Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Mychal Bell Shoots Himself

  I have thus far seen two versions of this story. One purports that young Bell shot himself out of despair relating to a recent shoplifting accusation and the other that he was cleaning a gun and accidentally shot himself.
 
 I have also noted that there are those who have already tried and convicted Bell once again with statements the the affect that some people never learn or that Al Sharpton has yet again backed the wrong person.
 
 Well I'm not personally ready to give up on young Myke Bell so easily,  he has been living under a lot of stress and he has also been subjected to the full force of the racist Louisiana legal system which would all to gladly throw him under a bus rather than give him the chance that a young white boy would get for similar offences.

 Hang in there Mychal, there are people out here who do want to see you get it together.





Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Timbuctoo Manuscripts - Let's Not Forget Historical Media

The treasures of Timbuktu
Wealth of words | The belief that Africa had no written history has been disproven in the fabled centre that once was a seat of Islamic scholarship
Dec. 18, 2005. 01:00 AM
JOAN BAXTER
SPECIAL TO THE STAR TIMBUKTU, MALI

Time has not been kind to this once-great centre of civilization, which in the early 1500s inspired the Spanish explorer Leo Africanus to paint a picture of a learned, cultured and peaceful place where books were the main industry, where one literally walked on "gold."

Lured by this promise of riches, European explorers tried for centuries to find Timbuktu. By the time the first ones finally arrived in the 1800s, they found a desolate desert outpost not all that different from the sand-swept town of today, with no evidence of all the fabled wealth. Hence, the Western myth about a never-never place with little to offer the world — a myth that is about to be exploded.

Today, treasures are being unearthed here that are radically changing the way the world views Timbuktu, Africa and her history. They're called the "Timbuktu manuscripts" and they disprove the myth that Africa had no written history.

While many thousands have been recovered, there are still hundreds of thousands of manuscripts hidden away in wells and mud-walled storerooms in northern Mali. Huge collections have been passed down in families over many centuries, kept out of sight for fear that European explorers, and then French colonists, would abscond with them.

"Before, all the manuscripts were kept in our homes," says Abdelkader Haidara, who has inherited his family's collection of 9,000 written works dating back to the 16th century.

"Then, in 1993, I had an idea to open a private and modern library that would be open to everyone."

Thanks to funding from an American foundation, Haidara has been able to open his Mamma Haidara library and catalogue 3,000 of the manuscripts, some of which date back to the 1100s.

None of this would have been possible had not Henry Louis Gates Jr., chair of Harvard University's African and African-American studies department, visited Haidara and realized the importance of preserving these documents.

"When professor Gates came here and saw the storeroom full of these manuscripts written by African scholars centuries ago, he started to cry," says Haidara. "He wept like a child, and when I asked him why, he said he had been taught at school that Africa had only oral culture and that he had been teaching the same thing at Harvard for years and now he knew all that was wrong."

Read more...

Ahmed Baba Institute

Libraries in the sand reveal Africa's academic past.

Researchers in Timbuktu are fighting to preserve tens of thousands of ancient texts which they say prove Africa had a written history at least as old as the European Renaissance.

Private and public libraries in the fabled Saharan town in Mali have already collected 150,000 brittle manuscripts, some of them from the 13th century, and local historians believe many more lie buried under the sand.

The texts were stashed under mud homes and in desert caves by proud Malian families whose successive generations feared they would be stolen by Moroccan invaders, European explorers and then French colonialists.

Written in ornate calligraphy, some were used to teach astrology or mathematics, while others tell tales of social and business life in Timbuktu during its "Golden Age," when it was a seat of learning in the 16th century.

"These manuscripts are about all the fields of human knowledge: law, the sciences, medicine," said Galla Dicko, director of the Ahmed Baba Institute, a library housing 25,000 of the texts.

  I hope you all find this info interesting  enough to do a followup. 
This is the kind of thing we should be after the "Black guy" in the "White House"
to support. The world needs to become more aware of Africa's history.
It's not enough to know that these texts exist, we have to be about the work of
spreading their contents. The following is an example of what we might expect 
to find in these manuscripts, among other data.


An 18th century Timbuctoo Account - part 1
Posted on January 31, 2008 by The Griot
The following are excerpts from;

AN ACCOUNT OF A JOURNEY FROM FAS TO TIMBUCTOO, PERFORMED IN OR ABOUT THE YEAR 1787, A.C. BY EL HAGE ABD SALAM SHABEENY.
_WITH NOTES, CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY._By; JAMES GREY JACKSON,Printed by A. and R. Spottiswoode,Printers Street, London. 1820.
SITUATION OF THE CITY OF TIMBUCTOO.

On the east side of the city of Timbuctoo, there is a large forest,in which are a great many elephants. The timber here is very large. The trees on the outside of the forest are remarkable for having two different colours; that side which is exposed to the morning sun is black, and the opposite side is yellow. The body of the tree has neither branches nor leaves, but the leaves, which are remarkably large, grow upon the top only: so that one of these trees appears, at a distance, like the mast and round top of a ship.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

I discovered this while surfing Youtube.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe-Strange Things Happening Everyday... Recorded in 1944, this song has been considered by some the first rock and roll song, you be the judge




  It never ceases to amaze me just how far the internet has come
since I first started using it in the late 80s.  
 
 I was unaware of Sister Rosetta Tharpe until this morning and
I've been around for quite a while. I thought I'd share this with
the rest of you. I just have a quick wikipedia reference here but feel 
free to do your own research and add to this.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was a pioneering Gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock accompaniment. She became the first great recording star of Gospel music in the late 1930s and also became known as the "original soul sister" of recorded music.

Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her inspirational music of 'light' in the 'darkness' of the nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, her witty, idiosyncratic style also left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists, such as Ira Tucker, Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the world of pop music, she never left gospel music.

