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(Manhattan Beach, CA – January 18, 2023) – At this year’s Independent Book Publishers Association’s annual conference, IBPA Publishing University, the conference will explore the theme of what it means to “Navigate, Innovate, Elevate” within the independent book publishing industry. The theme is a meaningful reference to IBPA’s 40th anniversary, which the association is celebrating in 2023, and its role in the past four decades advocating for, and helping independent book publishers to build long term, successful businesses. With this theme in mind, IBPA is excited to announce that one of the three keynote presentations at the conference taking place May 4-6 in San Diego, CA, will feature a panel of highly respected industry leaders whose publishing businesses have spanned decades and have overcome every type of challenges along the way. The keynote panel “Legends of Black Independent Publishing: Learning from the Best” will invite onto the stage: Dr. Haki Madhubuti, founder of Third World Press Foundation; W. Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press; Kassahun Checole, founder of Africa World Press and The Red Sea Press; and Wade Hudson and Cheryl Hudson, founders of Just Us Books. The panel will be moderated by Troy Johnson, founder of the African American Literature Book Club (AALBC.com). With a combined industry experience of 150+ years, these publishers will answer the question, “What do you do when your community is under-served, under-represented, and under-published?” You serve, represent, and publish! The complete conference agenda can be viewed at https://www.publishinguniversity.org/schedule. In addition, registration is now open for IBPA Publishing University ### To moderate this panel is truly an honor. When I first sat down to start AALBC, in 1997, all of these businesses were firmly established, but I did not know anything about them. I soon learned about all of them and their significant impact on Black books and by extension our culture. If you are a book publisher, you really need to attend IBPA Publishing University It is not often you'll get these icons in the same room.

Wind chill factor enough to produce temperatures that feel like -45F degrees. Exposure to sub-zero temperatures can result in frostbite within 5-10 minutes. Stay indoors as much as possible. Dress in layers. Leave a water line open to keep pipes from freezing. Bundle up and stay warm. This too shall pass in a couple days. 😎

There you go @Pioneer1 - got me tilting my head northeast, and squinting my eyes..lol. I only listened to a few minutes of the video as much of what he was saying I've heard somewhere before. I found him; somewhat, annoying, primarily because I didn't vibe with his energy, but here are my thoughts about the video. I hear remnants of The Silva Method, a dribble of Wim Hoff, a splash of Einstein, a pint of The Law of Attraction, a part-time student of Bohr & Planch and a wanna believe he's educating us on a new discovery. Perhaps he means well and wants to share his philosophical gift of energy, space, and living at the highest frequency, perhaps wants to start a movement, or maybe I am just not open to receiving. In any event, I'm not in a position to judge, but my opinion matters, right?

Black. People Might. Could Have. Community. Centers. For. Black ,Children. If. They. Stop. Taking. Money. To. Church. .Paying. For. ,These. Snake. Pimp. Preachers. To. Have. Cars.....Black. People. Pay,For. Their. Own. Enslavement......

We are already in the midst of a mass struggle and have been since the First Slave Revolt. The payments for police misconduct have been ordered by courts and the City of New York must pay them. People suffered at the hands of NYC cops and some think their complaints and redress should be ignored? They sued for damages, won and now it's time for them to be paid. The reason the community center has been underfunded is because NYC has run out of money. And this is the fault of AOC and her dopey band of Progressives who have encouraged migrants to demand hotel rooms, instead of being squeezed into a shelter, (which are at overcapacity), Metro cards, free cell phones and of course, food (which they tend to throw away). Did you read the thread I wrote on AOC? A year ago, I said on other forums (where people actually read and click on news links) that Mayor Eric Adams would have to cut the municipal budget because of migrants. But few wanted to hear of it. Do you really think Black Americans could cross our southern border in the millions, show up in Mexican cities and demand services in English, hotel rooms, free access to regional buses, subways in the capital, free cell phones and an adoring army of English-speaking activists to tell Mexican residents to donate their clothes and other unused items? This is just the beginning of pain for ordinary New Yorkers. Mayor Adams has asked for $2 billion from the federal government to help. He gets nothing. Because racist Republicans would scream bloody murder if Biden sent even $50. The GOP is all about Cruelty. They are loving this chit. Which is why I despise Black people who refuse to condemn Republicans. I've always suspected it's because they're living easy and have little regard for those beneath them. Just as their White and Latino counterparts in the GOP do. Now, I wonder if Pioneer is going to order Black people to leave New York City as he did Black people in California.

