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Back in my teens and 20s, I wouldn't have believed that I would feel so obliged or dedicated to people I wasn't related to or something I wasn't getting paid to do. But as we know, things and often attitudes and mentalities change with time. Now if I spend an extended amount of time away from AALBC whether it's a few days, a few weeks, or a couple months.....I feel OBLIGATED to go back and as best I can respond to all posts directed at me or about me. And also, if time permits....address posts that grab my interest even if they weren't directed at me. And it appears that most of you seem to feel the same way. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ And by the way let me thank @Troy for providing this space for us to do so. It's been a while since I sent a token of my appreciation because I've had new personal obligations to focus my resources on these past few years, but your treasures are building up. Trust me _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I suppose it's just human nature; however knowing this makes me feel good, proud, and hopeful. Why? It shows me that there are certain feelings, emotions, and drives that are just innate in human nature that guarantees that no human society will degrade down past a certain level. We will never get so selfish and individualistic AS A COMMUNITY where we simply ignore eachother and focus on our own issues and promotions. Some will, but the vast majority will not. There are certain ways we relate to other human beings that seem to be "in" us; ingrained in our psyche. These are the traits a progressive well functioning society should be built on and modeled after. Characteristics that agree with basic human nature.

Tempus is fugiting. And before we know it, election day will be here and that bad ol Donald Trump will be ousted and Democracy will be restored and gas prices and grocery bills will plummet and the Economy will skyrocket and everybody will be able to afford to be sick. Black folks? They can all come out of hiding .God will be in his heaven and all will be right in the world... Or - maybe not. Hope all you optimists have a Plan B.

The great experiment that is the United States of America (USA) even in its relative youth as a 250-year old nation has studied the history of empires...their rise & fall. The *smartest* thing the USA did was allowing people from all of the planet to come & live in this country. Though its institutions, the USA has tapped into the best & brightest minds from around the world. Through its power of money & influence & military strength, the USA has become the leading super power in the world. There is no other country on the planet to which more people immigrate. I don't believe the USA will implode or self-destruct under the weight of its own largesse. Nor will disputes & bickering among disparate groups of people (tribes) derail the USA either. I believe it will take an act of of the universe i.e. series of natural disasters to dismantle &/or destroy the USA. There's always the remote possibility that white people will get fed up with each other & start firing off those nuclear bombs. Of course, going nuclear means game over for humanity as we know.

Impressive word usage there. Let me know how much you'd charge to write my posts.

We are going toward the "light" aka the longest day of the year. Wouldn't it be reaffirming if America reversed its course and the current powers-that-be dissipated and were blown away by solar winds! What say you, Delano and Chevdov?? 🗯

In the mean time, silky-voiced Nat Cole, a Chicago product, enjoyed tremendous popularity among his own people. He put out a lot of single 78 vinyl records in the '50s as I recall, and they were all hits! We loved us some Nat "King" Cole. Back in the day, a lot of - perish the thought - colorist negro women used to pay him the left-handed compliment by declaring that "the only thing they liked black were Cadillacs and Nat Cole". To this day, like one of his best sellers, he remains "Unforgettable".

The Best way to destroy colorism is through Education Create systems that promote celebrate and reward all skin tones hues and shades... Accentuate the positive and ignore or confront the negative..... Saturate Mass Media with the Spectrum of all shades ....as equally as possible. Demonstrate the necessity of variety.. etc

I wrote that slave films aren't going to be very popular. Surely, some people will watch the films & enjoy them in one way or another. Otherwise, films, music, books & other forms of visual & literary art provides entertainment in different ways. Entertainment as escapism doesn't have to be negative in the form of self-hate or low self-esteem. Many people can watch a movie or listen to music & allow it to take them away from their reality for a few minutes up to a couple hours.

