Mel Hopkins

I really like this perspective too! It forces us to all deal with the dynamics of who we are now... while my mtDNA is said to be the same as the present day North Africans ...my paternal lineage, the climate, isolation and a whole host of environmental contributors might make it extremely difficult for me to survive in East Africa today (where my maternal line is said to have its origins.) What is true for me - is true for the rest of the hyphen-Americans . We North Americans are a new breed. And despite the color of our skin we are as unique to the gene pool as was the first ascendant of the woman who left Africa to set up shop in what is now called Europe and Asia. Keep pushing us out of comfort zone @Cynique ... I may not like it but it is so very necessary...

do I have to come over there? (hand on hip; tapping my foot ) I wrote that it IS NOT cool! See below. I, too, have seen the poorest of poor white men and women... I used to do most of my news reporting in Appalachia. In fact when you look at the poverty statistics and do the math - there are more white families in poverty than black families. Our percentages look worse because there are less of us here in America. There more white people living below the poverty line than blacks. Yes! We have to toss this caste system that is presently operating in the U.S. I recently read that money was set up as a means of exchange for goods and value - not something to accumulate and hoard.. Our current social & economic system, however, makes it easy for people to monopolize at the expense of ourselves.

One of my LinkedIn connections posted this washington post article that forced me to turn my attention to black males. As a mother to 3 daughters and me being a woman, I tend not to pay a lot of attention to the state of black boys. It is not my emotional hotspot. I believe if you're a man of any color and can't make in a world set up for men, then too bad. My focus is black women; women and social justice. As you will see in this Department of Labor chart Black women in the labor force black women are at the bottom of the economic totem pole. We are doing better but still not as well as our black brothers and white 'daughters' and our white 'sons' who are soaring in this economy. I put my effort in raising the profile of black women; women and I will join in a fight for social justice. So you can only imagine how this article "America has locked up so many black people it has warped our sense of reality" really got my "panties in a bunch". This article on the research of how mass incarceration benefits the economic numbers by specifically targeting black males shows just how far destroying black boys really goes. It's as if the oligarchs say, "Nothing personal but we need to make sure the United States of America, Inc., looks good on paper. So just like we take money out of circulation to make it more valuable, we also need to take black men out of circulation and off the books." The nefarious plot looks like this: First we'll under fund their primary education and create a school to prison pipeline. The black boys (and an increasing amount of black girls) who survive childhood will go straight to prison. Except there's an anomaly; black females are surviving and while it is nowhere near thriving, somehow, economically, black women are filling the spots vacated by black male incarceration. I don't know about anyone else but I'd rather be an AND not INSTEAD OF in the story. But I digress. Back to the oligarchs who say, "There now "we" have tidy accounting books. The U.S., Inc. has a 4.5 unemployment rate... and we owe to the 1.6 million incarcerated who we wiped off the books."

Note: I agree with what both you and @CDBurns mentioned. I also think it is necessary to play the adversary's advocate in an effort to get beyond own biases.

Let's say for now - with an open mind and no barriers (remember I don't even use facebook - but I'm all for making money lol) it is Either, OR, AND... If www.AALBC.com/tc/blogs is already set up as a RSS feed and HTML5 - and you can launch it through mobile - AND AALBC members already post mini blogs on the AALBC.com blog page; and you, Troy, as the AALBC.com founder and owner already have an account on Facebook load the AALBC.com rss feed to Instant articles with your own AALBC ads, it seems as if you will be opening up another channel for AALBC.com online publishing, AALBC.com readers, AALBC.com authors, and AALBC.com book club members. Further, instead of paying writers - writers have an opportunity to pay you to advertise on the AALBC.com/tc/blogs FB instant articles feed. For example, you run a special a 2-fer at $X per month to advertise an author's book on the AALBC.com/tc/blog & the RSS Feed via FB instant articles... Not only can I advertise my book on AALBC.com, I also get to advertise my book via the AALBC.com/tc/blog feed that I've contributed to, which is distributed through FB Instant Articles too! BAM! From the FB instant articles Q & A... (I don't code nor do I have an app, so I can't speak to this from a technical viewpoint - but here's a clip of the Q & A that goes beyond the video ) Choose From FLEXIBLE MONETIZATIONS OPTIONS Ads within Instant Articles load quickly and fit seamlessly into the reading experience. Publishers choose what monetization option works best with their business! Facebook Audience Network maximizes ad revenue per article with demand from over 2.5 million advertisers globally; Publishers can also directly sell and serve their own display ads and keep 100% of that revenue. Q: What types of articles work best for this format? A: Instant Articles works for any type of article, from daily spot-news coverage to in-depth, long form features. Q: Do publishers need to create original content for Facebook? A: No. Instant Articles provides a faster, Facebook-native way to distribute the content publishers already produce for their own websites. We've made it easy for publishers to publish their full catalog of articles each day directly from their existing *MS through an RSS feed with /TML markup, eliminating the need to author articles in a new location. Q: How much effort is required for publishers to reconfigure their content for Instant Articles? A: It's a straightforward process because Instant Articles uses HTML and RSS, standard ways for authoring articles on the web. After some basic setup, publishers can automate Instant Article production directly from their own content management systems. Facebook provides tools so publishers can preview all the items in their Facebook publishing feed and edit or revise content manually. Publishers who wish to embrace new elements like interactive maps and auto-play videos can use simple, well-documented HTML tags to enhance their content with rich-media features. Q: How quickly are articles published and updated? A: Instant Articles automatically loads new stories from the RSS feed as soon as they are published to the publisher's website and apps. Updates and corrections are also automatically captured via the RSS feed so that breaking news remains up to date.

