Black Health: Black Ph(F)at – Big or Beautiful 

The first installment of the Black Health topic focuses on the idea of Black beauty and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Is Our perspective of beauty unhealthy?

2. Is Our perspective of beauty tainted by the media, i.e. movies, magazines?

3. Does Our version of beauty play into the stereotype of Black people being hyper-sexual?

FRONT STREET

Most Black men have no problems with a woman with curves and bumps and Black women have even fewer complaints with their figure.  Our version of what is sexually stimulating in general has differed from the euro-centric version of beauty and are rarely seen on the magazines in our supermarkets.  However, much like the euro-centric version of beauty, Our shapes can be viewed as harmful to both the body and the mind of Our people.  Are We putting too much into this idea or is Our version of beauty helping to 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 will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  x/xx/20xx.

Self Hatred: Acting Black – Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How

The third installment of the Self Hatred topic focuses on the concept of acting Black and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. What constitutes acting Black and are these associations fair?

2. Do you subscribe to the notion that there are Black people and there are n_ _ _ _ _ _  and if so, why?

3. Have we been brainwashed to think, act, and react, in a certain way to things and if so, why?

FRONT STREET

We are not a monolithic people.  Some of Us voted for Mitt Romney, some of Us don’t like chicken, some of Us use proper english at all times, and yes Our ethnicity is still that of a person of African decent.  However, We would be remiss if We honestly didn’t look at Ourselves for what We have become.  We have painted ourselves into a corner labeled blackness where a person can only be considered Black if they do certain things and do things a certain way.  Not to mention, the baggage of outside perspectives on and about Us.  Does the idea of acting Black contribute to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These questions and more will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  3/1/2014.

Acting Black Part 1

Acting Black Part 2

Acting Black Part 3

Self Hatred: Good Hairitage  – Intra Racism 

The fourth installment of the Self Hatred topic focuses on issue of intra racism and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do hairstyles contribute to stereotypes about Black people even among Black people?

2. Is there any validity to the theory that slavery continues to contribute to our mentality today?

3. Are you color blind, color struck, or color stuck and why?

FRONT STREET

When We originally started Black Advancement Inc. We were often questioned why We decided to focus specifically on Black people and Black issues.  Granted, there are several reasons and explanation for this; however, one of the main pillars of Our reasoning was the issue of self hatred within the Black Community.  This issue goes deep into the hearts of Black folks and can impact Us in a variety of ways  including but not excluded to hairstyle, fashion, and even romantic relationship.  Our progress and struggle both hinge on Our ability to get out of Our own way.  The question remains, do are intra-racial issues 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 will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  10/26/2013.

Good Hairitage Part 1

Good Hairitage Part 2

Good Hairitage Part 3

Self Hatred: The Mask  – Is It Still Necessary and Is It Still Being Used

The fifth and final installment of the Self Hatred topic focuses on the mask and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Have you ever worn the mask and if so where and why?

2. Do we only where the mask when in the company of other races?

3. Will there ever come a day when the mask won’t be necessary?

FRONT STREET

We have all been there.  We have all had that feeling We don’t belong in the rarified air of Our colleagues at Our jobs and in some cases Our friends and family.  We have all had to wear the mask in order to make it through situations.  But when does the mask become self hatred?  When does wearing the mask become dishonest to yourself and what you are?  Are you ashamed of who you are or are you just cognizant of the situation?  These are questions that Black people consciously or unconsciously face everyday.  Does the use of the mask 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 11/15/2020 in our Roundtable which is also available on YouTube.

The Mask 

Self Hatred: The ‘N’ Word – A Term of Endearment or Enslavement

The first installment of the Self Hatred topic focuses on the usage of the word nigger in any form and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Should Black people use the word nigger in any form, and why or why not?

2. What does the word nigger mean to you?

3. How do you feel when Whites and other races use the word?

FRONT STREET

The most charged word in the English lexicon is nigger in all of its forms.  It stems from a place in American history that is linked to shame, pain, and misery.  Used as an insult to all people of African decent, this word is just as likely today to start a riot as it was in the Civil Rights Movement nearly 60 years ago.  However, through time and an ability to adapt the negative, Black people have turned the phrase into a “term of endearment,”  and something to be quasi proud of.  Use of the word in this manner has at times caused rifts between generations due to the negative connotation of the word to past generations.  Due to our inconsistency pertaining to the use of the word and who is allowed to use the word, the Black race comes off as confused and ignorant to their own history.  Does the use of the N word contribute to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These questions and more will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  4/5/2014.

The N Word Part 1

The N Word Part 2

The N Word Part 3

Self Hatred: Stereotypes – Rising Down

The second installment of the Self Hatred topic focuses on stereotypes of Black people and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Are Black people accurately stereotyped?