No surprise. How the money gets spent shows the priorities. The taxpayers should be protesting if they don't agreee with how their tax dollars are being spent. 😎

New York City has paid 121,000,000 dollars for police misconduct this past year which is is the highest cost to the city in five years but the magnolia center needs 350,000 and has to have a fund raiser. Landmark preservation phase 1 http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0959.pdf Landmark preservation phase 2 http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0957.pdf Go Fund Me if interested, please share https://www.gofundme.com/f/magnolia-tree-earth-center-of-brooklyn Source https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/02/02/group-that-helped-make-bed-stuy-green-seeks-funding-for-next-50-years

@Troy the article you referred to is linked below, extract whatever you want. It is the third so g to the third photo. https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2238&type=status

Amazing! @Rodney campbell Your writing is so captivating! You are brilliant imo. Obviously, your mother is also incredible and extremely unique. There are not many people that would have the strength and conviction to do what she did. This is so painfully true. Yes, there is the hidden agenda! Yes! Sounds like mind control.

Oh Wow! Congrats @Troy!

@richardmurray, action makes things happen. To whomever that community center is important, they need to organize and mobilize in order to get it funded. Ask for the money. Doesn't matter where the money comes from whether it's citizens or benefactors or the government. Make it happen. Sitting on the sidelines grumbling and complaining about what they won't do definitely isn't going to make it happen. Self-defeatism and excuses definitely insures that nothing gets done. Too often, people want pennies to fall from heaven or stand around and wait for somebody else to make it happen. While some folks do benefit from luck and good fortune, I personally don't like those odds. in the words of Soul Brother #1 James Brown, "I don't want nobody to give me nothing, open up the door, and I'll get it myself". Going a step further than that, in the words of the Notorious B.I.G., "kick in the door...". Organization, hustling, hard work, determination and perseverance goes a long way in getting to done. All that being written, it shouldn't be that hard for Mayor Eric Adams to find enough money in the budget to take care of that community center. It would be up to his paymasters allowing him to do it. 😎

@ProfD I suggest reading the points that I feel are important: 2/3/6 , the others are for clarification. First, an unimportant point, but one I need to make, I said the majority, not the collective. the collective is the whole. NYC has more billionaires among its populace than any city in the USA. I did not say the collective, i said the majority. Second, an important point, when you say working citizen, you mean working citizen who still has to live in a shelter cause the rent is to high? when you say working citizen do you mean people who are in the USA illegally who are getting wages? When you say working citizen do you mean those who are working at making money illegally? When you say working citizen you don't mean the many unemployed whether listed or unlisted, like people coming out of prison? when you say working citizen you don't mean those getting nothing but welfare checks? when you say working citizen you don't mean those who are only getting retirement checks? when you say working citizen you don't mean those getting only social security? Third, an important point, let's say, each of the people you think should give a dollar do? who can handle that money? you? me? troy? NYC? who? IT amazes me how every year you hear of people giving their money to someone for a community effort and it gets abused. A few months ago, a bunch of chinese in new york city complained about a chinese man who stole their community money. I repeat who should be trusted with this? you? me? troy? nyc? Fourth, an unimportant point, as all in this forum have said countless times, the USA prints money for a reason, this is the point of the debt ceiling. just keep printing, the government finds money for itself. The issue is the ability of the citizens, outside the government. Fifth, an unimportant point, but one i must make, It is funny how people say their are infinite ways to raise money and yet, none of the ways seem to work. In my experience or those relayed to me , the only way that truly works, not philosophially, historically, is somebody giving money. The museums, the cultural centers, many schools, all were and are based on people who have significant wealth giving up money and that includes white things in the city, or white jewish things, not just people of color. the common white jew isn't behind the jewish community, it is wealthy white jews who make it all happen. So until that community center find a sugar daddy it will be broke after trying all the infinite other philosophical methods. Sixth, I apologize, I confused you with another member of aalbc , maybe pioneer. but I am uncertain at this point who I was thinking og.

