Troy

Cynique, the operative word in your last post was "anecdote." Pioneer has a bad habit of taking his personal experiences and extending them to the broader community, indeed it is the way he sees the world. But this is natural, for anecdotes, especially personal ones, are very powerful. If is a good thing Pioneer is open to being in a place where his world view is rejected by others with different beliefs, experiences, and even facts. I respect him for that. @Pioneer1, you have so profoundly mischaracterized what I believe it would be too strenuous to refute what you wrote. I'll just let my previously expressed words do that. I will say however, that @Cynique and @Mel Hopkins's presence here is a prime example of Black women supporting a Black man. You see they, like you, could easily abandon AALBC.com and engage exclusively on the corporate owned social media platforms. This forum only exists because of folks like you. Now I could very easily complain about all the Black women, writers in particular, who benefit directly (read: financially) from the existence and efforts of AALBC.com, but do nothing to support the website. This of course would feed into your narrative and is actually supported by 20 years of my experience and data. Here's the thing, even though I have experience with supporting hundreds of Black women authors over a 20 year period, my experience is still an anecdote. I have absolutely no problem saying that Black female writers, for the most part do not support the website as much as I think they should (IMHO), but it would be wrong for me to use this experience to say that Black women do not support Black men in general. Do you see my point? Further, I also understand way Black female writers do not support the site as much as they should. Part of the reason is that don't know how to do it and why it matters. I also understand the pull of social media. it is so strong many writers have abandoned their own websites in favor of social media. Many Black women are struggling, like me, and don't really have the resources/time/energy to extend to others beyond themselves or their families. Of course there are some Black women who hate to see a Brother succeed and withhold support because they want an AALBC.com to fail, but these women are so small a factor they are not worth considering. That said, I think the letter was an overreaction and ill conceived. Using their reasoning each chapter could easily craft a letter warning travelers to avoid most of Florida, Chicago, New York City, Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, Philadelphia, the entire state of Mississippi, etc. I've been to Missouri a few times, mostly for conventions, and once for a family reunion. The have nice library and ball park, but again, I have no trouble avoiding the state--especially if a Black institution says it is not safe. Besides who says they are not ready to fight in Missouri? I'll disparage the letter, but I'm not willing to trash the Black male population of a state because I don't have enough information and I won't judge it on one letter from the NAACP.

Pioneer you mis-attributed a quote to me. But in reaction to the statement that I made. Sure there were some that fought back. Indeed there were always some that fought back, but not enough to make a difference. Forget about physically fighting white folks; they are armed to the teeth, out number us, have the support and backing of the government, and already have itchy trigger fingers... We can accomplish much more by exploiting on our own economic and intellectual capital.

OK I found the page: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2017&wknd=31&p=.htm Thanks Cynique Pioneer the marketing was weak, at least in the Black community. I actually thought Detroit was a documentary until I read Kam's review. The film appears to be made by white folks for white folks. I scanned the entire list of films and I've only seen to of them. Hidden Figures and Alien Covenant. I need to get out more. I'm going to try to finish migrating all of the old content before then end of the month. My body have gone to crap over the past 18 months spending so much time in front of a PC

:-) Cynique. You got me wrong; I use Google's search engine daily (it drives this site's search engine). I just recognize it's monopolistic power, deficiencies, and the resulting problems created. I'm familiar with the box office mojo movie; though I have not used it much lately. There are three sites I reference when looking for movie info to augment the movie reviews I post. Most frequently I use rotten tomatoes, followed by the IMDB. Box Office Mojo would be number three. Sites like those is what helps give the internet it REAL value. Can you post a link to a box office mojo page showing a film's budget. I recall the information being easy to find. Maybe I'm just missing it.

Thanks for sharing Cynique! Your friends's comment was pretty cool: “Saw it last Friday. A riveting, disturbing, plausible, portrayal of an episode in the history of the United States. The events portrayed in this film should weigh heavily on our collective conscience as Americans. Facing the reality of this event can be the basis for confronting justice issues we face today in American. The confession of the horrors of the past will open the door for us to move into the days and years ahead.”

@Pioneer1, I can see where your comments might sound like they might make sense as they conform to the current gender stereotypes. As a man, it would sound appealing because it make us sound strong and powerful. If what you say is true, how do you explain Black men, many straight from the African continent, allowing themselves to be enslaved for hundreds of years in this country? Why didn't we just put our foot in massa's ass back then? Perhaps the reason we did not do it back then explains why we don't do it today...

