Troy

Someone from PMKBNC sent me this "Open Letter" yesterday requests that I consider covering this issue. Initially I declined to share it saying; while I believe Russell is being slighted if he is being referred to as simply a "Celebrity Endorser" I don't believe the RushCard is the best solution for the unbanked population. I also wrote, "UniRush, in the spirit of RushCard should consider channeling some advertising dollars to independently run Black owned websites – especially the ones, like AALBC.com, that have been so supportive of his [Rusell's] efforts over the years." Later I ran a few queries and came across a lot of negative press about the RushCard. But I know Google is good for returning negative press over substantive information (at least that seems to be the case when I look up information on Black authors and celebrities), But based upon what I read I figured I made the right decision. Of course now that I'd visited the RushCard site, Google's algorithm thinks I want a RushCard, so now I'm seeing ads for the RushCard like the one below: Of course now I'm pissed because I see RushCard ads on sites like Forbes.com (the ad above was copied from the Forbes website). I'm sent a "open letter" to help promote the RushCard and bolster Simmons profile for free, while Forbes is sent a check to display an ad. Does anyone seriously believe someone visiting Forbes would be interested in a prepaid debt card featuring the Baby Phat logo? Why does a Forbes and those other companies get the ad revenue? Clearly, AALBC.com audience is a more logical target. I'm not suggesting that UniRush take an ad out on AALBC.com, just because it is an independent, Black owned website. I saying take the ad because it will perform better here. That fact they'd be supporting a Black business is icing on the cake! This situation is typical. It is also why we are losing media platforms, of all types, left and right. It is why keeping AALBC.com profitable is a daily struggle -- despite being around for almost 15 years. In reaction to all the hype surrounding SOPA and PIPA a couple of days ago, on Facebook I wrote; I secretly wondered what would happen if all the Black owned media outlets on the web decided to "go dark" for a day, would anyone notice, would any one care. The answer is not comforting...

