“Lost time is never found again.” -Thelonious Monk
Black History Fact Of The Day: Robert Smalls
Written By: Elsie Law
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May•
13•15
On this date, May 13, in 1862, Robert Smalls freed himself and other families from slavery. He accomplished this feat by commandeering the CSS Planter, a Confederate ship, and sailing it beyond a Federal blockade to freedom.
According to Wikipedia: “After the American Civil War, [Robert Smalls] became a politician, elected to the South Carolina State legislature and the United States House of Representatives. As a politician, Smalls authored state legislation providing for South Carolina to have the first free and compulsory public school system in the United States, and founded the Republican Party of South Carolina. He is notable as the last Republican to represent South Carolina’s 5th congressional district until 2010.”
Quote Of The Day
Written By: Elsie Law
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May•
13•15
“If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.” -Jack Dixon
Black History Fact Of The Day: Claudette Colvin
Written By: Elsie Law
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May•
11•15
On March 2, 1955, at the age of 15, Claudette Colvin became the first person to be arrested for standing up against bus segregation in Montgomery. She was dragged off of a Montgomery bus for defying the segregation laws and booked in an adult jail.
Quote Of The Day
Written By: Elsie Law
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May•
11•15
“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” -Stevie Wonder
TODAY IS BUY BLACK FRIDAY
Written By: Elsie Law
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May•
08•15
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
Quote Of The Day
Written By: Elsie Law
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May•
08•15
“Many people are tricked into believing that an education refers solely to attending the system’s schools, but to educate means to prepare and inform people about controlling their community.” -Chuck D
Black History Fact Of The Day: The Home Security System
Written By: Elsie Law
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May•
07•15
Marie Van Brittan Brown received a patent for a home alarm system in 1969. Her device contained four peepholes and a camera. The camera slides up and down to look through each peephole and displays the images on a monitor. In addition to this, Brown’s invention could unlatch a door via remote control.
