Troy

With the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics, Dawn Lundy Martin wants to make Pitt the place people go to study black poetry. “We want to help to really put that MFA program on the map so that if you’re a black poet, the very first place that you would apply to and your top choice would be the University of Pittsburgh,” Lundy Martin said. “Right now, that’s not true.” Pitt English professor Lundy Martin is co-founder and co-director of the CAAPP, which Pitt launched in March as a creative think tank for African-American and African diasporic poets and artists. Located on the fourth floor of the Cathedral of Learning, the Center records Pitt’s history as a home for black poetry and charts its future as a leader in the dialogue. Read the complete article here.

Mel, promoted by your message on Linkedin I also added the quote to Erika's page as well. Prince's simple requests helped more people than just Erika. The really powerful aspect of what Prince did is that it did not cost him a cent to elevate Erika, that is real power. And while Erica felt she was too "green" for the assignment, what she probably discovered that she was probably better suited for the job and any of the more senior white counterparts--so everyone benefited. I was hurt to discover that Ericca killed herself in 2012. Insert other media

You perfectly embody the spirt of AALBC.com Shirley. We have to support each other. If you have not already done so reach out to Wade. He has been fighting for the same thing I have for much longer--and doing a great job!

I'll include a shot in my next newsletter :-)

Del who is the "you" who are referring to, and what points do you disagree with? Did you watch the video?

... certainly not enough to effect meaningful change. Del I'm going to seriously consider to begin to looking outside the US

From the New York Times: The Faces of American Power, Nearly as White as the Oscar Nominees By Haeyoun Park, Josh Keller and Josh Williams, Feb 26, 2016 "We reviewed 503 of the most powerful people in American culture, government, education and business, and found that just 44 are minorities. Any list of the powerful is subjective, but the people here have an outsize influence on the nation’s rules and culture." The article looks at the faces of the the most powerful people the Times has identified. It is interesting to see white power describe white power as white, then seemingly lament the lack of diversity. It seems disingenuous to me; designed more to grab eyeballs rather than do the work of uncovering why this continues to be a problem... But then again the Times never actually write that this is a problem. Of course many of the 44 so called "minorities" are not Black. Below are the powerful faces the Times identified in the world of publishing. The face of Jeff Bezos is conspicuously absent, but he is mug may be found under the list of "Leaders of the Largest American Companies." In fact this list is a bit misleading in the sense that if does not reflect the true power of individuals like Bezos. The Times go on to describe the nature of the publishing list; "There’s no single authority for identifying the most powerful people in publishing, but we selected 20 who are among the most influential in deciding which books get published, which ones break out and what Americans read. Among those included are publishing executives who say “yes” or “no” to book proposals, and powerful agents and celebrities who influence which books become best sellers." "A recent survey of workers at publishing houses found that the industry remains overwhelmingly white. Nearly 90 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, and only 20 percent said strides had been made to diversity the work force." Failing to find a single Black person the Times reflects what I'll be exposed to at Book Expo America in a few weeks. As usual, the event will reflect the homogeneity that is American publishing (i.e. it will be a sea of white folks).

What determines how long we’ll live? Surprisingly, our zip code plays a large role. Not all communities have the necessary ingredients for health. People who reside in areas without easy access to healthy food options, parks for exercise, and good schools for their children have shorter lives than those who live in more affluent communities. Differences across neighborhoods were manmade and can be unmade, but it will take all of us. The California Endowment’s 10-year Building Healthy Communities initiative seeks to bring equity to all neighborhoods so that all Californians can enjoy the benefits of healthy communities and live long and productive lives.

I saw your post @Sara and I don't understand why you rejected my response, when we were obviously referring to the same war (perhaps because you referred to one of them). I'm not sure why you think the Seminole Wars are so widely known, but it is not worth debating the point. Denzel wore a cross in Training Day.

There has been a lot of press lately on the rise in suicides over that past 20 years. I believe the largest increase is among middle aged white men. During the same period the icde rates for Black men has actually gone down. Some feel that the increase in white suicide is a reaction to the loss of white privilege. While this is devastating to white folks reality, this is par for the course for Black folks--arguably an improvement. When white folks say "lets take our country back," what they really mean is lets restore white privilege. Again, racism is a tool of capitalists. We can eradicate racism tomorrow (and we should try), but lets not be naive and believe that oppression will end there.

Cagedbird if you create an account you will not have to wait for me to approve your posts before they are shared

Yeah terrestrial talk radio seems to be biased to the right. Sirius XM is much more balance, but has a much smaller audience. I see more confederate flags in the south than in the north. In the south they are commonplace. What you are describing Pioneer is more a function class, culture, and education rather than geography.

Yeah I stood next to him once. He was, in heels, visibly shorter than me and I'm 5'7", so I can believe he is in the 5'1", 5'2" range. Though petite in physique he was a giant in talent.

