Democracy Now
Friday, November 11th, 2005—We speak with Octavia Butler, one of the few well-known African-American women science fiction writers. For the past thirty years, her work has tackled subjects not normally seen in that genre such as race, the environment and religion.
The Washington Post has called Octavia Butler “one of the finest voices in fiction period. A master storyteller who casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty and ignorance and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature.” Octavia has described herself as an outsider, and "a pessimist, a feminist always, a Black, a quiet egoist, a former Baptist, and an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive."
Octavia Butler wrote her first story when she was ten years old and as she has said, she has been writing ever since. Race and slavery is a recurring theme in her work. Her first novel, Kindred was published in 1979. It tells the story of a black woman who is transported back in time to the antebellum South. The woman has been summoned there to save the life of a white son of a slave owner who turns out to be the woman’s ancestor. Octavia is the author of ten other novels including the Parable of the Sower series. She is the recipient of many awards including the Nebula Award and the MacArthur “genius” award. Her latest book is called Fledgling.
JUAN GONZALEZ: Well, normally we don't spend a lot of time talking about science fiction on Democracy Now!, but today we're joined by one of the preeminent voices writing in the genre today. Octavia Butler is one of the few well-known African American women science fiction writers. For the past 30 years her work has tackled subjects not normally seen in that genre. The Washington Post has called her "one of the finest voices in fiction, period. A master storyteller who casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty, and ignorance and let’s the reader see the terror and the beauty of human nature." Octavia has described herself as an outsider, a "pessimist, a feminist always, a Black, a quiet egoist, a former Baptist, and an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive."
AMY GOODMAN: Octavia Butler wrote her first story when she was 10 years old, and she has said she's been writing ever since. Race and slavery is a recurring theme in her work. Her first novel Kindred was published in 1979. It's a story of a black woman who is transported back in time to the antebellum South. The woman has been summoned there to save the life of a white son of a slave owner, who turns out to be the woman's ancestor. Octavia Butler is the author of ten other novels, including Parable of the Sower series. She's the recipient of many awards, including the MacArthur Genius Award. Her latest book is called Fledgling. Welcome to Democracy Now!
OCTAVIA BUTLER: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: About a vampire?
OCTAVIA BUTLER: Yeah, it was kind of an effort to do something that was more lightweight than what I had been doing. I had been doing the two Parable books -- Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents -- and they were what I call cautionary tales: If we keep misbehaving ourselves, ignoring what we've been ignoring, doing what we've been doing to the environment, for instance, here's what we're liable to wind up with. And I found that I was kind of overwhelmed by what I had done, what I had had to comb through to do it. So eventually I wound up writing a fantasy, a vampire novel.
JUAN GONZALEZ: But you also tell a lot about vampires themselves. The Ina people? Could you talk a little about that?
OCTAVIA BUTLER: Well, of course, I made them up. But one of the things I discovered when I decided to write a vampire novel was that most writers these days who write about vampires make up their own, and it really is a kind of a fantasy matter. You make up the rules and then you follow them.
AMY GOODMAN: Tell us about your protagonist in Fledgling, who this vampire is.
OCTAVIA BUTLER: Ok, she is a --
AMY GOODMAN: "She" is an operative word, I think, to begin with.
OCTAVIA BUTLER: Oh, okay. She is a young girl. You're right. Most vampires I have discovered are men for some reason. I guess it's because Dracula; people are kind of feeding off that. She has amnesia, she's been badly injured, she's been orphaned. And she has no idea what she is or who she is. It turns out she's the first black vampire because of her people's desire for a 24-hour day and her female ancestor's discovery that one of the secrets of the 24-hour day is melanin.
AMY GOODMAN: What do you mean?
OCTAVIA BUTLER: It helps to have some protection from the sun, so her people managed to genetically engineer her. These vampires are a different species. They are not vampires because somebody bit them, so they -- she is genetically engineered to be quite different from her own people. On the other hand, she's not human. So she's kind of alone to begin with. It's just that by the time we meet her she is very much alone, because she knows nothing. She's 53 years old, and all those 53 years have been taken from her.
JUAN GONZALEZ: How did you first start writing science fiction? You grew up in Pasadena --
OCTAVIA BUTLER: Uh huh.
JUAN GONZALEZ: -- and how did you first become attracted to that type of writing?
OCTAVIA BUTLER: Oh, I think I loved it because, well, I fell into writing it because I saw a bad movie -- a movie called Devil Girl From Mars -- and went into competition with it. But I think I stayed with it because it was so wide open, it gave me the chance to comment on every aspect of humanity. People tend to think of science fiction as, oh, Star Wars or Star Trek, and the truth is there are no closed doors, and there are no required formulas. You can go anywhere with it.
AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Octavia Butler, her latest book is Fledgling, wrote the Parable series. As Katrina was happening, in the aftermath of Katrina, a lot of people were talking about Octavia Butler and how the Parable series made them think about that. Explain.
OCTAVIA BUTLER: I wrote the two Parable books back in the 1990s. And they are books about, as I said, what happens because we don't trouble to correct some of the problems that we're brewing for ourselves right now. Global warming is one of those problems. And I was aware of it back in the 1980s. I was reading books about it. And a lot of people were seeing it as politics, as something very iffy, as something they could ignore because nothing was going to come of it tomorrow.
That, and the fact that I think I was paying a lot of attention to education because a lot of my friends were teachers, and the politics of education was getting scarier, it seemed, to me. We were getting to that point where we were thinking more about the building of prisons than of schools and libraries. And I remember while I was working on the novels, my hometown, Pasadena, had a bond issue that they passed to aid libraries, and I was so happy that it passed because so often these things don't. And they had closed a lot of branch libraries and were able to reopen them. So not everybody was going in the wrong direction, but a lot of the country still was. And what I wanted to write was a novel of someone who was coming up with solutions of a sort.
My main character's solution is -- well, grows from another religion that she comes up with. Religion is everywhere. There are no human societies without it, whether they acknowledge it as a religion or not. So I thought religion might be an answer, as well as, in some cases, a problem. And in, for instance, Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, it's both. So I have people who are bringing America to a kind of fascism, because their religion is the only one they're willing to tolerate. On the other hand, I have people who are saying, well, here is another religion, and here are some verses that can help us think in a different way, and here is a destination that isn't something that we have to wait for after we die.
AMY GOODMAN: Octavia Butler, could you read a little from Parable of the Talents.
OCTAVIA BUTLER: I'm going to read a verse or two. And keep in mind these were written early in the 1990s. But I think they apply forever, actually. This first one, I have a character in the books who is, well, someone who is taking the country fascist and who manages to get elected President and, who oddly enough, comes from Texas. And here is one of the things that my character is inspired to write about, this sort of situation. She says: "Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears. To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool. To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen. To be led by a liar is to ask to be lied to. To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery."
And there's one other that I thought I should read, because I see it happening so much. I got the idea for it when I heard someone answer a political question with a political slogan. And he didn't seem to realize that he was quoting somebody. He seemed to have thought that he had a creative thought there. And I wrote this verse: "Beware, all too often we say what we hear others say. We think what we are told that we think. We see what we are permitted to see. Worse, we see what we are told that we see. Repetition and pride are the keys to this. To hear and to see even an obvious lie again and again and again, maybe to say it almost by reflex, and then to defend it because we have said it, and at last to embrace it because we've defended it."
AMY GOODMAN: On that note we'll have to leave it there, but we'll continue it online at Democracynow.org. Octavia Butler.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
NO-PAROLE SENTENCES HAMMER BLACK TEENS
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, BlackNews.com Columnist
CONTACT:
Earl Hutchinson
323-296-6331
hutchinsonreport@aol.com
November 16, 2005—Death penalty opponents were overjoyed at the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last March to join nearly every other nation on the globe and ban teen executions. But that joy should be tempered by yet another appalling fact about America's criminal justice system. The U.S. locks up more juveniles for life without parole than all nations combined. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International count more than 2,000 inmates currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole in U.S. jails. And, as is the case with the death penalty, the no-parole sentences are not race neutral.
Black teens are ten times more likely to receive a no-parole life sentence than white youths. They are even more likely to get those sentences when their victims are white, and they are tried by all-white or majority white juries, and those same juries seldom considered their age as a mitigating factor. Also, a significant number of those sentenced to no-parole sentences did not actually commit murder but were participants in a robbery or were at the scene of the crime when the death occurred. The majority of the teens slapped with the draconian sentence had no prior convictions, and a substantial number were aged 15 or under.
The harsh sentence and the racial disparity is so glaring that former Congressman Ron Dellums and the National Bar Association, an African-American legal group, have demanded that courts, and DAs drastically reform their policy of treating teen offenders as adults when asking for and imposing no parole life sentences. Their plea so far has fallen on deaf ears.
Judges, and juries say that violence is violence no matter the age of the perpetrator, and that punishment must be severe to deter crime. Prosecutors and courts in the 42 states that convict and impose no-parole life sentences on juvenile offenders, with Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan, and Florida, leading the pack, have repeatedly rejected challenges that teen no-parole sentences are a violation of the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Though murder rates have plunged to near record lows, the public is still scared of violent crime, and that especially includes fear of young persons that commit violence. Lawmakers are loath to do anything that make them appear soft on crime. That is still considered the kiss of death for political careers.
Yet, most experts agree that children don't have the same maturity, judgment, or emotional development as adults. In a report on juveniles and the death penalty, Amnesty International found that a number of child offenders sentenced to death suffered severe physical or sexual abuse. Many others were alcohol or drug impaired, or suffered from acute mental illness or brain damage. Nearly all were below average intelligence.
Despite Hollywood sensationalism and media-driven myths about rampaging youth, and the oft-cited example of Florida youth Lionel Tate, who committed murder, and got a relatively lenient sentence only to be accused of committing another crime, most experts insist that children are not natural-born predators. If given proper treatment, counseling, skills training, and education, most can be turned into productive adults.
The irony is that the Supreme Court's ban on executing those who kill as teens may actually work against no-parole reform efforts. The thinking is that since states no longer can execute juvenile offenders, than it's far more humane to sentence them to life sentences. Victims rights advocacy groups claim that taking away the option of no parole sentences for juveniles will weaken crime deterrent. This makes it even tougher to make the case that counseling treatment, and education is the more effective way to redeem young people who commit than harsh sentencing, but it is.
Then there's the question of race. The racial gap between black and white juvenile offenders is vast and troubling. The rush to toss the key on black juveniles has had terrible consequences in black communities. It has increased poverty, fractured families, and further criminalized a generation of young black men.
Those who commit crimes, especially murder, no matter what age they are must be punished, but the punishment should not only fit the crime, it should also fit the age of the person that committed it, and the circumstances that drove them to commit their offenses. If a juvenile offender with the right help can turn their life around, they deserve that chance, and judges should be able to give it to them. The Supreme Court majority that voted to ban juvenile executions called teen executions shameful. They recognized that the practice cannot, nor should not, be justified on moral or legal grounds, and that it was past time to put a stop to them. The same can be said about teen no-parole life sentences.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a columnist for BlackNews.com, an author and political analyst.
For media interviews, contact:
Mr. Hutchinson at 323-296-6331 or hutchinsonreport@aol.com
CONTACT:
Earl Hutchinson
323-296-6331
hutchinsonreport@aol.com
November 16, 2005—Death penalty opponents were overjoyed at the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last March to join nearly every other nation on the globe and ban teen executions. But that joy should be tempered by yet another appalling fact about America's criminal justice system. The U.S. locks up more juveniles for life without parole than all nations combined. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International count more than 2,000 inmates currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole in U.S. jails. And, as is the case with the death penalty, the no-parole sentences are not race neutral.
Black teens are ten times more likely to receive a no-parole life sentence than white youths. They are even more likely to get those sentences when their victims are white, and they are tried by all-white or majority white juries, and those same juries seldom considered their age as a mitigating factor. Also, a significant number of those sentenced to no-parole sentences did not actually commit murder but were participants in a robbery or were at the scene of the crime when the death occurred. The majority of the teens slapped with the draconian sentence had no prior convictions, and a substantial number were aged 15 or under.
The harsh sentence and the racial disparity is so glaring that former Congressman Ron Dellums and the National Bar Association, an African-American legal group, have demanded that courts, and DAs drastically reform their policy of treating teen offenders as adults when asking for and imposing no parole life sentences. Their plea so far has fallen on deaf ears.
