Troy

Del I feel pretty confident that you do judge people at least you judge me. For example, what promoted you make the statement, "Troy - I don't judge people."? There was nothing I wrote (or thought even) that indicated that I thought you were judging someone. This is not the first time that you ascribed a sentiment to me that I did not hold or express. The only thing that I can conclude is that you are reacting to judgments or pre-judgment you have made about me. That said I think it is natural for people to make judgments. Indeed I think there would be anarchy if we did not judge each other. How do you keep law and order, how to you select a mate? Good, bad or indifferent we all make judgments of others all the time.

Barack is less than a year older than me, so if I had his ear I would probably be less sympathetic. I did not listen to the speech indeed I did not know he had made one until someone emailed me asking what I thought about Tavis and Cornel's response. I looked at my Facebook wall and of course there were multiple posts express either fawning praise over Obama's statements or outrage over what Tavis said. At this point I've not heard statement from either man. I'm simply not interested in what either has to say. I responded to the women who asked about my opinion as follows: "OK I just looked at my FB wall and see what you are talking about. I'm tired about complaining about Tavis -- my efforts are better directed toward uplifting those I agree with and trying to contribute in a positive way myself." Cynique I'm glad you posted these sentiments here. FaceBook just presents the same opinions to me. I really dislike that. I think Facebook must see that I'm a Black splitting his time between Harlem and Florida and therefore I must want nothing but positive opinions about Obama.

See all the photos on my Blog

NEW - The #1 Power List best-selling books for the fiction and nonfiction categories in 2013 will be come automatic nominees for the 2014 Phillis Wheatley Book Awards!

The Wheatley Awards were presented last night here are the winners Learn more about these books. Book Awards 2013 Wheatley Award Finalists First Fiction The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller Antebellum by R. K. Thomas (WINNER) Sweet Lullaby by DaWitt The Magnificent Life of Gravvy Brown by DeVaughn Lilly The Garvey Protocol by Eric Christopher Webb Fiction Love In A Carry-on Bag by Sadeqa Johnson (WINNER) A Gathering of Water by Bernice L. McFadden The Warlord of Willow Ridge by Gary Phillips Silent Cry by Dywane Birch Sinners & Saints by ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray Nonfiction / Biography & Memoir Floyd Patterson: The Fighting Life of Boxing's Invisible Champion by W. K. Stratton The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by R L Smith The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss A Mission From God by James Meredith Gather at the Table by Sharon Leslie Morgan and Thomas Morgan DeWolf (WINNER) Nonfiction / History & Politics Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation by Deborah Davis (WINNER) Out from the Shadow: The Story of Charles L. Gittens Who Broke the Color Barrier in the United States Secret Service by Maurice A. Butler This Fragile Life: A Mother's Story of a Bipolar Son by Charlotte Pierce-Baker Power Concedes Nothing: One Woman's Quest for Social Justice in America, from the Courtroom to the Kill Zones by Connie Rice The Courage To Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear by Shirley Sherrod Poetry Here I Throw Down My Heart by Coleen J. McElroy Shouda Been Jimi Savannah by Patricia Smith (WINNER) Thrall by Natasha Trethewey Hurrah’s Nest by Arisa White Speak Water by Truth Thomas Young Adult Readers The Diary of BB Bright: Possible Princess by Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams, Illustrated by Shadra Strickland (WINNER) Like a Tree Without Roots by Teresa Ann Willis Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons - A Dialogue With America's Young Leaders by Gregory Reed Pinned by Sharon G. Flake Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliott Young Readers Tea Cakes for Tosh by Kelly Starling Lyons, Illustrated by E. B. Lewis (WINNER) Squeak! Rumble! Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis, Illustrated by Paul Rogers What Color is My World? by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfeld, Illustrated by Ben Boos and A. G. Ford Twice as Good: The Story of William Powell and Clearview by Richard Michelson, Illustrated by Eric Velazquez Ellen's Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons, Illustrated by Daniel Minter Learn more about these books.

Del what kind of bar were you in and the heck were you drinking ?

