Sports Exploitation: Million Dollar Slaves

This is the third and final section within the topic of TV Imagery.  This discussion will focus on the trials, tribulations, and admiration of the Black athlete and how their treatment both positively and negatively impact the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Do you believe Black athletes are exploited, why or why not?

2. Do you believe Black athletes have to be role models, particularly outside of the field of play, why or why not?

3. Should We petition great Black high school athletes to go to Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU)?

FRONT STREET

The speed, power, agility, and stamina are the perfect traits one would look for in a hardworking slave…or athlete.  Often times, the difference between the two is as slight as the description used to define a good one.  I know, seems pretty dramatic.  But I ask you to consider how much money is made off the Black athlete.  How many jobs are dependent on the greatness of a Lebron James, or the skills of a Cam Newton.  How much colleges and universities benefit from the Zion Williamson, with no guarantee of a future in his sought after profession on the field or in the classroom and yet the school will sell his jersey for $25 a head.  Does the Black community, in general, believe one of the only ways out of the desperation of poverty is the biological lottery?  Yes, the sports business can be a dirty game, but does this exploitation of the Black athlete add 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 1/24/2021.

Sports Exploitation [unedited]

Trap Music: Drugs, Thugs, and Automobiles

Trap Music is the second section within the topic of TV Imagery. The focus of this discussion is centered on the perceptions, realities, and the impact of Hip-Hop culture in the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. What impact has Hip-Hop had on your life?

2. Is the current Hip-Hop culture toxic or has it always been toxic or is it the same as it ever was?

3. Does the Black community give Hip-Hop culture too much credit/blame for the current state of the Black community?

FRONT STREET

Hip-Hop has become the language of the world.  It has the ability to give voice to political freedom fighters, disenfranchised youth, and the kid just trying to express themselves.  As positive as it can be, Hip -Hop is often portrayed as music for thugs and a thuggish lifestyle.  This portrayal becomes even more problematic when you realize the genesis of this genre was created by poor Black children looking for a way to express themselves in a none destructive way.  So why does both the Fox News follower and some older generation Black people agree that this culture is destructive to the Black Community?  As tired and unfair as this argument seems on the surface, there is something to be said about the glorification of some of the ills talked about in the music.  For every Fight the Power and Fuck the Police there is a Ten Crack Commandments or G’s Up Hoes Down.  So how can We as a community rectify this dichotomy in something so pivotal to Our daily lives? Is Hip-Hop culture, specifically the music, some how 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 06/03/2020 in our Roundtable which is also available on YouTube.

Trap Music [unedited]

TV Imagery: The Hollywood Shuffle

TV Imagery:The Hollywood Shuffle is the first section within the topic of TV Imagery. This issue focuses on the stereotypical roles Black people tend to occupy in media such as news and entertainment such as TV and movies and how it impacts the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1.Do you believe the news, entertainment, and social media coverage of the Black community is overly critical in your eyes? Why or why not?

2. Does a black actor/actress choice in a role diminish/uplift them in your eyes yes or no and why?

3. Is the impact and influence of TV imagery over stated in terms of its effect on the Black community?

FRONT STREET

When we first created Black Advancement Inc. approximately six years ago, many of the groundbreaking and free spirited shows with Black leads and themes did not exist.  Think about that sentences, no less than six years ago there was no Atlanta, Insecure, Luke Cage, Blackish, or Get Out, Black Panther, or Girls Trip  etc.  Only recently have the executives of major studios believed in what We as a people already knew, We are an ingenious people with a wide breath and depth of experiences and stories that, while relatable to all, are uniquely Black.  Be that as it may, media overall continues to focus on all of the negative stereotypes applied to Black people as often as ever.  Turning tragic situations like the murder rate of a predominantly Black city into an indictment of Our humanity and using it to support the policies that helped create such situations in the first place….but I digress.  We are here to talk about the continued negative imagery We are subjected to in the hollywood shuffle and the news cycle and to see if this TV Imagery truly contributes 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 11/01/2020 in our Roundtable which is also available on YouTube.

TV Imagery: The Hollywood Shuffle

Black on Black Crime: Perceptions, Realities, and the Impact of Crime in the Black Community

Black on Black Crime is the fourth section within the topic of Justice or Just Us. The focus of this discussion is centered on the perceptions, realities, and the impact of Black on Black crime in the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Does the Black Community make too many excuses for the criminal element within the Black Community, why or why not?

