Troy

AALBC.com mourns the passing of Nigerian novelist and poet Chinua Achebe (November 16, 1930 — March 22, 2013), author of classic novel “Things Fall Apart”

"Federal Government's pockets are deep" Though the government may behaving this way this can be no further from the truth. The Federal Government is no different than your local government, in that THEY have no money -- other that what WE give them (or rather what they take from us). If you are assuming that the federal gvernment can provide money for jobs because they have so much you can not be MORE wrong. The government is running trillion dollar deficits each year and have a cummulative in the trillions of dollars for the foreseeable future. Again, if the government is going to provide money for jobs they too need to get the money from somewhere. Obviously the people who need the jobs can not provide those funds. So the government can borrow more, tax us more, spend less, or some combination of these. None of which the government seems willing to do, really. If you think they are going to do this to "create" jobs for Black and brown people you can forget it. The best we can do is go old school and create our own jobs. The government has NEVER displayed a propensity to take of us in the manner you think they should....

These are all services that any well run city performs as a matter of course. It is called maintenance. If a community does not perform these tasks they have more profound problems and are usually cash strapped -- otherwise they would do it, right? That said many communities have programs were people in public housing, or who were formerly incarcerated are provided jobs like these to supplement regular city services. Usually to build work skills, like showing up on time. In any event, this would not address you "living wage" issue, because at the end of the day all the money you want to pay these workers have to come from somewhere. Which means you have to tax other people more, cut services somewhere else or both. What you are calling for would not work in our current system, not unless rich people, out of the blue, decide they want to share some of their wealth with other people. I'm not holding my breath.

JOAN RIVERS TO HELM PROVOCATIVE AND OUTSPOKEN COMEDY DOCUMENTARY Why We Laugh: Funny Women takes an uncensored look into the lives of female comediennes Premieres on Showtime TONIGHT, March 21, 2013 at 8pm EST/PST New York, NY (March 21, 2013) – Codeblack Films, a Lionsgate company, partners with Emmy Award winning, Tony nominated comedian Joan Rivers’ Rugby Productions, LTD produced an in-depth 90-minute documentary exploring the cultural and social journey of the female stand-up comedian titled Why We Laugh: Funny Women. Why We Laugh: Funny Women includes personal interviews with some of the most prominent female voices in comedy and entertainment, and is enriched by live performance footage from some of the most talented female comedians working today. Funny Women sheds light on the legacy of the female comedian and the dedication, courage and passion that is required to be successful in a male dominated stand-up comedy business. These courageous women have broken the mold and have created a new and more inclusive landscape that expands beyond the comedy club stage. Rivers states, "Funny Women is about the legacy that comediennes are carving out in this industry and I am happy to be part of a project that explores the huge dedication and passion that my fellow comediennes and I share for the craft. These women of comedy are outspoken, unapologetic, bold and extremely funny." 29 funny women participated in the doc and shared their personal perspectives and experiences including; Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Griffin, Lily Tomlin, Janeane Garofalo, Sandra Bernhard, Brett Butler, Kym Whitley, Holland Taylor, Merrill Markoe, Jane Leaves, Kim Wayans, Rita Rudner, Kathleen Madigan, Robin Schiff, Tig Notaro, Kathy Najimi, Amy Hill, Aisha Tyler, Sheryl Underwood and more. Why We Laugh: Funny Women follows in the path of the critically acclaimed 2009 Sundance Film Festival documentary, Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy, which was co-written and produced by Codeblack Films’ Quincy Newell. Newell produced Funny Women along with entertainment veteran Sheila Ducksworth. “I am thrilled to be able to bring such an important and necessary project to life,” said Sheila Ducksworth. “Funny Women not only champions the contributions of these phenomenal women, it also shines a light on so many truly fearless females who dare to speak their truths through laughter.” Jeff Clanagan of Lionsgate’s Codeblack Films and Joan Rivers serve as Executive Producers. Joan Rivers narrates. Why We Laugh: Funny Women is produced and distributed by Codeblack Films and will premiere on Showtime tonight, March 21, 2013 at 8pm EST/PST.

Pioneer you can't simply flood a community with jobs. Jobs are created as a result of a matching of a demand for good or services with a supply of the same. Give me one example of a job (a job description) that you would flood the community with.

OK Pioneer if you believe that then who makes the decision who get stuck the low paying, low skill jobs. The problem with your world is that Black folks are kept on the proverbial plantation, working for someone else or working a low wage dead end job, regardless of their ability. You do realize there were geniuses picking cotton and that there are brilliant women today working mundane jobs or failing to advance because of sexism and racism -- especially Black ones. If that is the case why bother to education people if they are just going to flip burgers or shine shoes? As far as Black boys are concerned this is already happening... But they are being queued up for prison not McDonalds.

"create units that combine female and gay soldiers..." That sounds more like the setup for a reality TV show or sit-com. "using drones to survey gang territories and attack offenders." Just wait, that is what they want to do anyway... "social media has turned the younger generation into a bunch of idiots who NEVER seem to consider the consequences of their ridiculous behavior" I think social media just makes of all more aware of the fact. By doing so it also desensitizes us all to these situations, making them seem less outrageous and even fueling the behavior.

