Black Culture Discussion Thread

[trynafeelmink]

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Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

[h2]9/8 BLACKOUT COVERAGE  | WATCH VIDEO[/h2]


There were reports nationwide showing that #BlackOutMonday was a huge success. With momentum and energy, tens of thousands are gearing up to continue the BLACKOUT EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY. More information can be found at eachandeveryfriday.com. Almost 5,000 have joined the event in the last 24 hours, increasing the total committed to nearly 40,000. However, the actual number of participants reaches even further than that. Many who are participating have not officially joined. That’s what makes this movement so powerful. The protest doesn’t require the time needed to march through the streets. It’s all about choice in your daily routine.



People of African descent internationally, some Native Americans, as well as other people of color have also expressed support. The expansion of the movement, which began three weeks ago, is a result of a grass roots effort that continues to gain steam exponentially. The Twitter hashtag #eachandeveryfriday is being used to promote the ongoing event in an attempt to galvanize African-Americans to redirect their money with the hope of making things better for their communities. Below are a few of the comments from participants…


[h2]EACHANDEVERYFRIDAY.COM[/h2]

A few throughout social media have shared their views about the BLACKOUT economic protest and movement, but that has done little to stop the support.








Although it is true that every community doesn’t have Black Owned Businesses at every level, it’s only a matter of time. The cause for this is not that we are not capable. It is the hard work and innovation of blacks from the beginning of time that has fueled much of the world’s power and wealth. In America, we have owned and operated insurance companies, an automobile company whose cars rivaled the Model T Ford and vehicles from Kantana, a new automobile company in Ghana, go on sale in October of 2014. We still own a number of successful banks and we have the ingenuity and know-how to operate at every level. What has been missing is the support that we provided to each others businesses in ages past, such as the Black Wall Street districts. Keep it going #EachandEveryFriday! Change is destined to come.

Source

I would love for this to become a big movement or a conglomerate company to really go ahead and create more business & trade between these companies.

 

[trynafeelmink]

and while on the topic of black business, i think this was one of the points people were dismissing about Kanye seemingly going on "superficial" rants. He being the materialistic man that he has been, knows first hand how much brand plays on people's emotions and the wealth that these brands accumulate playing on the people's likes and desires.

Many people shot him down and kept on asking why he wouldn't just create his own brand, or why he wasn't satisfied with an "urban" brand and i think this is very relative to what is emerging with the blackout movement. Yes as of now he is signed under Adidas, but the Kanye BRAND is now completely promoted in the same avenues that Adidas are, his brand is going to reach demographics & people who would never play a Kanye CD and be able to catch their attention in other ways.

Him teaming up with such a huge brand allows him to build a basis that he can one day transform into something he completely owns that will not only be black owned but will be held in the same prestige and level that many of the brands blacks pour billions into today and could gradually convert them into supporting black business not just because it's black business, but because it's a black business that is on par or better than the white owned businesses in the same field.

Fashion & technology is such a huge demographic that we completely dictate ( Some of this "culture" influence is discussed in the Childish Gambino interview) yet we don't own the brands or really have control over the brands that do dictate things, For the first time in what seems like forever, the power is slowly shifting from rich black celebs simply promoting an item to them Branding their names along with already established businesses & in another 10 years that could be a very very huge thing for blacks as a whole.

Beats is worth Billions Dr. Dre name is attached to it, Adidas Billions Kanye name attached to it, Revolt Diddy name is attached to it etc etc. This kind of marriage of Branding that these guys are doing with these hugely successful companies is layering the ground work for what can soon become fully black operated businesses and conglomerates.

As it was stated at the end of the video posted above people are going to shop at places they feel they can acquire the best quality & experience, many people equate = experience to overall perception & popularity of the general public. So although their might be a black owned chain of supermarkets every black person isn't going to support it simply based off ownership. They are going to still want to feel assured their getting quality food & service on par with more mainstream stores (ex Walmart). However if that black owned chain had been selling quality items under the walmart umbrella for years and established themself in working with a Grade A Brand it would be much easier for the black demographic to then get on board when that chain store decides to open up on their own.

 

[Quincy McCall]

Was surprised to see how many people on my TL was supporting the movement, wonder how things are in Ferguson right now

 

[drones]

I take Gambino's side in most of this discussion....

In a very abbreviated state... this is a discussion on how black people are limited in things simply due to race & expectations of certain races.

Man Charlemagne is tap dancing hard these days. Anyone ever listened to his podcast? The white guy always shouts him down and takes over the convo especially when they talk about race.

 

[willzway26]

We need more blackout days because I sure missed that first.

