Troy

Stop attributing statements to me that I never wrote and just denied writing; this is the behavior of a troll. So Trump was a poor President thanks Captain Obvious. You act like he was the first president not to care about Back people. You also act as if Trump represents all republicans…

... OK so are you saying you don't hate republicans? You statements sure sends a difference message. Yes, I remember that, your comments posts are troll like. You make unsubstantiated comments and when asked to provide some to support you assertions you fail to do so, saying things like, "I don't have to produce any stats just because you demand them." I did not demand them, I asked. Obviously you don't have to back up anything you write, but don't be annoyed it what you say is challenged. I did not write that. I probably said something like there is no genetic basic for the concept of race. Which means there is no genetic basis for a white or Black race. But white racism is obviously real. This website is a consequence of white racism. Speaking of troll's Stepan this statement is a classic. Tell me what do you think? Do you think there is anything that anyone could write to get Greg to see things differently? In another thread Greg wrote, "Almost 75% of our black children are born out of wedlock to young, low income, unskilled women." This statement is absurd on it's face, but nonetheless I asked him to substantiate it. I already know, like most trolls he'll react the way you did, or at best, cite a bullshit source. Trolls have different motivations. Some troll just for kicks others have more pernicious motives.

Where did you get this statistic?! -- please share the source.

Yes, yellow journalism, if it bleeds it leads, is nothing new. What is new however is the commercialization of the WWW. The WWW put all the problems of the past on steroids and the impact on people is far worse as a result. People are far more scared, depressed, and anxious than is warranted. They are relatively safe — safer than ever, but are more afraid than ever. Even white men are depressed, becoming addicted, committing suicide, stockpiling weapons, and voting for Trump. For money, Modern media is throwing gasoline and fanning the flames on all of society’s fears.

I hear you and this is symptomatic of the state we are in. Facts are argued. We know the employment stats do not count all not working people it was never asserted as such, but it is a metric. Again it is pointless to argue about the number being higher one period compared to the next, what you can debate hire it got that way and what it means. Really?! And how did you acquire that information? I suspect you made it up as it fits into your narrow world view. If you did not make it up, please share a source. Otherwise, I suggest you get out into the world and talk to a variety of different people. Republicans definitely do not hold a monopoly on causing harm to Black people. The fact I even have to say that tells me I’m wasting my time…. Your blind hatred of Republicans is clouding your reasoning.

Given how rare these situations occur I can virtually guarantee that you will not be. Again the way the media plays these events up it hard to believe the events are very rarely occur. You are far more likely to be gunned downed, or treated violently, by someone you actually know than you are to be victimized in a mass shooting.

The former president never got a majority of the popular vote, the the majority of the electors. So maybe a 1/3 of the country would need mental help 😉 You are operating on a false premise. The few here that have openly supported and voted republicans never said they did so because they "they prefer racist and soulless Republican legislators." They all did so because they felt that they would personally benefit. This is the calculus that most people use when deciding who to vote for. I voted for a republican president once. I was working for a defense contractor, back in the 1980s, and everyone voted republication because we knew who would sign the biggest contracts. I was young and relatively naïve back then. Since then I've voted for only democrats and independent candidates. In NYC, I only joined the democratic party because I wanted to vote in the primary and in NYC you have to be registered in the party whose primary you wanted to vote in. Today, I don't vote solely for my own self interest. I'm not above voting republican again if I thought it served the country's best interest. I don't believe all republicans are racist -- even the republican politicians. I also believe we do ourselves a disservice by thinking all democrats are not racist -- especially the politicians. That said, both parties, it can be strongly argued, serve the elites and as we know most of them in this country are white. De facto racism, perhaps, but definitely classism.

The article says New Yorkers are more optimistic that the rest of the country. The article did not make historical comparisons or explain what goes into the calculation.

For real. Jersey City should replace Staten Island as NYC 5th Borough 😉

Well a of of people are doing just that air BNB'ing spare bedrooms or entire apartments (which also puts upward pressure on rents). The are a lot of tiny (<900 sq ft) three bedroom apartments on the market where owners are $3,300/month or more. People are splitting the rent three ways or more with no amenities and you still have to pay utilities and deal with rodents... @Delano I don't know what goes into measuring consumer confidence, but I have to believe it is better now, for NYC, than in 1982. what has been the trend of "index of consumer confidence" for NYC over the past four decades (or even the past few years)?

