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Got this one last night! I forgot. The photographer owns this copyright. I removed it from my YouTube channel. 🫥

Hey Fam! I shared my heartbreak with all of you; now here is my joy! Mom, my twin daughters' father, my oldest daughter, Cheyenne's (my daughter who passed away) childhood bestie, is in the family photo with us. I love her so much, and me sitting next to my oldest twin daughter! My daughter married the love of her life in August, and we all got to share in their transformative weekend celebration. 😍 Here's me getting ready for the wedding and checking my rearview🤭 . Yes, this is a very current photo!! And that's my gorgeous mom!!! Yep, she's in her 80s!!!

Well, Y'all, August 18th finally arrived and I woke up this morning. Completed yet another trip around ol Sol. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Nobody I know uses the term "Afro-American". As far as I'm concerned, it is an obsolete label like - "jive-assed nigga". Over the past 50+years, "Black" is the most common word used when referring to America's slave descendants. Previously, Whites soliciously refrained from publicly calling us what was considered a derogatory term until we started calling ourselves that via the "Black is Beautiful" slogan embraced by the Black Panthers who took their cue from Malcom X. This all took place back in the late 1960s, and from that time forward we, as a people, proudly became "Black" with a capital "B"; going from an adjective to a noun. The idea of blackness being "a state of mind" also came about during this era, presumably to promote inclusiveness, especially since such dynamic activists as Huey Newton, Angela Davis, and Malcom, himself, were light-skinned. In the present, calling negroid Immigrants "African" suffices, because that is what they are, and nobody is confused as to what segment of the American population is being referred to when using that description. This applies to West Indians as well.

Here I am, setting the record straight again, doing so, not because I think anybody cares, but rather because some may be curious as to why a 92-year- old-senior citizen wastes what little time she has left, hangin' out on an online discussion forum, engaging in verbal fisticuffs with a pioneer who has never blazed a trail anywhere except up his own butt. My answer: since the cyber space universe enables one to adopt an alter-ego, and take on a user name and lead a secret existence, quite a while ago I decided why not do this? What the heck. Might be fun. And it has been. In the real world, I am a widowed mother of 5, grandmother of 7, great grandmotherk of 8, family members of whom know very little about Nana's on-line activity; too wrapped up in their own pursuits. They just know she surfs the internet, amusing herself by engaging in various activities, and they remain clueless about the extent of my involvement on this forum since they don't come to this site. Nor do any of my associates. And, rest assured that my "Contrarian" persona is different from how I am in real life among polite company. However, because I can come here and hide behind an avatar, all bets are off and I can express myself anyway I please, Since I'm no longer a single young woman "out-to-catch", I feel no need to tread lightly and act sweet and feminine. I'm off the grid, and favorably impressing men is no longer a priority of mine. Who needs 'em? Welcome to Super Bitch land. Anyway, I say all this to say that, contrary to what some seem to think, I do not expect others to ward off my detractors or take my side. I can fend for myself. Now you know. What we don't know is how much longer I'll be around? Who cares. I don't. But until my time is up, Nana aka Contrarian will just keep poppin in and out, doin' her thing competing with others who jam the board with long self-indulgent posts full of useless information. 😴

