New AfroSpear Member: The Essentials of Cool

This blog has been a member of The AfroSpear for a couple of years now. There are truly some remarkable bloggers of African descent in The AfroSpear. You can see the full blogroll at the bottom of the left-hand sidebar.

The AfroSpear added a new member recently. Barry Belt is the owner of 'The Essentials Of Cool'. He began the blog in April 2008.

When asked about the purpose of the AfroSpear he wrote, "I see the AfroSpear as a source to receive news on various topics from an informed Black perspective. Basically, I see the AfroSpear as picking up the ball that the mainstream media has dropped. We can't hold our breath for BET to."

Shawn, better known in cyberspace as the Bohemian Hippie Chick, shared her insights on The Essentials of Cool. She has been following Barry's current blog since its inception in 2008 and noted that the blog regularly posts on issues in the Black community such as technology, music, entertainment and politics. She was very complimentary on three specific blog posts:

1. Where Are The Black Tech Bloggers
2. Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story
3. Race & The Last Airbender

Barry and his blog, 'The Essentials of Cool', are a great addition to The AfroSpear. I hope that you will take a moment to share your Village Voice' (or COMMENT) to welcome the young brother to the crew!

New AfroSpear Member: SoultrainC

The AfroSpear is going international. Our newest member is Etta Jones. She is the owner of a number of German-language blogs, including 'SoultrainC'. SoultrainC created her blog in August 2009.

In her application for membership Etta wrote that AfroSpear exists to "...connect the community of Black heritage and to strengthen und support each other. To win the ability to work as singles and all together for the utmost acceptance and appreciation of Black people, wherever they live and wherever we are at. For me that comes together with respecting every man and woman and their beliefs - as well as their nature."

When asked how she can support the AfroSpear, Etta wrote that she "...hopes to be able to learn a lot from the community, get close to new ideas and goals and pass it on to my Black readers (and even more to the rest)!"

The AfroSpear requires all blogger-applicants to have an existing member to serve as an advocate and nominator for admission. Black Weblog Award Hall of Famer Field Negro served as the Nominating Member for 'SoultrainC'. He wrote:

"Etta and her team seem like good people, although I am not sure how long they have been blogging. This is a jazz aficionado in Germany and they send me info on the Black and Jazz music scene in that country. If they meet all the other criterias I would surely recommend them."

I encourage all villagers to use the COMMENTS ('Village Voice') link below to share some love with Etta Jones as she begins her adventures with the AfroSpear!

Pam Spaulding is an Ultimate Game Changer in Politics

HuffPost's Game Changers celebrates 100 innovators, visionaries, and leaders in 10 categories who are harnessing the power of new media to reshape their fields and change the world. Huffington Post is the top-ranked blog in the world. As such, it is truly an honor to be selected by them for these categories.

Our village is very happy to announce that one of our AfroSpear kinfolk, Pam Spaulding (Pam's House Blend) has been selected as one of the 10 people who are changing the game in Politics.



Villagers are encouraged to take a moment to cast an online vote for Pam as the Ultimate Politics Game Changer. HuffPost will reveal the Ultimate 10 in November.

New AfroSpear Member: Whose Shoes Are These Anyway?

Please join me in welcoming Nordette Adams (aka Verite Parlant) as the newest member of The AfroSpear. Verite created her blog, Whose Shoes Are These Anyway?, in May 2008. When asked what the AfroSpear is all about, she wrote,

"The goal of The AfroSpear is to examine the changing world of people of African descent in relation to themselves and the larger world, to evaluate and propose potential solutions to real social problems, and to further intelligent discussion of our culture, achievements, and challenges."

Verite feels that she can support the AfroSpear by "offering my voice as a writer to the group, ready to participate as often as possible in promoting the important causes it chooses to address as well as to encourage a healthy community of black bloggers."

The AfroSpear implemented a new policy calling for a current Member to nominate any new applicant. Deborah Latham (My Brown-Eyed View) was the nominating Member for our new blogging Kinfolk.

Lady D wrote, "I have been reading WSATA for about four months. I discovered her after she visited MBEV and commented on several of my posts. I found her blog to be an interesting mix of ideas.I also read her other blog The Urban Mother's Book of Prayers, which is a powerful and passionate commentary on the situations that face families. Her poetry on this site is outstanding. We also share sistahood on BlogHer. She writes from the heart and with an honesty that I appreciate as a mature woman of color. She tackles different subjects with her eyes wide open and her mind working on point! I believe that Verite Parlant should be considered for membership because she has championed the causes that Afrospear has forwarded. She approached me about a month ago about joining AfroSpear because she liked the work that we are doing. I believe that she will be on point and an active participant in AfroSpear actions.

