Mel Hopkins

@Cynique nope, definitely not an invisible man... Some writers and readers alike reference his work like it is a companion piece to "The Art of War." Funny thing, I'm all for woman empowerment but for some reason Pimp doesn't offend me - I think it's the raw emotion he puts forth about the battle of not letting his emotions get the best of him - even though at times it appears he wears his heart on his sleeve.

So basically you decide what or whose platform supports black people. by the way, most media outlets have stated they will no longer show the anthem portion of NFL games - most recently ESPN. So I guess, Colin Kaepernick has made an impact - because no more jingoism in televised sports. Any way, I gues you decide who has impacted someone's life in a positive way - and be damn the black men who ARE visible doing that damn thing ... LeBron James. And then you wonder why no one is interested in rank-in-file black men or reading about them ... they have no voice. Also since, you say I wouldn't understand because I'm not a black man - I guess we'll no longer hear from you about black women, right?

@Delano You do know Tyson is Neil's surname? https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Neil+deGrasse+Tyson @Troy , Yes you can if people buy it. This alerts the manufacturer that there's a market for ice cream. So, now they have to test to see if there are enough people in the ice cream market willing to make other flavors popular. We know there is a market for books. So a publisher has to determine if there's a market for books about rank and file middle-aged black men.

@Troy 2 question and 2 observations. Do you now believe there's such a thing as "race" or are you using the term "white" as signifier of the U.S. current power structure? I ask because you now see that Peterson is indeed not INVISIBLE but you now attribute his visibility to serving a purpose for 'white" folks. Isn't it possible that there is a black community that subscribes to his message? I get the sense, that if a person isn't walking around promoting everything from a specific 'black' community (one that you deem is black enough) then he or she for "white' people's amusement. Am I correct?

@Chevdove I'll take it! LOL... You've made my day! From what you wrote I get the sense you are having fun and that was my overall goal! I wrote this book for my oldest daughter who was on her way to college and would be away from me and my mother for the first time in her life... I wanted to have an expanded version "the talk" but most of all I wanted to her to have fun reading it... (I have 3 daughters and none of the married yet or have children - They are just focused on their careers. I think I scared them LOL) Thank you for the compliment on my figure ... that was in 2004 when I was still smoking; sucking down cambridge diet shakes for meal replacements and doing the Jane Fonda workout and The Firm 6-days a week to maintain that 145 lbs / 36-26-39 figure. I no longer smoke but I know if I want to maintain that size or anything close to it - I can only eat 1200-1500 calories a day - or it's a wrap and I stand 5 feet 9 inches tall!!! Ok don't get me started because I'm on my Cambridge Diet Shake regime, coffee and water right now and I'm a bit delirious (hahahaha) .

@Troy I deal in words - so there's no such thing - apathy has a very specific meaning - and therefore doesn't apply to me. When I say I'm NOT interested or there is lack of interest in a genre - There's a passion connected to why that is the case. I find literary fiction extremely boring.... there's no apathy...I'm extremely passionate about my aversion to it. I want more and better than black people's sorrow and heartbreak - I can read that in the daily news. I haven't even seen the movie "Beloved" Well you had me for a moment. I thought I could follow your line of thinking. When you posted that article Richard Wright to JAY Z - I thought wow! How insightful! But now that literary fiction is off the table - I got nothing. I don't know what you're talking about. Yes, you've lost me.

@Troy , Apathy is more of having no emotion or feeling towards it - or indifference. In this context lack of interest is NOT apathy because like I wrote IT IS BORING!!! Second, YOU POSTED THE ARTICLE!!! OMG What part did you miss when I said I don't read LITERARY FICTION!!! I don't know it seems that you continue to miss your own point. LOL

