Wordless Wednesday: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Electronic Village Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

It is truly hard to believe that it has been two years since I created the Electronic Village. I must admit that I've enjoyed the evolution of this blog. We are not as successful as many others ... but, I'm having fun with this thing.

I don't know where this blog will go over the coming weeks and months. I just hope that all of you villagers will continue on the ride with me!

America, Can You Say 'SENATOR' Roland Burris?

Few of us knew anything about Roland Burris two weeks ago. Now his name is firmly etched in American history as only the fourth African American since the Reconstruction era to be sworn in as a United States Senator.

The Electronic Village joins with others in saluting this remarkable accomplishment.

Senator Burris now has a choice to make. Will his legacy be the manner in which he was appointed? Or will it be the manner in which he served as a representative for the state of Illinois?

Only time will tell. I, for one, wish the wise old lion well. Do us proud Senator!

Are You Ready for an Obama Presidency?

Are you still feeling the glow of the election back in November? Are you ready for the Obama presidency? What would you like to see him accomplish during his first year in office?

Helping Hand: Much Obliged and Paying It Forward

One of my favorite blogs is Sojourner's Place. The vibe and flow from that blog is uplifting in every sense of the word. As such, it filled me with joy to learn that Sojourner honored this blog with her 'Helping Hand' award. Later I was honored by A Slant Truth and Regina's Family Seasons with this same award.

Sojourner commits her life to "leaving the pile higher than (she) found it". She seeks to "pay that help and support forward" to those new to the blogsphere. As such, she created the "Emblem of the Helping Hand" as a token of her appreciation for blog mentors and a source of encouragement for those who are up and coming.

The rules for this award are simple:

• Select 10 bloggers: 5 you consider your blogging Helping Hand then "Pay it Forward" by extending your "Helping Hand" to 5 additional bloggers in support and encouragement for their efforts.


• In passing on the Emblem, each recipient must provide the name of blog or blog author with a link for others to visit.


• Each recipient must show the Emblem and put the name and link to the blog that has given it to her or him.


• Link the Emblem to this post: Helping Hand: Much Obliged and Paying it Forward so that others will know it origin and impetus.


• If you have not already done so, show your recipients some love by adding them to your blog roll, Technorati Favorite list, or in any other way to further let them know that their blog voice is important to you and being heard.


• Add your name to The Helping Hand meme at my new blog entitled The Emblem of the Helping Hand and don't forget to leave a comment as a permanent record of all Helping Hand recipients.


• Display the rules

To my Blogging Mentors, please accept this "Emblem of the Helping Hand" as a symbol of just how much your help, support, and encouragement has meant to me during the past 6 months.

1. African American Political Pundit - I came close to resigning my membership in The AfroSpear a few months ago. AAPP stepped up with a phone call and other support to work things out in such a manner that I could remain with this progressive group of bloggers. I appreciate his helping hand very much!
2. Blacks Gone Geek - I have worked with Milt Haynes for a number of years in BDPA. In fact, I served as national president-elect of that crew during the two years (2002-2003) in which Milt was national president. Milt urged me to get engaged in Web 2.0 world for many months before I finally did so. I am glad to publically acknowledge the helping hand that Milt has provided to me over the years.
   
3. Dallas South Blog - Shawn Williams is a brother who quietly and effectively takes care of business through his blog. He attended the Jena 6 protest march last year. He served as a credentialed blogger at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year. He worked behind the scenes on Urban Policy issues for the Obama campaign. Over the past few weeks he has promoted his blog with a weekly Constant Contact message. I plan to follow in his footsteps over the coming weeks. It is for these reasons that I acknowledge the helping hand of this powerful blogger.
4. plezWorld - Plez is an AfroSpear colleague. Many people talk the talk ... but Plez is a brother that walks the walk. He stepped up as a volunteer for a thankless task. This award is my way of saying, 'Thanks'!
5. Ultraviolet Underground - PurpleZoe opened up my eyes and heart to the impact of human rights abuse in Darfur, Tibet and elsewhere. More to the point, she created a forum, Roots of Humanity, and a monthly blogging campaign, Am I Not Human?, to bring awareness of human rights issues to our blog readers. She is a sister with a powerful aura and I appreciate her cyber-glow.

I'm "Paying it Forward" to the following blogs. These are blogs that are doing it and doing it well. Each has a very special place reserved just for them in the Electronic Village. I encourage you to visit, leave a comment, and if are so inclined give subscribe to them as well. Cause we bloggers are fragile and need your support and encouragement.

