Percy Sutton, the pioneering civil rights activist, entrepreneur and lawyer recently died at the age of 89. I never personally had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Sutton, but his reputation as an entrepreneur, political power broker and media mogul definitely preceded him. In my mind, "Harlem" and "Percy Sutton" were synonomous. Mr. Sutton became a fixture on Harlem's 125th Street after moving to New York following his service in World War II as a Tuskeegee Airman. He founded his Harlem office in 1953 where he represented, amongst others, Malcolm X and his family for decades.
Background
Sutton was born in San Antonio, TX and was the last of 15 children. Both of his parents were educators. Sutton attended Prairie View A&M University, Tuskeegee Institute, and Hampton Institute. He received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Sutton dominated Harlem politics for over near three decades. He was a member of the so-called "Harlem Gang of Four", which included Congressman Charles Rangel, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, and former New York Secretary of State Basel Paterson. He served in the New York State Assembly before taking over as Manhattan borough president in 1966, becoming the highest-ranking black elected official in the state. He served in that post until 1977 when he ran for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York that ended with Congressman Ed Koch defeating six other competitors.
Congratulations to Jayvaughn Pinkston who recently made a commitment to play for Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats next season. The 6'6" "Baby Barkley" has always been a bruiser inside but over the past few years, has added a nice dribble drive and a mid-range jumpshot to his game. Pinkston's well-rounded game should serve him well in the Big East. His decision to attend Villanova appears to be a "perfect fit" as Villanova traditionally has had great guard play but lacked an inside presence to advance deep into the NCAA tournament. Pinkston led his New Heights squad to the 17U chip at http://clicky.me/ShockExchangeComesToHarlem09 ... Jayvaughn is the considered to be the top ranked player in the NYC and 67th ranked in the country, according to Rivals.com. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv quoted Pinkston as follows: "I am very excited to be committing to Villanova. I want to play with and against the best players in the country and playing for Villanova will afford me that opportunity. Having seen Jayvaughn play in grassroots tournaments and at nearby Bishop Loughlin over the years, I too am excited about seeing him suit up for Villanova.
Lance has had one of the most storied careers in NYC basketball history. He of the unprecedented four straight PSAL championships, the state scoring record, and the subject of Bornready.tv. Whereever Lance goes the media is never far behind. While pundits focus on his swagger, Cincinati coach Mick Cronin cites his NYC toughness and competiveness. I have seen Cincinati play on prime time on at least three occasions - almost as much as powerhouses like UNC and Kentucky ... signalling that the networks value Lance's star quality and his NYC following. However, the question remains ... "Is Lance Stephenson born ready for prime time?" After his 21 point performance and last second free throws to sink UCONN, the answer seems to be a resounding "Yes".
The Shock Exchange has just learned that former Major League baseball star, Sammy Sosa, has been denied TARP funds by the government. Sosa's application for billions in TARP money was expected to put to use throughout the inner cities to help spur the economy. Sosa was also expected to use part of the funds to continue to remake himself in middle America's image and to spur a public relations campaign of reminding America of how estatic he is to be in this country. The government's response to its surprising decision was a follows: "While we applaud Mr. Sosa's efforts to 'fit in' with this great country of ours, we do not think his program is consistent with the TARP initiatives. And while he has indeed passed the first test required for TARP, we do not consider Mr. Sosa "Too Big to Fail", which is the second test required to be met by all TARP participants." Though Mr. Sosa does not meet the definiton of "Too Big to Fail", he does qualify as a MULLET .... which is defined here http://clicky.me/Shockims.
According to a September 2009 report by the US Census Bureau 38.9 million people lived in poverty as compared to 37.3 million in 2007. The poverty rate was 13.2 percent in 2008, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. The 13.2 percent poverty rate was the highest in the past 11 years. The poverty rate by race was whites (8.6 percent - up from 8.2 percent in 2007), Asians (11.8 percent - up from 10.2 percent in 2007), Hispanics (23.2 percent - up from 21.5 percent in 2007) and Blacks (24.7 percent - unchanged from 2007). The percentage of people without health insurance in 2008 was not statistically different from 2007 at 15.4%. However, the number of uninsured Americans increased to 46.3 million, up from 45.7 million in 2007. These statistics underscore President Obama's call for healthcare reform.
Breaking news! NYhoops.com has just released its Class of 2013 talent list for the NYC and Long Island. It is a very interesting list and includes names I have had a chance to see play during the AAU season as well as during outdoor events over the summer. Always looking for talent, NYhoops.com also recommends that if you know of any kids in the Class of 2013 who have the ability to make an impact for their school team then contact for recommendations. This is a partial list and will undoubtedly be updated by NYhoops.com over the coming years. For those kids who did not make the list, keep working on your game and your due recognition will come . . . after all, basketball isn't "left up to the judges" like figure skating or gymnastics. Keep reading for the list of talented names and the schools they attend.