Yep Pioneer, we are back on the plantation. Our "success" in corporate America, as a people was really a myth. Prior to affirmative action we were missing, after affirmative action, our presence increased but was always cast with a shadow of doubt -- even though we had to really be twice was good to be considered half as good. The few that made it did not have sufficient power or a willingness to bring other Black people along. Post Affirmative Action not only are Black people missing in corporate America, we (Black men in particular) are now missing on college campuses as well.

NEWSFLASH: The mainstream media is biased against Black men! It is interesting however to notice the increased focus on Chicago gun violence. It is like a feeding frenzy, every tragic incident is national news. On a related note there has been increased attention on women in the US military. I heard a program on NPR this morning that said 1 in 4 women in the US Military has either been raped or sexually assaulted. This is astonishing to me. The sexual assaults of men in the military was reported to be the same as in the general population.

So the ability to multitask is predictor of success in a sales job. Being able to catch a ball, off guard, is an indicator of one's ability to multitask. Therefore the person with the ability to catch the ball would be a good salesperson. Is that your conclusion? Sure the brain controls all mental and physical reflexes -- everything we do, much of it unconsciously. How good were you at the sales job Pioneer?

My Road to Essence: Team Get Obsessed Movement Contact Information AAMBC National News www.aambookclub.com aambookclub@gmail.com, SAN ANTONIO, TX, 78245

Here are the top ten selling DVD's on my website: http://aalbc.it/dvds2012 I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to compile this list. As you might imagine, people not are buying as many DVD as they used to. I watched most of the Top Ten films but none of them on DVD.

Thanks Cynique for keeping the boards live and alive!

Lets be clear: The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King would not be able to do anything about this problem any of the many problems you have brought to our attention.

Maya Angelou's next memoir: Mom & Me & Mom (Random House, April 2, 2013). Angelou shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.

Maya Angelou's next memoir: Mom & Me & Mom (Random House, April 2, 2013). Angelou shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.

That is an interesting analysis Cynique. I suspect one is purely a physical attribute the other is mental. For the sake of Pioneers points we can probably lump instinct and intelligence in the same category and separate from physical reflexes.

Group Calls on Black Community to Reclaim Black Economic Power by Bob Law From http://www.buyblackallyearlong.com New York, NY – A coalition of Black media owners, professional and political organizations are calling on African American consumers across the nation to begin immediately to redirect a minimum of $20.00 per week in spending to Black-owned businesses. The initiative being called “The Million Dollar Black Spending Power Campaign” is being organized by local groups in a number of key cities. It is projected that even with minimal support this effort may turn one million dollars per week back into predominantly Black communities throughout the country. The initiative is the brainchild of Bob Law, longtime radio personality, entrepreneur and community activist, who recently sent an open letter to the Congressional Black Caucus, highlighting the assault on Black-owned radio and requesting the CBC to bring the matter to the attention of the FCC and the full Congress. Karenga Bond According to the African-American Consumers: Still Vital, Still Growing 2012 Report released by Nielsen and the NNPA, Black consumers have a projected buying power of $1.1 trillion. The Million Dollar Black Spending Power Campaign raises the question “where is the money?” It is not reaching the Black community argue the organizers. Additionally, scholars who convened an African American Economic Summit at Howard University in early February sketched a very bleak economic future for Black Americans, noting that the wealth gap between Blacks and Whites has grown since “The Great Recession”. For every $1.00 in Black wealth, Whites now have $20.00. Further, Black communities suffer the highest unemployment rates, the lowest median family income, and the highest levels of consumer debt. “From the corporate community to other ethnic groups, every community seems to benefit from Black spending except the Black community. We fully intend to renegotiate the Black community’s financial relationship with corporate America and others doing business in the African American marketplace. We believe however that a significant starting point is for Black Americans to first take control of our own spending” said Law. Norm Bond added, “There was a time when African Americans controlled their own economy. If you look at the 1910 Census, there were more African American entrepreneurs than Whites. Today with all of the communication tools at our disposal, the tremendous consumer spending, and the urgent need to create jobs within the Black community, we must raise our collective consciousness and bring that entrepreneurial spirit forward again through massive action.” SaraLomaxReese_JimClingmanThrough ongoing nationwide activities we will begin to mobilize Black consumer dollars. These include Recycle Black Dollars Shopping Tours, e-commerce utilizing online business directories, websites, social media, Buy Black Meetup Groups, referral networks and educational events including community forums and local community based expos. In addition coalition media partners are going to call on their audiences to support the effort. Philadelphia, the 5th largest city in the nation is also a key market for the coalition members. Local radio station 900AM WURD, the only Black-owned radio station in Pennsylvania, has agreed to support “conscious consumerism” through their programming and additional activities. The cooperative effort also includes Dr. Maulana Karenga, Creator of Kwanzaa and Professor and Chair Department of Africana Studies California State University, Long Beach; Norm Bond, activist and Chairman of the National Alliance of Market Developers; Professor Jim Clingman of the University of Cincinnati, author and syndicated columnist; and Sara Lomax-Reese, President and General Manager of 900AM WURD in Philadelphia.