1. Black Threads - My sister, Kyra, is the person who got me into blogging in the first place. I want to 'pay it forward' to her because she deserves it. She is an eCommerce marketing manager, author, and quilter. She just co-wrote her third book, "Liberia: A Visit Through Books". It follows on the heels of her previous books for children and quilters. She is currently collecting info on President Obama Quilts!
2. Blogging While Brown Conference - One of my favorite blogging moments this year was being a presenter and attendee at the 1st annual Blogging While Brown conference hosted by Gina McCauley in Atlanta GA. I look forward to attending the 2nd annual BWB Conference in Chicago and I hope that many of you will be there as well.
3. Clark Thought Leadership - Julius Clark is an up-and-coming leader in the IT industry. I've known Julius for a number of years. I always knew that the young brother could throw down in the hospitality suite ... I now know that he can throw down in the boardroom as well. Julius is president-elect for BDPA Charlotte chapter and I want to 'pay it forward' on the success of his brand-new blog.
4. Keep It Trill - One of the most dynamic bloggers that I've met in recent weeks is Kit. Her writing skills and her willingness to be an activist in the afrospere inspire me. As such, I want to 'pay it forward' by supporting her in any manner possible as we move into the new year!
5. SES: Science, Education & Society - This is a blog created by The Urban Scientist. Science is not a subject discussed very much in the Black community. This blogger is consistent in bringing good information and open dialogue about science for any person of African descent interested enough to visit. I 'pay it forward' in the hopes that more of us will find and support this great blog(ger)!

Well, I hope that you take a moment to visit with the 10 blogs shown on my two lists. Each of them inspired or supported me during these past 6 months. I will close using the words of Sojourner ... MUCH OBLIGED! VERY MUCH OBLIGED!

Q&A: Ken Blackwell, Candidate for GOP Chairman

Ken Blackwell started his political career in my current hometown of Cincinnati, OH. His wife recently left after a number of years as the superintendent of the Cincinnati Public Schools. I've attended a number of presentations at which Ken Blackwell was the keynoter. Most recently, I have watched him become very active on Twitter and Facebook.

All of these are good things and would cause me to hope for him to be successful in his campaign to be appointed chair of the Republican National Committee. It would be nice to have a Black man as the face of the Republican party at the same time that a Black man is the face of our nation.

However, I cannot get around Ken Blackwell's role in screwing up the presidential election when he was Ohio Secretary of State back in 2004. It was that screw-up that cost him any chance of being elected Ohio governor when he ran in 2006.

Reading his answers in a Q&A session held with CNSNews.com sealed the deal. It would be scary for America if Ken Blackwell gets that job.

That is my view. What say u?

Sunday Inspirations: Pray for Barack Obama

Lord,

We pray for optimum health, mental clarity and political prosperity for Barack Obama. We pray that what he lacks in political 'experience' you make up for with supernatural wisdom and power. We also pray that when his enemies come upon him they will stumble and fall; and that your love will fill his heart to the end that 'Your will' will be done through him.

We pray mightily for his protection. As we plead the Blood of Jesus over him and his family, we ask you to dispatch legions of angels to protect them from all hurt, harm, danger, and from all accidents and incidents as he is the next President of these United States of America.

We thank and praise you for answering our sincere prayers. In Jesus' Name, AMEN.

Indictment: Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon (.PDF)

It disappointed me to learn that Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted on charges (28-page indictment, PDF format) that she accepted illegal gifts during her time as mayor and City Council president, including travel, fur coats and gift cards that she allegedly used for a holiday shopping spree.

The 12 counts included four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations. Alledgedly, the mayor received gifts from developer Ron Lipscomb, as well as the use of those gift cards to purchase $237 worth of merchandise, including a PlayStation2 and DVDs.

Dixon released a statement about the charges.

"There is something I want to tell the citizens of this great city about the charges that the State Prosecutor has brought against me today.

For the past two years, I have done my best to serve the City of Baltimore as Mayor, and I will continue to do so. I will not let these charges deter me from keeping Baltimore on the path that we have set, or from carrying forward the significant progress we have made thus far.

I am being unfairly accused. Time will prove that I have done nothing wrong, and I am confident that I will be found innocent of these charges. But, for the moment, I cannot comment further on the allegations that have been made against me. Instead, my attorneys will address these matters on my behalf.