Judges, and juries say that violence is violence no matter the age of the perpetrator, and that punishment must be severe to deter crime. Prosecutors and courts in the 42 states that convict and impose no-parole life sentences on juvenile offenders, with Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan, and Florida, leading the pack, have repeatedly rejected challenges that teen no-parole sentences are a violation of the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Though murder rates have plunged to near record lows, the public is still scared of violent crime, and that especially includes fear of young persons that commit violence. Lawmakers are loath to do anything that make them appear soft on crime. That is still considered the kiss of death for political careers.
Yet, most experts agree that children don't have the same maturity, judgment, or emotional development as adults. In a report on juveniles and the death penalty, Amnesty International found that a number of child offenders sentenced to death suffered severe physical or sexual abuse. Many others were alcohol or drug impaired, or suffered from acute mental illness or brain damage. Nearly all were below average intelligence.
Despite Hollywood sensationalism and media-driven myths about rampaging youth, and the oft-cited example of Florida youth Lionel Tate, who committed murder, and got a relatively lenient sentence only to be accused of committing another crime, most experts insist that children are not natural-born predators. If given proper treatment, counseling, skills training, and education, most can be turned into productive adults.
The irony is that the Supreme Court's ban on executing those who kill as teens may actually work against no-parole reform efforts. The thinking is that since states no longer can execute juvenile offenders, than it's far more humane to sentence them to life sentences. Victims rights advocacy groups claim that taking away the option of no parole sentences for juveniles will weaken crime deterrent. This makes it even tougher to make the case that counseling treatment, and education is the more effective way to redeem young people who commit than harsh sentencing, but it is.
Then there's the question of race. The racial gap between black and white juvenile offenders is vast and troubling. The rush to toss the key on black juveniles has had terrible consequences in black communities. It has increased poverty, fractured families, and further criminalized a generation of young black men.
Those who commit crimes, especially murder, no matter what age they are must be punished, but the punishment should not only fit the crime, it should also fit the age of the person that committed it, and the circumstances that drove them to commit their offenses. If a juvenile offender with the right help can turn their life around, they deserve that chance, and judges should be able to give it to them. The Supreme Court majority that voted to ban juvenile executions called teen executions shameful. They recognized that the practice cannot, nor should not, be justified on moral or legal grounds, and that it was past time to put a stop to them. The same can be said about teen no-parole life sentences.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a columnist for BlackNews.com, an author and political analyst.
For media interviews, contact:
Mr. Hutchinson at 323-296-6331 or hutchinsonreport@aol.com
HEART & SOUL FOUNDER REGINALD WARE LAUNCHES NEW HEALTH PORTAL TARGETED TO AFRICAN AMERICANS
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT:
Reginald Ware
BlackDoctor.org, Inc
312-222-1205
ceo@blackdoctor.org
www.blackdoctor.org
Chicago, IL (BlackNews.com) November 16, 2005- Publishing and Internet entrepreneur Reginald Ware, who founded the groundbreaking African-American healthy lifestyle publication Heart & Soul in the mid-90's, has launched BlackDoctor.org - a health portal on the Internet for African Americans.
The website launched November 15th and will provide a much-needed resource to African Americans, who can go to BlackDoctor.org to locate an African-American physician, read about relevant African-American health issues, and find information on a range of healthy lifestyle options. "BlackDoctor.org is the definitive health portal for African Americans," Ware says. "An accurate analogy would be a WebMD for African Americans."
Ware most recently headed sales and development of Black Enterprises TV series, The Black Enterprise Report. He left the position to launch BlackDoctor.org
Everything an African American would need for health is found on BlackDoctor.org. There are centralized locations for Healthy Lifestyle content (Men's Health, Women's Health, etc.) and a Condition Control Center, where visitors can find info on specific diseases from allergy to diabetes. There is also Food/Nutrition (including healthy solutions for weight loss) and Fitness (covering tips for every age group).
"When I created Heart & Soul, I did it because it was the right thing to do for millions of people who I cared about," Ware says. "There is power in doing the right thing. Now we have taken BlackDoctor.org and transitioned over to the interactive platform of the Internet, with the same mission: To improve the quality of life for African Americans."
"When it comes to health, the general population benchmarks don't always apply to Blacks because of genetic, cultural and lifestyle differences," Ware says. "For example, Black males need to start having annual exams for prostate cancer 10 years earlier than white males and breast cancer in Black women often develops at younger ages. Consequently, we need our own credible, trusted resource - BlackDoctor.org that correctly informs us on various health concerns," Ware says.
In addition to creating Heart & Soul magazine, Ware's background includes the creation and development of Winhourly.com, which, in the height of the dotcom craze, was the leading gaming portal on the Internet.
"I believe we are uniquely qualified to make BlackDoctor.org a household name among African Americans," Ware says. "First of all, we have a great editorial product. Second, the timing is right because African Americans are the fastest growing segment of Internet users. Lastly, we have the expertise of marketing health to our audience and a track record of driving extensive traffic to a website."
BlackDoctor.org's primary advertisers will be pharmaceutical companies and other health-oriented advertisers that want to reach Black consumers in the ideal environment.
Ware has enlisted the help of some of the nation's leading physicians and dentists. Dr. Randall Maxey, a kidney specialist, heads up the Medical/Editorial Advisory Board for BlackDoctor.org. Dr. Maxey is past president of the National Medical Association (NMA), where he served on the board for a number of years. Dr. Maxey also works with some of the countrys largest church organizations as the medical director of the Church Health Network. That program provides health screenings and risk reduction education to congregations.
"A website of this nature is long overdue," Dr. Maxey says. "I lecture around the country on `Evidence Based Medicine, which means that more research needs to be done on African Americans so we can establish proper guidelines for prevention and treatment. BlackDoctor.org allows physicians like myself to talk to the masses on a consistent basis. It's a perfect complement to our Church Health Network and other organizations looking to promote healthy living with African Americans."
"The thing that personally intrigues me about BlackDoctor.Org is that our company is full of passionate people who want to change lives for the better," Ware says. "When you combine passion and enthusiasm with singleness of purpose that is the most powerful combination known to mankind. Success is imminent."
Ware is extremely enthusiastic about the prospects for BlackDoctor.org in the marketplace. "I just came off of a successful stint at Black Enterprise where I oversaw the sales and development of their TV series, "The Black Enterprise Report," he says. "We were able to completely sell out the show for two years in a row. That was an exciting time. Now I am back to doing what I feel I am called to do. The challenges are significant, but I like my chances. In fact, I like my chances a lot!"
CONTACT:
Reginald Ware
BlackDoctor.org, Inc
312-222-1205
ceo@blackdoctor.org
www.blackdoctor.org
Chicago, IL (BlackNews.com) November 16, 2005- Publishing and Internet entrepreneur Reginald Ware, who founded the groundbreaking African-American healthy lifestyle publication Heart & Soul in the mid-90's, has launched BlackDoctor.org - a health portal on the Internet for African Americans.
The website launched November 15th and will provide a much-needed resource to African Americans, who can go to BlackDoctor.org to locate an African-American physician, read about relevant African-American health issues, and find information on a range of healthy lifestyle options. "BlackDoctor.org is the definitive health portal for African Americans," Ware says. "An accurate analogy would be a WebMD for African Americans."
Ware most recently headed sales and development of Black Enterprises TV series, The Black Enterprise Report. He left the position to launch BlackDoctor.org
Everything an African American would need for health is found on BlackDoctor.org. There are centralized locations for Healthy Lifestyle content (Men's Health, Women's Health, etc.) and a Condition Control Center, where visitors can find info on specific diseases from allergy to diabetes. There is also Food/Nutrition (including healthy solutions for weight loss) and Fitness (covering tips for every age group).
"When I created Heart & Soul, I did it because it was the right thing to do for millions of people who I cared about," Ware says. "There is power in doing the right thing. Now we have taken BlackDoctor.org and transitioned over to the interactive platform of the Internet, with the same mission: To improve the quality of life for African Americans."
"When it comes to health, the general population benchmarks don't always apply to Blacks because of genetic, cultural and lifestyle differences," Ware says. "For example, Black males need to start having annual exams for prostate cancer 10 years earlier than white males and breast cancer in Black women often develops at younger ages. Consequently, we need our own credible, trusted resource - BlackDoctor.org that correctly informs us on various health concerns," Ware says.
In addition to creating Heart & Soul magazine, Ware's background includes the creation and development of Winhourly.com, which, in the height of the dotcom craze, was the leading gaming portal on the Internet.
"I believe we are uniquely qualified to make BlackDoctor.org a household name among African Americans," Ware says. "First of all, we have a great editorial product. Second, the timing is right because African Americans are the fastest growing segment of Internet users. Lastly, we have the expertise of marketing health to our audience and a track record of driving extensive traffic to a website."
BlackDoctor.org's primary advertisers will be pharmaceutical companies and other health-oriented advertisers that want to reach Black consumers in the ideal environment.
Ware has enlisted the help of some of the nation's leading physicians and dentists. Dr. Randall Maxey, a kidney specialist, heads up the Medical/Editorial Advisory Board for BlackDoctor.org. Dr. Maxey is past president of the National Medical Association (NMA), where he served on the board for a number of years. Dr. Maxey also works with some of the countrys largest church organizations as the medical director of the Church Health Network. That program provides health screenings and risk reduction education to congregations.
"A website of this nature is long overdue," Dr. Maxey says. "I lecture around the country on `Evidence Based Medicine, which means that more research needs to be done on African Americans so we can establish proper guidelines for prevention and treatment. BlackDoctor.org allows physicians like myself to talk to the masses on a consistent basis. It's a perfect complement to our Church Health Network and other organizations looking to promote healthy living with African Americans."
"The thing that personally intrigues me about BlackDoctor.Org is that our company is full of passionate people who want to change lives for the better," Ware says. "When you combine passion and enthusiasm with singleness of purpose that is the most powerful combination known to mankind. Success is imminent."
Ware is extremely enthusiastic about the prospects for BlackDoctor.org in the marketplace. "I just came off of a successful stint at Black Enterprise where I oversaw the sales and development of their TV series, "The Black Enterprise Report," he says. "We were able to completely sell out the show for two years in a row. That was an exciting time. Now I am back to doing what I feel I am called to do. The challenges are significant, but I like my chances. In fact, I like my chances a lot!"
Blacks on Vote If They're Paid, Says Ga. Legislature
Sponsor of disputed Georgia legislation told feds that blacks in her district only vote if they are paid to do so.
By BOB KEMPER in Washington, SONJI JACOBS in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/18/05
The chief sponsor of Georgia's voter identification law told the Justice Department that if black people in her district "are not paid to vote, they don't go to the polls," and that if fewer blacks vote as a result of the new law, it is only because it would end such voting fraud.
The newly released Justice Department memo quoting state Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) was prepared by department lawyers as the federal government considered whether to approve the new law. It also says that despite Republican assurances the law would not disenfranchise elderly, poor and black voters, Susan Laccetti Meyers, the staff adviser for the Georgia House of Representatives, told the Justice Department "the Legislature did not conduct any statistical analysis of the effect of the photo ID requirement on minority voters."
State Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) says the memo 'sounds pretty harsh' but 'was more accurate than not.'
It cites analyses showing that, in fact, the effects of the law — which will require Georgians seeking to vote to present a driver's license or an identification card for which they must pay — could fall disproportionately on blacks. It concludes that the state had failed to show the law would not weaken minority voting strength, and recommends that the attorney general's office formally object to it.
However, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in August approved the law. Last month, a judge suspended the photo ID requirement after finding the law imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and will not effectively combat voter fraud. A lawsuit in the case continues.
A Justice Department spokesman, Eric Holland, on Thursday said the memo was only "a draft that did not include data and analysis from other voting section career attorneys," and that Georgia's law was approved because the department determined that it would not adversely affect minorities. The draft, he said, "was subsequently corrected by the state, and also contains a number of factual errors," though those corrections did not include the statements made by Burmeister and Meyers.
Georgia Democrats reacted angrily to the memo and to reports that the department had approved the voter ID law even though staff attorneys recommended against it. They said the law is the most blatant evidence that Georgia's election laws should remain under federal scrutiny, as required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, despite attempts by Georgia Republicans to free the state from federal oversight.
