Troy

Dear Friends, I am happy to report that Kevin Young will be joining NYPL as Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He will begin his tenure at the Library in the late fall. Kevin succeeds Khalil Gibran Muhammad, who led the Schomburg with great distinction for the last five years. Kevin joins NYPL from Emory University, where he was both Curator of the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library and Curator of Literary Collections at the newly named Rose Library. He simultaneously held the Charles Howard Candler Professorship of Creative Writing and English. Under Kevin's leadership, the Danowski Poetry Library and the Rose Library have both enjoyed remarkable success, increasing their holdings, expanding public programming and access, mounting innovative exhibitions, organizing conferences and fellowship competitions, and enhancing their digital presence. Among his notable curatorial acquisitions were the Lucille Clifton, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Marie Ponsot, Sarah E. Wright, and Nathaniel Mackey archives, and in collaboration with his colleagues, the addition of W.E.B. Du Bois' copy of David Walker's Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World. During his 11 years at Emory, Kevin produced a wide-ranging corpus of poetry and cultural criticism. He has published 11 books and edited 8 others. In February, Knopf published Blue Laws: Selected and Uncollected Poems 1995-2015. His influential volume of cultural criticism, The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness, won the PEN Open Book Award, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism, and was named a New York Times Notable Book. His Book of Hours (Knopf, 2014) was a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award and winner of the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets; Jelly Roll (Knopf, 2003) was a finalist for the National Book Award The roster of Kevin's honors and awards is extensive and includes, among many other laurels, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the Donald Justice Poetry Prize, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize, the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Award, and Guggenheim, Lannan, and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. Kevin is widely recognized as a distinguished teacher, scholar, and public voice. He has held named professorships at Princeton, Indiana University, and Beloit College. His poetry, reviews, and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and The American Scholar. Across his writing, his curatorial work, and his teaching, Kevin has mapped a deeply textured account of American life. From his Amistad poems through his trenchant accounts of the lives and languages of both ordinary men and women and public figures such as Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, and Billie Holiday, to his insightful analyses of jazz, blues, and hip-hop forms, Kevin has described the trajectory of 400 years of national experience. His syncretic accounts of American social, musical, and cultural history are notable both for the breadth of their vision and for the vertiginous pleasures they afford. We look forward to having Kevin among us. I want to thank the members of the Schomburg search committee for their dedication and unfailing good counsel, and take particular note of the leadership of Co-Chair Gordon Davis. In addition to Gordon and myself, the Committee members were Elizabeth Alexander, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Raymond McGuire, Arva Rice, and Aysha E. Schomburg. I also want to thank Alvin Starks and Mary Yearwood for their continuing and exemplary work as the Schomburg's Interim Co-Directors. Warmly, Bill William P. Kelly Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries The New York Public Library

Well I'm sure Trump has supporters that are racists, and I would definitely put racists in the dumb category. But Hillary non-supporters don't make them automatically racist, stupid or filled with hate for her. When we all supported Obama over Hillary it was not because of hate or stupidity--though race almost certainly was factor. I'm not aware of any plan that Donald has the only thing I know about what he says are the sounds bites the media promotes to such an extent that they are unavoidable. Still the only point I'm making is that his appeal does not suprise me an is understandable given the shitstorm poor people face in this country. How can one argue that Dems are "...doing the greatest good for the greatest number..." when wealth inequality is at a virtual all-time high in America? "Losing a job" is the essence of what brought Obama into office. Remember millions of white folks voted for Obama; his imagery of "hope and change" resonated with a nation. But the nation is now disillusioned after getting more of the same; despite having Obama at the helm. Hillary, for many, is a continuation of this--whether it is true or not matters little. Trump is a desperation move by an angry, disaffected, and struggling population... this is what breeds racism amongst the uneducated. How else would you explain the fact that Trump actually has a chance to win? Even though one can objectively say that Hillary as far and away more qualified to be president than Trump, this does not matter. People are looking for something different. Bernie, Trump, and Obama all had "something different" this going for them.

If the only choices were only Hillary or Donald. I would pick Hillary. But there are other choices and right now I'm planning to exercise one of those. Another option is to stay at home. I would be willing to bet right now that come November if you added up all the eligible voters who; (1) did not vote, (2) voted for the 3rd party candidate, or (3) voted for Trump, it would greatly exceed the number of voters who vote for Hillary--and many of hillary voters would do so holding their noses. While I would never vote for Trump, I'm not so quick to dismiss his supporters as stupid or racist. I think that is a simplistic perspective, and ignores that fact the the middle class is suffering. Even the life expectancy of white boys is going down. Despite all the rhetoric from the Dems about how great America is doing, one could make a VERY strong argument that we are worse off today that during the great depression. Declining life expectancy, a decent education out of reach for most, high wealth disparity, millions of home foreclosures... Again for those of us are doing OK, relatively speaking, it is easy to ignore the masses for people trapped in a cycle of deepening poverty. I won't even get started on the havoc we level on foreign shores... But to answer your question @Cynique, I think Bernie would have probably done more for the masses that Hillary would and less beholden to the oligarchy--at least Bernie talked a good game. But we'll never know...

