Blacks in the News
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder walks off stage after giving a lecture in honor of the late Justice Revius O. Ortique, the first African-American elected to both the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court, at Dillard University in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Blacks in the News
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder gives a lecture in honor of the late Justice Revius O. Ortique, the first African-American elected to both the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court, at Dillard University in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Blacks in the News
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder gives a lecture in honor of the late Justice Revius O. Ortique, the first African-American elected to both the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court, at Dillard University in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Blacks in the News
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder gives a lecture in honor of the late Justice Revius O. Ortique, the first African-American elected to both the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court, at Dillard University in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Blacks in the News
In this Nov. 2, 2010 photo, Wray Gunn, left, Rachel Flectcher, center and Cora Gunn, right, pose in a park dedicated to W.E.B Du Bois on the home site of where he grew up in Great Barrington, Mass. The three are members of a coalition dedicated to preserving the legacy of the African American scholar, as Du Bois' hometown approaches its 250th birthday celebration. (AP Photo/Shana Sureck)
Blacks in the News
In this Nov. 2, 2010 photo, a mural in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., honors the African American scholar W.E.B Du Bois, who was raised there. As the town prepares to celebrate it's 250th birthday, W.E.B. Du Bois, one of its most famous and controversial native sons, is being included in it's history and promotional material. (AP Photo/Shana Sureck)
Blacks in the News
In this Nov. 2, 2010 photo, Rachel Fletcher, founder of River Walk and co-director of the African American heritage trail, poses in a garden recently dedicated to W.E.B Du Bois near his birthplace in Great Barrington, Mass. Du Bois grew up swimming in this, the Housatonic river, and later advocated for its clean up. His autobiography begins with the words "I was born by a golden river and in the shadow of two great hills . . . ." (AP Photo/Shana Sureck)
Blacks in the News
TOPSHOTS A Picture shows a graffiti artist with the portrait of Nobel-winning US novelist Toni Morrison during the unveiling ceremony of a memorial bench marking the abolition of slavery in Paris (the first to be inaugurated outside the United States by the Toni Morrison Society) on November 5, 2010 in Paris. Morrison, author of "Beloved" and whose poetic novels on slavery and the African-American experience earned her the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, in 1988 and 1993, was awarded yesterday a city of Paris medal honouring thinkers and artists with strong ties to the capital, a day after receiving France's highest decoration, the Legion of Honour. TOPSHOTS / AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
Blacks in the News
Terri Sewell celebrates her victory as the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress in the 7th Congressional District seat in Alabama with family and friends at the St James Hotel on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, in Selma, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Blacks in the News
Tim Scott, Republican Congressman-elect for South Carolina's First Congressional District, celebrates his victory at his election night party at the Hilton Garden Inn in North Charleston, S.C. on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010. With his victory, Scott will become the first Republican African-American Congressman from South Carolina since Reconstruction. (AP Photo/Alice Keeney)
Blacks in the News
The Conservative Fantasy History Of Civil Rights
Leslie Odom Jr.: We Are Not All Artists the Same
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
Comments: (16)
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By: Honeydew on 11/15/2010 10:18PM
Just because the ticket was bought at a pron store, does not mean all the "investors" frequent that type of business. I can understand wanting to remain anonymous though.
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By: Eclectic Thinker on 11/17/2010 2:04PM
@Honeydew:
You set forth a very cogent argument. The gentleman who purchased the winning $129 million dollar lottery ticket from the porn shop might have intended to play the lottery on that particular day but, when he noticed that the time for playing the lottery was drawing near, he could have simply been passing by the porn shop and dashed in to play his numbers before the lottery shut down.
And by the way, for all of the people who come down hard on people who frequent porn shops, are you cognizant of the fact that 65% of the people in this country have watched pornography at some point in their life and more than half of the people in this country watch pornography on a frequent basis?? Just ask the hotel chains in this country or confer with ISP providers. Even some medical providers and doctors' offices have pornographic materials in their office when men come in for a sperm cell count or other medical and reproductive matters. There are far worse things in the world that some people engage in than viewing pornographic materials. Hopefully, NO harm will come to anyone who views such materials. And please remember that God will judge everyone EQUALLY regardless of the "sins"and transgressions.
MY SERMON FOR THE DAY! AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (LOL)
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By: Dog House on 11/15/2010 8:51PM
A Group of People???? More like he promised a few of his fellas some cash if they backed him up. Don't let the wife know "you" went into a "questionable" shop. With 129 million though I am sure she would have forgiven you. Now you have to share. This is kind of funny...
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By: Alaudea on 11/15/2010 8:54PM
Actually the ticket wasn't purchased in Lansing it was purchased in Detroit, but the porn shop part is right. It was all over the local news, honestly I'm surprised tat he publicly came forward for a press conference.
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By: JenJ on 11/15/2010 10:56PM
Dr. Watkins,
A portion of your information regarding this story is flawed. The ticket was not bought at a Lansing, Michigan porn shop. It was bought at an adult book store in Highland Park, Michigan. Lansing is the capitol of Michigan and thus any and all major lottery winners must collect their winnings in Lansing.
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By: ACA on 11/16/2010 12:15AM
To God be the Glory; your comment was O.K., but Please get the KJV verse 1 Timothy 6:10, For the love of money is The root of All Evil:etc. One of The World's god.
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By: vdog on 11/16/2010 5:00AM
Both of you are just using SCRIPTURE to hide your HATE on the brotha. I bet your PASTOR would CLEANSE a donation of this DIRTY BAD PORN SHOP MONEY from this brotha for the building fund with NO PROBLEM.
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By: Alexis Stodghill on 11/16/2010 2:23PM
Hello.
Thanks for writing in. I corrected the piece regarding the location, but you "adult book store," we say "porn shop." I think that is a matter of personal taste, no? But thanks for offering the correction. We appreciate your reading BV on Money.
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By: charlene on 11/17/2010 7:34AM
I wonder if it was you that won the lottery would you put a quote like this on here. Keep your negative thoughts to yourself. For those that won good luck and seek help from a financial advisor. Remember one thing only you must sign those checks and authorize any payments.
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By: Eclectic Thinker on 11/17/2010 10:06AM
@Jza
Just think of all of the good in this world that this man and his winning group can do with $129 million dollars, regardless of where he purchased the winning ticket??!! Blessings do come in mysterious ways to unwittingly people, and there is absolutely NOTHING in the entire world that is so very wrong about possessing money...lots of it, so long as that money does NOT consume your everyday existence. It is simply a matter of what you choose to DO with that money that matters the MOST! People who quote scripture about money being the root of all evil tend to forget that God blessed people in the Bible with GREAT WEALTH, as it was measured in those days.
RICH people as a group live longer than POOR people as a group; rich people as a group enjoy a higher standard of living than poor people as a group; rich people as a group are in a better position in life to provide the necessities of life for their children than are poor people as a group; rich people, as a group, suffer far less from mental and physical disabilities than poor people as a group; rich people, as a group, are able to educate and send their children to some of the best colleges and universities in the world than are poor people are as a group; thus affording their children greater access to opportunities that can ensure their lives. And, if it were NOT for RICH people, where would POOR people be in this world??!! And the list goes on and on! So, why would the pursuit or love of money be the root of all evil? Without money there can be NO life. Why would God create life here on this Earth knowing fully well that his children would need resources in order to NOT just survive but to have life and have it more abundantly? And, yes, money is a resource. Just look around you and see how the ministers of your church live, and then compare your financial status and lifestyle to theirs. God gave ALL of us a brain. Why NOT use it??!!
PEACE & LOVE
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