I want to make it clear, though, that I will continue to put all of my energies into running the City of Baltimore during these perilous economic times. And with God's grace, I am confident that the city, my family and I will weather this storm."

Mayor Dixon appears to have more allies that Gov. Blagojevich does in his state. I noticed that the Baltimore Police Department released a statement about the indictment.

"The indictment against Mayor Sheila Dixon is a matter between the mayor and the state of Maryland. Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld is focused on targeting bad guys with guns and addressing the policing needs of the city of Baltimore. Mayor Dixon has been and will continue to be a great leader and partner in Baltimore's fight to get illegal guns off the streets, advocating for tougher gun control laws and improve overall public safety for the residents, business owners and visitors of the city."

If found guilty, Dixon could face jail time.

Do you think that there is something to this indictment? Or does it just appear to be a Republican prosecuter's witch hunt against a hard-working civil servant? What say u?

Wells Fargo Lends Black Businesses a Billion

Marking the tenth anniversary of its African American Business Services program, Wells Fargo Bank recently reached its initial goal of $1 billion loaned to Black-owned businesses, two years ahead of schedule.

Working with the National Black MBA Association, the bank announced a new goal of lending another $1 billion to Black business owners by 2018. An association spokesperson said, "We continue to support the significant growth of African American businesses by offering resources for existing business owners, small business professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs."

Do we have any villagers trying to take advantage of this Wells Fargo program?

Congress Set to Vote on Equal Pay for Women

UPDATE: Bill passes house; on to the Senate next.

---

The House is scheduled to vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act TODAY (Friday 1/09/09) and the Senate will take up the bills next week. Please contact your Representatives and encourage them to vote YES on both measures.

Click HERE for a detailed background on both bills and a link to contact your Representatives.

Soulclap to NAACP Wichita Branch for beating the drums on this legislative action alert.

Old School Friday: Bootsy Collins and Parliament Funkadelic

I invite you to enjoy some 'grown-folks music'! Ms Grapevine and MarvalusOne have teamed up to create a weekly meme that we call, Old School Friday. It is our effort to post some music from the last millennium to relive some memories and to educate or just entertain each other.

The theme this week is Music From The Year You Graduated High School. I graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1976. My afro was large and life was good. I decided to share two of my musical favorites from that year with you.

My young 'uns know about Bootsy Collins because he lives in Cincinnati and did some promotional work last year for the Cincinnati Bengals. My memories of Bootsy come from 1976 when he was Stretchin' Out with his Rubber Band. They don't know nothing 'bout that!





I wish that I could end this post right now. But, 1976 was also the year that Parliament Funkadelic landed the Mothership Connection. Villagers, if you hear any noise ... it's just me and the boyz!

Burris Appointment Proves America Ain't Post-Racial Yet

I never heard of Roland Burris before last week. Truth to tell, I didn't know how to spell Blagojevich until last month. Both of them worked hand-in-glove with Sen. Harry Reid to shove the concept of a post-racial America into the background.

Many villagers have told me that this entire issue had nothing to do with racial politics. I beg to differ. Just review the facts. Sen. Harry Reid was one of 50 Democratic senators who signed this letter in mid-December:

Dear Governor Blagojevich:

We write to insist that you step down as Governor of Illinois and under no circumstance make an appointment to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat. In light of your arrest yesterday on alleged federal corruption charges related to that Senate seat, any appointment by you would raise serious questions.

It is within the authority of the Illinois legislature to remove your power to make this appointment by providing for a special election. But a decision by you to resign or to step aside under Article V of the Illinois Constitution would be the most expeditious way for a new Senator to be chosen and seated in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and all Americans. We consider it imperative that a new senator be seated as soon as possible so that Illinois is fully represented in the Senate as the important work of the 111th Congress moves forward.

Please understand that should you decide to ignore the request of the Senate Democratic Caucus and make an appointment we would be forced to exercise our Constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated.

We do not prejudge the outcome of the criminal charges against you or question your constitutional right to contest those charges. But for the good of the Senate and our nation, we implore you refrain from making an appointment to the Senate.

Fast forward three weeks ... Roland Burris arrives on the steps on the Senate. They send some flunkies to turn him away. Burris goes outside in the rain and pleads his case to the cameras. Burris never uses the race card. He simply states the truth. He is the duly-appointed junior senator from Illinois and he's sure that things will work out in the end.