Oh I thought you were reporting stats. I did not realize you were proving a prediction. I can understand Pioneer skepticism. One it is not surprising that Trumps ratings are low; and two the margin of error you gave your self was pretty wide. Perhaps if you made a prediction of an event that does not seem likely to occur or is difficult to time. For example, when will 45 be thrown out office? When and where will North Korea lob a Nuke?

Sorry, @Cynique what I wrote was unclear. What I was describing as "crazy" was the fact that Detroit, a film I would want to see, I knew nothing about; and the film I would not want to see, Girls Trip, I knew all about. I suspect part of the reason for the relative box office stats had to do with the lack of promotion of Detroit compared to Girls Trip, and the fact th Girls Trip seemed to generate so much buzz on social media more that once I saw women raving over the film. But given the larger budget for Detroit is seems that some of their marketing would have reached me. Now here I am helping to promote their film through a review--and paying for the privilege! It is a cost I'm not likely recover, which is why I don;t publish as many film reviews as I used to (few are still able to). But that is the subject of another conversation. I see now that Girls Trip is directed by Michael Lee film which probably explains the enthusiasm I saw across Facebook for the film. Detroit, directed by, Kathryn Bigelow is described as, by Kam, as difficult to watch. I'll probably check out Girls Trip out of curiousity, but I'll wait for them both to be streaming so I can watch at home. @Pioneer1, Biglow of Hurt Locker fame was picked, I'd bet, because they wanted to make money with white audiences. If they got someone like Ava Duvernay, it would have become a "Black film," which depresses box office for serious films covering Black subjects. Now if it is a comedy--it is less of a problem. Girls Trip has already out gross Selma I seem to remember Box Office Mojo reporting how much a film cost to make, but I can't find that info any more. Can you post a link that shows that stat?

I don't know where I've been. But I was not aware of this film until my wife suggested to check it out. Am I the only one? Now I know I'm not completely out of the pop culture loop because I was totally aware of Girls Trip. The crazy thing is that I would really like to see a film like Detroit and have less than zero interest in seeing Girls Trip, which looks like a Black female version of The Hangover part III. I wonder what the respective marketing budgets are for these films are and where they advertise. At any rate here is Kam's Review. I have not published anything by him lately.

Thanks for the feedback @B.L. Brown. There are a many reason to be optimistic. We have so much unrealized potential as well.

...Cupcake Brown, at 11 years of age, regularly engaged in prostitution and took drugs. Cup, tells the story of her crazy life in her memoir, A Piece of Cake. This is not a new book, but I had not thought about it in a while. I figured there are many people who never heard about it so I shared into about it on social media, since sex, drugs, and dysfunction seems to plays well on social media. Seriously, the idea that Brown now runs a law practice just seems like a remarkable story. I rediscovered this book as while updating the site with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's award winning books. I'm adding all the the BCALA award winning books to AALBC.com. Actually most of the books are already on the site, they just have not been updated as winners of the award. I've also updated the logic used to determine The Most Critically Acclaimed Books of the Last 40 Years.

So Residents Chump's approval rating are down there with Slick Willie's. Not exactly a revelation is it?

Yep this is the right place. You can even add the interview here directly, like so: I've also added the interview to the your book's page: Eddie Green - The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer by Elva Diane Green Thanks for taking the time to share you story here with readers. btw do you have a website?

Bite your tongue Cynique.