It has happened in Sydney as well, cloudy skies or rain. Prevented seeing some celestial event.

I had a chance to see a picture on TV of the comet in its green glory. 😎

Protesting is lobbying without money. 🤣 The collective populace of NYC is not financially flat broke. Plenty of money is being spent in NYC every day. Not just tourism. Instead of playing the lottery, If every working citizen of NYC gave $1 dollar, a new community center could be built. I'm sure the cost of housing the immigrants that were sent up on buses from Florida and Texas is costing NYC taxpayers more than $350k. There is no shortage of ways to raise money for that community center. My point is the NYC government could pay for it if they had a desire to do so. I don't know how you got the impression that I'm anti-violence. I take it you have not read my position on guns.😁😎

Good comments all @ProfD the one problem i have with your statement is the potential suggestion that people in nyc aren't protesting. People including whites have been protesting in NYC since its founding. The problem is lobbying. The majority populace of NYC is financially flat broke. So they don't have the money to just dictate what they want, sequentially they protest. But, protesting has limits on function.It can do somethings. The preservation of buildings/community boards/public schools, protesting in nYC has generated alot but it can't do everything. Now after all these dialogs, i know you are anti violence. but there is a limit to protest and voting unfortunately has the major flaw that NYC is soft on direct democracy, meaning no initiaitves or recalls, nyc allows for referendums but they are not easy to come through. The bureacucracy has set it up where major government changes require lobbying to get through in NYC. It is that simple. But the cost of lobbying in NYC is massive. Remember NYC is a country that masquerades as a city 10 million is a country. @KENNETH yeah well, if you are truly desiring that, then start a political party , and I am being serious. The platform is your chocie but if you want governmental change, then start a party, and start with one seat and then work on the second seat and keep going, it is that simple. At this point, i think all can agree that the idea that the donkeys or the elephants can be used as vehicles to get somewhere for all things is clearly a lie. But, starting your own party is a lifework, it isn't twenty years. the two parties have made it where you need to give your life to that. do you love the USA kenneth? how much? @Stefan Your correct, years ago I recall a former prime minister of england saying Alexandra Ocasio Cortez's green new deal was not applicable. So, your correct, her and the other green candidates philosophy will not work with the current status quo. I argue the problem with the green donkeys or the snow white elephants is both want things that are not impossible, but require massive changes that too many others will be against and to be blunt, they don't care about the others. The USA historically is a country that tends to get very tribal. And I think modernity is merely the calm before the storm. The lack of cohesion amongst plans by elected officials in the same party of governance or between parties of governance is the writing on the wall. Yes some centrist exists but it is clear that the elected body is majority or near majority non centrist and the result is dysfunction, cause every elected official wants but none are willing to make a deal. The entire USA is going through an identity crisis. In this very forum you can read that black people in this forum barely agree, and yet we are all here supporting this black platform. All we have in common is we want to support black but the details .. ahhh. The migrant crisis started because Biden wants the USA to be a docking place for the global poor. The problem is the southern states didn't want more color in them, so they shipped the color to the haven states. In that way the potential donkey voters will grow but the elephant states aren't touched. It goes back to identity. Is TExas the same as New York? Is California the same as Mississippi? States are different, and the populace of the usa with all these various peoples has only made state identity more valuable. In NY state the donkey state senate blocked the latino judge appointed by the donkey governor cause the state senate wants someone green. Everywhere in the USA you can see lines being drawn. And the power of those lines has no bounds. @Troy you pulled away from the topic but I read that article. I live in HArlem. I believe I wrote in this very forum that HArlem was no longer black or at least majority black years ago. I am glad the new york times now concurs with me or other harlemites who have been saying this for a while. REal news would be if we all in harlem left and the lenape came back from the grave to live in manahata. The Black internal migration in the usa is a long known thing. The black populace historically shifts back and forth to the south. I will only add the wish of FRederick douglass was that black people in the usa would embrace the multiracial community at the local level. He didn't want black towns. He wanted everything mixed. and through various things the black community in the usa has slowly made that happen. and that is that for me. @harry brown well, let's take your idea another way, instead of complaining that black people give money to churches let us ask why the churches don't spend that money better on the village. MAybe a new christian denomination needs to occur, why not? I don't know if you are christian but you can start it.