I invite all villagers to use the COMMENTS/VILLAGE VOICE section below to welcome our newest AfroSpear member!

Black Bloggers Urge Congressional Hearings on Taser Torture

The AfroSpear, a 2-year old coalition of Black bloggers recently conducted a Day of Blogging for Justice: Standing Up Against Pre-Trial Electrocution event.

The Afrospear encouraged supporters to sign online petition calling on Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to speak out and organize public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring against Black, Latino, Native American and others in America.

Group member Eddie Griffin (Eddie Griffin-BASG), said, "While there continues to be considerable media and congressional attention to torture in Guantanamo, there is comparatively little attention to the mounting evidence of human rights violations in the streets of America by a number of police departments across America, including torture and killings of Black children, women and men through-out the United States through the use and abuse of Tasers."

LN Rock (African American Political Pundit and Tasered While Black), a 2008 DNC Convention Blogger, said, "We want Congress to stand up with us against the police pre-trial electrocution of Black children, women and men - by taser. He went on to say, "We believe that few Americans support spending our tax dollars on torture, which violates our moral, religious and legal traditions. Most Americans expect an American policing policy that ensures the rights of all individuals regardless of race, greed, color, national origin, sex, disability or political or religious affiliation."

Wayne Hicks (Electronic Village) said, "We believe most Americans would favor Congressional hearings as to whether our own law enforcement officials, policing policies and actions violate human rights laws. Evidence of widespread police abuse of tasers is more than enough to warrant our concern and justify a congressional inquiry." He went on to say, "We propose that Congress undertake serious oversight into the extent to which our taxes are funding human rights violations through taser torure. Perhaps Congress can provide an alternative roadmap to the restoration of our democratic values while putting a stop to police pre-trial electrocution of Black children, women and men."

The bloggers are asking for:

1. The U.S. Attorney General and the Justice Department to aggressively fulfill its most basic mandate of enforcing the law. Torture by tasing is a crime, and the Justice Department is the right place to initiate an independent top-to-bottom investigation of the torturing of Black children men, women and children by local police jurisdictions throughout the United States. It's important that the general public understand the 'use of force continuum' used by law enforcement officials, and how it is abused by many in the law enforcement community. Although there is a Justice Department Review of TASER-related Deaths the on-the-spot pre-trial electrocutions continue.
   
2. Congress should investigate whether US police tasing policies violate Federal or international civil and human right laws, including the U.N. Convention against Torture, and international covenants against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens even in cases of so-called "state emergencies".
   
3. Congress should require the effective regulation of Taser use and require police/citizen review panels by Federal, state and local police and security agencies, including strict adherence to international human rights standards, or act to defund all such Federal, State and local police and security agencies who violate taser use regulations that would be established by Congress. No Federal stimulus dollars should be used to purchase tasers.

The bloggers point out UN's Committee Against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture. Amnesty International has a longstanding concern about the use of tasers on American citizens.

There is much angst in the mainstream media about the Bush torture memos and torture in the United States ... perhaps it is time for u to look at taser torture of Black people right here in our nation.

Here is a sampling of what Black bloggers are saying about the tasing of so many Blacks in the United States:

1. LN Rock - African American Political Pundit Report


2. LN Rock- African American Political Pundit Blog


3. Asabagna - Afrospear Think Tank


4. Antoinette - Antoinette's Point of View


5. Zhana - Ancestral Energies


6. The U - Anyway I Have To


7. April Davis - Around Harlem


8. Assata Shukur - Assata Shukur Forum


9. Yobachi Boswell - Black Perspective.net


10. Scotty - Black Talk Radio


11. Carmen Dixon - Black Voices


12. LN Rock - Chicago Cop Watch


13. Kathy - Daily Kos: Do White People Care About Tasing?


14. Shawn Williams - Dallas South Blog


15. Eddie Griffin - Eddie Griffin, BASG


16. LN Rock - Electrocuted While Black


17. Wayne Hicks - Electronic Village


18. Mr. E-D - Excited-Delirium


19. Francis Holland - Francis L. Holland Blog


20. Deborah Maiden - From my Brown Eyed View


21. Various - Independent Bloggers Alliance


22. Rev. Sequoyah Kofi bin-Tomas - Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo


23. Cherie S. - Lessons in Transition


24. Nate - Nateo Blog


25. Vanessa Byers - On The Black Hand Side


26. The Kid - Pirate Satellite


27. Plez Joyner - PlezWorld


28. Wayne Hicks - Proud Black Blogger


29. Sojourner - Sojourners Place


30. LN Rock - Post Racial Blog


31. Rover - Rover's Morning Glory


32. Super Spade - The SuperSpade


33. RiPPa - The Intersection between Madness and Reality


34. Lola - Whatever Lola Wants


35. Purple Zoe - UltraVioletUnderground

The AfroSpear petition to request Congressional hearings on the taser torture of Americans will also let you send personalized message to your congessional represenatives.

Share this post with others so that they are aware of our efforts. What other steps would you suggest?

New AfroSpear Member: Derrick's Window

Derrick Anthony is the newest blogger-applicant approved for membership into the AfroSpear. His blog, Derrick's Window (BBR #1166), went live in August 2008. He sought out the AfroSpear because of its focus on "...the continuing education and sharing of views of people black and otherwise...oh and world peace! :)".

When asked what his blog will add to the AfroSpear flavor, he wrote, "Can there ever be another voice as they are all unique? I got questions and opinions and life experience that Im bringing to the table."

The AfroSpear requires that a current Member must nominate any new blogger-applicant. Deborah (My Brown Eyed View) is the nominating member for Derrick Anthony. She writes:

"I have read Derrick's Window off and on for the past few months. I first learned about his blog through our mutual membership at Urban Blogger. I read his information and visited the site. I have read his posts from time to time. I also know his work from being a member of We OpEd. I think that Afrospear needs as many diverse voices as we can get. Derrick not only is open about being a Gay Black Male, he writes about issues that are of importance to us as black people. He also shares his perspectives of culture from his viewpoint. I believe that as we continue to grow as a group there is room for all different types of voices in our struggle."

I look forward to reading the insights from this young brother over the coming weeks and months!

2nd Anniversary of The AfroSpear

Today is the 2nd anniversary of The AfroSpear. Would you care to share your best memories of the AfroSpear over these first two years?

Village Interview: Jose Vilson (The Jose Vilson)

We decided to take a moment to sit quietly under the village's baobob tree to learn more about some of the powerful bloggers of African descent out in the afrosphere.

Our guest today is Jose Vilson. Jose was born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York, and his style represents that amalgamation of raw introspection and smooth delivery. While he's been writing poetry on and off since the age of 6, he says his style was born when he first met Sonia Sanchez. Upon hearing that he wrote poetry, she told him to forget the poems of old and write new words. Ever since, his style changed to something more natural, strong, and exciting.

His blog is The Jose Vilson (BBR #125). I met Jose through our membership in the AfroSpear. He has been a calming influence through some of the volcanic eruptions in our group. Here is what he had to say...

Q1. What were you like when you were younger?

I was one of the geeks. Definitely. I was insecure, imaginative, and intelligent. It was an interesting mix, really.

Q2. Name a famous historical figure, living or deceased, you would like to meet and tell us why.

Living, Muhammad Ali. For a good year and change, I did so much intense research on that man. He lived life with such passion and fervor, and had an insatiable drive. Dead, Arturo Schomberg. I'd probably ask him some of the questions you're asking me now.

Q3. Name a person in your community who is relatively unknown to the rest of the world, who you believe is significant in some way, and that you would like the rest of the world to know more about.

I'd say Fr. Jack Podsiadlo. Fr. Jack Podsiadlo is a Jesuit priest whose life's work consists of helping underprivileged Black and Latino youth become great men. Personally, I can say he was a father figure for me at a time when I needed that uplift as a youth. He also served as president of the Nativity Network, a collection of schools based on Nativity Mission Center, a small Catholic middle school on the Lower East Side. He didn't found the center, but his efforts to spread the message about that model have translated into hundreds and thousands of young men and women getting the opportunity of a lifetime.

Q4. What are two items in your 'bucket list' ... things you want to do or accomplish before you kick the bucket?

I'd like to travel across the world, and I'd like to write a really good book. Simple, yes, but not easy.

Q5. Describe your first experience on the Internet?

I want to say my first experience on the Internet was through my public school. We were writing an e-mail on the computer. As a matter of fact, I think it was on a Mac. I remember getting weirded out by this scraping and beeping noise in the background when my teacher told me, "Oh that's just the sound of a connection being made." Ah, the bad old days.