BEFORE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION The Raymond House • 655 -13th Street • Suite 302 • Oakland, California 94612 www.beforecolumbusfoundation.com August 4, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Justin Desmangles, 916-425-7916 The Before Columbus Foundation announces the Winners of the Thirty-Eighth Annual AMERICAN BOOK AWARDS Ceremonies, October 22, 2017, 12:00–2:30 p.m. Oakland, CA—The Before Columbus Foundation announces the Winners of the Thirty-Eighth Annual AMERICAN BOOK AWARDS. The 2017 American Book Award winners will be formally recognized on Sunday, October 22nd, from 12:00-2:30 p.m. at the SF Jazz Center, Joe Henderson Lab, 201 Franklin Street (at Fell), San Francisco, CA. This event is open to the public. The American Book Awards were created to provide recognition for outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community. The purpose of the awards is to recognize literary excellence without limitations or restrictions. There are no categories, no nominees, and therefore no losers. The award winners range from well-known and established writers to under-recognized authors and first works. There are no quotas for diversity, the winners list simply reflects it as a natural process. The Before Columbus Foundation views American culture as inclusive and has always considered the term “multicultural” to be not a description of various categories, groups, or “special interests,” but rather as the definition of all of American literature. The Awards are not bestowed by an industry organization, but rather are a writers’ award given by other writers. The 2017 American Book Award Winners are: Rabia Chaudry Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial (St. Martin's Press) Flores A. Forbes Invisible Men: A Contemporary Slave Narrative in the Era of Mass Incarceration (Skyhorse Publishing) Yaa Gyasi Homegoing (Knopf) Holly Hughes Passings (Expedition Press) Randa Jarrar Him, Me, Muhammad Ali (Sarabande Books) Bernice L. McFadden The Book of Harlan (Akashic Books) Brian D. McInnes Sounding Thunder: The Stories of Francis Pegahmagabow (Michigan State University Press) Patrick Phillips Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America (W. W. Norton & Company) Vaughn Rasberry Race and the Totalitarian Century: Geopolitics in the Black Literary Imagination (Harvard University Press) Marc Anthony Richardson Year of the Rat (Fiction Collective Two) Shawna Yang Ryan Green Island (Knopf) Ruth Sergel See You in the Streets: Art, Action, and Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (University of Iowa Press) Solmaz Sharif Look (Graywolf Press) Adam Soldofsky Memory Foam (Disorder Press) Alfredo Véa The Mexican Flyboy (University of Oklahoma Press) Dean Wong Seeing the Light: Four Decades in Chinatown (Chin Music Press) Lifetime Achievement: Nancy Mercado Editor/Publisher Award: Lost & Found: The CUNY Poetics Document Initiative, Ammiel Alcalay, General Editor

Hey man is looks like I inadvertently deleted that conversation. I have restored it now: I see that you banner has a woman. Does the photo now look familiar? When I upgraded the system, there was an option to use the poster's Facebook banner as the banner here. You can see mine was used: https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/9056-troy/ My understanding was that it would be used if there was no banner already in place. You can easily remove it or put something else up if you like.

In the 1980's in NY City people needed gates or bars on windows, heavy metal doors with 2 or 3 dead bolts locks to prevent people from breaking into an apartment or house. Still sometimes they would just wait for you to open the door and then break in. Can you imagine living in such an environment? It is weird just thinking about it now... When I was a kid people in the south did not even have locks on their doors--they would just walk right in. Just a screen door protecting them from the outside world. My cousins could leave their bike on their lawns overnight. We could not even ride our bikes without being concerned about someone stealing it. Interestingly today you are safer in NYC that you are in many of those places in the south. Those very same neighborhoods where you could leave your door unlocked, now have security systems and homes are regularly broken into.

