Day of Blogging for Justice: 'Stop Taser Torture' on 12/4/2009

The call is going out to all bloggers to support Blogging for Justice: Stop Taser Torture on December 4, 2009. We ask bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important related to the tasing issue. Our hope is that the focused effort of the blogosphere will have a positive impact on the issue on the issue of taser abuse in America, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

Perhaps the idea of an electric rifle made sense when it was first conceived. The idea is now warped. Villagers, we have a problem when police tasers cause death on a weekly basis. The problem is being discussed by bloggers like African American Political Pundit, Pam Spaulding, Yobachi and others.

Some say that using the term 'torture' is counter-productive. I don't agree. In fact, even Taser International ... the manufacturer of the taser gun issued an alert to the fact that their invention tortures people and may cause unintended heart attacks. Continued use is torture in my view.

Blogging for Justice: Stop Taser Torture should create a worldwide discussion with ideas, advice, plans, and action. We want to expand the discussion on the issue of tasering and how the issue threatens us all.

I hope that all villagers will join us in this online activism on December 4. What say u?

2008 Best Black Blogs

BlackPerspective.net recently completed a 3-step process to determine the Best Black Blogs.

The first step involved identifying the top 50 Black owned/operated blogs as measured by Technorati authority. The second step was a popular vote from anyone in the blogosphere to narrow the finalist down to 20 blogs. Finally, BlackPerspective.net used seven criteria to determine the Best Black Blogs.

The Best Black Blogs according to BlackPerspectives.net (with current Black Blog Ranking in parenthesis) are:

1. Oliver Willis (BBR # 5)
2. What About Our Daughters (BBR #15)
3. Black Looks (BBR #37)
4. The Field Negro (BBR #13)
5. Ill Doctrine (BBR # 106)
6. Undercover Blackman (BBR #38)
7. Pam's House Blend (BBR #1)
8. Electronic Village (BBR #25)
9. Black and Missing But Not Forgotten (BBR #46)
10. AngryBlackBitch (BBR #19)

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Yobachi Boswell is the owner of BlackPerspectives.net. I just want to thank the young brother for taking time to conduct this process! Goes without saying that we are honored to be on this list. We will do all that we can to continue to earn a return visitor from our villagers!

Afrosphere Encourages Black Voter Participation

The 2008 presidential election is a seminal historical point in determining the direction of the United States. Our country's leaders must deal with issues of health care, economics, foreign policy, immigration and others that directly affect every American’s life. The difference in 2008 is that we have two viable candidates for a major party presidential nomination who are not white males.

It is important that all Americans who are eligible to vote do so this year. Many of the issues on the national agenda have a disproportionate effect on the Black community. Yet, past voter turnout by eligible Blacks continues to lag behind.

With those factors in mind, the Afrosphere Action Coalition has initiated a 'Proud Black Voter' movement to encourage people of African descent to vote in 2008. The 'Proud Black Voter' blog hopes to:

• inform the public about the importance of the need to vote
• facilitate people in getting registered
• encourage greater voter registration and election participation within the Black community

Music mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs stressed the importance of voting in America when he said, "People have died to have that right. When the president is running your country, he is running you". Political commentator Armstrong Williams echoes that sentiment regarding Black people in specific saying, "we must go to the poll and pull that lever, not just for you, but what it has taken for you to be here".

LaTonya Johnson (aka Mrs. Grapevine) started the discussions leading to creation of this Proud Black Voter blog. She wrote, "I am an avid voter…hopefully we can get Black people moving so that we can vote in the Presidential Election in record numbers."

Wayne Hicks (aka Villager) is participating in the Proud Black Voter blog because he sees it as "...a tangible way to use the growing influence of Black bloggers to influence the actions of our readers for the greater good. It is a way to use cyberspace to uplift people of African descent by pointing out ways for them to get registered and vote no mater where they live ... or who they want to support."

The Afrosphere Action Coalition asks all blogs and websites operated by people of African descent to participate by prominently displaying one of the six Proud Black Voter buttons on their blog or website. The HTML widget reads 'Proud Black Voter...Join Me Now, Register to Vote' and can be placed on anyone's blog or webpage with a link back to the Proud Black Voter blog to obtain information on voter registration, voter rights, and other voting issues.

This is a nonpartisan effort to increase participation in the political process. If you have questions or wish to discuss further you can reach out to any member of the Afrosphere Action Coalition, including LaTonya Johnson (info@mrsgrapevine.com), Yobachi Boswell (615.478-5204) or Wayne Hicks (513.362-2703).

Barack Obama Impact on Black Community

There are some unique perspectives on the Barack Obama presidential candidacy. Here are I encourage villagers to check out if you have time or inclination:

• Yobachi Boswell - 'Why a Barack Obama presidency may be more bad than good for Black people'
• Michael Eric Dyson and Glen Ford - 'Barack Obama and the African American community'
• Phx - 'The Audacity of Success'

Have you seen other interesting blog postings on Barack Obama's run for the presidency?

NPR Blogger Roundtable Invites Villager Back Again

Villagers, I learned today that I will be back on the blogger roundtable hosted by NPR News & Notes in January 2008 to discuss the evolution of The AfroSpear as well as the recent ranking of influential Black blogs.

We ran out of time to discuss this segment during the Nov 14 NPR Blogger Roundtable ... so, we rescheduled that segment for January 9. Villagers, did you have a chance to listen to the 13-minute roundtable discussion with me, La Shawn Barber and Yobachi Boswell? If so, what did you think?