An Open Letter to the Financial Press: Is It Because I’m Hip Hop? In recent weeks, coverage of prepaid debit cards launched by Suze Orman and Lil Wayne has repeatedly portrayed me as a “celebrity endorser.” Some of these stories have gone so far as to depict my RushCard business in the same light as the ill-fated Kardasian Kard. The truth is, eight years ago I invested millions of dollars, putting my reputation on the line to found UniRush LLC. With the issuance of the first RushCard, I created the first Prepaid Debit Card Account, requiring no linkages whatsoever to a consumer checking account. Today, millions of Americans manage their financial lives with the assistance of prepaid debit cards issued by UniRush and our competitors. I created this industry because my customers had been left behind by the banking industry. These hard-working Americans had been left to fend for themselves, managing their lives largely with cash in an increasingly cashless society, accessing their money from people sitting behind bulletproof glass windows at check-cashing stores charging high fees. The process was downright awful, requiring long waits in line, oftentimes with children in tow, just for the privilege of cashing a check or paying one’s bills. Prepaid debit cards put our customers back into the American mainstream, eliminating the indignity and dangers of carrying cash while providing a smarter, carefully considered alternative to banks and check cashers. What did I do to earn the title of “celebrity endorser? Richard Branson endlessly and lovingly promotes his airline’s cell phones, cable channels and spaceships, as he once did his retail and music empires; is he a “celebrity endorser”? How about Mark Zuckerberg, the “celebrity endorser” of Facebook? Success certainly breeds celebrity, as it has for Branson and Zuckerberg. Yet neither of these astute businessmen is categorized as a celebrity endorser. I submit this is because each is an innovator and a creator, having taken thousands of risks and enduring the pitfalls that trailblazers brazenly face. Just as I did when I created an industry with an uncertain business model and no path to earning a reasonable return. Like these respected businessmen, I manage my business for the benefit of my customers, never veering from my company’s long-range mission. At RushCard the mission, or more appropriately the “big hairy audacious goal,” is to help my customers achieve their financial well-being with a powerful range of tools and services offered at a fair price. I demand constant improvements in every aspect of my company, investing millions each year in innovative new benefits and features. Just like Branson and Zuckerberg, I created products that garner strong customer loyalty and evoke genuine emotion. RushCard was the first prepaid card to offer features such as budgeting and saving tools, mobile phone apps, and the choice of a “pay as you go” or monthly fee plan. RushCard was also among the first to offer card-to-card transfers (an economical alternative to standard money transfer products). Some of these features are now industry standards, but I’m proud that RushCard spent the time, money and energy to provide them to our customers first. Since when do celebrity endorsers do this? Each morning I wake up asking how we can do more for our customers, for less. That’s right, more for less -- not less for less. I strive to be the iPhone of this business – simply the best, at a price that our customers believe is fair. We invest substantial portions of the fees we collect into a vast array of technologies to service and protect our customers, as well as extensive R&D. We’re constantly rolling out benefits and features that advance our customers along the road to financial well-being. In 2011 we introduced a range of new tools and services. These include: mobile applications; early access (up to two days) to customer funds for those who direct-deposit their paychecks; and RushGoals which helps customers set and achieve their savings goals, and rewards them with rebates worth up to 4.8% when they set aside $500 or more in a RushCard sub-account. On the subject of fees, we constantly examine our fees to ensure that we deliver fair value to our customers for the money. Needless to say, we’d like to charge less – and we’re going to try to use our size and scale to lower our fees over time. But let’s be clear, serving our customers is expensive. There’s a cost to setting up customer accounts, processing their charges, running these charges over the Visa network, protecting against fraud, insuring customer funds via the FDIC, offering a world-class website (www.RushCard.com), and operating 24/7 customer service. Income from holding our customer’s cash doesn’t cover even a fraction of these costs. Interest income is declining with record low interest rates while costs are increasing, so much so that banks are continuing to move away from serving RushCard customers. Jamie Dimon, the Chairman of JP Morgan Chase, unveiled that it costs Chase $350 per year to serve the average checking customer. Not surprisingly, Chase and others are raising fees and imposing monthly minimums. Some banks require customers to maintain average balances of as much as $5,000 per month in order to avoid paying monthly maintenance fees. The average RushCard customer, if fortunate enough to live near a bank like Chase, has far less than $5,000 to keep in their account every month. Bank Of America’s chairman announced that BofA is focusing on their top 20 percent of banking customers and, just this week, it was rumored that BofA will be exiting some consumer markets. By no means do I feel that the banks are bad. The reality is that their cost structures and expensive branch networks, especially for the big banks, are simply too expensive for them to serve the inner cities across America. Community banks and credit unions -- frequently cited as offering “free checking accounts” -- acknowledge that they cannot profitably service most RushCard customers. This is why many either have or are considering some form of minimum balance requirement, fees and restrictions on whom they serve. RushCard, as a core value, accepts everyone. My experience in the financial arena is supplemented by my work with more than 70 financial literacy summits mostly over the past seven years through the Hip Hop Summit Action Network. I didn’t just participate in those summits, I organized and co-funded them. 50 Cent, Eminem, Lil Wayne and even Suze Orman are just a few names who contributed their celebrity cache, energy and time to the cause. (But I would never denigrate their contributions by referring to them merely as “celebrity endorsers”.) I welcome new entrants into an industry which, like every one of my businesses, no one took seriously when I got started. I welcome them and celebrate their belief in a real alternative to banks even though they lack the years of experience, knowledge of customers’ financial preferences and spending habits, and branding insights needed to be truly laser-focused on customer needs. When they get there, I will have already taken RushCard’s innovation to the next level. But please don’t call me a “celebrity endorser.” ***** Russell Simmons is Chairman of Rush Communications, Chairman and Founder of RushCard, Founder of Global Grind.com and Author of Super Rich, a best-selling book on how to achieve mental and spiritual richness.

Cynqiue, Steven is probably ignorant of all the other stories that could be told. Writegirl I feel you -- I'm not in the mood today either...

I inserted the following video to help promote the film Red Tails on AALBC.com for free This is the last time I will do such a thing. I'm tired of promoting big budget films from majority studios, books from majority publishers, and big time authors for free -- just because they are Black or selling a Black product. These people and entities have the most resources and are best able to support their MOST ardent supports via an ad ad buy or mutual promotion. Rottentomatoes, critics are blasting the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU8DMsaa7eA Well boitumelo, I received a Google Alert email for the discussion board post. Thanks again for helping to raise the profile of this site. I would have never imaged there were so many missing Black folks going unreported. In fact, I never even heard of the TV One program until I got the email from Google. The responsibility for this does not rest with Black preachers, the NAACP or politicians. It really rests with us. In theory, all those folks and institutions you mentioned should be behaving in a fashion that reflects our collective needs. Unfortunately they seem to be mostly concerned with their own need, hence their ineffectiveness. It is up to us to make them accountable, and do want is important. We also have, fewer and fewer platforms to get the word out about anything, let alone missing persons. The platform that remain are too busy talking about Jay Z's use of bitch and Kim Kardasian. It looks like TV One has figured out a way to create compelling TV (revenue generating) and at the same time address a serious problem. Thanks for sharing this.

