The Black Informant

How to confuse the uneducated masses.

I found this on the Ebony/Jet website:

What’s That Smell?

Supremacist Cooking Up Trouble

According to a study by the Anti-Defamation League, extremists groups like the Neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan have started recruiting and rallying around the issue of immigration, illegal and otherwise. In the late 1990s, membership in these groups dwindled considerably as leaders were jailed and those remaining struggled to organize. Recent numbers indicate that between 2000 and 2005, hate groups grew by 33 percent, the Klan by 63 percent, fueled primarily by the Mexican immigration issue.

Given the history of the African-American community with the KKK, is it our responsibility to lend support to the ethnic groups currently targeted? (source)

While I will always admire Ebony and Jet magazines as good examples of successful publications with great information, this blurb is by far over the top for them (in a bad way).

Shall we talk about how illegal immigration has had adverse affects on Black employment and public school education? Naaaaaah, let’s just make it into a (you guessed it) a race issue and forget about all those “little” details. My question for Ebony/Jet is “Do you abandon your views on a particular issue just because someone you do not agree with shares your opinion–regardless for their motives?” What Ebony/Jet is suggesting here is that as Black people, we should have some kind of sworn allegiance to other people with darker skin without looking at the issues (something they regularly encourage their readers to do on a variety of other issues).

If the Klan agrees with my stance against illegal immigration, SO WHAT? This does not make me a charter member of the Klan no more than it places them at the top of my list of invites at my next barbecue.

Related

“A 2006 study done by the Federation for American Immigration Reform - a non-profit organization that is pushing for immigration reform on a national level - showed that illegal immigrants have been costing New York State school district taxpayers a total of “at least $1.5 billion per year.” However, that number increases when US-born children of illegal immigrants are taken into account. Those children carry an additional expense of $2.8 billion annually, according to the report, and bring the overall figure up to $4.3 billion.” (source)

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(kcci.com) DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa State University study shows that racial discrimination is a strong predictor of drug use by black teenagers.

The study by Iowa State’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Research of more than 600 black children from Georgia and Iowa found that those who experience racial discrimination before they turn 12 are twice as likely to use drugs by the time they are teenagers, according to a news release.

Among those who experienced discrimination also had what the study called “conduct disorders” in which teens committed acts such as vandalism or burglary and more than half reported drug use five years later, according to the research. (source)

Why comment any further here?

For our next cruise, I think we will consider one of the offerings from this source

About Black Cruise Week

Cruise events are no longer just based upon family getaways. There are hundreds of cruise events that take place each and every month which cater towards many different interest, hobbies and cultures.

In the past, many traditional cruise lines lacked events that catered toward the lifestyles and interest of the African American cruise traveler.

A few years ago, the idea of the first major nationwide cruise event for African Americans was born, launched and the final outcome became a huge resounding success.

As the success with one cruise grew, it produced a demand for black cruise organizers to provide themed cruises toward the many different niches within the black traveling community. (source)

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(thestarpress.com) MUNCIE — There’s a long history of local businesses owned by African-Americans and other minorities. That history is marked by some black business success stories — and some business failures.

African-American business owners experience the same frustrations that any business owner feels, including lack of recognition and lack of support. With black-owned businesses, however, the reasons for failure can range from simply failing to connect with customers to never standing a chance of gaining the patronage of non-minority consumers.

“The things that would improve (minority) business in Muncie would improve business all over the country,” said Darryal Hawkins, owner of Muncie Precision Hard Chrome and Hawkins Industrial. “We suffer from the same problems: Lack of exposure, lack of capital, lack of commitment by folks to do what they say they will do.”

Black business owners say their frustrations can extend to the African-American community itself.

“They’ve not used their economic power in this community,” said Carl Kizer Jr., owner of Kizer’s Carpet Care, referring to local African-Americans. “They’ve not used it. That’s the problem. Even for some minority businesses, other minorities don’t rally and support them.

“My business is probably 95-percent white,” Kizer added. “There are a lot of blacks out there with carpet. Do they gear their dollars to minority businesses like mine, to help it grow and employ more minorities? No, they don’t.

“They would be an economic force if they all rallied together,” Kizer added. (source)

This is another issue that I have talked about at great length here on this website. On this particular article I am a little mixed. Here are two quick points:

1.) From what I have seen and personally experienced, many Black consumers tend to expect way too much (and not pay for it) when dealing with a Black business. Conversely, I have seen Black business owners charge way too much for their products/services–out pricing themselves out of the market.

2.) Don’t expect Black folks to come swarming for your services just because you are a Black business owner. If you have been offering substandard products/services, like any other consumer group, Black folks will go elsewhere. The only institutions where I have seen the Black dollar recirculating back in the community are beauty salons/barber shops, churches and other social groups, restaurants and entertainment. Beyond that, I have not seen the Black Dollar Days concept actually sticking for a long time.