"No, Because Hugo Chavez was not Black." This is exactly why the term makes no sense. As far as we know, Chavez may have MORE African ancestry than Obama, but you would not hesitate to call Obama Black. Besides if Chavez were in America, his African Ancestry alone would make him Black. Although here we lump all Spanish speakers into one category latin/hispanic which are words means just as much as Black/white. The aljazeera.com article points our situations when President Chavez rose to the support and plight of several issues related to African descendants in other countries, including the United States [New Orleans, The Bronx, etc]. The pages of linked quotes is interesting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20712033 I had no idea Chavez was so young...

"The difference between those groups and us is culture, language and homeland." Exactly. This difference is tremendous and amazingly overlooked by people when they compare Black people in America to recent immigrants . Often the language boundary is enough to keep these group cohesive. Religion is also a glue that keeps people together. So called "race" is not enough to keep people working together -- obviously. Why we continue to think that, a completely made up idea like race, invented by some some white guy a few years ago, should keep all Black people in Kum Baya harmony regardless of economic background, religion, educations, etc is astonishing.

I read your answer but the relationship between catching a softball off guard and being prepared for a sales gig is still lost on me.. Physicist Stephen Hawkins, mentally, is about as sharp as they come. But if tossed a softball his way it might knock him unselfconscious. Leon Spinks had very fast reflexes but no one ever accused him of being a Carver (as in George Washington).

2013 NATIONAL BLACK WRITER’S CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUM TO HONOR AUTHOR, EDUCATOR AND ACTIVIST TONI CADE BAMBARA Writer, activist, educator, feminist and filmmaker Toni Cade Bambara, who died in 1995, will be the focus of the 2013 National Black Writer’s Conference Biennial Symposium on Saturday, March 30th from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Medgar Evers College, Founders Auditorium, 1650 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn. In her keynote address, Farah Jasmine Griffin, professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies at Columbia University, will introduce attendees to the issues and themes in Bambara’s work and how they may be interpreted in view of current contemporary African-American literature today. In the early 1970s, Ms. Bambara was a major contributor to the emerging genre of contemporary black women’s literature, along with writers Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. Many of her stories focused on men and women living in black neighborhoods in big cities or small southern towns. She frequently wove black dialects into her prose, creating a unique, complex language that was widely admired by critics. Other presenters at the symposium include Malaika Adero, a personal friend of Ms. Bambara’s; Sonia Sanchez, the poet laureate of Philadelphia; and Eugene Redmond, the poet laureate of St. Louis. The event is open to the public and admission is $10; $5 for senior citizens, students and faculty (with ID). Free admission for MEC students. For more information, visit www.centerforblackliterature.org.

Anika the guy in the video did a lot of bitching :-) But I was waiting an alternative, something we do differently. Let say we stopped supporting Obama what should we do then?

I have not read the articles yet. But I would say absolutely. . In fact I would not consider Obama a Black leader he, as so many of his rabid supporters say, is a leader of ALL Americans -- not just the Black ones. Obama is a leader who happens to be Black as it is defined here in the US.

Del all your kids are describing are skin colors -- which is fine. I don't have a problem with this. What I have a problem is when people start to make judgements based upon skin color; as in the lighter people are smarter than the darker people. This is scientifically proven nonsense, which I wish we could dispense with yesterday. Pioneer, sure, I have a lot of friends who are have college educations and others who do not. Their relatively intelligences (subjectively assessed by me) are uncorrelated with their degree of educational attainment. Their opportunities, without a doubt, are correlated with their level of education. But most of my friends, like most people in general, have no interest in coming here (or anywhere else for that matter) to discussing things of substance, devise strategies, and take direct action as a result to make things better for all of us. I spend a LOT of time tying to do get people involved with independent media to work in our collective self interest and it is VERY difficult. Basically people are concerned with themselves or their own businesses with work collectively. Any negro intelligent enough to earn a degree and achieve success should be intelligent enough to know the importance of protecting the success they achieved. Surely the wealthiest and most educated AfroAmericans can't feel too secure living in a bubble to themselves while they see the bottom dropping out from so many other upper income Black households. Pioneer, I agree with both statements. The issues is the strategies these people engage in to protect what they have. Those strategies are purely selfish. They protect what THEY have - as in the every man for themselves model. I believe we are better served by protecting not only what we have but what we ALL have. My growth does not come at your expense. I don't "win" by beating you into the ground. My self worth is not measured by how much more I have than you. This is how we operate today. Classic crabs in the barrel... So until the 1% or the talented 10% start thinking about someone else other than themselves we are all headed for much more pain. The "race" issue is a distraction that only hurts the so called "Black" people. I discovered recently part of my lineage goes back to a 15th century English merchant (which is also supported by my DNA), whose descendant impregnated one his slaves. That enslaved woman was ultimately freed and became my 5X great-grand mother. At the end of the day this means nothing. I can no more embrace my English ancestry than I can my African Ancestry. What I do know is that we are all related, family. I think the actual figure is that all of humanity is at least 50th cousins. Perhaps we should simply embrace our humanity.