Troy

EIN, you know thats is right. If it were not for the current tax law AALBC.com would not exist -- full stop. So a feminist is "...a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes." Then I'm a feminist, but it just seems like anyone who believes this is just a fair human being. I don't believe men are women are the same as in interchangeable. I believe that men and women have many, often profound, differences. Differences that should be acknowledged and not ignored as if they don't matter. Am I still a feminist with this belief system?

Yes. Why, did you?

Plus tech companies know the gig economy and the low skill/wage jobs, which they drive, can not create wealth or happiness for the individuals who have no choice but to participate it.

Yeah does not surprise me. I'm never going to his festival so I don't even care...

Yeah @Mel Hopkins I'm just talking trash. I have no idea who or what type of women Bey has in her dance troupe. The last time I watched her perform was during a the superbowl when she had the sisters behind her dressed as Black Panthers (I assume that was the theme). Still I don't recall any short, plump girls with nappy hair dancing behind her. I had to look up "coachella." I never heard of this festival before you posted about it. It is still going on. It looks like whoever is running it is making a mint :-) @Pioneer1, again I assert that changing ones appearance to what you perceive to be as trying to look white is a narrow viewpoint. The sisters dying their hair blue are not trying to look white? All I'm saying is that the whole industry is far more complex that sad Black women desperately trying to look white to please Black men. White women are changing their appearances and increasing men are too. Look at Odell Beckham, is he trying to look like a white woman?

Pioneer it was not just "laziness" that stopped Black people from opening banks. There were many structural problems that make establishin a bank very difficult. Restrictions on getting property, loans, permits, etc. When I moved to Harlem I went to the big Black-owned bank in 125th street to open a business account for AALBC.com. they refused to accept my documents -- which were perfectly valid! I was disappointed and angry because I knew I was making a sacrifice using them--but I was willing to do it and they rejected me. I went down the street and opened an account with BofA. That was 18 years ago.

I do not believe 45 is a billionaire. I believe 45 is a bullshit artist. I would not liken 45 to PT Barnum, because Barum provided entertainment and never killed Syrians to distract us from his own BS. 45 is indeed a child in a fat, orange, old man's body I do not believe 45 is a genius or a brilliant marketer. I believe 45 has been bolstered by brilliant marketers, starting with the people who made him "relevant" again. I believe 45 will serve until the end of the year. It is highlighly likely he will complete his 4 year term -- unless his health or some nut takes him out first.

This young lady (the one on the right) is extremely talented. But you will never, ever see her in a Beyonce video. Perhaps she'd have a chance with straight blonde haired weave Speaking a hair colors. Our sisters have taken to wearing their hair on all the colors of the rainbow. I mean unnatural colors, for hair, like red, blue, and green. I've seen a number of young women with weaves that had the texture of yarn. The prospect of any woman wearing the hair "naturally" seems highly unlikely. I does not matter what Black men think about it. There's too much money in women's hair and marketers are far to clever and greedy. I see boys in high school rockin' hair doos that would put grown women to shame. It seems crazy to me that a 16 year-old would put that much time, and money, in their hair, but they are doing it... Oh yeah big up to Kendrick

Well you have me beat in the age department, but now understand the source of the optimism. As Kalexander said, your perspective is welcomed.

{sniffle, Sniffle} I don't believe it Pioneer and I agree on something. In the background I hear angels singing and see the clouds parting to reveal the sun and a beautiful rainbow. Strike the in every race bit and we'd be in 100% agreement. I did not know that you were white @Tanny in another post I suggested that you were a younger to explain why you were less pessimistic. But but whiteness would explain it as well. The reality is that young white people have a lot more to be optimistic about in these United States.

Hi Tanny, I suspect that you are less pessimistic because you are probably younger than the Brothers you are conversing with here. I could be wrong but I doubt it. As a result, we have witnessed and experienced more. In fact we probably have studied the subject longer and perhaps know a bit more. But that does not mean we, at least not I, have given up all hope. I continue to fight in my corner of the world, but it is really hard. I just listened to an interview I did about my website back in 2001 and things cautioned back in 2001 have only gotten worse. We have lost so much that younger people don't even realize it, because as far as they know the internet has always been controlled by a handful of large corporations and Black people have only made money due to the largess of these sites. Young people are excited about the opportunity to go viral on Twitter, while I lament that fact that we have lost what we owned on the web and are at Twitter's mercy, accepting whatever crumbs they throw our way. Do you see why someone older might be more pessimistic @Tanny

As part of my ongoing website upgrade I stumbled across an interview I did on the Talking Books Radio program from back in 2001. The radio show no longer broadcasts indeed it problem stopped broadcasting over 15 years ago. During this time there were many more programs of this type. It there are any running now. II'm simply not aware of them. If you know of any radio programs dedicated to Black books please reply with information about them During the program I cautioned listeners that, “We, as a people, need to get beyond the point where we are just taking information off the internet. We need to contribute more…” https://aalbc.com/authors/home.php?author_name=Troy+Johnson#audio2 Today the call would be much more urgent and I would also add that we need to make these contriubtion on Patfroms that we own. When do Black folks begin to share in the great wealth being generated online? Even the commercial breaks during the interview provide an interesting historical context of the state of Black literature when was the last time you heard a commercial, on the radio, for a Black book?

Sure what you wrote @Kalexander2 is nor implausible. Maybe it is wishful thinking on my end.