2. Which stereotype about Black people is least accurate to you and why?

3. Which stereotype is the most offensive towards Black people to you and why?

FRONT STREET

Every race suffers their own version of negative stereotypes, but none are quite as negative as those aimed towards Black people.  If you were to stop for a second and try to think of all the negative stereotypes attached to Black people, you would be surprised at how many you could come up with.  The issue becomes even more depressing when you are forced to look in the mirror to determine if you are complicit in perpetuating the negative stereotypes through your actions.  Are We just as guilty as the people who created the stereotypes or is it all in Our heads and the heads of others?  Do stereotypes contribute to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These questions and more will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  09/13/2013.

Stereotypes:

Stereotypes Part 1

Stereotypes Part 2

Stereotypes Part 3 

Black Politics: Black Leaders – Are They Necessary 

The fourth and final installment of the Black Politics topic focuses on the Black leadership and its impact on the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do Black people need a leader?

2. What should the Black leadership and Black Community focus on?

3. Do you consider the current Black leadership effective, why or why not?

FRONT STREET

We have arguably had some of the greatest leaders in the 20th century and benefited immensely from their leadership and sacrifice.  However, times have changed and the issues the Black Community faces are not as obvious and transparent.  Our biggest enemy is also our biggest ally…Us. Battles over macro issues tied to legalese like voting rights and housing discrimination are still being waged by groups like the NAACP,  however,  it seems that there are precious few Black leaders that focus on internal issues within Our community that are not tied to policies. An example of this is the notion that darker skin is considered a negative even within the Black Community. Is it possible that Our leaders are contributing to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more will be addressed during the discussion airing on YouTube at  3/03/ 2014.  This video was filmed December 15, 2012.

Black Leaders Part 1

Black Leaders Part 2

Black Leaders Part 3

Black Politics: 1st Black President – Obama Nation or an Abomination

The second installment of the Black Politics topic focuses on the first Black President and the effect his presences and policies have had on the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. What grade would you give Obama and Why?

2. Do you feel that he has been treated as fair as any other President?

3. Do you feel that President Obama is obligated to do more for Black People?

FRONT STREET

At approximately 11 PM EST on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was pronounced President of the United States of America.  It was a moment unlike any other in the nation’s history.  A Black man not only became the President, but he did it with a message of hope and change rather than reparations and justice.  Obama was not involved in the Civil Rights Movement and was even questioned about his “Blackness” in the beginning of his campaign.  Still he emerged as leader of the free world and was instantly catapulted into trivia and Black History Month stardom forever.  However, the past four years he has been criticized, disrespected, undermined, and has lost the undying support of some Blacks due to the economic recession.  At this point, he would be hard pressed to get young Black people to vote for him let alone go door to door to get others to vote for him.  Is President Obama contributing to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see discussed.  These questions and more will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  7/22/2012.  This video was filmed June 16, 2012.

1st Black President Part 1

1st Black President Part 2

1st Black President Part 3

Black Politics: Black Republicans – Misunderstood or Sellouts to the Cause

The third installment of the Black Politics topic focuses on our attitude towards Black Republicans and the Republican Party and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?

2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?

3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?

FRONT STREET

Herman Cain was amongst the leading candidates for the Republican Party nomination for President early on in the GOP race.  This wouldn’t seem so odd, considering that we now have a Black President, except for the fact that most people who are Republicans and Republican affiliated are “elderly White men.”  The principles of the party seem to unabashedly go against the wants and, in some cases, needs of the Black Community. Yet, a Black man was leading in the polls.  When asked about the Black vote, Cain replied that Black people were brainwashed into voting Democrat.  This, of course, ruffled some feathers in the Black Community but also sparked serious discussion concerning why Blacks really have ceased  to vote Republican anymore.  Is it possible that Black people actually think that the Republican Party contributes to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked.  These question and more will be addressed during the discussion airing on YouTube at  Black Republicans. 

Black Politics: Why Should I Vote – Blacks Disenfranchisement with the Political System 

The first installment of the Black Politics section focuses on our attitude towards the political system and how it effects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Should Black people feel obligated to vote?

2. Do you believe your vote really counts?

3. Do you feel that Blacks are less patriotic and if so why?

FRONT STREET

We’ve all heard the saying “your vote counts” but how many of us believe that?  Although We came out in record numbers for the last Presidential election, Our enthusiasm has been noticeably absent in the years since that November day in 2008.  Not only has participation lessened, but the feeling that the system currently in place can actually create change for Us has also diminished.  How many Black people have become so disenfranchised with the political system that they say to hell with it and refuse to participate? Right or wrong does this attitude contribute to the destruction of the Black Community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see discussed.  These questions and more will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  4/15/2012.  This video was filmed March 10, 2012.

Why Should I Vote Part 1

Why Should I Vote Part 2 

Why Should I Vote Part 3

Why Should I Vote Part 4