Tonyaa Weathersbee, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Tonyaa Weathersbee is an award-winning columnist for the Florida Times-Union and has appeared on Nightline and BET Tonight. Her commentaries have also been published in the Houston Chronicle, Baltimore Sun and Kansas City Star.

Past articles:

Celebrities and CBC rally to encourage Voters
Commentary: If Bush is Serious About Helping Cuba, He’d Lift the Embargo and Travel Ban
Commentary: If She Doesn’t Get Help, That Five-Year-Old’s First Encounter with Cops Won’t Be Her Last
Commentary: A Crooked Preacher May Have Dangled the Apple, but Greed Made Churches Bite
Commentary: A Father’s Presence Helps Young Girls Resist Shallow, Sexualized Self-Images
Commentary: A Key Lesson from Hurricane Katrina? The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised
Commentary: A Public School That Emphasizes African Culture and Rites of Passage? It’s About Time
Commentary: A Statue Honoring Denmark Vesey Would Not Only Teach About Slavery, But Also Hypocrisy
Commentary: A Stray Bullet Wasn’t the Lone Culprit in Neenee Malone’s Death – Apathy Helped Kill Her
Commentary: A Year of Living Luxury-Free May Be Just What We Need to Enrich Us
Commentary: Abortion law change could harm Black Women
Commentary: Addie Greene Isn’t the Problem – Our Unequal Treatment by Police Is
Commentary: Adults have Power to Close Black-White Reading Gap
Commentary: Afro-Cubans could influence an anti-Bush vote in Fla.
Commentary: All the Emphasis on Religion in President Bush’s Justice Department is a Far Cry from Just
Commentary: American-Born Blacks Could Learn a Lesson or Two from Our Immigrant Brethren
Commentary: An Infusion of Low-Wage Jobs in the Black Community Isn’t Worth the Price of Our Dignity
Commentary: Annual MLK Day Celebrations Should Be Aimed at Driving Home His Message of Non-Violence
Commentary: Are Pharmaceutical Tests on Prison Population Another Form of Modern-Day Slavery?
Commentary: As Recent Disclosures of Rank Hypocrisy Prove, the ‘Values Agenda’ Needs a Major Overhaul
Commentary: As Recently-Exonerated Prisoners Prove, DNA Tests Are Worth the Cost
Commentary: As Two Wise Women Taught Me, One’s Passion for Adventure Doesn’t Have to Wane with Age
Commentary: At Their 20-Year Reunions, Will Today’s Teens Recall Days Worth Celebrating?
Commentary: Atlanta’s Answer to Beggars and Their Poverty? Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Commentary: Bad life choices are turning prisons into cash cows
Commentary: Barack Obama, Too Nice? John Edwards’ New Tactic Underscores the Ever-Present Double Standard
Commentary: Barack Obama’s Experience Working as a Community Organizer Nothing to Be Knocked
Commentary: Before Another Haitian Child Has to Eat Mud Pies Instead of Play with Them, Let’s Do Something
Commentary: Berry’s last valiant stand for civil rights enforcement
Commentary: Better Late Than Never -- The Survivors of 1921's Tulsa Riots Deserve Justice
Commentary: Black Athletes Who Scam Their Way Into School Are Only Cheating Themselves
Commentary: Black Elderly, don’t give in Fla. Voter Intimidation Tactics
Commentary: Black Girls Get Pregnant and Get Scorned; Why Do the Gloucester Girls Get Tea and Sympathy?
Commentary: Black Parents Should Ensure White Teachers Are Culturally Sensitive
Commentary: Black Repubs Revel in Democrats’ Shameful Past While Ignoring GOP’s Sordid Present
Commentary: Black Self-Sufficiency is a Fine, Worthwhile Goal – As Long as it Doesn’t Scare White People
Commentary: Black Teens Adamant that The ‘N-Word’ Doesn’t Mean Anything to Them – But Shouldn’t It?