If the NYC mayoral race were a novel, I'd deconstruct its architecture. From one election to the next, the narrative appears to shift away from focused policy debates, instead centering on the influence of religious groups. The major religious factions—Christian nationalists, Muslims, and Jews—each appear to compete for cultural and political dominance within the city. Amid this religious competition, the African diaspora in the U.S.—a powerful and often underestimated voting bloc—continues to be overlooked and taken for granted by both the candidates and the dominant religious groups. It sometimes seems as though these competing religious groups neglect the African diaspora’s influence. Ironically, the roots of these religions trace back to African science-based spirituality, yet this connection receives little attention in political or religious discourse. This dynamic played out in Election 2024: Christian nationalists—including evangelists, southern Baptists, and likely Catholics—rallied strongly behind DJT. Media and external influencers shifted the conversation away from local policy and toward polarizing international issues, like the U.S. stance on Israel and Palestine, further affecting how voters chose among domestic candidates. When reviewing 2025 election results, I noticed Mamdani was not the only Muslim elected, which raises the question of whether heightened coverage of Gaza led to greater sympathy and increased Muslim representation—a trend potentially extending into the midterms. Don’t misunderstand—I bear a grudge against all religions. Religious study should bring wisdom, spirituality, and growth, yet it often has the opposite effect. Religions lead to violence instead of joy and peace. Add patriarchy, and it’s chaos. Returning to the story's structure: Is this a narrative of democratic socialism rising in the heart of Wall Street? Consider Manhattan—the FINANCIAL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD—and its boroughs. Is the city that never sleeps really ready to move from capitalism to social ownership? Notably, NYC is the largest property owner according to Curbed.com, and the mayor administers these assets. Perhaps social ownership is the underlying story arc behind recent shifts. So, in this story—call it Project 2025 (S)—the central figure is a young millennial poised to challenge the reigning power and reclaim Manhattan for the people. Behind the scenes, religious struggle, human trafficking disguised as immigration reform, and pervasive surveillance set the chaotic stage for change in the city. Meet the Muslim and Arab Americans who won in US local elections Jews vote for Andrew Cuomo over Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayoral race | The Jerusalem Post "In addition to the Jewish vote, Mamdani lost the Catholic vote by a significant margin: 53% supported Cuomo and 14% backed Sliwa, against 33% for Mamdani. A decisive 75% of voters with no religious affiliation supported Mamdani." Here's a past look at Manhattan when DJT began buying up NY property in the early 70s(?) a look back at Palestinians, Israel, Libya, etc.

My other "Twin" HeyGen AI-ed this one of our Flexx promotional photos taken in the 90s. She updated us I'm on the right. 😄

I don't know if it's animal magnetism but I don't put up with rude behavior regardless of gender.😁 Patent & trademark it.😁 Homies call to conduct business & the wifey or kids roll up & start a whole conversation in the background. N8gglet doesn't have enough sense to shut them down. So, I help him out by hanging up. Call me back. My folks..anybody around me knows not to start bumping their gums if they see I'm on a call. Wait your turn to talk to me.😁 I almost dropped outta school in the 2nd grade. Teacher tried to make me participate in recess along with the other kids. I told her azz I don't play.🤣 I've been a grown azz man ever since I was a little boy.😁😎

I had not considered there may be gender component to doing this. I’ve known so many women, over so many years that post so much personal information on social, that I have long since given up even commenting about the activity to them. That behavior will not change anytime soon, as social media creates all types of incentives for people to share as much as possible about themselves. It’s one of the reasons I deleted my original Facebook account. But going back to the point of this conversation 🙂 I’ve considered the fact that something that I, or someone else, has written here could be taken out of context and come back to bite me in the real worl. I’m not anonymous, because it takes some effort to do it, and I’m too lazy to maintain anonymity. @Mel Hopkins I might stop short of the word “love.” but if you consider the fact that AALBC.com is almost 30 years old with the boatload of content and there’s increasingly less competition from other website, AALBC really should rank high in search be referenced by aggregators. But I still feel that Google search has done more harm to the web than it has to benefit it. I think AI will do even more harm so much more that it poses and existential threat to the WWW we know today. I’m not confident what we get in return will be better than what we have today.

My father & mother. Music & books allowed me to see a world beyond my own environment & expand my knowledge respectively. Life experiences & traveling & meeting & kicking it with different people.😎

Here's when I hung out with PRINCE. 😉 I'm really having fun doing what it's possible to do nowadays!😜

@Mel Hopkins I’m glad you were serving him drinks and not the other way around. @Pioneer1 welcome back!

History class was kicking my butt! It was a short semester class jammed packed with a lot of work including up to the very present. I did get an "A" and learned a lot about the United States that even I didn't know! And I read a lot! Some of it was so depressing I felt like I was struggling through PTSD. Thank goodness my professor was a Black woman with a PhD - she held the light towards the finish line. I took the summer off from school. I needed a break. 👋🏽🙋🏽‍♀️

The city of Tampa recognizes National Black Bookstore Day.