Sure, victims of police abuse should be paid. However, I refuse to believe New York City could come up with $121M to pay damages for a lawsuit but couldn't scrape up $350k for a community center. Politicians are elected by the people but they seem to work for special interest groups.😎

Black people are leaving New York City on their own volition. The NY Times did an article on this recently: Why Black Families Are Leaving New York, and What It Means for the City i would quote from the article but it is behind a paywall and i already exceeded my free access for the month (with just this one article). Harlem is going back to being white… you can’t keep anything you never owned.

@Rodney campbell Russia's military does not want to overthrow Vladimir Putin. And the main reason are the grotesque and horrific penalties for failure. Putin is a vicious dictator. The news of his many outrages are muted in the news media, Western as well as Eastern. What manages to eke out are rumors, parts of the truth and old news. When Putin first assumed power, ordinary Russians and emigres adored him. The world was forced to reckon with a KGB-trained ruler who knew how to scare people. Finally, Russia was great again! Their country mattered once more. But everyone forgot the old adage: Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely. And slowly but surely, those who preferred Free Thought and Human Rights and Independence were intimidated and eventually silenced or eliminated. I bet most don't realize that Free Thinking rejects authority and established beliefs, which includes any Dogma associated with Religion. Unless the person being discussed is noted and many worry about their safety and well-being, you will not hear what happens to them. What I wrote about Putin's initial popularity in Russia and elsewhere could also be said of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. They were both beloved. Hitler was idolized. There are people living today who still want to be like Hitler or promote his nonsense. You could probably input the name of any modern military-fascist leader and the foregoing sentences would apply to them.

Exactly. I don't think anything randomly happens. If you can determine the cause the effect is lot random. If you can predict the effect without knowing the cause that also is probably not random.

As an aside, when the German people were asked why they didn't overthrow Hitler, their response was: "vee vere goot Germans!" That's what patriotism is, ( and fascism is patriotism on steroids.) Once the masses are persuaded to believe it's "us" against "them", then they are willing to fight wars taking pride in believing that they are the "good guys". or in the case of elite street gangs, the "bad mutha fuckas". During the Civil War, young sons of the South couldn't wait to take up arms against the Yankees to fight for what they believed it. Up North, not so much. There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm among the rank and file to go risk their lives to end slavery. That, of course, why there were draft riots to protest being involuntarily inducted into the military. During WW2, Eisenhower sacrificed the lives of thousands of red blooded white boys, sending wave after wave of them into the waiting German fire power on Omaha beach where they were slaughtered. Black guys were shuffled behind the lines, mostly assigned to burial details because their segregated units weren't considered reliable or "battle ready", something they simply shrugged off, just glad to be spared having their brains blown out. Five years after this quest to make the world safe for democracy ended , America was back in the thick of the Korean conflict which took another terrible toll on the lives of young Americans sent to their deaths by old men in suits and ties. I speak from memory. Men fight wars because they are natural aggressors and they will find excuses to invade territories and kill each other. What somebody once said about the eternal conflict referred to in the bible as "wars and rumors of wars"., was this: "we have met the enemy, and he is us". Mere mortals think they have all the answers. But they don't.