Q6. Tell us about your current blogging career and how you got into it.

I started out in Xanga in 2003 under ComoSeLlama. I first used it as a journal of sorts, jotting down parts of my life that I found interesting. As I started to build an audience, I started ranting on whatever happened for that day. I found myself particularly vested in blogging when I was unemployed and searching for another venue to entertain myself. But as I got a little older (and got a job), I too had to grow, and so I bought up my own domain and started blogging under my own name from 2007.

Q7. Who are the two bloggers you read the most and why? Include their links and tell us why we should subscribe to their feeds.

-checks my Google Reader- I can without a doubt say my two most read blogs are NYC Educator and Electronic Village. NYC Educator has always been my blogging hero, and with his trusty sidekick, Reality-Based Educator, they give you the realest coverage of education topics and financial / politics news you'll read on the web now. Electronic Village has a way of posting the news without sounding too much like they're preaching at me. It's informative, but not over-bearing. That's important.

Q8. Where are you taking your blog over the next 2-3 years?

I'm taking it wherever life takes me. I'm working on a few projects, one of which we'll see the release of in 2010, a book on the future of teaching. Another book, one I'm working on by myself, is hopefully coming out 2011. The blog itself will probably chronicle my life as it changes not just as an educator, but also as a writer. I've always been the writer who tries to fill in the gaps, and that seems to work well for my readers.

Q9. What is your 'killer post' over the past year ... the post you are most proud of?

Oh wow. My proudest post over the last year (counts 365 days back) has to be my post "Howl If You Hear Me," my uber-dedication to Allen Ginsberg in which I asked various bloggers to contribute one line to the first stanza of my remake of his poem. I'm sure to some I made that post look easy, but I probably worked on it all day. Obviously it was also successful in its own right, but it also elucidates the power of collaboration amongst creative individuals.

Q10. What is your 'biggest noise post' over the past year ... the one that you took the most heat over from your readers?

I can never get enough of this "controversial post" business. I have a few of them actually, but if I had to pick just one, I'd pick the "My Ballot or My Bullet" post. In it, I played Devil's Advocate in response to the fandom for Barack Obama. I understood the excitement that Barack generated, but when I looked at the lessons of Malcolm X (who always stirs up some controversy even posthumously), I wondered how much people really thought about what he was saying in response to elected officials. Some people wouldn't even speak to me for a good couple of months. Then again, I generate one of those "I can't even talk to you right now" posts at least once a month.

You can reach Jose on Facebook, LinkedIn Network or Twitter. I hope that you enjoyed this Q&A session with Jose. Share any of your thoughts or remembrances of Jose or his blog if you have time or incination!

New AfroSpear Member: The Loop

We are proud to introduce you to the newest member of the AfroSpear ... Crystal Smith. Crystal is a member of a blogging team that created The Loop (BBR #1020) on August 25, 2008.

Crystal wrote, "The Loop is a daily news analysis site written from a Black or minority perspective. We cover economics, politics, social and cultural issues and race.

We also have a citizen journalism component called Speak Out in which people can post their opinions and comments about the issues and news in our world today.

We think the goal of The AfroSpear is to engage people around topics that are important to us all - Black progress, race, politics and our history. The group would serve as a platform as well as an information source for news. The Loop would contribute by engaging in conversation and updating everyone on the issues we are writing and talking about. We have special reports in which we write a series of content on a particular issue impacting the Black community. We are all about Black opinion and conversation."

I encourage villagers to take a moment to truly explore The Loop. It has more content than most blogs you will find in the afrosphere. I look forward to future collaboration with Crystal and her partners over at The Loop.

Welcome to the AfroSpear young sista!

New AfroSpear Member: Noir Woman News

Villagers, I am very excited to introduce you to Dee Daniels. She is a new member of the AfroSpear who comes to us with a remarkable multi-media empire! The mission of her media empire is to inform, inspire and to celebrate the achievements of African American women.

Her first blog post was in April 2008 when she was experimenting on a Blogspot platform. However, she left that blog to begin anew in September 2008 on Wordpress platform with Noirwomannews's Weblog.

In addition to her blog, Sis. Daniels is active on the web, Facebook, Twitter and who knows where else!

Dee indicated that she wanted to join the AfroSpear in order "to increase awareness of Black issues and to maintain an active presence in providing information on issues that concern this group online."