2. Do you feel that Black on Black crime is a ploy to make Blacks seem more dangerous or a big problem within the Black Community?

3. What do you feel is the biggest reason for Black on Black crime and what do you believe can be done to stop it?

FRONT STREET

Every time there is an incident that garners the attention of the “Black leaders” and the nation, some news network trots out the token spokes person to speak on behalf of all of Us against a “conservative” that no matter the situation see the victim as the one to blame.  The argument continues with both sides hardening their positions and then the conservative panelist drops the ultimate trump card…  “Well, where is the outrage when Black people are killing Black people in these neighborhoods?”  We’ve all seen this play out over and over again and each time it becomes more and more frustrating, because not only do We get blamed for crime in general, but We also have to be perfect victims in order for people to believe that We deserve justice….but I will digress from that subject.  To be fair though, just because some talking head may have an agenda attached to their rhetoric doesn’t make what they have to say automatically false.  There are high rates of crime in Our community and lack of opportunity and in some cases a lack of outrage over the horrific conditions We have been subjected to generation after generation.  With that being the starting point, let’s discuss how much Black on Black crime is to blame for 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.

Do Not Pass Go: Prison and It’s Impact on the Black Community

Do Not Pass Go is the second topic in the  discussion on Justice or Just Us. The focus of this discussion is centered on the impact that prison has had on the Black Community and whether we can do anything to hinder it.

The 3 Questions

1. Does the Black Community benefit more than it suffers from the use of prisons in America as currently constituted, why or why not?

2. What do you feel is the biggest reason for such a disproportionate number of Blacks in Prison?

3. Is prison the new form of slavery?

FRONT STREET

Monopoly is my favorite board game ever because of the competitiveness and tactics necessary to survive and thrive in it.  The game teaches you how to invest, how to take a financial lose, and that sometimes the wrong roll of the dice can land you in prison.  All games aside, going directly to jail has been a reality in the Black and impoverished communities for decades.  There are a myriad of theories and thoughts about why the pipeline from Our neighborhoods to prison exist, but the problem isn’t the how it’s the why!  Why does it seem like 25% of Our male population is destined for trouble with the law?  That means if you have 4 sons and you are Black, one of them is going to go to prison!!  Are We really that bad?  Are the rules really that strict?  Are We ever given the benefit of doubt?  Is the idea of the laws heavy handedness with Us to blame for 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 March 18, 2017 during the discussion which is now airing on YouTube.

Do Not Pass Go Part 1

Do Not Pass Go Part 2

Do Not Pass Go Part 3

Justice or Just Us?: Black People’s Contentious Relationship With Law Enforcement

Justice or Just Us is the namesake and first segment within the topic of Justice or Just Us. The focus of this discussion is centered on Black’s contentious relationship with the criminal justice system as a whole and how that impacts in the Black Community.

The 3 Questions

1. Does the Black Community have a legitimate beef with the criminal justice system as a whole (law enforcement, courts, etc.) or are the feelings of mistreatment exaggerated and or a figment of Our collective psyche?

2. Do you feel a heavy police presence in impoverished or predominantly Black Communities is necessary or a ploy against poor and Black people, why or why not?

3. How would you characterize your personal interactions with the justice system and what do you feel is the biggest problem with it?

FRONT STREET

Jaywalking….that’s the crime that got an unarmed black teenager killed by the police in Ferguson, Missouri.  People can slice it however they want to justify what happened, but in its most basic form, a child was killed for not walking across the street within a crosswalk.  The outrage over this and other similar situations has brought to the forefront the injustices faced by Black and poor communities since the end of slavery.  The dirty and unwritten truths believed in these communities is the entire system wants to destroy, defile, and disrupt any progress our possibility of progress for Black people and people in these impoverished communities.  But this line of thinking, even if justifiable, only leads to more questions and more confusion.  Is there a conspiracy against Black people from law enforcement?  Is there really a vested interest in seeing the poor population remain in dire situations? If not, why are police so quick to over police Black people and impoverished neighborhoods?  This line of thought is the starting point to a new way of addressing an issue as old as America and question as tough to answer as any that We currently pose.  With that being said, let’s discuss if the attitude of just Us is 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 8/2/2014 during the discussion which is now airing on YouTube.

Justice or Just Us Part 1

Justice or Just Us Part 2

Justice or Just Us Part 3

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