Birth name Rosetta Nubin
Born March 20, 1915
Origin Cotton Plant, Arkansas
Died October 9, 1973 (aged 58)

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Harlem Heritage Highlighted

I was sifting through iTunes recently and dug up in iTunes U.
a very interesting course called ; 

Harlem's Heritage -Harlem Digital Archive.
Instructor - Manning Marable

It includes a dozen podcasts in the form of lectures, that will prove very interesting to anyone interested in Black American history.

These podcasts can be downloaded freely and would make a rich source of material for anyone wishing to share this part of our history with children, discussion groups or however your imagination permits.


A dozen podcasts presented by Columbia University's Center for new media, teaching and learning. (CNMTL)

Taken from classes and events at Columbia University on and related to Harlem, these podcasts are part of the Harlem Digital Archive. A repository
for teaching and learning materials that can be taught in the University, libraries and Museums.

Professor Leith Mullings

Professor J. Yolande Daniels

Professor Samuel Roberts

Sandhya Shukla

Professor Kimberly Johnson

Professor Manning Marable

Professor Farah Jasmine Griffin

Professor David J. Maurrasse

Malcolm X's Political Thought and Legacy

Malcolm X, Women and Gender

Whose Book is This?

The Assassination of Malcolm X and it's Aftermath

This material is taken from the rich and extensive archive at Columbia University about 
Black Americana and Harlem in particular. 

The material found at Columbia on iTunes U is just the tip of the iceberg visit:



The Harlem Digital Archive:

A Television, Education, and Library Project
A collaborative project of
The Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning
Intelligent Television
Digital Knowledge Ventures and
Columbia University Libraries



Friday, November 7, 2008

Obama is Elected the Community Work Must Continue

I am excited to have had the opportunity in my lifetime, to have witnessed the election of a Black man to the office of POTUS. As far as I can see looking around me, I am not alone. Black folks not just in the US but the world over, are charged up and inspired and expressing positive thoughts about themselves and the race as a whole. I've seen quite a few interviews where people are already saying that they feel like if he can do it they can likewise achieve their loftier goals.

I am a firm believer in the idea that things happen because people expect them to happen and thus take steps to bring about the reality.
On the other hand when people expect things to happen because others are going to make them come about, disappointment often follows.

If Obama does nothing else he has supplied us, at
least for the present with a focal point and a suitable mantra that everyone is capable of understanding (Yes We Can).

We are way behind on the scoreboard but for the moment the ball is in our possession I hope we don't get distracted and fumble right away.



excerpt
Community organizing redeemed

from Seattlepi.com

By AMY GOODMAN
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST

There are two key camps that feel invested in the Obama presidency: the millions who each gave a little, and the few who gave millions. The big-money interests have means to gain access. They know how to get meetings in the White House, and they know what lobbyists to hire. But the millions who donated, who volunteered, who were inspired to vote for the first time actually have more power, when organized.

Before heading over to Grant Park in Chicago, Obama sent a note (texted and e-mailed) to millions of supporters. It read, in part: "We just made history. And I don't want you to forget how we did it. ...

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Congratulations President elect Barack Hussein Obama

From now on there will be no sideways glances when a Black child says,
"I want to be President of The United States".

 President elect Obama delivered a speech after his victory that I can
only describe as perfection.  

He acknowledged those who helped him with the election, which included
his family, his campaign team and the voters. 

He acknowledged his opposition and their concerns and started right away 
by offering an olive branch to start the healing process. 

He spoke of the work that lies ahead for all of us and  tasked all to be
prepared to work and sacrifice to restore the republic to it's place in 
the sun.

The speech was not about himself at all but about all of us. I loved it
and even teared up.

 I am still  wondering where these multi millions of dollars in 
campaign money came from though.

Pinch Me. Barak Obama is really the top Democrat on the ticket.

  I can honestly say that I didn't think I'd  live to see this day even if Obama doesn't win. If he does, well then that goes double. All this has me very apprehensive about the events to come in the not too distant future.
 I'm not one who has a lot of confidence in the political mis-leadership we've had to endure over the years, so while I'm surprised at the current turn of events, I'll be even more surprised if Obama is elected and actually does bring about major change. Then again the mere fact of his election would repressent a major change in itself. Wouldn't it? Obama '08?


Sunday, November 2, 2008

Sept 16, 2008 A Black Man Was Dragged to Death in Paris, Texas

 On September 16, 2008 - not 1908,  Brandon McClelland was dragged to his death by  2 white men in a pickup truck. Apparently the authorities tried to hush this up but it's coming out just the same. I first became aware of this atrocity today while listening to a report on Breakdown FM
entitled - Horror-in-Paris-Texas. Paris Texas, infamous for the 1893 lynching of Henry Smith.
The same Paris Texas where 15 year old Shaquandra Cotton was sentenced to 7 years for shoving a 58 year old hall monitor, in spite of the fact that this was her first offense of any kind.

See the Final Call article by Jesse Muhamed titled Jasper-style lynching in Paris, Texas?


      Now where's the outrage? Here's some.


 It really is time for a change folks, wouldn't you say?
Let's start by paying more attention to local politics for a change.
It's time to get involved on a scale like never before and elect some our
own representatives to these city councils  and school boards and such.
It's time to start petitioning issues we feel strongly about and not spending
money in places that don't benefit our communities.
While we're at we need to start changing some of this high security
legislation designed to protect us from ourselves. Yeah we want Change! 



Monday, October 27, 2008

Black History Month UK Style

 OOOHHH, I'm Slippin', It's almost the end of October, which is Black History Month in the UK and I let it get right by me. I guess if I was a real Black Blogger, such a thing could never have happened. Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying, after all, nobody's perfect. It's a shame though that we here in the US, can't hook up with our brothers and sisters in the UK and share the Black History season . I mean the internet makes for an almost seamless venue where we can share our historic data. Maybe we can convince some of the African Nations that supplied the biggest part of the slave population to sponsor a diasporic history month to fall between October and February. At some point it should become quite apparent that much of our history is related in some measure. As a unifying force such an endeavor could be invaluable. IMO we have more in common than we know and a concentrated study of and by African around the world is long over due.