I imagine that Dee Daniels is most proud of her magazine, Noir Woman News, a professional African American Woman's publication distributed monthly in the Chicago SunTimes. The magazine gives practical everyday tools and techniques to keep us informed of everything under the sun, that relates to health, family and career.

I encourage all villagers to use the COMMENTS option below to share welcoming remarks with Dee Daniels and visit her blog as well!

New AfroSpear Member: The Vanel Journal

Villagers, I would like to introduce you to a new member of The AfroSpear ... Theard Vanel. Bro. Vanel began his blogging career on 3/3/2008.

Thearl shared the following with us: "I attended Netroots and the Blogging While Brown conference and I think it is important that bloggers of color maintain a voice in the blogosphere. We need to support each other while realizing that our experience and issues of concern are not monolithic but connected by a common thread."

The Vanel Journal (BBR #1030) provides intriguing commentary on modern politics. He has a unique and independant voice that should be heard. I hope you will take a moment to visit his blog and welcome him to The AfroSpear!

New AfroSpear Member: A Word For My Sista's

Villagers, please join me in welcoming a strong nubian woman to the ranks of The AfroSpear! Onetta Bellamy is the creator of blog named, A Word For My Sistas.

Onetta understands that "The purpose of the AfroSpear is to get a voice to inform, inspire, and uplift." She feels that she can support our purpose because her blog "was designed to inform, inspire, and uplift women of color."

Her blog is currently ranked #1222 on the Black Blog Rankings. I anticipate that it will continue to rise in the rankings as more of us are made aware of her voice. Join her this week as she discusses the importance of Michelle Obama to the image of Black woman nationwide.

Evolution of the AfroSpear

The AfroSpear continues to evolve from its origin a few short months ago when FreeSlave and others ruminated on 'What to do in the Afrosphere'.

There is a blogosphere out there with a kazillion bloggers. The blogosphere is not very diverse according to the Washington Post. Some white bloggers and some Black bloggers. The Black bloggers make up something that is commonly referred to as the "Blackosphere".

Within the "Blackosphere" are many Black bloggers posting information on any number of subjects. Those concerned African Diaspora bloggers who discuss problems that affect people of African descent, create solutions and action plans to solve those problems, and enact the plans using Internet resources evolved into a more intimate group known as the "Afrosphere". This group is organizing with itself as an Afrosphere Bloggers Association.

And deep within the soul of the "Afrosphere" is the vanguard of bloggers of African descent known as "The AfroSpear". The AfroSpear works to carve a path for our people into this 21st century. In effect, the AfroSpear is the realization of an online think tank for Black progressives to discuss, muse, and ruminate issues that affect our communities. The AfroSpear is not a monolithic entity ... but rather a virtual force that encourages lively debate, discourse, and an occasional disagreement as we hone a thought or platform on a particular issue.

Francis Holland created a diagram that shows this evolution in a more visual manner.

The roster of AfroSpear bloggers is powerful in terms of quality and growing daily. It is a group of brothers and sisters achieving positive and actionable results on a wide range of issues. As PlezWorld noted,

'...the real power and effectiveness of such an AfroSpear will be borne out of its ability to affect change in our way of life and in a broader sense, that of America. Let's see if our collective foray into the great abyss of the blogosphere will be a call to those who need our votes or to those who seek our approval.'

I am proud to be a member of the blogosphere, Blackosphere, Afrosphere and AfroSpear! I encourage you to check out the AfroSpear Blogroll over on the left-hand side of my blog. Visit some of these brothers and sisters and support their efforts to 'make a difference' for our peeps. If you are a Black blogger of African descent ... then I invite you to be part of Villager's Black Blog Rankings.

In any case, I'm interested in your thoughts about the evolution of The AfroSpear. Well villagers ... what say u?

New AfroSpear Member: The Intersection of Madness and Reality

Patrick 'RiPPa' Phillips created his blog, Intersection of Madness and Reality (BBR #552), back in April 2008. You could easily determine that this brother was bringing it strong when you saw that the title of his very first blog post was 'What If Hillary Was Black?'.

As such, it should come as no surprise to villagers that The AfroSpear recently welcome RiPPa as a new member. I look forward to the continuing evolution of this Memphis-based blog over the coming weeks and months.

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Patrick shared his thoughts about the AfroSpear:

"I believe the goal of AfroSpear is to be an online representation of Black bloggers ... especially since Black bloggers have been recently under-represented at the Democratic National Conference. I think ultimately one of the goals of this group is to build a significant representation of progressive black bloggers."

