Spotlight: Two Organizations That Refuse To Give Up On Black Men

Originally posted on News One:

Too often during this election season, discussions of how Black males are faring economically have been lumped in with rants about “shared responsibility and sacrifice.” Yet new unemployment statistics out recently — alongside several decades of Black males disproportionately locked out of the mainstream economy or struggling at its lower to middle rungs — point to a different conclusion: American society has all but surrendered when it comes to the economic plight of Black men.

SEE ALSO: Critics: Zoe Saldana Is Not ‘Dark-Skinned Enough’ To Play Nina Simone

During the Great Recession, between 2007 and 2009, 8-million Americans lost their jobs. For African Americans, especially the poor and working class, the economic meltdown could be characterized as an inverse parody of their social fate turned on its head. Still struggling with the historical vestiges of unemployment, Blacks lead all ethnic groups with an unemployment rate of 14.1 percent, according to…

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‘Fifty Shades’ Watch: Erotic book trilogy sells for seven figures

Originally posted on Shelf Life:

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Just as Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James kicks off her US book tour, a new competitor has emerged on the erotica marketplace.

On Monday, Berkley Books announced that it has acquired a Fifty Shades-esque trilogy from Maya Banks in a seven-figure deal. The New York Times bestselling author is perhaps most famous for her Scottish Medievals, which include Never Love a Highlander, Seduction of a Highland Lass and In Bed with a Highlander, but in 2013, she will leave Scotland behind for a new BDSM trilogy.

“Maya Banks was at the forefront of the erotic romance trend and has been a star on Berkley’s list for several years,” Executive Editor Cindy Hwang said in a press release.

“Her new trilogy will thrill returning fans and is the perfect introduction for readers who fell in love with the intensely provocative…

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Murderess Ruby McCollum: “Shut up & Serve Time.”

Originally posted on Penny Dickerson:

There are few historical treasures unearthed by mankind that rival the intrigue conjured by the discovery of King Tut’s tomb or pure diamond’s excavated from Africa’s darkest mine.

While cultural anthropologists deserve any and all preservation credit due, my life has been perpetually changed by the recent discovery of the historical, dark, and unequivocally riveting tale of a 1952, southern Florida murder that left a wealthy black jewel named Ruby damned and defeated by a racially systemic environment that lacked judicial regard.

On Thursday evening, September 13, 2012, The Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum in Jacksonville, Florida hosted the first state viewings of Claudia Hunter Johnson’s documentary, “The Other Side of Silence: the untold story of Ruby McCollum.”

Fascinating. Intriguing. Curious. Unimaginable. Compelling. Masterful. Astounding. Tragic. Appalling. Entertaining. Controversial. Enthralling.

A non-competitive litany of adjectives are necessary to describe both the award-winning documentary and its picturesque content.

An eager…

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Get Your Writing Noticed: Pace – what keeps us reading!

Originally posted on Laurence O'Bryan - No 1 Best-Selling Conspiracy Thriller Author:

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My last post was on theme, and it is critical, but even if you have a great theme you have to keep people reading. To do that your writing needs to have pace.

So what is pace? Pace is movement. Pace is driving forward. Pace is action.

If you spend too much time on exposition, back story and detail then you are going to lose pace. Getting the balance right is the tricky part with pace. Consider your genre and your style as you use the following techniques for adding pace to your manuscript.

I once had the letters RUE above my laptop screen. They were put there to remind me to Resist the Urge to Explain. I used to explain who this person was in my stories, why that person did something and where the others were going later. Now I don’t. Explanations are boring. In…

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Everyday Life #3

Originally posted on notsofancynancy:

You can click on the picture to make it bigger

This picture is from my father’s WWII pictures. He wrote “Coffee Time” on the back. The men shown are Gerald Dennis, Myron Morris, Raymond Linden, Alexander Weil, and Reynold Hanson. This shows what everyday life was for the Soldiers in France. If you know any of the families of these men please contact me. Most of them are from Nebraska but some are not.

(Click here to see my Find a Grave Virtual Cemetery dedicated to the men of the 110th/35th Quartermaster Division)

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Booker T. Washington Delivered Controversial ‘Atlanta Compromise’ Speech Today In 1895

Originally posted on News One:

Celebrated African-American educator, author, speaker, and Republican presidential adviser Booker T. Washington (pictured) was known for his ability to communicate freely across the heavily divided racial lines in the Deep South — sometimes drawing the ire of fellow Black leaders in the North. Born in to slavery in 1856, Washington made education a top priority and eclipsed his humble beginnings. After graduating college and becoming a teacher, Washington would go on to become the first leader of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1881. Washington, however, would deliver a controversial speech on this day in 1895 that changed relationships between those in the North and the South.

SEE ALSO: Amistad Leader Joseph Cinque Tried For Mutiny Today In 1840

Dubbed the “Atlanta Compromise,” the speech was delivered to a largely White audience at the Cotton States and International Exposition. In the speech, Washington essentially conveyed a message that…

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