Oh OK, I did not realize that you knew Leslie Pioneer. You see I've never met her and all I know about her is the characters she portrays. I also figured that since she was acting, the characters she portrays has nothing to do with her real-life personality. But since you obviously know her, I defer to you. That was a funny skit

Not if they are shooting and killing each other.

Yes, my question was very similar to yours regarding slavery, but the answer to that one is easy. Most people would, and to this very day, pick slavery. Being a slave even without the benevolent master is easy. Freedom is hard. @Pioneer1, all I'm trying to get you to do is a appreciate the fact that Leslie (all of us really) is much more than her physical appearance. But since you dodged my question, I assume you understand what I'm saying but refuse to concede the point. Also, we don't know what Leslie is like in person, she might be very sweet, in the stereotypical feminine way that is important to you. Finally many men find Lupita flat-chested boyish physique more of a turn off that Leslie's. #teamleslie

The same people (not the president) who run the country will continue to run it. 12 years of Bushs and a potential for 16 years of Clintons will make very little difference for the masses of people both Black and white. If you are set financially you will probably be fine. If you are struggling now you probably continue to struggle; your children will find it very difficult to do much better than you are doing, which is why white folks are having fits right about now, wanting things to go back to the way they were... Many of us feel America is the greatest country in the world. If you a wealthy it probably is, but if you are not wealthy, like vast majority of people who live here, it is a completely different story, and if you are poor, well your situation is really quite sad. I watched Michael Moore's latest film last night, Where to Invade Next. It is worth checking out. The changes needed in American go way beyond anything Hillary or Donald will or even can do.

...check out one of my all-time favorite books, BILLY by Albert French I discovered this book from another book seller before I started AALBC.com. It was just a great read. Albert French is a cousin of John Edgar Wideman, if memory serves.

I hear you Ray. Trump is the spawn of America. An America that is deeply wounded, mentally ill, and in desperate need of help. In reaction to the lack of attention, the masses act out, like the unruly kid in the classroom. A country whose people are valued have no need for a Trump. Trump is our reaction, our unruly student. Rather than figure out what our problems are and deal with them, we act out and try to elevate Trump to the presidency. It is a desperate act of defiance by the masses of a dominant culture who are losing ground and are afraid of what this means.

Great graphic novels will definitely appeal to young men; the bestselling award winning MARCH trilogy from Rep. John Lewis. Book one was on our Power List, sat on the NY Times Bestsellers list for close to a year, and won all kind of awards. Makes a great present for kids.

@Pioneer1, I understand what you are saying. But there is so much more to a woman's attractiveness than her physical characteristics. Here is a simple question for you. Would you rather be married to Lupita Nyong'o (who you have pictured above) or Leslie. Now before you answer I'd like to add a couple of additional parameters. Lets assume the following Ignore, for this exercise, both women's professions, wealth, and celebrity status--just assume it does not exist Lupita is terrible in bed. Worse, she doesn't even like sex Lupita is dumb as a door nail, you are embarrassed to bring her around friends and family. She is frustrating to talk to because she grasps so little. Leslie is brilliant, a tremendous conversationalist, others seek her council, and she is always coming up with great ways to make money Leslie is far an away the best lover you ever had, each time is better than the last Now tell me Brother who would you prefer to marry? Also, in this scenario, would you consider Leslie a beautiful person?

Well Harry I found the video, and of course I can see why it is so popular on Facebook. I could not watch the whole thing. It profoundly sad on more levels that I care to comment on. Despite that I think the mother is trying to be a good parent. She would not be the first person I've observed publicly shame their child on Facebook. I'm surprised when otherwise sophisticated parents do this sort of thing. In my mind they make themselves look far worse than they make the child look.

If you really want to be depressed. We don't even benefit from the shaky economy you described. The technology is developed largely by foreigners. The best and the brightest from around the world come to the US and get great jobs. Foreigners dominate our PhD programs in the stem fields. Americans--and definitely Black people--are stuck out in the cold. One reason is that our education system is too shitty to produce people with the ability to actually enter these high tech fields. Black folks run around talking about having the "power" we have on Twitter because we dominate the sharing of nonsense, meanwhile we are too dumb to even work for Twitter and collect a paycheck! So when folks from India and China, get a clue and go back to their countries the U.S. is screwed. Trump wants to close the borders, he better consider what that means because we will don't have the intellectual capital to run the country let alone develop technology. We've too busy playing Pokemon Go. Oh, it is too early to get me started this morning

Yeah if the valuation drops and the stock price tanks--it is a wrap for the companies. But all the major players, have already extracted an incredible amount of wealth, they and their descendants are set for life--even if the companies go bankrupt tomorrow. Everything from here on out is gravy. I have not researched these companies, but they probably own tons of real estate, physical assets, boatloads of cash, and no debt. Plus they have all of our data. The amount of information they have on us is mind blowing; it may be their most valuable asset. I would not say they have zero value.