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Have any of you visited this blog in the past? If so, please take a moment to share your village voice with RiPPa and his blog reaaders that might find their way to this post.

Also, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about The AfroSpear in our COMMENTS option below.

New AfroSpear Member: Notes of This Native Son

Cedric Shine created his progressive Black-owned & operated blog, Notes of This Native Son (BBR #591) in March 2008. Less than a month later he sought membership into The AfroSpear. However, AfroSpear guidelines call for a blog to exist for at least six months before we can consider it for membership.

Bro. Shine kept moving forward with his blog ... the six months passed ... and we're proud to welcome him as one of the newest members of The AfroSpear

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Cedric wrote, "I think the purpose of the Afrospear is to network bloggers of color together to support a collective dialogue on issues that affect people of color. I also see it as way to cultivate leadership and ideas through online conversations about the state of our people. I feel that I will do that by not only contributing to my blog but being the voice that I have been on other blogs within the AfroSpear. I will continue to encourage our people to think objectively about our impact on society.

I blog every day and post several posts a day dealing with spirituality, music, politics and literary pieces that speak to the struggle and victories of people of color. I look forward to being a part of the AfroSpear."

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Please take a moment to share your village voice with Cedric Shine. What are your thoughts about his blog ... or about the AfroSpear?

New AfroSpear Member: Black Women, Blow The Trumpet

The AfroSpear is finding more and more voices from powerful women of color. Recently, Lisa Vasquez, owner of the 'Black Women, Blow the Trumpet' blog (BBR #107) joined the AfroSpear. Lisa's vision is to create more than a blog ... she wants an online think tank that serves as a cyber-roundtable where Black women identify, organize and strategize solutions for societal issues that impact the empowerment of Black women.

Lisa began blogging in March 2008. When seeking admission to the AfroSpear, Lisa wrote, "I think the purpose of AfroSpear is to support and encourage the literary work of bloggers of the African disapora. I would contribute to the purpose by making valued contributions to fostering community and supporting the literary work of my brothers and sisters."

It is difficult to describe the wealth of information, role models, spiritual praise and other dialogue that uplifts the souls of Black women to be found on this blog. Frankly, I'm honored that this sister applied for membership into the AfroSpear.

Share your thoughts on this new AfroSpear blogger. Have you checked out her blog yet?

New AfroSpear Member: Womanist Musings

I was pleased to see that one of the most powerful Black female bloggers, Renee Martin, added her top-ranked blog, Womanist Musings (BBR #16) recently joined the AfroSpear. Sis. Martin began her blogging career in April 2008 with the issuance of her 'Womanist Manifesto'.

This blog is dedicated to critiquing current events and pop culture from a womanist perspective. Its sole purpose is to give voice to those that have historically been marginalized and silenced.

When asked why she wants to join the AfroSpear, Renee wrote, "I think the purpose and the goal of AfroSpear is to help build a Black community online. Even though we speak with different voices, it is important to hear a Black perspective on daily life. The AfroSpear brings attention to Black issues and the work of Black bloggers.

Though my blog is new I am dedicated to raising awareness. I post almost daily. My blog is entitled womanist-musings because I focus on issues that are important to Black women. I also offer a womanist analysis of current events. I think that my blog is important because Black women are often disregarded by mainstream news."

I encourage all villagers to share their thoughts on this new AfroSpear member ... and visit her blog as well!

New AfroSpear Member: daddyBstrong

We are pleased to let you know that Mac 'MacDaddy' Walton is a new member of The AfroSpear. His blog, daddyBstrong (BBR #1402), came online in April 2008. MacDaddy said, "I think I would contribute by bringing to the Black blogosphere a clear Black perspective and progressive viewpoint with respect politics and what we call race."

Walton continued, "I've been blogging, not only on current issues, but also issues that connect us to our history. I want to be a part of the AfroSpear because I don't just want to write on my own. I want to be a part of a network or alliance that welcomes my work ... I don't want to be a person who goes to other bloggers to argue or complain. I want to be supportive ... or just to say a few words just to let them know I'm reading them and they're not alone."

I encourage folks to check out daddyBstrong and welcome him to the AfroSpear!

New AfroSpear Member: The Liberator Magazine

I'm proud to let villagers know that a new member has been added to The AfroSpear. The Liberator Magazine recently earned membership in The AfroSpear.