U.S. Rep. David Scott, an Atlanta Democrat, said he would push the House committee on government oversight to call a hearing into the Justice Department's approval of the law, though even Democrats said it was unlikely that a Republican-controlled committee would investigate the Republican-run department.
"We cannot allow these slaps to go unanswered. We've got to slap back," Scott said at a Capitol Hill news conference held by five of Georgia's six Democratic congressmen. "We are at war."
State Rep. Stan Watson (D-Decatur), chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said reports that the politically appointed leadership of the Justice Department overruled its staff and approved the voter ID law "bears out that the law would hamper blacks, other people of color and the elderly in voting."
According to the memo, Burmeister told the Justice Department that she was "aware of vote-buying in certain precincts" and detailed one episode in which she said former Augusta Mayor Ed McIntyre offered to put her name on a card and then round up black voters and "pay them to vote for the candidates on the card in exchange for $2,000." McIntyre, who died last year, was convicted in 1984 in connection with extortion.
The memo, leaked to The Washington Post, went on to state: "Rep. Burmeister said that if there are fewer black voters because of this bill, it will only be because there is less opportunity for fraud. She said that when black voters in her black precincts are not paid to vote, they do not go to the polls."
Burmeister said Thursday that the memo's record of what she said "was more accurate than not," but added: "That sounds pretty harsh. I don't remember saying those exact words."
"There is other documentation available that proves there is significant cause for voter fraud in Georgia," she said. "We've had counties with dead people voting. We have a history in Georgia that shows there is fraud going on. This [memo] was a letter that was dropped by bureaucrats who want to put a chink in it."
Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, derided Burmeister's remarks.
"It's unbelievable that any elected official would say something like this. It doesn't have any, any merit," Lewis said. "This is an affront to every black voter and would-be black voter not just in my district but in the state of Georgia."
State Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D-Atlanta) called Burmeister's claim "reprehensible demagoguery."
"That is racist," he said. "I think the African-American community deserves an apology."
The memo also states that in defending the Georgia law, Burmeister claimed the voter IDs would not be as difficult to obtain as critics claim because Gov. Sonny Perdue "had passed legislation to mandate a [state Department of Driver Services] office in every county and that individuals can obtain state IDs in Kroger grocery stores."
"Neither statement is correct," the memo concludes.
Perdue spokeswoman Heather Hedrick said Thursday that memo's claims that the voter ID law would adversely affect minority voting doesn't change the governor's support for the measure.
"This is common-sense legislation," Hedrick said. "Under the old rules, an illegal alien could pick up a library card out of the trash and use it to cast a ballot. Voting is a sacred right and it deserves safeguards to prevent fraud."
By BOB KEMPER in Washington, SONJI JACOBS in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/18/05
The chief sponsor of Georgia's voter identification law told the Justice Department that if black people in her district "are not paid to vote, they don't go to the polls," and that if fewer blacks vote as a result of the new law, it is only because it would end such voting fraud.
The newly released Justice Department memo quoting state Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) was prepared by department lawyers as the federal government considered whether to approve the new law. It also says that despite Republican assurances the law would not disenfranchise elderly, poor and black voters, Susan Laccetti Meyers, the staff adviser for the Georgia House of Representatives, told the Justice Department "the Legislature did not conduct any statistical analysis of the effect of the photo ID requirement on minority voters."
State Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) says the memo 'sounds pretty harsh' but 'was more accurate than not.'
It cites analyses showing that, in fact, the effects of the law — which will require Georgians seeking to vote to present a driver's license or an identification card for which they must pay — could fall disproportionately on blacks. It concludes that the state had failed to show the law would not weaken minority voting strength, and recommends that the attorney general's office formally object to it.
However, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in August approved the law. Last month, a judge suspended the photo ID requirement after finding the law imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and will not effectively combat voter fraud. A lawsuit in the case continues.
A Justice Department spokesman, Eric Holland, on Thursday said the memo was only "a draft that did not include data and analysis from other voting section career attorneys," and that Georgia's law was approved because the department determined that it would not adversely affect minorities. The draft, he said, "was subsequently corrected by the state, and also contains a number of factual errors," though those corrections did not include the statements made by Burmeister and Meyers.
Georgia Democrats reacted angrily to the memo and to reports that the department had approved the voter ID law even though staff attorneys recommended against it. They said the law is the most blatant evidence that Georgia's election laws should remain under federal scrutiny, as required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, despite attempts by Georgia Republicans to free the state from federal oversight.
U.S. Rep. David Scott, an Atlanta Democrat, said he would push the House committee on government oversight to call a hearing into the Justice Department's approval of the law, though even Democrats said it was unlikely that a Republican-controlled committee would investigate the Republican-run department.
"We cannot allow these slaps to go unanswered. We've got to slap back," Scott said at a Capitol Hill news conference held by five of Georgia's six Democratic congressmen. "We are at war."
State Rep. Stan Watson (D-Decatur), chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said reports that the politically appointed leadership of the Justice Department overruled its staff and approved the voter ID law "bears out that the law would hamper blacks, other people of color and the elderly in voting."
According to the memo, Burmeister told the Justice Department that she was "aware of vote-buying in certain precincts" and detailed one episode in which she said former Augusta Mayor Ed McIntyre offered to put her name on a card and then round up black voters and "pay them to vote for the candidates on the card in exchange for $2,000." McIntyre, who died last year, was convicted in 1984 in connection with extortion.
The memo, leaked to The Washington Post, went on to state: "Rep. Burmeister said that if there are fewer black voters because of this bill, it will only be because there is less opportunity for fraud. She said that when black voters in her black precincts are not paid to vote, they do not go to the polls."
Burmeister said Thursday that the memo's record of what she said "was more accurate than not," but added: "That sounds pretty harsh. I don't remember saying those exact words."
"There is other documentation available that proves there is significant cause for voter fraud in Georgia," she said. "We've had counties with dead people voting. We have a history in Georgia that shows there is fraud going on. This [memo] was a letter that was dropped by bureaucrats who want to put a chink in it."
Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, derided Burmeister's remarks.
"It's unbelievable that any elected official would say something like this. It doesn't have any, any merit," Lewis said. "This is an affront to every black voter and would-be black voter not just in my district but in the state of Georgia."
State Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D-Atlanta) called Burmeister's claim "reprehensible demagoguery."
"That is racist," he said. "I think the African-American community deserves an apology."
The memo also states that in defending the Georgia law, Burmeister claimed the voter IDs would not be as difficult to obtain as critics claim because Gov. Sonny Perdue "had passed legislation to mandate a [state Department of Driver Services] office in every county and that individuals can obtain state IDs in Kroger grocery stores."
"Neither statement is correct," the memo concludes.
Perdue spokeswoman Heather Hedrick said Thursday that memo's claims that the voter ID law would adversely affect minority voting doesn't change the governor's support for the measure.
"This is common-sense legislation," Hedrick said. "Under the old rules, an illegal alien could pick up a library card out of the trash and use it to cast a ballot. Voting is a sacred right and it deserves safeguards to prevent fraud."
"Blacks on Vote If They're Paid, Says Ga. Voter ID memo stirs tension
Sponsor of disputed Georgia legislation told feds that blacks in her district only vote if they are paid to do so.
By BOB KEMPER in Washington, SONJI JACOBS in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/18/05
The chief sponsor of Georgia's voter identification law told the Justice Department that if black people in her district "are not paid to vote, they don't go to the polls," and that if fewer blacks vote as a result of the new law, it is only because it would end such voting fraud.
The newly released Justice Department memo quoting state Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) was prepared by department lawyers as the federal government considered whether to approve the new law. It also says that despite Republican assurances the law would not disenfranchise elderly, poor and black voters, Susan Laccetti Meyers, the staff adviser for the Georgia House of Representatives, told the Justice Department "the Legislature did not conduct any statistical analysis of the effect of the photo ID requirement on minority voters."
State Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) says the memo 'sounds pretty harsh' but 'was more accurate than not.'
It cites analyses showing that, in fact, the effects of the law — which will require Georgians seeking to vote to present a driver's license or an identification card for which they must pay — could fall disproportionately on blacks. It concludes that the state had failed to show the law would not weaken minority voting strength, and recommends that the attorney general's office formally object to it.
However, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in August approved the law. Last month, a judge suspended the photo ID requirement after finding the law imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and will not effectively combat voter fraud. A lawsuit in the case continues.
A Justice Department spokesman, Eric Holland, on Thursday said the memo was only "a draft that did not include data and analysis from other voting section career attorneys," and that Georgia's law was approved because the department determined that it would not adversely affect minorities. The draft, he said, "was subsequently corrected by the state, and also contains a number of factual errors," though those corrections did not include the statements made by Burmeister and Meyers.
Georgia Democrats reacted angrily to the memo and to reports that the department had approved the voter ID law even though staff attorneys recommended against it. They said the law is the most blatant evidence that Georgia's election laws should remain under federal scrutiny, as required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, despite attempts by Georgia Republicans to free the state from federal oversight.
U.S. Rep. David Scott, an Atlanta Democrat, said he would push the House committee on government oversight to call a hearing into the Justice Department's approval of the law, though even Democrats said it was unlikely that a Republican-controlled committee would investigate the Republican-run department.
"We cannot allow these slaps to go unanswered. We've got to slap back," Scott said at a Capitol Hill news conference held by five of Georgia's six Democratic congressmen. "We are at war."
State Rep. Stan Watson (D-Decatur), chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said reports that the politically appointed leadership of the Justice Department overruled its staff and approved the voter ID law "bears out that the law would hamper blacks, other people of color and the elderly in voting."
According to the memo, Burmeister told the Justice Department that she was "aware of vote-buying in certain precincts" and detailed one episode in which she said former Augusta Mayor Ed McIntyre offered to put her name on a card and then round up black voters and "pay them to vote for the candidates on the card in exchange for $2,000." McIntyre, who died last year, was convicted in 1984 in connection with extortion.
The memo, leaked to The Washington Post, went on to state: "Rep. Burmeister said that if there are fewer black voters because of this bill, it will only be because there is less opportunity for fraud. She said that when black voters in her black precincts are not paid to vote, they do not go to the polls."
Burmeister said Thursday that the memo's record of what she said "was more accurate than not," but added: "That sounds pretty harsh. I don't remember saying those exact words."
"There is other documentation available that proves there is significant cause for voter fraud in Georgia," she said. "We've had counties with dead people voting. We have a history in Georgia that shows there is fraud going on. This [memo] was a letter that was dropped by bureaucrats who want to put a chink in it."
Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, derided Burmeister's remarks.
"It's unbelievable that any elected official would say something like this. It doesn't have any, any merit," Lewis said. "This is an affront to every black voter and would-be black voter not just in my district but in the state of Georgia."
State Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D-Atlanta) called Burmeister's claim "reprehensible demagoguery."
"That is racist," he said. "I think the African-American community deserves an apology."
The memo also states that in defending the Georgia law, Burmeister claimed the voter IDs would not be as difficult to obtain as critics claim because Gov. Sonny Perdue "had passed legislation to mandate a [state Department of Driver Services] office in every county and that individuals can obtain state IDs in Kroger grocery stores."
"Neither statement is correct," the memo concludes.
Perdue spokeswoman Heather Hedrick said Thursday that memo's claims that the voter ID law would adversely affect minority voting doesn't change the governor's support for the measure.
"This is common-sense legislation," Hedrick said. "Under the old rules, an illegal alien could pick up a library card out of the trash and use it to cast a ballot. Voting is a sacred right and it deserves safeguards to prevent fraud."
Sponsor of disputed Georgia legislation told feds that blacks in her district only vote if they are paid to do so.
By BOB KEMPER in Washington, SONJI JACOBS in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/18/05
The chief sponsor of Georgia's voter identification law told the Justice Department that if black people in her district "are not paid to vote, they don't go to the polls," and that if fewer blacks vote as a result of the new law, it is only because it would end such voting fraud.
The newly released Justice Department memo quoting state Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) was prepared by department lawyers as the federal government considered whether to approve the new law. It also says that despite Republican assurances the law would not disenfranchise elderly, poor and black voters, Susan Laccetti Meyers, the staff adviser for the Georgia House of Representatives, told the Justice Department "the Legislature did not conduct any statistical analysis of the effect of the photo ID requirement on minority voters."
State Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) says the memo 'sounds pretty harsh' but 'was more accurate than not.'
It cites analyses showing that, in fact, the effects of the law — which will require Georgians seeking to vote to present a driver's license or an identification card for which they must pay — could fall disproportionately on blacks. It concludes that the state had failed to show the law would not weaken minority voting strength, and recommends that the attorney general's office formally object to it.
However, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in August approved the law. Last month, a judge suspended the photo ID requirement after finding the law imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and will not effectively combat voter fraud. A lawsuit in the case continues.
A Justice Department spokesman, Eric Holland, on Thursday said the memo was only "a draft that did not include data and analysis from other voting section career attorneys," and that Georgia's law was approved because the department determined that it would not adversely affect minorities. The draft, he said, "was subsequently corrected by the state, and also contains a number of factual errors," though those corrections did not include the statements made by Burmeister and Meyers.
Georgia Democrats reacted angrily to the memo and to reports that the department had approved the voter ID law even though staff attorneys recommended against it. They said the law is the most blatant evidence that Georgia's election laws should remain under federal scrutiny, as required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, despite attempts by Georgia Republicans to free the state from federal oversight.
U.S. Rep. David Scott, an Atlanta Democrat, said he would push the House committee on government oversight to call a hearing into the Justice Department's approval of the law, though even Democrats said it was unlikely that a Republican-controlled committee would investigate the Republican-run department.
"We cannot allow these slaps to go unanswered. We've got to slap back," Scott said at a Capitol Hill news conference held by five of Georgia's six Democratic congressmen. "We are at war."
State Rep. Stan Watson (D-Decatur), chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said reports that the politically appointed leadership of the Justice Department overruled its staff and approved the voter ID law "bears out that the law would hamper blacks, other people of color and the elderly in voting."
According to the memo, Burmeister told the Justice Department that she was "aware of vote-buying in certain precincts" and detailed one episode in which she said former Augusta Mayor Ed McIntyre offered to put her name on a card and then round up black voters and "pay them to vote for the candidates on the card in exchange for $2,000." McIntyre, who died last year, was convicted in 1984 in connection with extortion.
The memo, leaked to The Washington Post, went on to state: "Rep. Burmeister said that if there are fewer black voters because of this bill, it will only be because there is less opportunity for fraud. She said that when black voters in her black precincts are not paid to vote, they do not go to the polls."
Burmeister said Thursday that the memo's record of what she said "was more accurate than not," but added: "That sounds pretty harsh. I don't remember saying those exact words."
"There is other documentation available that proves there is significant cause for voter fraud in Georgia," she said. "We've had counties with dead people voting. We have a history in Georgia that shows there is fraud going on. This [memo] was a letter that was dropped by bureaucrats who want to put a chink in it."
Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, derided Burmeister's remarks.
"It's unbelievable that any elected official would say something like this. It doesn't have any, any merit," Lewis said. "This is an affront to every black voter and would-be black voter not just in my district but in the state of Georgia."
State Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D-Atlanta) called Burmeister's claim "reprehensible demagoguery."
"That is racist," he said. "I think the African-American community deserves an apology."
The memo also states that in defending the Georgia law, Burmeister claimed the voter IDs would not be as difficult to obtain as critics claim because Gov. Sonny Perdue "had passed legislation to mandate a [state Department of Driver Services] office in every county and that individuals can obtain state IDs in Kroger grocery stores."
"Neither statement is correct," the memo concludes.
Perdue spokeswoman Heather Hedrick said Thursday that memo's claims that the voter ID law would adversely affect minority voting doesn't change the governor's support for the measure.
"This is common-sense legislation," Hedrick said. "Under the old rules, an illegal alien could pick up a library card out of the trash and use it to cast a ballot. Voting is a sacred right and it deserves safeguards to prevent fraud."
What Use Are Black Mayors?
An Open Letter to the National Conference of Black Political Scientists
by Jerry G. Watts
Target Market News
According to some in the national media, the televised images of New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina may serve as catalysts to reintroduce into the consciousness of Americans (read white Americans) the continuing significance of race and class subjugation in America. Though the awakening of the American public to the existence of horrible inequalities may have been an unintended benefit of Hurricane Katrina, it does not outweigh the naked realization that there was simply no evacuation plan for poor black residents of New Orleans. Within the planning offices of city, state and federal bureaucracies, decisions had been made to ignore the plight and needs of these people. It was as if there was a coordinated “fuck-em” issued from those very agencies that supposedly existed to protect American citizens, including poor black ones. Impoverished black survivors of the New Orleans travesty can never doubt their insignificance in the eyes of the broader American social order. Who can accurately forecast the impact of this stunting realization on their future lives?
Though the events in New Orleans might have brought American racialized poverty into the national spotlight, we know that these images will not endure. After all, Americans suffer from a society-wide case of historical amnesia. Though images of New Orleans will be commercialized by those requisite television mini-series that will undoubtedly emerge from various entertainment outlets, the memories of those actual horrific scenes in New Orleans and the underlying realities that they gave visibility to will quickly fade into oblivion. Besides, even if the media coverage of Katrina’s aftermath forced large numbers of Americans to confront a racially and economically marginalized population in New Orleans, this does not necessarily guarantee that this suffering engaged their moral consciences. White Americans have a long and rich history of recognizing black suffering but excluding it from their universe of moral concern. A less widespread but equally disgusting moral evasion (concerning the black poor) takes place daily among a growing number of blacks, particularly affluent ones.
As a political scientist who studies the political experiences of blacks in the United States, I think that the situation in New Orleans offers scholars of Afro-American politics a unique vessel for reflection. It is high time that we begin to question the analytical premises that have governed a great deal of the scholarship produced in the past few decades by black and white scholars of urban politics. First and foremost, we need to bring under scrutiny all of those analytical paradigms that presume that blacks (always imagined as a collective horde) collectively gain political inclusion or incorporation when black elites enter the ranks of a city’s governing elite. After all, black elites have been part of the governing coalition of New Orleans for almost twenty-five years. During that same period, the black poor of New Orleans have become increasingly entrenched in poverty. Simply put, scholars of black politics need to begin asking questions concerning the viability of urban electoral politics as a mechanism for generating upward mobility of impoverished populations. We may discover that electing black mayors has had a minute impact, if any impact at all, on the upward mobility of the poor.
When I began graduate study in political science during the mid-1970s, I naively assumed that most black politicians were committed to bettering the lives of the least fortunate among us. Certainly I was aware that blacks had historically produced our share of political opportunists and hustlers but I thought that the ethos of the times had generated a widespread political commitment to “race advancement” particularly among those blacks who now sought political office. Having come through the fires of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power era, blacks were creating a “new black politics.” Similarly, those of us who were newly emerging in the scholarly world believed that we would create novel ways of discussing and analyzing this new black politics. Black euphoria had greeted the elections of Carl Stokes in Cleveland, Richard Hatcher in Gary and Kenneth Gibson in Newark. When I entered graduate school in 1975, the inability of these mayors to reverse the declining economic fortunes of their cities had not yet become well known. By the late 1970s, there was sufficient evidence to document the inability of these newly elected black mayors to substantively improve the plight of the poor in their cities.
Our scholarly response to black mayoral failure generally assumed four different types of arguments. One group of scholars assumed that the failure on the part of these black mayors to improve the economic plight of the black poor was due to their weak commitment to these goals. Simply put, we had elected the wrong people. The right persons in office would solve the problem. Another group of scholars argued that these black mayors were utterly powerless to help the black poor. To the extent that the economic elites in these cities remained white, black political figures had limited, if any, true power. In order to gain authentic political control over a city, blacks had to enter the ranks of that city’s economic elite.
The third analytical tendency was a structural one. This framework assumed that the racial identities of a city’s political and economic elites were less significant than the ways in which national and international economic trends influenced a city’s economic fortunes. For instance, the international market for steel would impact the economic fortunes of the American company US Steel which in turn would impact US Steel’s home city of Gary, Indiana. Gary’s mayor, Richard Hatcher could do nothing to head off the decline of US Steel. Yet Hatcher, as mayor, presided over the disastrous social costs of US Steel’s decline.
The final and most dominant tendency among students of black urban politics was to sidestep any type of critical discussion of black elected officials. Instead, black mayors became objects of celebration. They were indicators of the progress of the race. “There were no black mayors in 1950, now there are....” These scholars of black urban politics spent far more energy explaining how a certain black candidate was elected mayor as opposed to explaining whether his election meant anything substantive to the residents of the city.
Many of us did not ask simple but crucial questions. For instance, did black mayors govern in ways that differed from their white predecessors? Were black mayors good for the urban poor? Did black mayors expand housing opportunities for the impoverished? Did they commit more resources to schools in poor and black neighborhoods? Such questions should have been routinely asked and investigated but too often, scholars of black urban politics were so enthralled by the emergence of winning black mayoral candidates that they celebrated their mere elections at the expense of analytically dissecting the impact of these politicians on the broader community. Let me explain:
Before the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, elected black officials in the South were virtually non-existent. Beginning in the mid-1960s with the growth of black majorities in numerous northern big cities, black mayors began to emerge. In most instances the emergence of black mayors in big cities was but an indication of the changing racial demographics. (Tom Bradley in Los Angeles was the major exception to this rule). When the elections of black big city mayors were coupled with the growing number of black elected officials in the South, some scholars of black politics became swept-up in a tide of optimism. But decades later, we can no longer continue to embrace a naive optimism. What has been the impact of these black elected officials on the living conditions of their poor constituents?
What could be a better case study of the failure of black mayors and black elected officials than the situation in New Orleans? How has the election of black mayors in New Orleans (from Morial to Bartholemey to Morial’s son to Ray Nagin, the current mayor, advanced or protected the interests of the black poor in New Orleans? How have these mayoralties protected the interests of the stable black working classes? It is highly possible that black mayors have initiated minor benefits to the black poor but even this has to be investigated and documented.
For instance, we may discover that under black mayors police brutality against the poor is reduced. But maybe even this is an overstatement. Certainly some black mayors have tried to initiate policies that benefit the least fortunate but most black mayors have governed cities with eroding tax bases. In the hopes of improving the tax revenues, we know that many black mayors have championed a Chamber of Commerce agenda. Marion Barry, for all of his claims to be a man of the people, actually was a staunch advocate of the Washington DC Chamber of Commerce. The same can be said for the current mayor of Washington D.C., Anthony Williams.
Why do we scholars of black politics spend so much time explaining how a black became mayor if becoming mayor has so little substantive political importance? Such analyses are utterly technocratic and ultimately establishmentarian. Too often, black political figures are not held accountable by the general public and scholars. But then, this is the norm for American politics in the age of Bill Clinton and George Bush. In the case of blacks, one might wonder just what it was that the younger Morial accomplished as mayor in New Orleans that made him so qualified to chair the National Urban League. Isn’t he and his mayoralty implicated in the New Orleans fiasco? To the extent that students of black politics refuse to raise questions that go against the grain of the premises championed by elected black mayors, the substantive failures of these mayors become our scholarly failures as well.
On one occasion after listening to my criticism, a black mayor of a relatively large city asked me to give him some readings concerning contemporary urban politics/governance that might shed light on new policy/political directions that he might try to take in governing his city. I had to admit to him that much of the literature on black mayors was void of such visions because the analyses were too immersed in legitimating the political existences of black mayors and too little concerned with constructing critiques of their policies.
Part of the problem is that too many black political scientists continue to treat black elected officials as if they are part of an insurgent political formation. This is nonsense. Regardless of their rhetoric, black elected officials are, in varying degrees, part of the political establishment. I remember when Andy Young used to claim that black elected mayors were the vanguard of the continuing civil rights movement. Young’s utter BS should have been seen for the self-serving nonsense that it was. A black mayor of a city today is no more insurgent than I am as a bourgeois black academic in a predominantly white academic setting. Both of us may try to claim to that our personal advancement is a brick hurled against an entrenched racism. Both of us would be guilty of manipulating race to mask our self-interested actions.
