Black Culture Discussion Thread

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Ga. State Rep. Tommy Benton says KKK wasn't racist: They kept "law and order
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DeMarcus Cousins Had Kings Remove Lunar New Year Giveaway T-Shirts http://deadspin.com/demarcus-cousins-had-kings-remove-chinese-new-year-give-1756544135

Lunar New Year is next Monday, and the Sacramento Kings are celebrating the holiday during tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with player introductions in Mandarin and a pregame celebration. Originally, their celebration was also supposed to include these Year of the Monkey shirts given away to fans: But when Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins—who is sitting out the game with a sprained ankle— arrived at the arena, he didn’t like the idea of giving away “Year of the Monkey” t-shirts on the first night of Black History Month, which every team in the NBA is celebrating tonight with warm-up shirts. Cousins successfully lobbied Kings staffers to halt (or at least postpone) the promotion, according to Bucks TV analyst Marques Johnson’s Facebook page:
 
DCAllAmerican said:
DeMarcus Cousins Had Kings Remove Lunar New Year Giveaway T-Shirts http://deadspin.com/demarcus-cousins-had-kings-remove-chinese-new-year-give-1756544135

Lunar New Year is next Monday, and the Sacramento Kings are celebrating the holiday during tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with player introductions in Mandarin and a pregame celebration. Originally, their celebration was also supposed to include these Year of the Monkey shirts given away to fans: But when Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins—who is sitting out the game with a sprained ankle— arrived at the arena, he didn’t like the idea of giving away “Year of the Monkey” t-shirts on the first night of Black History Month, which every team in the NBA is celebrating tonight with warm-up shirts. Cousins successfully lobbied Kings staffers to halt (or at least postpone) the promotion, according to Bucks TV analyst Marques Johnson’s Facebook page:
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Even though he over reached with that one, I definitely appreciate that he is looking out for black people specifically. I see you cuz
 
I saw Dr Umar 2 weeks ago here in Brooklyn, he did that sun vs ice people. Love heating that brother speak
 
Brehs, I was thinking about something today. Bear with me as I haven't fully developed the thought just yet, but my head is swirling with a bunch of different avenues to take this in.

I read a piece today about the Urban League and it got me thinking about the ineffectiveness of Black organizations and charitable organizations in general.

These organizations exist to help find solutions to specific causes they champion but they never address the root of why these causes exist in the first place. There is never a solution to address the particular group or power structure in changing things and instead there is more effort on the surface in addressing the symptoms of these problems. Maybe that is by design because the organizations wouldn't exist if these issues didn't exist? For example, if the black community was where it was supposed to be, there wouldn't be a need for the Urban League or the NAACP. Yet these organizations exist and have been largely ineffective in addressing the needs of Black people in this country. But at the same time, these organizations have considerable financial and political influence. The leaders and officers of these organizations have profited greatly from championing the plight of black people, yet the issues of blacks in this country are still largely ignored.

In light of that, it would make no sense for these organizations to go against the very structure or people that sit on their board of directors or the organizations who donate millions of dollars. So these organizations are essentially given golden handcuffs not to address the issues fully. You could also apply this to Foreign aid in Africa or organizations dedicated to curing x and y diseases.

What are you guy's thoughts?
 
D Nice said:
Brehs, I was thinking about something today. Bear with me as I haven't fully developed the thought just yet, but my head is swirling with a bunch of different avenues to take this in.

I read a piece today about the Urban League and it got me thinking about the ineffectiveness of Black organizations and charitable organizations in general.

These organizations exist to help find solutions to specific causes they champion but they never address the root of why these causes exist in the first place. There is never a solution to address the particular group or power structure in changing things and instead there is more effort on the surface in addressing the symptoms of these problems. Maybe that is by design because the organizations wouldn't exist if these issues didn't exist? For example, if the black community was where it was supposed to be, there wouldn't be a need for the Urban League or the NAACP. Yet these organizations exist and have been largely ineffective in addressing the needs of Black people in this country. But at the same time, these organizations have considerable financial and political influence. The leaders and officers of these organizations have profited greatly from championing the plight of black people, yet the issues of blacks in this country are still largely ignored.


In light of that, it would make no sense for these organizations to go against the very structure or people that sit on their board of directors or the organizations who donate millions of dollars. So these organizations are essentially given golden handcuffs not to address the issues fully. You could also apply this to Foreign aid in Africa or organizations dedicated to curing x and y diseases.

What are you guy's thoughts?
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do you really think those institutions are that influential? to whom? i guess influence is a relative thing, and some might disagree, but i don't know that those organizations (and the like) are/could ever really be solutions orientated, of course they can propose things but not sure they have the scale to actually implement those things? they seem be more advocates for their specific interest(s) and it would seem to follow that the larger/more diverse the range of issues that any entity tries to 'address' or 'influence' the harder it will likely be for them to be broadly effective...not super familiar with how the naacp or the urban league work in practice so i could be wrong in this assessment...

where the black community is 'supposed' to be? the tendency for negatives to weigh more heavily than positives in our consciousness sometimes makes people overlook what has been accomplished; in this case as a (somewhat unassimilate-able, by which is only to say blending in to the the majority isn't really an option here) minority in a nation built on the legacy of white supremacy (the after effects & remnants of which are still very relevant) to have achieved some of the things that have been through the circumstances of chattel slavery, lawful segregation, & de facto segregation, redlining, discrimination, etc., and be as influential culturally as black folk have been (all without the advantages of capital or any real reparation)...that should count for a lot; not saying things couldn't be better or that this should suffice but it seems to me that focusing on the negative so much diminishes the successes...

also despite the shifting demographics in this country (becoming a majority-minority country in the decades to come) it is still likely that white folk will still be wealthier than their minority counterparts (maybe with asians as the exception?), which likely will mean status quo as far as issues that may be more important to different minorities (though in the aggregate the different minorities will be the majority, that could work against issues in which the different factions split into their own specific interests) than the monied folk. i mention this because according to the census, we make up somewhere in the neighborhood of 13% (maybe as high as 18-20% with non-white hispanic & african diaspora immigrants?) of the u.s. population; that number always surprises me because it doesn't feel that low...but if you think about what that number means for the politics of how decisions that affect policy are made that means that as a necessity using influence and building coalitions are going to be important tools...

as far as people in positions of leadership enriching themselves, while i can't say for sure i know whether that is/isn't true or to what extent that is/isn't true, it kinda seems besides the point, sometimes people are/can be self-interested; it happens and i don't know how much change hinges on that fact...i just think structurally change is a difficult, and in the absence of a broad really strong social movement across the spectrum of peoples or some sort of incentive, the system is self perpetuating and the issues that are big and that people think require change are not simplistic nor are they always entirely obvious to all, nor do all people who see the problem agree to the same course of action as the solution(s), that things are the way they are does not require conspiracy/sabotage...
 
tokes99 tokes99 d nice d nice

I believe that most of these organizations encourage the idea of things but don't really teach the tools in order to accomplish it. I find it disheartening that, to this day, financial literacy isn't a hot topic in our community. We know it's powerful and influential and yet we don't focus on it. Even when it comes to housing, we focus on stopping gentrification instead of arming people w/ the tools and resources to possibly become homeowners. Not saying that it has to be one way or the other but both are just as important.

I'm still learning about money myself in regards to investing, retirement accounts, etc so I don't feel comfortable with sharing half knowledge, but it needs to be talked about.

I've been to meetings and events where the surface was discussed solely and not the root cause of the problems that plague our communities.
 
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