Shoot I prob didnt buy anything monday anyway cuz I dont get paid till today

 

[am1x90xnike]

Change for the black community isn't in the streets, its in our hearts, it's in our minds. Looking yourself in the mirror and saying "i love me some me" I love me some baggy jeans, I love me some dope whips, I love me a gold chain, I love me some Maya Angelou, I love me some Rayfuld Edmonds, I love me some Ray Charles, I love me some Chuck Berry, I love me some Cab Calloway, I love me some fresh checks, I love me so Nikki Giovanni, I love me some Kanye, I love me some Jay, I love me some hood ******, I love me some flossin, I love me some stuntin. I love me some fried chicken, I love me some grape drink, I love me some NWA, I love me some me. I'm a walking stereotype, never to be pigeon holed, but I accept every bit of it, it's my culture, it's my life, it's who I am and I don't care what you think about me.

 

[willzway26]

^^^

Bruh can u pass that before it go out

 

[am1x90xnike]

And thats the ish I'm talking about. I talk about loving every part of us, and you think I'm high...currently I am not I'm bout to get into some ***** **** later, blunts and forties...then go to a Law School party...come at.

 

[julius wrek]

Spoiler: By Mary C. Curtis

I still remember it perfectly, more than 10 years later. It’s terrifying to be stopped in your car and approached by first one and then two more white police officers with their hands resting on their holstered guns. I kept my hands in plain sight on the wheel while they inspected my license and registration. On second thought, I recall thinking during the 15-minute stop, perhaps the scruffy sweats and baseball cap that were perfect for my spin class weren’t the best choices when you’re African American and you’ve just bought a red car. (Why didn’t I pick the gray Camry?) I was given a written warning about running a stop sign that I’d actually stopped at, but I knew better than to argue.

“Forty-five percent of blacks say they have experienced racial discrimination by the police at some point in their lives; virtually no whites say they have,” according to a recent New York Times/CBS News nationwide poll. (I’m shocked the 45 percent figure isn’t higher, considering the stories African Americans tell each other all the time.) So when I share the trauma of that particular incident and so many like it – fraught interactions that may have involved a son (stopped driving a nice car in our nice neighborhood), nephew or friend – I expect, first of all, that I will be believed.

Yet whites are, frequently, disappointingly, incredulous. Very often a “friend’s” reaction that goes something like this: “I don’t think a police officer would stop anyone for no reason at all.” Or: “You must have done something suspicious.” Or my favorite: “If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about.” I am not some child coming home with some tall tale, and I am certainly not a delusional liar.

I don’t expect much. Just nodding and acknowledging my words would be enough. Instead, jumping in to explain what must have really happened before I can finish a sentence means that – whether you realize it or not – you’ve shattered an important bond and traveled the distance from friend to acquaintance. I smile, make a mental note, and change the subject, realizing that with this person, topics from now on will be limited to rating entrées at the latest neighborhood bistro or judging whether the new Scorsese film shows the master back in top form.

In the national conversation about race, especially after a well-publicized confrontation like the one in Ferguson this summer, different sides don’t need to agree. But they do have to accept that the other side is speaking sincerely and from the heart. And whites need to believe blacks when we say what we’ve been through.

The discussions I’m talking about are those that have the potential to be most effective—ones that happen naturally, among people of different races who already interact with an easy rapport: the women who sweat together at the gym and compare aches and pains, the moms and dads at the PTA with questions about the new coach, neighbors exchanging tips on backyard gardens. It’s people who already share the ordinary, sometime mundane details of life. From there, it should be easy for one side to give the other the benefit of the doubt. (Yes, America is deeply segregated, but most people do have co-workers of different races; there are opportunities for interaction.)

That’s why it’s especially disappointing when some of the folks whose kids have enjoyed homemade blueberry pie at my kitchen table are the ones who greet my stories with blank stares or worse, excuses. When they deny my life experience, I know the friendship has its boundaries. These are educated people, but I wonder, were they asleep during history class or did they never read a book about the complicated history of America that makes Ferguson about much more than one 18-year-old, one policeman, and one suburban community?

I don’t get upset when a white friend recounts a bad interaction he or she has had with a black person to explain his or her view of me as an exception – much. Though I might recommend that friend get out more. A Public Religion Research Institute survey shows that  the social networks  of whites are more than 90 percent white, the most homogeneous of any group. I might also ask if judging groups rather than individuals is any way to live life or an efficient way to enforce the law, since 90 percent of those stopped in New York City’s stop-and-frisk routine  resulted in nothing  but aggrieved citizens.

Americans will never have a forthright conversation on race unless people listen with open minds. They have to believe, and be willing to learn. And most of all, they need an empathetic imagination. “When asked whether police forces should reflect the racial makeup of the communities they serve, nearly six in 10 blacks say yes; whites are about evenly divided,” wrote the Times. Would whites feel comfortable living in a predominantly white community policed by an overwhelmingly black force? I’ve been there when guests at a neighborhood holiday party congratulate themselves on living in an integrated community – and I’m the only black guest. Reverse the numbers and reflect; that’s all I ask.

Is this conversation – one that depends on racial trust – even possible? Given the episodes I’ve just described, you may wonder that I have any white friends at all. I do. (Insert cliché here.) Amid the more common chats about food and movies and why our kids won’t listen, we have those racial conversations, change each other minds, and agree to disagree. I married one of them. Our styles are completely different, but we respect each other’s experiences and opinions — and that was even before my husband had a black son, or skin in the game, so to speak.