Commentary: Black Woman Nobel Winner exudes Green Power
Commentary: Black Women in Corporate America Still Plagued by Double Standards
Commentary: Blacks Have Got to Find Sweetness in Life, Not Sugar-Filled Foods
Commentary: Blacks Must Start Paying for Our Politics Like We Pay for Vacations
Commentary: Bless Their Hearts, but Louisiana’s Voters are Either Masochists or Just Stupid for Re-Electing Jefferson
Commentary: Blinded by the Lure of Stolen Bling, Sean Taylor’s Killers Took His Life – and Ruined Theirs
Commentary: Bobby Brown’s ‘Being’ Makes Stint Behind Bars Seem Like a Brief Vacation
Commentary: Bono’s Been the Driving Force on Africa, but We Need to Take it From Here
Commentary: Bush is Using Katrina to Shove GOP Programs Like Vouchers Onto Public
Commentary: Bush Support despite Failures Evidence of White Guy ‘Pass’
Commentary: Bush’s Handpicked Blacks Shouldn’t Have Bit at His Social Security Bait
Commentary: Bush’s New War on Poverty Sounds Good, But Let’s Look at His Battle Plan
Commentary: Bush’s Slashing of HUD Budget Spells Trouble for Our Cities
Commentary: By Bailing Out on Jury Duty, We Leave the Fate of Young Black Men to Everyone Else
Commentary: Chisholm’s Legacy for Women Supercedes Politics
Commentary: Civil Rights Activist’s Daughter Couldn’t Get Help, So She Decided to Get Justice Instead
Commentary: Clarence Thomas’ Drive to Not Be Defined by His Blackness is Fueled by His Obsession with It
Commentary: Compass and Nagin Bear Responsibility for Exaggeration of Katrina Crime
Commentary: Condi Rice Doesn’t Utilize the Asset That Distinguishes Her Race and Gender: Empathy
Commentary: Congratulations, Jay-Z, for Transforming Personal Anger into Global Action
Commentary: Conservative Pundits Equate the Black Church’s Chastising of America to Treason – and They’re Wrong
Commentary: Despite the Photo-Op Posturing, Bush’s Record on Civil Rights is Crystal Clear
Commentary: Do Memorial T-Shirts Honor Murdered Loved Ones or Create Apathy About Violence?
Commentary: Does Your Old High School Need Your Involvement? Offer Help to Those Who Once Helped You
Commentary: Either Way, Duke Accuser a Victim - of Having to Do the Worst to Attain the Best
Commentary: Emphasis on Wealth in Some Black Churches Costs in Spiritual Currency
Commentary: Enough Already, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick – It’s Time to Do the Right Thing and Resign
Commentary: Even If It’s From Behind the Bench, Thank Goodness Someone’s Talking to Kids in the System
Commentary: Even if Other Kids Aren’t Learning About the Civil Rights Era, We Need to Ensure That Ours Are
Commentary: Exotic Names Might Sound Special, but They May Hinder the Children Who Have Them
Commentary: Exploitation Akin to Modern-Day Slavery is Alive and Well in Florida
Commentary: Factories Would Rather Build on Prison Grounds Than in Black Communities
Commentary: False Claims of Obama’s Deep Muslim Ties Persist - But If True, People Should Welcome Them
Commentary: Finally, a Black Man in the Spotlight Who Actually Wants to Be a Role Model for Our Children
Commentary: For Athletes Who’ve Turned Fame into Infamy, Could Extended Family Have Made the Difference?
Commentary: For Many of Us, America’s Legacy of Racism Has Practically Stolen Our Courage to Hope
Commentary: For the Sake of its Fans, Hip-Hop Has to Find a Way to Put Some Shame Back in Incarceration
Commentary: For the Sake of Real Progress, the Black Church Must Go Back to its Roots in Social Justice
Commentary: Forget the S.C. Boycott, NAACP – The Real Fight’s for Young Black Minds
Commentary: Fruity Cigarettes Aimed at Black Teens Pose Challenge
Commentary: Go Ahead, Ask Blunt Racial Questions at this Forum
Commentary: God Bless Rosa, One of the Last Heroines From a Culture of Courageousness
Commentary: Gold Grills May Be the Fad of Choice for Some Young People, But Take Heed – They Can Kill
Commentary: GOP prefers to Suppress Blacks instead of Engage them
Commentary: Guns in D.C. Won’t Be Weapons of Protection as Much as They’ll Be Weapons of Paranoia
Commentary: HBO’s “Blues” Reminds Us What Real Community Was -- and What it Can Be Again
Commentary: He’s Certainly Trying, but Michael Jackson Can’t Buy Back His Lost Childhood
Commentary: Here’s a Tip for Civic-Minded Celebs: Charity Work for Black Kids Isn’t a Pass for Racism
Commentary: Hey, Affirmative Action Foes – Where’s Your Outcry Over Political Patronage?