Harry this is why signing a petition to get Colin a job is a very superficial way to deal with cultural racism or even the NFL itself. The message (below) from the NAACP's Missouri branch sounds very serious--almost alarmist. I'll heed their message and avoid the state. I've been several times, but admittedly there is no need or even desire for me to go again. I did get wind of this travel advisory in an email from Black America Web, but I did not read their article or follow up to find the source until now. Below is their press release (emphasis is mine) from http://www.monaacp.org/urgent-missouri-travel-advisory/ MISSOURI NAACP STATE CONFERENCE OFFICE P. O. BOX 104221 JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI 65110 PHONE 844-NAACP-HELP www.MONAACP.ORG maryann.grayson@sbcglobal.net URGENT – MISSOURI TRAVEL ADVISORY June 7, 2017 (Jefferson City, MO – Missouri NAACP State Conference Office) A travel advisory has been issued in the State of Missouri due to the sad passage of Senator Gary Romine’s Jim Crow Bill – SB 43 – and recent events throughout Missouri. The advisory means each individual should pay special attention while in the state of Missouri and certainly if contemplating spending time in Missouri. Unlike seasonal weather advisories, where no unnecessary travel on city streets or parking might be directed, the NAACP wants to make Missourians and our visitors aware of looming danger which could include the following by example of what has happened to some residents and visitors: Tory Sanford who recently died in a jail cell but was never arrested after running out of gas when he traveled into the state accidently; Racist attacks on University of Missouri students while on the states’ campuses – as the University of Missouri System spoke in favor of Romine’s Jim Crow Bill; Missouri’s legislature Representative Rick Bratton argued that homosexuals are not human beings according to his faith; Black high school students in St. Louis have been attacked with hot glue while denigrated racially; Two internationally born men gunned down outside in Kansas City after their killer thought them to be Muslim; According to the Missouri Attorney General African Americans in Missouri are subjected to excessive traffic - 75% more likely to be stopped and searched based on skin color than Caucasians, Public threats of shooting ‘Blacks’ that terrorized University of Missouri students and members of the public. Individuals traveling in the state are advised to travel with extreme CAUTION. Race, gender and color based crimes have a long history in Missouri. Missouri, home of Lloyd Gaines, Dredd Scott and the dubious distinction of the Missouri Compromise and one of the last states to loose its slaveholding past, may not be safe. The Missouri State Conference of the NAACP will follow Governor Greitien’s review of this Jim Crow Bill – SB 43 – and we will update the NAACP advisory for the State of Missouri if this measure is vetoed. SB 43 legalizes individual discrimination and harassment in Missouri and would prevent individuals from protecting themselves from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in Missouri. Moreover, over zealous enforcement of routine traffic violations in Missouri against African-Americans has resulted in an increasing trend that shows African-Americans are 75% more likely to be stopped than Caucasians. These stops have resulted in increased traffic fines, senseless searches of vehicle and persons, and on occasion unnecessary violence. The advisory is in effect until at least August 28, 2017 starting today. The Missouri State Conference NAACP asked that you do the following: warn your families, co-workers and anyone visiting Missouri to beware of the safety concerns with travel in Missouri, notify members of your trade associations, social and civic organizations that they are traveling and living in Missouri at their own risk and subject to unnecessary search seizure and potential arrest, and file and seek help on any existing claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistle blowing ASAP before your legal rights are lost if Senate Bill 43 is not vetoed by Governor Greitiens. VISIT www.MONAACP.org - LIKE Missouri NAACP State Conference Facebook – FOLLOW @MOSTATE for additional information and updates. To file reports of harassment and discrimination and get help call 1-844-NAACP-HELP. Contact Governor Greitiens at 573-751-3222, @ericgreitiens and ask him to make Missouri safe for our families.

Well it is not like we need proof of the obvious racism in the NFL as Harry describes in another post. Again while I know it is impossible to execute, my fantasy would be to see the NFL boycotted, watch it crumble and to see black folks start their own league and bring in the white boys --who have the talent to play. We would truly profiting from the entertainment we provide because we own the league rather than simply being Niggers for Lease, Million Dollar Slaves, or whatever you wanna call them.

Sorry for the delayed response; somehow I missed the notifications. @DelYou'll have t break this one down for me. I don't see the internal rhyme and the math reference is lost on me. Man I even had I to look up the definition of the word "Koan."

Kaepernick's name has come up numerous times on our forums regarding the relative merits of his activist and quarterbacking talent. I checked out the website where the petition can be signed, and it seems the Raven starting QB is injured. Colin, apparently, is already engaged in discussions for the role. It is not really clear to me what else needs to be done. If the Ravens can work a deal and feel Kaepernick can help the team he'll likely be hired. A petition seems unnecessary. But even if we believed the Ravens were racist; afraid of “...Black peoples’ free speech” and did not want to help their team win, and pressure from the petition actually helped get Colin on the team. Then what? Will the NFL be less racist? WIll the players be more than million dollar slaves? What will this mean to Black people collectively? I would like to see Color of change call, or anyone, call for a complete boycott of professional football. Don't watch it on TV, don't buy the products, don't go to the games, and players don't play. Maybe the profession will change in a more meaningful ways that actually benefit not just Black folks but everyone. This of course, is just my fantasy and will never happen, so we'll continue to be at the mercy of the NFL owners who are largely free to do whatever they want. No puny petition will change this....

