Troy

African Americans need a platform (more than one really) that we own and most importantly use as a source for information and news. I don't think Black people have been silent -- y'all haven't been. Seriously, where do y'all get your news? How would you know how the Black community has voiced their concern on this killing? Are you relying on white folks to provide this information to you? I've probably ridden the NYC subway more than anyone on this forum, and I can't honestly tell you how I would have reacted. In the 70s, when the subway was a dystopian hellscape, you learned to mind your business. It was a survival tactic. When people started getting in each other's faces I would get up a move to another car. Breaking up an altercation between to grown men would not have occurred to me. Homelessness in our cities is a problem, though I'm not sure what this has to do with this killing.

@Pioneer1 As you know I'm about a pro-Black as they come, but that is in direct reaction to racism, not my inherent desire. In an ideal world everyone would recognize that there is only one human race and we would all behave as the genetic family we are. Of course, that is not our reality today, so we have to react accordingly to survive. See this is when so called "race" becomes a problem. There are, what you described as "near-White people running around wearing the Black identity," because they ARE Black. Blackness is not just one's phenotype, it is family and culture as well. My kids have my complexion "brown" but they have folks in their ancestry (on their mother's side) -- that I've met, who can pass for white -- but make no mistake they are 100% Black. You can't start throwing our family out of the Black community, because how they look. Racist white folks are not going to accept them. I don't consume as much mass media so I have not noticed the trend. @Chevdove Does Kim self-identify as Black? If a white woman has lived her life in the Black community, married a Black man, and reared Black children, then she may be more culturally Black than many Black women who look Black. We used to call those Black women "Oreos." Some Oreos are culturally white and have no interest in embracing the Black community. They will marry a white person and move through the world like white people, as best as they can given our culture. I think culture trumps phonotype when it comes to being Black.

The first Black-owned bookstore, in America, was operated in New York City by David Ruggles. It was burned down by a racist mob. The document below shows the memo ordering Black bookstores to be surveilled. The act of informing and educating Black people has always been considered a threat to this nation. The inadequacy of my own education is what drives me to share information about books and to promote other booksellers and Black publishers.

Six years old. What is that first grade? This little boy got a loaded gun from his house, safety off, carried to school in his Ninja Turtle back pack, pulled it out, aimed it at his teacher , pulled the trigger and shot her! Sorry, the mother, and the person she brought the gun from, should be imprisoned. Anyone remember being 6? How many people did you shoot to kill at that age. They better keep an eye on that little kid. He is dangerous.

I watched a portion of the video @Pioneer1 posted. How come people like this, who can invoke a near death experience at will are not on Oprah and more widely known? seems like her ability could be easily proven. Since neither of these things have happened i find it hard to believe. Is it just me? Now i would really would like to believe what he is saying is true, but i remain very skeptical.

@Pioneer1 yep. Note that I’m older and not quite as heavy I get called Darius Rucker. Why don’t you share some before and after photos 🙂

Look at you! You went back waaay back. I did not know they had color photography back then 😉 I don't think I have any -- other than the ones in the year book...

I shared an evaluator ride with him once and he reminded me of you in terms of how he looked. Plus you two are artists. Not really too concerned with what other people think when it comes to how you live -- you do you. Would you elaborate on this, because the analogy is lost on me. Physicality and Spirituality are indeed different, otherwise they would not be on different ends of a continuum. Darkness and light are on opposite ends of a continuum and are different. The difference is not just perception, but reality. Unless you are saying our perception of reality is artificial and that the differences we perceive are not really there at all...

Thanks @Chevdove i hope to post new video of Kassahun later this week. That video is about 15 years old!

“At IBPA PubU, Black Indie Publishers Call for Audacity and Advocacy“ and an article from Publishers Weekly about our panel from this weekend in San Diego. In my opinion, the best quote from the article was: Everyone on the panel “came out of the struggle” for civil rights, said Coates, who opened Black Classic Press in 1978. “Wade as a young man was involved in the Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana. Haki is still one of the foundational members of the Black Lives Movement. Kassahun was with the Eritrean Liberation Front. Myself with the Black Panther Party. These are people who carried the struggle forward and had it bloom in publishing.” Walter Mosley, Troy Johnson, Wade and Cheryl Hudson, Andrea Fleck-Nisbet (IBPA CEO), Karen Pavlicin (IBPA Board Chair), Paul Coates, Haki Madhubuti, Ayo Sekai, and Kassahun Checole. Thoughts on the Legends of Black Independent Publishing. Originally shared on TikTok.

The photo above popped up in a completely unrelated search on Google for a book. Completely distracted from what I was I was originally looking for by this photo I had to see where it was posted which brought me back here. I also felt compelled to share an updated version. This photo was taken a few minutes ago. I'm in my current office. My high school diploma is above my right shoulder in both photos. I suspect most people don't have their HS diploma framed and hung on a wall. I guess that is why it is called an "Ego Wall." Then again, if you went to my HS, you'd probably get it. Am I right @Mel Hopkins? Troy in the photo above could have never imagined Troy in the photo below. Anyone who has been an adult for more than 25 years can say the same thing. I guess that is why I find older people so fascinating. What will the next 25 years hold for us? Google knows really knows what will engage you... I miss the days when Google was just a good search engine.

