Troy

Thebooklook, that sounds like a good idea -- lets add that to the agenda of our next meeting. Taschainc, nice to meet you in The Big Easy a couple of weeks ago. Waterstar, I bet if 24 hours, 1,000 channels of TV was available in the 1950's the civil rights movement would have never gotten of the ground. Throw in a couple of Tyler Perry flicks each year, an MLK mega church, and Facebook. We would almost certainly still be sitting in the back of a bus -- but we'd enjoy being on the bus. Perhaps a Romney presidency would be the spark that ignites a wake up call -- assuming things get much worse (but who knows things might get better under his watch). Last week I visited a historic site that I suspect many adults under 40 would not recognize. I find it difficult to image people would be willing to fight so hard, and to sacrifice so much just to be treated fairly, justly. Back then it seems many of the individuals on the ground, fighting, were young people. I just can't see young people engaging in this type of battle today. This is not a slight against young people today, but an indictment against the elders that came before the young folks today. We dropped the ball somewhere between thinking the job was over and enjoying a few new "freedoms".

One of my "bots" found this article, Why the Republican Party is a better fit for African Americans, and posted it on Facebook for me. I noticed it got a lot of clicks so I decided to check the article out myself. I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. I'm sure there are righteous and kind people in both parties as well as evil ones. I don't think either party really serves the people, so the whole rigid allegiance with one party over the other does not resonated with me. Because of the way I think, the whole idea that a group of people have so completely embraced the democratic party is something I simply can't fathom. White folks are free to be in either party based upon their belief, but Black people are vilified by other Blacks for being Republican. Worse, our allegiance to the Democratic party effectively renders our vote useless. It is just a given our vote will go to a democrat who can, in turn, overtly ignore Black issues. I think we would be better off without parties. Perhaps then, people could vote on candidates based upon issues, and candidates would be unable to take a vote for granted simply because they were Black and democratic.

Our very existence is under attack. This is not hyperbole. I wish it were. Many of the games we've made have been reversed. Off the top of my head: There are fewer Black studies programs in our colleges and universities We have lost the vast majority of of Black bookstores over the last two decades Black radio is virtually dead Black film is virtually dead The Black voices on the Internet is dying Black newspapers are dying Black magazines are dying Black folks are being incarcerated at an alarming rate Black unemployment rates are staggeringly horrific Our course Black at the bottom of every major social economic measure available Mental illness is a major problem Our numbers in significant roles in corporate America are still very small I could go on... The fight required to reverse this is on the scale of what the civil rights fight required. This most tragic aspect of this dilemma is that it is happening virtually no outrage, no resistance, and an almost complete apathy on the part of the victims. Part of the reason is that the vast majority of us have no idea what is going on and have no ideal what a serious problem we are facing. We have too little conscious media to detail and explain what is happening. Most of our media, radio, TV, film, the web, magazines is too focused on celebrity nonsense. It is like a narcotic numbing us to the to the pain we are suffering. As a result we want, indeed need, even more to stay sane. Of course the problem is our very culture. Blacks are not the only victims, the vast majority of Americans are -- it is just we, as Black people, are suffering far more than any other demographic. We are going to need wake up and do something before it is too late.

DT, I hear you but your reasoning does not explain why I can go almost anywhere in this country and find several white owned, independent, bookstore thriving. Hickson I hear to you. Unfortunately much of the local support for the Harlem Book Fair is lacking for reasons similar to the ones you've mentioned. It is too bad the event has so much potential.

The effected people will never be made whole. The lawyers are the only one who will benefit. Instead of fines the guilty should be sent to prison. This is what we used to call a "cluster fu-k".

Hickson! Man I honestly needed to hear that. See here is the thing, I'll support almost any event. While some organizers try to reciprocate I always put out more compared to what I get in return. I consider it an investment. I have a strong desire to see events succeed because ultimately we can all stand to benefit. Often people will why I bother with this event or that event. I reply is usually along the line of you gotta work with what you have. In fact my work with Huria.org and ABLE (Alliance for Black Literature and Entertainment) are directly related to helping other entities learn from each other and support each other. I'm not progressing as quickly as I would like with these efforts but something has to be done. When there are no more general Black book websites, Black literary events, or Black owned bookstores it will not be a very good day. Of course, as you related, one can't afford to support poorly run events, and get nothing in return, as you'll be out of business yourself. Regarding the Harlem Book Fair: I have seen zero promotion myself. I normally promote the event (for free) myself 'cause I'm usually involved in some way (for free), but this year for the first year, since the first fair over a decade ago I'm not involved at all -- and I've done just about everything you can do with the fair. I was even considering whether I would even attend this year myself. I have decided to go, walk the street, hand out flyers for my new Manuscript Editing Service: Edit 1st http://edit1st.com and maybe check out panel or two. The street is NOTHING like it was in it's hey day and there are reasons for this. Perhaps it will recapture the old experience... I don't know. I do know I'd rather there be a Harlem Book Fair than see it go away. Hickson (anybody) what is your favorite Black book event and why?