@Tanny you ignored my question about how would we distribute the money to so called Black people. I assume that you think that issue poses no difficulty. The free education I propose would be free for everyone. Please forget about white folks or anyone for that matter rigging the system in favor of anyone else besides themselves. This has never happened and there is no indication that it ever will. History teaches us this. If Black people want anything we have to take it. Standing around with our hands out waiting for someone to give us something has never resulted in anything positive over the long term. We have to take control of our communities, education, businesses, and our dollars. But as Del said our biggest problem is ignorance --and this is not a Black problem. For example, I could talk until I'm blue in the face (and have) about the problems Facebook pose. But even in the light of all the shit Facebook has been shown to have done, people still don't care! This is largely because we don't know enough to understand why we should care. Facebook is just one example, one could go on all day with examples. Tanny you are right, the economic game is indeed rigged, but it is rigged against anyone who is not super wealthy -- which is effectively everyone. Finally the reason education is so important is that I can guarantee you a huge percentage of people we give money to will waste it. Look at how many How many people gave their money to school like Trump university a failed businessman with a reality TV show...

QueenX, I wonder if you would feel differently if Bill drugged and sexually abused you, or your daughter, or your mother?

Tune in this Saturday, April 14, 7:30 pm (EDT) or Sunday April 15 at 10 pm (EDT) to Book-TV. Black Classic Press founder W. Paul Coates discusses the history of the Press - one of the oldest independent Black publishing companies in the US. To find your local air times check C-SPAN. Black Classic Press is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in May! Please join us. Visit their website for more information and to purchase tickets

Saking of Black Lives Matter; BLM activist Patrisse Khan-Cullors had a book that came out this year, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir. I published Kam's review of When They Call Your a Terrorist. Please read Kam's the review and let me know what you think of it. Do you think Black people or people from the BLM movement would be, or should be offended?

The more generations that are created post slavery, the more we mix and mingle with each other the less likely reparations will happen.I suspect the majority of people who have has ancestors in the country for more than a handful of generation are descent from enslaved africans -- including many so called white people. I did not believe reparations will ever happen as it is already too late to practically and fairly distribute any money to the right individuals. Fighting for reparations, I think, is a waste of time. @Tanny for example how much would Barack Obama get 1/2 a payment? Maybe he gets zero because he is not descendant from enslaved African. How much does Obama's kids get? What about all the so called Black people who are currently passing? When they come out the woodwork to collect how much should they get? How much would Canbliasians (sp?) like Tiger Woods get. Should rich people like Oprah get a check? Do you see what I mean? I think free education for everyone is a better goal. @Pioneer1, does have a point in that it can't be the same education that were have been assaulted with. Right now our focus is on STEM with the apparent goal of getting more people to work for Google and Facebook. Our best and brightest are now desperate to work for Facebook or Amazon which is a colossal waste of your intellectual capital it you ask me. The liberal arts including history are treat like a waste of time which I'd argue is why many of us are so gullible and fall for the rhetoric of 45 or are so easily enchanted by a comic book character called Black Panther.

Yeah unless you are making rice and beans and eating that all week, doing some serious coupon clipping and price shopping; 125 bucks does not go very far. I'd hate to think how a person with dependent children do it.. Well the Republicans will be voted out soon. perhaps some this damage will be undone before too many more lives are destroyed.

Aw man there will not be an apocalypse. Sure they'll bomb the heck out of a small defenselessly nation, but neither will risk mutual annihilation.

@Delano, I see you are now agreeing with @Kalexander2 about @Pioneer1 being "funny."

As I said I hope you are right Del but I predict 45 will still be President on December 31, 2018. Even if Pence becomes president because 45 is booted, he will definitely not hold the office. Any warmed over democrat (except a woman, other than Oprah) should easily win the whitehouse.

Yeah 8 of the "divine nine" were at my under graduate school (Syracuse), but I did not have a clue what a fraternity was when I got the college. A buddy of mine asked if I was gonna to the Alpha party. I had no idea what he was talking about. I asked, "what is an Alpha?" He told me it was a fraternity and that confused me more :-) The brother ended up becoming an Alpha, but he did not graduate. My introduction to fraternities was seeing the guys go through the pledging process (which seemed crazy to me), the Q-Dogs branding themselves struck me as even more bizarre behavior. But I can see the benefits, being part of a club, enjoying the comradery, and the network. No, I did not pledge. In hindsight, I'm not sure I had the grades and I differently did not have the money. I also know I did not have the temperament to allow myself to go through the long pledging process. I was in Mobile AL a few years ago and saw the build pictured below. What stuck me was the obvious Egyptian influence -- in the deep south no less. I later learned it was originally built to serve as the meeting place for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Today it is a catering hall. Black folks seems we borrow from white folks who in turn "borrow" from Africans. Why don't we just skip the middle man and go straight to the source? This is another thing that confused me about Black folks joining, creating and promoting "Greek Letter" organizations. Why not do the same for traditional African cultures? Perhaps the Black fraternal organizations do this... I just don't know enough about them to say. But it does not see like they do.

Foine as hell. Aw man, that what I'm talking about

Hi Tanny I don't think this is a good idea. First $100K is not very much money and will not cover the costs at a decent 4 year college, let alone K through 12. Sure it sounds like something is better than nothing, but if everyone has an extra $100K to spend with on education, schools will just raises their tuition because so much money is available. Now if people could use the money for anything they wanted, I might be in favor of it, but then I'd want to know who would qualify to get the money. Also, what about the people who are already born and burdened crippled by student loan debt they can never repay? Who is going to pay that off? The student loan crisis is a much better problem, that is being ignored. Allocating resources to future generations while continuing to ignore people who are alive is a serious mistake. If you are estimating that it will cost $60B Sergei, Mark, and Jeff could pay that by themselves and still be multi-billionaires, but these folks are very greedy and are not going to get up off anything without a fight -- a fight they have the resources to easily win. A better solution would be to make education through college free, the way it used to be, and figure out how to help the people suffering under crippling debt -- often for degrees never received.