Troy

Thanks Chris I'll be there!

I'm not so sure Cynique. Don't you think in today's world there are some common things we all have to do in order to survive? Assuming what you say is true, and the shit is about to hit the fan. Don't you think any effort to prevent the rest of the world from "coming against us" will require a collective effort? If there is no "WE" there is no survial. The so called double consciousness is of no significance, indeed it is a distraction considering the world we live in today.

Manie Barron, Partner of the Menza Barron Agency, speaks about the roles and responsibilties of the literary agent and author at the National Black Book Conference, sponsored by CushCity.com in Houston TX. This just took place 3:30PM CST

Were you really counting...ROTFLMBAO!!! Carey, can you list all 100. Of course the term "Self-hating Negro" is meaningless; as are the terms "Uncle Tom", and "Sellout". As stated Blacks are not monolithic there are tremendous regional differences. For example authors know better than to schedule a reading in ATL on a wednesday night 'cause everybody is gonna be at bible study. If I go to a literary event in NYC and there is no wine something is seriously wrong! Even within the regions there are significant differences between folks. There is no common connection between Black folks period; not even the shared legacy of slavery. In Harlem for example Africans and African Americans don't even really socialize in meaningful numbers... Like the guy married to the white woman on the Boondocks cartoon many Blacks more culturally "white" than they are Black. What does it mean to be Black anyway? Obviously it has nothing to do with physical, apperance, legacy of slavery, language, religion, location, place of birth, or even one's biological parents. The only common denominator seems to be that we are (at least those of us who can't pass) targets of racists who have been duped into believing Black people are inferior; for the sole purpose of enriching a handful of powerful and wealthy white people. Our job is to combat the tactics that are being used to divide, not just Black people, but the vast majority of people of all "races" running around this world.

Well. I'm almost done with the book and Burrell does touch upon the success we had immediately after slavery but the backsliding was explained away by slavery too... Burrell does ention a couple of things I can related to but had not seen articulated as a phenomenon. One is called the Myth of Individualism. This is really a tough problem preventing small business owners, like myself, from banding togteher with other entitites to "get to the next level". It idea is best described by the quote,"why should I give up a piece of my enterprise when I put in all the sweat equity". Another is; The Best Black Syndrome: "Creating separate categories of achievement gives children an artifical sense of accomplishment. it also encourages the belief that whtes are superior and can't be challenged" I guess I was looking for solutions too and I may not have gotten to that part. I skipped and see what was coming next and I noticed that a friend of mine, Deborah Cowell, wrote a significant portionof the final chapter -- can't wait to read that part.

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority by Tom Burrell http://runt.it/BrainWashed The book insightful in many ways. It is actually the best selling non-fiction book on AALBC.com for March/April 2010. i have not had a chance to post the bestsellers list, but I ran the report a couple of weeks ago and was pleasured to see something knock Confessions of a Video Vixen off it's perch for a change I do have a few issues. Women's Hair. This is an extremely complex issue and I would not simply say it is women trying to be white -- not in the 21st century. This seems to be Burrell's position. It is a different dynamic today. Burrell explains how Chris Rock (of Good Hair Fame) and had to explain to his daughter that there was nothing wrong with her hair. Burrell then points out the Rock's wife has an 18" weave emphasizing the contradiction. Ok that's cool, but then Burrell goes on to say the women like Eryka Badu are more positive role models with her natural hair style. This is problematic for me because Eryka wear wigs too. So one is afro and the other is straight as far as I'm concerned they are equivalent -- Eryka is not better than Chris wife in the hair department.... Burrell, thus far in the book blames all of Black people's woes on slavery. This premise does not explain, at least in my mind, the ground that we've lost on many respects. We made great strides after reconstruction creating universities, communities, churches, in a MUCH more hostile environment. Today we can't even get our boys into college -- let alone create one. Burrell complains about a bunch of authors including Noire solely on those author's book's titles. I doubt very much if he has read the books he is slamming. Again I'm only 1/3 of the way through, but I still applaud the work, despite my issues. Burrell's insight into advertising is indeed interesting.

Ok MMM was the Negro Woodstock.... They'll make documentaries about it, have MMM reunions and make more tee shirts. I got it. What about the Covenant with Black America? Did it have any impact? Ah Nevermind....