Commentary: Hey, Jesse – When You’re Done with Michael, Please Get to Linden, Texas
Commentary: Hey, Trounced Black GOPers - Want to Convince More Blacks to Cross Over? Here’s How
Commentary: High Court Ruling Sets Quality Education for Black Kids on Uncertain Course – in the Digital Age
Commentary: How is Forcing Clerks to Say ‘Merry Christmas’ Advancing Christ’s Love?
Commentary: I.R.S. Targeting the Poor Just More Proof of the Feds’ Pro-Rich Priorities
Commentary: If Affluent White Kids Can’t Get into Ivy League Schools, What Will Poor Blacks Face?
Commentary: If Anna Nicole Smith Were Black, Would She Be Getting Such a Glorified Post-Mortem? No
Commentary: If Schools Must Enforce Dress Codes, They Should Turn Anti-Sagging Rules into Learning Opportunities
Commentary: If Vick Really Relished His Place as a ‘Role Model,’ That Apology Should Help Him Retain It
Commentary: Imagine a Popular Black Artist Inspiring Our Kids to Go to School Instead of Prison
Commentary: In Bushworld – As Time After Time Has Shown – Competence and Compassion are Sorely Lacking
Commentary: In Flap Over Andrew Young’s Comments, the Insult Drowned Out the Message
Commentary: In High Court’s Ruling on School Diversity, It’s Not Simply About Race – It’s About Equality
Commentary: In the War Against Child Obesity, Poverty Complicates the Battlefield
Commentary: Iraq Reconstruction Office’s Closing More of Bush Cabal’s ‘Silencing the Messenger’ Tactic
Commentary: Is ‘Knucklehead Culture’ Contributing to Incidents with Police That Invariably End Badly?
Commentary: It’s Easier to Fuel A Movement from the Streets Than from A Jail Cell
Commentary: It’s Suicidal to be Black and GOP in Bush Era
Commentary: Jay-Z Changed His Mind About Cristal, But Now Can He Change His Mindset?
Commentary: Jena Six Prosecutor Counting on White Public to Be Complicit in the Racism at the Case’s Root
Commentary: John Lewis is rightfully angry about Fear Mongering
Commentary: Josephine Baker’s Story a Reminder of How Much We Can Achieve When Our Talents are Respected
Commentary: Katrina Has Blown the Blinders Off America’s Refusal to Address Poverty
Commentary: Kilpatrick’s Misdeeds Ultimately Hurt the People Who Elected Him – Poor Blacks in Detroit
Commentary: Lack of Respect for Our Past Arms Racists With Their Best Weapon -- Denial
Commentary: Let This Be the Year that Washington D.C. Finally Gets a Vote in the House of Representatives
Commentary: Let Vick Serve as a Lesson to Famous, Talented Brothers – Dump Those Toxic, Criminal Friends
Commentary: Let’s resolve in ’05 to begin eating healthier
Commentary: Many Poor, Rural Whites Proved the ‘Pennsylvania-as-Alabama’ Theory More Fact than Fiction
Commentary: Marriage test failure means he should not make babies
Commentary: Media’s Coverage of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez Got You Worried? Don’t Believe the Hype
Commentary: Money in the bank better than wearing it on your back
Commentary: Mr. Recruiter, Why Would Blacks Fight For a Country that Won't Fight for Them?
