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Fixed it. 😁 The whole interview with Dr. Johnson is a masterclass. Charlemagne needs to learn how to shut up when a real intellectual God is speaking. 😎

Well, thanks for the feedback. Since your opinions are the only ones that matter (those expressed right here). I plan on keeping this forum exactly the way it is. But people can also engage on all the content pages on this site. For example, on the review of Kamala Harris's memoir we have these comments. I would like there to be more comments, but right now they are mostly troll-like or self-promotion; no real attempt to dialog... but this is not unique to AALBC.

Depression and mental health in general is an issue that America refuses to deal with seriously. Mainly because there's less money in the cure for ills than maintenance of them. A huge part of capitalism is built on the misfortune of people. Society can do better than making money that way. I hope that Irene Cara wasn't driven to take her own life but her soul is free and no longer bound to this realm. 😎

As I just wrote in another thread regarding AfroAmericans moving beyond passivity and spirituality towards a willingness to fight and die for real freedom, nations like Haiti are examples of why Black folks all over the planet aren't willing to do it. Every Black nation that is independent and/or fought for it has been reduced to 3rd world status under the system of racism white supremacy. Those nations are relatively poor and overrun by greed, corruption and violence. Religion is the opiate utilized to keep them oppressed. 😎

Art does not require historical accuracy and/or authenticity unless it is being created to educate. Otherwise, art as entertainment can be anything conjured up by the artist's imagination and creativity. That's why people enjoy different types of artwork and various genres of film and music. Sometimes, art provides an escape from reality and allows folks to fantasize, cheer or live vicariously through characters. 😎

Sad situation. I saw the actual video of the fight she had with another woman in her hotel room before her homicide. At least one and possibly two men were in the room recording these women fight (or Shanquella being beat up rather) and did nothing to break it up but actually ENCOURAGED it. I HATE seeing Black women physically fight each other. It's disgusting. I suppose some men watch it hoping they rip each other's clothes off, but I'm convinced most who DO watch it do it out of sheer savagery and blood lust. How sexy is an ass or pair of titties covered in blood or slobber or with the skin ripped? I'm not sure when it became popular or mainstream for so many Black men to encourage this and do nothing to break it up, but by the early 90s you could catch sistaz outside of school or outside of clubs scrapping with each other like racoons over a cob of corn and a bunch of stupid Black dudes standing around encouraging them and cheering them on. And now it's to the point that some men who DO try to break them up end up getting beat up or killed by the other men who ENCOURAGE them to fight, so most men have learned to just mind their own business and leave it alone. ((shakes head)) Say what you want about Africans but I don't see African women acting like this. And I don't see African men encouraging it either. That's some nigga shit. And some of our people want to sit up and get mad at the Africans because they want to have little to do with our people? At some point RIGHTEOUS Black men are going to have to step up and put a positive period behind this nonsense. Dealing not only with the violent behavior of our girls and women but the ignorant and savage brothers in our community who encourage this madness. If I were near that hotel room and had about 5 good brothers with me Shanquella would probably be alive right now because I would have shut that shit down QUICK. The men with those women might have lost some of their teeth in the process but our sister would be alive and PROBABLY on the arms of one of US instead of the sorry niggas she was with on that vacation.

Chev Therefore, I believe that if you want to use an Asian character for a shaolin monk, you should at least do some research on that wise. Right off the top of my thoughts, the word 'Monk' signifies a very early presence of Black African typed 'ancient Sumerians' that were present in the ancient far east and then by the time that the shaolin monk became historical, well, I don't know. But I do believe at the time of these kinds of monks, there were still a significan presence of AFrican-typed 'monks' there too! I remember a recent movie, but the title escapes me though, of a film that showed a lot of historical fiction and I was very well aware of some of the roles played by Asians were actually a depiction of Blacks. Yeah, I wanted to bring up that the first people in China were actually Black and the first Samurai of Japan were Black, but I wasn't sure about the first Shaolin Monks so I left it alone. But thanks for mentioning the history.

I'm a huge proponent that we need to close ranks and recalibrate as an AfroAmerican family before we can form alliances with other groups of people. In fact, I believe AfroAmericans have been encouraged to work with others in order to keep us infiltrated and divided. Many decades ago, that's why Jewish businesses thrived in black neighborhoods before Asians showed up. 😎

This is very interesting! @Troy I can't believe that this is becoming a drama series after she died! She was very creative. But if I were to be able to write as she has done so successfully, I would want to be alive to be able to spend the money generated from the success. Man! This reminds me of what Monique said about Black women being elevated and acknowledged after they are dead.

Great article she is an amazing storyteller.

Well, my opinion is based on a little knowledge and again, a little observation. When I was younger, I did not watch much television, but I later became curious about how certain cartoons and historical fiction shows and also gaming characters were aligned with truth. I began to pay notice to the credits after the show and it seems to me that a lot of cartoons and such are based on a lot of research from learned historians. Therefore, I believe that if you want to use an Asian character for a shaolin monk, you should at least do some research on that wise. Right off the top of my thoughts, the word 'Monk' signifies a very early presence of Black African typed 'ancient Sumerians' that were present in the ancient far east and then by the time that the shaolin monk became historical, well, I don't know. But I do believe at the time of these kinds of monks, there were still a significan presence of AFrican-typed 'monks' there too! I remember a recent movie, but the title escapes me though, of a film that showed a lot of historical fiction and I was very well aware of some of the roles played by Asians were actually a depiction of Blacks. One of the common terms thrown around in that movies was the derogatory term for Blacks at that time, 'LACKEY' [i.e. Blackey]. So, again, if people don't care about historical acurracy in your depictions, then you will do great, but if people do care, then it might cause your invention to not take off very well.

Ok, thank you! I say go with your first thought and make sure you include as many races and cultures in your work as you desire. Explore your creativity! As an artist, you will live on through your work for many many generations including millennia....so don't limit yourself.

I have not played any video games since Guitar Hero first came out (purchased for my kids). I have never played any games where you could see the faces of the characters... Like the good professor wrote, as an artist you have the license to do what you want within the bounds of your talent. That said, why not a Shaolin monk? Maybe he was down with Wu-Tang 😉

An artist has the creative freedom to produce art according to their vision, talent, knowledge, skills and abilities. Whatever that art looks like is clearly up to the artist. No consultation or consensus required. The real questions are 1) who is the target audience and 2) what should they see and feel when playing the game. 😎