"Anti-Social Media" That is definitely a more accurate description.

Cynique I don't understand it either. The NAACP should be outraged and should express this outrage -- but they won't... Sure, the NAACP will express outrage by booing Romney. So predictable. There is virtually nothing Obama can do to lose the support of 99.9% of the NAACP's membership. I know when Obama comes to New York City you better have damn near $40K in cash to see him. No matter who wins, things will get worse before they get better. Indeed things will HAVE to get worse before a leader can emerge to make things better. Of course while shit is hitting the fan Black folks will suffer the most.

Yes it is indeed very complicated. Another problem is that we (Black people) don't support our own literary events. I'm may write about this later because it is a serious problem. I know the economy is an issue, but I'm beginning to wonder how much people actually value reading/literature, I know the culture does not support reading/literature in the Black community --- never has, but the support of people is waning as well...

Waterstar -- WORD! Has Obama ever addressed the NAACP during their convention?

THE HURSTON/WRIGHT FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES OF THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL HURSTON/WRIGHT LEGACY AWARD The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award honors exemplary works of literature before the national community of Black writers. By honoring these nominees, we're recognizing the profound significance, necessity, and genius of Black writers and the stories they tell. A panel of published authors in each genre reviewed submissions and selected nominees from categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. Winners will receive a cash award and the coveted statute of Djhuiti(je-hu-ty), the ancient Egyptian symbol of the patron saint of writing, speech, and divine intellectual pursuit. Finalists will receive an engraved plaque of Djhuiti. The annual Legacy Award ceremony will be held December 1, 2012 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC. The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award 2012 Nominees are: Fiction Nuruddin Farah Crossbones (Riverhead) Tayari Jones Silver Sparrow (Algonquin Books) Helen Oyeyemi Mr. Fox (Riverhead) Danzy Senna You Are Free (Riverhead) Jesmyn Ward Salvage the Bones (Bloomsbury USA) Colson Whitehead Zone One (Doubleday) Poetry Aracelis Girmay Kingdom Animalia (BOA Editions Ltd.) Evie Shockley The New Black (Wesleyan) Tracy K. Smith Life on Mars (Graywolf Press) Nonfiction Tomiko Brown-Nagin Courage to Dissent (Oxford University Press) Melissa V. Harris-Perry Sister Citizen (Yale University Press) Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts Harlem is Nowhere (Little, Brown and Company) Binyavanga Wainaina One Day I Will Write About This Place (Graywolf Press) Mark Whitaker My Long Trip Home (Simon & Schuster) ABOUT HURSTON/WRIGHT Hurston/Wright is the nation's resource center for writers, readers, and supporters of Black literature. And thanks to the generosity of organizations such as Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Group USA, we provide services and guidance for Black writers and readers at every stage of their development. Our annual programs include the nation's only multi-genre summer residency workshop for writers of African descent with a tuition-free component for high school students; the first national award presented to published writers of African descent by their peers; an award for excellence to Black college writers; community awards to businesses, educators and/or cultural leaders that have demonstrated their commitment to African American literature; and a three week tuition-free writers workshop for high school students followed by monthly classroom and online instructions during the academic school year. Once again we wish to give special thanks to our many supporters who include Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Group USA, Prince George's County Council Member Andrea Harrison, Council Member Eric Olson, and Council Member Mel Franklin, The National Harbor Community Outreach Grant Fund, Sankofa Books, and a host of individual donors for their generous support. For more information about Hurston/Wright visit our website at www.hurstonwright.org.

Thanks for sharing this. Was this video shot at Agape Christian Books Gifts & Music? Here is a short link you can use to link to your eBook: http://bit.ly/debtbook

Cute. The last panel is the best. I was talking to someone the other day that said the Tea Party was nothing but the Klan. They were so serious I let the comment slide.

I dunno Cynique I just think the world was a better place before social media, perhaps that was the real basis of my complaint about the attention paid to Chris Rock's utterances.