Tempus is fugiting. And before we know it, election day will be here and that bad ol Donald Trump will be ousted and Democracy will be restored and gas prices and grocery bills will plummet and the Economy will skyrocket and everybody will be able to afford to be sick. Black folks? They can all come out of hiding .God will be in his heaven and all will be right in the world... Or - maybe not. Hope all you optimists have a Plan B. 🥴

Back in my teens and 20s, I wouldn't have believed that I would feel so obliged or dedicated to people I wasn't related to or something I wasn't getting paid to do. But as we know, things and often attitudes and mentalities change with time. Now if I spend an extended amount of time away from AALBC whether it's a few days, a few weeks, or a couple months.....I feel OBLIGATED to go back and as best I can respond to all posts directed at me or about me. And also, if time permits....address posts that grab my interest even if they weren't directed at me. And it appears that most of you seem to feel the same way. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ And by the way let me thank @Troy for providing this space for us to do so. It's been a while since I sent a token of my appreciation because I've had new personal obligations to focus my resources on these past few years, but your treasures are building up. Trust me 😉 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I suppose it's just human nature; however knowing this makes me feel good, proud, and hopeful. Why? It shows me that there are certain feelings, emotions, and drives that are just innate in human nature that guarantees that no human society will degrade down past a certain level. We will never get so selfish and individualistic AS A COMMUNITY where we simply ignore eachother and focus on our own issues and promotions. Some will, but the vast majority will not. There are certain ways we relate to other human beings that seem to be "in" us; ingrained in our psyche. These are the traits a progressive well functioning society should be built on and modeled after. Characteristics that agree with basic human nature.

@aka Contrarian....your home team, Da Bears had an excellent season. Especially compared to the past few years. 1st year Head Coach Ben Johnson deserves a lot of credit for helping QB Caleb Williams and the offense play better. HC Johnson assembled a very good coaching staff too. Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen earned his money in his 1st year with Da Bears. I thought HC Johnson should have gone for a 2 point conversion after QB Williams threw that miraculous TD to tie the game. If the conversion was successful, Da Bears would have been in the NFC championship game. From a strategic perspective, I understand why HC Johnson played for overtime. Hindsight is always 20/15. Nonetheless, Da Bears and their fans should be very proud of the team. They have a bright future ahead.😎

Sounds like somebody has replaced Pioneer with an AI entity. the BEARS continue to amaze, inspire, and revitalize me. I adore Caleb and I'm loving every minute of this fantastic season, - knowing all good things must come to an end! 😑

"Thinking outside the box" is fine if you are of a mind to do a lot of work and shoulder a lot of responsibility and stake claims on critical thinking. And, come to think of it, I never met a conspiracy theorist who didn't brag about "thinking outside the box"... so, there's that. But lazy lovers of leisure like me are not so inclined. However I, too, was an avid reader, with writing skills that enabled me to become a contributing columnist to the op-ed pages of a major Chicago newspaper back in the 1970s where my letters-to-the-editor invoked so much response that I was approached by the newspaper to become their resident voice of the black viewpoint. Which I was, for several years. Boy, was that fun. 😬 On the job at my local Post Office where I passed up supervisory positions because dealing with time cards required much more effort than the job I held stamping "Registered" on the envelopes of mail containing valuable contents, along with being the go-to person for revising and editing the bulletins and memos dispatched from the front office. And tho I wasn’t thinking outside the box, - I did sing outside the building, because on many mornings one of my favorite things to do was tag along with the maintenance man when he performed his flag-raising duty. While he ran ol glory up the flag pole in front of the building, I would stand by and sing the national anthem. To me, this was just for fun, but being a veteran, the janitor took his duties very seriously and always saluted when he was done. God bless America. And of course after I retired back in the 90s, I got caught up in the self-publishing craze and churned out 3 books which I lost interest in when time came to promote them; too much trouble. Having 5 kids would have to serve as my accomplishments in life, what I achieved - between the sheets. 🙂‍ So the roles of a dilettante and wanna-be Renaissance person have been the "this above all" to which mine ownself "has been true". Have at it all you innovative go-getters. Somebody has to take up my slack. But keep in mind, being lazy may have something to do with my longevity. zzzzzzzzzzzz Being a CHICAGO BEAR 🐻 fan may just become my undoing. I might slit my wrists if they lose to those damned cheese head Green BayPackers tonight! 🙄 GO BEARS!

For those who have rolled into 2026, let's hope that it is a year filled with Love, Joy, Peace, Prosperity, Health and Happiness.🎉 In the meantime, I will continue calling balls & strikes i.e. offering my opinions/perspectives on whatever comes up around here. I enjoy the easy chair I've taken up.🤣 As always, many thanks to brotha @Troy for providing & maintaining this platform. Much appreciated.😎

This video popped up when I brought up YouTube today. On some level it feels like Google knows I was talking about this subject 😉 Neil describes 13 of things you should consider when evaluating information online. Some of this is common sense. @Pioneer1, for what it is worth, you should check out this video. Perhaps it will help you think about information you pull from the web and how you use it to form opinions.

