Mel Hopkins

@NubianFellow I’m in agreement. Sometimes, I wonder if those traditions are true African or from the Colonized African. There have been so many perverted folks who have enter the African countries with their “bibles” ... it makes me wonder how people who once lived in nature - turned on what’s natural. <-[The latter thought came from watching a video of the “Prince of Wales” in Ghana and a group were performing a dance around him... One commenter said, “those dancers as graceful as they birds they’re imitating.” They were! They looked like birds in their movement. I cried because - I had asked the Universe to show me how our ancestors were before all colonizing and pillaging Then when I saw those dancers everything I had studied made sense- from how we hunted, how we raise crops - to how we lived. I believe it was all in accordance with nature. So sad to read this about “Hyena” - it breaks my heart that these young lives are cut short and genocide ensues. While men can impregnate many women in a year - a women can only have one child maybe two in that same year. Impregnate a child give her a disease and we lose our future. I hope Africans and Africans in the diaspora can find the way back to our true roots.

This has been my case. Not that I will say a POV is right or wrong - but another perspective helps me to sharpen my view.

Oh, I get it! I tend to stay to myself but I force myself to mimic the behavior of my family and friends who are extremely social - they believe in being present. But I also find this to be the same for my men friends (not sexual) as well. Maybe this might be a “tribal” behavior and not gender-based. (I don’t know because I’m a loner)

How would you know, @Troy ? Are you a woman having your agency snatched? Your statement here is similar to Kanye’s “400 years Slavery was a choice.” Longevity doesn’t make it right...and definitely not right when old ass men are marrying children.

@Troy Except that is not true of the Black Elite ... which might speak volumes to their financial and professional success. There is: The Boule, 100 Black Men, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, The Freemasons... @Delano so do you think the working class congregate at the barbershops - and form only transient relationships?

Clarification: This is a carry over from giving Elijah Muhammad a pass for sexually abusing girls in his charge. As a society, we can't give this a pass.

@Troy Seriously, you are a little LOT better at math than I - but even I know the GOP doesn't have major support - But they know the only way the GOP can win is with the electoral college and making it hard for most people to vote. It was like that when the white nationalist were DEMS in slavery times and it still works for the white nationalist now. The Electoral college has served the minority very well. BUT after this last election they are sounding the alarm because they believe they might lose Texas as a red state. Lose Texas and lose every presidential race forever. If they believed they were in the majority they wouldn't make it so difficult for the electorate to vote.

@Troy Is it different because black men aren't willing to network and support each other in the book publishing? I think with older folks there's a fear of congregating and supporting one another - but like with Joshua generation, young people don't share those fears. From my research it appears black men in Hollywood have their own "fraternity" And they promote each other to the white power structure. For example, that's how "Get out" got made. Also Hollywood's black men storytellers (directors, showrunners, et al) seem to also network and support black women storytellers (Directors, Screenwriters producers et al) So at least our stories are making it to the silver screen (For the record, I'm not talking about Black Panther ). I interviewed an actress-producer whose short film won a Student Academy Award. The director is a young black woman - who is now in the league with Spike Lee when he was starting out. The film was produced by two black women BUT some financing and support also came from the white Hollywood. So maybe that's why Hollywood Reporter covered the women... not for them but to alert the current power structure. Could be the same with the black men writers.

@Troy 71+ Million people voted for another candidate - 65 Million of those folks voted for Hilary AND 90 MILLION PEOPLE eligible to vote DIDN'T or COULDN'T VOTE AT ALL. Now I know you're good at math. At least you present as someone good at math - tell me how is that major support - Major meaning majority in this context. Dude can't even get a major approval rating. Erm, Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr didn't die for us. He used his life to promote ideas that he hoped would better our position here. Let's not be dramatic.

@Pioneer1 , not sure where you've been for the last half century and the beginning of this one - sexual abuse, promiscuity and lying under oath about it got a white U.S. President Impeached. Further there have been far too many to count -nor would I list here, the number of political/social/cultural white leaders who had to leave their position for violating moral codes of infidelity, sexual abuse and impropriety, and that is in this century alone. Even Strom Thurmond was spared because he took care of his illegitimate daughter. According to reports he had sex with a 16-year-old who was working for his family. The news didn't break until after he was dead but those close to the family said he treated her like the family she was to him. So yes his sex life became part of his legacy too. As for your off-topic reasoning regarding the 18th century; I wasn't born then so I don't know what the word on the street was then. Those who write the history tend to look back with forgiveness. Trump doesn't have major support - he has white nationalist support. Some polls indicate he's the only president who hasn't received above 50% approval rating. So major support is an exaggeration. So while you seem to want to reduce this to casual sex - it's more than that. It's about sexual abuse especially of minors and fathering children as result of those relationships. No matter what color of your skin - that is frowned on in every culture and ethnic group.

@Delano This is a perfect example of how black women are no longer waiting for anyone to advocate for them but them. I was recently invited to cover a similar gathering of black women fine artists - and the founder who set up a Art workspace here in the Atlanta Metro. Through the non-profit, TILA Studios, 10 artist fellows got the opportunity to show at Art Basel this year - and with the financial support of the email marketing company, MailChimp. Following in the steps of Mary McLeod Bethune ; we, black women, in the arts are now forming networking clubs for and by us.

@Troy , please tell me you are making a facetious statement here - Please tell me you do know what illegitimate means within this context ... @Delano I rest my case as it relates to the previous thread. So much for being a leader when you can't even handle your own family business.

@Chevdove I hate to use such cliche terms but here's two. The sentiment cut like a knife - but as they saying goes if someone shows you who they are "believe them"...