@Troy , you missed one - Lack of interest. It is telling that you say this isn't a new revelation. Bookselling isn't a nonprofit business. If there's no market or demand for middle-aged black man literary fiction why would a publishing house invest in it? Acquisition editors (even the heterosexual middle-aged black men) are probably asking like I asked "where's the conflict?" "What's the plot?" "Where's the drama?" Like I mentioned James Patterson has no problem selling his Alex Cross books - and has even franchised the character. Neil Cross got a Simon & Schuster book deal to write 3 tie-in novels for the BBC television character "Detective Chief Inspector John Luther" and it achieved critical acclaim. So actually Walter Mosley isn't a unicorn but rather a brilliant crime novelist who knows what sells and how to sell it. By the way, interesting books have longevity. It doesn't matter if the author died 10 years ago or 54 years ago. W.E. B Du Bois' Souls of Black folks is still selling well 115 years after it was first published. To recap; I've established middle-aged black men aren't invisible. You mentioned Skip Gates was a unicorn but I know of other educators that are quite vocal and sought after when it comes to commenting and having input on this country's narrative. In fact, quite a few have blue ticks on Twitter -so they're easy to find. I've established that middle-aged black men are also visible in other industries from Astrophysics (I forgot to add Neil deGrasse Tyson) to those middle-aged black American men whose wealth and/or accomplishments are without peer, period. So we know there's no nefarious plot to keep the "black man down"... but rather there are obstacles they must hurdle such as prejudice and surviving the effects of racism to achieve their goals. So you then transitioned to middle-aged black men are invisible in the literary world, save celebrities. That article you posted is beautifully written and although I've come to a different conclusion, much respect due to the writer. I agree with him on two points, one: "Yet, the trends of big publishing are not responsible for the halting of young black male literary voices." And I agree, no one is replacing literary fiction either - but Hip Hop brought oral storytelling from brink of extinction. Hip Hop is unique to the black community as is gospel singing. Young black men have found their voice in hip hop and they tell the story their way. If you read Lisa Robinson's cover story "The Gospel According to Kendrick" in Vanity Fair-it speaks to the same conclusion the Pulitzer jury came to about Hip Hop as did your writer Kevin Reeves. They, however, acknowledged that Hip Hop storytelling isn't a lesser version of literary fiction - it is literary fiction set to music and they awarded Kendrick Lamar's Damn" a Pulitzer in Music (for storytelling) . So in the same vein we can say that 4:44 by JAY Z is literary fiction with a black middle-aged man as the protagonist. Whew, I'm glad you whittled this "elephant" down to bite-size pieces. Because really, I could have continued to produce examples to the contrary every day. So now that you stated the real challenge, lets go. Note: I'm an avid reader who doesn't fit into your paradigm. So, maybe you shouldn't assume your aforementioned reasoning is why this: hasn't come to fruition. I, for one, simply have no interest in literary fiction and definitely wouldn't read it. I find it's too much like navel-gazing. Now if your middle-aged black man is a protagonist in a suspense thriller then I'm all over it and I have been for years. But then again, I'm into problem-solving. Most of my interaction with vivid, vibrant middle-aged and black men protagonists have come from white-american men writers (dean koontz, stephen king, neil gaiman, greg iles,et al); and from screenwriters. So I guess, I'm attracted to games of strategy and tactics - and I don't care who is telling the story as long as they got game. Which is why your writer provides an interesting discourse because damn, I listen to hip hop/rap all-day every day! Hip Hop represents game of life and street credz... So maybe our literary fiction doesn't look or even read like European literary fiction... Even our YA novels don't look like eurocentric YA novels - Even Kwame Alexander has hit a mark with young readers by giving them books in verse ...Dude is like a rock star with his books - I mean he is literally on tour with a tour bus and everything...AND HE IS A MIDDLE-AGED black man! So maybe that's the answer to the lack of middle-aged black male voices in literature - maybe they must find theirs.

Such as? Describe said "novels" what's the plot? is it "men's fiction" (mainstream) or a literary novel? Aside: So, "Fences" didn't make the cut or none of Walter Mosley's novels?

@Troy you know Mary's been "blond" and "strawberry blonde" since "real love" (1992) right?

I actually mentioned several regular folks but you say they're celebrities and unicorns... lol I dunno @Troy . Now you say the festival was done quite well -- but you complained that there was no literature that reflect black middle-aged black men. I give you "alex cross" but that's not good enough. So I'll go back to my original statement PLEASE ELABORATE on this invisible middle-aged black man and how would you like to see him made visible...

@Troy I can't explain it. Maybe they didn't do their homework. A lot of organizers are out of their depth when it comes to putting these festivals together. I wish folks would hire the professionals to produce these events. Maybe they don't want to spend the money or put in the work. I could have produced a phenomenal event that reflected the theme and audience. For a fee of course. Speaking of black middle-aged men (although he's still a youngin' ) Have you heard of this book? Omar Epps self-published this book through lulu.com "From fatherless to fatherhood" @Cynique , I agree! As much as SH gets on my "stupid nerves" - he's is doing that damn thing... In fact, I wrote a blog post about one of his inspiring words - and I was disgusted with myself for agreeing with him lol! I hollered when I read your comment, thank you! For some reason this particular topic was pulling at my heartstrings and was making me feel bad for reasons I still can't figure out - but when I read this: It brought me back to a reality that I can thrive in... There's much to be said about individual effort - but this is the first time I've ever read/heard anyone acknowledge it publicly when referring to the black "community". In fact, I kept bringing up these "unicorns" as Troy calls them and I didn't even recognize the pattern... Thank You. By the way, @Troy did you know a group of Unicorns is called a "BLESSING"

Thank you, @Troy !!!