Related link(s)

African-American Chamber Survey

Are they taking over or did we give them the keys?

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This is not a earth-shattering quote, but it certainly makes the point that I try to make here on this site every day.

“…Wally Amos, the founder of Famous Amos cookies. “I knew there were people who would not buy my cookies because I am black,” says Mr. Amos, who started his company (which is now owned by Kellogg) in 1975. “But that was not my problem; it was theirs. To me anybody with a mouth was a potential customer.” (source)

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(clarionledger.com) “Forget Paris, Milan and New York City.

When Jackson resident Norweida Roberts wants to see couture from some of the world’s greatest designers - Roberto Cavalli, Carolina Herrera and Yves Saint Laurent - she heads to the annual Ebony Fashion Fair Show.

[...]

Over the years, Hilliard said the show has raised more than $400,000 for Tougaloo and Rust colleges and the United Negro College Fund. Nationally, the organization has raised more than $55 million for charitable organizations since its inception.

“It is a commitment to the reasons for the show and that is to raise scholarship money,” Hilliard said.” (source)

Out of all the things I have posted o this site, this series by far will be the most absurd, lame and downright asinine thing I have ever done here.

Michelle Obama (Senator Obama’s wife) touched on something recently in her interview on 60 minutes that I believe epitomizes the sentiments of many Black folks in this country: No matter how successful you become, racism in all forms will always be there to haunt you. Here is an excerpt of that interview:

“This is a tough question to ask, but a number of years ago Colin Powell was thinking about running for president, and his wife Alma, really did not want him to run. She was worried about some crazy person, with a gun…. Is that something that you think about?” Kroft asks.

“I don’t lose sleep over it because the realities are that, you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station, you know. So, you know, you can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen. We just weren’t raised that way,” she says. (source)

If you listen to some folks, you would think that for the average Black person has to go through some sort of ceremonial ritual that includes a sacred incantation of “We Shall Overcome” before leaving the house lest a James Earl Ray–type is lurking out there waiting to shoot them down. The truth is, while being Black in America can attract folks out there who have biases based on skin color, in today’s world the color of one’s skin rarely serves as a barrier keeping folks away from experiencing success–as seen in the careers of Barack & Michelle Obama.

The main problem that I have with Obama is that while he touts that America is ready for change and he is the man for the job to bring that change, he still manages to play the race card. Here is Obama again subtly suggesting that America has barely changed over the years. This is what he had to say at his recent appearance in South Carolina:

Hitting one of the early primary states in the first week since announcing his candidacy for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, Obama told supporters he doesn’t believe those who say a black man can’t be elected.

“Twenty years ago, nobody would have believed this crowd in South Carolina,” he said of the racially mixed group. (source)

Hmmmm, let’s think about that for a moment as we step back into time…

“After early respectable losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, he won five southern states on Super Tuesday, March 8, 1988. On March 12 he won the caucus in his birth state of South Carolina and three days later finished second in his home state of Illinois. On March 26, 1988 Jackson stunned Dukakis and the rest of the nation in the Michigan caucus: Having won that northern industrial state with 55 percent of the vote, Jackson became the Democratic front-runner.” (source)

In case you are wondering, the Jackson mentioned here is no other that Jesse Jackson.

Moving on…

In most cases when you hear someone whining about racism, as you peel their complaint it usually falls within one of two categories (or both)

A) Something that happened to them in the not too recent past.

B) Something that did not happen to them directly, yet they feel the need to personalize it as if it happened to them.

B. is very interesting because in many cases if a Black person was to become very successful, the comradeship we easily share in times of great offense becomes scrutinized and filtered based on class (look to people like Oprah or Cosby as two examples of how ANY criticisms they have for some Black folks is seen as condescending towards ALL Black folks).

In these series of posts, I will briefly cover many of the interactions I have with Whites on a daily basis. May I remind you here that you are hearing from a person who started his career in the IT industry, got laid off, worked for a non-profit, had to go on welfare for a while, worked as an overnight security guard in quite a few places including a dairy farm and a hotel, helped my wife clean offices and bathrooms and now work at home in our own family business. I mention this because no matter how much money I had or didn’t have in my pocket, most of my interactions with White folks have been uneventful, to say the least. So while writing about this is pretty lame IMO, I feel the need to do so in an effort to combat the noise out there that Black folks are a sneeze away from returning to the cotton and tobacco fields of the South. I have already started a list of interactions here if you care to revisit that post. In the meantime, here are a few observations from our recent trip to Hawai’i. For those that have a keen interest in hearing about positive Black experiences, here are a few of mine in this land this is supposedly dripping with racism:

(Unless otherwise mentioned, all of these folks mentioned below are White)

#Our plane was delayed for about 3 hours, so the man at the gate gave ALL OF US $10 food vouchers.