"... their real power is in building up platforms that aren't a part of the machine." True dat. You know I have a good buddy who I have conversations with like this every so often. During the last conversation he said, "If I agreed with you I'd be out of a job." He is a social media manager for a not-for-profit.

Google+ seems to be a complete failure as a social media network. It simply never caught on. Everyone says, "Friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter." But no one ever mentions Google+. People frequently use the Facebook and Twitter Icons, but they rarely use the Google+ icon. Those two things did more to elevate both of those platforms than anything else. Google+ is probably a better service, but it is Facebook's world and hype trumps technology.

Thanks again Chris. Were there any surprises, from your perspective in what I shared?

I don't think Black women need to be on Twitter--especially if there was a Black owned alternative. Just because the platform is Black owned does not mean that everyone will agree with each other. There are people who have posted here that I disagree with to such an extent that I don't even try to engage them. Man, I even disagree with you from time to time. You think Luvve and Black women bring balance to Twitter? All I've ever seen on Twitter is Black women talking about how powerful they are as a result of being on the platform. I've never seen the statement challenged. In fact I posted a link to this conversation, on Twitter and tagged everyone on the video. I rarely do things like that, but I wanted to hear directly from these ladies. This tweet got zero engagement (1 like, after two days). It is rare for me to create a tweet that gets this little engagement. Twitter like most of social media creates filter bubbles such that folks only deal with, or only see, the stuff that meshes with the world view. Opposing views are easily ignored. You all have raised great points to counter my argument--this level of debate is impossible on Twitter. Chris no one is completely independent, and no one truly owns anything. Lets not get extreme; you know what I mean when I talk about business ownership. So I won't go down that rabbit hole. The idea that Luvve or Isa would not have been able to reach the same audiences without Twitter is something we can never know. The fact of the matter is that people reached large audiences long before Twitter or social media was even invented, it was just done differently. The biggest difference is the we actually owned more of the platform that we used to reach each other, more magazines, newspapers, radio and TV stations. We even had more websites with a far greater reach. Remember BlackPlanet? Now Luvvie and the others are really just getting started, they may turn out to be very powerful women. I just don't think is is possible for them to wield any real power as a result of using Twitter, all they can do is make more money for Twitter.

Yeah I'm 5' 7" so I'd rule her out on that basis. But I freely admit this is shallow on my part. I've been brainwashed to believe women should not be substantially taller than their male partners. But again this is my loss... Fortunately there are plenty of taller brothers, and short Brothers far deeper than I, for Leslie to choose from.

Facebook continues to dominate, but are they a long term strategy? I've found less is more with social media.

Without divulging too much about my personal life it was not my wife's looks that first attracted me to her. If I went on looks I would have gone for a petite brown skinned woman, which was basically all I dates. I was attracted to her because she is easy going, smart, athletic, down-to-earth, friendly, funny, generous and caring. Now I will admit over the years she has maintained both her appearance and physique, relative to her peers, but that is a fortunate bonus, not something I considered when marrying her. Of course I'll agree that there are different standards of beauty, but it also sounds like you are suggesting that our girl Leslie is objectively ugly. Again, for all the points I mentioned Leslie could be considered very beautiful. Indeed I suspect her wealth has raised her profile among potential mates Image the brother who was willing to look past Leslie's exterior and see the funny, driven, goal oriented women destined for wealth and fame. The'y be sitting pretty right about now huh? Shoot maybe if she had a loving Brother at home she'd be less likely to play the role she plays now... I'm not about to debate a point premised on equating bullets with insults. Besides I did not say nothing shouldn't be done--Trolls must be stopped. I'm saying she better learn not to take what folks say personally, otherwise she is in store for a world of hurt.