Well, if you dont want the 3 Presidents to talk politics at the funeral of a political figure, then don't invite them, just to show how important the deceased was. And Al Sharpton certainly didn't mince any words about what's happening in the country in his remarks. If you want a dignified funeral, don't invite a bunch of dignitaries to speak, and hold the services at a huge hall to accommodate all the public mourners you opened the doors to. You're just asking for confusion and resentment and that's what the Jackson family got. You can't have it both ways.

Jesse Jr, has his bi-polar panties in a bunch because the 3 US Presidents invited to the funeral of his father (a political figure in his own right who never missed a chance to speak about political issues) injected politics into their tributes to Jesse,Sr. at his funeral. Jesse, Jr.'s complaints have garnered very little support, with most people cynically speculating that he's probably trying to get on the good side of Trump in hopes of Trump pardoning him for his crime of misusing his campaign funds to finance a luxurious lifestyle and served time in jail for doing this. tsk-tsk. Also rumors floating around about Jesse having conned Trump into contributing to his presidential campaigns back when he ran for president twice. Whatever. As has previously been established, nobody's perfect.

Common ground achieved, arguably my most positively responsed post. I am very happy:) thank you again @aka Contrarian @Chevdove @Pioneer1 beautiful memories from you all:) thank you for sharing.

Interesting. Can't help but wonder if any of this astrological activity coincides with Israel and America's violent assault on Iran and what it portends for the future of the great American Empire and the orange tyrant who has crowned himself king of it.

Some celebrities will do &/or say the most ridiculous to include revealing their ignorance in order to maintain relevance. As the late Honorable Malcolm X said back in the 1960s, if entertainers are leaders, we have a bigger problem. Congrats to your alma mater in making it to the Final Four. The bots are convenient when calling up a few friends isn't in the cards. The invention of computer games allowing humans to play with themselves was the precursor to social isolation. As humans become more silo'd, AI will become the perfect companion to some. AI won't do dishes or give out hugs & kisses but it won't require anything of humans either. Zero sum fun.

I've been noticing a trend over the past decade of how so many AfroAmerican movies and television shows debut on Netflix as opposed to the major theaters and broadcasting channels now. This reminds me of how as a kid all of the major television networks like NBC, ABC, and CBS featured Black television shows and movies not only through out the day but also in primetime. Then starting around the mid-90s they started systematically taking Black television shows and movies and "relocating" them to networks like UPN and the CW channel. And then moved many of them off completely. It's getting to the point that every time I see an article about a new Black television show, I start skimming over the words until I see "Netflix" in the article because I know that's where I'll have to go if I want to see it. Yet at the same time Latinos have 2 major television networks (Univision and Telemundo) that Latinos from one end of the United States to the other can sit down and freely enjoy watching without passwords, fees, or subscriptions.

UN backs resolution calling slave trade ‘gravest crime against humanity’ RFI Thu, March 26, 2026 at 4:08 AM EDT 2 min read A memorial sculpture by Sandrine Plante-Rougeol in Bordeaux, a historic slave-trading port, where the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade remains central to debates on recognition and reparations. (AFP - GEORGES GOBET)More The resolution – proposed by Ghana – was adopted to applause by a vote of 123 in favour. The United States, Israel and Argentina opposed the measure. There were 52 abstentions, including the UK and all 27 members of the EU. Ghana's President John Mahama, one of the African Union's most vocal supporters of slavery reparations, was at the UN headquarters in New York to support the vote. "Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice," said Mahama. "The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting." Transatlantic cruise to turn spotlight on Brazil-Angola slavery past Despite being non-binding, the resolution goes beyond simple acknowledgment and asks nations involved in the slave trade to engage in restorative justice. It also highlights the legacy of slavery via "the persistence of racial discrimination and neo-colonialism" in today's society. "The transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity that struck at the core of personhood, broke up families, and devastated communities," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "To justify the unjustifiable, slavery's proponents and beneficiaries constructed a racist ideology -- turning prejudice into a pseudoscience." During discussions over the resolution, US ambassador Dan Negrea said the text was highly problematic. "The US also does not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred." He added: "The US also strongly objects to the resolution's attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy." The UK and EU countries put forth similar arguments while acknowledging the wrongs of slavery. "The resolution risks pitting historical tragedies against each other that should not be compared, except at the expense of the memory of the victims," said French representative Sylvain Fournel. Heroes who fought to abolish slavery honoured in Paris Pantheon expo For African Union officials, the language of the resolution is central to its purpose. Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, the AU’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Development, said clearly naming these events removes any lingering ambiguity about their nature. “It is to say that what was done to Africans was not a tragic accident of history, but the result of deliberate policies whose legacies structure today’s inequalities,” she said. “Justice begins with calling things by their proper names.” Beyond recognition, the resolution encourages countries historically involved in the slave trade to engage in processes of restorative justice. Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been explicit about what that could entail. “The perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade are known – the Europeans, the United States of America,” he told reporters. “We expect all of them to formally apologise to Africa and to all people of African descent.” He pointed to the return of looted cultural artefacts as one possible step, alongside continued efforts to dismantle structural racism and, potentially, financial compensation for affected communities.