For anybody who is curious as to why I no longer use my original user name on this forum, why I, who was once known as "Cynique", am now known as "aka Contrarian", this is the explanation. I have been contributing to this discussion forum off and on for over 20 years. Back in the day, as a retiree who was an aspiring author, its "African American Literary Book Club" title drew me to this site. And having always considered myself to be somewhat of an "iconoclast", I decided I wanted my avatar to reflect my personality, so I came up with what was a combination of "cynical" and "unique". And the "Cynique" moniker was born, replete with a somewhat devil's advocate persona; always skeptical and a tad sarcastic, - (something which contributed to my ongoing feud with the notorious Kola Boof, a semi-famous drama queen). Otherwise, with a few innocuous exceptions, over the years, I formed several cherished friendships with people I encountered here and with whom I still keep in touch with on FaceBook. Anyway, with the passage of time, while others came and went, I remained a long standing member of AALBC, and Troy rewarded my loyalty by naming this site "Cynique's Corner". As more time passed, however, I eventually became burnt out and, contrary to the insinuations of some people, I voluntarily decided to go on hiatus, subsequently telling Troy he could drop the "Cynique's Corner title; which he did. With the passage of more time, I finally decided to check back in, but I couldn't log on because I'd forgotten my pass word. When I tried to log on with a new password word, I was unsuccessful, the reason given by the computer being that somebody already had that user name. The fact that the "somebody" was me made things more entangled, and after I contacted Troy, he assigned me a special password to use. That, along with adopting a different user name, enabled me to log back on to the discussion forum, at which time I explained that "aka Contrarian" was the poster formerly known as "Cynique". Obviously, the word "contrarian" preserves the cynical essence I originally wanted to convey. Only one person ever found this to be a problem. Whatever. As Shakespeare once said: "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It is what it is... And, don't be surprised if that "one person" chimes in with a stream of pictures along with references to flowers and bees and wasps and Cynique this and Dolemita that, yada,yada,yada. zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Well, today is the American holiday where folks gather with family and friends in food, fun and fellowship. Eat, drink and enjoy however you so choose. I know the history behind *holidays* but I do not skip them for the aforementioned reasons. I use holidays as a time to further build and connect with my tribe. Every several years, my birthday happens to fall on Thanksgiving Day. When that happens, I don't have to cook anything for the family dinner. I'll pull up, eat, enjoy my folks and watch football games.😁 Happy Thanksgiving to all.😎

Nature putting on a show via the northern lights, reminding Earth to not sweat the small stuff.

I am finding words and numbers allow me to access the unconscious mind of the Querent and for myself i use omens and clock time Yes just be open and don't have set beliefs or feelings. Just allow the information to speak to you. One of the ways is to just doodle or write down the words that pop into your mind.

Thank you! That is one of the most classic and fabulous wedding celebrations that I have ever seen! Oh My Gosh! I don't know how many times I have watched this. @Mel Hopkins I can't imagine how happy you must feel! Your daughter and her husband are so incredibly beautiful. Again, you look amazing. LOL! Okay... @Pioneer1 Come on! But you are right on one count, that wedding look like a movie; As if it was straight out of Hollywood.

"He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool."

Yes. I voted. Dystopian executioner. For me, it's not about skin color, I just appreciate beautiful men, spiritually and physically, no matter what color or culture. However, as a Black women, I cannot help but to be drawn to beautiful men of African descent especially.

There will always be folks who are unproductive either because they’re incapable of being productive or they are simply not inclined to be. I don’t think we should be wasting time and resources trying to make them otherwise. We should care for the ones who are incapable of being productive, and the ones who don’t want to be productive should just be encouraged to stay out the way of everyone else.

I've learned that one of the better moves to make when first meeting others is to DOWN PLAY one's qualities. If people see you at what they believe to be your worst and still want to be with you, then you know the relationship can only get better as you reveal more of your true self.

