(NNPA)—Although the NAACP and Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network have enthusiastically endorsed Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, two key legal groups have so far refrained from endorsing the former Harvard law dean amid questions about whether she would be a strong civil rights advocate on the court.

That split underscores the complexities of a civil rights community eager—some say over eager—to support the nation’s first African-American president and some highly-respected legal organizations that are in a much better position to evaluate the appointment of Kagan to fill the seat vacated by Justice John Paul Stevens, a reliable liberal vote on the sharply-divided Supreme Court.

(NNPA)—It was 1963. The nation was at a virtual boiling point. Despite marked gains in the civil rights struggle from integrating lunch counters and universities to equalizing buses, the fight for justice was far from over.

As fire hoses and police dogs continued to be unleashed on those seeking basic human rights, and freedom riders testing desegregation in the South were attacked by angry mobs, one man possessed the unique ability to not only unite the masses across all racial lines, but also candidly highlight the ills of society.

My eldest son has decided that he wants to be a marine. His plan is to enter the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and then serve his country as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

My son is still at an age when plans for the future change with the seasons. It may be that time brings about a change of his mind. Even so, when he announced his decision, I couldn’t help but smile. One often hears that this young generation is consumed with narcissism and the accumulation of wealth. When my son informed me that he wished to dedicate his life to serving his country, I felt a real sense of pride.

Small businesses drive this nation’s economy and make up the majority of our workforce; when they struggle, so too does the rest of the nation. With so many small businesses currently unable to receive the funds they need to hire new staff, it’s no wonder the unemployment rate remains dismally low. Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve chairman and one of the world’s most respected financial voices, recently suggested that lenders need to increase loans to small business in an effort to decrease unemployment. Ber­n­anke is right on target; let’s hope lawmakers take this idea and run with it.