Predictive text is screwing up my writing. I can't tell you how many times a word I typed was changed or a typo was corrected with a word substituted made no sense -- my typo would have been better left alone. As far as AI, Google's AI is as racially and culturally biased as the kids who created it. As far as predicting thought; why predict thoughts when you can control them? Once you control thought you control actions and that is the end game and they has been a great deal of progress made...

@Stefan you won’t get an argument from me regarding NYC rents. I’ve rented three apartments in the 90’s when things were reasonable and one from 2011 to 2017 — big difference between those decades. In the last apt my rent went from $2,900 to $3,700 and $300 for parking. I was sent an eviction notice and a $150 late fee for being 10 days late! @Delano no i can’t tell where those Chinese people live. I do know many live in Queens which has an even bigger Chinatown. I feel you on the “stability” thing, but unlike murders, that is impossible to quantify. @Pioneer1 so many people smoke weed today it is hard to believe. Weed smokers are as common as beer drinkers if not more so. Especially among millennials. For some it seems debilitating, some seem to really need it, and others seem to handle it — sort of like alcohol… hard alcohol is more physically damaging than weed. Old school heroine users tell me one could function, hold a job, etc. the new stuff is what is turning people out into fiends.

@Pioneer1 why spend hours arguing about something you can just look up? Black unemployment was lower during Trump than Obama? Most Obama supporters would simply argue that it was Obama polices that led to lower unemployment rates.

I left NYC because of both life style and cost. Many people with low rents, folks in the projects for example, are literally trapped — they can’t afford to go anywhere else even if they wanted. Which depresses people. There are still plenty of Chinese people in Chinatown I was there last year for dim sum, but it is probably like Harlem where many white folks are moving in. For example I’ve been in restaurants in Harlem and all the patrons were white. Emerging artists musician poets and others can’t can’t adored to live in the city, so the city has lost a lot culturally. The city however is going down. in my old housing project i saw more drug addicts than i have EVER seen! It was terrible. Yeah if crime reaches the levels of the 1980 the city’s poor will be FAR worse off.

How a person feels is my point. The city is relatively safe, but people feel unsafe. Facts don’t matter when people are manipulated and deceived by the media. why?

What are the other 82% of men doing? There is something missing here. Does this stat include prepubescent black males, the elderly, the infertile, gay men,...? If so maybe 18% is reasonable, what are the figures for other races?

Good question. I would like to live in a house in the woods, with mountains on the horizon, and on a lake. Plenty of distance from my neighbors. The winters and summers months should not be too extreme. It would also need to be no more than 30 miles from a city with a sizeable Black population. I don't know if a place like that exists in the United States.

True? Compared to what, Utopia? I've repeatedly written that NYC is a far safe city now than it was 30 years ago, when it was an objectively a dangerous city. Today, compared to other major metro areas, it is one of the safest. Is NYC crime free? Far from it. Is it, or the country, as dangerous as you might be led to believe by the media? No. There is far more good that takes place in places like NYC, and the country as a whole, than bad, it is just the media does not coverage it nearly as much. I'm actually sorry you think NYC is so dangerous, because you simply will not enjoy it as much. Besides you'd save a ton of money on ammunition if you did not feel it was such a dangerous place. Murders in NYC is now under going a sharp rise, but as you can see it is still far lower than it has been. I do believe crime will continue to increase in places like NYC because people are struggling and that drive crime. In the most recent year, 2021, there were 485 murders an increase over 2020 😞

Man, is Pandini the fastest white girl ever? I think some of the sisters could shave a couple hundred of a second if their hair was less "big." The sprints are one of my favorite events - thanks for sharing @Chevdove and providing a break from all the negative stuff algorithms like to shove in our faces.

Consider that the media hype is actually what makes you think that is more than media hype. This is how our brains work. For example, New York City used to had more than 2,000 murders a year when I was under. In the last decade I doubt they went over 500, but people are under the impression that the city is as dangerous as it has even been when the opposite it true. But when the subway gun man is repeated a bazillion times -- it makes you want to be strapped to ride the subway. Good question. But you must agree buying an AR-14 is not the answer either. True, and not profits are up for gun manufactures every time there is a "mass" shooting.

Me too, but people are buying them. Can you think of any good reasons why people are buying these weapons. Yeah the media sensationalized every bad thing. Man every time the media makes national news about a storm in Florida I get a text message from a well meaning friends and relatives asking how I'm doing -- even if the weather event if 100's of miles way from me.