Lol...maybe AI will solve THAT problem, soon.

Come on now.... If you're looking for a young man....there are less expensive and time consuming ways to find one, than that.....lol.

Which is crazy because back in the 50s and 60s not only did every Black community have it's own paper but nearly every Black highschool had it's own Black newspaper. You didn't need a Scripts Howard back then. Black students were learning journalism (among other skills and trades) BEFORE they graduated from Highschool.

Yep. Most people don't know that this is where the word "slave" comes from....the Slavs Places like Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia and Slovenia....the slavic regions of Europe where the Arabs and Africans used to go and get slaves to bring back to the Middle East and North Africa. Called "Mamlukes" So.... Are you done hibernating? Like a bear or groundhog.....lol....you've decided to come outside and join us for the Spring?

A LOT of people have been talking about this online Russia and China apparently support it.

Liquor and White women.....his two vices, lol.

Understood I stand corrected Yep I do People with a racist world view

There was & is a lot of *work* to be done around here. Takes all kinds of labor (skilled & unskilled, educated, under-educated, etc.) to get it done. Sure. Slavery, genocide, exploitation, trafficking, etc., every human ill is woven into the fabric of a wealthy nation. The great thing about dialog/discussion is there is plenty room for hypothesis, speculation, hyperbole, etc. The discourse does not have to remain literal down to every last work, phrase or belief.

ah @ProfD everybody loves chaka khan

No surprise that clebrity gossip has always pushed the Willie Lynch narrative & colorism. Over time, there have been moments where Hollywood showed dark-skinned actors & actresses. As mentioned in another thread, Hip-Hop music brought a lot of dark-skinned entertainers to the forefront. Examples of Hollywood Black couples: Owning media outlets is one way of promoting the images that reflect Black people across the spectrum. Producing content that features Black folks in healthy, functional situations is another way of reversing the colorism narrative & other stereotypes. Black folks cannot merely complain about how we are being mistreated &/or portrayed. We have to rewrite the narratives.

Really Inspiring and a joy to see and read thanks Admin

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@Milton nice:) remember to have a national black bookstore event for april 7th