 At this late date I'm not going to start trying to find related historical data but I will try to point to a few relevant sites that I find for the remainder of the celebration.


Black History Month has been celebrated across the UK every October for over 30 years, each year growing from strength to strength. Black History Month is a time when we highlight and celebrate the achievements of the black community and uncover hidden history about our communities.



image - the original uniform for the Black Pioneers regiment 

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Jared Ball presents - Amiri Baraka, Tom Porter, Rosa Clemente Debate Electoral Politics

 Jared Ball on his program Midday Jazzn'nJustice presents a firey, stimulating discussion which we should all be listening to. The speakers bring a miriad of ideas to the table, they have different approaches, they are discussing issues and strategies which we all can benefit by hearing. The discussion gets hot and heavy now and again  but as "warm-blooded people" we can handle it. :)
 The more we involve ourselves in discussions such as this, the more we will be able to formulate a strategy to empower ourselves. Yes it takes more than talking but we do need to communicate enough to get on the same page. 

 Props to prof Ball.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Who said racism was dead?

 An I saw article on Afro-Netizen serves as a harsh reminder that good ol' American style racism has not in fact breathed it's last breath. I don't know how many Americans this cyclist's t-shirt slogan speaks for but it has to be too many.

 The lines are being drawn and I'm not sure where the whole thing is headed but it feels to me like we're not going in the right direction. All the conditions for facism or even worse, seem to be dropping into place. Civil rights appear to be going into lock-down or lock-out, money is being taken out of circulation or at least being re-distributed among the few, sizable minorities of the population are being vilified or demonized and the populace is almost totally dependent on a limited number of corporations for everything they/we need.  This means that if you don't play ball with those pulling the strings they are in a position to simply cut you out of the supply chain.
 If you're too much of a threat, there are new prisons or containment centers apparently under construction even now. 

 Anyone else worried?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Manning Marable an Interview

I came across quite a few mp3 files featuring Prof. Maning Marable and found them all very
informative and interesting.  One that I found to be very good listening was -

WBAI senior producer Dred-Scott Keyes, interviews Dr. Manning Marable of Columbia University's Institute of Black Studies. 

In the interview  Dr. Marable discusses his book 
"The Great Wells of Democracy"
In the interview he covers diverse topics ie.
  • The nature of modern racism
  • The affect of Globalization on Black Nationalism
  • The Prison Industrial Complex
  • Disefranchisment as a result of imprisonment
  • The econonic consequences of mass incarceration

Click to listen to Part 1.


Saturday, October 11, 2008

DaveyD Positive Hip Hop and Soul music.

DaveyD has posted some great examples of positive Hip Hop on

Breakdown FM-23 Joints to Get U Through The Day #1

Breakdown FM can be downloaded as a podcast via iTunes 
if you are interested in what's the mindset of the active hip hop
culture then this program is a good place to check it out.
There are lots of interviews and reports on up to date topics
and personalities concerning the Black community.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Walter Turner of Africa Today Hosts Black Historian Runoko Rashidi

  Walter Turner of "Africa Today", a program about current events and prominent Africans from throughout  the continent and the diaspora,  features Dr. Runoko Rashidi an African American scholar, explorer, historian, lecturer, author, tour guide and more who has informed and inspired many of us to examen Africa's contribution to the world much more closely. The interview is well worth the time it takes to listen because you will discover many new avenues toward your knowledge about things African.

 "Africa Today" airs on KPFA Pacifica each Monday and is available for download as a podcast via iTunes or via KPFA.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Cynthia McKinney Not In the News!!!

  One of the most outspoken political voices in America, Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney appears to be absent from the media radar. What is going on? She must really be hitting the nail on the head to be so thoroughly left out of the public view.  Ms McKinney's absence from the airwaves is too blatant to be an oversight.  I have to ask again WHY? Why is the media so shy about reporting  on her campaign? I have seen many instances of her activity on the internet.
Click here for examples that someone has presented  of her activities. IMO She is working tirelessly to fullfill her responsibilty as the Green Party presidential candidate, yet the media behaves as if she's not there at all. This to me is one of those things that makes you go hmmm.

 Is it possible that Cynthia is so close to the truth that she is being blacked out in order to prevent her from planting that seed in all of our minds? Is it that there is a fear that she as a true agent for change is going to attract a larger following than they'd like? A third party could really cause a shakeup in the way things are being run.

 Whatever it is we'd better get to the bottom of it because media is due foa a major overhaul very soon.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Troy Davis is about to be Executed. Is he Innocent?

Troy Davis is about to be Executed. Is he Innocent?


Where there's smoke there's fire. I don't see the hurry to execute someone when many doubts as to their innocense or guilt arises. I saw this post on Wild Roots Media blog and it caught my attention. Troy Davis, if he is innocent doesn't deserve to be executed. At least look at the case and inform yourself of the available information. Amnesty International has taken up his cause,

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Unity in Depth

Back in January I posted a youtube video with the caption-
This video is an example of unity in the face of adversity.
Under the heading Protect Our Children

Now I notice an article by Jim Clingman using that same
youtube video, that expresses my sentiment in much more detail,
It's on the Electronic Village website and it's entitled-

The Serengeti “Plain-tation”  check it out.

Friday, August 29, 2008

The National Hip Hop Political Convention

The National Hip Hop Political Convention gathered from August 1-3, 2008






The NHHPC-Electoral Politics Panel
was recorded by DaveyD and is well worth the listen.
Sitting on this panel were the following people;

Rev lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus
Professor Lamont Hillof Fox news and Temple University
Tony Cani- Young Democrats
Honorable George Martinez of H2Ed and former elected Official & emcee
Rosa Clemente-Vice presidential candidate of the Green Party

It's time to create our own changes. 