Commentary: Newsflash to GOP-Leaning Black Ministers: Gay Marriage is No Threat to the Black Family
Commentary: NJ Troopers Have Selective Amnesia About How They Victimized People Like Assata Shakur
Commentary: No, ‘Hustle & Flow’ Isn’t for Kids, but They Can Certainly Learn from It
Commentary: O.J.’s Need for Attention, Acceptance from Whites Besmirches His Already-Tarnished Legacy
Commentary: Obama Fuss Proves America’s More Ready for a Black President Than it Is for Black People
Commentary: Obama’s Effort to Represent the Audacity of Hope Being Obscured by the Politics of Fear
Commentary: Optional Testing produces achieving Black Graduates
Commentary: Ordinary People Like Us Can - and Should – Help Stop the Genocide in Sudan
Commentary: Our Children Shouldn’t Have to Fear for Their Lives Simply to Play Outside
Commentary: Our Whistleblowers Deserve to be Remembered
Commentary: Paycheck Stolen? Don’t Stop Working; Catch the Robber
Commentary: Perfect Weapon Against Missouri Klan’s Highway PSA? The Truth
Commentary: Pick a Scene – Any Scene – in Haley’s Timeless ‘Roots,’ and There’s a Lesson to Be Learned
Commentary: Please Don’t Screw Up Again, Mychal Bell – You Owe Too Many People, Yourself Included
Commentary: Poor Whites Voting Against Their Own Interests Out of Racism Only Reap More Poverty, Hardship
Commentary: Pre-civil rights era martyrs deserve recognition
Commentary: President Bush’s Profanity Isn’t as Big an Issue as His Arrogance and Nonchalance
Commentary: Rap Music’s Power Comes in Its Ability to Create Positive Change, Not Glorify Pathologies
Commentary: Recent Tragedies Prove that Gun Violence Isn’t Just a Black, Urban Problem – It’s Everyone’s
Commentary: Referring to Barack Obama as a ‘Rock Star’ Gives People an Excuse to Not Take Him Seriously
Commentary: Rich English Elders Bedding Young African Men? It Seems Funny, But It’s No Laughing Matter
Commentary: Rush Limbaugh’s $400 Million Score May Be Good for Business, but It’s Bad for the Country
Commentary: Sen. John Ford’s Constituents Should Thank Him for His Service, Then Show Him the Door
Commentary: Senate’s Apology for Failing to Combat Lynching Was Long Overdue
Commentary: Sex may not lead to Love; it should never lead to Murder
Commentary: Soaring Housing Costs Dashing Hopes, Dreams of Growing Black Middle Class
Commentary: Some Child Support Laws Hinder Black Fathers from Doing Just That: Supporting their Children
Commentary: Steele Will Learn the Hard Way that the GOP Wants His Color, Not His Voice
Commentary: Sunday Morning White-Out Suggests Blacks’ Only Issue is Civil Rights
Commentary: Surprise, Surprise -- Black and Brown Youths Unfairly Targeted by NYPD Stop-and-Frisk Policies
Commentary: Survey Shows that, Despite the Imagery, Most Brothers Want Normal, Responsible Lives
Commentary: Teach the Children Who They Are Early Enough, and The Pride We Instill Will Last Forever
Commentary: Thank You, James Brown - For Your Genius, For Your Music and For Being Black and Proud
Commentary: Thanks to Barbour, It’s Time for a Chorus of Nina Simone’s ‘Mississippi Goddam’
Commentary: The ‘Look-at-Me’ Generation, Fueled by YouTube, is Long on Shock but Lacking in Shame
Commentary: The Boot Camp Jury Saw the Evidence in Black and White, But Not Like You Would Expect
Commentary: The Brothers-and-Brazil Connection Explores, Underscores Our Men’s Insecurities
Commentary: The Bushies Could Coordinate with Our Allies to Wage War, So What Gives with Their Katrina Aid?
