Sep. 14, 2020
Never Forget or Forgive
Sep. 12, 2020
Happy Birthday Alain Leroy Locke Father of the Harlem Renaissance
Alain Locke (1886-1954) was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Harvard and continued his studies in Europe as the first African American Rhodes Scholar. After teaching English at Howard University for four years, he returned to Harvard in 1916 to begin work on a Ph.D. in philosophy, which he obtained in 1918. He rejoined the Howard faculty and taught there until his retirement in 1953. In 1925 he edited a special edition of the magazine Survey Graphic, devoted exclusively to the life of Harlem. He later expanded it into an anthology, The New Negro, which became the manifesto of the Harlem Renaissance, or as some critics prefer to call it, the New Negro Movement. In the essay provided here Locke captures the hope and optimism of a people who have discovered "a new vision of opportunity." 135 years ago today Alain Locke was born to rise into intellectual glory. Alain Locke May have had peculiar lifestyle ways but no person could ever question his intellectual brilliance.
Sep. 11, 2020
The Next Selection
The Next Book On The Blackman Read Aloud Hour Project
The Day Freedom Died by Charles Lane
“The Colfax massacre, sometimes referred to by the euphemism Colfax riot, occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the seat of Grant Parish, where an estimated 62-153 black men were murdered by white Southerners who had formed a militia.”
Uplifting The Cause Of Universal Literacy and Comprehensive Understanding of African American History courtesy of the #joesmokethoughts FACEBOOK LIVE
Sep. 11, 2020
Quickie
"AFRICAN AMERICANS COMPRISE 13% OF THIS AMERICA'S POPULATION BUT ONLY 3% OF THIS AMERICA'S WEALTH. SEEMS TO ME THAT EQUATION IS FULL OF PERVASIONS AND AFTER 400 YEARS WHY, OH WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE AMERICA'S CELEBRATORY OCCASIONS."
Joseph Hall
Sep. 11, 2020
DON'T GET BOX IN AGAIN POLITICALLY
"I hope THAT THE 2020 GENERAL ELECTION WILL BE THE LAST ELECTION THAT AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES PARTICIPATE IN WITHOUT GETTING CLEAR ECONOMIC, HEALTH AND WELFARE, EDUCATIONAL TANGIBLES COMMITTED TO THE UPLIFT OF OUR COMMUNITIES. YES, GETTING DONALD TRUMP OUT OF HIS PRESENT POSITION OF POWER IS IMPORTANT. BUT, THAT ISN'T A CLEAR AND PRESENT TANGIBLE. WE ALLOWED MANY OF THE SO-CALLED POWERFUL VOICES IN OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES TO MAKE REMOVING DONALD TRUMP THE GRAND SUM ISSUE FOR GOING TO THE POLLS. IN DOING SO, WE SOLD OUR VOICE AND OUR VOTES FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. WE SHOULD BE TIRED OF BEING PIMPED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY WITHOUT GETTING FIRM COMMITMENTS FOR OUR VOTES.
#theblackblogger
NO QUID PRO QUO, GET RID OF TRUMP is the only message. OUR COMMUNITIES WERE BOXED INTO A CORNER THIS TIME BUT NOT IN 2024. NO LONGER CAN WE ALLOW AFRICAN AMERICAN CELEBRITIES WHO WE SUPPORT ECONOMICALLY TO PROMOTE A CANDIDATE WITHOUT FIRST ASKING THAT CELEBRITY WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM? THEN WE MUST DEMAND THAT THESE CELEBRITIES SPEAK FOR US FROM A ISSUES-BASED VOICE. BETTER YET, WE WILL COMMIT OURSELVES TO BECOME ISSUES-BASED AND TANGIBLE EDUCATED SO THAT WE CAN SPEAK FOR OURSELVES.
AGAIN, I STRESS WE MUST VOTE AND EXERCISE OUR RIGHT TO VOTE. However, our VOTES AREN'T FREE, THE African American votes NEVER WERE INTENDED TO be FREE. THE HUMAN COST PRICE OUR ANCESTORS PAID TO SECURE THAT VOTE DEMANDS THAT WE RESPECT THEIR BLOOD SACRIFICES AND GET SOMETHING FOR THAT VOTE.
GETTING RID OF TRUMP WHILE IT IS IMPORTANT IN 2020, ISN'T A TANGIBLE UNLESS TRUMP'S REMOVAL comes PACKAGED WITH SOMETHING SPECIFIC THAT CLOSES THE WEALTH, EDUCATION, AND HEALTH GAPS THAT EXIST IN the African American COMMUNITIES currently. I GO BACK TO WHAT THE REVEREND JOSEPH JACKSON STATED ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1964, REGARDING ALLOWING AFRICAN AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS AND PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES TO BECOME OUR PRIMARY SOCIAL AND CIVIL CHANGE:
“We have athletes and comedians. Let us still applaud our athletes when they achieve on the field of competition, and let us join with others and freely laugh at the jokes that our comedians give. But we must not confuse these various fields. There must not develop any dictatorship of any one field, and athletes and comedians must not make the mistake of assuming the role of political, religious, and cultural leaders. We as a race must see to it that each man serves in his field, and we must not allow the white community to pick our leaders or to tell us what Negro we should follow.”
Joseph Jackson 9/19/1964
Finally, the major and significant issue that should be laser-focused in the minds of everyone in the African American communities should be reparations for harm and crime have done specifically to our ancestors and our brothers and sisters during the period of slavery, Jim Crow re-enslavement, and mass incarceration. All of these harms were done intentionally to steal our rights and our ability to build any sort of economic generational wealth. The price to be paid must be decided by our elected federal representatives. So, we may have acted too late to consolidate the power in our communities for the upcoming November 2020 election. But in 2022 and 2024 goals we set must not be determinate on supporting just one political party. Our aims are also colorblind in reference to a candidate running. You are either for us or we must collectively say no to giving you our voice. We are 13% of the American population so why shouldn't we have at a minimum 13% of the American wealth? Not 3% which is where we stand now. So, please vote in November, it's that important because it will show those in power that our votes cannot and shouldn't be taken for granted.
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