Originally posted my comment on @Chasitie 's Blog post "Home" Creed's Director Ryan Coogler is hosting an All-Star Benefit #JusticeForFlint at Whiting Auditorium on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. ET. - Coogler says the benefit is aimed at "gifting Flint victims with "a night of entertainment, unity, and emotional healing." The #JusticeForFlint Benefit is organized by Coogler's Blackout for Human Rights activism group http://www.blackoutforhumanrights.com/ Streaming LIVE on February 28, 2016 at 5 PM EST on REVOLT TV https://revolt.tv/

Why should I clarify if you disagree? It is inside job to reconcile any opposing views one may hold. I find when I do; I’m able to see what was hidden in plain sight when I release judgment. For more on the connection between business and artistry, however, check out Adrian Slywotzky, he is the leader in profitability and growth. Slywotzky makes it clear how those who reach the level of artistry are consistently leaders in their field. Even though he's not an African-American writer, I still say he is a must-read for anyone in business. When you mentioned Artistry, I was quickly reminded that it’s a requirement when one is planning profits for a business. As for Beyoncé, in my opinion, one song doesn't make an empire. It is the totality of her work, her decision-making, her song selections, etc., that have created social mini-movements which have made her (literally and figuratively) a leader in her field. Artistry. As for the creation of poem not being a "business" the only thing I have to look up is the definition of "business". When I go Merriam Webster again, #5 indicates a business is a creation/concoction. So unless that poem is committed to the writer's memory -and remains there, at some point there will be a transaction - maybe not a monetary transaction but as soon as it's published it will be disseminated. That is when that little poem rises to the #1 definition Once it does, unless the poet understands her work and her audience, although she may be learned poet she will have a way to go to achieve artistry. So I can see from your perspective too - without Artistry you can have a business; but with Artistry you can be a Business leader.

Me too... When you read the "Art of Profitability" he discusses the Pinnacle of learning is Artistry. - Awareness, Awkwardness, Application, Assimilation, and when you really get it, you have Artistry. Adrian Slywotzky believes that you will never fully profit from your business unless you understand it. In an effort to truly create value and then capture value you have to understand your market. When you don't, you have a difficult time staying in business. Beyonce has taken her brand of performance and turned it into art. Beyonce can dance, sing and she's attractive -BUT there are many on Broadway and in the studios singing backup - who are just like her. However, she's created and captured the value of her offering by simply knowing who she is and who she's selling to and WORLDWIDE, I might add.. As we know art is subjective - not everyone will like your work...many great artists died penniless only to be discovered in another time. Those artists, I say hadn't reached the pinnacle of Artistry. Cynique mentioned that everyone wants to be like Mike - and many will fall short. Her words turned on a light bulb for me. Michael Jordan is another example of Artistry. In any field, there's no separation between business and artistry.

@Cynique, Agreed! What Beyonce has done with her career can be duplicated in any field! She doesn't make her money off just her songs - Forbes breaks it down here perfectly... But it all starts with a platform to launch from.. Thank you for the kudos - Being a mom is my calling - I'm sad I'm an empty-nester but they are happy, kind and productive . So I can't ask for anything more ... Except.... I definitely tell them to study the business model that brings in several revenue streams. I've told them to package their talent and sell that, not their labor if they don't have too. Key insight there regarding what you mentioned about Jay Z , - that is another excellent business skill- selecting strategic partners. Mellody Hobson mentioned the same thing in her Vanity Fair article. You can only get but so far without good partners. It is true she may have only gotten so far with her brand of bubblegum r&b so next step would naturally be to obtain "street cred"... through an established player. These are some of the lessons I missed early on. So I had to step back and really study the women who are where I desire to be. I may not achieve it but I use a lot of what I've gleaned from their business moves to mentor my daughters . I can go on but I already hijacked this thread enough.