Harry Reid and his crew hate the visuals. All-white Senate has a party inside the Capitol Building ... swearing ins .... voting on majority leader ... family gatherings ... photos ... smiles ... laughter. While outside, standing in the rain, is a 70-year old Black man who was denied entry.

The next day Sen. Reid trips all over himself talking about how race wasn't an issue. After all, Mr. Burris is a "nice man" with "two degrees". All that was missing was a mention of how 'clean' and 'articulate' Burris was when he came into the office.

If Roland Burris was a WHITE man ... this would be a non-issue. The US Senate would not seat him. They would abide by their December 10th letter. But, Roland Burris is a BLACK man. Sen. Harry Reid and his 49 white comrades don't like the idea of being the ones blocking the door for his legal entry into history.

Race still plays a powerful role in American life and politics. Villagers ... we are not in a post-racial world yet! That's my view. What say u?

Set Your Goals for 2009

Soulclap to Kai Dupe for the work he is doing to evolve our Black young boys on a path towards becoming successful Black men. In his recent monthly newsletter, 'The Successful Black Male Project', he wrote,

In order to be successful in the new year, we must nuture the habit of goal setting. Goal setting is not a complicated matter. However it is a major component of success. If you listen to what successful people are saying you will always hear them mention how they set goals and even more importantly how they maintain their focus on their goals. One of the main ways to stay focused on your goals is to write them down.

The other important thing to remember about goals is that you should only set goals that are important to you. It is a mistake to set goals that are important to others. Success requires work. And the energy you will need to get your work done requires passion. You must be motivated. It is much more difficult to be motivated about something that you are not interested in.

Countless movies have depicted the poor son who became a doctor or a lawyer to follow in their father's footsteps when they realy dreamed of having success in another walk of life.

As we start the new year take a few moments to jot down a couple of goals. Put them somewhere you can see them each day such as a computer screen saver or perhaps on the tape it to a bathroom mirror. If you wish to learn more about goal setting please pick up an excellent book by Brian Tracy, entitled Flight Plan.

We're one week into the new year. Have you written down YOUR goals for 2009 yet?

Could Charles Bolden be First African American to lead NASA?

A former astronaut who has made four trips into space is reportedly a leading candidate for the top job at NASA ... the real one, not the Negro Space Program!

If selected by President-elect Barack Obama, Charles Bolden Jr. , 62, a retired Marine Corps general who makes his home in Houston's Bay Area, would be the first African American to head the space agency.

Read the rest of the media story at the Houston Chronicle.

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

It appears that I may be doing some work for a client to publicize the fourth annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in March 2009. It is an effort to recognize the female face of HIV/AIDS in America. Since the epidemic began in the early 1980s, more than 200,000 women and girls in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS, and over 90,000 have died with the disease.

In some parts of the world, HIV/AIDS predominately strikes women; globally, approximately half of all people living with HIV are female. Although that is not the case in the United States, women represent more than a quarter of all new annual HIV/AIDS diagnoses in this country. In 2005, nearly 10,000 U.S. women and adolescent girls (13 years of age and older) were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects women of color in the United States. For example, in 2004 AIDS was the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25 to 34. The following year, African Americans accounted for roughly two-thirds of the nearly 127,000 U.S. women living with HIV/AIDS, even though only 13 percent of U.S. women are African American. For Hispanic women living in the United States, HIV/AIDS is also a significant health issue. In 2005, Hispanic women were diagnosed with AIDS at more than five times the rate of white women in the United States.

Sex with an HIV-infected male partner is the leading mode of HIV transmission to women and adolescent girls. Approximately 80 percent of new female HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in 2005 in the United States arose through heterosexual sex, and surveys suggest that many of the men involved did not know they were infected with HIV.

It is crucial for women to know both their own HIV status and the HIV status of their sexual partners. Hopefully, testing for HIV takes place during routine medical care for adolescents, adults and pregnant women. The early diagnosis of HIV not only has the potential to help prevent transmission by motivating infected people to modify their behavior, but also creates the opportunity to start treatment promptly, control the virus, make informed choices about childbearing and prolong life.

Tragically, some women find themselves in situations in which they lack the power to protect themselves from sexual transmission of HIV. They may be forced into sex, their male partners may refuse to wear condoms, or their partners may prevent them from using female condoms.