Let the church say “Amen”... @Cynique I’m so glad you posted this! Thank You! I’m beyond finished with this thread especially after reading that “let boys be boys” sentiment. OMG... I can’t believe anyone would think it’s ok to use young women jack up their lives and let them raise up “bastard” children in a religious sect -because they were the top seller of some bean pies. I Just can’t.

@Troy While that may be your perception; connotation of the word “for” is dependent on its context. Since, I spent good part of my career disseminating news to the masses, I know what words can be used interchangeably and what words change the context of the story. Speaking “for” someone in this context means they are unable. Speaking on behalf indicates support. Support is the crux of this thesis. Still, I’m not sure why you believe it’s necessary to infantilize black women in an effort to support or protect them. This is why respect is an important component to protection. Most black women respect black men and that’s why they’re willing to protect them without diminishing their standing.

@Troy I put a link here to their background from a twitter thread / twitter thread. - I mentioned the author was a researcher who did in-depth research on the people. Remember, it was when you wrote that I shouldn't encourage Pioneer1, because I mentioned there might be merit to his theory the original black people were from India. Well it is thought that the Sentinelese are the first people who left Africa and went into Asia.

@Troy , You don't have to speak for someone you're protecting. I've protected my children all their lives but when they were old enough to speak for themselves - I referred to them, I spoke about them but NEVER FOR THEM. I respect them too much. @Delano also mentioned respect for women. Do you respect women? I've already answered this in the invisible black males thread. Black women ARE caring for themselves. "Natalie Hopkinson, a professor at Howard University, summed it up. “A lot of black men are just not hearing what black women are saying because they are too busy complaining about their own situation,” she said. “When it comes to really supporting black women, nobody has our back but us.”" Black women have moved on. BUT it would do well to remember, when black women march in the streets because black men are being gunned down - a black man's agency is left intact (Well at least the one's still breathing). Black women are willing to speak truth to power regarding state-sanctioned murders and then we vote our interest. Now we black women are holding seats at all levels of government - except executive office (soon come). Like I've written before - black women give birth to black boys who grow up into black men - so maybe we protect black men because we have a larger stake in their survival.

@Troy I don't recall @Delano speaking for me or @Cynique ... So I didn't miss anything. What I do recall is a thread started by Delano and his sharing an opinion on the topic. It was here : when you asked " @Mel Hopkins do you also buy into @Delano's unsubstantiated belief that black men dont respect black women? " Instead of asking my opinion on the topic, here you ask me if I buy into Delano's belief. Since you're tone deaf on the topic, this is how you attempted to take away my agency - While we're on the topic of the agency - why are you implying that Delano's is speaking for women? Isn't it possible that he also believe that black men don't protect or respect black women? This is exactly what Malcolm X said in that video clip. I didn't think Malcolm X was speaking for women - he simply made an observation that he wanted men to correct.

@Troy @Troy read your post and you will see where you mentioned the possessive “Their women” and Malcolm protects Betty... “ Malcolm X said in that clip BLACK WOMEN.. in that clip Malcolm expresses unconditional protection and RESPECT for Black Women .... @Troy BOTH institutions and systems are misogynistic ... but America has laws to correct and protect women to make existence equitable and equal. There have been no updates to the quran.

And that’s what makes Malcolm X , the man. He didn’t say muslim women he said BLACK Women ...it was unconditional protection. A man who decides he’ll protect someone when its convenient is a punk-azz-bytch. So, who needs him! I speak from experience. I met a black man to pick up tickets for an event. Never laid eyes on him before that moment... As we’re doing an exchange - a cab hit the curb and was heading for us on the sidewalk. Dude jumped in front of me ..to body block. The cab stopped on the curb and recovered, thank goodness. But that man put me in a safe place. That’s a man who protects a woman, any woman. That’s a Malcolm X kinda man. Yes, it is written he exploited women but then he grew into a man. Yes! Now if he started talking that nonsense it would be a wrap. #ByeMalcolm . I have no patience for Islam and roman-catholicism.

@Troy I thought you wrote "protect THEIR women" ... Malcolm X doesn't say "Muslim Women" even though he refers to himself as Muslim. From my perspective, that makes a big difference. He doesn't put limitations on his proposed protection for BLACK WOMEN... @Pioneer1 Do you remember that I EXPECT black men to provide protection both individually AND as a group... No one has our (black women) but us and this saddens me. Oddly enough my daughter felt safe in Dubai because protocol is set up to protect women. For example, women and children ride in the front of the bus - men in the back - men are not allowed to harass women on the streets... I'm conflicted because I'm an advocate for personal freedom -but in their strange way, they want women to at least feel safe. What I admire about Malcolm X is he didn't say he wanted women to behave a certain way or follow his religion to receive protection.

“Co-owner James Fugate reflects on his evolution as a bookseller and how Eso Won came to be the city's unofficial literary headquarters for Black writing. “ And for inquiring minds he shares the meaning of the bookstore’s name. Listen here - Source: The RunDown | Reporter: Neyat Yohannes

@Pioneer1 Eh-hem... because of his views? It seems like he gets it!

I think only folks over 45 will relate to this feeling. Those on the other side might wonder how there could be anything but emotional rage. Note: I’m thinking about Black Twitter raking Michelle Obama over the coals for writing bothsiderism in a passage that refers to Reverend Jeremiah Wright ... and they’re also poking at EBONY Media Operations for its POWER 100 list (advertising revenue mechanism) but not inviting Miss Flint to the “private” gala. Again, maybe Malcolm was onto something. Maybe for Black-Owned Businesses and Black Celebrity Enterprises to thrive they must move beyond the ideals of the black community.

"You cannot enslave a mind that knows itself, that values itself, that understands itself.” ~ Wangari Maathai