Thumper YOU said something positive and did not mean it?! I would never have guessed that one. Chris you might be right. Everyone changes (hopefully grows) overtime. I just re-read the Little Prince. I found it packing books in my office. I did not find it any more profound today than when I read it 30+ years ago...

Hey Soulful I'll be at BEA http://runt.it/2010bea We are actually hosting a party as well. You'll find a link at the end of the page. The self hatred thing was intended for Cynique. It is a running joke. I've been labling her and other folks who do something counter to the generally accepted practices of Black American i.e. not worship Obama or Oprah, and have anything good to say about Condi Rice, or Clarence Thomas.

Interesting review. i was on the fence about rewading it. It got such tremendous review but it did not seem like a story that would interest me... Cynique so you are going to read Oprah. Self hating Negro in training y'all LOL! That just made me think about your self-hating negro post (I read but did not have time to comment on). I thought I was gonna be burned in effagy just for posting Oprha's book on the web site. Cynique for your own safety don't read the book in public :-) Soulful. How come you could not use your original moniker? At anyrate, I have to say I'd take my chances, pre-civil right, in the north realtive to the south -- any day of the week. I have no meaningful memory precivil rights, but I've read about it and seen the pictures. There was not a lot of "strange friut" up north....

Chris your homepless friend is not the only one with that attitude... MMM (I did not attend) was supposed to be much more than a bunch of Brothers getting together. It was supposed to be a catalyst for change. Folks were supposed to bring an agenda back to their local communities organize; using the momentum of the March to fuel grassroots effort to better our plight. Perhaps the voter registrations during the MMM helped get Obama elected? Maybe Obama attended MMM and was so moved by the fellow amoung his brothers that he decided to run for office and strive to become the next POTUS. I think it was Erroll McDonald who said that until Farakkan becomes electable, he will never be in a position to help/lead Black people. I think if a Farakkhan, or anyone else, became "electable" they probably cease to be useful for making meaningful change to benefit Black folks. The greatest agents for improving things never served in public office.

Do tell. This guy's M.O. clearly has nothing to do with his personal beliefs or behavior. To me it is the same as the politicians talk about how great public schools are, while they send their OWN chldren to private schools. Both preach on thing in public, (ex: homosexuality is a sin), solely for financial gain, while in their private lives do something completely opposite (ex: active homosexual pedophiles). It is all about money and power man.

15 years later, has the Million Man March had any impact on Black people? Will the Obama presidency? Is it naïve to think that these landmark events should? I found this discussion interesting because one of the most senior Black people in publishing, Erroll McDonald, participated. Check out a video of the conversation the the day after the Million Man March http://runt.it/millmanmarch

Cynique, as you know, Negroes don't have a corner on the market of self-hatred. Most people exhibit self-hatred at some point or another in their lives. Many of us live in a perpetual state of self-hatred and may not even be aware of it. As the term is applied to Black folks; it typically refers to people who behave or believe things that are not in the best interest of Black people. Of course “Not in the interest of Black people” is a subjective term (perhaps even defined by a self-hating negro) but we all know what it means: Not a supporter of Obama = Self-hating NegroRepublican (even though most Blacks hold conservative values) = Self-hating NegroMarried to a white woman (married to a white man is OK as there are no more eligible Black men left) = Self-hating NegroDisagree with Chris Hayden = Self-hating Negro Of course those are the most egregious examples but here are a few that are more subtle: You think Kwanzaa is silly = Self-hating NegroYou are mulatto but self-identify as white = Self-hating NegroYou think names like "Shanequa" are dumb = Self-hating NegroYou disagree with Al Sharpton = Self-hating NegroYou have one good thing to say about Clarence Thomas = Self-hating NegroYou think Oprah is fat = Self-hating Negro Do y'all have any more?

During an event featuring award winning author Ben Okri, he desribed a review he written about a book: He said he, in essence that he'd panned the book. The review was published and he felt the review was fair though he did not like the book. Ten years later he re-read the book, and he thought it was great. He was at a different place and was now able to appreciate the book. He really regretted writing that unfavorable book review. I wondered if anyone had written a favorable review of a book; only to realize over time that the book actually sucked. After the event; I spoke with someone who regularly writes reviews for major publications including the Washington Post. I asked him what he though about Ben's comments. He said that he aways trys to find something positive to say about a book. If he can't find anything positive to say he does not write the review. From my experience the book review is MUCH more valuable if it is wriiten by a reviewer whose reviews you are familiar with.