Hi @Yvonne Blackwood I'll add the book to your page on the site. Let me know if you would like to share an excerpt.

Hi @Kathleen I see this your 4th post, but the first one I've read, so please excuse my tardy welcome to the forums 🙂 College teaches you how to work for someone else, to be an effective corporate tool. Learning to change the system, or even understanding why it needs to be changed is not part of the program. @Pioneer1 your comparison between the past and today's opportunities resonates. I also believe there is some grade inflation going on: Someone who graduated from high school in the 50's is as well "educated" as someone with a college degree in the humanities today. Don't ask me to cite a study or prove what I just wrote; it just seems that way. Maybe @Cynique can provide some insight on this observation. Meanwhile, colleges have lost their way; for example, It is obscene what many schools spend to field a football team, while charging exorbitant tuition and fees to students. Many of these students don't graduate or come away with a degree that does not server them in the marketplace or for staring their own business. I have two masters degrees (engineering and business). I have never had a job that actually required anything I learned in college. For me the degree was a credential required to get in the door -- one many of my white peers did not require. I learned everything I needed to know on the job.

yes that is more accurate, but rather that confusion perhaps it is ignorance or being out of touch with your spiritual nature.

Please, sent it to me at AALBC 15130 Amberly Dr Ste 250 Tampa, FL 33647

Welcome to the forums @CannabisLover1 In the years since the conversations was started a lot changed, but not really... Instead of locking up Black people for minor drug offenses and throwing away the key. Folks, mostly white, are now profiting from weed sales which is legalized for medical use or completely outright in most of the country. The number of deaths from drug over dose has increased substantially largely due to the criminal activity of the Sackler family's Purdue Pharma. The Sacklers literally got away with murder and are immune from lawsuits... Prohibition is not the cause of the holocaust greed is.

That resonates. Spirituality, also, as Frankster stated... This in my mind includes not just all other people, but the rest of the universe. I hear you. I used to feel that way to until I learned more. I used to believe anything of value came from Western civilization from the Greek. That is what I was taught, but as I got older and learned more I realized this was simply factually in accurate and that he true has been deliberately hidden, obfuscated, and distorted. I recently shared information about Ancient African Writing Systems. European historians know that the Greeks learned from Africa. But our public schools teach us nothing about the African origins of Western knowledge including religion. Everything we've learned from the West has been perverted primarily for the financial benefit of a few. Pioneer wrote. Some religions teach you that you must go through a man (always a man) to get to God, to experience the Divine. Again, the West has stripped out the most important aspects of religion. As a result, you have a culture of people who are spiritually vacuous. The Western world is increasingly nonreligious for this reason. We will never address any of the worlds most serious problems wars, climate change, poverty from this position. Interestingly, Octavia Butlers Parable series examines, thought fiction, the potential consequence of a lack of spirituality and religious based fascism to grow unfettered. In the second book in her series, Parable of the Talents, the presidential candidate, a Christian, issues a call to "Make American Great Again!" Parable of the Talents was published in the 1998, long before Trumpism. The spiritual emptiness of the world's most powerful nations is, in my opinion, the planet's most serious problem.

The following was excerpted from "African Writing Systems – Where Do We Go From Here?" by Amenuti Narmer. I discovered this article in the Blacknificent Life Newsletter, which you may subscribe to here. You can learn about these two sites and hundreds of more Black owned sites here. Ancient Africa has the world’s oldest and largest collection of ancient writing systems. Evidence of such dates to pre-historic time, and can be found in various regions of the continent. By contrast, continental Europe’s oldest writing, Greek, was not fully in use until c. 1400 BC (a clay tablet found in Iklaina, Greece) and is largely derived from an older African script called Proto-Sinaitic. The oldest Asian writing, Proto-Cuneiform, dates to around 3000 BC (clay texts found at Jemdet Nasr). However, the oldest known African writing systems are several centuries older. Proto Saharan (5000 – 3000 BC) The ancient Proto-Saharan script was a logo syllabic system. The words used to write this script were monosyllabic. Perhaps the world’s oldest known form of writing and are inscriptions of what some archaeologists and linguists have termed, “Proto Saharan” near the Kharga oasis west of so-called “Nubia” that date to at least 5,000 BC. The writings under the image that looks like the Nilotic god Seth show similarities to later writing systems such as Tifinagh and Vai. Nsbidi (5000 BC – present) Nsibidi is an ancient script used to communicate in various languages in West Central Africa. Most notably used by the Uguakima and Ejagham (Ekoi) people of Nigeria and Cameroon, Nsibidi is also used by the nearby Ebe, Efik, Ibibio, Igbo, and Uyanga people. The script is believed to date back to 5000 BC, but the oldest archaeological evidence ever found dates it to 2000 BC (monoliths in Ikom, Nigeria). Similar to the Kemetic Medu Neter, Nsibidi is a system of standardized pictographs. In fact, both Nsibidi and Medu Neter share several of the exact same characters. Medu Neter or Ta Merrian “Hieroglyphs” (4000 BC – 600 AD) The word Medu Neter (MDW W NTR) literally means “tongue of God” or more loosely, “God’s words.” The English word, “hieroglyphs,” is derived from the Greek word, “hieroglyphikos,” which means “sacred engraving,” similar to the basic meaning of “Medu Neter.” This script is an elaborate a logosyllabic writing system in which symbols represent either words (concepts) and consonantal phonetic sounds, or both, depending on the context. The oldest known evidence for this writing system come from pre-dynastic pottery at Gerzeh (c. 4000 – 3500 BC; “Gerzean culture”), which is located about 100 miles south of Ha Ka Ptah (Giza), and from inscriptions found at Gebel Sheikh Suleiman (Wadi Halfa; 4000 – 3500 BC; “Nubian A-Group culture”) in so-called “Nubia.” The next oldest form of Medu Neter dates between 3300 and 3200 BC and found in Abdu (tomb of the so-called “Scorpion” suten in Abydos) on clay tablets that recorded oil and linen deliveries. Read the rest of this article.