Waterstar, I can only image if writers were that conscious -- some are, but not enough. This is not likely to change. ...and another thing. There are people who used to frequent this discussion board that will engage me on facebook but not here -- even after I ask them to reply here and explain to them why -- this actually irks me, 'cause this is a clear example of supporting Facebook at the expense of AALBC.com FinanceFree please post as much information about Agape Christian Books Gifts & Music I'll be sure to add it to the database: http://aalbc.it/agapebooks

Why what said on Twiitter makes the news will forever escape me. I have no expectation that something a comedian expressed in 140 characters with change the mindset of a culture.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0883783371?tag=newsstory-20

Waterstar the reasons will never be listed. What you will find will be a list of anecdotes and speculation. The subject is apparently unworthy of study... However the economy is probably more of a factor than one might assume. In Harlem the unemployment rate is 50%. Even those that have jobs are not making a lot of money. Despite the numbers of Black folks in Harlem, there may not have been a large enough numbers of potential Black book buyers. The problems Hickson describe are complex and can be viewed differently was from different perspectives. The "water man ice is colder" is a very profound problem. I could write a book about it. Here is an example from a few minutes ago: A Black writer emailed me asking me to "like" articles they published on the HuffingtonPost, imploring me how important it is to get "likes". I almost did it to support the writer. But I decided against it. If HuffPost ever supported AALBC.com in any way I might consider it. If the writer wrote for me for free and promoted it so aggressively I would consider liking the HuffPost articles. I'm not even going to visit the HuffPost site -- let alone "like" the article. It occurred to me to explain to the writer my position but I decided against that too cause I know the person was doing this to promote their work. But when folks bend over backwards to get a HuffPost byline and promote it when they do. All this does is uplift HuffPost -- more so than even the writer. HuffPost has sucked up Black Voices then marginalized it. They have the support of all the major media -- all the benefits that accrue to majority businesses. This is what makes a HuffPost's ice colder than an AALBC.com's. This is an issue across the board.

Hi Cheryl tell us about your book: http://bit.ly/broken-bones

As you can probably guess Cynique I would take no joy in sitting out the next election, though I'm sure I would be able to breeze right through this time compared with 2008. The whole world does not have the problems the US has our problem are not universal they are typically western. These values are unfortunately be exported globally so it seems as if the problem are universal. We have all the resources to fix what is wrong. I'm not saying make it perfect, but if can be a whole lot better than it is -- and in our life time. Universal health care can be made available, throwing Black men into prison for bullshit can stop tomorrow (how about throwing Wall Street criminals in jail for a change?) Quality, free education, including college or vocational training for all can be made available. A more rational tax system can be put into place. Environmental and food safety can be enforced. These are not hard things to do. I'd imagine most people would be interested in having these things too. But it will never happen in the current system - the incentives are all wrong. Politicians only do what is right for themselves often at the expense of everyone else. Few seem willing to compromise their individual wealth and power. Ones principles are open for compromise and are only important to the extent that they leverage additional power. We call this flip-flopping nowadays, if used to just be called lying. People who are principled, speak the truth and sincerely want to make positive change are unelectable. Those who are able to win are the very ones least able to do anything of substance.

This is the best "bang for the buck" position on the AALBC.com website. This adverting unit appears on virtual every AALBC.com webpage. It is also the largest ad available for a book cover AALBC.com. In fact, it is the largest book cover ad I've seen anywhere. Visit: http://aalbc.com/advertise_on_aalbc_book_sponsor.html for more information.

Well said, but I'm not sure the distinctions between the white and Black Christian democrats are all that stark. Sure the descriptions you used fit the prevailing stereotype. Both parties and races play this game with religion speaking as if they are devout Christians just because it sounds good. They are all hypocrites, neither practicing or actually believing in what they preach. Their very behavior reveals this fact. Each party supports a cause or idea in so far as it advances their own political positions. There is no true leadership in this system. The whole thing and the people in it disgust me, seriously.

HEY! I like that the character's name is Troy. You don;t think that he names are a coincidence, do you?

Cynqiue for the sake of argument; you think Black Democrats, in contrast to Republicans, are able to separate their religious beliefs from their civic ones? As far as Democrats treatment of women Hillary should have cleaned Barack's clock in the democratic primary. And the democrats did a pretty thorough job portraying Palin as a complete idiot, indeed they seemed to take a perverse pleasure in doing so. I'm a registered democrat ONLY because I wanted to vote for Barack in the democratic primary here in NY. Before that I was a registered independent. The independents typically support Nobody.

Without looking at wikipedia (not that I think wikipedia is the definitive authority on every subject). Here is my guess: stars = number of states 13 stripes = number of original colonies red = blood shed for independence blue = the sky over the new land white = the color of the people who took over the land