Me too. Researchers that I've come across tend to separate gender roles from the biological definition of sex. Further, these psychologists separate gender roles from gender stereotypes and have found the similarities between the genders are greater than the differences. I'm fascinated by this subject especially since I'm a fan of Carl Jung Anima/Animus theory and found much of what Jung wrote represented in my own dreams.

http://www.corporationwiki.com/Texas/Houston/beyonce-inc/35767753.aspx http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2015/05/27/beyonce-net-worth-in-2015-250-million/#166ae3bb7da5 The aforementioned links are just a snapshot of her business acumen. This is groundbreaking enough to inspire me... and every time I speak or think of entrepreneurial activities, marketing, sales and self-made Beyonce is who I look to. I don't know of other black woman with only a high school education who has taken her talent and worked into a solo success . Merriam -Webster : Success 2 b : favorable or desired outcome; also : the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence Beyonce may not play an instrument but she writes much of her music and either has publishing credits or writers credits - and we know this because when she with Destiny's child, the group won two grammys for writing "say my name" - This in my opinion broke the mold of female group exploitation... These young women had ownership of their product... Maybe other young girl groups can claim the same but the groups in my generation usually found themselves broke because they had no writers credit or publishing of their very popular songs.. At a reported $250 million in 2015 - she owns herself. This too is inspiring in the day and age where many of us are drowning in debt... owning nothing but what the bank allows us to share with them... I too came from a middle class background. My parents did their best to keep me at a positive net worth...but today, sometimes, I just wish to get to a net worth of 0 ...So when I look at Baby Girl Bey and see that she took her voice and writing ability and turned it into an empire ... Well, that's nothing but inspirational.

Prepare a book proposal. Make it as comprehensive as possible. Include the first 3 chapters. The goal is to sell the rights to your book to a publisher Research to find which imprint/publishing company publishes books like the one you have in mind Check the publishing company's submission policy. Look for the name of the acquisition editor If there is an open submission policy, submit a query letter /and the book proposal (if the company request it as part of the submission packet) to the acquisition editor. Example Harlequin https://harlequin.submittable.com/submit has open submissions and an editor will actually critique your submission if you follow their guidelines. This is really helpful because you'll learn your proposal's strength and weaknesses - Note this is for novels though but maybe if you have a narrative nonfiction that might work too. DAW inprint of Penguin accepts science fiction unagented manuscripts too http://www.penguin.com/meet/publishers/daw/ again do your research there are plenty publishing houses that will accept unsolicited material - but pay attention to dates and timelines If the publishing company has a closed submission policy; search for a Literary agent who takes on projects like the one you're proposing. (Note: reputable Literary Agents do not charge fees they take a percentage of projects s/he sells after signing you to an agency contract.) Check twitter for @writersdigest There's a lot of information on how to sign with an agent or pitch a company and other publishing/ writers' tips. If you sign with a literary agent develop a working relationship and follow her recommendations to get your book sold. If an acquisition editor decides s/he wants to publish your manuscript...HIRE AN ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY before moving forward. (This is the most important part)

Perfectly Stated! So many writers forget that they have a CORE audience! Everyone isn't going to be interested in your product but there will be a group of folks, such as Beyonce and her BeyHive, who will be about everything you do. It's those readers (market) that you have to find first then make sure whatever you do speaks to them.

Looks like FCC agreed with Bob Johnson " FCC MOVES TO “UNLOCK THE BOX” TO SPUR COMPETITION, CHOICE, & INNOVATION IN SET-TOP BOX AND APP MARKETPLACE Proposal will protect copyright agreements, channel-lineups while giving consumers options"

@Troy Instant Articles on FB might be another way to use the AALBC Member blog - especially for writers who may not have a facebook page - but want to take advantage of those 1.6 billion potential readers... I'm referring to this section from the overview: Integrate with Existing Content Management Systems "Publishers can easily publish their full catalog of articles each day directly from their existing CMS through an RSS feed with HTML5 markup, eliminating the need to author articles in a new location. Instant Articles are published when stories are pushed to the publisher's website and apps. Updates and corrections are also automatically captured so that breaking news remains up to date. "

I'm not sure what to make of this - but is Facebook getting ready to share in the wealth of by hosting Instant Articles from everyone? This blogger says not much information is forthcoming but below is what what I found. https://instantarticles.fb.com/ "On April 12th at Facebook's F8 conference, we will open up the Instant Articles program to all publishers—of any size, anywhere in the world. We invite you to register your interest below."

