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Black Community

Reparations

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Reparations: Should Blacks Get Them and Do Neo-Whites Deserve to Pay Them

This is the fifth and final section within the topic on Integration.  This discussion will focus on the controversy of reparations and how the fight both for and against them impact the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Is there a valid reason for not giving reparations to descendants?

2. How should reparations be paid out?

3. What would you do with your reparations?

FRONT STREET

Seemingly everyone that the United States has ever done wrong has been compensated through land, payment, and other means…except for Black people in America!  An ungodly number of lives and money were tied up in the institution of slavery, with amounts ranging in the billions of dollars amassed through it.  For nearly a century after America became a sovereign nation, slavery could to grow and feaster with death and profit growing right beside it.  It was not until hundreds of thousands of lives lost in a civil war that Black people on mass could even whisper of freedom and the chance to finally oversee their own destiny…almost!!  With no education, property, or anything else to call our own, Black people were set free to nothing.  Adding insult to slavery, the gains proposed and even passed to help eradicate these disadvantages were under-minded with concerted efforts made to torpedo those proposals once again leaving the greater Black population destitute.  A fair argument can and has been made that Black Americans never reached full citizenship until 1964-65, leaving hundreds of years of mistreatment claims for Black people.  Reprisal of course, never took place and it has become more and more of a heated debate as too if, when, how, any reparations will be given to Black Americans.  This issue must be addressed and determined if the idea of reparations will lead to the destruction of Black Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 10/15/2022.

Black Community

Gentrification

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Gentrification: The Extermination of the Black Community

This is the fourth section within the topic on Integration.  This discussion will focus on how gentrification throughout many American major cities has impacted the Black Community physically, socially, and economically.

The 3 Questions

1. Is gentrification a good thing?

2. Why do you feel the resources that come with gentrification are never applied to these neighborhoods when the residency is Blacker?

3. What can be done to prevent the expansion of gentrification?

FRONT STREET

Black Advancement Inc.’s home is in the DMV area, which is home to some of the Blacker cities in the and counties in the nation.  However, anyone from this area can tell you the monster of gentrification has hit with the force of a comet here, bringing the subjects of race and class to the forefront of everyday life.  “Chocolate City” aka Washington, D.C. looks nowadays much less like a milk chocolate bar and more like the cookies and cream bar.  A perfect example of this is displayed when the Montreal Expos moved to D.C. and became the Nationals.  This move begot the building of a stadium, which lead to new high-end condo’s and hipster eateries and restaurants that previously never would have dreamed of coming to the area. To be clear, all this investment and improvement of a once impoverished area is good news, it does create a whole new stream of income for D.C. and employment opportunities as well.  Young professionals will be more likely to live in the city and spend time and money there.  The Metro will increase revenue from more people not to mention the gate for a competitive Baseball team.  Missing from all of these upgrades though, are the thoughts and concerns of the residents that previously lived in an area that was undervalued.  Where would these people live, where would they go, how would the rapidly changing economic upheaval impact their lives?  These types of overhauls have occurred and continue to occur in neighbors just like this one in D.C. throughout America, begging the question of whether gentrification is helping the destruction of Black Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 1/21/2023.

Black Community

Affirmative Action

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Affirmative Action: Who Does It Benefit 

This is the third section within the Integration topic.  This discussion will focus on affirmative action and whether or not the program is doing more harm than good within the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do you believe that Black people should receive special accommodations, ie. affirmative action, for things such as college admission and employment opportunities, why or why not?

2. Do you feel the “boot straps” narrative is fair or unfair, specifically when applied to Black people?

3. Who do you believe benefits the most from Affirmative Action and why?

FRONT STREET

Black people have been subjugated to the very worst that America has had to offer.  Since the beginning of our arrival in the western world with European settlers, everything has been done to either completely impede the progress of Black people gaining the rights of a normal citizenship or purposefully undercut after any kind of legislation was rendered in favor of us gaining basic rights everyone was supposed to be given from inception.  This continuous struggle of forcing America to recognize the humanity of Black people continues to this day.  However, there have been some victories along the way to help even out the miscarriages of equality throughout the years as shown in programs designed to assist Black people into getting higher education or an opportunity at employment i.e., affirmative action.  Yet, this program has come under fire by not only white Americans but even some Black ones who feel this type of assistance is an insult opposed to a hand up.   And like before, has recently been challenged legislatively to again derail Black people in America from our steady march towards full citizenry.  The opposition of even some Black people begs for the question to be asked on whether the installation of affirmative action helping in the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 4/18/2021..