@ProfD I didn't know at first that Rachel Scott was a sista - with impeccable journalistic credentials! Trump has also been accused of referring to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Jackson as having a "low IQ". He seems to really be intimidated by black women who, when it comes to being qualified, put that skank Melania to shame whose only notable accomplishment is being multi-lingual, able to say "unzip" in 7 different tongues. 😛

Absolutely. Only a small percentage of the population has ever been smart enough to do great things. Creativity & innovation aren't tied to literacy rates. Same goes for basic human behavior. Last week, a few astronauts returned from a trip around the moon supposedly.😉 NASA still uses a lot of the same engineering of 50 years ago to build the spacecraft. Heat shields prime example. Computer & AI is derivative technology built up over the past 50 years & counting.😎

The new look is fantastic. @Troy ...thanks again for everything you do & the sweat equity you pour into the site.😎

UN backs resolution calling slave trade ‘gravest crime against humanity’ RFI Thu, March 26, 2026 at 4:08 AM EDT 2 min read A memorial sculpture by Sandrine Plante-Rougeol in Bordeaux, a historic slave-trading port, where the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade remains central to debates on recognition and reparations. (AFP - GEORGES GOBET)More The resolution – proposed by Ghana – was adopted to applause by a vote of 123 in favour. The United States, Israel and Argentina opposed the measure. There were 52 abstentions, including the UK and all 27 members of the EU. Ghana's President John Mahama, one of the African Union's most vocal supporters of slavery reparations, was at the UN headquarters in New York to support the vote. "Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice," said Mahama. "The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting." Transatlantic cruise to turn spotlight on Brazil-Angola slavery past Despite being non-binding, the resolution goes beyond simple acknowledgment and asks nations involved in the slave trade to engage in restorative justice. It also highlights the legacy of slavery via "the persistence of racial discrimination and neo-colonialism" in today's society. "The transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity that struck at the core of personhood, broke up families, and devastated communities," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "To justify the unjustifiable, slavery's proponents and beneficiaries constructed a racist ideology -- turning prejudice into a pseudoscience." During discussions over the resolution, US ambassador Dan Negrea said the text was highly problematic. "The US also does not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred." He added: "The US also strongly objects to the resolution's attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy." The UK and EU countries put forth similar arguments while acknowledging the wrongs of slavery. "The resolution risks pitting historical tragedies against each other that should not be compared, except at the expense of the memory of the victims," said French representative Sylvain Fournel. Heroes who fought to abolish slavery honoured in Paris Pantheon expo For African Union officials, the language of the resolution is central to its purpose. Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, the AU’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Development, said clearly naming these events removes any lingering ambiguity about their nature. “It is to say that what was done to Africans was not a tragic accident of history, but the result of deliberate policies whose legacies structure today’s inequalities,” she said. “Justice begins with calling things by their proper names.” Beyond recognition, the resolution encourages countries historically involved in the slave trade to engage in processes of restorative justice. Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been explicit about what that could entail. “The perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade are known – the Europeans, the United States of America,” he told reporters. “We expect all of them to formally apologise to Africa and to all people of African descent.” He pointed to the return of looted cultural artefacts as one possible step, alongside continued efforts to dismantle structural racism and, potentially, financial compensation for affected communities.

@Troy....thanks again for everything you're doing to maintain this site.😎

In the mean time, silky-voiced Nat Cole, a Chicago product, enjoyed tremendous popularity among his own people. He put out a lot of single 78 vinyl records in the '50s as I recall, and they were all hits! We loved us some Nat "King" Cole. Back in the day, a lot of - perish the thought - colorist negro women used to pay him the left-handed compliment by declaring that "the only thing they liked black were Cadillacs and Nat Cole". To this day, like one of his best sellers, he remains "Unforgettable".

The Best way to destroy colorism is through Education Create systems that promote celebrate and reward all skin tones hues and shades... Accentuate the positive and ignore or confront the negative..... Saturate Mass Media with the Spectrum of all shades ....as equally as possible. Demonstrate the necessity of variety.. etc

I don't believe we have to worry too much about people stealing Black identity. Who or what will define Black power? White folks are going to fight reparations with every fiber in their being & every bullet they can load into a chamber. Everybody won't be able to identify as Black for several reasons. Racial discrimination is committed by those who have power over other races. The majority of people do not want to be Black. That includes many Black folks.😎