Undoubtedly someone will raise the issue of the fiscal constraints placed on black mayors. Certainly, it has been true that many black mayors inherited cities that were fiscally incapable of supporting a decent level of social services for its residents. With the flight of the white middle classes and later, the black middle classes to suburbs, tax bases in majority black cities have severely eroded. No one can expect a black mayor to perform miracles with an underfunded city. In the face of these fiscal realities, it would only make sense for big city mayors to redefine their position. Instead of efficiently managing a budget, the primary task before contemporary big city mayors is to increase the funds coming into their cities. State and federal budgets are the likely sources but they will only relinquish in funding that which is politically necessary. Unless the cities actively put pressure on state and federal political figures, cities will continue to be underfunded. Instead, most big city mayors do everything in their power to give tax breaks, etc. to any and every corporation in the hopes of enticing them to remain in the city or relocate there.
One can wonder why mayors of impoverished cities do not transform themselves into advocates for their impoverished constituents. Instead, they repeatedly campaign as if the mayor’s job was akin to a CEO’s position in a private corporation. Nothing could be more misguided.
One will look in vain for a mayoral candidate who runs for office and tells his potential constituents that there is not enough money in the city’s budget to provided adequate services. Instead mayors lie and campaign for office as if they can “turn-around” impoverished cities.
I once tried to convince a black mayoral candidate of Hartford to relinquish campaign rhetoric about being a more efficient manager of resources than his opponent. I told the candidate that regardless of his or his opponent’s managerial talents, there was not enough money in Hartford to address Hartford’s needs. I suggested that if he won, he should become the leader of protests directed at the Connecticut state legislature and the Connecticut governor. Instead of managing the budget of Hartford, the mayor of Hartford should become a protest leader in behalf of increasing the size of Hartford’s economic pie. Perhaps Hartford’s mayor could join forces with other Connecticut mayors who should have also understood that they were sitting on unsolvable financial bases. In Connecticut this could have meant joining forces with the mayors of New Haven, Bridgeport and Danbury. This Hartford mayoral candidate understood that I was asking him to engage in political activities that would alienate him from the state Democratic Party leaders who were quite content to treat Hartford residents as if they were extraneous citizens of Connecticut.
William O’Neil, the Connecticut Democratic governor at the time, was a rather visionless party hack who had no intention of doing anything innovative or non-innovative in behalf of Connecticut’s poor cities. Why, I wondered, would this Hartford mayoral candidate worry about alienating a governor who was no friend of Hartford? What I did not sufficiently grasp is that those blacks who aspire to be mayors of impoverished cities like Hartford still like to be included in all of the symbolic trappings of power including supposed access to the Governor, etc. In my naiveté, I underestimated the status desires of this black political figure.
At the time, Connecticut was one of the two most affluent states in the nation. Moreover, Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport had poverty rates that placed them among the twenty poorest cities in the nation. It seemed only obvious that a mayor of one of these cities had to find ways to get more resources out of the state. It is important to note that Connecticut abolished counties in the 1950s. Counties exist only in name in Connecticut. As such, Bridgeport, one of Connecticut’s poorest cities, is located in Fairfield County; one of the nation’s richest counties, yet, Bridgeport has no access to any of Fairfield County’s resources.
One of the crucial issues in the Hartford mayor’s race was the decline of the city’s downtown business district. Stores were abandoned and the downtown mall was almost empty. A similar situation existed in New Haven. The gutting of downtown Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven was the result, in large measure, of the building of expansive malls on the outskirts of these cities. Downtown commercial districts in cities with populations smaller than Washington D.C. generally cannot absorb the economic hit caused by the proliferation of suburban malls. Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport were cities with populations hovering between 100,000 to 130,000 thousand residents. Though they were considered cities in relation to other municipalities in Connecticut, they were in population smaller than neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Nevertheless, when the state of Connecticut decided to approve the building of two large suburban malls on the outskirts of Hartford, the state ensured that downtown Hartford would be destroyed. Ditto for downtowns in New Haven and Bridgeport. The decision to build suburban malls was a decision that lay outside the authority of the mayor of Hartford and yet, it was a policy decision that economically devastated the city. In the face of such circumstances, it was ridiculous for mayors to continue to treat their cities as if they were discrete, self-contained entities. The mayors of Hartford could do little to restore downtown. Why, one wonders, did the mayors of these cities not force the general public and the Connecticut state legislature to consider the fact that regional economic decisions made at the state level overwhelmed their ability to financially revitalize the city?
In the case of Hartford, black and white mayors have failed to comprehend the changes that should have occurred in the definition of the job of mayor. The traditional job definition of mayor is no longer functional. Mayors should have taken it as their duty to mobilize their constituents in behalf of greater state funding. Similarly, in cities with poor populations as large as New Orleans, mayors should also have become protest leaders, provided that is, that they wanted to alleviate the suffering of their residents. If it was true that New Orleans was historically financially strapped, the mayors of New Orleans should have used whatever means at their disposal to publicize the plight of their poor constituents. By silently managing their cities, these mayors helped to institutionalize the marginalization of their city’s impoverished population.
Conservatism has been the dominant ideology of American national politics since the election of Jimmy Carter in 1976. For almost thirty years, the White House has been occupied by men who had no commitment to the revitalization of poor urban areas. Poverty is no longer viewed as an issue that can be or even should be addressed. Yet, during this ascendancy of conservatism, little protest activity has emanated from impoverished urban areas. It is as if a black face in the mayor’s office conveyed to city residents a feeling of mayoral concern. If we are ever to begin a movement to attack poverty in America, it will necessitate confronting and challenging black elected officials, particularly black mayors. If we scholars of black politics are ever to contribute to the alleviation of urban poverty, we will have to jettison our long running romance with black elected officials.
Jerry Watts is a professor of Political Science ath the City University of New York Graduate Center. He can be contacted at Jwatts@gc.cuny.edu.
by Jerry G. Watts
Target Market News
According to some in the national media, the televised images of New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina may serve as catalysts to reintroduce into the consciousness of Americans (read white Americans) the continuing significance of race and class subjugation in America. Though the awakening of the American public to the existence of horrible inequalities may have been an unintended benefit of Hurricane Katrina, it does not outweigh the naked realization that there was simply no evacuation plan for poor black residents of New Orleans. Within the planning offices of city, state and federal bureaucracies, decisions had been made to ignore the plight and needs of these people. It was as if there was a coordinated “fuck-em” issued from those very agencies that supposedly existed to protect American citizens, including poor black ones. Impoverished black survivors of the New Orleans travesty can never doubt their insignificance in the eyes of the broader American social order. Who can accurately forecast the impact of this stunting realization on their future lives?
Though the events in New Orleans might have brought American racialized poverty into the national spotlight, we know that these images will not endure. After all, Americans suffer from a society-wide case of historical amnesia. Though images of New Orleans will be commercialized by those requisite television mini-series that will undoubtedly emerge from various entertainment outlets, the memories of those actual horrific scenes in New Orleans and the underlying realities that they gave visibility to will quickly fade into oblivion. Besides, even if the media coverage of Katrina’s aftermath forced large numbers of Americans to confront a racially and economically marginalized population in New Orleans, this does not necessarily guarantee that this suffering engaged their moral consciences. White Americans have a long and rich history of recognizing black suffering but excluding it from their universe of moral concern. A less widespread but equally disgusting moral evasion (concerning the black poor) takes place daily among a growing number of blacks, particularly affluent ones.
As a political scientist who studies the political experiences of blacks in the United States, I think that the situation in New Orleans offers scholars of Afro-American politics a unique vessel for reflection. It is high time that we begin to question the analytical premises that have governed a great deal of the scholarship produced in the past few decades by black and white scholars of urban politics. First and foremost, we need to bring under scrutiny all of those analytical paradigms that presume that blacks (always imagined as a collective horde) collectively gain political inclusion or incorporation when black elites enter the ranks of a city’s governing elite. After all, black elites have been part of the governing coalition of New Orleans for almost twenty-five years. During that same period, the black poor of New Orleans have become increasingly entrenched in poverty. Simply put, scholars of black politics need to begin asking questions concerning the viability of urban electoral politics as a mechanism for generating upward mobility of impoverished populations. We may discover that electing black mayors has had a minute impact, if any impact at all, on the upward mobility of the poor.
When I began graduate study in political science during the mid-1970s, I naively assumed that most black politicians were committed to bettering the lives of the least fortunate among us. Certainly I was aware that blacks had historically produced our share of political opportunists and hustlers but I thought that the ethos of the times had generated a widespread political commitment to “race advancement” particularly among those blacks who now sought political office. Having come through the fires of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power era, blacks were creating a “new black politics.” Similarly, those of us who were newly emerging in the scholarly world believed that we would create novel ways of discussing and analyzing this new black politics. Black euphoria had greeted the elections of Carl Stokes in Cleveland, Richard Hatcher in Gary and Kenneth Gibson in Newark. When I entered graduate school in 1975, the inability of these mayors to reverse the declining economic fortunes of their cities had not yet become well known. By the late 1970s, there was sufficient evidence to document the inability of these newly elected black mayors to substantively improve the plight of the poor in their cities.
Our scholarly response to black mayoral failure generally assumed four different types of arguments. One group of scholars assumed that the failure on the part of these black mayors to improve the economic plight of the black poor was due to their weak commitment to these goals. Simply put, we had elected the wrong people. The right persons in office would solve the problem. Another group of scholars argued that these black mayors were utterly powerless to help the black poor. To the extent that the economic elites in these cities remained white, black political figures had limited, if any, true power. In order to gain authentic political control over a city, blacks had to enter the ranks of that city’s economic elite.
The third analytical tendency was a structural one. This framework assumed that the racial identities of a city’s political and economic elites were less significant than the ways in which national and international economic trends influenced a city’s economic fortunes. For instance, the international market for steel would impact the economic fortunes of the American company US Steel which in turn would impact US Steel’s home city of Gary, Indiana. Gary’s mayor, Richard Hatcher could do nothing to head off the decline of US Steel. Yet Hatcher, as mayor, presided over the disastrous social costs of US Steel’s decline.
The final and most dominant tendency among students of black urban politics was to sidestep any type of critical discussion of black elected officials. Instead, black mayors became objects of celebration. They were indicators of the progress of the race. “There were no black mayors in 1950, now there are....” These scholars of black urban politics spent far more energy explaining how a certain black candidate was elected mayor as opposed to explaining whether his election meant anything substantive to the residents of the city.
Many of us did not ask simple but crucial questions. For instance, did black mayors govern in ways that differed from their white predecessors? Were black mayors good for the urban poor? Did black mayors expand housing opportunities for the impoverished? Did they commit more resources to schools in poor and black neighborhoods? Such questions should have been routinely asked and investigated but too often, scholars of black urban politics were so enthralled by the emergence of winning black mayoral candidates that they celebrated their mere elections at the expense of analytically dissecting the impact of these politicians on the broader community. Let me explain:
Before the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, elected black officials in the South were virtually non-existent. Beginning in the mid-1960s with the growth of black majorities in numerous northern big cities, black mayors began to emerge. In most instances the emergence of black mayors in big cities was but an indication of the changing racial demographics. (Tom Bradley in Los Angeles was the major exception to this rule). When the elections of black big city mayors were coupled with the growing number of black elected officials in the South, some scholars of black politics became swept-up in a tide of optimism. But decades later, we can no longer continue to embrace a naive optimism. What has been the impact of these black elected officials on the living conditions of their poor constituents?
What could be a better case study of the failure of black mayors and black elected officials than the situation in New Orleans? How has the election of black mayors in New Orleans (from Morial to Bartholemey to Morial’s son to Ray Nagin, the current mayor, advanced or protected the interests of the black poor in New Orleans? How have these mayoralties protected the interests of the stable black working classes? It is highly possible that black mayors have initiated minor benefits to the black poor but even this has to be investigated and documented.
For instance, we may discover that under black mayors police brutality against the poor is reduced. But maybe even this is an overstatement. Certainly some black mayors have tried to initiate policies that benefit the least fortunate but most black mayors have governed cities with eroding tax bases. In the hopes of improving the tax revenues, we know that many black mayors have championed a Chamber of Commerce agenda. Marion Barry, for all of his claims to be a man of the people, actually was a staunch advocate of the Washington DC Chamber of Commerce. The same can be said for the current mayor of Washington D.C., Anthony Williams.