Interesting statement. Are you suggesting that Black people should go out and kill the same number of white people that were killed in Buffalo, NY, for example? How do you suggest the white people to be murdered be selected -- randomly? How do you determine who is doing to do the revenge killing? Those question were rhetorical, because I think that is a very bad idea. There are far better ways to use strong Black men having them engage in activities that will put them in prison or the cemetery. That said, if someone decided to exact revenge on a George Zimmerman who clearly executed a young Black man for no good reason, I would not lose any sleep over it.

@Delano, yeah I did not understand the motivation behind @Stefan, but I chalked it up to being away for a couple of weeks an figured I missed something. I actually thought the "If it bleeds it leads" came from the newspaper industry. In any event, it clearly applied to all media today, hence the outsized attention and coverage of mass shootings. There was a shooing in Philly recently and I heard at least one outlet describe it as a "mass-shooting." In the old days I would not have even learned about this local Philly news story, but today it makes national news as yet another mass shooting motivating me to go buy an AR-15 to protect my family 😉

The Enneagram is an ancient system of human development that shows us the limiting stories that keep us stuck in unhelpful patterns and invites us into more expansive stories. For too long, conversations about the Enneagram and its personality types have been centered on and by whiteness. In The Enneagram for Black Liberation, certified Enneagram teacher and trained psychotherapist Chichi Agorom reclaims the Enneagram as a powerful tool for Black women to rediscover our wholeness and worth that existed long before systems of supremacy told us we weren't enough. Buy Now ▶ The Future of Book Publishing from the WSJ’s Future of Everything Festival Publishing experts, including AALBC’s Troy Johnson, discuss where the industry goes next, from the role of data to the future of physical shops in an e-commerce age. More ▶. Bestselling Books: Reported by Afrikan World Books Afrikan World Books Afrikan World Books distributes Black books around the world. As a result, they have an excellent understanding of the books that are selling well in the Black community. Many of these popular, and important, books will not be found on the lists created by the New Times Lists. Here, Afrikan World Books shares some of their most popular titles with us: The Black Agenda by Glen Ford In this stunning overview, Ford draws on his work for the Black Agenda Report, one of the most incisive and perceptive publications of the progressive left, to examine the often-competing struggles for class power and identity in the Black movement. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times bestseller. The Panthers Can't Save Us Now: Debating Left Politics and Black Lives Matter by Cedric Johnson Writing against the grain of popular left sentiments, Johnson cautions against a new ethnic politics. Instead, he calls for broad-based left politics as the only viable means for ending the twin crises of racial inequality and police violence. Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women by Iyanla Vanzant The revised and expanded 20th-anniversary edition of Iyanla Vanzant’s first published work offers a powerful path to self-empowerment through the revitalization of one’s spiritual and ancestral roots. Recitatif: A Story by Toni Morrison In this 1983 short story—the only short story Morrison ever wrote—we meet Twyla and Roberta. Twyla’s and Roberta’s races remain ambiguous throughout the story. Morrison herself described Recitatif, is a story that will keep readers thinking and discussing for years to come African Empires in Ancient America by Clyde Winters In this book, you will discover that Africans have a long tradition of sea exploration and founded many of the major American civilizations. Dr. Clyde Winters gives a detailed account of the Malian colonies established by these West Africans in North America and Brazil. AALBC Book Reviews The Black Agenda