“Plenty of people dream, but they never do anything about making their dreams real. Their dreams are all about what life will be like when everything is good, but they never include the stuff in between the good and the bad. Other people work hard, but they work just to get by, to pay the bills and keep somebody off their back. Those people are only working for someone else. They never work for themselves because they don’t have a dream behind all their labor.” -Bertice Berry
Air Conditioning Inventor, Frederick McKinley Jones.
In 1884, Willie Johnson received a patent for his invention of an egg beater/mixing device. Born a slave, Willie Johnson is speculated to have invented the device to make the tasks of slaves who worked in the kitchen easier. His device contained a hand crank that rotated detachable prongs when turned. The device also had separate chambers that would permit a user to simultaneously whisk eggs in one chamber and mix batter in another. Mr. Johnson’s device was the blueprint for modern day mixers.
“I’m disappointed with America. I’m disappointed with governments. To govern people is a tremendous responsibility. It should be in the hands of those who are righteous, sane, and moral.” -Marvin Gaye
“I have found that by making four simple assumptions in our lives we can immediately begin leading a more balanced, integrated, powerful life: (1) For the body- Assume you’ve had a heart attack; now live accordingly. (2) For the mind- Assume that the half life of your profession is two years; now prepare accordingly. (3) For the heart- Assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; now speak accordingly. (4) For the spirit- Assume you have a one-on-one visit with your creator every quarter; now live accordingly.” -From, “The 8th Habit” By: Stephen Covey
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
“Get people from anywhere in the world and they’ll have a negative view of the Black man, because of what they’ve seen in the media, not what they know.” -Bill Cosby
Marion Barry was the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). At one time he was also the president of the NAACP. Marion Barry received a master’s degree in organic chemistry from Fisk University.
“Not being able to govern events, I govern myself, and apply myself to them, if they will not apply themselves to me.” -Michel de Montaigne
“It is daunting to go up against a big corporation. In some instances, it is even illegal. In Texas, where I live, the state legislature passed House Bill 722 into law in 1995. HB 722 states that anyone who speaks out against a perishable food product is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to several thousand dollars in fines. The law gives corporations permission to sue individuals who make statements against their products. This is a serious matter and a potentially dangerous one for individual consumers.
The bill sat on Governor George Bush’s desk for several weeks waiting to be signed into law. His office was inundated with phone calls from concerned consumers, health store owners, homeopathic doctors, nutritionists, wellness centers and the like, all protesting his signing this bill. Governor Bush didn’t do anything! He neither signed nor vetoed the bill. So the bill automatically became law. This is the law that the recent beef industry lawsuit against Oprah Winfrey was based on.” -“Sweet Poison: How the World’s Most Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us” By: Janet Starr Hull