Bookfan your research is sound. Chris do you think a Soledad and her family are being tracked by "The Complex"? The following is my commentary from the review page where I published the full interview: Actually the question attributed to me is not nearly as dumb artificial construct of "race" as it is applied, oh so inconsistently in this country. Soledad argues that she is Black, but fails to see that the same argument she uses to call herself Black is exactly the same one other people use to call themselves white. The legal and typically racist classification of “Blackness” has varied from by locality and generation. Among her many awards Soledad received the Top 100 Irish Americans' by Irish American Magazine. Clearly, she recognizes and embraces her Irish ancestry (she should) and her “Irishness” is recognized by the Irish community. My question was really, how does Soledad self-identify in the context of her diverse background? Given that she married a Caucasian man, does she consider her children Black as well? Now that I think about it, one of the fundamental and complex reasons there was such a negative reaction CNN’s ”Black in America” (http://runt.it/backinamerica) was this issue of race. I attended a pre broadcast screening of CNN’s Black in America at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem and the reaction was visceral. The CNN representatives reacted with surprise and defensiveness. The Black people in the audience “felt” the program was bad -- even if some audience members had difficulty articulating why. I would not expect a CNN to “get it” but I would expect a “Black person” to get it – apparently Soledad did not. As this country and its people become increasingly diverse, we have to understand that issues of class, religion, gender, sexuality, and even geography are as important as the nebulous notion of race when defining who were are as individuals or a nation.

The full interview http://runt.it/soledadobrien KW: What is the Haitian government doing about the fact that they have a situation where people are being enslaved? SO: It’s such a hard thing for those of us in this country to get our minds around, but it’s completely legal. I’m sure you saw in the piece how the boy named Matthinson’s father sold him for about $12 dollars to go and be a slave for a complete stranger. But it’s an indication of just how devastating the poverty is in Haiti that that’s a viable option. It’s pervasive throughout the country. And unfortunately, it’s perfectly legal.

Honestly if it were up to me I’d get rid of the “race” question on the census. Soledad argues that she is Black, but fails to see that the same argument she used to say she is “Black” could also be used to say that she is “white”. The whole artificial construct of of race is what is dumb, not the question. With the same logic O'brien completely invalidates any person who is 1/2 Black and 1/2 white but decided to tick the white box on the census form. Indeed if everyone in the country who had Black blood in them were counted as Black we'd be in the majority right now...

From a recent inetrview with Soledad O'Brien: Kam Williams: William Cooper and Troy Johnson both asked essentially the same question. What did you put down on her census form? William pointed out that Obama checked off “black” when he is just as black as white. How do you self-identify? Soledad O’Brien: I find the question really ridiculous. All the schooling I have to do on this topic is wearing me out. Obama is black. His mother was white. I am black. My father is white. I’m going to give everybody a History 101 lesson. Some black people have white blood in them. This has been going on for many generations, people. Look at any family of black people. They run a range of colors. This is why.

More about Ben Okri

The Tiger Woods of politics is a gross exaggeration. a "related" article on that page shows that the Tiger, who had his worst game as a pro, failed to make the cut at Quail Hollow, had at least 112 liaisons while married. I one could argue that this proves Barack Obama is indeed just a human male. Has anyone noticed that the National Inquirer is almost indistinguishable from mainstream media? Y'all keep bringing up bad news about Barack Obama and your be branded the self hating negroes, you are!