There are many ways women and girls can take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS:

• get tested for HIV
• practice safe methods to prevent HIV
• decide not to engage in high risk behaviors
• talk about HIV prevention with family, friends, and colleagues
• provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS
• get involved with or host an event for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in your community

Is this a message that resonates with the female villagers who visit my blog? Can you help raise the awareness of this issue in your sphere of influence over the coming days and weeks? What say u?

Wordless Wednesday: ...And a Special Fear for My Loved Ones

Elizabeth Catlett created this linocut in 1946. Behind the lynched man are three pairs of feet. Do they belong to his assailants or to additional victims?

The Problem We All Live With * Ruby Bridges thru Roland Burris

Senator-in-Waiting Roland Burris went to Washington DC today to take a seat in the all-white United States Senate earlier today. He hoped to become the only African American to serve as one of the 100 senators in America when he walked into the Capitol building. However, he was turned away by the all-white club.

As I watched Burris and his lawyers in press conference it dawned on me that some things never change.

Do any villagers remember when six-year-old Ruby Bridges was one of the first African American students to integrate the school system in the deep South, which remained segregated ten years after Brown vs. Board of Education?

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) immortalized Ruby's first day at the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Surrounded by anonymous federal marshals for protection from the mob that assembled in protect and anger. Ruby marches courageously and resolutely.

It seems that the problem we all lived with in 1964 is still with us in 2009.

Katrina's Hidden Race War

I just learned from ColorOfChange.org that in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, racist vigilantes in Algiers Point attacked, and according to their own accounts, killed Black men seeking refuge from the floodwaters. I'm outraged to hear that New Orleans law enforcement officials have consistently refused to investigate these crimes, and acted to cover up their own complicity in the violence.






Based on evidence recently presented by A.C. Thompson in The Nation, it appears that while at least 11 Black men were shot or shot at, none of the white vigilantes have been brought to justice. And there's damning evidence that police officers allowed a man to die, and then burned his body to cover it up.

Louisiana-style justice has once again failed to protect and serve the state's Black citizens. State officials such as Gov. Jindal must act immediately to change this. I urge all villagers to push for the identification of victims of these crimes, prosecution of the perpetrators, full cooperation with any federal inquiries, and aggressive investigations into the role of local law enforcement officials in committing and suppressing the exploration of these crimes.

That's my view. What say u?

I Will Teach You To Be Rich Scholarship

The I Will Teach You To Be Rich Scholarship for Social Innovation is an annual $2,500 award for anyone in their twenties who has demonstrated entrepreneurial excellence and is planning a socially innovative project. The award can be used for a special project, service initiative, founding a company, creating a community organization, or any other entrepreneurial venture that scales to help others.




I heard about this scholarship on twitter and thought that our blog readers might be interested. Do you know anyone that might benefit from this scholarship opportunity?

Abraham Lincoln's Impression of Barack Obama

Buy Black: BizBlack Business Directory

We are going to continue beating the drum for the 'Buy Black' economic empowerment concept. Barack Obama is going to do what must be done to fix the American economy. I'm convinced that we need to do what must be done to help him within the Black community.

Our goal is simple, we want more you to support competent Black businesses through more productive use of the Internet. We want to decrease the barriers which impede our patronage of Black business. Are you game?

By definition, our villagers operate on the Internet. Therefore, we want to share online directories of Black Businesses such as BizBlack.info (which was referred to us by a BDPA colleague). We join BizBlack.info in being tired of hearing Black folks saying that they don't 'Buy Black' because they don't know where to find these businesses. We can no longer do the same ol' things ... we need to begin to pay ourselves some internal reparations and get serious about supporting Black-owned & Black-operated businesses.

That's my view on the matter. What say u?

Blog Safari #23

Our Rhino-Guide found some great posts deep in the cyberspace jungle that surrounds our electronic village. He wants you to come with him on a 'Blog Safari' to check 'em out. Enjoy the flow from these talented bloggers!

• Black Threads - 'Liberia: A Visit Through Books'
• Black Web 2.0 - 'Peeps of the Web: Gina McCauley'
• Dallas South Blog - 'In the NCAA, Black Coaches are a Dying Breed'
• The Jose Vilson - 'Howl: The Jose Vilson Version'
• Torch Poetry - 'Poetry by Christina Springer'

Let us know if you come across any remarkable posts that should be shared in our next Blog Safari!

Sunday Inspiration: Stand by Me

Soulclap to Iya for pointing us to the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music" that lays out an uplifting challenge to build schools, connect students, and inspire communities in need through music.