by Glen Ford Who was Glen Ford? If you ask that question of some of the best critical thinkers in the Black community, they would say Ford was one of the most capable’ take-no-prisoners’ political commentators of the last century. “Glen Ford was the most brilliant, courageous, and consistent writer and journalist in the Black radical and independent tradition of his generation,” activist Cornel West wrote. A socialist, Vietnam veteran, former Black Panther Party member, and a Washington political observer for much of his career, Ford co-founded The Black Agenda, with Bruce Dixon and Margaret Kimberley. He also co-launched, produced, and hosted the first nationally syndicated Black news interview program on commercial television, Arica’s Black Forum in 1977. More ▶; Sorry You’re Having A Bad Night by E.K. Robertson From its prologue to its epilogue, E. K. Robertson’s Sorry You’re Having A Bad Night delivers on the hallmarks of a good contemporary mystery, including plots ripped from the headlines, well-woven intrigue, twists and turns, tangled webs of he said/she said/he did/she did, and good descriptive details and pacing. The prologue introduces readers to an as-yet-unnamed radio host and investigative journalist on the brink of premiering her brainchild podcast, with “Twenty-seven colorful and controversial episodes of a story only she could tell,” one “that would set the [Black entertainment] industry ablaze.” More ▶ Oprah’s Book Club Selects Nightcrawling as Their Next Read Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley “It brings me great joy to introduce readers to new authors, and this young poet Leila Mottley wrote a soul-searching portrait of survival and hope,” said Oprah Winfrey. “I was absolutely floored when Ms. Winfrey popped up in what I thought was going to be a regular meeting,” said Leila Mottley. “It was the surprise of a lifetime! I am beyond grateful to be able to share my debut novel with the passionate readers of Oprah’s Book Club.” More ▶ 43 Books Published by Black Writers in the Past 60 Days Now Lila Knows by Elizabeth Nunez Akashic Books, a leading independent publisher of books by Black writers, bring us Now Lila Knows the latest novel by the critically acclaimed author Elizabeth Nunez. “Nunez has always had the power to get to the essence of what makes human beings take right and wrong turns.” —Edward P. Jones, author of The Known World Now Lila Knows is a gripping story that explores our obligation to act when confronted with the unfair treatment of fellow human beings. A page-turner with universal resonance, this novel will leave readers rethinking the meaning of love and empathy. Remember Tulsa, 1921 Magic City by Jewell Parker Rhodes “A compelling page-turner that will keep readers hoping against hope that everything will somehow, magically, turn out for the best.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution With a new afterword from the author reflecting on the 100th anniversary of one of the most heinous tragedies in American history—the 1921 burning of Greenwood, an affluent black section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as the “Negro Wall Street”—Jewell Parker Rhodes’ powerful and unforgettable novel of racism, vigilantism, and injustice, weaves history, mysticism, and murder into a harrowing tale of dreams and violence gone awry. Dear Reader, During the next few months, we will be upgrading the AALBC website — AALBC 3.0! We are aiming to enhance the look and feel of the site to help visitors appreciate the tremendous repository of information about Black books AALBC provides. I’d love to reduce or eliminate our dependency on Google ads which have become increasingly intrusive in recent years, worsening the experience on our website. Troy this is why your support is crucial to helping us improve the reading experience on AALBC..com. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, social sharing, advertisements, and feedback help support AALBC’s mission of celebrating Black culture through books. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by Broadleaf Books. Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – June 9, 2022 - Issue #360