Admittedly, I'm biased; I go out of my way to support anything featuring Black folks on any platform or media. The film Red Tails is another example. I've had a page setup waiting for the publication of a review for a couple of weeks: http://aalbc.com/reviews/red_tails.html Unfortunately, that review will not be available until AFTER the film has been released. My reviewer can not view the film until Friday. This is not normally a good sign and generally indicates a weak film as negative reviews can kill an opening. Rottentomates, my main source for film reviews, as of the time of this post (1:20PM GMT -5) only shows one critic's review: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red-tails/ A Google search does reveal other reviews, but I suspect they were published despite an apparent embargo, barring the publication of reviews prior to January 20th. If the film turns out to be weak should we continue to promote and encourage others to see it? Trailer:

http://aalbc.it/vernondavis Check out our interview with Vernon Davis who was the big star in the SF 49ers upset win over the New Orleans Saints. Vernon scored the 1st touchdown and then the final one (with just 13 seconds left) before breaking down and crying on national TV. While Tim Tebow has been enjoying most of the NFL limelight lately, perhpas you'll be more inspired by Vern's story of overcoming the odds and his commitment to giving back. Plus he is a reader :-)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Linda A. Duggins Director, Multicultural Publicity 212-364-1424 linda.duggins@hbgusa.com GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING TO PUBLISH PRISON MEMOIR BY HIP HOP STAR LIL WAYNE New York, NY—January 12, 2012 Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced today that it will publish GONE TILL NOVEMBER, a book by Lil Wayne, on November 28, 2012. Based on diaries he kept during his eight months on Rikers Island, GONE TILL NOVEMBER offers fans their first literary opportunity to get inside the wonderfully unique and enigmatic mind of the biggest name in hip hop. Ben Greenberg, Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing acquired the book from Matthew Guma at The Guma Agency. Greenberg said, “We are thrilled to be publishing Wayne’s prison memoir. He kept detailed journals of his inner and outer life while he was on Rikers Island, and they certainly tell a story. They are revealing.” The past few years have brought Wayne incredible highs—topping albums sales charts, selling out tours, selling millions of albums, but also dark lows, resulting in a gun charge that landed him in Rikers Island for a year (of which he served 8 months). The journals he kept while incarcerated form an internal monologue, detailing his thoughts and feelings, the strange people he met, his plans, his family, his children, his past, present, and future. About Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the second-largest publisher in the world. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, and Hachette Digital. ### Link to this page: http://aalbc.it/gonetillnov

Cynqiue, I posed to the question, to everyone really, but to you in particular because you have lived through "..several eras of the black experience..." that experience must have been dizzying. Plus Cynique, you have a clarity of thought that I admire. I've read ton's of articles and a few books on various aspects of the points you so concisely summarized. Your opinions mirror much of what I've read. While I've read about the great inpact our communities suffered as a result of the Black middle class leaving communties for the vanilla suburbs, I never fully appreciated the impact of this shift until I was an adult. I grew up in an environment devoid of career professionals. Almost no one went to college. If they did go to college they never came back. I did not come back myself for almost 20 years. My kids spent the 2nd half of their childhoods growing up in the same neighborhood I did. I always say that they might as well have grown up on different planets. Not so much because the neighborhood is so much better, but because they have had access to people in every concievable profession, socio-economoical level, and race. This difference is due largerly to having my wife and I as parents, and to the private schools and summer camps they attended. All the kids I knew growing up were Black or Puetro Rician. I did not know a white person my age until I entered high school (remember I grew up in majority white New York City). In today's Harlem the extreme stratifcation of race and class still exists -- it exisits, despite more upper middle class Black and White people living in Harlem now than anytime in the previous half a century. The classes rarely mix. Anyone who can sends their chidlren to private school. Poor people and those without options langish in failing schools. The last time I checked every middle school in my district was a failing school. I owned a Brownstone across the street from the Harlem Sucess Academy (the charter school highlighted in the film "Waiting for Superman"), but the number of students that school can accomodate is minuscule. If I go to one of the nice new Black restaurants, I never see anyone from my block except for the new arrivals like myself -- understandably -- the restaurants are expensive. But the interest in going it not there; "I'm not spending all that money just to eat." or "I ain't sittin' up in there with all those white folks". The cultural differences are profound -- even trumping racial differences. So in communities like Harlem where you have Black and white professionals returning, the result is that the poorer people are being forced out rather than adopting middle class values... This will come to a head one day. Don't even get me stared on the impact of celebrity culture

