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@Troy One of the reasons I posted the article about Thomas Sowell, was that I knew you were familiar with him. I, myself, don't know a lot about him, but do know he's a favorite among black right-wingers who love to cite and reference his ideas. What I find most noteworthy is that he personified the conservative philosophy by being someone with humble beginnings who "pulled himself up by his boot straps" and went on to become a successful, well-respected negro. But, as the article in question illustrates, the "Young Turks" of liberal black sociologists are taking him to task and besmiching his legacy. So be it. When it comes to America's racial dilemma, there are 2 sides to every issue. In response to your complaints, I can only reiterate that Sowell's academic critics are not, themselves, posting their articles on social media. It's ordinary people who find these commentaries thought-provoking who call attention to them, using FB as a source of what turns out to be free publicity for controversial black spokesmen. Yes, Zuckerberg profits from black patronage, but all FB users including Blacks, take advantage of it offering them an outlet for free publicity, always with the possibility of a post going viral. Some folks even get paid by FB if they have a large following and generate a lot of traffic. Finally, FB is literally a free bulletin board available for public access, its notices running the gamut from funeral arrangements to a wide vatiety of upcoming events. I don't say this to heap praise on Zuckerberg, I just mention it to call attention to the fact that FB users are not totally exploited. "Free" exposure is the operative word when it comes to assessing its appeal.

Such is the nature of capitalism. These social media platforms are not very old. We can clearly see how money was poured into turning them into behemoths. Human nature tends to gravitate towards the most popular. Only a minority of people goes against the grain. Again, that's why McDonald's has sold more hamburgers & French fries than any other fast food chain.😁😎

Interesting that all of the other Jacksons appear to fine. I still believe the level of fame & stardom MJ received pushed him to another side. Prince's doctor was fined for prescribing opiods to him. MJ's doctor actually served jail time for negligence in his overdose.😎

They are all similar including Byron Donalds & Tim Scott.😁😎

Do any of y'all make any distinctions between the Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas (funny how both could be called Uncle Tom) and kids like Candice Owens and Coleman Hughes? How do you feel about less controversial republicans like Herman Cain or Condoleezza Rice? I do. I'd venture a guess that I'm the only one reading this who has read more than one book written by Sowell, most of what I read does not address race issues. I have also read--and enjoyed-- Sowell's columns for years especially his "Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene." They were though provoking tidbits that challenged liberal views. For the record I tend to be both fiscally and socially liberal. The article was generally hyperbolic, which Facebook's algorithm loves! So, all Tdka is doing is enriching Mark Z by feeding the algorithm. Everything has a context. "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." Audre Lorde Today, we blindly and feverishly use the master's tools to build up his house, the problem is that it comes at the expense of our own.

Yeah, he "seemed' that way. He was probably nutty long before that--The money was just and enabler. Wasn't his Dr. convicted for mis-prescribing his medication or something like that?

I have distain for most of these platforms, and the reasons are complex. Your description of facebook; "FB is a sounding board. A chance to get on your soap box and blow off steam to a vast, ready-made audience..." is accurate, but simplistic (all due respect to your wisdom and intellect). Facebook and Meta (Youtube) do not operate in isolation they entered a WWW where there was a vibrant and growing community of Black-owned and Black-centered platforrms. In a variety of ways these companies have completely destroyed this. In the earlier years I even helped Facebook accomplish this, but I had no way of understanding what was happening. I also understand that even if I did know it would not have made any difference--because it makes no difference today. It is not just me, some disgruntled website owner whose posters now suckle at Mark's teat. There have been many books written about how bad Facebook is--even Facebook's own employees describe the problems. Look, Facebook (and Goole and Amazon) IS THE WEB for most people. A hand full of companies control what you see hear and read. Their rage driven algorithms fan the fire of dissent for profit. I have more than 22K followers on FB that I earned through engagement on Facebook (helping FB build an audience). Today if I post something less than a handful of people will engage with it--don't even think about posting a hyperlink to a website. Even If I paid to boost a post (yes, I was naive enough to try that) I still did not get the same type of traffic that I used to get during Facebook's early days. Facebook used me. like they use everyone on the platform. You've read about Cambridge Analytica, right? Surely, you've read about Facebook's adverse impact on mental health, especially teens. Then there are the issues of abusing our privacy, and on... Facebook is much more than a "sounding board." I know most people do not get this and if they do, they could care less. I also appreciate, being an active contributor to the WWW for more than 30 years, that I have a perspective that most people do not have. I get that. It is just painful to watch, as Black people are hurt the most and are completely oblivious to what is happening. I could go on about YouTube, or rather Google (Alphabet) as well.

