Troy

The spirit of Marcus Garvey is alive and well. You just ain't gonna realize it on TicTok or the 'Gram.

Ta-Nehisi Coates (the son of W. Paul Coates of Black Classic Press) will join us Sunday, February 6, on our Zoom call with commentary on Marcus Garvey.

Sure if that is there only news source. Perhaps, but based upon the sources you cite most frequently the Daily Mail is a primary source for you. The problem however is that the Daily Mail has a bad reputation why use it as a source at all? Censorship of social media would not be necessary if so many people did not use it as their primary sources of information. Our course Facebook in an effort to make more money controls what you see, so two different people can visit the platform and come away with two different versions of reality. When those realities are clearly false like Pizza-gate, the dangers of global warning, or Covid-19 then we have a serious problem. I don't believe in censorship, but modern technology has created a modern day version of yelling "fire" in a crowed theater. We can't stand around an make believe this is not a problem.

Here are a few quotes from Garvey's First Message to the Negroes of the World from Atlanta Prison (Look for me in the Whirlwind) The idiots thought that they could humiliate me personally, but in that they are mistaken. The minutes of suffering are counted, and when God and Africa comeback and measure out retribution these minutes may multiply by thousands for the sinners. Our Arab and Riffian friends will be ever vigilant, as the rest of Africa and ourselves shall be. Be assured that I planted well the seed of Negro or black nationalism which cannot be destroyed even by the foul play that has been meted out to me. My work is just begun, and when the history of my suffering is complete, then future generations of Negroes will have in their hands the guide by which they shall know the "sins" of the twentieth century. I, and I know you, too, believe in time, and we shall wait patiently for two hundred years, if need be to face our enemies through our posterity. If I die in Atlanta my work shall then only begin, but I shall live, in the physical or spiritual to see the day of Africa's glory. When I am dead wrap the mantle of the Red, Black and Green around me, for in the new life I shall rise with God's grace and blessing to lead the millions up the heights of triumph with the colors that you well know. Look for me in the whirlwind or the storm, look for me all around you, for, with God's grace, I shall come and bring with me countless millions of black slaves who have died in America and the West Indies and the millions in Africa to aid you in the fight for Liberty, Freedom and Life. source: https://www.unia-acl.org

In all seriousness Mzuri (anyone), if you are getting all of your news from a single source you are being indoctrinated or lied to

She would be a member of a large crowd of people. Again, I could care less if he is racist or not. When one's behavior is indistinguishable from a racist -- it make little difference. I did not mean to imply that you idolized Obama. All I was trying to say is that people Idolize Trump just as much as they Idolize Obama. Either is extreme of worship is indicative of a problem. Trump sent me a couple of checks, Obama bailed out the wealthy bankers 🤪 At the end of the day, Obama was a far more respectable president than Trump. Sure you can, most things are nearly as black and white as people make them out to be.

If I commented every time you cited the daily mail that would be all I would have time to post.

I thought you wanted me to stay out of your disputes? The issue I have with your frequent use of the Daily mail is one I've raised before. Sources matter.

Yeah like Twitter or Instagram. I was unaware, until now, of your attempt to rally folks to participate here. While people freely create accounts on social media. They are curiously reluctant to do the same on Black sites. Even when people buy books from this site the vast majority do not create accounts or save their most basic personal information. Of course these same peoples give Amazon all their information. This puts Black sites at a disadvantage to corporate sites (read: white sites). I don't know a way around this. If I let people posts as quests this site would be over run with spam.

Name calling does not strengthen your argument any more than citing the Daily Mail or Wikipedia.

Extreme hatred of Trump and Over-the-top love of Obama never made sense to me, and are perhaps equally psychotic They are both flawed people ... like the rest of us. Trump has plenty of people from Jim Born to Kayne West in his white house. Even Amarosa is part of his team . He also commuted the sentences of plenty of Black people. Racism is a tool Trump will wield when it serves him ... which I guess make one racist. I find Obama's refusal to exonerate Marcus Garvey curious.