The Liberator's mission is to help preserve humanity by creating and supporting excellent spaces of dialogue that provide fresh and forceful analysis and critique of art, culture, education, and politics. And they have a vision for how to do it. The Liberator effortlessly transcends boundaries because serious discussion is the precursor to serious action.

Brian Kasoro is the editor of 'The Liberator Magazine' (BBR #392). His blog started in March 2006. He feels that his blog will support The AfroSpear in its efforts "to provide a network of discussion and ideas on African issues in the diaspora and the continent." When asked how his blog would support that purpose, he wrote, "The Liberator is dedicated to supporting and creating excellent spaces of discussion in order to better serve humanity. The Afrospear is such a space."

Please join me in welcoming Brian Kasoro and his crew from The Liberator Magazine into our progressive group of Black bloggers.

Electronic Village Milestone: 1,000 Posts!

I had no idea that I would post 1,000 posts when I first started this blog back in January 2007. I didn't have a vision for the blog when I first created it. My sister told me that I could start a blog for free ... and that was pretty much my only motivation.

However, this blog evolved over the past 1,000 posts. We seek to provide information that uplifts people of African descent here in America. Our most favorite topics have been 'Barack Obama', 'Election-2008' and 'Criminal Justice'. It should be interesting to see how we evolve in the coming weeks as the 2008 election cycle comes to an end.

I am very grateful to all the villagers that have supported this blog. Cliff, Danielle, Field, Gattina, Iya, Keith, Kyra, Mike, Mrs. Grapevine, Pam, Purple Zoe, Regina, Sojourner and so many others have shared comments, insights and suggestions.

My hope is that I discover a way to encourage more COMMENTS from those of you that visit. That is going to be a focus for me over the coming weeks.

Anyhow, I decided to go back and find my favorite posts within the ten 100-post intervals since we began this thing. Here is what I came up with.

1. Posts 1 - 100: Manic Monday: Graphic - Manic Monday is a weekly meme that helped introduce me to some remarkable bloggers. I use it to research Black history and Black culture. Anyhow, this post focused on the inhuman legacy of lynching in America. Unfortunately, I find myself referencing this post often ... including just recently when a McCain supporter hung Obama in effigy.


2. Posts 101 - 200: Jena 6, Racism in America - Black bloggers brought this story to the attention of the mainstream media. The result was the largest civil rights march in over a decade on 9/20/2007. I provided villagers with an overview of the Jena 6 case in this post.


3. Posts 201 - 300: Only A Dad - I posted this photo and poem a few days after my father passed away. I miss him everyday.


4. Posts 301 - 400: Iowa Victory Speech - I watched this speech with my Mom. She didn't notice ... but, I cried. I was already an Obama supporter, however, this speech was the first time that I realized deep down in my soul that he had a chance to win. This remains my favorite Obama speech of all-time.


5. Posts 401 - 500: Evolution of the AfroSpear - My blog has grown exponentially since I hooked up with the kinfolk in this alliance of progressive Black bloggers. This post provided an overview of the AfroSpear for my blog readers.


6. Posts 501 - 600: Al Sharpton & NAACP Are Wrong - It felt good to be part of the online activism that supported the woman terrorized by the gang of rapists in Dunbar Village. We forced Al Sharpton and NAACP to revisit their approach to the situation down in Florida.


7. Posts 601 - 700: Justice for LaVena Johnson - I introduced the late Pfc. LaVena Johnson to my blog readers with this post. We still have work to do. We need to get Congress to investigate her wrongful death while serving in Iraq.


8. Posts 701 - 800: Blogging While Brown Conference - This was the first time in history that bloggers of color gathered together under one roof to learn and motivate one another in a serious way. This post gave my review of the BWB Conference to my blog readers.


9. Posts 801 - 900: African Americans & Sarah Palin - The hits on my blog have increased almost three-fold since I published this post on what African Americans in Alaska thought about Sarah Palin. I will miss Gov. Palin when she goes back to obscurity after November 4.


10. Posts 901 - 1,000: NAACP's Ben Jealous Meets With Black Bloggers - My relationship with the NAACP evolved over the past year. My first NAACP post was entitled, "Is the NAACP Relevant?". Now, I find myself with other Black bloggers talking to the NAACP president. Only in America!

Let's turn this into an OPEN THREAD until our next milestone post. Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, memories and anything else on your mind as it relates to the Electronic Village blog. What's on your mind?