As long as they keep The Beauty of the Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JET’s August 12th Issue Reveals a Newly Revamped Look The publication’s first cover-to-cover redesign CHICAGO, Ill. (July 19, 2013) — Johnson Publishing Company is announcing the first cover-to-cover redesign of JET magazine in the history of the publication along with the re-launch of the JETmag.com website. Led by Editor-in-Chief Mitzi Miller, readers can expect an overall modern and engaging feel that makes each section easy to read. “I’m very excited to debut the new look of the JET brand,” said Miller. “I'm proud to say that my team has created a product that strikes the perfect balance between freshness and familiarity. The new JET combines what our readers have always loved, with a modern look and vibe. I look forward to the continued support from our loyal readers and embracing a new generation of JET subscribers." The cover of the new issue features Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and NBC’s Friday Night Lights actor Michael B. Jordan, who both star in the critically acclaimed film Fruitvale Station. Spencer and Jordan gave JET the details on preparing for the roles and their emotions that were sparked while reenacting the tragic story of Oscar Grant, a young Black man who was killed by a police officer in 2009. Jordan, disclosed his impression of the media’s criminalization of Oscar Grant: “The way media spins Black men... Once this happened, Oscar is all of a sudden a criminal, a degenerate.” On the contrast between the media’s treatment of Adam Lanza, Spencer noted: “When Adam Lanza went into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed those children, news outlets painted him with empathy… They don’t do that when dealing with a young man of color— even if they are killed for no reason.” The film hits theaters nationwide on July 26. -###- About JET JET is the No. 1 African-American newsweekly and has more than seven million readers. The publication was initially billed as “The Weekly Negro News Magazine,” and is noted for its role in chronicling the early days of the American Civil Rights movement from its earliest years -- including coverage of the Emmett Till murder, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The magazine has been a staple in homes and businesses of Black Americans since 1951, bringing life to its popular catchphrase: “If it isn’t in JET, it didn’t happen.” JET is the beloved bible of African-Americans and ranks No. 4 in reader engagement.

The article did not address the on camera professionals, but they are such a small percentage of the total I doubt they would have an impact one way or the other. I see similar trends in publishing. I would be nice to read an article on that subject. This was one of the things Black Issues Book Review could have writen about -- if they were still around. I know Random House lost several key Black professionals including, Janet Hill a vice-president and executive editor who ran the Harlem Moon (Doubleday's Blakc imprint). We also know that Penguin Publishers fired Marilyn Ducksworth who was the director of corporate communications for Penguin Group (Marilyn filed an age discrimination lawsuit). Do we think the combined Penguin Random House will have more senior Black professional or less? I'll give you one guess. Again this trend is newsworthy. We just don't have the platforms to share this information and help us understand why this is important. You won't discover this stuff on the uninformed-opinion-driven-echo-chamber that is social media. But that is where you will find us... I read somewhere that Black folks, despite the "digital divide", make up 25% of Twitter's user,s apparently because we are so desirous of celebrity information.

Yep I'll take a broken-caps-lock-key-poster who sparks debate over a lurker anytime :-) Thanks HB

The first article meshes 100% with my observations over the last few years. Of course the impact on Black folks is FAR worse, than what The Nation has observed for news in general. I'm just disappointed that I rarely arti8cles like this in the Black press (perhaps because the Black press has been so devastated). On the surface, the articles may not seem to be related, but they are, very much so. Google's Monopoly on the News by William F. Baker, This article appeared in the February 11, 2013 edition of The Nation. The Federal Trade Commission’s premature decision to close down its investigation of Google is a blow not just to Google’s competitors but to the health of American democracy in the digital age. At issue in the FTC’s investigation was whether Google’s search results are rigged to favor its own products and services, and whether that would count as an abuse of its dominance in online searches. So far, the discussion of the FTC’s investigation has been about the effect on products and services like tablet PCs and travel-planning websites. Left undiscussed is one supremely important product that Google has an impact on: news. Newsroom Diversity: A Casualty of Journalism's Financial Crisis by Riva Gold Jul 9 2013, The Atlantic Monthly Group. The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) recently released its annual study of newsroom diversity. The results only confirmed what many who have lived through the industry's deep recession have already experienced: a steady decline in minority journalists and stagnation in prior progress. Despite claims by news organizations that they value and promote diversity, the numbers in this year's study show 90 percent of newsroom supervisors from participating news organizations were white.

