Troy

Yeah, there is a word for that -- hypocrite. They recognized oppression when it suited them as in when they are victims of it. Immediately after forming this nation our founding fathers, and their spawn, embarked on a imperialist rampage that put Great Britain to shame.

NYC has priced artists out. Rents are property values are too high to permit a bookstore to open without it being subsidized somehow. The famed 125th street has the same stores as a suburban strip mall except it is nosier, more crowded, provides poorer service, and is dirtier. The Lenox Lounge to close. After I sold my Brownstone and Brought the place in Florida, I rented an apartment with ex for 7 years. When we moved in the rent was $2,900 for a three bedroom, doorman building, with a patio, 1/2 a block from Central Park. When we moved out the rent was $3,700. It went up $100 a year, every year! And you better not be a minute late or there would be a note on your door threatening eviction. It gave me a completely new perspective on what renters, in NYC go through. I also completely understand why people stay in substandard public housing for generations -- the options are far worse. By the way $3,700 is pretty cheap for NYC for a 3 bedroom apartment. My place was in Spanish Harlem between a public Housing complex and the apartment build where one of the Central Park Five lived. It was the same neighborhood I grew up in -- straight up ghetto. It is gentrifying now and the realtors have dubbed community SoHa (South Harlem). A lot of the apartment in NYC are unoccupied basically investments for the super wealthy. Meanwhile people are sleeping on the subway trains. I got on a subway train during the wee hours during a visit just prior to the pandemic and it was like a flop house -- unbelievable! During the pandemic, upper middle class people are leaving densely populated urban centers, this will probably put downward pressure on property values. Crime in these locations is beginning to escalate. Throw in economic downturn caused by the pandemic, calls to defund the police Black Lives Matter unrest and things do not bode well, for poor and lower middle class people in places NYC.

FAS again I'm familiar with the Black seminoles. Indeed I live in Florida it is not a secret. What I was unfamiliar with was the Maroon community in the Great Dismal Swamp discussed in the article shared. You rejected the article for no apparent reason and keep bringing up Florida Semolies. You suggested the their were scores of books on the subject, but you only produced a 150 year old novel, which I will add to the site. Still nothing you shared would substantiate calling the article "ridiculous."

In Florida ex-felons were permanently stripped of their right to vote. We all voted to eliminate this form is disenfranchisement. Then white guys flipped the script requiring the newly renenfranchised, former felons, to pay full restitution for costs associated with their convictions. Those most effected would be people who would vote to prevent these evil legislators from being elected. Of course the Constitution was written to advance the interests of rich white men. What else us new Sherlock? 😀

Yeah I experienced the surge too. New antiracist book buyer were added to my mailing list, some have bevome repeat customers. The work "moment" was a good word choice.

Sure I'm familiar with her work: https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Suzan-Lori+Parks You miss NYC, Huh?

I got the following text today "Hi, Troy, it's Maria with MoveOn. We have the next seven weeks to finally send the Donald Trump presidency to its rightful place: the ash heap of history! Get your FREE limited-edition 2020 Blue Wave sticker [link removed]." I don't know "Maria" or hiw she got my number, but I've been getting variations of the message for a while. I block all the messages as I never signed up for text messages.... None of the messages explain why I should vote for Biden. I'd preffer some good reasons to go out my way to vote for Biden. Trump will win with this strategy, because people who are not hyoed on Biden are not gonna shelp out to some polling, place during a pandemic, to wait in line to vote "against" Trump. People wsnt to vote FOR something. I see why people like @Pioneer1 don't vote. @Delano you may as well get my $50 together.

I guess it depends upon your definition of freedom. I think, in the context of living in a society with others, it means doing anything you want that does not prevent someone else from doing the same. Standards are distinct from rules. If you think for a second you'll figure out why. Why do you feel this statement makes Del dangerous?

ROTFLMBAF! I heard of Chief Osceola, but never thought if him or any of the Blacks who integrated with Seminole Indians, perhaps they were. I never thiugh of them as such or heard them described that way. FAS, would you share the best 2 or 3 books about the Maroons in the Dreat Dismal Swamp? I'll share them on the website -- thanks!