@Sara Hayet i have not official released the list yet but Coleman Hill is already an AALBC bestseller months before the pub date! I plan to review it as well 🙂

I’ll look up the book and add it to the site. I’m not sure I’d believe anything in it but if Black peoples are consuming the material it should be more widely known. @Pioneer1 You should still upload the material anyway … please

@Pioneer1 that was the Stern school of Business at New York University. Del was a year ahead of me, though I’m older 😉

I phrased my post’s subject as if the two were in conflict. I did not intend to do that. It probably comes from my personal bias though. I think however religion can be spiritual, indeed it should be. My religious upbringing did not leave me with a sense of spirituality. For me that came later and was distinct from my religion, which was based on a vengeful God that would damn you to an eternity of hell if you did not comply. @Pioneer1 i think many religious people do “experience” their religion and spirituality can be studied. @ProfD as an agnostic do you believe this existence is so there is? Are you satisfied with that? Fits anything inside you suggest there is more? @Delano you’ve previously mentioned the Dogon on this site. I think the people we see today are not the same ones that knew about the star. I did not learn about the dogging until i started this site and heard Saul Williams mention them in a poem and i looked them up. You kinda remind me of ole Saul.

Yeah Dr. Kunjufu is the 2nd bestselling author of all-time on this site. He has made our bestsellers list 100 times! 40 years ago he understand how Black boys were not being served by our "educational" system. I suspect things have only gotten worse today for Black boys.

Yeah NYC can be rough for the poor, handicapped, elderly... It really is a great city for the wealthy and those with high incomes. The debate was between the state of Florida and the State of New York. Deblasio (former Mayor of NYC) focused on NYC and did not make a strong argument for the entire state of NY. Even with our nutty governor Florida is a much easier place to live. I did not know that Florida's 4th grade students out perform New York's. The NY state's tax rate is significant and FL does even levy a state tax. It is not just were retires move. I moved to FL in my late 20s @Delano I moved back to NYC to join you at Stern 😉

"Last year was a banner year for those trading the New York chill for the Florida sun. Thirty-nine percent of Empire Staters packed up and moved to the Sunshine State, more than any year in history. In fact, recent census data revealed 1.6 million former New Yorkers (or 8% of Florida’s total population) now call Florida home — and it’s not just retirees. Favorable tax policies are fueling Florida’s popularity, attracting top businesses, budding entrepreneurs, and so-called one-percenters, such as Donald Trump and Carl Icahn. Does that mean Florida is a better bet? Those who argue “yes” say New Yorkers are heading south where their money can last longer, their health can benefit from warmer climates, and their sense of safety can markedly improve. Others say that ‘blue state’ policies are a better choice in the long run and that as the effects of the pandemic recede, New York will once again rise in popularity. They also say the state’s inclusive practices and cultural diversity will pull people back to New York. It is in this context that we debate this question: Is Florida Eating New York’s Lunch?" You can listen to the debate here. Obviously, since I'm one of those who made the move. Florida offers distinct advantages over NY and at the top of the list is the cost of living. Given the cost of airfare -- I can get to NYC very easily. Indeed, I'm in NYC pretty regularly. Though I have to brace myself each time -- the crush of people, the noise, the concrete, and the garbage on the street takes a minute to get used to. The statement above, "Thirty-nine percent of Empire Staters packed up and moved to the Sunshine State..." this is clearly wrong. Perhaps they meant 39% of the people who left NYC went to Florida. Since I have been here the cost of living has increased quite a bit, but I believe this is true nationally.