One of the first outcomes of their effort is the video contributions from musicians all over the globe who add their part to the glorious Ben E. King classic, 'Stand by Me'.

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.

---

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."

---

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.

(Th)ink by Keith Knight: Nike Goes Global

(Th)ink is an editorial cartoon written and drawn by cartoonist Keith Knight (the K Chronicles).

Is Barack Obama a Geek?

Have you noticed how folks are trying to determine whether or not President-elect Barack Obama is a 'geek'?

GeekDad contributor Matt Blum, a software engineer in Reston, Va., defines geeks as having high intellects, embracing technology, “getting excited about things in the future especially, particularly fiction,” having a science viewpoint and being steeped in the geek culture of science fiction and fantasy.

I imagine that many of the folks that I know via organizations like BDPA as well as many entrepreneurs that I've worked with over the years are 'geeks'. Heck, there is even a blog called, 'Blacks Gone Geek'.

It turns out that as a youngster, Obama collected Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comic books. Personally, I was more of a DC-Comics fan as a kid. I enjoyed Teen Titans, Superman, Adventure and such. Unfortunately, my collection of comic books were lost when my childhood home was burned to the ground.

I also enjoy reading science fiction. In fact, I just finished reading book called, 'Glory Road' written by Robert Heinlein ... probably the second-best sci-fi writer in history (NOTE: Octavia Butler was #1 in my view).

Anyhow, I like the idea that a guy with high intellect and a knowledge of Star Trek is going to be our president. Don't you?

Use Black Owned, Black Operated Businesses

Happy New Year! This is that time of year when all of us resolve to do better. We want to do better for ourselves ... for our family ... for our community ... for our nation. One way that Africans in America can do better is to be more conscious of how we spend out disposable income. We need to 'Buy Black' whenever possible.

We shared information on The Anderson Family and their unique experiment to 'Buy Black'. Could you make the same pledge that this family made for the new year?

Some of you tell me that you cannot locate Black-owned and Black-operated businesses. Symphony was kind enough to point us to USEBOBO.com. It is a remarkable website that provides an expanding directory of Black-owned and Black-operated businesses all around the nation.

Check it out and let us know what you think about it.

Top Ten Black Blogs (Jan 2009)

We enter enter the Obama era this month. The continued popularity of political and social commentary blogs in the Villager's Black Blog Rankings (BBR) reflects the greater engagement of our blog readers in the issues of the day. I hope that you enjoy the 1,575 blogs ranked in the January 2009 BBR.

I looked back on where things stood 12 months ago when we published the January 2008 BBR. Three of the current Top Ten Black Blogs (Jack and Jill Politics, The Field Negro and Necole Bitchie) were not in the Top Ten a year ago.

We started this ranking effort with 75 Black blogs in Sep 2007. This month we publish over 1,500 Black owned & operated blogs! I don't pretend that we have all Black owned & operated blogs on this list. If you see any that are missing ... please let me know in the COMMENTS section.

Here are the blog lists from the past four quarters:

• January 2008 - 602 Black blogs
• April 2008 - 1,045 Black blogs
• July 2008 - 1,269 Black blogs
• October 2008 - 1,440 Black blogs

Anyhow, with no further ado, here are the Top Ten Black Blogs for Jan 2009:

1. Pam Spaulding: Pam's House Blend (Authority: 1,187 / Rank: 1,384) - [Politics] Pam's blog continues to maintain a commanding lead as the top Black blog in the universe. One of the secrets to her success is the frequency of posts on her blog. Pam has a number of guest commentators and there seems to be a new blog post every couple of hours. In any case, Pam's House Blend is the go-to location for anything related to the lesbian and gay community. Pam has been dealing behind-the-scenes with the hacking of her blog platform This blog was BBR #2 a year ago.
2. The Bossip: Bossip.com (Authority: 769 / Rank: 2,893) - [Entertainment] Bossip.com is the top-ranked gossip or entertainment blog on our list. We continue to wonder whether The Bossip is male or female? This blog survived a dust-up that began last year at this time with some derogatory remarks against Maya Angelou. Click here to see index of the people that are blogged about on Bossip.com. This blog was BBR #3 a year ago.
3. Ahsmi Rawlins: Nah Right (Authority: 716 / Rank: 3,202) - [Entertainment] Ashmi (a.k.a., ESKAY) has been blogging since May 2005. Both his name and job are based on phonetics, literally and figuratively. The name – eskay – is the phonetic spelling of “SK,” the tag he used as a graffiti writer years ago. Today, rappers go nowhere unless Eskay says so. His chronically updated NahRight.com is the site for hip-hop news and videos. Check out this interview he conducted with Urb Magazine to learn more about Eskay. This blog was BBR #6 a year ago.
4. Angel Laws: Concrete Loop (Authority: 638 / Rank: 3,767) - [Entertainment] Angel Laws is the young sister who who owns and operates this dynamic entertainment blog. She created the blog back in 2005 and it was the top-ranked Black blog last year. Angel has other interests in life as demonstrated by her photo blog. I encourage you to see the list of the last 50 posts on her blog. This blog was BBR #1 a year ago.
5. Oliver Willis: Oliver Willis (Authority: 574 / Rank: 4,343) - [Politics] Oliver has been blogging since April 2005. Oliver attended Florida Atlantic University and is a member of the Technology and Online Community Department at Media Matters for America. He is expanding his cyber-empire to YouTube as well. This blog was BBR #7 a year ago.
6. Natasha Eubanks: Young, Black & Fabulous (Authority: 571 / Rank: 4,375) - [Entertainment] Natasha Eubanks started blogging four years ago out of her passion for celebrity gossip. Her blog, focused on Black celebrity gossip and entertainment news, has risen from from nothing to something to become a destination for many bloggers and fans. This blog was BBR #6 a year ago.
7. Baratunde Thurston and Cheryl Contee: Jack and Jill Politics (Authority: 564 / Rank: 4,444) - [Politics] Baratunde is conscious comic and vigilante pundit who has successfully merged his interests in technology, politics and comedy. He has authored three books, including Keep Jerry Falwell Away From My Oreo Cookies. Cheryl works in communications and marketing of social meda and Web 2.0, and is starting her own consulting shop. Together they make up the dynamic online team of Jack and Jill. This blog was BBR #13 a year ago.
8. La Shawn Barber: La Shawn Barber's Corner (Authority: 363 / Rank: 8,238) - [Social Commentary] This top-ranked blog was launched in November 2003. La Shawn comes at things from a unique point of view. She writes about politics, faith, culture, digital technology and, occasionally, how these things intersect. There are many fans of La Shawn Barber. I'm interested to see how her view evolve in the Obama era. This blog was BBR #9 a year ago.
9. Wayne Bennett: The Field Negro (Authority: 355 / Rank: 8,471) - [Social Commentary] The Los Angeles Times interview provided insights into Wayne last year. Field shared his post-election thoughts, however, he managed to weasel his way out of running buck-naked down a Philadelphia street when Obama won. It's cool to see this popular Black blogger sharing his thoughts on King's legacy with Al Jazeera. This blog was BBR #18 a year ago.
10. Necole Bitchie: NecoleBitchie.com (Authority: 348 / Rank: 8,869) - [Entertainment] Necole is one of the few Black bloggers making a career from her blog. She shared some great monetizing tips at the Blogging While Brown conference last year. NecoleBitchie.com is one of the fastest growing urban celebrity blogs on the Internet. She is also sharing information on YouTube. However, not everyone is a fan. This blog was BBR #124 a year ago.

---

HONORABLE MENTION (11-25): AfroBella, Ill Doctrine, Sandra Rose, Womanist Musings, Crunk & Disorderly, Raw Dawg Buffalo, The Black Snob, Angry Black Bitch, Living Life Abundantly, Rod 2.0:Beta, The Angry Black Woman, Michelle Obama Watch, Why Does Everyone Suck?, How To Split An Atom and Electronic Village.

---

This ranking is open to any blogger of African descent. We invite all Black bloggers to apply for membership into The AfroSpear or join our Facebook group known as the Afrosphere Bloggers Association.

Black Blog Rankings lean heavily on the Technorati Authority and Rank score for each blog. The Technorati authority and rank numbers are shown in parenthesis. The authority figure includes a number of factors including the number of blogs that are linked to this blogger over the past six months. The rank number indicates how many blogs are between the one listed and The Huffington Post, which is the #1 overall blog in the universe.

We do think that these Black blogs are important spheres of influence. Let them know that you appreciate the work they have put in over the past few months and years to get on this list. I encourage all bloggers to provide some link-love to this post so that your readers can learn about the Villager's Black Blog Rankings! Next step is yours ... what say u?