Black Community

Interracial Marriage

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Interracial Marriage: A sign of Progress or Protest 

This is the second section within the Integration topic.  This discussion will focus on the beauty, trials, and social consequences of interracial marriages and how love can impact the future of the Black Community and truly conquer all.

The 3 Questions

1. Do you have a preference of what race you or your children would marry, and if so why?

2. Do interracial marriages increase or decrease stereotypes of other races?

3. Do interracial marriages destroy the traditional/historic idea of what it means to be a Black Community?

FRONT STREET

Most people would look at this topic and blatantly say…this is a racially charged topic.  Why in 20 whatever would any organization that wishes to achieve the advancement of all people through focusing on the Black Community put forth a topic that would seemingly only be meant to divide people?  It’s simple, this is, whether spoken or unspoken an issue within the Black Community.  We have all heard the phrase, “if they can’t use your comb don’t bring them home” as a deterrent to dating outside of our race…but why would some Black parents say such a thing?  This is the time and the place to discuss why love between Black people and anyone else, specifically white people, is indeed a topic not only worthy of addressing but necessary to understand and unpack the hesitation, the backlash, and sometimes annoyance, of some Blacks on this front.  So with all of that said, let’s have a serious look at whether interracial marriage is helping to destroy the Black Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on #/##/2021.

Black Community

Integration

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Integration: Did It Work

This is the first section within the topic on Integration.  This discussion will focus on whether the integration of America actually worked in the manner in which it was meant to and how the failures within its implementation impacted the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do you believe integration was ever implemented into American society, why or why not?

2. How do you think America would be fundamentally different if integration never happened?

3. Did integration work?

FRONT STREET

One the most significantly singular events to ever happen within America’s history was the breaking down of the color barrier through a decree that all but mandated all people of all colors were free to go and do what they pleased.  Everything from education, restaurants, and even employment had become open to an entirely new segment of the population who had previously been denied their inalienable rights to the many promised freedoms and the pursuit of happiness in the land of the free.  However, not everyone was so keen on this sudden switch and reacted as any country who felt they were being invaded…violently.  They fought physically, legally, politically, and every other way possible to slow integration and to shield their loved ones from the effects of having to be around people who they previously deemed unworthy.  Through all the efforts of both the Black people who have tried to integrate and the white people who wanted things to continue as is, the question remains to this day of whether integration has helped in the destruction of Black Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 2/21/2021.

Archives

Black Grade School Teachers

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Black Grade School Teachers: The Frontline of the Future

This is the second section within the topic on the Role of Education.  This discussion will focus on the trials, tribulations, and admiration of the Black grade school teachers and how their presence and job impacts the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Is it pivotal to have Black school teachers in the educational system for Black students?

2. Are you more or less comfortable with the idea of you or your child having a Black school teacher, or does it not matter?

3. What can the Black Community do to help Black school teachers?

FRONT STREET

Depending on where you grew/are growing up at, the chances of you having no Black grade school teacher can be high.  Many of the people I know and myself included can count how many Black teachers we had prior to going to higher institutes of learning on one hand.  Although, most of us did not “suffer” from not having Black school teacher in grade school, there was a void noticed whenever you were fortunate enough to have one.  With the undeniable fact that teaching is one of the most important professions in the world, we felt obligated to ask the question of whether Black school teachers can save the destruction of Our Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 7/27/2020.

Black Grade School Teachers [unedited]

Archives

HBCU & PWI

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HBCU & PWI: The Advantages, Disadvantages, and Discouragement of an HBCU Education

This is the fifth and final section within the topic on the Role of Education.  This discussion revolves around the difficult choice for college-bound Black students and whether going to an HBCU or PWI impact the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. What is, was, or would be your biggest reason for attending any university?