"#*c& the Democrats and the Republicans and their bull$hit."
                                                                      Rosa Clemente






Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Importance of Podcasts to the Black Community

 Well, it's  been a while since I've been in "summer mode" and taking advantage of the mild weather to get away from the computer. I'm still always looking for podcasts +  that are interesting to me and geared toward the upliftment, entertainment or information of our people. 

I usually download and burn these podcasts as mp3 files on a CD and listen to them on a portable CD player when I''m walking the dog or waiting in any "waiting room".

I listen to them on the car CD player if I'm stuck in traffic or on a long trip. Doing this, has cut my non-productive time drastically. I now find that an 8-hour trip is quite short, rush hour traffic is simply more time to listen to interesting and informative material created by Black folks for Black folks.

On the minus side, I have a tendency to be isolated in the world between my earphones and even get a little annoyed sometimes when a situation arises that calls for me to stop listening to my program. Of course, this is not serious because I know that I can always resume where I left off. The isolation however is of more concern to me so I am trying to reach out to others via this blog in the hopes that I can share what I discover and reciprocally learn about some things that I might not otherwise find. Comments, ideas and other input, even criticisms will be welcomed. We have such a great opportunity to develope our own media, on many levels and everything we need to get it started is at our fingertips.

 The different  subjects  and fields of interest are many and steadily growing. Whether it's music, a college course or lecture, politics, subjects of interest to Black women, erotica, interviews with prominent people in the community, local or national radio talkshow hosts,  international concerns, health issues, crime and much much more, it's being covered in many cases excellently and expertly by people in the Black community. 

 Even the amateur presentations offer an insight into places that "mass media" doesn't venture into, while at the same time giving us the opportunity to discover new talent and keep up with the attitudes and impressions of  youth and those on the fringes of our society.

 In closing , this blogger feels that we should use every resource at our disposal to expand the use of  the podcast, to introduce the podcast to the uninitiated and create a wide network of Black produced material with the idea of  keeping all of us in touch with the pulse and nerve endings  of the Black Community.  

Monday, July 7, 2008

Rene Marie (Adapted National Anthem)

  Well, Rene Marie
 sang her interpretation of the "National Anthem" at the Denver, Colorado state of the city address.

 Rene's version consisted of the words of the "Black National Anthem " (Lift Every Voice)
set to the music of the original National Anthem.
 It came as quite a surprise to many. I personally have no comment 
other than to say it sounded pretty good.

see for yourself. ---



Monday, May 19, 2008

Girl600 Podcast

I have to say that while I don't listen to the Girl600 podcast too often, whenever I do I'm always glad I did. Sister 600 keeps me on my toes and can always come from behind with a "double whammy" that leaves me thinking.... as well as smiling. Keep it up sis.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Police in Philadelphia Brutally Beat 3 Black Men.

What's this now?



Does anyone know just what these three poor guys did? I don't.
I do however see what these cops are doing and I don't like it at all.

I sure hope the people of Philly get out in the street and voice their
opposition to this kind of treatment



Here are a couple of definitions of lynching. What do you think? Am I pushing it?

Lynching --   is when a mob consisting of a large group of people (tens, hundreds) take the law into their own hands in order to kill or injure someone accused of wrongdoing.

Lynching --  is a form of violence, usually murder, conceived of by its perpetrators as extra legal punishment for offenders or as a terrorist method of enforcing social domination. ..

The UK Black podcast

 The UK Black podcast is one of my favorites.  I'm a bit pressed for time and can't really take the time to write it up just now but I definitely recommend to anyone who has any interest in the African or Caribbean communities in Britain. They compress 20 minutes out of the 45 hours of weekly Black BBC broadcasts and present it as an informative podcast. Check it out.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Where WIll Obama Be If He Loses the Nomination?

"The Media" made Obama and it can take him out.
Like I keep saying he's not where he is because anything he's done in the past. Neither is Clinton for that matter. Unfortunately as long as we passively wait for "leadership" to be picked for us we will waste valuable time and effort that could be used building real socio-political infrastructures as well as leadership. Watching the election process on TV is hardly different from watching any other so-called reality program. Why do I get the feeling I'm watching a version of "American Idol"?

I'm not worried about Obama, he came into this process as a Harvard lawyer and no matter what the outcome, he'll, be just fine. As for the rest of us I can't say the same thing.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Congo; 5 million deaths.

 Millions of Congolese die as mining companies extract precious metals.
Check out the story in The Black Agenda Report article entitled;

Congo: How Rich Whites Caused Five Million Blacks to Die



$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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                             Wake Up World


I AM SEAN BELL


Something all Black men, indeed all Americans, should never forget to tell ourselves. Then we might come up with the initiative to find the solution to end the lynching of Black men once and for all.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Police Who Murdered Sean Bell Fully Acquitted


Sean Bell and his fiancee Nicole Paultre

Undercover cops fired at least 50 rounds of bullets into a car carrying Sean Bell and two of his friends as they left Bell's bachelor party in the Jamaica section of Queens.

Monday, April 21, 2008

naturalnana on YouTube



To quote a Mulberry, a regular BWP forum contributer. (Black Web Portal)

"I began to look at the alternatives to healthy hair and came across a video and I think it will resonate with many NubianSisters that we need to stop putting all these chemicals on our hair/skin and be natural and one will see that our locks will be much thicker and healthier and our skin will also."

It's true gals, you are oh so beautiful. 

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Cynthia McKinney - What We Want............