Hi everyone! I'm sharing a title to be considered for review. More details and a description below. - Chloe Boulard (Associate Publicist, cboulard@cpg.org) Title: Bridging the Rivers of Difference Subtitle: A Proclamation of Unity in Resistance ISBN: 9781640659674 Author: Catherine Meeks Pub date: June 16, 2026 Description: A call for unity in the face of growing dehumanization of marginalized people–from a powerful voice in the dialogue on racism today. The walk back on a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The silence across communities as the undocumented, primarily Latino population faces attack. The grandstanding of nationalism and the intersection with white supremacy and ideas of genetic superiority. These issues are not temporary but rather exist on a continuum in the history of racism and divisiveness. Meeks, who has spent a lifetime fighting for racial justice and healing, offers collaborative strategies to fight systemic racism--together. She also addresses current cases with civil rights impact in areas such as zoning, voting, and immigration, and delivers a powerful message about the need for unity in combating these destructive decisions. This moment, Meeks argues, shows that othering is alive and well in America and a continuation of white supremacy. She also believes the United States has been complicit in continuing the destabilization of other countries and the cycles of ethnic cleansing. Within Black communities, she explains, there is a hesitance to join the conversations, but the fight is one that demands solidarity. Resistance is necessary to dispel hierarchies of human value and combat the failure of institutions. Author Bio: Catherine Meeks, PhD, is the winner of the President Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades of work for racial justice. A nationally recognized speaker, radio commentator, and writer for publications including Baptist News, she is the former executive director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing and author of six books, including The Night is Long, but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations on Racial Healing. Dr. Meeks is the founder of Turquoise and Lavender, an institute for transformation and healing. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Clark Atlanta University, a PhD from Emory University, and honorary doctorates from Virginia Theological Seminary, the Seminary of the Southwest, and the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. Dr. Meeks lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Personally, I do not have disdain for FB. Just never had a reason to use the platform. Also, I don't find appealing the thought of people I haven't seen or talked to in 40+ years tracking me down.🤣😎

For many people, FB is a sounding board. A chance to get on your soap box and blow off steam to a vast, ready-made audience. It is many-faceted and convenient for millions of people who have nothing better to do when it comes to occupying their free time. It's escapism and is very accessible. It also provides a way to connect with friends and strangers. To me, since I no longer have a lot of mobility, hangin around there is just something to do... I've always been curious why the guys on this site always express so much disdain for FB, but have no problem with YouTube, which to me is not that different from Face Book. They both just need to be taken with "a grain of salt".

MJ seemed relatively normal until Thriller catapulted him into the stratosphere. Then, there was skin bleaching, surgeries, exotic pets, children as friends & his adopted white kids & drug addiction. Mike left up outta here a whole mess.😁 Prince went out from Fentanyl but his drug use started with painkillers. Otherwise, he had always been clean & didn't tolerate drugs & alcohol around him.😎

Obviously, I haven't been around here long enough to know of any former posters. It is great that they are still producing content. Would be great if those indiciduals were still posting here but we know the net effect of the white man's ice. Even the most intelligent, educated, astute & well-written/spoken brothas & sistas fall for the ice. Amusing to me is Black folks who talk sh8t about the same white folks who own the platforms they are using to host their content i.e. Fa*ceb**k, Y*uT*be, Gram, Tok, X, etc.🤣 There's always the hope that Black folks will find their way out of depending on white folks & become independent & autonomous.😎

@aka Contrarian...thanks for sharing the article here @ AALBC. Enjoyed reading it. Of course, I've never had any use for folks like Thomas Sowell & Clarence UncleThomas. There have always been & will always be Black folks who willingly take up a seat of contentment within the system of racism white supremacy & support it. Unfortunately, whenever Thomas Sowell closes his eyes for eternity, another conservative coon will take his place.😎

I know the question was for @Tesa , but only equal things should be treating equally. A couple of beers over cards is fine; crashing your car or losing your job because you are drunk not so good. Gambling is fine, but losing your house from a gambling debt not so much. Moderation for most things is fine Things like cigarettes, crack, meth, etc, have no real benefit that I'm aware of... and should only be available in the Black market.