MAY AUTHOR SIGNINGS AT HUE-MAN BOOKSTORE AND CAFE IN HARLEM, NYC Saturday, May 1st 11 A.M Miss Mellie Rainbow Reads to Kids Saturday May 1st, 4 P.M Devon Harris (Jamaica Bobsled Team) Keep On Pushing Tuesday, May 4th 6 P.M Victoria Rowell Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva Wednesday May 5th 12 Noon held at Gospel Uptown Pam Grier signs her Memoir FOXY Wednesday May 5th 7:30 P.M. Funny Man Daymon Wayans Red Hats Thursday, May 6th 6 P.M Torrey Maldonado Secret Saturdays Saturday, May 8th 4 P.M Financial Powerhouse Deborah Owens A Purse of Her Own Monday May 10th, 6 P.M Black Expression Mega Star Carol Mackey Sistergirl Devotions Tuesday, May 11th 6 P.M Bernice McFadden Rocks O Magazine pick "Glorious". My pick as book fo the year so far! Wednesday, May 12th 6:30 P.M Offsite Ticketed Event $150..The Academi of Life for ticket purchase... Kevin Roberts Worldwide CEO Saatchi & Saatchi Love Marks (book included in event price) Thursday May 13th 10:30 A.M Launch of Multicultural Series of books called The Alphabet Kids. Zuleka Henderson, the daughter of Supermodel Iman will be on hand to read to the kids... Saturday, May 15th 11. A.M Children's Story Hour with Aunt Tookie May 16th 6-8 P.M In The NAVE at Riverside The Power of One and The Ministry Of Education presents: The Power of One with Actress Tamara Tunie, the cast of the Broadway Musical Memphis, the "Obama Man" Reggie Brown, 3 Mo' Divas, Classical Pianist George Francois and more....check out the flyer and sign up at...Ticket Annex. Monday, May 17th 6 P.M Uber good looking Blair Underwood From CapeTown with Love. Tuesday, May 18th 6.P.M Ambassador Andrew Young (he needs no introduction) & Kabir Sehgal Walk in My Shoe Wednesday, May 19 6 P.M. Kiss the Sky Journalist and Friend Farai Chideya Thursday, May 20th 6 P.M. Entrepreneur and ABC reality star of The Shark Tank...Daymond John (what a K..yes Kool Guy) The Brand Within: Come and find out if you'd qualify for the money...and what your personal brand says about your success...or not! Saturday, May 22nd 2-4 P.M Kolie E. Crutcher, 111 Electric Living Saturday, May 22nd 4-6 P.M Charissa Smith Blending Colors from Life Monday, May 24th Independent Bookseller reception Tuesday, May 25th 6 P.M. Bob Marley's Son Ky-Mali Marley Dear Dad: Where's the Family in Our Family...HE WILL SINGGGGG..... Friday, May 28th 6 P.M. Kwame Alexander Victoria Christopher Murray & Tanisha Davis 3 Major Authors present their works. Saturday, May 29th 6 P.M Kola Boof Colorful Kola Boof is is not to be ignored. The alleged mistress of Osama Bin Laden (she says against her will) will tell us all about her life in the Middle East, hedonism and Slavery.

<H6 class=dateline>Authors Unbound Online http://runt.it/nytselfpub By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN Published: April 26, 2010 New York Times Reports that: "Book publishing is simply becoming self-publishing", and says "..small and crafty can beat big and branded." Could the mainstream finally be giving self-published authors some respect? </H6>

On behalf of the Center for Black Literature and the sponsors of the Tenth National Black Writers Conference, we’d like to thank you for helping to make the NBWC a huge success. The conference would not have been as informative and inspiring without your participation. We’ve received post-conference coverage in a number of magazines, newspapers and journals as well as a great amount of activity on the Web. Many were able to view the conference as it was streamed. On Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, C-SPAN BOOK TV will air segments of the conference. Below is the date, the panel and the time, as noted on C-SPAN’s Web site, http://www.booktv.org/Schedule.aspx. Please check with the local cable operator in your area for C-SPAN Book TV listing. Be sure to visit our conference Web site and provide your comments on the conference at www.nationalblackwritersconference.org. Stay tuned for more information on Center for Black Literature programs, www.centerforblackliterature.org. Once again, thank you for your support. Sincerely, Brenda M. Greene Saturday, May 1st 12pm (ET) Approx. 1 hr. 27 min. 2010 National Black Writers' Conference: Panel on Politics & Satire Herb Boyd, Thomas Bradshaw, Charles Ellison, Major Owens 1:30pm (ET) Approx. 1 hr. 33 min. 2010 National Black Writers' Conference: Panel on Literary Activism Patrick Oliver, Kalamu Ya Salaam Dorothea Smartt, Frank Wilderson Sunday, May 2nd 12am (ET) Approx. 1 hr. 27 min. 2010 National Black Writers' Conference: Panel on Politics & Satire Herb Boyd, Thomas Bradshaw, Charles Ellison, Major Owens 1:30am (ET) Approx. 1 hr. 33 min. 2010 National Black Writers' Conference: Panel on Literary Activism Patrick Oliver, Kalamu Ya Salaam Dorothea Smartt, Frank Wilderson