They have the power, they just are unwilling to use it. That would require self-sacrifice which few of us have the stomach for nowadays. The tabloid is well known for no being too concerned with facts, like Fox News. Don't take it personally it is just the demonstrable truth -- not even worth debating. Whoopie's (her name is apropos I see) suspension is of zero interest to me. They can cancel the entire show for all I care. A two week suspension seems more like a publicity stunt to draw attention to the show.

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I'll keep you posted on our progress. If you sign the petition please let me know by replying to this comment. In the spirit our forums, if you choose not to sign the petition please share why; it will be interesting to read your perspective.

Justice4Garvey campaign partners with members of the Black Book Ecosystem to petition a presidential pardon for Marcus Garvey Black booksellers, publishers, and distributors throughout the U.S. have partnered with the Justice4Garvey campaign to petition President Joe Biden to grant a posthumous pardon to civil rights leader Marcus Garvey. The goal of the campaign is to gather the required 100,000 signatures necessary to elicit a response from the President. The signatures must be collected within a stipulated 30-day period, from February 1, 2022 to March 2, 2022. On Sunday, February 6th, 2022 at 6:00 PM (EST), a special virtual town hall for the public is scheduled and will include presentations from Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the Hon. Marcus Garvey, and several other leaders to inform and encourage the community-at-large to sign the global petition. Register to participate here. Signing the Petition is Easy: 1. Visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. 2. Under MESSAGE TYPE select “Contact the President.” 3. Enter your contact information. 4. Under WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY? type, “Exonerate Marcus Garvey.” 5. Hit the Send button. Sign the Petition Now Additional Marcus Garvey Resources ▪ The Political Prosecution of Marcus Garvey ▪ “Tribute to Marcus Mosiah Garvey” by Runoko Rashidi ▪ Books, by or About, Marcus Garvey for Sale on AALBC.com Our Official Statement We, the undersigned Black Booksellers and Publishers belong to a long tradition of providing essential and corrective information to our community. Marcus Garvey, who was wrongly convicted and punished almost one hundred years ago is a foundational part of our tradition. On February 1, 2022, a global Justice 4 Garvey effort begins which calls for the posthumous pardon of Marcus Garvey. We fully support this effort and are committed to using our platforms and our networks to secure the 100,000 signatures required for the petition’s success. We call on everyone, but especially Black booksellers and publishers to join with us by encouraging people within your network to sign the Justice 4 Garvey petition when it begins circulating on the first day of Black History Month. Additionally, we ask that you create and sponsor activities and events during February to heighten awareness of the sacrifice, and achievements of Marcus Garvey and all those ancestors who stood for our freedom. ▪ Troy Johnson, AALBC.com ▪ Kassahun Checole, Africa World Press ▪ Nati Kamau-Nataki, Afrikan World Books ▪ Nzingha Nommo, Afriware Books & Co. ▪ W. Paul Coates, Black Classic Press ▪ Saleem Hassan, Books by Saleem ▪ Vera Warren Williams, Community Book Center ▪ Verlean Singletary, Da Book Joint ▪ Desmond Reid, Dare Books ▪ David Miller, Dare To Be King Publications ▪ James Fugate and Tom Hamilton, Eso Won Books ▪ Sekou, Frontline Books & Kultural Emporium ▪ Jeannine Cook, Harriett's Bookshop ▪ Jamilah Horton, House Of Pages Bookstore ▪ Tony Browder, IKG Publishing ▪ Wade and Cheryl Hudson, Just Us Books ▪ Hanna Oliver Depp, Loyalty Books ▪ Luther Warner, Lushena Books ▪ Derrick and Ramunda Young, Mahogany Books ▪ Blanche Richardson, Marcus Books ▪ Nia Damali, Medu Bookstore ▪ Delores Williams, People Get Ready Bookstore ▪ Shirikiana Gerima, Sankofa Video Books & Café ▪ Patrick Oliver, Say it Loud! Publications ▪ D. L. Mullen, Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery ▪ Donna and Donya Craddock, The Dock Bookshop ▪ Haki Madhubuti, Third World Press ▪ Uuka Elegba, Umoja Books and Products ▪ Kenneth and Sharon Holley, Zawadi Books #ExonerateGarvey / #30Days4Garvey Dear Reader, Thanks in advance for signing the petition. I have always been impressed and inspired by Garvey. The Black Stars (★) you’ll find in my newsletter and throughout AALBC.com are placed in homage to Garvey. It is also in his spirit that I run AALBC.com: “Up! You mighty race, you can accomplish what you will.” Always remember Troy, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements help support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by sponsored by the Black Book Ecosystem Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – February 1, 2022 - Issue #349

