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

Black Middle Class: The Hidden Struggle of the Cosby’s

The second portion of The Black Community topics focuses on the issues facing the more fortunate members of the Black Community and how they can be both positively and negatively interpreted.

The 3 Questions:

1. Is this discussion out dated?

2. Do Black people stereotype themselves?

3. Is there any validity to the middle class Blacks having it harder than lower class Blacks?

FRONT STREET

Although conventional wisdom would lead Americans to believe the richer the better, this isn’t necessarily true in the Black Community.  Believe it or not, there is a divide drawn along monetary lines. It is often times the catalyst to the misused insult “sellout.”  Blacks in the middle class,  however, float between two worlds:  the misconceptions of whites in their schools and neighborhoods and the misconception from Blacks that are not in their schools and neighborhoods.  This places the Black middle class in the limbo of trying to prove themselves on two different fronts that collide to create no win situations.  Damned if you underachieve because you represent your race, and damned if you succeed because you have seemingly abandoned your race.  Does the existence of the Black middle class somehow help to destroy 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  1/28/2014.  This video was filmed July 7, 2012.

Black Middle Class Part 1

Black Middle Class Part 2

Black Middle Class Part 3

The Black Church: Its Social, Spiritual, and Economic Impact

Our third topic of discussion focuses on the Black church and its affects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Is the Black church still the cornerstone of the Black Community?

2. Does the Black church have an impact on the morality of the Black Community?

3. Do you think the Black church is corrupt?

FRONT STREET

In many ways the Black Community owes its existence to the Black church and its leaders.  Always at the forefront of the march towards equality and citizenship in the United States, Black preachers were often the leaders of movements and the voice of reason when it came to what was considered right and fair in the eyes of all mankind.  However, with the passing of time, the once elevated position of being a Black preacher has been relegated to an afterthought for the more recent generation of Black youth.  The few that still have the attention of the Black Community have either been caught in scandal or spend time and resources struggling to stave off anything that may cause their reputations to become tarnished.  The Black Church has taken an even bigger hit, with less and less influence over its dwindling congregation, resulting in less of an impact on the entire Black Community.  Has the decline of the Black church helped 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 discussed.  These question and more will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  1/28/2014.  This video was filmed June 23, 2012.

The Black Church Part 1

The Black Church Part 2

The Black Church Part 3

Parenting: Raising The Next Generation

The fourth installment of the Black Community topics focuses on parenting and how it affects the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Are single parent homes the new normal in the Black Community?

2. Is it wrong to correct someone else’s child?

3. Do you feel that our morals have changed and if so for better or worse?

FRONT STREET

There are a lot of problems within the Black Community, all of which may stem from this one category.  Parenting is the most difficult and consuming endeavor that exists in the typical human experience.  There is no one way to raise a child, and like the African proverb states, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  However, nowadays it is less and less common to see that proverb in action.  Based on the increasing number of outside influences, children seem to be less interested in doing what their parent(s) say and more focused on doing whatever makes them feel good.  Additionally, they have become more selfish because We as adults have become more selfish with Our time and patience with Our children.  Without proper guidance, we may be leaving the future generation to make critical decisions before their time.  How much is parenting to blame for the destruction of our community?

Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see discussed.  These question and more will be addressed during the discussion found on YouTube beginning on  5/25/2023.  This video was filmed April 15, 2023.

Parenting (Revisited)

The Drug Epidemic: The Crippling of the Black Community

The first portion of the discussion on The Black Community focuses on the drug epidemic and its impact on the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Can a drug dealer be a positive role model?

2. How much is the drug epidemic to blame for problems in the Black Community?

3. Do you feel that some or all drugs should be legalized and if so which ones and why?

FRONT STREET

There have been movies, documentaries, books, articles, programs, and so much more dedicated to the topic of drugs and their impact on society as a whole.  More often than not, these mass media events focus their attention on Black America’s drug dealers and tough neighborhoods.  This subject encompasses so much more than how bad drugs are to just the individual, but how they can affect every aspect of life in certain communities.   How much is the drug epidemic to blame for the destruction of our 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 were addressed on March 19, 2011 during our Roundtable conversation aired on YouTube.

The Drug Epidemic