Hey Xeon, initially I felt the same way about boitumelo's posts, but I welcome them now. The comments do foster more meaningful conversation from time to time. Thanks boitumelo. I'm not sure Herman Cain, or at least his mentality is irrelavent. While some of us may not be able to understand Cain's appeal (much like we could not understand Palin's appeal); there are large numbers of people in the US who really like him. I hope team Obama, does not consider the Cain or his supported irrelavent, if they do, they do so at there own peril...

Funny.

MLK day is to King as Christmas is to Christ.

Cynique, I was rasied in governement subsidized housing "the projects" located in the protypical inner city of Spanish Harlem. I remember when an out of wedlock, teenage preganancy (a rare event) was looked upon with shame, frowned upon. One girl I knew just "went down south" for some unexplained reason. I later learned she was pregnant. It seemed, overnight, teenagers everywhere around here were pushing baby carriages. I find it astonishing that attitudes and behavior in the 'hood could change so profoundly, so quickly. What caused the attitudes to chage? Abortions are more easily obtained. Condoms are freely available, the way mints once were in the neighborhood. I'm inclinded to think it has to do with the fact that today, a woman, can survive (thrive even) as a single parent -- even one who is undereducated, young and poor. 50 years ago, this would have been much more difficult. What do you think?

This argument is just like "Just Say No" argument. In the heat of the moment, many women and men, obviously have difficulty putting on a condom before sex. Apparently Plan B or is too much trouble too. It would seem to me the majoirty of out of wedlock or teen pregnancies are by women (it is their bodies) who actually want to have the babies. All of the many circumstances I'm aware of this has been the case... The ones who did not want the children demonstrated this in their behavior.

Sonia Sanchez Now Poet Laureate of Phillly From "Great Things Happ'nin'/ January 2012" Compiled and edited by Louis Reyes Rivera Louisreyesrivera@aol.com Sonia Sanchez Now Poet Laureate ============================= As of Thursday, December 29, 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter and the City of Philadelphia have installed West Philadelphia resident Sonia Sanchez as their first Poet Laureate. In his announcement, Mayor Nutter called Ms. Sanchez "the longtime conscience of the city." Throughout her vocation as such, the 77-year-old poet has geared her poetry as a tool for social activism during the culminating periods of both the Civil Rights and Black Arts movements. As well, the Harlem born poet has held teaching positions at eight universities, including her long-time residency at Temple University. At the induction ceremony, Mayor Nutter said, "Poetry is an extraordinary and powerful art form. Ms. Sanchez exemplifies the role a poet can play in helping to define a city and helping its citizens discover beauty." In her position, she'll be called upon to mentor a youth poet laureate and appear at Spoken Word and other poetry events at City Hall and at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Ms. Sanchez was quoted as stating that she seeks to explore what it means to be human in the 21st century. To her, that means promoting peace in self and others. One project that she has recently initiated is to gather haikus from her comrades of the pen (i.e., Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, Louis Reyes Rivera, among others) for purposes of having them posted on a public mural in South Philadelphia. The theme is Peace!

I had the pleasure of speaking in a couple of the short video biographies, on American novelists, created by Bio.com, which is part of the A+E Television Networks. I spoke briefly about James Baldwin and Langston Hughes. http://aalbc.it/aebios

Here is the video:

Happy New year everyone! Surround yourself with people you love and who love you. That is all we can do. American's, despite all the shit going down now, have been largely spared from the misery that is quite common in the rest of the world. Try to stay positive, and do what good you can. In fact, if we all can make it through the day without murdering someone, stealing something, telling unnecessary lies, and maybe share something with someone less fortunate, America would be a better place.

Hi Biaunca -- thanks for joining us! "Attack" may be too strong a word, but in the almost 15 years I've been running this site, it seems the appreciation for literature is waning. I think many things have conspired to create this situation, and most have to do with financial incentives.

NIaknows, "...could contact a company that she approves of and convince them to advertise as well." EXACTLY! I wish I thought of that myself. That is both a positive and constructive response. Thanks for taking the time to contribute your thoughts. Looking forward to reading your contributions in the future. Peace.