Color Of Change FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 4, 2017 CONTACT: Mark Ro Beyersdorf, mark@berlinrosen.com Black Activists and Ravens Fans Call on Baltimore Ravens to Sign Colin Kaepernick Ravens headquarters is overwhelmed by hundreds of phone calls asking the team to sign Kaepernick NEW YORK—Staff at Baltimore Ravens Headquarters are now hanging up or refusing to take comments in support of Colin Kaepernick as Ravens fans, Black activists, and Kaepernick supporters inundate the team with hundreds of phone calls asking the Ravens to sign Kaepernick. The Ravens’ egregious silencing of this outpouring of support for Kaepernick comes after the team’s executives publicly stated that they wanted to hear from fans as they made their decision. The effort to support Kaepernick is being driven by Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online civil rights organization, which has launched a website to mobilize calls in support of Kaepernick to Ravens Headquarters and is running digital ads on the front page of The Baltimore Sun’s website calling on the Ravens to sign Kaepernick. Kaepernick, who has been a free agent since March, has yet to be signed by an NFL team following his high-profile refusal to stand during the national anthem in the 2016 season in protest of police brutality and violence against Black people. He ended the 2016 NFL season with 2,241 passing yards, sixteen passing touchdowns, four interceptions, added 468 rushing yards as well as two rushing touchdowns. He is the only player with a top 50 selling jersey who has not been signed and he is the best quarterback currently on the market as the Ravens face the upcoming football season with an injured first-string quarterback and a failing second-string quarterback. “The refusal of NFL owners to sign Kaepernick is not about football—it’s about fear of Black peoples’ free speech,” said Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of Color Of Change. “It is deeply disturbing that team owners in the NFL—which has no Black owners even as nearly seventy percent of league’s players are Black—won’t sign a star who engages in peaceful protest to support his community. Colin Kaepernick speaks for so many of us, and silencing him sends a message to every football viewer that the concerns of Black communities are not valid. Signing Kaepernick should be a no brainer for the Ravens. As the home team of city that has been rife with racial tension for years, the Ravens should welcome the opportunity to send a message that they, too, want to see our country get to a better place. Our country was founded on protest and has been made better by oppressed communities continuing to protest and fight to open institutions that shut us out, including professional sports leagues. At time when pro football teams seem to have no problem signing domestic abusers, it is the NFL’s actions that require scrutiny—not Kaepernick’s heartfelt commitment to justice for Black communities.” Last year, Color of Change launched a petition in support of Colin Kaepernick that has received over 90,000 signatures. Since then, Color Of Change has continued to support Kaepernick and challenged other attempts to limit the free speech of Black communities. ### Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over one million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.

Wow. I can image a number of alternative outcomes for that story. The Skip Gates scenario comes to mind. Your mug shot would have been a nice image for you to test your new image uploading functionality If an 80 year old woman can break into your house, sounds like you can use a security system or simply don't bother locking your doors. Seriously hide a spare key under a rock in your back yard. Speaking of not locking doors, Cynique, in your neck of the woods ,when did people actually start locking doors?

It was loooong over due.

@Pioneer1, 45 speaks his mind too. I think there is some value is discretion. Besides how does a Kanye know who Bush likes or does not like. Maybe he does not like poor people, maybe his reaction to Katrina was incompetent but that had nothing to do with his personal predilections and more to do the failings of the local and national administrators. Sure Kayne's statement, like 45's tweets are great for the media, but counterproductive. I'll have to watch the entire video with my "Hotep Hat" and third eye engaged, and get back to you. The problem is that our activists are validated by media and they are usually celebrities. Celebrities can assist, but they can not be the leaders. Baldwin, Angelou, Belfonte assisted King and other civil rights leaders in the civil rights struggle, they did not lead it. Celebrities get all the attention because that is the way the media get more people to watch. This does us a disservice. Whenever we attempt to choose our own non-celebrity leaders the media marginalizes them, focuses on their flaws and failures, or simply don't cover them. King, Malcolm, The Black Panthers, etc, had media campaigns launched against them and may Black people were turned against these institutions and men. Sure Dr. King is universally celebrated now, but he was not during his day. I doubt a Dr. King could rise to prominence today. We'd probably be fixated on whatever a Little Richard had to say about civil rights if it the media operated the way it did today... So Colin K. the professional football player, has been thrust into the limelight as if his kneeling during a football game, given the media coverage, is the more important civil rights action that has taken place since the march on washington. And (choose your favorite local activist), struggles for the support to make a difference in obscurity.