@Cynique True but he's been acting the middle-aged black man role since Electric Company Troy, mentioned Steve Harvey early in the conversation and already discounted him. Any black man can achieve the "American dream" that is if he survives the effects of racism. I'm not even going to continue with Troy's black man is invisible BS -because that is pure fallacy. Simply put this is a war created by men and one that's been going on since time immemorial ... but this latest version here in america began when the anglo-saxons and anglo-celtics dragged the africans over here... but black men have found a way - and there's a powerful story here that proves this point. https://longreads.com/2018/02/19/the-making-of-a-black-fortune/ The Making of a Black Fortune America’s first black millionaires were born into slavery — and built wealth alongside political power. Shomari Wills | Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires | Amistad | January 2018 | 6 minutes (1,450 words)

Now I really call BS.... @Troy, you were the first middle-aged black man I mentioned...

@Troy , thank you! My nana and grand aunts used to say that all the time LOL

Just one? Alex Cross.. Is James Patterson's franchise character. Patterson wrote Alex Cross as a black man who is a detective and psychologist. Patterson refused to let Hollywood change anything about him including his color. He's a family man who is close to his mother and children. He's a widower. ANYTHING by Walter Mosley. A quick search returns a barnes and noble listing African-American Men's Experience that has 333 books! Here's a notable that I've been meaning to read: There's August Wilson's Play - Fences whose lead character is named "TROY" AND I can go on for days with film and TV! Let us not forget that since George Burn's passing - God Almighty is played by a black middle-aged man lol - (The Neighborhood) Cedric the Entertainer; (Blackish) Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne , (SUITS) Wendell Pierce - (Law Firm's managing partner and Meghan Markle's dad) Denzel Washington (Equalizer 1-2); (Black Lightning) Cress Williams, school principal (but he's a superhero ); (Love IS) Salim Akil (Greenleaf) Keith David /Gregory Alan Williams <both played flawed men who share the trials of being a black middle-aged man in America. (Luther) Idris Elba)and nope he doesn't look handsome - in fact his demons have gotten the best of him...but he's British. And yes, I started to say some of those men have few white men peers... Now could you imagined if I did some research? Oh! I left out Bernard Tyson Jul 1, 2013– Bernard Tyson is the current CEO of integrated managed care consortium Kaiser Permanente. Troy, I think this is why the society tries to destroy black boys because if they make it past 27 years old...Black men are an indomitable force.

I stated that black men are without peer - not even black women can compete with them. AGAIN, I listed black middle-aged men who are not celebrities but are architects of the national discourse - direct industries, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, energy and the trillion dollar media and entertainment industry. YES...

@Troy , source your posted information. You have a few inaccuracies or fallacies. We are talking about middle-aged black men. Not all black men. How many middle-aged black men are in prison? Also source your information about Oprah that too is inaccurate. No middle-aged black women comes close to having the net worth of the richest middle-aged black man in America. As I mentioned, you stated middle-aged black men - that's what we are referencing anything outside of those parameters makes the conversation moot.

@Troy YOU'd be wrong by the tune of about 1.7 billion dollars... and the fact that she's the only black american woman on the list but there are 2 black American men billionaires listed with a few more black men about a 100-million away from the bn mark proves my point. And again - you mentioned that black men were the most incarcerated but they are not - and again that number doesn't indicate how many middle-aged black men incarcerated - You can research it for yourself the numbers are available - bonus points if you get to break it down by age. And of course I do, I just wrote three posts, the last one listing middle-aged black men who are not celebrities but all have a seat at the table. Middle-aged black men who choose to be visible ARE visible .