Thanks Cynique, I gotta tell you it gets more challenging every year. I am and will always be very appreciative of your support over that last decade.

For Immediate Release Media Contact: Evelyn Santana, BazanPR evelyn_santana@bazanpr.com 212-643-4664 X702 “THE HELP” NAMED BEST FILM OF 2011 BY THE BLACK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE New York, NY (December 20, 2011) – The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has voted “THE HELP” Best Film of 2011, Dee Rees Best Director for “PARIAH”, Viola Davis Best Actress for “THE HELP” and Olivier Litondo Best Actor for “THE FIRST GRADER”. The announcement was made by today by Mike Sargent, co-president, BFCC. Votes were cast and tabulated in NY at the organization’s annual meeting on December 19, 2011. Recognizing achievements in theatrical motion pictures, the BFCC awarded prizes in 13 categories including best picture, best director, original and adapted screenplay, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, best animated feature, best independent film, best documentary feature, best foreign film and best ensemble. Special Signature awards are also given to industry pioneers and rising stars. “This year was a very engaging one in cinema,” says Sargent. “Both commercial and independent fare illustrated the continued ability of Hollywood to entertain, spotlight new talent, show fresh perspectives and move audiences. Congratulations to all of the winners.” The complete list of award winners include: Best Picture - THE HELP Best Director - Dee Rees for PARIAH Best Actor - Olivier Litondo for THE FIRST GRADER Best Actress - Viola Davis for THE HELP Best Supporting Actor - Albert Brooks for DRIVE Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer for THE HELP Best Independent Film - PARIAH Best Original Screenplay - Dee Rees for PARIAH Best Adapted Screenplay - Tate Taylor for THE HELP Best Documentary - BEING ELMO: A Puppeteer's Journey Best Foreign Film - LIFE, ABOVE ALL Best Animated Film - RANGO Best Ensemble - THE HELP BFCC Signature Awards include: Pioneer - Harry Belafonte A renaissance artist who brought his unique talent to all areas of entertainment in a career that has spanned nearly 60 years, Belafonte is a multi-Grammy© winning artist, an Emmy© Award winner with the distinct designation as the first African American television producer, a Tony© Award winner, motion picture film actor and producer, Civil Rights Activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. From his music, films, and humanitarian work, Harry Belafonte has continued to embody the very essence of the word Pioneer. Rising Star - Adepero Oduye Adepero’s performance in PARIAH is a moving, powerful unforgettable portrayal of a young woman of color coming to terms with herself, her sexuality, and her family. We believe she is truly a Talent to Watch. Special Mention - Attack the Block: Attack is a genre film that defies a number of conventions, not only by having a primarily black cast but portraying each character with a dignity seldom seen on screen and even more rarely in a Science-Fiction film. BFCC's Top ten films of 2011 1. The Help 2. The Artist 3. Pariah 4. Drive 5. The Descendants 6. Attack the Block 7. Tree of Life 8. Hugo 9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 10. Warrior Founded in 2010, the Black Film Critics Circle is a membership organization comprised of film critics of color from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, radio, television and qualifying on-line publications. The organization is dedicated to honoring excellence of professionals in the theatrical motion picture industry in U.S. and World Cinema. Its mission is to celebrate contributions and achievements in film by people of the black Diaspora who work in front of and behind the camera, maintain the integrity of a true Critics organization and advance a collective vision of journalists of the black Diaspora. BFCC assists in the development of new talent in the field of entertainment journalism through educational opportunities, mentoring and strategic partnerships and raises awareness of the significance of black film and black film history as a critical part of film culture and preservation. The organization meets annually in December to vote on the year’s films. BFCC’s Founding Members are journalists Mike Sargent (WBAI-FM NY/Tor.com), Wilson Morales (Blackfilm.com), and Shawn Edwards (WDAF-TV Fox Affiliate Kansas City, MO). For more information, visit us online @ Blackfilmcriticscircle.org or visit us on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/BFCC/215361925204008 ###

There have been a lot of stories about returning veterans suffering from PTSD, permanently crippled, homeless, jobless, loosing homes. What a shame. Maybe one day someone will do a investigative report and research the real reason we went into Iraq, what we accomplished and what it really cost not just in terms of money, but in terms of lives lost and destroyed.

Check out Baratunde Thurston's lastest book. It does not com out until next month. I have not read it, but everything else I read or seen this guy produce has been pretty funny: His speak on Twitter was technically correct and very funny -- a rare skill. How to Be Black