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From the New York Times: The Faces of American Power, Nearly as White as the Oscar Nominees By Haeyoun Park, Josh Keller and Josh Williams, Feb 26, 2016 "We reviewed 503 of the most powerful people in American culture, government, education and business, and found that just 44 are minorities. Any list of the powerful is subjective, but the people here have an outsize influence on the nation’s rules and culture." The article looks at the faces of the the most powerful people the Times has identified. It is interesting to see white power describe white power as white, then seemingly lament the lack of diversity. It seems disingenuous to me; designed more to grab eyeballs rather than do the work of uncovering why this continues to be a problem... But then again the Times never actually write that this is a problem. Of course many of the 44 so called "minorities" are not Black. Below are the powerful faces the Times identified in the world of publishing. The face of Jeff Bezos is conspicuously absent, but he is mug may be found under the list of "Leaders of the Largest American Companies." In fact this list is a bit misleading in the sense that if does not reflect the true power of individuals like Bezos. The Times go on to describe the nature of the publishing list; "There’s no single authority for identifying the most powerful people in publishing, but we selected 20 who are among the most influential in deciding which books get published, which ones break out and what Americans read. Among those included are publishing executives who say “yes” or “no” to book proposals, and powerful agents and celebrities who influence which books become best sellers." "A recent survey of workers at publishing houses found that the industry remains overwhelmingly white. Nearly 90 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, and only 20 percent said strides had been made to diversity the work force." Failing to find a single Black person the Times reflects what I'll be exposed to at Book Expo America in a few weeks. As usual, the event will reflect the homogeneity that is American publishing (i.e. it will be a sea of white folks).

Literacy on the Go! If you spot my Armada (you really can't miss it) and you can tell me the day, time, and location where I'm driving, you can be entered to win one of my awesome books for FREE! Just enter your email contact information on my website. It's that easy! I will contact you when you win. I'm going to be driving from Texas to Virginia to Washington D. C. starting late June 2016. I am also planning a road trip to Chicago to visit libraries, schools, and community centers in the Fall of 2016. Look for me. I'm coming to talk about literacy and the lack thereof. How far will I go to promote literacy? How far will I go to help struggling children? How about all over the United States! How about all over the World Wide Web (WWW.com) The big question is: How far are you willing to go with me? You can start by supporting African-American Children's Authors. We work hard to provide the great literature that so many children need. Visit my updated website at: www.readtoachieve2.com to see what I've been up to. Remember the importance of Reading to Achieve with all children! My brand is: Read to Achieve the Magic! (TM). I would love for you to share what I'm up to!

What determines how long we’ll live? Surprisingly, our zip code plays a large role. Not all communities have the necessary ingredients for health. People who reside in areas without easy access to healthy food options, parks for exercise, and good schools for their children have shorter lives than those who live in more affluent communities. Differences across neighborhoods were manmade and can be unmade, but it will take all of us. The California Endowment’s 10-year Building Healthy Communities initiative seeks to bring equity to all neighborhoods so that all Californians can enjoy the benefits of healthy communities and live long and productive lives.

You perfectly embody the spirt of AALBC.com Shirley. We have to support each other. If you have not already done so reach out to Wade. He has been fighting for the same thing I have for much longer--and doing a great job!

I'll include a shot in my next newsletter :-)

... certainly not enough to effect meaningful change. Del I'm going to seriously consider to begin to looking outside the US

More people are more interested in the Nina Simone movie than solving problems or politics or all of the other posts. Although there are a few people that are interested in this topic. It is not the majority.

Agony, Not Ecstasy A day has gone A week has passed A month will soon be over. I can't wait too much longer. I am getting weak at the knees My heart is missing your love My body is missing your touches My lips are missing your kisses My ego is missing your compliments My conscience is tearing me to pieces, So I need to ask you something, I need to ask you for... Forgiveness. (c) 2005 cagedbird http://myseashellbooks.com/books/dontays-alphabet-book-color/

Body Language I see you across the room, your eyes are fixed right on me. They start at the top of my head and go down to my high-heeled shoes. I try to concentrate on something else, but my eyes keep returning back to you. I become uneasy, uncomfortable, as you begin to approach me. You ask me for a dance, I don't hesitate, I eagerly enter into your embrace. Bodies attracting like a magnet, sticking together like glue. Your body speaks fluently, mine... listens. (c) 2015 Cagedbird Evelyn D. Hall/ Author & Poet

We continue to talk about the symptoms because we are continuously mistreated by ourselves and others... becasue of white supremacy/racism however we continue to wear the mask. When we remove the mask what is left....the problem or the answer? let's travel this road most are interested....we want change....