I so agree! Without mentors you can waste valuable time on trial and error.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/videos/the-black-panthers-vanguard-of-the-revolution/ The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution Full Film is streaming in its entirety until 2/18 (today.) I'm watching it right now and the opening states pretty much what @Cynique mentioned in her comment above.

It may create a fractured search but since @Chasitie has written a children's book - the author will now have to create blog post related to the publication. In fact, all the posts will have to be child-centric, with a spotlight on parenting/teacher type topics; how parents and teachers can work together to bring about the best in their student ; DIY articles that allow parents to help children with homework - blah blah... Chasitie's focus is to sell her book and in doing so it there has to be an effort to bring the market (parents, child caregivers et al) to the author. We do that by creating content that serves the market.

Meanwhile, over at American Broadcasting Company - Black women "stay winning" ( welll maybe not on Once Upon A Time.. ) But.... https://www.yahoo.com/tv/channing-dungey-named-abc-entertainment-president-replacing-paul-192035548.html Ms Channing Dungey is reported to have made so many right moves - She's now in a top position at the network.

Me too... but we made it by using our personal networks. When I wanted to meet someone, or speak with someone I counted on someone in my network to make the connection. Today, I think we're too impatient to bother.

I haven't... ever. The last time I attended a "black fest" I was college-aged...and it was the Greek picnic at Fairmount park in Philly. Since then. I'm more likely to gravitate to "cerebral" conferences w/swag such as the NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists) Aside: Nielsen should definitely do research there. As I mentioned if you find me in a crowd - we are there to expand our minds. As for concerts I like small intimate venues such as the Mayne stage in Chicago, or Chicago Theatre, or here in the ATL at the Atlanta Symphony hall; any type of theatre set up for acoustic music. Speaking of BET's Bob Johnson, looks as if he's trying to disrupt the cable industry with his pitch for Universal Set-Top Box . From a 02/16/2016 Press Release: Statement By Robert L. Johnson In Response To Comments Made By Alfred Liggins And Michael Powell On The Universal Set-Top Box SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "As the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), I know how difficult it was to get distribution over cable. But with the support of the cable industry and the African American community, I and others, turned BET into the success it is today. The universal set-top box, unlike the leased cable box, opens up the unfettered opportunity for hundreds of minority programming aspirants who would like to create content success of their own, similar to what I enjoyed with BET. With all due respect to my good friends Alfred Liggins, Founder and CEO of TV One, and Michael Powell, CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), it is not the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) role or obligation to force Black Americans who have a median net worth of $13,000 to spend an average of $231 a year to lease a cable box so TV One and the cable industry can make billions of dollars off of working class Black Americans, to only have access to four Black-oriented channels out of over 500 choices that principally show network reruns. Furthermore, there is nothing in the FCC's proposed rulemaking that would allow technology companies to infringe on TV One's advertising revenue and relationships. On the other hand, my company, RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE), is well on the way to proving that programmers do not have to be totally dependent on advertising models. RLJE operates two over-the-top (OTT) subscription streaming channels, both of which depend on direct subscriber revenue. Acorn TV, which produces countless hours of original British mysteries and dramas, and UMC - Urban Movie Channel, through its parent company RLJ Entertainment, acquires more minority and independent films than any minority programmer on cable. And by the way, we have licensed content to both TV One and BET. UMC, as a minority targeted program channel, is a perfect example of the opportunity that hundreds of other minority programmers will have when the universal set-top box is implemented and their content is given equal access to the subscriber on any viewing device, particularly the television set. Finally, the FCC should not protect minority incumbents, but should encourage new minority entrants, and that is what the universal set-top box does. Most minority programmers I know, unlike TV One, are not asking the FCC to protect them from competition but are simply seeking an opportunity for a fair chance and a fair shot to have their content seen and their voices heard!"

wow "merciful slave master"...and then he returns to the "cyber plantation" known as facebook. I couldn't in good conscious provide content to facebook for free. I wouldn't continue to provide "eyes" for ads that I wasn't benefiting. Mr. Reed doesn't need the facebook platform - facebook platform needs the likes of Reed.

That's a 4 to 5 hour drive for me or 1 hour flt time and Charlotte is lovely! It seems as though we may be looking at 7 months from now if the organizers remain consistent in scheduling. This would give us ample time to create a format and an agenda. We would also have time to invite participation. More participation means we can sell our books! woo-hoo!

I guess white people death is a hot topic... Someone shared this on article on twitter -- and although it is my conclusion - it seems as though hate and separation kills https://medium.com/@CommonwealthFund/the-untold-story-why-middle-aged-white-people-are-dying-at-higher-rates-fa5b9f76f2f#.xk4n8cyh9