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"In 2015, community giving in South Carolina from Walmart stores, clubs, and the Walmart Foundation totaled $30 million." @Cynique how I missed reading your contrarian views! When you and Troy mix it up we get solutions! Boycotting Walmart would absolutely be counter-productive. (I can't believe I'm writing this lol) Walmart provides employment to folks who would not otherwise have jobs, vegetables in food deserts, and they give back to the neighborhoods they operate in to empower those people who are inspired to go beyond the $10 per hour gig... http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2016/10/14/urban-league-awarded-25k-grant/91938268/ - #solutions

Hello AALBC Members, My debut novel After the Reign: A Baltimore Love Story is available for purchase. I would love for it to be considered for an AALBC review. Below you will find the pertinent information and thanks in advance for considering me. After the Reign: A Baltimore Love Story by Courtney C-Love Wheeler Published October 6, 2016 · Paperback (295 pages): · ISBN-10: 0998233900 · ISBN-13: 978-0998233901 e-book: · ASIN: B01LZEJNGN Synopsis: ONE REIGNS ENDS, ANOTHER BEGINSA KINGScion a/k/a Science is a young man with a plan to take over Harm City, block by block. Living in a cold-hearted world of killers, feigns, robbers and freaks, he never imagines finding a queen. Renita is a beautiful college-bound dreamer who craves far off adventure. She is immediately smitten when Scion, a handsome yet dangerous stranger walks back into her existence. With each other’s love the future looks promising for them both. In his arms, she feels safe and secure. Her love makes him stronger. WHO LOSTWhen his comfortable existence is challenged by unexpected threats, Scion is forced to react or adjust. Phat asses, foreign whips and ménage à trois, come with a cost. Loved ones die, frenemies emerge and gains come with greater losses. HIS CROWNScion learns the truth – some treasures can’t be replaced. He had the life he’d always wanted, but was blinded by desire for things beyond his station. When the empire is crumbling – what’s a man to do? Fight to maintain with every fiber of his being OR charge the loss to the game? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The action takes place during the 1990s on Baltimore’s Westside. The book tells the story of Scion and Renita, two young people on different paths. It’s a classic good girl/bad guy story with a twist. Note: contains profanity and descriptions of sex and violence. Ages: 17+ (the main characters are in their 20s). Buy and preview Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/After-Reign-Baltimore-Love-Story/dp/0998233900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476813355&sr=1-1&keywords=after+the+reign+a+baltimore+love+story e-book: https://www.amazon.com/After-Reign-Baltimore-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B01LZEJNGN/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476813355&sr=1-2&keywords=after+the+reign+a+baltimore+love+story Author Bio: Courtney "C-Love" Wheeler, born and raised in West Baltimore, MD USA, is a b-girl and lifelong storyteller. She has an obsession with art of the African diaspora and dreams of creating work that illuminates the authentic strengths and indelible weaknesses of the worldwide majority. Ms. Wheeler has over 16 years of clinical research, regulatory affairs and advocacy experience in both academic and public settings. She received her bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology at Coppin State University (Counseling Services) in Baltimore, MD and a Masters in Health Science (Administration) at Towson University in Towson, MD. She is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) and Community Health Education Specialist (CHES). Her areas of interest include: Mother/Daughter Relationships, Women in Hip-Hop, STEM Careers and Community Inclusion. “After the Reign: A Baltimore Love Story” is her debut novel and first of an upcoming trilogy.

Well Mel it feels like a lot longer :-) I'm pretty sure I have not seen Del in about ten years. He did some readings in my home for a group of people.... this had to have been in '06 or earlier.

@Troy Yes, people in the south during the Montgomery bus boycott did endure inconveniences but rarely lost their jobs because this would have inconvenienced their white employees. And, yes, things were different back then. Racism was more blatant in the Jim Crow south and people were more motivated and full of hope for reform. Now racism is more subtle and black people are skeptical rather than hopeful, many just resigned to getting in where they fit in. What I don't think the generations following the civil rights movement realize is that this crusade was driven by just a core segment of the black population made up of those who were dedicated activists. Just as many black folks were sympathetic to the marches and boycotts and demonstrations but did not participate in them, instead giving moral and often financial support, leaving the footwork to the folks in the trenches. Here's where you, Troy, may have been misled by the media who made the world think the entire black population was mobilized and aggressive during this time, But it wasn't. Half of them were simply spectators who were rooting others on. And many didn't agree with some of the drastic demonstrations. Martin Luther King was criticized by some blacks, and ironically, Malcolm X was admired because he believed in just telling it like it was instead of trying to appeal to the conscience of whites by dramatizing black grievances with demonstrations

Troy, I kinda think you are out of touch with everyday black people. They don't have a lot of lofty goals. They are just trying to survive and to them what Walmart pays is more than the minimum wage and the only skill it requires is knowing how to work a cash register or stock merchandize. The subject of black unity is not a compelling one to them possibly because they've learned that talk is cheap; just like the goods they can get at Walmart.

