion in the public mind that drugs were indeed the link to her death.

We lost a true cultural icon last week with the sudden passing of entertainment visionary Don Cornelius, the creator of the long-running syndicated television show, Soul Train. With a boldness and bravado that mimicked the aspirations of Black America at the time, Cornelius led viewers on the "hippest trip in America" every Saturday. I remember well first watching the program and being both entertained and filled with pride, watching Black recording artists and young people who seemed "hipper" than the scene that I was accustomed to seeing on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. Black youth from around the country could not wait to see that animated train chug across the screen, and hear the theme music; knowing that for the next hour they would see some of their favorite performers. Soul Train quickly became a focal point of a Black community thirsty for entertainment that was culturally relevant. Don Cornelius did not disappoint.

I am grateful and appreciative of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the man who claimed Negro History Week, which later changed to Black History Month. From a week to a month, but we need to rock the year, every year, because there are so many opportunities to celebrate Black History. The organization that Dr. Woodson founded, the Association for the Study of African American Life and Heritage (ASAALH) organizes a theme each year, and this year the theme is women.