 Now I don't really believe, that Barak Obama is our "grassroots" candidate.Cynthia Mckinney still fills those shoes, she spoke out when we needed her.When she could have just as well stayed quietly and comfortably in herDemocratic seat in the house, Ms Mckinney was speaking out demanding that the tough questions be answered. She used her vantage point to scope info on the assassination of MLK and more. People should have known that from the reaction she was getting, that she was on to something, when merely asking "what did the Bush administration know about 9/11?", all hell broke lose.
Cynthia is still at work and we shouldn't forget about our friends. On Opios Podcast we can keep up, with this recent Mckinney interview.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Opio's Podcast

Opio's Podcast
History, Current Events, Social Commentary --
King, Mckinney, Kennedy, Prof. Griff, Chavez (Ceasar) ---
Hip Hop, Politics, Labor Unions --
Interviews, Speeches, Reports --
Much, Much More......

Everything for the progressive Black activist to sink his/her teeth into.
He probably won't be discussing artie lange but hey, TV drama isn't everything.

Smarten Up with iTunes U

iTunes U is the place to look if you are motivated to learn but don't have money or time to go to classes. Maybe even if you do.

Just open iTunes, go to the iTunes Store and look down the column to the bottom and you'll see iTunes U. Click on this and you'll discover hundreds if of courses, lectures and seminars offered in audio and or video format by no fewer than 45 top colleges and universities and the list is growing daily. All for free. Just be careful not to exceed your download limit but that's between you and your service provider. That happened to me, so now I go to the library or a coffee shop with my laptop and download all I want, for free.

I go to sleep listening to courses. I burn CDs and listen when I'm in the car and I have a portable CD player that I use when I'm walking the dog or waiting at the clinic. Even long automobile trips are short as far as I'm concerned. (You'll notice I've made some changes. That's because I wrote this piece some years ago. I have an ipod now, but a tablet or iphone or any number of devices may be used at this point in time. The basic idea is still the same while the possibilities are even greater. With imagination, one or more people could get a group of youngsters  together and teach them any number of things.)

Also in iTunes and equally free and no less informative and or entertaining, are thousands and thousands of podcasts, covering more topics than you can even think of, so practise using their power search and before you know it you'll get the hang of it. The same goes for podcasts with regards to teaching young folks.

The only downside for me is the cost of AA batteries and that's been taken care of by buying bulk alkaline AA cells at Costco I'm told they're manufactured by a well known manufacturer of batteries and they last just as long so I believe it. It just keeps getting better, doesn't in? Now my devices all have rechargeable batteries. Who knows? Soon they may be solar, if they are not already.

The last lecture I listened to was called, "How Unequal Can America Get Before We Snap?"
by Robert Reich, UC Berkeley. I can't wait for the next one. (That "last lecture" at this time, was literally hundreds of lectures ago. Not to mention the hundreds of podcasts. On top of this my local library has made available thousands of audio/digital books that can be downloaded at high speed right onto my device. I readily use this service. If you're buying any of these device for your very young ones, be sure to train them early on to take full advantage of these resources.)

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Early Release for Non Violent Prisoners



Early Release for Non Violent Prisoners.

  That should be a good thing right? After all it surely is an injustice that many of these folks were incarcerated because of unequal sentencing practices or even for not having enough money for a proper defence. 

 There is no doubt that the largest part of those unfairly sentenced will belong to visible minorities. Mandatory minimum sentences and unequal sentences for a smaller amount of crack cocaine versus a larger amount powder cocaine also contributed to the differences in sentences face by African Americans. We net also snared a few marijuana users who received long sentences in some states while other states charge people with misdemeanors.

 The US. Sentencing Commission voted to retroactively reduce the penalty for crack cocaine to become effective March 3, 2008. Now as we look around the net more and more institution are announcing plans to release non violent offenders early. I'm not going to start listing  them here it's easy enough to do a search online to come up with dozens of examples.

 Many people are concerned about the effect these releases will have on the crime rates in the communities these ex-offenders will be released to and rightfully so.

 I believe the people being released should get a fair chance and that includes some intervention on the part of the system that put them at a disadvantage in the first place.
The very minimum we should expect, is for the government bodies that will be saving substancial sums to take some of that money and place these people in drug rehabilitation  
and employment preparation programs at the very least. We should all make as much noise about this situation and create as much pressure as possible on our elected representatives ASAP especially since this is an election year.

Ramirez-Sliwinski, Monkeys? shrug

Linda  Ramirez-Sliwinski The Obama  delegate accused of calling Black children monkeys.

   "I went over to the kids and told them to get out of the tree," Ramirez Sliwinski said.

   The father of one of the boys told her it was none of her business, she said, and "I calmly said 
the tree is not there for them to be climbing in there like monkeys."

  I doubt if she meant anything by it, other than it wasn't safe for the children to play in the trees, but then I wasn't there.

  One thing for certain, we have a lot more to be concerned about, than neighbors worrying about our children's safety.

  

Monday, April 7, 2008

Progress?














Some years ago before thruways were as prevalent as they are today, I was driving with a buddy from Plattsburgh, NY to the City. It was getting to be around 9:30pm and I'd had a long day, so my friend volunteered to drive. I agreed and told him all he had to do was stay on route 9N south (9 NY has many route 9's all identified with letters which don't correspond with direction)

To make a long story short, my friend drove for about 3 hours at which point I woke up, to find that we were almost exactly at the place where I had gone to sleep. By not paying attention to the signs My friend manage to drive us around a mountain.

I'm going to hazard a guess that these days there are many, many human beings that aren't paying attention to the signs. The possibility of finding the answers we need in a place that many today consider "primative" is at least as probable as it is improbable.

Many so-called advances are a step in the wrong direction.

Friday, April 4, 2008

R.I.P. Dr. King

Declaration of Independence
from the War in Vietnam
By Martin Luther King, Jr.
An address at Riverside Church
New York City, Tuesday, April 4, 1967

OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns this query has often loomed large and loud: Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent? Peace and civil rights don't mix, they say. Aren't you hurting the cause of your people, they ask. And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live.

There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor-both black and white-through the Poverty Program. Then came the build- up in Vietnam, and I watched the program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.