It's becoming increasingly obvious that many influencers in these so-called "New Black Media" and "FBA" movements that have been springing up all over social media for the past several years are actually Republican shills masquerading as Black content creators of independent thought. As much as they speak about tangibles for our vote, Reparations, and celebration of our lineage....there are several things they all seem to have in common: 1. They almost never criticize President Trump or the Republican party 2. They constantly criticize the Democrat Party and Democratic politicians both White and Black 3. They are very much anti Black immigrant. It has gone from a "Reparations" movement to a "Delineation" movement where they actively seek to separate and segregate themselves from other Black people. Not just celebrating our unique identity, but also in some cases denying our African roots! I'm also seeing strong evidence of colorism and featurism inside many of these movements that have infiltrated Black social media. I post this because I KNOW for a fact that many of those who follow The New Black Media also frequent this site and read MY content and commentary as well. I'm advising you to be very careful listening to these people and use discernment. Pay attention to not only what people say but what they DON'T say and NEVER say. It's one thing to be anti-immigrant, but if the ONLY immigrants you hear them speaking out against are the Black immigrants....red flag. It's one thing not to trust politics or politicians, but if the ONLY politicians you hear them speaking against are White Liberals and Democrats....red flag.

@Mel Hopkinsthe longer I live, the more I'm inclined to concur that chaos is the "norm" that we have to try and make sense of. Quantum physics certainly seems to suggest this. 😵‍💫

University of Michigan football coach got his black ass fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Then the disgraced brotha was later arrested for assault after police were summoned to an apartment he'd gone to. I'm sure Sherrone Moore has a large penis. And his "victim" was probably white. Nothing surprising about this situation. Gee, he's almost as bad as - Barack and Hakeem.

Good Afternoon, It's great to be in community with you. My name is Nicole Carr and I'm an Atlanta-based journalist, journalism professor and author of the forthcoming book The Price of Exclusion: The Pursuit of Healthcare in a Segregated Nation (HarperCollins June 2026). This is my first book, and it's taken me on a journey through the archives of our medical schools at home and abroad, as well as family history in Jamaica, the U.S., Canada and Europe. We released the cover on Black Friday, and I'd love for you to check out the description and cover below. If this sounds like a read you'd like, I'd appreciate your support with pre-orders and/or spreading the word. You can shop your favorite Black-owned and independent bookstores through the Bookshop link located here: The Price of Exclusion – HarperCollins Thank you for your consideration and support! Nicole Book Description: From award-winning journalist Nicole Carr comes a landmark narrative revealing the untold history of Black medical professionals who have long fought to heal their communities—while confronting a system built to exclude them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Americans died at nearly twice the rate of their white counterparts—a disparity rooted not only in access to care but in a long history of exclusion, exploitation, and systemic racism. How did we get here, and why, despite generations of Black medical excellence, do these inequities persist? In The Price of Exclusion, journalist Nicole Carr uncovers that history and its urgent consequences, exposing the hidden toll of America’s refusal to value Black doctors and their patients. At the center is the extraordinary life of Carr’s great-grandfather, Dr. Lawrence St. Clair Ferguson, a Jamaican-born physician who served in World War I and attended medical school during the Spanish Flu pandemic. His journey from colonial Jamaica to a racially divided America provides both an intimate family portrait and a sweeping history of how Black physicians persevered despite segregation, erasure, and relentless barriers to practice. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, Carr resurrects the lives of pioneers who transformed medicine against impossible odds. From America’s first four-year medical school located at a historically Black college in North Carolina to the generations of Black physicians whose contributions were pushed aside by institutions of power, Carr shows how these figures were not only doctors but also advocates and innovators whose work reshaped public health and opened doors for those who followed. Carr also reveals the systemic campaigns that actively disempowered Black doctors, from the American Medical Association’s exclusionary policies to the devastating closures of Black medical schools after the Flexner Report. That legacy fuels today’s shortage of Black medical professionals and the lingering distrust in medicine that continues to cost lives. Bold, moving, and essential, The Price of Exclusion is both a necessary history and a testament to the resilience of Black medical pioneers past and present. At a moment when diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine are under political attack, Carr forces us to reckon with the past while imagining a future where healthcare truly values every single life.

@ProfDI agree with you. For somebody who considers himself sooo in touch with the "Afro American" scene, Pioneer is frequently off the mark, lacking authenticity. Young black girls are not sittin around, pickin up on messages celebrities are supposedly sending them. They're more interested in hair and nails and eyelashes and fashion - attached to their phones, going on FaceBook threatening each other, working part time at WalMart. They are not suceptible to the idea of white boyfriends. They enthusiastically pursue their own kind. Many attend black colleges, where they will not be around whites guys. Or go to large white universities where they will not be competing with white Barbies for white Kens. It's not until they are full grown adults and have careers and are on the dating merry-go-round that black females make up their own minds and begin to consider other options when it comes to a mate. Plus, the vast majority of them are not going to be superstars in sports or entertainment where they can pick or choose. In fact, as Troy has reminded, most people, including black ones, marry within their own "race" The only explanation for Pioneer's preoccupation with white men is that he's jealous of them, undoubtedly afraid that there's a chance their penises might be quite adequate.