I agree with aspects of both Cynique's and Pioneers arguments. John Henrik Clarke described Christianity, and I paraphrase, as the hand maiden of the conqueror. Given that is was a religion given to us here by our white enslavers I have little faith it can help us. I know I've disappointed a lot of Christians... But that does not mean that we don't need a code of behavior or should not behave in a righteous manner toward each other -- it just can't be a code based upon something a white "master" gave to our enslaved ancestors. Of course I agree that, "Black people need to focus on gaining economic power and political power then use the brains God gave us to build our OWN communities/societies (within America) instead of expecting others to build them for us." Again, as I've asserted, no amount of protesting is going to get us this nor will Christianity.

:-) You dodged my examples Del. So I'll pick one of yours, the Civil Rights movement. We both know a lot of blood was shed as a direct consequence of fighting for our civil rights. Lets be clear it was a fight. The Civil rights movement including the murder it's most iconic leader MLK was a violent affair. The Montgomery bus boycott which would have put that bus company out of business is what helped change the back of the bus rules. The activity of the attorneys, working under the leadership of the NAACP, putting pressure the government and bringing fights to the courts is why laws changed. The civil right movement was not successful because of a bunch of protest marches. Sure protest grab attention of the media and let people blow off steam. The real changes however came as a result of sustained effort of people, often unsung, who do the real work behind the scenes. We had a "million" Black men march on Washington in 1995. As far as I know the problems for Black men have only escalated since then. Since we are outnumbered and out gunned we can't realistically exert power through violence. Our power comes from our ability to changes laws, our financial power, and changing the way we think. Much of the power has not been used since the Civil Rights era. Save the effort to get Obama in office. Speak about Obama, some even argue that President Obama should use his executive powers in the way that Abraham Lincoln singlehandedly ended slavery by executive decree via the Emancipation Proclamation. Our problem is that we spend too much time marching and not enough time exerting our real power.

Del I think power only really reacts to power. Do you think the effective genocide of the Native Americans would have been stopped by a protest? How about Nazi aggression in Europe. Do you think protests would have had much of an impact on ending American slavery? Protests against the use of drones has only resulted in an increase in the activity. Protests have not closed Guantanamo Bay, improved Black incarnation rates, improved our education system or even slowed activity contributing to climate change, "Occupy", the largest protest in recent memory did nothing, changed nothing. Power is loves protests because if allows those being victimized to vent, blow off some steam without resorting to the violent activity that might actually change something. In the past power has come in the form of violence, commerce, or legal activity. True a protest might spur the application of power but getting the word out, but if not the protest is not followed up with a powerful tool a gun, money or a court case nothing will change.

That is a fundamental problem with the jury system. Attorney's should not get to select who is on them the better attorneys are better at choosing the "right" juror and of course the best attorneys cost more -- further rigging the system against poor people.

Here are some other sites you can consider advertising on: http://aalbc.com/otherwebsites.htm You'll have to reach out to each of them directly as I have not kept up on advertising rates for each platform (though I have made attempts with limited success to organize these different platforms from a collective advertising perspective). You should join The Book Look. There you can upload info about your book and have an opportunity to have you book featured in a Book Look Video.

Hi Gibran I updated your AALBC.com page maybe one day I'll split your page from Gregory's :-) Here is a short link you can use too: http://bit.ly/bpnovel

You can post it here and I'll move it to the author's section when I get a minute

I also saw this notice on one of the Facebook groups setup to "fight" against Trayvon. The person who posted the petition notice prefaced it by writing, "Not trying to promote membership, but I am promoting solidarity! We have to do this together!". That seemed to contradictory me. I pointed it out, The Brother who made the post clarified his goal, "My apologies that it came across that way Bro. Troy, my intent and emphasis was to encourage folks to focus on the issue and not be distracted by whatever thoughts or feelings they may have concerning NAACP. But by no means to discourage anyone who would make the choice to join NAACP." I'm not the biggest fan of the NAACP either, but the organization needs people to do the work. Signing petitions is fine, but you need an organization and an organization need money and people willing to work.