Hummingbird Digital Media, an audiobook and e-book provider, has been acquired by 360 Media Direct, a growing marketing and customer acquisition agency in the print and digital media sectors. Hummingbird co-founder Josh Mettee has joined the 360 Media Direct team as executive vice president of Hummingbird Digital Media. The American Booksellers Association partnered with Hummingbird in 2018 for e-book sales. Established in 2014, Hummingbird offers a free, turnkey e-book and audiobook retailing platform that allows bookstores, publishers, media, nonprofits, and bloggers to have their own branded and customizable storefront for customers to discover, purchase, and download e-books and audiobooks. Hummingbird also offers an app for reading and listening. “I look forward to continuing to grow the relationships and businesses we’ve built with our indie partners, and over the next year, aided by the talent of our top-notch tech, marketing, and graphic design teams, we plan to enhance the design and user experience of the My Must Reads app and merchant storefronts,” said Mettee. “Our team will also be focused on connecting even more engaged readers with indies!” In addition, the Hummingbird platform integrates with ABA’s IndieCommerce and IndieLite programs by automatically supplying a “Buy the e-book” button next to the “Buy the book” button on the bookstore’s title pages. Booksellers can sell directly to their customers from the full catalogs of more than 3,400 publishers. Visit BookWeb.org to learn more about how to get started with Hummingbird. --------------- Hummingbird is currently the solution AALBC uses to sell e-books.

Ok, I'm fine with that. I'm not so sure. All the cases I'm aware of the women do seem to care -- very much. They work hard and struggle to do what they can for their children. Of course I know there are those who don't care, but I doubt that explains the whole story. Otherwise, they'd have abortions ir out the kids up for adoption.

Free resources are a good way to get started. Overtime, I typically find it is better to pay for some services. I'll iffer feedback on your site shortly @Ann Bray Smith.

I meant Jamaican Moroons. Even the spell check does not want us to talk about Moroons. FAS I would stop short of calling entire article as ridiculous, even if every point of contention you shared is correct. The article was primarly about the Moroons who suvived in the swamps of VA. Did you have any issues with that?

Interesting article. I was aware of Jamaican Mormons, but did nit realize there was such a large community of Maroons in America.

I did not say we were free. Indeed your arguement reflects the lack of freedoms we have. Though some of us are more free than others. Closeted gay people are not free. People telling me who i can marry, what my gender is, what my sexual expression must look like, are trying to take my freedom.

Have you raised any kids? This is not something that you can KNOW until you actually do it. Spouses flake out, some kids are actually very challenging, then there are jobs losses, pandemics, etc, etc. I do however agree completely with the spirot of your statement. It always boggled my mind why so many guys have children by so many women and don't live with any of their kids. Why do so many women have kids by multiple men who, based upon their behavior, have demonstrated they have no problem not being in their children's lives. Some men/women seemingly have no problem with this while others find it unconscionable. Surely women knowingly having kids by men they know will not raise of them are aware their lives will be much harder. Is it because they know no ither way?

Sure a lot of children are born into sub optimal conditions. What do you propse we do about it?

Yes, it is called freedom. Sure, but not rigidly defined by you (or someone else) in every aspect of our lives. If someone who presents as what you understand as being white has one Black grandparent and was raised by that Grandparent and self identifies as Black, what gives anyone the right to say they can't.

@daniellegfny in response to my question, "What type of environment do you live in where you feel you have to carry a gun for self defense?" You wrote:

@daniellegfny I'm truly sorry you feel that way about this country. I've lived in several American cities and have visited every state and virtually all the major cities. Despite my numerous complaints, this country has a LOT going for it. The physical beauty and diversity is unparalleled. The place is, despite your beliefs, safe, and we enjoy freedoms other countries simply don't have -- though many of us take for these for granted or abuse them. I hope you never have to pull out your gun on someone ... the reality is that you almost certainly won't have to. Those who do are, more often than not, making a grave mistake.

@Pioneer1 yes i get what you are doing, but who cares what Fox news says good, bad, or indifferent? Trump has said or done things that I agree with, but that does not mean I'd ever condider him a source of trustworthy information. Get it?

I don't watch Oprah either. Her program is not targeted to mature heterosexual Black men ... very little is.

Whatever the society says it about, which is different based when and where. I go with however the individual self identifies. If Carol Channing said she was Black that would suit me just fine.