Well @Pioneer1, that is actually the way I feel about the subject, but I need to hear the arguments, To me Black women claiming power because they use Twitter a lot is analogous to the slave who gets to work in the big house. They defend the master and his property as if it was their own, because they derive some marginal benefits not afforded to the field Negroes. Can you image white women running around proclaiming the "power" they have as a result of using a Black owned social media platform? @Cynique, the tradeoff you've described is not "free." Time has value that is why Jack Dorsey is a billionaire and many of the users of Twitter are struggling to pay their cell phone bill. The time you spend here is valuable to AALBC.com. That value serves readers and authors in more ways than you know, and certainly in more way that Twitter ever will. If everyone reading and posting on these discussion forums stopped today. AALBC.com would be hurt and my ability to promote Black books and culture would be diminished. If all of these people then choose to spend their time on Twitter, then Twitter is enriched. But in return for using Twitter we would get more of the stuff that makes Twitter successfull like the sharing of Leslie Jones gorilla jokes... and Black culture is marginalized even further. The reality is that the so called power Black women are exerting on Twitter comes at the expense of the time they could be spending on and uplifting Black owned sites. Do you see what I mean? In fact, from a technology perspective, this forum provides more functionality than Twitter. Leslie can post her pictures and videos here from her smart phone. Plus she would not have to worry about trolls because I ban them; and she would be directly supporting AALBC.com and Black authors. So while everybody begs people to follow them on Twitter; I have to help people understand why linking to AALBC.com is helpful, and in their own self interest.

Beauty is truly only skin deep. For all we know Kerry can be truly ugly and Leslie can indeed be beautiful. But I guess that depends upon how one defines "beauty." If we define beauty solely by northern european standards physical standards (tall, slim, blonde, blue eyed) then @Pioneer1, I have news for you; very few Black people are "beautiful" by that definition. When I was really young, I discovered that if I got to know someone, I might discover their beauty. There are some people we call ugly because they look like Leslie, but I'm telling you if got to know them and discovered their beauty, their physical characteristics would become less important. In fact they might become more physically attractive to you. The world becomes a more rich place if we look at people beyond their physical characteristics. Otherwise we have a shallow experience. But I know our celebrity culture, with our european standard of beauty is very shallow. But we don't prepare young children for the world by telling them are not beautiful, thereby reinforcing the shallow cultural norms. We help them discover and appreciate their beauty, because that is the only defence we have against the shallow culture we live in. I'm not sure why Leslie was so hurt by the comments. They are so easily ignored. She should have simply stopped using Twitter, or blocked the comments. As a celebrity, she better develope some thicker skin in a hurry--especially if she is gonna continue with the rugged-aggressive-sex-crazed-lusting-after-white-men persona. The racist comments will never stop. Trolls are relentless, and I speak from experience.

This topic was spawned from a conversation where I argue against the popular narrative that Black women have Power as a result of their outsized use of Twitter. The treatment of Jones is yet another example of why I say excessive use of Twitter by Black women is not an example of power. Now Jack Dorsey (someone who actually has power), came to Leslie's defense. But Leslie is one celebrity. What about the countless other Black girls harassed on Twitter? Who is coming to their rescue or even thinking about defending them? I can tell you how many videos and pictures I've seen on Twitter making fun of Black women. But Leslie's problem did not start with Twitter... The first time I saw Leslie was at a Katt Williams concert, she was one of the opening acts. This must have been at least 10 years ago, I had not heard of Jones before Katt's concert, but I never forgot her because her routine was funnier than Katt Williams' that night. Leslie has talent. But it pains me to watch Leslie throw herself at white men who reject her with revulsion--just for laughs. Jones' line, "You want my number?" in the Allstate commercial will probably become a catchphrase. To me it just exaggerates the undesirability of Black woman. It is not funny to me at all. But of course white men find this funny, and that is all that matters. The reaction on Twitter is not the cause of the problem it is a reflection of it. White men control how we are portrayed. Reinforecing the hyper-sexuality of Black women is not only funny to them it is lucrative. Now I know Leslie has gained a lot of fame and fortune as a result of this. People will argue Jones is rich, and that is better than being a struggling comedian. Maybe it is, at least for Jones... I dunno. But I believe Leslie is happy with all of this, for she feeds into this persona herself as shown in a tweet from earlier today:

Excellent responses! Exploiting Twitter to reach an audience is fine; owning Twitter is power. Why don't Black women start a new platform? They could reap the financial rewards of their efforts, create jobs for other Black people, and help promote the business of even more Black Entrepreneurs. Of course this has not happened, because Black women do not have the power to do this. They are only as powerful as the owners of Twitter allow them to be. Do you see the distinction I'm making? You see, Black women serve because of the largess of Twitter. Twitter could pull the plug on them tomorrow, but since Twitter Inc. is making so much money on the free labor Black women provide, there is no incentive for Twitter to do it; at least not today. There is also no incentive for Twitter to even hire a significant number of Black women. The company's employees are overwhelmingly white men--especially at the upper levels. But I'm sure no one is surprised by this... White men benefiting from the free labor of Black women, is this what "power" looks like to you? Also lets not confuse the popularity or success of a few Black women with power. In fact in video above Issa Rae, an internet sensation in her own right, asks if brands are aware of the force Black woman are, and Luvvie replies, "I hope they are." The answer should be obvious. They don't know because their names are not on the checks those brands are writing. I have my own opinion about Leslie Jones, but that is definitely worth a separate conversation.