Source

Edit: Forgot to link to source

 

[julius wrek]

 

[spottieottie305]

When Childish Gambino mentions he is a part of this "New Black" movement, what does that mean? I don't follow his music so could someone enlighten me. It sounds dope, but I just want to make sure it is what I think it is.

 

[julius wrek]

When Childish Gambino mentions he is a part of this "New Black" movement, what does that mean? I don't follow his music so could someone enlighten me. It sounds dope, but I just want to make sure it is what I think it is.

It ain't.

Its stupid.

Here is one for ya.

 

[spottieottie305]

Im liking how more people are embracing African sensibilities when it comes to fashion. This video is interesting to say the least.


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[Quincy McCall]

Whoa had no idea pharrel took it there, and ninja's are actually reppin' this?!? My goodness I hope someone stones him with that ether(I mean with words)

 

[AEA18]

"New Black"

You are still old Black to racists

 

[spottieottie305]

julius wrek

I get what Pharrell is saying. To me he's saying that we should use our blackness as a asset and not a crutch. I agree with that, but at the same time we still have to acknowledge that white supremacy does exist and we have to navigate through it.

I thought new black was more or less acknowledging that black people are the true creators and nation builders on some "we are all gods steez." I love how Childish Gambino acknowledges the divinity and creativity of black people. We are the ones who create culture that influences the world, but we haven't been able to monetize it and use it to create opportunities for black people as a whole to excel. There have only been a few to make it through, which is why I think he says rap music is obsolete. It no longer gives the creators a chance to be real... they are forced into a box that fuels white supremacy.

 

[Grine]

"New Black"

You are still old Black to racists

Black to the government, too.

 

[8pm at msg]

Are "New Blacks" cats who felt ostracized from "Old Blacks" because they might've been into things that's different from what's considered the usual for us? Gambino is always talking about how people play him for not "being black enough" and so on...

 

[lolcomin]

I'm not trying to be self hating, but to tell the truth, I've never really gotten along well with most other African-Americans. I was always to "white" and that has stuck with me as i've grown up so that it's wierd when i associate with most of them if they aren't "whitewashed". I grew up in the valley of CA, so i was mainly around white people and didn't really have a major black on black confrontation until 7th grade.

I also don't go out of my way/try to date African American females anymore since they stopped giving me play/i'm too "white".

Just what i wanted to say

 

[spottieottie305]

"New Black"

You are still old Black to racists

Exactly... BUT lets prosper in spite of racism. Like when hip-hop first began. They literally had nothing and look how far the music came. People didn't take it serious and now the dominant society has to acknowledge it because its a world wide phenomena.

To me that should be the "new black".... being proud to be from the hood, from the burbs, wherever you're from and prospering. Being yourself and not fitting into a box that white supremacy says you should be in.

Getting our money, building our communities, and defying the odds even when their stacked against us.

 

[301216baller]

Besides Hispanic folk I really don't have that many friends outside of my race

 

[spottieottie305]

I'm not trying to be self hating, but to tell the truth, I've never really gotten along well with most other African-Americans. I was always to "white" and that has stuck with me as i've grown up so that it's wierd when i associate with most of them if they aren't "whitewashed". I grew up in the valley of CA, so i was mainly around white people and didn't really have a major black on black confrontation until 7th grade.

I also don't go out of my way/try to date African American females anymore since they stopped giving me play/i'm too "white".

Just what i wanted to say

How old are you fam?

 

[julius wrek]

@Julius Wrek

I get what Pharrell is saying. To me he's saying that we should use our blackness as a asset and not a crutch. I agree with that, but at the same time we still have to acknowledge that white supremacy does exist and we have to navigate through it.

I thought new black was more or less acknowledging that black people are the true creators and nation builders on some "we are all gods steez." I love how Childish Gambino acknowledges the divinity and creativity of black people. We are the ones who create culture that influences the world, but we haven't been able to monetize it and use it to create opportunities for black people as a whole to excel. There have only been a few to make it through, which is why I think he says rap music is obsolete. It no longer gives the creators a chance to be real... they are forced into a box that fuels white supremacy.

Use our blackness as an asset?

It was never a detriment!

How in the world would one use it as a crutch?

 

[8pm at msg]

The thing is though Pharrell is speaking from a position of affluence. Doors have opened for him because of his money (and talent). What blows my mind is does he not remember back when he didn't have money that stretched far? Or things that his parents or family members might have went through? That's a blatant slap in the face to them and others.

 

[spottieottie305]

Use our blackness as an asset?

It was never a detriment!

How in the world would one use it as a crutch?

You are 100% correct.

When I say "using blackness as an asset" I mean we could be leveraging our unique perspective and sphere of influence to build communities. It can be a crutch if one doesn't have knowledge of self. For example, some black people don't have any pride and think being black is a curse.