Yes, I know, but the software can't tell the difference. @a_womon another blast from the past.

Oh, don't get me wrong -- I appreciate you doing that @aka Contrarian Please keep it up. I was just lamenting the fact that some of our favorite posters have left for Facebook and others who view themselves pro-Black but are actually more pro-Zuck.

@Troy Well, as I previously stated, the articles that I occasionally re-post here are posted on FB not by the people who wrote them, but by others who are quoting them. I share some of the provocative ones here sometimes to just start conversations...

@Troy Well, former AALBC contributer. Linda Chavez, was who posted the article on FB. All these articles I re-post here have been posted there by just regular people who found them interesting, like me. One of the people who "liked" the article was another former regular here, "a woman". And just for the record. that quote that you attributed to "aka contrarian" was not my words. That was still tdka speaking.

It seems Michael needed help throughout his life and everyone just tried to exploit him, so I give him some grace. I have zero interest in seeing the film.

Maybe Del ditched the site for Facebook 😉

Good 'ole (aka Shannon King), you going back more than 15 years. Here is a conversation "On Percival Everett" from 22 years ago. It is hard to imagine we had conversations like this here. I took it for granted, because that is what we did on the Internet back then... before Facebook launched and all the Black people flocked there. It only took a few years to reach that level imagine if we continued to the same trajectory for the next 22 years! Today Yuki posts on interesting things on Facebook and Mark is richer for it. @aka Contrarian I guess I'm sounding like a broken record griping about Brothers supporting Facebook. We (Black people) simply do not support Black platforms anymore, and this lack of support has only increased over that past 20 years A Platform like Facebook can do so much demonstrable harm yet we double down in our support. So, if it is not obvious, I'm a little salty about this. I'm not losing any sleep over it, cause I'm gonna continue to do what I do regardless. There are however, indications that the tide is turning, so there is reason for optimisms 🙂

@Troy No wonder Del didnt elaborate. Probably was wondering if AI was at work.🤫

The derivation or meaning of names like "Tdka" is unknown to me. I see them around a nowadays and I'm sure they mean something. Maybe I'll ask an LLM. From my seat, anyone in 2026, actively working to enrich Mark Zuckerberg can't justify being so critical of a Sowell (one in a glass house... ) That is not to say that I disagree with the critique, I just don't know why any Brother is freely giving long form analysis to Facebook. We already learned this lesson. I looked for the book, Fundamentals of Economics (2027, 900 pages), to add it to the site, but I could it. The only books by Tdka were on Amazon. Again, nevermind.... I'm glad you shared it here @aka Contrarian

Another one of my FB friends who was a member of the old crowd is my boy Shannon King who went under the user name "Yukio" and who also went on to become a college professor and a published author. Below is an article he posted which was written by Peter Birkenhead and which I found very timely. "I was about to write that I don’t think white people understand how much we are about to lose as a consequence of Black people losing electoral power, that we don’t have anywhere near an adequate appreciation of how much everybody in this country has benefited from the Voting Rights Act and the seismic political, legislative and cultural shifts it set in motion (there’s no Obamacare without the VRA — hell, there’s no Obama,) that almost everything we do every day has in some way been affected for the better by the democratization of political power and the corresponding investment in the public good represented by the VRA and its countless direct and indirect ripple effects (wether or not you send your kid to Head Start you have a hundred reasons to be grateful that other people send theirs,) and that I doubt very much that many of us would like to go back to a world lacking, for instance, the countless contributions, innovations and inventions of Black scientists, academics, engineers and artists subsidized by grants and institutions that would not themselves have existed but for the pressure exerted by people who could finally vote and have their votes weighted fairly. But then I remembered who we are, and how not once since the Voting Rights Act passed has a majority of us voted for a presidential candidate who supported the immeasurably better future that it ushered in, or the many better futures it would still no doubt have delivered. I remembered that we are white people, and that there is nothing — absolutely, positively nothing — that we aren’t willing to go without if it means Black people go without more."

This is not Del,. Del just popped into my mind when I saw the cover :-) I bet it does favor him as a kid