@ProfD I do not know if you knew already what I will add, And if you do know, only you can say why it was left out. But the people on the streets are a problem. They are the manufactured stereotype designed through social engineering to exist in society. They are the unreal black people. Their death is required, en masse. That is important. Street people would never even consider overthrowing a government. Their intelligence and ambitions are not at that level. sex drugs and drama is their peak. The more criminal method to achieve those goals the better they tend to feel about themselves. They must die. Equally important is that people who are in the military have an overall empathy and a sense of personal responsibility to PROTECT the people who the politicians are intentionally willfully and strategically through tactical actions placing in danger perpetually. That danger includes first and foremost those people on the streets. Hence. The government has many policies in place that do not allow military personnel to openly engage the public in politics, or civilian discourse. As well as policies which make it a criminal action for military, especially high ranking military to take any action that even remotely resembles an overthrow of seated administration. To ensure that power structure. The politicians will send commanders and troops that are loyal to them on what amounts basically to suicide missions. Because military personnel are aware of the real politics. Which I can 100% guarantee you is almost nothing that you are being exposed to through media. Those are re-edited, watered down. filtered, propaganda pieces. literally designed to influence the way that you will think about a topic and subject from the forced perspective that you are given. Which then makes your response a calculated predicted and prepared for event. In reality. the military is the only thing that has ever stood between politicians and their sociopathic psychopathic designs. This is why the politicians have such a great fear of militia ... sheriffs ... and independent circuit court judges ... therein is the foundation for a break away society. When another 1776 occurs it will be the end of everything they have built, designed, have in motion, and are planning, all in one action. To combat this they keep sheriffs on a short leash. Circuit Judges as duel registry and licensed. And militia small, while constantly propagandized as vilified. Which equals; DIVIDE and CONQUER. The only group that divide and conquer fails against is the military. I am presenting this information in as condensed a form as possible. As I said. I do not know what you know. This is only an addendum. not a correction, or critique.

I don't care how smart some people think you are, do you know what .50 caliber bullets will do a human body? It is not easy to depose an autocratic ruler who enjoys the support of a nation's military and police apparatus. If it were easy, there would be no dictatorships. Why do you think Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe lasted so long? It was only when the military was convinced he had to go - that he actually went. There are 57 dictatorial rulers on our planet, according to planetrulers dot com: The world's dictators

@Pioneer1, I want all Black folks to win. I just don't want it to get twisted that some groups of Black folks are smarter and/or harder working than others. All groups of Black people have similar problems regardless of where they live.😎

They have a language and culture they I'd their own. However the system isn't designed for everyone to succeed.

Schools have become glorified day care centers. However, the building blocks of knowledge and social skills are there if folks are inclined to take advantage of it constructively. The library is filled with books on everything human beings know up to this point. History, Science, Math, Literature, Technology, etc., it's all there. The question is how many Black parents are equipped with and willing to pull the resources together in order to educate their offspring i.e. home-school. White folks set up private schools and home-school their children for this very reason. In a system that benefits them, white folks have the luxury of catering to the intellectual capacity and curiosity of their children. They can expose them to knowledge they feel is most beneficial to their well-being. They weed out anything that will make their childen dumb and/or conscience of their privileged system for that matter. Black educators should be bucking the system and providing knowledge and information that stimulates our children intellectually and provides them with the skills to be self-sufficient. Instead, Black folks have taken up the position of trying to fit within the system. No desire and afraid to destroy it and build our own.😎