Thank you. I'm struggling with fixing bugs on the website so I did not read the rest of the conversation but just for kicks I ask Gemini to summarize it for me and this is what I got. Let me know if you think the summaries of you positions are accurate: This discussion forum conversation, initiated by Pioneer1, explores the psychological impact of colorism within the Black community and debates strategies for reversing centuries of “anti-Black programming” regarding beauty standards. Core Arguments and Perspectives Pioneer1 (The Proponent of Radical Counter-Programming): Argues that Black women dyeing their hair blonde is a symptom of psychological damage from White-centric media that associates dark skin and kinky hair with being “ugly.” Proposes “reversing the hypnosis” by aggressively promoting dark skin and African features as the primary standard of beauty. Contends that in 2026, the community should see people in tanning booths trying to get darker and dyeing their hair black rather than blonde. Believes that “medium to dark” skin must be given priority over light skin to “balance the scale” after 500 years of lopsided preference for whiteness. ProfD (The Historical and Social Realist): Notes that movements for Black pride (James Brown, 70s Soul, 90s Hip-Hop) have existed but were often short-lived. Identifies colorism as a deep-seated issue rooted in the “slave plantations” that requires extensive time to undo. Suggests that interpersonal love—specifically Black men actively loving and choosing dark-skinned women—is a primary solution to the self-esteem crisis. Chevdove (The Moderate and Nuanced Critic): Expresses indifference toward Pioneer1’s proposal, arguing that while dark skin should be highlighted, light-skinned individuals should not be “suppressed” or “downplayed.” Raises concerns about the systematic exploitation of the term “Pride,” suggesting the “Black Pride” movement has been merged with or co-opted by the global LGBT movement. Believes education is key to understanding that traits like blonde hair are not exclusively “White.” Frankster (The Advocate for Education and Equality): Argues that education is the most effective way to destroy colorism. Advocates for a “spectrum” approach: saturating media with all shades as equally as possible rather than creating a new discriminatory hierarchy. Maintains that beauty standards should be viewed as universal (based on symmetry and balance) rather than political or racial competitions. Major Themes of Debate Theme Pioneer1’s View Frankster/Chevdove’s View Strategy Aggressive Counter-Programming: Preferencing dark/medium skin specifically. Equality: Celebrating the full spectrum of all hues and shades. Logic The “Reparations” Model: You don’t add weight to both sides of a lopsided scale to balance it; you add only to the lighter side. The “Universal” Model: Teach that all people are beautiful to avoid shifting the problem to a different group. Education Intellectual reasoning is insufficient for psychological wounds; entertainment and religion are needed. Systematic education in psychology and history is the primary tool for healing.

Let’s make April 7 a nationwide celebration honoring and uplifting Black-owned bookstores across the country.

It is a sad state of affairs that the only hope of getting out of a man-made quagmire is some type of celestial intervention.

No doubt AI will be used to resurrect the image/likeness of our Black icons. I believe Shahid Bolsen uses AI to copy the speech pattern & cadence & mannerisms of our late Brother Malcolm X: Folks will find creative ways to use technology.

Right. So many bombs being dropped over there it's gonna be even more hole-y.

Clinics hand out free contraceptives. I do not recall where I typed that people should kill themselves and/or have abortions. Humans have found ways to avoid procreation for a very long time. Humans have been given the ability to think & rationalize. Maturity is understanding the responsibility that comes with it.

I would still teach the basics of computing. No different from teaching alphabets & words to children. They'll figure out soon if/when they need to use a dictionary or library or internet. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is another tool in the box. Folks wil use it to get things done faster &/or more cost effectively. Surely, some folks will use AI to enrich themselves & put others out of work. Such is life especially when it comes to technology.

The Universe does Not come in Alphabetical Order! I started reading science fiction in 4th grade. This was before Star Trek. My mother had a World Book Encyclopedia sitting right outside my bedroom door. I used that Encyclopedia looking up stuff I encountered in science fiction books at least 10 times as much as I did for school. I would not have a problem with a kid using an AI to research stuff found from reading SF. There is a YouTube video made from 1988 footage of Harvard graduates unable to explain summer and winter. I saw that in 1988 and laughed my ass off. I knew the answer but not because of school. Read enough science fiction and you will encounter Orbital Mechanics. .

Exactly. That is why I created Huria Search I literarily brought it back yesterday. It was down for several years, but as I'm revamping the site I'm bringing back features that I abandoned -- even if a few people will use and benefit from it. It took me all of 5 minutes to bring it back. AI made this possible. AI is reminiscent of the early days of the web. This time around fewer people will take advantage of it and the benefit to individuals will not be very long.

To get the nation out of the Great Depression, one of my favorite Presidents.....Franklin D. Roosevelt......implemented community service projects and conservation and agricultural project to employ low skilled and unskilled people by the millions and used government funds to pay them decent wages and raise them out of poverty. My Father remembered some of these projects. There were "work camps" all around the nation, including down south....employing a lot of Black folks.