2. Do you consider HBCU’s or PWI’s better schools for Black students?

3. Do you agree or disagree with the notion that HBCU’s do not prepare you for the “real world” and are antiquated?

FRONT STREET

As a graduate of the illustrious Hampton University, I can truly say that HBCU’s are different.  The atmosphere, the culture, the populations, and the Homecomings!!!  Honestly, it was a life-changing experience and I couldn’t see myself going anywhere else.  However, I have plenty of friends, relatives, co-workers, associates etc. who attended PWI’s and to be frank they don’t view college the way HBCU grads view their alma maters.  They often looked at college as a business preposition and cited, scholarships, technology, and “more diversity” as the main upsides of their experience.  I think both options have value, but the future doesn’t look bright for HBCU’s.  Between the “diversity” warriors seeing HBCU’s as self-imposed segregationist, and well-meaning Blacks seeing them as antiquated and depleted, the age old question of whether Black students should go to HBCU’s or PWI’s has come to the forefront once again.  Are HBCU’s unknowingly playing a hand in the destruction of Our Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 10/18/2020 in our Roundtable which is also available on YouTube.

HBCU & PWI’s

Archives

The Negro Dialect

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The Negro Dialect: How Our Language Hinders and Helps Our Younth

This is the third segment within the topic of the Role of Education.  This discussion will examine how the use of language has played a role in Black peoples lives and how the perceptions of using a particular way of speaking can impact the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do you believe there is such a thing as talking Black?

2. Do you believe “talking Black” is a hindrance for Black students/people?

3. Should the way people, particularly Black people, talk matter?

FRONT STREET

Harry Reid, the former Democratic Senate MajorityLeader, said it…  He said what many White, if not all, people thought whenever they heard the oratory stylings of Obama. “He [Reid] was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama — a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ according to Halperin and Heilemann.  Although Harry Reid later apologized for his insensitive comments, what he said is indeed a troublesome stereotype that Black people have to overcome constantly.  Does the way we talk, speak to our level of intelligence?  Why does code switching have to be a part of any successful Black persons repartee?  Hip Hop is the most listen to form of music in the world, why do Black people need to change the way we speak if it’s obvious that people can understand what we are saying?  All of these questions are jammed into the idea of “talking intelligently” and how the perceptions of Black people is always about proving our worthiness.  In short is the Negro dialect contributing to the destruction of Our Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on MONTH/DAY/YEAR during the discussion which is now airing on YouTube.

Archives

Charter vs Public Schools

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Charter vs Public Schools: Which is Better for Black Students?

This is the fourth portion within the topic of the Role of Education.  This discussion looks at whether charter or public schools are better for the Black students to thrive and succeed in education and how that decision impacts the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do you believe school choice is necessary for Black people, why or why not?

2. Have public school systems failed the Black Community, why or why not?

3. If money was equally distributed to every school no matter where the students lived, would that help or hurt the education system?

FRONT STREET

There are many people who believe education was best for Black students prior to integration.  Although this is literally another topic within the Black Advancement’s focus, it begs the question of why some would feel that even under the oppressive conditions of segregation, our children were better served.  Why would they believe this, simply, is because they believed the teachers, parents, and community were all invested in the school system and the success of all the students.  Believe it or not, this argument is very similar to the charter or public school debate, specifically concerning Black students.  With the education achievement gap seeming to never close and the proven systematic biases against Black students in public schools, many more are looking to other options to educate their children.  In spite of all of those facts, there is a legit argument for having a public school option, primarily that it’s free and provides for a wide range of educational levels.  With all things considered, do you believe that charter and or public schools are contributing to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 09/23/2020 in our Roundtable which is also available on YouTube.

Charter vs Public Schools

Archives

Lies My Teacher Told Me

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Lies My Teacher Told Me: The Indoctrination of  White Heroism

This is the first section within the topic of the Role of Education.  This discussion will focus on the mistruths, misinformation, and misunderstandings perpetrated in schools all across America and how ignorance and euro-centristic curriculums impact the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. What is the biggest lie perpetuated in American schools and does it impact Black people?

2. Should teachers be given more freedom to craft a curriculum or would you rather there be a universal curriculum for grade school?

3.  Do you believe the American school system is meant to indoctrinate children or to educate them?

FRONT STREET

It is no secret to any person that pays attention while attending or parenting a child in the American school system that the materials have a pro-privilege bend.  Although this isn’t exclusively reserved for White people, a majority of this “to the winners the spoils go” type of education, Whites come out as the fathers and mothers and leaders of most of the achievements we as a society deem worthy of learning.  The impact of this reinforcing some notion of supremacy is at the very least arguable, if not down right the sole reasoning for the educational system being set up in such a manner.  With this bias view guiding the children of this nation, the question has to be asked to all children of color, but specifically for Black children for our cause, does this type of education contribute to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and response to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more were addressed on 8/9/2020.

Lies My Teacher Told Me [unedited]