Not all landlords are greedy some are just regular people who hold mortgages -- that must be paid -- on properties they are renting out. That said NYC has set themselves up for this they provided tax inceptives to wealthy people to by property for investment purposes -- These properties are kept off the market and never lived in. The amount of affordable housing created is shameful given the number of people requiring it. If you are evicted or even get a notice, good luck finding an apartment again. Corporate management companies will file paperwork and send you an eviction notice if you are a week late on your rent -- even if you pay before your court date! You don't want to get evicted in NYC I was both a home owner and renter in NYC. May last apartment's rent was $2,900 a month and my rent went up $100 a year like clock work. When I left the new lease was $3,700 a month not including utilities! As a home owner it cost me almost $86K to move into my house. Both of these properties were in Harlem. New York City's housing is insane and honestly it was the primary reason I left.

@Mzuri Why do you always site The Daily Mail as a source? Surely you must realize they are an unreliable source for news and information. Even Wikipedia does not allow they to be cites as a source, because of lack fact checking and out right making shit up. Using The Daily Mail to support your argument actually weakens it. One of the great weakens of the WWW is that one can easily find something to support any hairbrained idea out there. It has also become increasingly difficult to sort out what is true from what is bull -- especially when human nature biases us to believe what comports to our world view regardless of the quality of the source and reject everything else.

You can appreciate the criteria for identifying the that "top person" is subjective. A diverse court is a criteria that should be applied as well. For FAR to long the "top" candidate has been white men. Do you believe in the history of the court no Black woman has ever been qualified. But to your point, we don't want to appoint an unqualified Black woman just to get a Black woman in there, and no one is suggesting that we do that. Assuming we survive long enough, the world will become colorblind. It just will not happen in anyone's lifetime who is alive now.

On Tuesday February 1st you can begin signing the petition to have Garvey exonerated:

Justice4Garvey Campaign Partners with Black booksellers, Publishers and Distributors to Petition a Presidential Pardon for Marcus Garvey CONTACT: Keilia Phillips now@justice4garvey.org, 202-349-1498 Kellie Didigu, media@mahoganybooks.com (Washington, D.C.) January 28, 2022 Black booksellers, publishers, and distributors throughout the U.S. have partnered with the Justice4Garvey campaign to petition President Joe Biden to grant a posthumous pardon to civil rights leader Marcus Garvey. The goal of the campaign is to gather the required 100,000 signatures necessary to elicit a response from the President. The signatures must be collected within a stipulated 30-day period, from February 1, 2022 to March 2, 2022. The campaign is focused on raising public awareness and collecting signatures during Black History month. To sign the petition and receive updates, visit http://justice4garvey.org/sign-the-petition This effort of Black booksellers, publishers and distributors is co-led by MahoganyBooks, The Dock Bookshop, Black Classic Press, AALBC.com, and Africa World Press. The group issued the following statement: “We are asking President Biden to make amends for the 1923 unjust persecution and imprisonment of the Honorable Marcus Garvey. Garvey’s conviction took place in a trial replete with bias and error, including insufficient evidence, perjury by a witness at the initiation of the U.S. government, and his proceeding as a criminal defendant without the benefit of a lawyer. We believe that a presidential pardon will acknowledge, and begin to right, the wrong committed against Marcus Garvey, and by extension, the global community of Black people. We are calling on global citizens who believe in restorative justice to sign the petition for a presidential pardon for Marcus Garvey, starting on February 1, 2022. We also encourage you to share the petition with your family, friends, and your social and professional networks throughout Black History Month.” Dr. Julius Garvey, Marcus Garvey’s son, stated in response that “Black booksellers and publishers are the keepers of our history and our stories. This group is helping ensure that my father’s life and legacy is honored and told truthfully. I applaud these Black booksellers and publishers from around the country working to raise the visibility of the Justice 4 Garvey campaign and collecting petition signatures to help clear his name.” On Sunday, February 6th, 2022 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time, a special Town Hall for the public is scheduled and will include presentations from Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the Hon. Marcus Garvey, and several other leaders in an effort to inform and encourage the community at-large to sign the global petition. Register to attend the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdu6prjMrG9fIFbIO1_fu_mA7do4RSSK3 About Justice 4 Garvey: Spearheaded by the Caribbean-American Political Action Committee, Justice 4Garvey aims to exonerate Marcus Garvey, civil rights and anti-colonial leader. In May 1923, Garvey was unjustly convicted of mail fraud in relation to the operation of his signature program for Black economic independence, The Black Star Line. His movement, which espoused Black pride and Black self-reliance, economic independence, and Black unity, garnered unprecedented support around the world. The exoneration committee is led by Global Chair, Dr. Goulda Downer; and Global Vice-Chairs, Dr. Ayize Sabater, Dr. Elaine Knight, Dr. Felicia Boadoo-Adada, Ms. Madia Logan and Mr. James Gordon.