@Pioneer1 I've said it before and I'll say it again. This site would be nothing without other people, including people like you The WWW is a place that rewards those who support the "other man" and not the Brother man. It is a very perverse and pernicious in this regard, because it works against all of us. Consider the fact that many Black people spend a great deal of time, energy, and money trying to understand a learn how to "work" some social media platform owned by a white, male billionaire who not only does not give two shits about us, but in most cases actively works against us. Meanwhile, Black platforms struggle and fold. I know I make it because of Black people who support the site in big and small ways -- it is the collective effort that makes the difference. Check out the book Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell it addresses the issue of "There are certain ways we relate to other human beings that seem to be "in" us; ingrained in our psyche." in a clever way.

One of the reasons I wanted to share this video was because of a couple of recent events that happened over the past week or two. The incident down in Austin Texas where the Senegalese man started shooting people. And now I'm hearing that the man who shot up the ROTC class down in Virginia was also an African. They aren't sure but it appears they did this in response to Americas actions in Iran. People....especially Black folks...shouldn't be so quick to defend people who don't even recognize them as human beings. How many Arabs or Iranians have retaliated against the West when America sent missiles to Nigeria a few months ago or routinely targets Somalia over the decades? You don't even hear of AFRICANS being outraged over it...let alone Arabs and Iranians. Yet you got Africans who want to strap up and seek revenge for something that barely concerns their well being. ProfD One has to wonder 1) what the African countries are doing about their citizens being sold into slavery & 2) how complicit are the leaders in those countries in allowing it to happen Exactly. I'll tell you what they're doing about it.....SENDING THEM. Instead of making the economy better and more stable so that their people wouldn't want to leave the nation and migrate to these racist Arab societies or risk drowning at sea to make their way to Europe......some of these African leaders are actually ENCOURAGING their own citizens to leave the nation! Why? Because they figure if they leave: 1. There will be less mouths to feed, which means more resources in the country for the few who remain. 2. They're hoping these refugees can find jobs in Europe or the Middle East and send money back home so they can steal get some of it.

i know this thread is about the late Rev. Jesse Jackson. I think we can take a moment to acknowledge that Rev. Al Sharpton looks like a Pez dispenser. Facts. The Jackson family should have laid out ground rules &/or talking points if they didn't want folks to speak politics.

Happy b'day to vocalist Bobby McFerrin. IMO, despite his other work, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is the song he will be most remembered for recording back in 1988. D8mn...40 years goes by fast. I respect McFerrin's skill as a singer/vocalist but he would not be my 1st call to work with musically.