Perhaps the more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population. We were taking the young black men who had been crippled by our society and sending them 8000 miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in Southwest Georgia and East Harlem. So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would never live on the same block in Detroit. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor. I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today-my own government.

Somehow this madness must cease. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam and the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop must be ours.

This is the message of the great Buddhist leaders of Vietnam. Recently, one of them wrote these words: "Each day the war goes on the hatred increases in the hearts of the Vietnamese and in the hearts of those of humanitarian instinct. The Americans are forcing even their friends into becoming their enemies. It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. The image of America will never again be the image of revolution, freedom and democracy, but the image of violence and militarism."

In 1957 a sensitive American official overseas said that it seemed to him that our nation was on the wrong side of a world revolution. During the past ten years we have seen emerge a pattern of suppression which now has justified the presence of U.S. military "advisors" in Venezuela. The need to maintain social stability for our investments accounts for the counterrevolutionary action of American forces in Guatemala. It tells why American helicopters are being used against guerrillas in Colombia and why American napalm and Green Beret forces have already been active against rebels in Peru. With such activity in mind, the words of John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Five years ago he said, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. When machines and computers, profit and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triple ts of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just. A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: "This way of settling difference s is not just." This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

There is nothing, except a tragic death wish, to prevent us from re-ordering our priorities, so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood.

This kind of positive revolution of values is our best defense against communism. War is not the answer. Communism will never be defeated by the use of atomic bombs or nuclear weapons.

We must not engage in a negative anti-communism, but rather in a positive thrust for democracy, realizing that our greatest defense against communism is to take: offensive action in behalf of justice. We must with positive action seek to remove those conditions of poverty, insecurity and injustice which are the fertile soil in which the seed of communism grows and develops.

These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wombs of a frail world, new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the lan d are rising up as never before. "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light." We in the West must support these revolutions. It is a sad fact that, because of comfort, complacency, a morbid fear of communism, and our proneness to ad just to injustice, the Western nations that initiated so much of the revolutionary spirit of the modern world have now become the arch anti-revolutionaries. This has driven many to feel that only Marxism has the revolutionary spirit. Therefore, communism is a judgment against our failure to make democracy real and follow through on the revolutions that we initiated. Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.

Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence - when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit form the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.



An analysis by Jack Clark                    of  The Rational Radical.com                

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Fannie Lou Hamer on Black Media Archive


Sharecropper's daughter, Fannie Lou Hamer delivers a moving anti war speech at UC Berkeley in 1969. She asks how can America Fight to supposedly free people in Viet Nam while her own citizens are not free?  Listen to her speak on Black Media Archive (this link is a bit slow try the one below)



Speech to DNC   Click on the image to watch the video.


 
Fannie Lou Hamer was born in the Mississippi River Delta region. She was the granddaughter of a slave and the youngest of 20 children. Her parents were sharecroppers, farmers who give up a share of their crop to pay their rent. She became an organizer for civil rights groups in southern Mississippi. Hamer went door-to-door throughout the region to register people to vote, often using gospel songs and language that everyone could understand to get her message across. Her talent as a speaker and her dedication to equal rights helped Hamer develop into one the most important regional leaders of the Civil Rights movement. 
Her success in rural Mississippi eventually led her to become a leader in SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), one of the nation’s largest civil rights groups in the early 1960s. Despite having her life threatened, being fired from her job, and nearly dying from being beaten by white police officers in prison, she remained dedicated to the cause of civil rights throughout her life.

Hamer made national news as the Vice-Chairperson of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a political group trying to draw attention to voting discrimination at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Her group challenged the all-white Mississippi Democratic Party, saying it didn’t fairly represent all the people of the state since most black people hadn’t been allowed to vote. She spoke on national television of the struggle for civil rights in Mississippi , and her group was given the right to participate in the Convention. In addition, the national Democratic Party ruled that in the future, if a state illegally denied anyone the right to vote, its delegation would not be allowed to participate in the Convention.


During the Civil Rights Movement, people who protested peacefully were often arrested for doing so. In this instance, a group of teenage girls was put in prison for demonstrating for equal rights. “Children’s Marches ” took place throughout the South and became important symbols for the national Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. 








Friday, February 22, 2008

Center for African American Genealogical Research, Inc.


is an organization that came to my attention when I was researching The Little Ark Baptist Church. They had an article about the cemetery that's connected to the church. As I explored their web site I found some very interesting features.

 I have only relatively recently taken an interest in my family history, which lead me to discover one of the more important web sites called Ancestry.com. I found details of my family on both sides that neither myself nor some of the older members of my family knew. Thus far I have been able to trace my ancestors back to the late 1700s and I'm not completely stuck yet. I have even been able to find my great great grandfather's civil war record, as well as a record of his father's death. The thing about Ancestry.com is that there is a yearly subscription fee which while not extravagant can be a bit much if your budget is tight, as was the case for myself this year.

This is where the importance of my discovery of the CAAGRI comes in.
They offer a number of very important services as well as the opportunity to involve yourself in this very important research.


First a free membership in organization entitles you to use a database of census records to search for your African American ancestors. These are the similar to records I used to discover tons of information about my forefathers this resource is invaluable if you want to do any serious online research.

Next you have the opportunity to volunteer and aid others and as well as the general cause of this very important historical research.
Actually if it wasn't for a list I found that someone considerately posted online my search would have been more difficult.

I don't need to say much more on this subject a visit to their web site can tell you much more than I can.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Save the Cemetery!


I was googling a church that has a cemetery where quite a few of my forefathers lie in rest when I came upon a a web site that mentioned that the cemetery is in fact in some jeopardy.

The church in question is the Little Ark Baptist Church in Virginia.


Little Ark Baptist Church like many African American churches have roots that go back to the times of slavery. In 1876, 10 years after the signing of Emancipation Proclamation, the Antioch Baptist Church in King George, Virginia, under the Reverend John Fleming, granted permission to a small group of members to form a congregation at the northern end of the county. That small group formed the Little Ark Baptist Church on property purchased for $25.00 per acre.