Why do we scholars of black politics spend so much time explaining how a black became mayor if becoming mayor has so little substantive political importance? Such analyses are utterly technocratic and ultimately establishmentarian. Too often, black political figures are not held accountable by the general public and scholars. But then, this is the norm for American politics in the age of Bill Clinton and George Bush. In the case of blacks, one might wonder just what it was that the younger Morial accomplished as mayor in New Orleans that made him so qualified to chair the National Urban League. Isn’t he and his mayoralty implicated in the New Orleans fiasco? To the extent that students of black politics refuse to raise questions that go against the grain of the premises championed by elected black mayors, the substantive failures of these mayors become our scholarly failures as well.
On one occasion after listening to my criticism, a black mayor of a relatively large city asked me to give him some readings concerning contemporary urban politics/governance that might shed light on new policy/political directions that he might try to take in governing his city. I had to admit to him that much of the literature on black mayors was void of such visions because the analyses were too immersed in legitimating the political existences of black mayors and too little concerned with constructing critiques of their policies.
Part of the problem is that too many black political scientists continue to treat black elected officials as if they are part of an insurgent political formation. This is nonsense. Regardless of their rhetoric, black elected officials are, in varying degrees, part of the political establishment. I remember when Andy Young used to claim that black elected mayors were the vanguard of the continuing civil rights movement. Young’s utter BS should have been seen for the self-serving nonsense that it was. A black mayor of a city today is no more insurgent than I am as a bourgeois black academic in a predominantly white academic setting. Both of us may try to claim to that our personal advancement is a brick hurled against an entrenched racism. Both of us would be guilty of manipulating race to mask our self-interested actions.
Undoubtedly someone will raise the issue of the fiscal constraints placed on black mayors. Certainly, it has been true that many black mayors inherited cities that were fiscally incapable of supporting a decent level of social services for its residents. With the flight of the white middle classes and later, the black middle classes to suburbs, tax bases in majority black cities have severely eroded. No one can expect a black mayor to perform miracles with an underfunded city. In the face of these fiscal realities, it would only make sense for big city mayors to redefine their position. Instead of efficiently managing a budget, the primary task before contemporary big city mayors is to increase the funds coming into their cities. State and federal budgets are the likely sources but they will only relinquish in funding that which is politically necessary. Unless the cities actively put pressure on state and federal political figures, cities will continue to be underfunded. Instead, most big city mayors do everything in their power to give tax breaks, etc. to any and every corporation in the hopes of enticing them to remain in the city or relocate there.
One can wonder why mayors of impoverished cities do not transform themselves into advocates for their impoverished constituents. Instead, they repeatedly campaign as if the mayor’s job was akin to a CEO’s position in a private corporation. Nothing could be more misguided.
One will look in vain for a mayoral candidate who runs for office and tells his potential constituents that there is not enough money in the city’s budget to provided adequate services. Instead mayors lie and campaign for office as if they can “turn-around” impoverished cities.
I once tried to convince a black mayoral candidate of Hartford to relinquish campaign rhetoric about being a more efficient manager of resources than his opponent. I told the candidate that regardless of his or his opponent’s managerial talents, there was not enough money in Hartford to address Hartford’s needs. I suggested that if he won, he should become the leader of protests directed at the Connecticut state legislature and the Connecticut governor. Instead of managing the budget of Hartford, the mayor of Hartford should become a protest leader in behalf of increasing the size of Hartford’s economic pie. Perhaps Hartford’s mayor could join forces with other Connecticut mayors who should have also understood that they were sitting on unsolvable financial bases. In Connecticut this could have meant joining forces with the mayors of New Haven, Bridgeport and Danbury. This Hartford mayoral candidate understood that I was asking him to engage in political activities that would alienate him from the state Democratic Party leaders who were quite content to treat Hartford residents as if they were extraneous citizens of Connecticut.
William O’Neil, the Connecticut Democratic governor at the time, was a rather visionless party hack who had no intention of doing anything innovative or non-innovative in behalf of Connecticut’s poor cities. Why, I wondered, would this Hartford mayoral candidate worry about alienating a governor who was no friend of Hartford? What I did not sufficiently grasp is that those blacks who aspire to be mayors of impoverished cities like Hartford still like to be included in all of the symbolic trappings of power including supposed access to the Governor, etc. In my naiveté, I underestimated the status desires of this black political figure.
At the time, Connecticut was one of the two most affluent states in the nation. Moreover, Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport had poverty rates that placed them among the twenty poorest cities in the nation. It seemed only obvious that a mayor of one of these cities had to find ways to get more resources out of the state. It is important to note that Connecticut abolished counties in the 1950s. Counties exist only in name in Connecticut. As such, Bridgeport, one of Connecticut’s poorest cities, is located in Fairfield County; one of the nation’s richest counties, yet, Bridgeport has no access to any of Fairfield County’s resources.
One of the crucial issues in the Hartford mayor’s race was the decline of the city’s downtown business district. Stores were abandoned and the downtown mall was almost empty. A similar situation existed in New Haven. The gutting of downtown Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven was the result, in large measure, of the building of expansive malls on the outskirts of these cities. Downtown commercial districts in cities with populations smaller than Washington D.C. generally cannot absorb the economic hit caused by the proliferation of suburban malls. Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport were cities with populations hovering between 100,000 to 130,000 thousand residents. Though they were considered cities in relation to other municipalities in Connecticut, they were in population smaller than neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Nevertheless, when the state of Connecticut decided to approve the building of two large suburban malls on the outskirts of Hartford, the state ensured that downtown Hartford would be destroyed. Ditto for downtowns in New Haven and Bridgeport. The decision to build suburban malls was a decision that lay outside the authority of the mayor of Hartford and yet, it was a policy decision that economically devastated the city. In the face of such circumstances, it was ridiculous for mayors to continue to treat their cities as if they were discrete, self-contained entities. The mayors of Hartford could do little to restore downtown. Why, one wonders, did the mayors of these cities not force the general public and the Connecticut state legislature to consider the fact that regional economic decisions made at the state level overwhelmed their ability to financially revitalize the city?
In the case of Hartford, black and white mayors have failed to comprehend the changes that should have occurred in the definition of the job of mayor. The traditional job definition of mayor is no longer functional. Mayors should have taken it as their duty to mobilize their constituents in behalf of greater state funding. Similarly, in cities with poor populations as large as New Orleans, mayors should also have become protest leaders, provided that is, that they wanted to alleviate the suffering of their residents. If it was true that New Orleans was historically financially strapped, the mayors of New Orleans should have used whatever means at their disposal to publicize the plight of their poor constituents. By silently managing their cities, these mayors helped to institutionalize the marginalization of their city’s impoverished population.
Conservatism has been the dominant ideology of American national politics since the election of Jimmy Carter in 1976. For almost thirty years, the White House has been occupied by men who had no commitment to the revitalization of poor urban areas. Poverty is no longer viewed as an issue that can be or even should be addressed. Yet, during this ascendancy of conservatism, little protest activity has emanated from impoverished urban areas. It is as if a black face in the mayor’s office conveyed to city residents a feeling of mayoral concern. If we are ever to begin a movement to attack poverty in America, it will necessitate confronting and challenging black elected officials, particularly black mayors. If we scholars of black politics are ever to contribute to the alleviation of urban poverty, we will have to jettison our long running romance with black elected officials.
Jerry Watts is a professor of Political Science ath the City University of New York Graduate Center. He can be contacted at Jwatts@gc.cuny.edu.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
San Francisco Museum Launches “I’ve Known Rivers” an International Call for Stories about People of the African Diaspora
PRESS RELEASE
My friend Cheo (below) is working to bring together a worldwide collection of black stories at the new Museum of the African Diaspora in San Fran. And he's looking for writers and photographers for his own cool website,Whatchusay. Check him out...jd
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Cheo Tyehimba
Museum of the African Diaspora
cheo@iveknownrivers.com
(510) 823-8150
San Francisco Museum Launches “I’ve Known Rivers” an International Call for Stories about People of the African Diaspora
SAN FRANCISCO (October 1, 2005) – In Africa it is said that when a griot, or oral historian, dies, “a library has burned to the ground.” In recognition of the fabled tradition of the griot and in an effort to document stories of the African Diaspora, San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) has embarked on a landmark project.
I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Story Project is an unprecedented effort by an international museum to collect, publish, and archive “first voice” narratives about people of African descent. In light of the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and its effect on the lives of thousands of African Americans, this project's story-collecting mission takes on an even greater significance.
An international museum based in San Francisco, California USA, MoAD is scheduled to open in December 2005 and is poised to become one of the world’s pre-eminent cultural institutions. Unlike anything ever offered by a modern museum, I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Story Project will be similar in vision to the historic WPA Federal Writers' Project (1936 -1940), which archived thousands of items, including essays, oral testimony, folklore, and authentic narratives of ex-slaves about life during slavery.
“We are excited about people everywhere sharing inspiring stories which explore our African roots,” said Emmy award winning journalist and MoAD Board President, Belva Davis. “These stories will create an international conversation about what it means for us as a global community to be connected to Africa.”
International Call for Stories
MoAD has issued a global Call for Stories in an effort to collect, publish and
archive authentic stories from throughout the African Diaspora. Stories should be submitted in the form of first-person essay, short fiction, and poem by published and unpublished writers as well as authentic voices from across the African Diaspora. Additionally, the stories must be related to MoAD’s four founding themes: origin, movement, adaptation, and transformation. Stories must be submitted by November 1, 2005.
In partnership with User Logic and funded by the SBC Excelerator Grant, MoAD will begin publishing these selected stories on the museum web site starting Fall 2005 and continue leading up to MoAD’s grand opening in December 2005.
The most highly distinguished twenty-five stories from the entries submitted will be published online and considered for an inaugural hard cover book for the museum.
After the opening, the project will continue to collect and archive stories, creating one of the first international virtual archives of African Diaspora Stories by a modern museum. In addition, the I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Stories Project web site will serve as an online writer’s lab, providing the newest applications in instructional media to assist those in the general public to write their own African Diaspora stories.
Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours? For our Submission Guidelines and to learn how you can write yourself into history, please visit our web site at http://www.iveknownrivers.org/. For more information about the Museum of the African Diaspora visit online at www.moadsf.org
My friend Cheo (below) is working to bring together a worldwide collection of black stories at the new Museum of the African Diaspora in San Fran. And he's looking for writers and photographers for his own cool website,Whatchusay. Check him out...jd
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Cheo Tyehimba
Museum of the African Diaspora
cheo@iveknownrivers.com
(510) 823-8150
San Francisco Museum Launches “I’ve Known Rivers” an International Call for Stories about People of the African Diaspora
SAN FRANCISCO (October 1, 2005) – In Africa it is said that when a griot, or oral historian, dies, “a library has burned to the ground.” In recognition of the fabled tradition of the griot and in an effort to document stories of the African Diaspora, San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) has embarked on a landmark project.
I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Story Project is an unprecedented effort by an international museum to collect, publish, and archive “first voice” narratives about people of African descent. In light of the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and its effect on the lives of thousands of African Americans, this project's story-collecting mission takes on an even greater significance.
An international museum based in San Francisco, California USA, MoAD is scheduled to open in December 2005 and is poised to become one of the world’s pre-eminent cultural institutions. Unlike anything ever offered by a modern museum, I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Story Project will be similar in vision to the historic WPA Federal Writers' Project (1936 -1940), which archived thousands of items, including essays, oral testimony, folklore, and authentic narratives of ex-slaves about life during slavery.
“We are excited about people everywhere sharing inspiring stories which explore our African roots,” said Emmy award winning journalist and MoAD Board President, Belva Davis. “These stories will create an international conversation about what it means for us as a global community to be connected to Africa.”
International Call for Stories
MoAD has issued a global Call for Stories in an effort to collect, publish and
archive authentic stories from throughout the African Diaspora. Stories should be submitted in the form of first-person essay, short fiction, and poem by published and unpublished writers as well as authentic voices from across the African Diaspora. Additionally, the stories must be related to MoAD’s four founding themes: origin, movement, adaptation, and transformation. Stories must be submitted by November 1, 2005.
In partnership with User Logic and funded by the SBC Excelerator Grant, MoAD will begin publishing these selected stories on the museum web site starting Fall 2005 and continue leading up to MoAD’s grand opening in December 2005.
The most highly distinguished twenty-five stories from the entries submitted will be published online and considered for an inaugural hard cover book for the museum.
After the opening, the project will continue to collect and archive stories, creating one of the first international virtual archives of African Diaspora Stories by a modern museum. In addition, the I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Stories Project web site will serve as an online writer’s lab, providing the newest applications in instructional media to assist those in the general public to write their own African Diaspora stories.
Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours? For our Submission Guidelines and to learn how you can write yourself into history, please visit our web site at http://www.iveknownrivers.org/. For more information about the Museum of the African Diaspora visit online at www.moadsf.org
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Job & Contributing Opportunities
BlackBerry Literary Services are enlarging the territory for our First Annual Fiction Contest! And giving you more time to enter!
The First Annual Short Fiction competition is no longer just open to Michigan Residents, but to residents of all the 50 states! We are looking for the absolute best in short fiction, 3500 words or less. The cost to enter this contest is only $12.00, and the first place prize is $500.00! The deadline for all entries is midnight, January 31, 2006 and the winner will be notified by U.S. mail no later than March 31, 2006. We feel that we may have missed out on some good work by limiting the competition. So now, you get your chance to shine. Winners and runners up will be featured in the upcoming literary journal, The BlackBerry Gazette as well. (Coming 2006!) Submit your original, typed double spaced mansucript and entry fee (money order or cashier's check only, please) of $12.00 to:
The First Annual Short Story Competition
BlackBerry Literary Services
2956 Mackin Road
Flint, Michigan 48504
Down Home: A Portrait of the New African American South (an anthology)
Deadline: January 5, 2006
GUIDELINES
Seeking well-crafted fiction, creative and academic non-fiction, and photographs for an anthology addressing the historical, geographical, political, and cultural aspects of being black and southern. Subject matter is not limited but must address the general theme. This anthology transcends the boundaries of the southern states to include the rural black experience; being black and ‘country’ wherever it may be; and/or the Affrilachian experience (being black and Appalachian).
FICTION AND NON-FICTION
Each entrant may submit ONE original, unpublished story or essay, double-spaced. Pages must be stapled and contain page numbers.
All submissions must include: name, snail mail address, email address and phone number(s) for contact.
Submit two copies of the work with SASE and e-mail address for notification.
Manuscripts must be typewritten on 8 _ x 11 paper. Please retain copies of the submission. Manuscripts will not be returned.
PHOTOGRAPHY/ARTWORK
We are accepting a limited number of photographs for this anthology and are open to artwork as well.
Photography/artwork submissions must be thematically based. We are looking for images that depict the above themes that will be compatible with the anthology. We are interested in both portraits of people and landscape and/or interpretive photographs or artwork.
Photography and artwork may be submitted either electronically or through snail mail. Please adhere to the following guidelines:
Electronic submissions
Send an email with three attached images/jpgs (sized at under 100K per
image) to Crwilkin@indiana.edu OR
Send a website address link to Crwilkin@indiana.edu.
Make sure your name and contact information are included in your email.
Postal submissions
Send a NON RETURNABLE CD with low resolution images or send NON RETURNABLE proofs or prints no larger than 8.5" x 11" to:
Crystal Wilkinson, Department of English, Indiana University, 442 Ballantine Hall, Bloomington, IN 47405 E-mail inquiries can be sent to Crwilkin@indiana.edu No phone inquires please. Include a SASE for your submission response.
Make sure your name and contact information are on ALL MATERIALS sent.
DO NOT SEND originals, slides, transparencies or anything of value.
Do not send over-sized materials - nothing larger than 8.5 x 11 inches.
Submit two copies of work with SASE/e-mail address for notification. Manuscripts will not be returned. Send to:
Ujima-Nia Book and Social Club present "It's a Shore Thang" Literary Retreat '06
July 28-30 2006
at the Luxurious Ocean Place Resort and Spa
Package includes: 2 Night Hotel Accommodations, 5 Meals, 6 Hours Open Bar, Live Entertainment..New Orleans Themed Beach Front Jazz Jam, Vendors, and much, much more
Featured authors include: Dywane Birch, "Shattered Souls" and "From My Soul to Yours;" Collen Dixon, "Simon Says" and Relative Secrets;" Angie Daniels, "When it Rains" and "In the Company of My Sistahs;" Dwayne Joseph, "The Womanizers" and "Never Say Never;" Stephanie Johnson, "She's Got Issues" and "Rockin' Robin;" Shannon Davis, "Nothing Like Friends;" Lee Hayes, "Passion Marks;" Angel Hunter, "Aroung the Way Girls" and "Sister Girls"
Proceeds from this event will benefit the inaugural Ujima-Nia Scholarship Fund*
for more information/updates, visit us at www.ujimania.com or call (732) 918-9555
Join us for a weekend of "Fun in the Sun" at the Jersey Shore
Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees
Calls for Submissions
NEW YORK--Lit Noire Publishing, an independent publisher based in New York, is now accepting submissions for Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees. The groundbreaking anthology will feature the work of female poets from around the globe, showcasing the depth and diversity present in the voices of women writers. The anthology will be edited by Brooklyn-based educator, author, poet and entreprenuer, DuEwa M. Frazier. Frazier who is orginally from St. Louis, Missouri, earned the B.A. in English from Hampton University. She is presently completing the M.S.Ed. degree at Fordham University in New York. In addition to being a performance poet and author who travels to colleges, bookstores and poetry venues, to speak and perform, she is also a teacher of drama and writing at a Brooklyn middle
school.
Frazier says of the anthology Check the Rhyme, "This anthology will feature the work of well respected and emerging poets, songwriters and emcees. We would love to even publish the work of some of our greatest poets in this book, such as Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Nikki Giovanni and Rita Dove. The purpose of this anthology is to educate our community on the dynamic voices of women writers and inspire young girls, our next generation of writers. Our female youth are becoming lost within the current popular culture of sex, shock and shake promoted in music and the media, and one of the ways we can help them is through the art of self expression - writing."
To submit, poets should visit www.litnoirepublishing.com for guidelines. Deadline
for submission is March 30, 2006. Publication for Check the Rhyme is set for publication in Fall 2006.
Lit Noire Publishing seeks to promote writers of color (i.e., African American, Caribbean, African, Hispanic), those in our society who are typically "under-published" if you will, yet have quality literature to offer a community of writers and readers. Lit Noire Publishing, P.O. 26183, Brooklyn, NY 11202.
Harlem Arts Salon Writers Workshop in Guadeloupe
Writers Workshop in Guadeloupe. Harlem Arts Salon offers a 2-week summer fiction and poetry workshop from June 4-10, 2006 (fiction) and from June 11-17, 2006 (poetry). Faculty includes acclaimed-novelist Maryse Condé and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott. Program includes workshops, lectures, one-on-one critiques, public readings by faculty, continental breakfast, seaside lodgings. 15 participants per session.
Submit 8 poems or 15 pages of prose with a $35 application fee by October 30, 2005. Harlem Arts Salon, Margaret Porter Troupe, Director, 1925 7th Ave., Ste.
7L, New York, NY 10026. Phone: (212) 749-7771. Fax: (212) 749-7772.
Email: mptroupe@yahoo.com or visit: www.harlemartssalon.com
BILLBOARD AND mtvU PARTNER TO DISCOVER THE NEXT GREAT MUSIC JOURNALISTS
“Student Voice” Contest Gives College Students a Chance to be Published in
Billboard and on mtvU.com
New mtvU and Billboard “Student Eye” Column to Exclusively Feature College Writers
New York, NY (November 21, 2005) – Billboard, the world’s most trusted source of music, video and digital entertainment news, charts, reviews and analysis, and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, announced today a partnership to give college students – who may now write for school papers, blogs or just recreationally – a chance to be published in Billboard magazine, as well as on mtvU.com and Billboard.com.
As part of mtvU and Billboard’s Student Voice contest, college students nationwide are encouraged to respond to three music-related questions posted on mtvU.com by January 30, 2006. Writers that submit the most insightful answers will be invited to participate in an ongoing Finalist Competition Term, where their essays will be published on mtvU.com and Billboard.com. The burgeoning writers’ works will be judged by top industry insiders, and winners will be selected to write an installment of the co-branded mtvU and Billboard “Student Eye” column, a new feature debuting in the March 2006 issue of Billboard. Tamara Conniff, co-executive editor of Billboard magazine, and Christina Norman, President of MTV Networks, are two of the high-profile judges confirmed to participate in the Student Voice contest. Additional judges are to be announced.
“We’re looking forward to offering some of today’s most promising college writers a presence in Billboard and on the newly re-launched Billboard.com, as well as serving as “virtual mentors,” helping the students to further hone their music journalism skills,” said Conniff. “The Student Eye column will be a wonderful complement to the host of new features we’re offering music fans.”
“mtvU was designed as a platform where college students can have their talents and accomplishments recognized on a national level, and we’re excited to extend that platform all the way into one of the world’s premiere music publications,” said Stephen Friedman, GM, mtvU. “College students are prophesying the future of music today, and through this partnership with Billboard, we’ll be able to help unearth and cultivate some of tomorrow’s top music writers.”
To enter the Student Voice Contest, visit Billboard.com or mtvU.com. In addition to being published on mtvU.com and Billboard.com, finalists will also receive a one-year subscription to Billboard magazine. Submissions will be accepted through January 30, 2006 and finalists will be alerted by February 11th.
About Billboard:
Now in its 111th year, Billboard is the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events and brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends. Billboard is the flagship property for the Billboard Information Group, which also consists of Billboard.biz, Billboard.com, Billboard Chart Alert, Billboard Information Network (BIN), Billboard Directories, Billboard Books, Billboard Licensing & Events and Billboard Radio Monitor. Billboard’s many strategic partners include Fox-TV, Microsoft, mForma, Reuters, Sirius Satellite Radio, Telemundo, Univision Radio, ABC Radio Networks, Azteca America and Billboard sister companies Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. These partnerships leverage Billboard’s proprietary data, charts and information resources to develop broadcast entertainment, digital and mobile platforms and contextual commerce applications that expand Billboard’s franchise and consumer reach.
About mtvU
Broadcasting to over 730 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over 6.8 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they hang out, through a three pronged approach -- on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music programming, news, student life features, events, pro-social initiatives and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvu.com.
mtvU Über makes mtvU the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety via broadband, streaming 24/7 and on demand, featuring all of mtvU plus exclusive new music, original shows and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere. mtvU and mtvU Über are part of the Viacom International Inc. family which also owns the MTV Networks programming services MTV, MTV2, VH1, Nickelodeon / Nick at Nite, TV Land, Spike TV, CMT and others.
# # #
For further information, please contact:
Billboard
Mary Ann Kim
646-654-4644
mkim@billboard.com mtvU
Jason Rzepka
212-654-9198
jason.rzepka@mtvstaff.com
MTV/ MTV2/ mtvU
Ariana Urbont
310-752-8079
Ariana.urbont@mtvstaff.com
The Race Museum Looking To Commission Five New Works of Art
The Race Museum is going on tour in Spring 2006
We'd like you to be a part.
Do you believe that race is a social construction that gives white people power and control in our society and preferences white cultural values and norms over all others?
Are you an artist experienced with interactive art that involves the viewer as a participant or even co-creator?
The Race Museum is commissioning 5 new works to become part of its permanent collection and would like you to submit a detailed proposal by December 15th.
Successful submissions will confront the concept of white supremacy, its stories of creation, its links with other oppressions and/or tell stories of resistance to white supremacy. Symbols of “diversity,” e.g. black and white shaking hands, will not be considered.
COMMISSION AWARD: Five artists will be awarded $1000 for each piece paid on receipt of the artwork.
EXHIBITION: As a traveling show, The Race Museum will visit Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and St. Louis in the spring of 2006. Each show will take place over a weekend and accompanied by speakers and workshops that explore issues of race and oppression in our society. The goal of the traveling show is to bring greater awareness to the presence and power of white supremacy in our culture, its intricacies and nuances and how to confront it.
ELIGIBILITY: The exhibition is open to all artists, national and international, working in all media.
All works MUST have some form of audience participation. Paintings/photographs, by themselves, are NOT eligible.
•
All proposals must be received by December 15th, 2005
•
All works should fit within a 10’ x 10’ space (including the room needed for the audience to interact with it) and should be no smaller than 2’ x 2’
•
Proposals will include a sketch (or image) of the proposed installation and a detailed summary explaining the impact, effect and intention of the work.
