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“At IBPA PubU, Black Indie Publishers Call for Audacity and Advocacy“ and an article from Publishers Weekly about our panel from this weekend in San Diego. In my opinion, the best quote from the article was: Everyone on the panel “came out of the struggle” for civil rights, said Coates, who opened Black Classic Press in 1978. “Wade as a young man was involved in the Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana. Haki is still one of the foundational members of the Black Lives Movement. Kassahun was with the Eritrean Liberation Front. Myself with the Black Panther Party. These are people who carried the struggle forward and had it bloom in publishing.” Walter Mosley, Troy Johnson, Wade and Cheryl Hudson, Andrea Fleck-Nisbet (IBPA CEO), Karen Pavlicin (IBPA Board Chair), Paul Coates, Haki Madhubuti, Ayo Sekai, and Kassahun Checole. Thoughts on the Legends of Black Independent Publishing. Originally shared on TikTok.

I don't think migrants will hurt black people if the situation can be better controlled. But the Republican Right has no incentive to govern and work with the President to do that. They thrive politically on portraying them the enemy the same way they do us. Ultimately if we're going to control immigration and solve the border crisis America needs to focus more attention on Latin America than the Pacific or the Middle East. By working with Latin American governments to make those countries more liveable and prosperous not everyone will be compelled to immigrate here. American elites are hell bent on keeping all working people down at home and maintaining White Supremecy. Abroad they are determined stop China from rising and meddle in the Islamic world. Meanwhile things are falling apart in Latin America and the humanitarian crisis is spilling over our border.

@Chevdove exactly, thank you for recognizing the complexity, i think many black people in the usa want it to be easy, or perhaps better convenient. Will you vote?

Thanks @Chevdove i hope to post new video of Kassahun later this week. That video is about 15 years old!

“Vision alone is not enough,” and investors and allies are essential, said Checole, who started Africa World and Red Sea in 1983. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/92231-at-ibpa-black-indie-publishers-call-for-audacity-and-advocacy.html#comments I wish I had the confidence to write and publish. It's been years and I have been so fascinated in finding out about my ancestor from East Africa, so the Africa World and Red Sea Press is of so much interest to me. I love the photograph of the attendees to this affair. I clicked the names and enjoyed reading about each one including my most favorite, @Troy!

Hi @Kathleen I see this your 4th post, but the first one I've read, so please excuse my tardy welcome to the forums 🙂 College teaches you how to work for someone else, to be an effective corporate tool. Learning to change the system, or even understanding why it needs to be changed is not part of the program. @Pioneer1 your comparison between the past and today's opportunities resonates. I also believe there is some grade inflation going on: Someone who graduated from high school in the 50's is as well "educated" as someone with a college degree in the humanities today. Don't ask me to cite a study or prove what I just wrote; it just seems that way. Maybe @Cynique can provide some insight on this observation. Meanwhile, colleges have lost their way; for example, It is obscene what many schools spend to field a football team, while charging exorbitant tuition and fees to students. Many of these students don't graduate or come away with a degree that does not server them in the marketplace or for staring their own business. I have two masters degrees (engineering and business). I have never had a job that actually required anything I learned in college. For me the degree was a credential required to get in the door -- one many of my white peers did not require. I learned everything I needed to know on the job.

It's essential to recognize that college isn't for everyone and that there are alternative paths to success that don't require a degree. While college may not be necessary for specific careers, it can provide valuable skills and knowledge that can be applied in various fields. It's all about finding the right path for each individual based on their interests, abilities, and available opportunities.