There's A Blood Red Moon About to Appear-- March 3, 2026 The total lunar eclipse on March 3 will be the last until New Year's Eve 2028 https://www.space.com/stargazing/lunar-eclipses/the-total-lunar-eclipse-on-march-3-will-be-the-last-until-new-years-eve-2028 What time is the blood moon total lunar eclipse on March 3? News By Daisy Dobrijevic published 3 hours ago A total lunar eclipse will turn the moon blood red for billions across North America, Australia and East Asia. https://www.space.com/stargazing/lunar-eclipses/what-time-is-the-blood-moon-total-lunar-eclipse-on-march-3 ___________________________________________________________ I asked the internet: Can you see the Lunar Eclipse from Washington DC? Yes, you can see the total lunar eclipse ("blood moon") from Washington, D.C., early in the morning on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The eclipse will be visible as the moon sets in the west, with maximum totality occurring around 6:04 a.m. ET. A clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon is required. Secret DC +3 Key 2026 Eclipse Viewing Details: Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Best Time: Totality (when the moon turns red) begins around 6:04 a.m. ET. ... ***** My Note: Although I am still in the learning phase when it comes to Astronomy, this is always fascinating for me to be able to understand ancient script. From that perspective I have come to learn that it is always a scientific fact that after a solar Eclipse there will always be a lunar eclipse that follows it. Usually, the cycle will start with a solar alignment then afterwards a lunar alignment and the terminology varies as to what kind of eclipse occurs. One prophet wrote it in this way; [12] And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; ... REVELATION 6:12. So no matter, thousands of years ago, or even today, Astronomy becomes an exact method in order to determine dates and times and to confirm and mark history. Always after 'the sun becomes 'as black as sackcloth' meaning, some type of a Solar Eclipse, then exactly 14 days later, the moon will become 'as blood' meaning, some type of a lunar eclipse. Therefore, 14 days before this lunar eclipse, and on this past February 17, 2026, there was a Solar Eclipse. This type of eclipse would be an annular one, meaning, it appeared to have a ring around the sun. This Solar Eclipse was not visible from America, however, it was a very rare event. It was only reached totality at the bottom of the earth! It was viewable as a partial eclipse, I think, from the southern parts of our planet in countries such as South Africa and Australia. And so, within the past 14 days as the the two spheres moved, our earth and the moon, we are now able to view the lunar eclipse from America. So then, the moon, moved from being directly in between the sun and the earth to form a solar eclipse in the 'new moon' phase and then in 14 days, it moved to the back of our earth and now, our earth is in between the sun and the moon and will form 'a lunar eclipse'. How fascinating! So then, because of the alignment of the solar eclipse, the alignment can still hold for 14 days and forms a lunar eclipse as the moon moves behind the earth and due to a shadow, the moon appears to be 'blood red'. I recall that at some rare times, this alignment can still hold even longer as the moon continues to move around the earth, although rare and perhaps may even form another kind of eclipse again. Again, though, I am still in the learning phase and astronomy is a challenge for me. Nevertheless, the Biblical script becomes my anchor and has helped me to have a better understanding of time and history and helps me to better understand my secular education. But here would be another amazing event that has captured this incredible celestial event. On the day of the Annular Solar Eclipse, a great man's spirit was laid to rest! Born Jesse Louis Burns October 8, 1941 Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. Died February 17, 2026 (aged 84) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader, dies aged 84 A trailblazer in the civil rights movement and Democratic politics, Jackson championed the rights of Black, poor and working-class people with his ‘rainbow coalition’ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/17/jesse-jackson-civil-rights-icon-dies

I was deliberating whether or not to put a 'laughing emoji' or a 'heart emoji' because this post evoked two simultaneous emotions for me. Yeah. Me too. The clouds blocked it completely where I am. On this same wise though, there is supposed to be an upcoming celestial event that might be spectacular. A comet is suppose to come close to the sun in a few weeks and because of it being 'a sun grazer' though, it is difficult to know what will happen. Scientist say that it might explode or if it makes it past the sun, it might become bright enough to see.

I'm engaging you're entertainment.

So? Del and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to you. I'm appreciationg how he so succinctly sums you up. Saves me the effort.

Maybe he isn't stuck, he may not be mobile.

I recently watched the Oscar-nominated movie, "SINNERS" starring Michael B. Jordan, and it was certainly a different take on vampire horror movies with a black theme. The producers did a very good job of creating the film's dark, eerie atmosphere, as well as recreating the rural zeitgeist of black America back during the 1930s. The authentic characterizations of the cast members also contributed to the over all effect. I had to watch it 3 times to get the full complexity of the plot, but it was well worth it, and when it comes to horror movies, I would certainly recommend "SINNERS" as an intense, gripping example of this genre. The blues-themed musical sound track was also noteworthy.

I see that I have mellowed a bit, which is a a good IMHO.

IMO, storytelling in music has been gone for a long time. The times we live in have a huge effect on songwriting & music. Storytelling through music has taken a back seat to making people move. Hip-Hop still has MCs who can be storytellers. Otherwise, Popular music usually caters to younger people. Their experiences & points of reference may not facilitate storytelling in their music. At least not anything older folks can relate. Hip-Hop is the final frontier where storytelling is still viable. Gotta dig to find it tho.