Black History Fact Of The Day

On October 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd became the first African-American to play in the NBA. He played only days before African-American NBA pioneers Chuck Cooper and Nathaniel Clifton, and within the same season as NBA pioneer, Hank DeZonie. Collectively, these four men we the first African-American basketball players to play in the NBA, during the 1950-1951 season.

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THROWBACK POST: Book Excerpt Of The Week- Part 2: “Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline In Black Children” By: Jawanza Kunjufu

“One place to see what America values, is in what their schools teach. If you want to be an engineer, doctor, accountant, etc., there are schools for that; but what if you want to be a father, mother, husband, or wife there are few, if any, schools. The importance of child rearing and marriage is left to guesswork, trial and error, and whatever you picked up from your parents. The values and priorities in America emphasize career and money, not family stability. Ironically, most employers admit the tremendous loss of employee productivity due to family problems.” -From, “Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline In Black Children” By: Jawanza Kunjufu

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THROWBACK POST: Book Excerpt Of The Week- Part 1: “Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline In Black Children” By: Jawanza Kunjufu

“As powerful as the TV media has become, they have, as yet been unable to force us to turn it on! If television is a problem, it’s because we have not monitored its use. Television actually is different from programming. The former is the equipment, and the later is the content. A major problem is the content, and specifically, who is in control. The advancement of cable, video recorders, and those rare shows produced by people sensitive to developing positive images to Black children provide some possibilities. It would be erroneous for me to flatly condemn television and be a frequent guest on TV talk shows.

The four major problems are: TV dulls the senses, causes physical damages, promotes commercialism, and causes information loss. The first problem is the dulling, and often deadening, of the senses. Television viewing does not require require all of your intellect, it does not encourage thinking skills, and many people use it to put themselves to sleep. Programmers discount intelligence so much, they even insert laughter to cue the viewer on when it’s time to laugh! I often hear children say, ‘I’m bored and there’s nothing to do.’ What they really mean is that there is nothing to watch, and they don’t know how to do anything. Boredom results when there is nothing on the inside…

Television viewing makes our children passive spectators. If you’re watching television you’re not reading, swimming, playing an instrument, sewing, drawing, skating or participating in any meaningful activity. A bored person is created by being frequently entertained. They have not developed any other proficiencies except watching television- which requires none.

The second problem is physical damage to the brain and/or the eyes. Many opthalmologists believe television, which requires only straight-ahead staring, weakens the eye muscles that control the left-to-right or right-to-left motion required in reading. Jerry Mander in ‘The Four Arguments For The Elimination’ explains that:

‘Television’s light is projected into our eyes from behind the screen by cathoderay guns which are literally aimed at us. These guns are powered by 25,000 volts in color television, and about 15,000 volts in the black-and-white sets. Artificial light from any source, whether incandescent or fluorescent, leaves out many segments of the spectral range contained in natural light, and it delivers an entire different mix of spectral ingredients. The effect on the body, called malillumination, causes disorders ranging from lack of vitality to lowered resistance to disease and hyperactivity. The Emoy report shows brain waves slow down the longer television is viewed.’

The third problem is commercialism. Our children see 50,000 commercials a year. They see it, they want it; they want their world to look like the world on television. Television is the media that sells products not values. How do you advertise honesty, integrity, morality, and commitment? Television is a visual media that works best with visual images and products. It does a better job highlighting the features of a Datsun 280Z and designer jeans that the values of sacrifices, denials, and causes. The sponsor only provides the show as a lead into their product. Do you think GM, Ford, Chrysler, Sears, United and Budweiser would pay upwards of $300,000 for a thirty-second commercial in the hope that you will enjoy the superbowl game? The advent of mass production created mass media and mass consumption. What advertisements must do is give the illusion to the consumer that their product is a need. When women feel they need a pair of shoes, with ten pairs in the closet; and when men say they need a Cadillac instead of a less expensive car, it proves that sponsors have done their job quite well.” -From, “Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline In Black Children” By: Jawanza Kunjufu

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TODAY IS BUY BLACK FRIDAY

PLEASE PASS THIS ON! (EACH ONE TEACH ONE OR TWO!) THIS IS PHASE ONE ON HOW WE CAN HELP TO STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITY:
The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.

The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.

As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.

The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.

The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”

BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:

Option #1: Spend $0 on Friday
Option #2: Spend no more than $10 on Friday
Option #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].

To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.

ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.

I thank you in advance for your effort and dedication.

-Elsie Law AKA Starface

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