This is an unsurprising summation. The more intelligent you become. The more knowledge you attain. The more wisdom you have from experience. It all invariably points to The Creator. Many an atheist. As well as many Religious persons. Find the perfection of the universes design to be beyond any actual descriptive format. The only thing that can be said of Creation is that it is perfect. It is not random. It is not coincidence. It is not an accident. It is not chance. The greater that ones interactive ability with the very nature of reality is. The greater one knows that Their is a Creator. Lower level intelligence grasp the concept but get stuck there. Usually simply unwilling to accept that there is so much more and then learn it. That is selfishness. Because the next step after spiritual understanding is spiritual awakening, that next level is the level from which all earthly lies are abandoned. The study of everything will do that to a person. I too am at a loss to explain with these words the absolute perfection of reality. I know so much. ... But I am humbled when I place that knowing next to what is. Microbiology. Chemistry. Mathematics. Language. Health. Cosmology. Physics. Every discipline I command only lets me see The Creator that much more clearly, and respect his design that much more. There is a greatness beyond words that can only be known from Studying To Be Approved. Not Study. But Studying To Be Approved. They are two different things. Therein lies the problem for the people who use Hope. Faith. Belief. and Psychological programming of all types and kinds. If people attain intelligence, gain experience, and use wisdom, their entire Control Technique scheme will fall apart almost immediately. This is what happens as your intelligence grows. It does not take long to see and hear and feel The Creators influence all around permeating through everything. How could any amount of lies withstand that? It cannot. So they stop spending money on education, drop all scholastic requirements for passing, and literally institute a program designed to produce stupid, moronic, retarded, ignorant, overemotional, hyper-sexual, impulsively childish, people. Then force you to send your children to school under threat of arrest for child abuse and endangering a child's welfare. Even though several judges have already acknowledged through their ruling for decades now that SCHOOLS ARE NOT THERE TO EDUCATE YOUR CHILD AND HAVE NO LEGAL REQUIREMENT TO DO SO. I only know all of this because I was taken out of school and home schooled. When the police and teachers came to do what they do and my brothers, sisters, and myself, were tested, we all scored so high they had to place all of us 3 grades above our age group. It would have been more but Our Mother said no. She had proved her point. They hired her as a teacher within the following 24 hours. The fact is I never really went to school because they were nowhere near my level. None of us did. They also never tested us again. It greatly embarrassed them. Reporters were there and it never made the news. Although I was part of a feature in a children's science magazine. School makes you dumber. That is their job. LITERALLY. This mostly went into full swing after 1980. Any education before then was sound. With the food. They changed the dietary intake. You are what you eat. Furthermore. They forcefully Inject all types of chemicals into your bodies under the guise of Health. And always as a vaccine. They do all of this to keep you away from Studying That Ye may Be Approved. Unfortunately for far too many it works. Especially effective are the things that have grown men playing with a ball. If you want to see what Control Technique, Programming, Indoctrination, Conditioning, Hypnosis, and Brainwashing look like. Watch a group of men GROWN MEN. Who are playing, or watching, anything that has other men and a ball in the RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY called SPORTS. What they have been doing for Years is paving the way for The Simulation Lie. As far back as 1990. The Simulation Lie allows there to be A Creator or even a group of Creators who made this computer matrix they want to say we are in. For anyone who has always wanted power, authority, recognition, fame, and to be credited for their spiritual awareness, this is a win. Now they get to jump on the bandwagon of evil. Though that claim of being evil will not openly be made until their victory seems unstoppable. Which is usually when they begin to erect statues, make doctrines, and pass laws, to force people to see things their way and accept it as they present it. But. There is still a problem. The text from 1000's and 1000's of years ago which already hold all of the information they are just now admitting to. Literally making that admission with the full intent to take authority over information that is from 1000's and 1000's of Years ago. Everything they say is based on the truth. But the way they say it is not truth. They speak with the forked tongue. The only way to defeat their lies is to Study That Ye May Be Approved. Those who do not, will fall for the anythings, they will share. The fact that there is a Creator has bothered them from the very beginning. They used Religion to hide this fact and found it was an incredible Control Technique so they never let it go. Religion is Government. Government is Religion. Sports politics and Economy are also Religions. Anything that requires you to be tricked into taking up the action of using Hope Faith and Belief is a trick. All three of those things are inherently vile and wicked. They are the opposite of Truth. This is why The only thing I say repeatedly is Study That Ye May Be Approved. There are multiple levels involved in that task. Many disciplines that must be mastered. Many Tiers that must be reached. For freedom. For reality. For Truth. There is no other way. Every discipline you master will define The Perfection Of Creation. It all points to a single Creator. If you do not yet know enough they will push this matrix lie onto you. Study That Ye May be Approved.