This is a great lecture by Dr. Joy DeGruy. I only wish the video would show the visuals of her power point presentation. However it was a informative and interesting presentation nonetheless.
In this presentation, Dr. DeGruy discusses: cognitive dissonance, lynching, Hurricane Katrina, how having a Black president in America hasn’t transferred power to Black people, post-traumatic slave syndrome, and various other topics.
“Those who are quite satisfied sit still and do nothing. Those who are not quite satisfied are the sole benefactors of the world.” -Savage Landor
“Money is mis-spent to relieve pain.” -Amos Wilson
“The spending for getting over an inferiority complex involves spending the money with the person who gave it to you in the first place.” -Amos Wilson
“The essence of controlling people is to provoke a desire in them, and then, of course, have the control of the satisfaction of that desire…That’s the foundation of the capitalist system, and economic system.”
[SIDEBAR: The book that Dr. Wilson mentioned, “The Destruction O Black Civilization,” is a must read.]
Maggie L. Walker was the first African-American woman to found a bank, and to become president of a bank. In 1903, she established the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Virginia.
“Well done is better than well said.” -Benjamin Franklin
I hope everyone had a great week last week. I’m back from vacation!
Have a love-filled and productive day! 🙂
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
“For Africa to me…is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.” -Maya Angelou
Over the years Americans intake of sugar has surged, greatly contributing to soaring rates of diabetes and obesity. Some sources have stated that on average, modern day Americans, consume about a pound and a half of sugar almost every couple of days. Comparatively, in the 1800s, the average American ingested less than 12 pounds of sugar on an annual basis. We are now being warned that most of us need to be more vigilant about our sugar levels.
An article once posted by the New York Daily News states that Brooklyn residents are increasingly dying from diabetes. The article states that: “Diabetes deaths in Brooklyn have shot up 42% over the past 15 years…The hardest-hit neighborhood was southern Crown Heights, where the number of deaths increased by a whopping 141% from 1992 to 2006…The citywide increase in diabetes deaths for [that] period is 62%. In southern Crown Heights, 51.5 of every 100,000 residents die of diabetes. That number is 54.6 per 100,000 in Brownsville and 48.1 in Bed-Stuy.”
In addition to diabetes, high-sugar intact also leads to mental deficiencies such as: a lack of concentration, and moodiness. More seriously, scientists are also looking into whether or not high-sugar levels contribute to the onslaught of Alzheimer’s disease- which is an intense state of dementia.
Let’s resolve to be more healthy. Also be sure to drink lots of water.
Mark Dean was inducted into the Inventors Hall Of Fame in 1997. He lead the team of scientists who created a device that enabled computers to quickly communicate with each others; thus, allowing personal computers to move fast and efficient for the first time. Mark Dean also led the design team that created the first one-gigahertz computer processor chip.