Well, I guess all of the black people who work at WalMart, glad to have a job that pays a $10.00 an hour wage, and all the others among them who appreciate a place who's prices they can afford, would have to be regarded as collateral damage in a boycott of this super store. And, I guess a black monolith is akin to a battery ram. After it topples the system, will the old system be replaced with a better one? Or will power corrupt? Who knows? Who cares? You do. Soldier on.

My family and friends would probably find Cynique a little over the top in her role as a polemicist. But I don't care. There are enough people around who hold their tongues just to keep the peace. In the twilight of my years, my mission is to seek the truth and be a free thinker. It's a destination that makes for an interesting journey.

LOL. To be clear this is what I believe; we are all humans and race is a concept made up by racists. Blacks are not a monolith, any more than any other group, of more than a handful, of humans. Unfortunately, we live on a planet that marginalizes Black people. If we are to change this we have to work together, as if we were a monolith. Once we are treated was well as anyone else, we can go about our business doing our own thing.

I definitely think the discussion here is a foundation for a damn good book. You both are right. I don't really have much to add. I take that back... Facebook is fine because as I've said often it appeal to the emotional aspect of online interaction. In that arena Facebook is king and that won't go away anytime soon. it's a matter of marketing and how people are inevitably tied to a specific brand because the brand has been able to humanize its brand. Apple has done this. Nike has done this. Facebook has done this. Google has done this. I mean consider you couldn't even maintain your Huria Search engine due to Google's dominance in search. I can't gain a fraction of a tenth of a percent in the footwear industry because Nike owns the minds and hearts of the world. We are all damaged by the marketing machine when we are small business people, but the rest of the world isn't into business ownership so these companies will remain as powerful and influential as we move more and more towards online interaction in our daily lives. I don't use Facebook as much as I used to, but I am still there just as you are. I also find some pretty engaging things there as well. It has become a part of the routine, but it is wearing thin for me... this only means that I will be replaced by the next person and the machine keeps rolling. That's okay because that is the way of capitalism. The person with the deepest pockets, or biggest computer always wins. However, in small pockets their are extraordinary success stories and they are becoming more common. That's what keeps me motivated.

We shouldn't be surprised at how ubiquitous FaceBook has become. Everybody talks about how insidious it is but it is a natural evolution in the ongoing transformation of Society. In the last century, trains and automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages. Electric lights replaced candles.Telephones replaced way-of-mouth communication. Radios and movies replaced stage shows and plays. And these upgrades took place in just the first part of a century that subsequently saw more advancements like airplanes and television and other quick fixes that made our lives more convenient and enjoyable. Time brings change. So what would one expect in the 21st century??? Asking this question, may serve to keep things in perspective. Once the computerized age dawned and a new century began, what this introduced was not only convenient, but magical. Logged on to the Internet, with a few taps on a keyboard, a whole spectrum opens up to us, including sites where we can share our thoughts and our images with friends and strangers, near and far, - where we can be kept abreast of the worlds of pop culture, politics, sports and music, where we can exchange ideas and opinions And all it costs is the surrender of your identity to an icon or hash tag. In today's world that's progress. Like all of the other things that time and technology have modernized, social media is a condensed equivalent of gossiping over the back fence or dishing dirt at the beauty shop, solving the world's problems in the barbershop or shootin' the bull at a pool hall, praisin' the lord in church or fellow shipping with friends, bringing snapshots to work or sharing favorite dishes, having a heated conversation at a cocktail party or an argument with your brother-in-law at Thanksgiving dinner. The difference is, that a new way of doing all of this is just a click away. Welcome to 2016. Your alter ego has just found a stage! Critics call FaceBook and Twitter a trivial waste of time and an affront to intelligent discourse. But where is it carved in stone that we always have to cater to a higher calling? Social media is a fanciful facet of the prism that is our existence. We just have to avoid allowing it to reflect all of the light. It is a choice on the internet menu and as, in all indulgences, moderation is the key. For forum fans, what is an alternative to social media? You can continue to belittle it and focus solely on actually experiencing life in an attempt to derive some deeper meaning from it, or for it. But the harsh reality is that life, itself, does not promise to be more fulfilling; it's difficult, it's capricious, alternating between exhilaration and disappointment - even defeat A finger tap cannot download a better version of it, and you're left to your own devices and survival mechanisms to muddle through situations that even great mental prowess cannot vanquish. There is a reason why social media has become a favorite form of escapism. Philosophically speaking, in confronting the dilemmas spawned by the cyber world, retreating into the sanctuary of your skull, opening your mind and getting in touch with yourself is an ideal option. This, after all, is the ultimate destination in our life's journey. But along the way, can we take a break from time to time and just let it all hang out? A steady diet of serious topics discussed by the erudite can dull the appetite. In any case, it's not as if dissidents can do a lot about their aversion to social media or the white profits that it generates. But discussion forums will never become extinct because they fill a void in the field of communication and communication is one of society's pillars. Occurrences go in cycles so it's predictable that as the social media fad levels off, in the scheme of things, AALBC forums will revive and reclaim their popular niche and even inspire input from noteworthy black contributors as they come to realize their obligation to help their own. All is not lost. Meanwhile, as progress continues its course, a "black minds matter" movement could improve on the outdated "black lives matter" one, pointing us in a new direction that could hopefully benefit from the power of suggestion. Just another point of view... .