According to the bible, Samson's strength was in his abundant black hair. When Delilah cut it off, he was left weak. How can this be interpreted? What ethnic group can claim strong hair? And women who tame it????? Shame on you, Troy. This clearly applies to black men and the sistas who do braids, all of which is symbolic of black women emasculating black men. Get it? If that sounds ridiculous , - it's because it is. zzzzzzz

Can we expect you to be chided by Pioneer for picking on a black man, implying Corey Booker is a closet gay guy? tsk-tsk. Or will he question Booker's blackness because of his pale skin tone? Wonder what size his penis is?

lol! Yes the name speaks for itself. Braggadocio is unnecessary. Dude, the only erect penis I’ve ever seen is mine. Besides an locker room I’m not trying to look at another brother’s joint. were you that guy peeping over the urinal checking out my package the last time I was in Detroit? It is impossible for it to be a scientific fact. Just repeating it doesn’t make it so even the report you shared indicated this. This was not a peer reviewed study that you shared if you look at some of the peer reviewed studies they reflect how problematic it is collecting the data and drawing meaningful conclusions. One interesting thing I read is that folks with high BMI’s tend to have shorter penises because of the pad of fat at the base in their pelvis.

Are Cynthia and Ariana queer? That might explain the off screen “relationship.” As far as the movie poster, if you don’t know anything about the movie and haven’t seen it how can you comment about the poster? I have not seen the movie, but I’ve seen the play and I’ve seem to remember the green witch being a sympathetic character and ultimately a positive one. Yeah, I do think you’re making too much of the poster. For one the character is green with straight hair. So unless you’re going to bat for our green brother and sisters, I don’t understand what you’re complaining about. This movie, the least of our worries. And Cynthia Evio is a net positive for the black community in my opinion.

There's another super moon brightening up the skies, this one being referred to as the "Beaver Moon", the last and largest one of 2025. This picture was taken from my back porch. All the other images that the camera reflected in the photo are weird. Like an astral Rorscharch ink blot test. Not to mention what looks like a second smaller moon. Hummm. zzzzzzzzzzzz

Now we know what kind of person "begrudges Serena her happiness". The usual opinionated blather and imagined scenarios, and obsessive, insecure attacks on white males and condescending assumptions about women. Put a sock in it! @Serena: kudos to you for getting your life in order. You go, Girl! 😉👌👍 Serena and her handsome 6'5" millionaire husband.

@Troy I found the video interesting and pretty much typical of what 100-year-old- people have to say. As far as age is concerned, I adhere to the old cliche about it being just a number. 92 - 29, whatever. Let's hear it for your 96- year-old acquaintence who's still driving! On August 18th, 1951, at the age of 18, I celebrated my "golden" birthday! And golden I was. Just graduated from high school and was poised to enter my first year at the University of Illinois where a whole new world awaited me. The most enduring lessons I learned there, however, were not in the books. I learned who I was, and basicsally I'm still that same person. I've never stopped being that 18-year-old who viewed the world through skeptical eyes, and preferred to do this from a place of comfort in a situation where I didn't have to exert myself too much. Hence, my 30-year job as a "flexible" clerk at the Post Office, - where I completed my lessons in life, penning a weekly newspaper column along the way. I married a guy who understood me, and who made me laugh. We shared a love of jazz and movie trivia and - each other. One month after our 50th wedding anniversary, he passed. I miss him every day. Every time I smell a particular cologne I think of him. Certain songs tug at my heart. A widow's pension is part of my monthly income. In addition to giving birth to 5 kids, after retiring from my job, I self-published 5 books - which obviously were not best-sellers. I am neither religious nor nurturing. No baking brownies for me, but Nana is still referred to as being "cool". I do miss my siblings and all my krazy friends who've passed on. They contributed so much to what was fun and unique about my life. I do not consider myself an inspiration, and I have no advice to offer any one, nor have I yet discovered what my purpose for being here is. I agree that longevity does have a lot to do with luck. I've never watched my diet, never given up sugar, red meat and have a heavy hand with the salt shaker. 'Smoked and drank up into my 70s. But here I am, - until I'm not...