All good things come to an end... Cynique, you've had an amazing run over the last 12 years; joining the forum in January of 2004. I found your 2nd post, in a interesting conversation, back when we discussed books in a more substantive manner; with other regulars like of Thumper, Yukio, Soul Sisters, Book Girl, AKA Ivy Leaf and many others. Of course the sheer number of your posts (16,997), and the quality of your contributions, are both prodigious and unlikely to be equaled. I consider it my job to preserve what you have shared for as long as there is a world Wide Web. It would bring me no more joy than to discover that one of your ancestors were brought closer to you by simply reading your commentary, musings and insights on historical events, pop culture, sports, black culture and more. I know I've enjoyed your editorial immensely. i will continue to work to share it with a broader audience. ...so while this chapter may be over it will live on in my heart and many others who have yet to discover you. Peace and Love, Troy p.s. I know you will lurk from time to time Let us know how you are doing from time to time. p.p.s. Please don't dream about me

As far as ghosts, spirits, or souls are concerned. It I were a spirit, I seriously doubt I would give a crap about anyone who has done me wrong on this physical plain. I'd hope I've have better things to do in the spiritual realm...

New York City by itself has the population of the rest of the entire state. According to the stats that i recall. Hillary got more votes than all of the republican candidates combined--by far. Bernie got more popular votes than Trump. NY as usual, will go to the democratic candidate. None of the independent voters were allowed to cast a vote in this primary. New York only allows people registered in a party to vote for a candidate in a party. The belief is that many independent voters, who would have voted for Bernie, did not have an opportunity to do it; though it probably would not have make much of a difference. I was registered as an independent until Obama ran the first time. I switched my party affiliation so that I could vote for him. Trump won every county in New York State with the exception of the one I reside, New York county (Manhattan). @Pioneer1, sure based upon square footage NY State, like most states I suspect is pretty rural. However most of the people live in the cities and those cities are overwhelmingly liberal. Trump, not any republican candidate, has any hope of carrying NY in the general election. But if Hillary is indicted, who knows what will happen.

R.I.P. Prince Rogers Nelson 21 Nights

Lisa, everything you've written resonates with me. I guess the question is what do we do about it? Your last paragraph is particularly interesting, from my perspective as an online bookseller. In America it truly does comes down to what makes money. But "bad" books will never disappear. In many situations "bad" books subsidize "good" books. For example, E.L. James' novels are bestsellers on this website even though no one confuses these books with great literature. But those sales subsidize the promotion of good and important literature--that might not get promotion otherwise. There is room for both. The truth is publishing can survive if only "bad" books were published and not another work of great literature were published again However the opposite is not true.

Hi Leslie, I visited the website, it is probably me, but the copy reads as it the books are by Michelle Lindo-Rice please confirm the author's name.

They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America by Ivan Van Sertima is a very popular book on the website, making our bestsellers list 11 times. They Came Before Columbus reveals a compelling, dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence and legacy of Africans in ancient America. Examining navigation and shipbuilding; cultural analogies between Native Americans and Africans; the transportation of plants, animals, and textiles between the continents; and the diaries, journals, and oral accounts of the explorers themselves.

I have not seen the film either. The review does not move me to see the film either--at least not in the theater. I would have expected Zoe to Lip-synch. No one would have expected her to sing well enough to mimic Nina Simone. I was actually surprised to read that the African-American Film Critics Association the film their "Seal of Approval," I have not seen any justification for this honor. Seems like a marketing ploy if you ask me. I know it is a "Critics" Association, but in 2016 this would not be surprising When I get a press release I will share it here

I just posted Kam's review of Nina (2016) If anyone would like to share their feedback on the presentation of the film review please do so. What is missing? Should the information be presented better? I still have not designed a template for film reviews.

77th Day of #blackhistorymonth: April 19, 1989, a brutal rape leads to tragic miscarriage of justice for "The Central Park Five" donald trump famously took out a full page ad calling for the execution of these boys who were later proven innocent. The newspaper ad Mr. Trump bought in 1989 after a female jogger was attacked in New York’s Central Park.

OK start a new conversation when you are ready to share... No I was not walking about like Washington as this character. While he won an academy award for this role, there is nothing about any of I would emulate.

I went to my polling place at 7:30 a.m.; one would have thought it was a midterm election--there was barely a soul in sight. Even our convoluted process of; determining your district, getting the ballot, filling out the ballot, and finally scanning it went quickly, simply because no one else was ahead of me. Interestingly, I did not have to show any form of identification. Given the scrawl that I use as my signature, I'm confident virtually anyone could walked in and voted in my place. One has to show identification just to walk into a local bar, but not to vote. Bernice seemed to have had much more buzz on a grassroots level. But Hillary was backed by many of the same NYC groups that backed her when she ran against Barack Obama. The teachers union backed Hillary, my local newspaper the Amsterdam News backed Hillary. However most people I talk to back Bernie. If they favor Hillary, they are less than enthusiastic about it--or are keeping to themselves. I bet if Bernie was 25 years younger Hillary would not have a chance. Some pundits believe Hillary will be indicted and her candidacy be rendered moot. If you have not heard about the Panama Papers, check it out. There are rumors she and Bill may have some concerns, over and above the mail server issues. It is fascinating how people generally think Bernie will not be able to do anything and everything he is saying he will do is unrealistic. I don't recall anyone saying that about Obama. Obama promised a lot and even got a Noble Peace Prize, based apparently on his promises. But we see American military action in the Middle east has not ended, drone strikes have escalated, Guantanamo is still open, etc. Maybe this is why Bernie's promises are criticized as being unreasonable. Then it is not clear to me why Hillary would be more believable. Even if Bernie ekes out a win in New York, it does not look like the powers that be want him as a candidate. The NY and CA results will be very interesting. The Donald is predicted to win the NY primary quite handily. But NY, and NYC in particular, is a blue state so I expect both Hillary and Bernie to beat The Donald in the popular vote.