There are certainly more than enough smart Black people out there to participate on this forum to a greater degree than we see today. Indeed, it is not like the people who used to participate here got dumb all of a sudden. Besides the site is not limited to just Black folks, and you don't exactly have to be a member of Mensa in order to get something out participation. Rather, I think our best and brightest tend to prefer the large corporate sites. As Jaron Lanier says, and I paraphrase, the one with the biggest computer wins. Couple this with the fact that Black folks tend to marginalize Black owned entities and you have an have an environment that is tough for an indie website and essentially hostile for a Black owned one. I've seen actual geniuses, like Ishmael Reed, write at length on Facebook. They write stuff that Facebook can give a shit about, that I love to have here on this site. But when asked it they would post something here, they simply won't do it. Now these are people who I actively support and whose books I sell. But they refuse to lift a finger to support AALBC.com. I've griped about this in the past, but image how all the Black owned entities would benefit, if all the terrific Black writers lining up to write for the HuffPost for free decided to write for sites like AALBC.com? Again those with the biggest computer wins, but at what cost? HuffPost gobbled up BlackVoices then buried it. Sadly the most prominent Black websites are not owned by Black people. Still, I appreciate that AALBC.com in general content is written at too high a level to appeal to the masses. In general I need to "webify" my content: it needs to written for someone with a 5th grade education, short articles, big text, videos, images, large text, click baity headings etc. The HuffPOst has nailed all of these things: I'm aware of all of these issues, I also understand the growth of mobile has put increased pressure to eliminate long form articles, as they are harder to read on this platforms. But again, there more than enough people who want something more than this. In fact, it is those people who have helped AALBC.com last this long. AALBC.com only grows with their support--your support. Plus AALBC.com is more likely to actually pay a writer. But if good writers decide to write for the Huffington Post, or Facebook for free, why should I pay them for the same content? When writers give rich corporate sites content for free they hurt themselves and other writers. So a byline in the HuffPost or a bunch of likes on Facebook may feel good, but it does nothing for us as a people. I live for the day when the Ish Reeds of the world (not trying to pick on Reed he just popped into my mind first), get the same feeling of seeing their work on an AALBC.com has they do on Facebook. As far a collaborative effort on a book I'm down for that. I hope to being publishing books next year. Maybe this project could be one of them.

Facebook has so deeply integrated itself into our society that now there are legacy options allowing a family member to take over your page after your death. Basically ensuring that you survive on SM long after you are gone. People are literally wishing dead people happy birthday on SM. I say all of this to state that as long as you pay for your hosting, your site will survive, but SM plays a vital role in allowing us to interact with people we can't see or talk to on a daily basis. It provides an easy out. We can say happy birthday and move on without having to speak to people. We can like something to show our figurative support, or share information to provide a temporary boost. Facebook is now considered 1 of the 4 Horsemen of Business along with Google, Nike and Amazon. Companies that are not going to go away any time soon because they have heavily invested in alternative methods and will always have the capital to exist. Now, with that said... I don't think the forum is going away. It's still alive and kicking for certain communities. When another big Black book movement pops up, message boards will be back in vogue. AALBC will be primed for the resurgence when it happens. Social media for enjoyment has to be divided from Social for business. Unless the content you are creating has the same emotional elements of hedonistic pleasures, social just doesn't work for business. Books are solitary. Music is not. Music tends to thrive on social platforms. Emotional news issues thrive on social platforms. Literature doesn't cause the same emotional response so it isn't good for social in most cases. Good post though Troy. It sounds like the beginning of a book.