During World War II, President Roosevelt condemned much of the Dahlgren community to make way for the Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center. In addition to displacing generations of families of former slaves, he decided he needed to build a railroad to transport equipment and supplies to support his war effort. In 1942, the US Government, Department of the Navy TOOK this land with the cemetery already well established and put the railroad tracks right through it! The remains of members of the church and their families have been disinterred and re interred throughout the cemetery leaving no one family together in what is supposed to be the final resting place. All remains were removed --except one.


After the war was over, the rails were removed but the division in the cemetery has remained. Funerals services for families who had plots in the old cemetery could no longer be interred as the caskets were becoming increasingly too heavy to carry across the empty tracks.


Recently, the Little Ark Baptist Church has been engaged in a battle to save the cemetery from yet another attempt to further destroy the sanctity of this cemetery. David Brickley, a former state legislator from Woodbridge, plans to turn the easement into what he's calling "the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail" so that nature lovers, hiker's and biker's can walk and run through this sacred burial ground and further trample on the one man who's remains have not be removed. Mr. Brickley acquired the rights to this easement via Quit Claim deed from a former King George County Commissioner: Joe Williams who also acquired it by Quit Claim Deed or so the story has be told. Funny thing about Quit Claim Deeds, you don't have to prove ownership.


If you haven't noticed, cemeteries where African Americans are buried are status quo targets for the sacrilegious. The King George County Board of Supervisors have the ability to put a permanent end to this "Trail to Hell" project. Whether you live there or not is irrelevant. The idea that somehow it is okay to disregard those buried in the cemetery who were born a slaves and fought in wars in defense of all of our freedoms is enough to get involved. Be the voices that can no longer be heard.



Please contact these Supervisors and encourage them to take this opportunity to protect the sanctity of this sacred burial ground by restoring it back to the original owner: the Little Ark Baptist Church.

Phone calls and faxes can be receive at:

(Phone) 540-775-9181

(Fax) 540-775-5248




News Articles Related to This Story:


The web site is The Center for African American Genealogical Research at
http://www.caagri.org/

We Can't forget Surya




Surya Bonaly 1995 worlds Long Program

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Remembering Katrina (Common Ground)

WelcometoNOLA is a documentary about the heroic action of a few 
Americans in response to the needs created by Katrina. Working 
under the auspices of a group called Common Ground Collective they 
served tens of thousands of people in and around New Orleans.

“I know everyone in here has a horror story about Katrina,
 but now its time for rebuilding,” 
Malik Rahim, a founding member of Common Ground, ...

The following video is one, of a documentary series of 
12- WelcometoNOLA-videos


Welcome to New Orleans 7 of 12 - Vigilantes & Complications

Some of this material is quite shocking so be for-warned.
Click here to see the complete WelcometoNOLA series. 

Friday, February 8, 2008

Hip Hop History???

Hip Hop History 
 Here it is. Davey D's Hip Hop Corner has it all. News, views, reviews, interviews and points of views all about the art form known as "Hip Hop". If you want to know who's who and what's what regarding this phenomenon in the USA. then this sure looks like the place to be.  Davey D who's been well into Hip Hop for more than 3 decades, presents to us in the form of this web site, what is possibly the most comprehensive catalog of Hip Hop and it's adherents in existence.

  Did you say Hip Hop?  Well here it is you just have to see for yourself there's just too much going on for me to tell you. I will say I've listened to many Davey D interviews and I always learned something and had fun doing it too. Sometimes it left me feeling a little too agitated but hey! we need that too. This is one O.G. who is going to recommend this site even though I haven't seen it all. Enjoy it.

Breakdown FM w/ Davey D
 Take hundreds of insightful interviews, to say nothing of historical facts regarding Hip Hop, by those who were and are doing it couple that with the latest technology in the form of podcasting and there is nothing else for me to say because you can hear it all for yourself. I love it.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

How about some black sports history?

I found a blog that can do this better than I, it's called MVP Blacks.
This blog put together by Mr. NBA, it's loaded with sports facts and figures, got lots of great photos and good music to boot. Enjoy it.

Now That's What I'm Talkin' About!!! Podcast

A very nice podcast hosted by Theo Johnson.
In Now That's What I'm Talkin' About!!! Theo talks about a wide range
of topics of interest to African Americans.His podcast has the feel of sitting in a  living room talking with friends.

The program moves between topics very smoothly. I've never had the
feeling that his program was dragging, just the right amount is time
is devoted to each segment.

We're presented with a Black Hero of the day, some music or spoken
word and usually touches on some current events and sometimes an interview.

The sound quality of the show is very good keeping with the rest of the program. I'd recommend this podcast if you're interested in upbeat, inspiring,  informative programming about and from the Black community.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Black History Month is here!











































How would you like to have some nice historical photos like the ones above to illustrate your web site or presentation.

These days many institutions are digitizing their collections and making them available on line. I found those above at The Online Archive of California. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/search.image.html

They have many dozens of photos on site and I was able to find these and more by doing keyword searches like African, panther, colored, segregation, Watts, you get the idea. Many have copyright but allow fair use. That is they may be used for non-commercial purposes.
Many of the older ones are by unknown photographers, many also come with info about who the photographer was along with a brief  summary of the photograph. From an historical viewpoint there are photos of notable people from the Black community such as Black Panther Huey Newton, Marcus Garvey, Booker T washington, Mohammed Ali and many more. Even if you're not a  history buff you'll really enjoy the photos or you can use some of them for a project. Go and dig around, you never know what you might find. 

black looks

black looks - looks good. This blog is another African grassroots site, that concentrates on rights, dignity and quality of life. A quick glance a their categories index (just below) should give you an idea of the content. This blog leans towards women's issues but still covers many general topics that we are all concerned with. The archives go back to June 2004 so we are also able to get a nice perspective of their subject matter.

