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In a time when an increasing number of authors are resorting to Facebook, or Amazon, as their primary web platform, it is refreshing to see an author establish their own web presence. @Cerece Rennie Murphy is one prime example. Cerece recently took advantage of our Fall Book Special. I'm not just the type to place an ad and forget about it. I actually check out the author's work and even provide unsolicited suggestions from time to time. From my perspective it is a long term relationship not merely an anonymous financial transaction... but I digress. After checking out Cerece's website, watching a couple of videos in her "For Authors" section, I came across her book store. Which included logos and links to IndieBound*, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and Booksamillion. I followed each of the links and realized that I give Cerece a much better treatment of of her work than all of those websites. So I asked her to add AALBC.com logo to the page--which she did in a matter of hours (screenshot below). I know for authors like @CDBurns, and @Mel Hopkins, this type of activity is a no-brainer. But in practice, it really isn't. This is why I'm taking the time to point out what Cerece did in the hope other authors will follow her lead and do the same thing, not just for AALBC.com, but for the independent booksellers of their choice. Cerece is not the first author I asked to do this, but she is the first I asked in quite some time. One of the reasons I stopped asking is that most authors don't manage their own websites so the requests often went no where. But a more alarming reaction I would get is that the author did not want to risk alienating other indie booksellers by recognizing any individual bookseller single "over" another. I always found that last response exasperating because those very same authors would prominently display Amazon's logo while excluding all other Black indie booksellers. It is absolutely not preferable to ignore all the other platforms who have committed their very livelihoods to selling the author's work. But if you visit any author's site most will link to Amazon and most will not link to (support) an indie bookseller. Now if you ask any author if indie booksellers, online and brick and mortar, are important they will, universally, say "yes." It is important that authors appreciate that indie booksellers, particularly the Black owned ones, can benefit a great deal more than Amazon by a simple link on an author's. Of course increased support will benefit the authors themselves as the number of platforms available to promote, critically reviews, and sell their books grow in numbers and strength. *Indiebound represents independent book sellers, but Black owned stores are not represented well. Just a quick query of Manhattan shows a bunch of stores that have closed and does not include the last remaining Black owned bookstore in Manhattan Sisters Uptown.

12% of Black people who voted, voted for Trump. Many more Black people (I'm sure) did not vote at all the others voted for a 3rd party candidate--all of which are effectively the same thing--support for Trump. Even those Black folks that voted for Hillary vary widely on what they think of her. So no, I don't think Black unity is something that will happen anytime soon. I fight for it on a daily basis and it is a constant struggle. I beginning to think there is a more pressing battle than Black unity and that is American unity. Trump apparently does not believe in man-made climate change. What is the point of fighting for Black unity if the Earth is becoming increasingly hostile to support human life?

The Republicans are really getting their revenge. All the candidates up for cabinet positions are people who, like Trump, have been objects of contemptuous ridicule and include such jerks as Sarah Palin, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, and Chris Christy, 4 of the many Republicans I can't stand. Meanwhile, all the black Christians on FaceBook are telling shell-shocked Hillary supporters, not to despair because "God has a plan and he is in charge." All I can wonder is if this is the same God who allowed black folks to be enslaved for centuries, while the plantation owners justified this inhumane situation by referring to bible verses. I'm pretty much done with this country. I 'm not saying that my Liberal philosophy is better than the Conservative one that is about to pervade the nation. What I am saying, is that I don't want to be in an environment where this is the case because it goes against every fiber of my being. C'est la Vie.

I say Hillary would be better for Blacks and Progressives because she is a Democrat who would've nominated candidates for Supreme Court vacancies that would've given Liberals a majority. Now, all of the rulings favoring women, gays, blacks, health care and gun control, voting rights, etc., are in danger of being reversed by a conservative dominated court that will undo all these advancements, sending America back to the oppressive times when it was supposedly "great". Donald Trump doesn't know whether he's coming or going and I don't think he's a genuine conservative. It's the people who will surround him that are the true threat. Vice president Pence, if he wields any power, is an Evangelical who will have no qualms about trying to turn this country into a theocracy. Oh me.

@Pioneer1Well, just what was it that Hillary was saying in all of her speeches and appearances during the final weeks of her campaign that was apathetic toward black folks? Have you checked out the platform she ran on? If raising the minimum wage and advocating early learning programs for children and affordable health care wouldn't help black folks, I don't know what would. If promising to repeal harsh laws for minor offenses and presenting her plan to create jobs by repairing America's deteriorating infra structure, wouldn't help blacks I don't know what would. If her call for an end to racism and xenophobia didn't include black folks, I don't know what would. She did, after all, incorporate a lot of Bernie's progressive agenda into her platform and she was very visible at black venues. And just because the black turn out wasn't quite as high as it was for Obama doesn't mean that millions didn't come out in droves to vote for her. @CDBurns I agree that Hillary was so eager to prove that she was as tough as a man that she came across as heartless. But she was damned if she appeared soft and damned if she didn't. BTW, the white pants suits she frequently wore were a tribute to The Sufragettes who always wore that color when marching to win the vote. IMO, the reason she lost was because she was so busy trying to appease minorities, that those red neck and rural yahoos got insulted, along with the cop-loving middle class bigots who felt slighted and, of course, the tight-assed Bernie supporters and clueless Millennials who wasted their votes on the Green and Libertarian candidates also helped to do her in. Finally, a lot of men didn't vote for her simply because she was a woman. Hillary Clinton lost because she had too many hurdles to clear, some of which were put in her path by her husband's philandering and by people who wanted to spite President Obama and blemish his legacy. She fought the good fight but her gut instincts failed her, and she relied too much on the polls. Still, why put all the blame on her? She did win the popular vote. And had she won she would've still been better for blacks, than Trump.

Do you see the Genius oF Cinco de Mayo, he has insulted Mexicans in what almost appears to be a compliment. Trump is a Marketing Genius. Don't forget he is really good at Promotion. Think about it can you tell me what business he owns, maybe, maybe not but you know the Apprentice and You're fired even if you never saw the show. He is a combination of George Bush Ronald Reagan and Ross Perot. He will win because people will vote for him because he is at their level. Clinton is too intelligent too savvy and seems like a power hungry guy, that has a string of dead bodies behind her. Bernie sounds like a dope smoking socialist, which sounds too much like a communist. Sorry about that Troy