Del Just no that if you want to travel this road most aren't interested. Maaaaan, I don't think most people know how REAL this statement is. I'm truly astounded at how few people tend to be interested in TRULY changing their society and solving their own problems. They would rather conform to the problem. God has blessed me to have never had a drug problem. I didn't understand why people liked getting high and going out of their minds so much. Then I found out that it's a form of escapism for people who can't stand the reality they're living in. I was suprised at how many people became drug addicts because of this. Others are suicidal and see THAT as a way out. It's weird how so may people would rather kill themselves or turn to drugs and alcohol rather than just atleast TRY to change things. I don't know if it's because of fear, indifference, confusion, or a mixture of all 3.

Its about deciding. Do you want a solution or followers. There are as many solutions as there are people. Decide and do or sit and watch. It can be the 100th monkey or crabs in a barrel. Just no that if you want to travel this road most aren't interested.

CD When I was younger I used to wonder why Black people couldn't live together and pool their resources together like the Mexicans or Asians, now I know why. Blacks from Africa can do it because they're used to it....but those of us born and raised in Western society are to individualistic and need too much "space" to live like that and raise our children in that environment. Most Whites couldn't live like that either, which is why they invented trailer parks...lol. Now many of our people DID do it temporarily when they came up from down South. My mother and her sisters and brothers would each come up from Mississippi and stay in an established brother's spare bedroom or basement or whereever and when they got a job (which was plentiful at that time) they'd pay some rent and eventually move out to buy their own home. But the society and economy was different back then. There was more of a family spirit. Like I said, even White people born and raised in America or Europe can't live together in groups like Asians and Mexicans do because they aren't used to those type of impoverished social conditions where people are sleeping on top of eachother, using the toilets right behind eachother, and even wearing the same underwear...lol. We have to gradually get to the point of communal living. But I do think living in groups WILL be the family of the future. Sort of like the extended family but only you get to CHOOSE your extentions rather than being born with them. BTW, at this point of Black economic development....monetary reparations would probably help more Asian and Arab proprietors in the ghetto than the people they were intended to help. Mel If you notice, I didn't say replace the nuclear family period but replace it as the STANDARD or IDEAL. I envision a time when just about ALL family types (except those of the pedophilic type) will be permitted in society whether it's extended, nuclear, man with man, woman with woman, man with several women, woman with several men.....or people just by themselves. However the law of social averages DEMANDS that one type predominates. As I mentioned to CD, I believe the NEW prevailing family of the future America will be the GROUP FAMILY where you have several men and several women together living under an arrangement and taking care of the children and eachother.

LOL. Please keep sharing your thoughts with us, Mel. You're such a refreshing addition to the roster. What you say is so true. I've watched the first two episodes of Dancing with the Stars and I found it really interesting to observe how the celebrity contestants react to the critiques of their performance by the 3 judges. You could see it in the anxious faces of both the males and the females, the effect praise and rejection for their performances had on them. Here they all are, "rich and famous" yet insecure and fragile. It's like they all needed love and approval sooo bad. Another show I watch is Family Feud, because it is so spontaneous and offers such insight into how people's minds work when they have to think on their feet. I have never heard such stupid crazy answers in my life. And Steve Harvey's reaction is so priceless. As dufus as he is, even he is non-plussed. Sometimes the ones who give the most logical answers are those who you least expect to, while the "smart ones" flop. I also agree with you that marriage is not for everyone and the family does need to be re-defined since the hunters and gatherers' dynamic no longer applies. IMO, there's so much child worship in the current generation of parents and there was a lot of living through their children in the preceding generations. I don't think it's healthy for a mother or her child when the child becomes the center of its mother's universe, or becomes an accessory. Write on!

@Mel Hopkins, I modified the widget so that it would fit in your sidebar without the horizontal scroll bar. I made the AALBC.com logo and powered by text less pronouced. Shorted the text in the drop down menu (which was causing the horizontal scroll) I got rid of the indentation so the text and image use the full available width. The widget looks a lot better on both of your pages now. You see I never would have anticipated that people would the "widget" on the side bard of the page, so it was not optimized to display in a width that narrow. Now it is so it will bok good on a full width display as above or a narrow display like a cell phone of the sidebar of a Blog. The events page is very popular people are using it as intended. This should add value to your websites, help promote the events and AALBC.com--lifting all boats. If use of the widgets grows I could event insert a ad and do a revenue share with those who use the banner based upon impressions served. I'll create video to demonstrate how to use the widget and announce it's availability. I'll also use your websites as examples of how it is implemented. This idea should be applied to a wide variety of things. How about a sneaker widget when we sell Chris' most popular brand and earn a commission? Thanks again for the ideas, there is potential in this....