Discover more about Juneteenth, the important holiday that celebrates the end of chattel slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, a group of enslaved men, women, and children in Texas gathered around a Union solder and listened as he read the most remarkable words they would ever hear. They were no longer enslaved: they were free. The inhumane practice of forced labor with no pay was now illegal in all of the United States. This news was cause for celebration, so the group of people jumped in excitement, danced, and wept tears of joy. They did not know it at the time, but their joyous celebration of freedom would become a holiday–Juneteenth–that is observed each year by more and more Americans. Author Kirsti Jewel shares stories from Juneteenth celebrations, both past and present, and chronicles the history that led to the creation of this joyous day. With 80 black-and-white illustrations and an engaging 16-page photo insert, readers will be excited to read this latest addition to Who HQ! Only $5.99! Buy Now ▶ AALBC Bestselling Books March/April 2022 Fiction: Fiction was our top-selling genre this period, with the Fall/Winter 20221 issue of the Killens Review of Arts & Letters (magazine) and Ladee Hubbard’s The Last Suspicious Holdout being the #1 and #2 bestsellers across all genres. Urban fiction titles experienced stronger sales this period. Nonfiction: The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Caste by Isabel have both made AALBC’s bestsellers list 5 times or more. Children’s Books: Sales were led by Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams. Nkechi Taifa has three books on the list this period helping to make her a Top 100 AALBC Bestselling Author. Check Out the Complete List of Bestselling Books ▶ 2022 Pulitzer Prize Winning Books Since 1917 the Pulitzer Prize has honored excellence in journalism and the arts. The first award was presented in 1918. The Prize recognizes American authors in six “Letters and Drama” categories; Biography/Autobiography, Fiction, General Non-Fiction, History, Poetry, and Drama (technically not a book award, but plays are all available as books and have been included here). The first African-American writer to win a Pulitzer Prize in the “Letters and Drama” categories was Gwendolyn Brooks who received the award for poetry for her collection Annie Allen in 1950. This year, Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South by Winfred Rembert with Erin I. Kelly wins the Pulitzer for Biography. Palmares by Gayl Jones was a finalist in the fiction category and Refractive Africa by Will Alexander was a finalist for poetry. AALBC Book Reviews Duende: Poems, 1966—Now by Quincy Troupe A marvelous collection of poetry bridging from the Black Arts Movement to current times. Many readers will shy away from the sheer bulk of this treasure trove of poems, totaling 656 pages of unvarnished common sense and truth. However, it’s worthy of your purchase. Back in the day, poetry was used to tell stories of life and death, joy and sadness, love and disappointment, while celebrating the mythic figures of sports, culture, and politics. Quincy Troupe’s work contains all of the classic poems’ ingredients, designed to bewitch and cast a spell on the reader. This is truly impressive work. More ▶ Blend In or Fade Out by Colnese M. Hendon The main theme of identity takes center stage in Colnese M. Herndon’s emotional riveting memoir, Blend In Or Fade Out, as the writer investigates her confusing blood ties. She asks: Who am I? Whereas this book is filled with disappointing mishaps and heartbreaking tragedies, the reader is treated with determination, perseverance, and courage worthy of a mythic heroine. It is not surprising that hard-luck Herndon comes out triumphant when she is awarded a 2009 fellowship of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, wins three times the Hurston-Wright Foundation (2014, 2015, and 2018), scores in the 2017 VONA Voices and the 2019 Bread Load Writer’s Conference, and the 2019 Write of Your Life writer’s workshop in Venice, Italy More ▶ The Pursuit of Porsha: How My Journey to Happiness Can Help You Find Yours by Porsha Williams Celebrity is not an easy game. For many people, it is so fleeting, so difficult to sustain, and so easy to sabotage. Many readers of this book will see this as a cautionary tale and others will gobble this quest for notoriety as a career guidepost. Take The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Williams sees it as an opportunity to as a way to promote her family’s various charities and showcase her fashionable Black marriage, while putting out a positive image on the show. A Black power couple. Kordell and Porsha. In no time, she becomes the star and he’s just Porsha’s hubby. Bad for most men, that situation can undercut many loving relationships. She had no idea what she was doing when she invited cameras into their home. More ▶ Free Book: A Great Moral and Social Force A Great Moral and Social Force: A History of Black Banks by Tim Todd Many Americans are unaware of the history and challenges Black banks in the South and Midwest faced during the late 19th and 20th centuries. In the Kansas City Fed’s new book, A Great Moral and Social Force: America’s First Black Banks, Tim Todd focuses on the stories of Black banks in five cities: Richmond, Va.; Boley, Okla.; Chicago, Ill.; Memphis, Tenn; and Detroit, Mich. These cities were shining examples of Black wealth and success, and the book explores factors that contributed to the demise of Black banks at the peak of their success. Todd also provides historical context and analysis about why the dismantling of Black banks has played a central role in the hurdles many Black People face today regarding financial security and amassing generational wealth. Printed and electronic copies of the book are being provided to the public for free! Get your copy now ▶ Troy Johnson to Appear on Black Authors Matter TV Black Authors Matter TV (BAM TV) is a weekly, live-streamed program where authors (new and old), publishers, bookstore owners, book club facilitators, book marketers, and other movers and shakers in the African-American literature arena are interviewed. BAM TV is live-streamed every Tuesday on the National Black Book Festival's Facebook page from 7 to 9 pm CST. You can also listen via your favorite podcast platform or watch on Youtube. U.S. Book Show — May 23 through May 26, 2022 — Presented by Publishers Weekly, the U.S. Book Show is a three-day virtual conference conceived during the height of the pandemic in 2021 to serve the bookselling, library, media, and book publishing industry. This major event is presented by the most prominent voice in the book industry, Publishers Weekly. The event is for anyone connected with the book industry, booksellers, librarians, book media, authors, editors, book influencers, and others. Booksellers and librarians are invited to attend the virtual trade show for free! Register Dear Troy, During the next few months, we will be upgrading the AALBC website — AALBC 3.0! We are aiming to enhance the look and feel of the site to help visitors appreciate the tremendous repository of information about Black books AALBC provides. I’d love to reduce or eliminate our dependency on Google ads which have become increasingly intrusive in recent years, worsening the experience on our website. Troy this is why your support is crucial to helping us improve the reading experience on AALBC..com. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, social sharing, advertisements, and feedback help support AALBC’s mission of celebrating Black culture through books. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by Viking Books for Young Readers. Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – May 19, 2022 - Issue #359