#While on the plane, we were served our drinks and snacks just like everybody else.

#Once we arrived at our room on the cruise ship, we quickly discovered that they gave us the wrong room ( a downgraded room from what we paid for). We went to the front desk and spoke with the manager about it. He got back to us the following day and gave us an upgraded room free of charge.

#There were quite a few Black folks on this cruise. From what I have seen they were given the same kind of treatment as everyone else (help with their luggage, served their food, etc)

#At one of the beaches, I lost my wedding band. Three individuals helped me to look for it without having to ask them.

#While standing in line at a car rental store, out of the blue a man who was in front of us in line gave us a coupon to receive a free upgrade on our car rental.

#One of the TVs did not work in our cabin so I informed the person cleaning our room. By the time we came back, the TV was fully functional.

#Went through security many times and did not get stopped under suspicious reasons.

XXXXRACISM ALERTXXXXX My wife entered a restaurant to get some tea. Realizing that the restaurant was closing she decided to skip it. The man who my wife asked for the tea appeared to be very impatient with my wife and reluctantly brought her the tea. HOW DARE HE OFFENDED HER! DOESN’T HE KNOW THAT SHE IS A BLACK WOMAN!

#Requested to have our seats changed on the plane ride back home so that we could be near our kids. Fellow passengers had no problem granting our request.

So the next time you hear of a fellow Black person whining about how there is no good news out there regarding race relations in this country, point them to this series and you will see just how quickly boredom will settle in. The truth is: good news as it relates to race relations is BORING!

-The fam and I arrived in Hawai’i safe and sound.

-Just Beautiful!!!

-Great seeing my wife in a real bathing suit

-Kids are having fun

-Great being disconnected from following current events for a while

-Will be back next week!

-Peace!

(This will be my last post until 2/20)

Brothas, I think it is time for us to change up this holiday a lil’ bit. Are you one of those that:

-Buy a box of chocolate candy?

-Buy a teddy bear or some other stuffed animal that is marked down?

-Wait til the last minute to buy a card only settling for the leftovers?

-Wait til the last minute to make a reservation at your favorite restaurant?

-Buy flowers from the man that stands at the corner of Washington Ave and King Blvd?

For the married brothas out there, it is time for us to take this to another level. At the beginning of this year, I made a commitment to myself that I was going to be more creative with my expressions of love for my wife.

One thing I have in mind for this year is for us to spend more time cooking together instead of her doing it one day and me on others. We both love trying out foods from other countries (Jamaica, India, Italy, Greece, Mexico, etc.) but have never made the time to go beyond our usual favorites. When we get back from our trip, I thinking about thumbing through a few recipes off the net and just try to “work it” with her.

Some other ideas for the brothas:

-Make an appointment for her to get her nails done. When she is finished, have one of the employees pass a note to her instructing her to meet you at a particular location where you will have something waiting for her (dinner, a pair of tickets for an event, etc.—NOT YOU SITTING ON THE COUCH WEARING NOTHING BUT A PAIR OF HEART-PATTERNED BOXERS WHILE GREETING HER WITH A “LET’S GET IT ON, SHAWTY!”)

-Write a well thought out letter expressing your love towards her.

There are so many other things we could do, so I am going to leave the floor open for others to leave suggestions. Hey, I’m no pro at this kind of stuff, but I am always willing to learn from others.

Bottom line: What are some unique ways we can make baby girl feel special–even it is not on Valentine’s day?

Ever consider adoption?

From Wikipedia:

” The desire for parents to adopt children of the same race is the cause of some controversy within the United States, especially in the African-American community. There are more Caucasian families seeking to adopt than there are minority families; conversely, there are more minority children available for adoption. This disparity often results in a lower cost to adopt children from ethnic minorities - usually through special adoption grants rather than fee discrimination. Critics claim this cost disparity implies that minority babies are of less value than white ones. This situation is morally difficult because the adoptive families see adoption as a great benefit to trans-racially adopted children, while some minorities see it as an assault on their culture. In 2004, 26 percent of African-American children adopted from foster care were adopted trans-racially. Government agencies have varied over time in their willingness to facilitate trans-racial adoptions. “Since 1994, white prospective parents have filed, and largely won, more than two dozen discrimination lawsuits, according to state and federal court records.”There is also a great need to place these children; in 2004 more than 45,000 African-American children were waiting to be adopted from foster care.” (source)

From achildswaiting.com. These are young men who are NOT in the prison system but could end up there.

“We are thankful to our families and appreciate their commitment. Unfortunately, the placement statistic do not accurately reflect the children still waiting. There are currently 150,000 children waiting for a home in the United States alone. Of those children, 85% are African American, 60% are boys, many are over the age of 8 yrs, and most have siblings.” (source)

Adoption services you can contact for more information:

sunnyridge.org

adoptionhelp.org

adoption.com