@Troy You're kidding me right? The fact, that you started the discussion in a thread about two black men who already have an audience speaks volumes. I may not know of them but they are known - so we've already started the conversation with two middle-aged black men who are VISIBLE. Also, most of those men I mentioned were off the top of my head because they're the newsmakers. Like, I said they are architecture of this country's narrative ... If I weren't busy I could have come up with a lot more black men who are controlling the narrative... You probably wouldn't have a clue to some of the names but those who do deals with them know them well. Maybe you mean they're invisible like a puppetmaster pulling the strings. Further, the men I mentioned are without peer if we're to look to black women... In fact, black women are a consistent democrat voting bloc - but who is in charge of the DNC -? Still I don't want to make this about black women vs black men.. There is no competition. Black women have no voice when it comes to policy or even the national discourse. We don't set the tone... and if we complain, we are shouted down and told our complaining is inappropriate. In fact it was just yesterday that chance the rapper had to speak up for Nicki Minaj because she dared speak about the inequity of billboard voting procedure that made her album come in second to Travis Scott who got an additional boost by his baby-mama Kylie Jenner Black women are probably the most unloved, unsupported, un-partnered women in the First world. You often ask why black women are so fat but once you notice that our feelings of love and reward come to us at the end of a fork - it's really a no-brainer. But back to middle-aged black men - when they show up they get paid 70% of what white men make (down from 80 % in 1979) and that's when they choose to work for someone else. The simple fact is middle-aged black men aren't invisible. They aren't even the most incarcerated 38.7 compared to white men at 58% nor are they at the top of the list of suicide - although they do have a higher rate of homicide by gun -but again the numbers are high for young brothers not middle-aged black men. I'm more inclined to agree with @Cynique because I feel a lot middle-aged black men have settled and choose not to use their privilege ...but invisibility - at least it's a choice for black men. ....Farrakhan, Jay Z, Russell Simmons, 50 cent, Sean P Diddy Combs, Paul Coates, Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates, Kwame Alexander...(<---he has his own imprint Versify with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books) Kenya Barris ($100 Million-dollar deal with Netflix), Al Haymon, Technite L. Londell Mcmillan (Michael Jackson's & Prince's former Entertainment Attorney -owns Source Magazine now ), Technite S, Edmiston (self-described corporate terrorist - bur really captain of industry sitting on several energy boards"), J. D. Terry, PhD ( WiFI expert chipmaker, ioT, ) Armstrong Williams (media and entertainment fat cat -owns several television stations), Al Haymon, Technite C. Ruffin, Pharma D ( Nuclear pharmacist )

@Cynique I hope you have a most awesome New Year!!!

@Cynique , it's because of the high-profile black men that the rhetoric isn't all white nationalism. This is why I mentioned they are the architects of the current narrative... Maybe not the sole voice but that balance, Even if at times it's just to pull the country back from the brink of annihilation ... Late last year, the trumpets accused President Obama of interfering with world affairs when he went on his world tour to speak directly with current world leaders. If he didn't matter they wouldn't have bitched so loud. Reverend Sharpton just went to florida (again) to challenge a "stand your ground" law after a black man was murdered in front of his family - The sheriff refused to arrest the man and told Sharpton to go home - - but now the killer is indicted for manslaughter. EDIT: I forgot about Kenneth Frazier CEO, Merck quitting 45's now defunct business council after the Charlottesville imbroglio ... here's an updated article Naw, these black middle-aged men are hardly invisible but how they choose to use their privilege is what I question.

I made a new post because what you wrote was blasphemy !!!

Founder and Creator of AALBC.com, The oldest website for black literature, @Troy says black middle aged men are invisible? the irony is not lost on me especially since Troy has a wikipedia page - and is noted professional in the Literary field... anyway, in the original thread - I named at least 15 men who are architects of America's current narrative - And I didn't even look seriously at the literary scene. There's no way in hell black middle-aged men are invisible. That is unless they want to be... Robert Smith, Billionaire https://www.forbes.com/profile/robert-smith/#4b12675e61df A former Goldman Sachs investment banker, Smith started private equity firm Vista Equity Partners in 2000. With over $30 billion in assets, Vista is one of the best-performing private equity firms, posting annualized returns of 22% since inception. As a college student, Smith secured an internship at Bell Labs after calling the company every week for five months. An engineer by training, he worked at Kraft Foods and Goodyear Tire before getting his MBA at Columbia University. A Cornell grad, Smith pledged $50 million (personally and through a foundation) to the university in 2016. Regarded by most as the NBA's greatest all-time player, Michael Jordan won six titles with the Chicago Bulls. His total playing salary during his career totaled $90 million, but he has earned another $1.4 billion (pre-tax) from corporate partners. Jordan bought a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets in 2010 for a grossed-up value of $175 million. The Hornets are now worth $1.05 billion with Jordan owning 90% of the team. In addition to Nike, Jordan still has sponsorship deals with Hanes, Gatorade and Upper Deck 15 years after hanging up his hightops. Byron Allen, Founder and CEO of Entertainment Studios - “I’m Not Going to Play Just in the Negro Leagues”