It is the American way. But I do not believe it is inherent to the human condition, nor is consumerism. We have been conditioned to behave this way and no one is being served... Think about; it our entire society is based upon buying more and more stuff -- in fact our system would collapse if we stopped by more things than we actually needed. It is why we are in a society where paying $70MM for a jpeg file can be construed to "make sense."

True and this is what keeps us apart. But this is not unique to Black people -- most people in America are out for themselves. Sadly, this is true as well, but we have to get ourselves together before we can start thinking globally. Think about how easy Jack Dorsey (Twitter) got Black people to embrace his platform and ignore all the Black ones out there... Black success is defined by white validation. Few people will tout being, say an AALBC bestselling author. No, they lament the fact that the can not become a NY Times Bestselling author. Amazon brilliantly exploited this by creating thousands of categories in which one could be a bestselling authors -- and we work hard to generate the the sales to become the #1 Amazon bestselling author in say the "Non-Binary Underwater Basket Weaving" category. Again this is not unique to Black folks white folks game the Amazon bestsellers list for the same reason. The difference is when white folks do it they are largely supporting their own -- when we do it we support their businesses and marginalize Black ones...

I'm taking a meeting next week with a Black owned NFT marketplace, considering offering Literary NFT's, presumably book covers, text, audio, etext, or unique author contributions. For the life of me I can not think of a business model that make sense. In other words why would someone by, say, an image from a book like the one Daniellegfny just shared? Is it purely an investment in what one believes is an appreciable asset? It is because you are granting a license to someone else to use the image? It is because someone likes it so much that they plan to display it in their home and boast the they own the original asset? I can see a case potentially for #2. What stops someone else from selling the identical digital asset? @daniellegfny I was going to bid $5 for your art just to get the ball rolling, but Open Sea does not appear to support cold storage wallets (I have Trezor) and I don't feel like creating a wallet on the web. All I'm doing now is simply holding Bitcoin and Ethereum cyrpto in hopes it appreciates over the years Daniellegtny What are the transactions costs associated with creating and selling the NFT you posted on open Sea? The are a whole variety of issues with the entire business model. Meta and all the other social media platforms getting into the business -- doing exactly what Open Sea is doing when make me reluctant to enter the space, since everyone will flock to Meta's platform. Perhaps my biggest concern is I simply don't understand way anyone would pay almost $70MM a digital art -- when nothing else stops anyone else from using it. To me this is just another example of our wealth inequality: one in which working people are homeless and others have $70 mil to spend on a jpeg. Does anyone truly believe this (below) will resell for more in the future or is "worth" the price paid? But if you are a multi-billionaire, what is $70,000,000?