Podcast (rss) (4)
Poetry (rss) (59)
Poverty (rss) (9)
Quick Links (rss) (4)
Racism (rss) (120)
Refugees (rss) (19)
Religion (rss) (4)
Rice Watch (rss) (8)

I'm mainly interested in the podcasts which I give top marks for subject matter and quality sound. There is also a page of embedded videos that you should check out.
I'm sure there will be more coming. :-)

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Monday, January 21, 2008

In Black America Podcast

In Black America Podcast with host John L. Hanson Jr., IMO, is one of the top podcasts about Black Texan Americans today . Hanson's interviews and interviewees bring African Americans that "yes we can and we're doing it" attitude that we all absolutely need to hear sometime or other, lest we become overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of negative news and views of mass media. 

His interviewees come from diverse fields such as social work, government, entertainment, public service, business, communication and more.  All are very well spoken, experienced and interesting. This is an informative and entertaining program. Don't miss it.
 

Hanson is a seasoned journalist and executive at KUT Radio. I am always anxiously awaiting his next podcast. 

Africa! Africa!

Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin

"Bodies are flying through the air as if the laws of gravity do not apply to them, while a contortionist is slipping through a tennis racket, making us forget that the human body has a skeleton. Breathtaking acrobatics, mind-boggling juggling and dare-devil human pyramids. André Heller has managed to put up a show which is the antipode of what we usually learn about Africa."

Kleine Zeitung

"If the African artistes were to choose a motto for their show like their Chinese colleagues, it would surely be: May the show elate everybody! This became evident on the occasion of the first night premiere without having been vocalised. Format Currently, the most successful show worldwide.“

Europe is being treated to a spectacular show out of Africa called AFRICA! AFRICA!. It's gotten rave reviews everywhere. I hope some day it will find it's way to North America, we need a good injection of  African culture from the motherland.

For now we'll have to get a taste from YouTube





Sunday, January 20, 2008

Black Media Archive

Black History Month is coming up soon  and this site is a natural. You must check out this group of sites.
The Black Media Archive podcast is a collection of multimedia, audio,
video, text and image files. The site is updated regularly and contains a broad range of material including speeches, old movies, interviews with Black historical figures, as well as presentations of historical Black events. This site is a excellent place to gather material for the education and inspiration of Black children. I want to say that if you've been sent to the wrong place that BMA is now on iTunes and the above link has been repaired.

The opening videomix "Awakening" on the BMA web site is an inspirational work of art, don't skip it.

There is also a BMA Blog, at http://thebma.blogspot.com/ where you can read  commentary on each episode of the podcast and comment on them if you choose.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

AfricaFiles: The Pulse Podcast

More news of Africa that isn't coming from Massa Media.
We get a look at stories from different African countries about women, children, health, illegal drugs, the affects of US involvement, African film and more.  

Uncensored, unfiltered news from the African continent. The Pulse a regular podcast production by Silence Genti, is produced in collaboration with AfricaFiles.org, a network of volunteers committed to the promotion of human rights, economic justice, African perspectives and alternative analyses.

The Pulse is a distributed through  The Rabble Podcast Network .

Monday, January 14, 2008

Enough is Enough



I Found this on the Black Women Vote!  blog.
They want us to share it, well I'll do it gladly.

What About Our Daughters

 What About Our Daughters is a no-brainer to add here. I can't imagine someone reading this who wouldn't have heard of this blog already but if you haven't you should.  So, here it is. 


 I'm not a woman myself but I appreciate the heart that Gina the author of this blog displays. 
She is creating a focal point for African American Womanhood the likes of which has been necessary for a long time. She's attracting an active, intelligent group of women (and men) whom I can see definitely intend to make a difference and are leaving no obstacles standing in their path.

Covering issues, of health, children, politics, community, economics, relationships, abuse and more, What About Our Daughters is IMHO, one of the most important Black locales on the internet today. As if that's not enough, the associated podcast The Black Women's Roundtable is to podcasting what WAOD is to blogging. 
You Go Sisters!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Show me your Artistic License!


This image, provided by ArtWalk, represents the mural that has been proposed for display on the Arundel County government headquarters in Annapolis. (Handout photo courtesy of ArtWalk / January 10, 2008)

Pambazuka News



Pambazuka is an independent, progressive publication covering the news in many countries in Africa and the diaspora. It is overseen by Firoze Menji of Fahamu Networks for Social Justice, who has been careful not to become beholden to or dependent on big corporations.

The reportage is upbeat, and positively inspirational. The subject matter goes from the latest events in Kenya to, environmental justice in Nigeria, to Zimbabwe youth protest in London, as well as art therapy with children in Uganda, to get well soon comrade Castro and much more.

The site contains enlightening podcasts and videocasts with the promise of more to come.
For a real close look at pan African grassroots, Pambazuka is an excellent place to start.

Friday, January 11, 2008

One Mic

"One Mic" hosted and produced by Rebecca Dupas, is a real treat.
You'll enjoy the interviews and performances of some world class poets.
The set is a very classy white background and a performer and a mic.
 Enjoy

Welcome

Welcome to the Black Media Mine.
The title is pretty much self explanatory. My objective, is to share information in the form of digital media, be it audio, video, print or other, that I find on the internet, concerning the people of African descent, with the emphasis on, but not limiting myself to Black Americans.

I have been present online since the BBS days and have been collecting bookmarks 'til they either die of old age or fade from my memory or just get lost among thousands of other equally interesting but otherwise unused (at least by me) gems created by, for and about our people.
From what I read about the nature of the blog this appears to be a good way to get the information dug up and out in the open for the following reasons.
  1. The Black Blogosphere is growing at good rate.
  2. The information is more easily accessed as an archive.
  3. The more links there are to a site the more prominent it is.
  4. There is more content than ever before.

I hope to enlist the help of you my fellow Cybernauts and make this a place where true gems of information can be found.