Troy, In 1955, a young black man in Money, Mississippi, went to the store to buy some candy. Fifty-seven years later, another young black man in Sanford, Florida, did the same. Both trips led to a murder — one of Emmett Till and the other Trayvon Martin. Troy, it wasn't right when it happened in 1955, and it wasn't right in 2012. Responding to these injustices was a focus of my address to the 104th annual convention of the NAACP tonight. I spoke of the need to keep our convention theme in our minds and hearts — "We shall not be moved." Here's how we do it: Hundreds of thousands of people have signed the petition urging the Department of Justice to file federal charges, including civil rights charges, against George Zimmerman. We need you to join them. Do not allow yourself to be moved. Sign our petition to the Department of Justice today. Standing for justice requires courage, but I am confident we have no shortage of that. Courage is a group of young NAACP leaders channeling their hurt and frustration over an appalling verdict into a decisive call to action: to stop the violence. Whether on the South Side of Chicago, or a gated community in Sanford, Florida, we must end gun violence, no matter what the perpetrator looks like. It's Rosa Parks refusing to get up from her seat, and Medgar Evers refusing to take his. Titans of our civil rights movement who stood their ground, and who we celebrate this year on the 100th anniversary of her birth, and the 50th anniversary of his assassination. And courage is refusing to allow two black boys to be vilified for walking while black, and rejecting the notion that our children are seen as potential threats instead of the loving sons and daughters we raise them to be. Troy, courage will not skip this generation, and we shall not be moved. Right now, I need you to make this point loud and clear to the Department of Justice by signing or sharing our petition. Sign the NAACP petition to the Department of Justice: http://www.naacp.org/justice Thank you, Roslyn Brock Chairman, NAACP National Board of Directors Donate | Join the NAACP | Blog | Take Action | Find Your Local Unit | Unsubscribe

You might be right about the eNewsletter subscriptions. Occasionally I get checks but I hate checks, from strangers, because a good portion of them bounce. It is not worth the risk for me to deposit an $8 check to incurr a $30 charge if it does not clear. I gladly accept money orders :-) and of course cash is king -- still!

What we need are activist attorneys to do the work required to get laws like stand your ground changed. This work is never initiated by politicians and certainly will not be initiated by the likes of Obama. I recently posted information about an attorney named A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Men like this worked within the system to effect necessary changes in the system. Everyone (I hope) knows Thurgood Marshall, but we need to here the stories of people like Higginbotham, Charles Hamilton Houston, William H. Hastie, and others to know that it was not bitching on Facebook or in the streets that effects change but the efforts or organized activists. The NAACP should be leading these efforts but people don't want to support the organization -- let alone pay a membership fee and join it. Obama would probably do something but WE have to MAKE him do it. But we can't be minutely critical of him without being looked upon as a race traitor.

{sigh}

"The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin."

The idea of values not being passed on is an interesting one. About 50 years ago the society began changing so dramatically so quickly that almost anything a parent could relate to a child, from their own experiences or rearing was much less applicable in the current world. I was raised to hit anyone who hit me - period. However on the street I could not apply that advice directly because some guys I hit back had a gang backing them. Today it is a gun and we see Black boys shooting each other every single day in some communities. I heard Chicago had 55 shooting over the 4th of July... The allure of marketers and how they have created a culture of consumption can not be negated. People born in the 80's were raised under pressure today to consume in a way the someone born in the 30's simply can't appreciate. I can barely get people to pay $8 a year to subscribe to the AALBC.com eNewsltetter and help support the site, so I'm forced to have banners ads on the site to generate revenue -- further contributing to the problem. The problem for me may be moot as people migrate to social media where the pressures to consume are far greater and with the help of all the free data people provide -- far more effective.