Commentary: The Education Black Kids in Private Schools Get May Not Be What Parents Suspect
Commentary: The Justice Department’s Conservative Bend Has Meant More Politics, Less Justice
Commentary: The King Brothers Don’t Need to Replace Martin – Just Do Right By Him
Commentary: The Little Rock Nine Stayed Focused on the Future Instead of Succumbing to Racism’s Terror
Commentary: The Media, Aided by Sisters in Hip-Hop Videos, is Creating Hottentot Venuses for a New Generation
Commentary: The Ministry of Intolerance Extolled by ‘Patriot Pastors’ is Not Christ-Like By Any Means
Commentary: The NAACP’s Goals - and Its Strategies to Achieve Them - Need to Be Updated and Upgraded
Commentary: The New Yorker Should’ve Lampooned the Yokels Who Still Buy into the Anti-Obama Smears
Commentary: The N-Word May Need Burying, But It’s More Crucial That the Mentality Be Deprogrammed
Commentary: The Repubs’ Attempt to Play Up Racist Fears Should Be a Warning to Black GOPers
Commentary: The Shaquanda Cotton Case Underscores How Our Struggle for Equality and Justice Continues
Commentary: The Ultimate Gift of HBO’s ‘The Wire’ is the Realization that the ‘War on Drugs’ is a Joke
Commentary: There’s Nothing Godly About Preachers Preying on their Female Congregants
Commentary: Think Black College Revelers Get the Same Treatment as White Spring Breakers? Think Again
Commentary: Think the Racism Facing Obama is Bad Now? Like the Song Says, You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
Commentary: This Season of ‘The Wire’ Should Inspire Us to Help End the Drug Trade – and Save Our Boys
Commentary: This Tale of Woefully Aimless Coeds Reveals a Stunning Lack of Black Pride – at a Black College
Commentary: Those Decrying ‘Big Government’ Should Remember the Images of Post-Katrina Neglect
Commentary: To Reach Teens, the Answer is Rebuilding Communities, Not Boot Camps
Commentary: Too Serious? Sometimes We Don’t Take Ourselves Seriously Enough
Commentary: Ultimately, Genarlow Wilson’s Jailing is All About ‘Keeping Black Men in Their Places’
Commentary: Want to Help Our Impressionable Boys Dream Grand, Achievable Dreams? Turn Off the Television
Commentary: Ward Connerly Needs a French Lesson to Clearly See America’s Reality
Commentary: Was Roberts Just Supporting His ‘Client’ While Dissing Civil Rights? I Say No
Commentary: We Don’t Have to Simply Be Saddened About Congo’s Widespread Rapes – We Can Do Something
Commentary: We Must Be Vigilant About Science Used to Further Fuel Lies About Black Intelligence
Commentary: We Must Not Be Shy in Demanding That the Gov’t Address Black Men’s Plight
Commentary: We Were Silent on the Genocide in Rwanda, but it’s Not Too Late to Speak Out on Sudan
Commentary: We’ve the Right to Remain Silent on AIDS Prevention, But Doing So is Killing Our Community
Commentary: Welcome to Bushworld, Where Character is Defined By What One Can Get Away With
Commentary: What Do You Get When Cronyism Trumps Qualifications? Gonzales’ Injustice Department
Commentary: When All of Britney Spears’ Drama is Over, There’ll Be Less Empathy for the Mentally Ill
Commentary: When it Comes to Apologizing for Slavery, Where’s All That Talk of ‘Taking Responsibility?’
Commentary: Who’s to Blame for the King Center’s Troubles? MLK’s Own Children
Commentary: Who’s to Blame for the King Center’s Troubles? MLK’s Own Children
Commentary: Why Aren’t Black Men’s Creative Spirits Being Nurtured Before Incarceration?
Commentary: Why Do We Spend Time and Energy Trying to Rescue Heroes Who are Anything But Heroic?
Commentary: Why Has Greed Made Far Too Many Black Churches Lose Their Way?
Commentary: Why Haven’t the Mass Murders of College Students Angered the Nation into Reasonable Action?
Commentary: Why Would Al Sharpton Come to the Aid of the Teens in Florida’s Notorious Project Rape Case?
Commentary: Why’s All the Moralizing Over Personal Responsibility Aimed at Poor Black People?
Commentary: Will We Bring the Dream of King’s National Memorial to Fruition, or Will it Die on the Vine?
Commentary: Yes, We Do Need Black History Month - It Just Needs a Makeover
Commentary: Young Black Republicans Want to Trade One Plantation for Another
Commentary: Young Brothers Need to Know They Can Take Charge of Their Lives – With Society’s Help
Commentary: Youngsters Who’re Unfit for the Military Avoid Service, but Still Risk Their Lives
Conservatives demand compliance, not competence
Excess TV is linked to Obesity and Black Girls
Fatality Reveals More Black Women are Cops despite Dangers
Guardianship Programs Help Black Grandparents Perpetuate Extended Family Traditions
Higher Black Unemployment in Era of Tax Cuts
Muhammad Ali Set a Standard Other Athletes Would Do Well to Emulate
Study: Black Poor working hard, but earning less