Top 50 Best Blogs of 2008 Award

We were surprised and honored to be included on Marenda's list of the Top 50 Best Blogs of 2008. Her blog, Living Life Abundantly, has risen on the Villager's Black Blog Rankings from BBR #96 to BBR #19 over the past year because of the excellent information she provides to her readers.

This is our second year in a row being on Marenda's list. We will do all that we can possibly do to earn her respect again in 2009.

We'd like to beat the drums for other AfroSpear bloggers that made her list this year: Eddie Griffin (BASG) (BBR #178), Field Negro (BBR #9), From My Brown Eyed View (BBR #241), Raw Dawg Buffalo (BBR #16), Science Education & Society (BBR #457), and Vanessa Unplugged (BBR #311).

Wordless Wednesday: Happy New Year

Learn the secret to Rhino Success!

All Men Are Created Equal

Less than a month until Barack Obama formally takes oath of office as our 44th President of the United States. Am I the only one who remains floating on the high from the November 4th election results?!?

Blagojevich Appoints Roland Burris to Replace Barack Obama in US Senate

Only three African Americans ... Ed Brooke, Carol Moseley-Braun and Barack Obama ... have served as a United States senator since the end of Reconstruction era. It appears that Gov. Blagojevich wants to add a fourth nubian to the list.

Blagojevich will name former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate later today.

Born in Centralia, Illinois, Roland Burris received his bachelor's degree in political science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1959. He then studied at the University of Hamburg, Germany, for a year before entering law school at Howard University.

Burris began his career in 1963 as a national bank examiner for the U.S. Treasury Department. This gave him the honor of being the first African American to examine banks in the United States. From 1964 to 1973, he served as vice president of Continental Illinois National Bank, making significant contacts in both the corporate and African American communities. Burris began his government career in 1973 as director of the Illinois Department of General Services. In 1978, with his election to the first of three terms as state comptroller, he made history as the first African American elected to state office.

On November 6, 1990, Roland W. Burris was elected attorney general for the state of Illinois. At that time, the only African American ranking higher in state office was Douglas Wilder, the governor of Virginia. He served as Illinois attorney general from 1991 to 1995.

Burris is now an attorney with the Peters law firm in Chicago, where he specializes in environmental, consumer affairs and estate law. Previously he was managing partner of the Chicago-based law firm of Jones, Ware & Grenard, one of the largest minority law firms in the country. Burris previously ran and lost bids for the U.S. senate and governor.

If Burris makes it to Washington DC, he would be the only African American in the U.S. Senate.

Politics makes for strange bedfellows. I've never heard of Roland Burris before today. What are your thoughts about this appointment?

Mychal Bell, Jena 6 Student, Shoots Himself

Mychal Bell was arrested for shoplifting on Christmas Eve. He was realeased on $1,300 bail. Today we learn that the troubled youngster shot himself in the shoulder.

Mychal Bell was cleaning a gun when it accidentally discharged, shooting him in the shoulder, his attorney, Carol Powell-Lexing, told CNN. He had surgery Monday night at a hospital in Monroe, Louisiana, and has not yet been able to talk, she said. CNN.com

I encourage visitors to read the post on What About Our Daughters for some very insightful comments and analysis of this latest incident by a Jena 6 student.

The Obama Song

Drumbeats from the Electronic Drum clued us in to this groove from Michael Franti and Spearhead. Without question the most remarkable memory of 2008 will be the election of Barack Obama as our 44th President of the United States. This song captures the spirit of his election better than anything else I've heard this year.

Enjoy!




I wonder what will become our most remarkable memory of the new year?

Mychal Bell, Jena 6 Student, Arrested for Shoplifting

Prison reform wouldn't be necessary if our young men would simply do right in the first place. Drumbeats from Dallas South Blog informed us that Mychel Bell ... one of the Jena 6 youth ... was arrested for shoplifting $370 worth of merchandise from Dillard’s in Pecanland Mall in Monroe LA.

Bell's arrest comes less than less than a month after he completed a sentence for his role in a fight with classmate, Justin Barker, at Jena High School in 2006.

The national uprising about the racially-biased prosecution by Louisiana criminal justice system during the Jena 6 trials last year were on point. Unfortunately, a number of the Jena 6 youth appear to have misread the point of the protest.

We were not giving them carte-blanche to act a fool. We were giving them a second chance to make their families and community proud.

It appears that Mychal Bell turned down his second chance.