IMAGE PRESENTATION: Digital files (TIF or JPEG no larger than 15MB) submitted on a CD are the preferred format, but 35mm slides will also be accepted. Include a reference sheet with the title, media and dimensions of the work. Each CD or slide must be numbered and labeled with the artist’s name.
RETURN OF MERCHANDISE: A Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) must be included with sufficient postage for the return of the materials. Proposals without a properly stamped SASE will not be returned. Do not send original artwork.
NOTIFICATION: Artists will be notified of acceptance or non-acceptance no later than January 15th, 2006. Notification will be made by mail or email, whatever is the preference of the artist. Finished works must be received by March 20th. All awards will be granted on receipt of artwork, except in certain cases.
ENTRY FEE: There is no entry fee. Many people will enter as a result, so please make sure you understand our guidelines.
In lieu of an entry fee each proposal must include a summary of the work that answers the following questions.
1 How does this work explore a story of race/white supremacy or a story of resistance to white supremacy
2 How is the work interactive? How does the viewer become a participant with the art and the experience?
3 What is the intention of the work? How does it help people have an encounter with their identities?
The summary should be no less than one page and no more than three pages. Proposals without a summary will not be eligible.
DEADLINE: The final postmarked deadline is December 15th, 2005.
ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFORMATION: Please send all proposals to:
Ian White Maher
PO Box 7578
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116
Inquiries and questions can be sent to info@racemuseum.org
Getting Our Youth to Read: New Anthology and Essay Contest
***New Young Adult Anthology and Essay Contest Designed to Get Our Youth to Read***
Open the Unusual Door: True Life Stories of Adventure, Challenge, and Success by Black Americans
Edited and with an introduction by Barbara Summers
Graphia/Houghton Mifflin, November 28, 2005
Young Adult (13+) Grade Range: Grades 7+
www.opentheunusualdoor.com
An inspiring collection of autobiographical essays that teaches us how to recognize the right door, open it, and find the strength to walk through it.
Derek Jeter * Queen Latifah * Susan Fales-Hill * Colin Powell * Sister Souljah * bell hooks
Dexter Scott King * Antwone Fisher * Lynne Duke * Whoopi Goldberg * Neil de Grasse Tyson
E. Lynn Harris * Michael Cottman * Peter Westbrook * Russell Simmons * Chamique Holdsclaw
For more information, or to schedule an interview or appearance, please contact Felicia Pride, 917.453.0826 or Contact_info@opentheunusualdoor.com.
Early in his career, baseball great, Derek Jeter questioned if he had what it took to become a major sports figure. Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, was a C-average student raised by Jamaican immigrant parents in the Bronx. Lynne Duke, a former Johannesburg bureau chief for The Washington Post, risked her life to detail the horrors of war in the Congo. At a peak in her career, Queen Latifah, rapper, actress, and spokesperson, had to learn how to deal with grief after the loss of her brother. Yet each and every one of these high achievers was able to take advantage of the hand they were dealt to continue on a path towards success.
Barbara Summers, educator, former Ford model, and author of Black and Beautiful: How Women of Color Changed the Fashion Industry, culled sixteen autobiographical essays from a diverse group of African Americans—some famous and others perhaps less well known but equally well respected in their fields—and collected them in this inspirational and thought-provoking anthology that demonstrates how to recognize the many faces of opportunity.
Perfectly sized and packaged for young adults, Open the Unusual Door is a wonderful representation of how others, just like them, turned chance into triumph, made a comeback, or in some cases, learned how to survive. From reading these true life stories, teens will find the power within to recognize that when one door closes, another one opens.
OPEN THE UNUSUAL DOOR ESSAY CONTEST
To harvest literary excitement among teens and emphasize the vital connection between reading and writing, author and educator Barbara Summers, in association with Graphia, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin, is sponsoring the Open the Unusual Door Essay Contest. “Nothing is more fascinating than true life stories”, says Barbara Summers, “what's yours?”
A first, second and third prize of $500, $300, and $200, respectively, will be awarded to the most compelling and best written essays by young people, ages 13 to 18.
Guidelines:
The contest is open to teens ages 13-18. Entrants should read Open the Unusual Door: True Life Stories of Challenge, Adventure, and Success by Black Americans edited by Barbara Summers, to help inform their essay. Entrants should respond to one of the following questions:
1) What essay in Open the Unusual Door interested you the most, and why?
2) How has someone you know opened the unusual door of challenge, adventure or success?
Entries must be typed, double-spaced and a maximum of 750 words. Entries must include the entrant’s name, age, grade, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if applicable). Entries will not be returned. Mail entries to:
Open the Unusual Door Essay Contest
Park West Station
PO BOX 21044
New York, NY 10025
Deadline:
Entries must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2006. The final winners will be selected by Barbara Summers. The winners will be announced in May 2006.
Open the Unusual Door: True Life Stories of Challenge, Adventure, and Success by Black Americans
ISBN: 0618585311
$7.99 Pb 224 pages 5 x 7
Age Range: Young Adult (13+) Grade Range: Grades 7+
Discounts available for bulk purchases, nonprofits and organizations.
TV Chef Needed
The producers of The National Body Challenge, a Discovery Health
Channel program, are looking for a chef who specializes in healthy
Cajun and Southern cuisine who would also be willing to give one or
more on-camera cooking lessons to a particular family from Southern
California. The National Body Challenge is a nationwide program to
teach Americans to eat more healthily and exercise more.
The challenge will kick off on January 15 & 16, 2006 with a 4-hour
special that follows families as they try to transform their lives and lose
weight. On a weekly basis, cameras will document the journey of
selected families as they learn a new & healthy lifestyle.
Info:
Melissa Tallerine
LMNO Productions
15821 Ventura Blvd., Suite 320
Encino, CA 91436
818-382-4313
IN NEED OF HIPHOP FILMS & MUSIC VIDEOS:
Creative Circle Entertainment announces the 2nd Atlanta HipHop Film Festival taking place April 28-30, 2006. The three-day festival grants awards to films influenced by HipHop culture as well as prominent HipHop musicians who have transitioned from music to film. Creative Circle Entertainment welcomes filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad to submit their work for consideration. Last year, the festival had notables: Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, Jason Weaver, Lazy Bone, ReignDrop, Lil Scrappy, Rasheeda, Xstacy of Whodini, Atlanta Falcon’s TJ Duckett, Ralph Farquhar, Jessica Care Moore, to Dylon formerly of Da Band who participated, in addition to seeing award recipients, Ludacris and Mos Def recorded acceptance speeches and a very special live performance of BONE Crusher. Currently accepting all Feature Films, Short Films, Documentaries and Music Videos that celebrate HipHop culture via plot, music and/or characters. Awards will be presented for Best HipHop Feature, Best HipHop Short, Best HipHop Documentary, Best Music Video, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Score, Best HipHop Throwback and Best HipHop Futuristic. Winners will receive an award and gift bag of prizes courtesy of the festival's sponsors. Visit www.AtlHipHopFilmFest.com to download a Film Submission Form. All entries should be mailed to Creative Circle Entertainment, 8200 Mall Parkway Ste. 135-227, Lithonia, GA. 30058. Entries can be submitted prior to December 9, 2005 for an early entry fee of $15. Entries submitted after December 9, 2005 will be a submission fee of $25 up until the deadline of January 13, 2006.
The First Annual Short Fiction competition is no longer just open to Michigan Residents, but to residents of all the 50 states! We are looking for the absolute best in short fiction, 3500 words or less. The cost to enter this contest is only $12.00, and the first place prize is $500.00! The deadline for all entries is midnight, January 31, 2006 and the winner will be notified by U.S. mail no later than March 31, 2006. We feel that we may have missed out on some good work by limiting the competition. So now, you get your chance to shine. Winners and runners up will be featured in the upcoming literary journal, The BlackBerry Gazette as well. (Coming 2006!) Submit your original, typed double spaced mansucript and entry fee (money order or cashier's check only, please) of $12.00 to:
The First Annual Short Story Competition
BlackBerry Literary Services
2956 Mackin Road
Flint, Michigan 48504
Down Home: A Portrait of the New African American South (an anthology)
Deadline: January 5, 2006
GUIDELINES
Seeking well-crafted fiction, creative and academic non-fiction, and photographs for an anthology addressing the historical, geographical, political, and cultural aspects of being black and southern. Subject matter is not limited but must address the general theme. This anthology transcends the boundaries of the southern states to include the rural black experience; being black and ‘country’ wherever it may be; and/or the Affrilachian experience (being black and Appalachian).
FICTION AND NON-FICTION
Each entrant may submit ONE original, unpublished story or essay, double-spaced. Pages must be stapled and contain page numbers.
All submissions must include: name, snail mail address, email address and phone number(s) for contact.
Submit two copies of the work with SASE and e-mail address for notification.
Manuscripts must be typewritten on 8 _ x 11 paper. Please retain copies of the submission. Manuscripts will not be returned.
PHOTOGRAPHY/ARTWORK
We are accepting a limited number of photographs for this anthology and are open to artwork as well.
Photography/artwork submissions must be thematically based. We are looking for images that depict the above themes that will be compatible with the anthology. We are interested in both portraits of people and landscape and/or interpretive photographs or artwork.
Photography and artwork may be submitted either electronically or through snail mail. Please adhere to the following guidelines:
Electronic submissions
Send an email with three attached images/jpgs (sized at under 100K per
image) to Crwilkin@indiana.edu OR
Send a website address link to Crwilkin@indiana.edu.
Make sure your name and contact information are included in your email.
Postal submissions
Send a NON RETURNABLE CD with low resolution images or send NON RETURNABLE proofs or prints no larger than 8.5" x 11" to:
Crystal Wilkinson, Department of English, Indiana University, 442 Ballantine Hall, Bloomington, IN 47405 E-mail inquiries can be sent to Crwilkin@indiana.edu No phone inquires please. Include a SASE for your submission response.
Make sure your name and contact information are on ALL MATERIALS sent.
DO NOT SEND originals, slides, transparencies or anything of value.
Do not send over-sized materials - nothing larger than 8.5 x 11 inches.
Submit two copies of work with SASE/e-mail address for notification. Manuscripts will not be returned. Send to:
Ujima-Nia Book and Social Club present "It's a Shore Thang" Literary Retreat '06
July 28-30 2006
at the Luxurious Ocean Place Resort and Spa
Package includes: 2 Night Hotel Accommodations, 5 Meals, 6 Hours Open Bar, Live Entertainment..New Orleans Themed Beach Front Jazz Jam, Vendors, and much, much more
Featured authors include: Dywane Birch, "Shattered Souls" and "From My Soul to Yours;" Collen Dixon, "Simon Says" and Relative Secrets;" Angie Daniels, "When it Rains" and "In the Company of My Sistahs;" Dwayne Joseph, "The Womanizers" and "Never Say Never;" Stephanie Johnson, "She's Got Issues" and "Rockin' Robin;" Shannon Davis, "Nothing Like Friends;" Lee Hayes, "Passion Marks;" Angel Hunter, "Aroung the Way Girls" and "Sister Girls"
Proceeds from this event will benefit the inaugural Ujima-Nia Scholarship Fund*
for more information/updates, visit us at www.ujimania.com or call (732) 918-9555
Join us for a weekend of "Fun in the Sun" at the Jersey Shore
Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees
Calls for Submissions
NEW YORK--Lit Noire Publishing, an independent publisher based in New York, is now accepting submissions for Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees. The groundbreaking anthology will feature the work of female poets from around the globe, showcasing the depth and diversity present in the voices of women writers. The anthology will be edited by Brooklyn-based educator, author, poet and entreprenuer, DuEwa M. Frazier. Frazier who is orginally from St. Louis, Missouri, earned the B.A. in English from Hampton University. She is presently completing the M.S.Ed. degree at Fordham University in New York. In addition to being a performance poet and author who travels to colleges, bookstores and poetry venues, to speak and perform, she is also a teacher of drama and writing at a Brooklyn middle
school.
Frazier says of the anthology Check the Rhyme, "This anthology will feature the work of well respected and emerging poets, songwriters and emcees. We would love to even publish the work of some of our greatest poets in this book, such as Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Nikki Giovanni and Rita Dove. The purpose of this anthology is to educate our community on the dynamic voices of women writers and inspire young girls, our next generation of writers. Our female youth are becoming lost within the current popular culture of sex, shock and shake promoted in music and the media, and one of the ways we can help them is through the art of self expression - writing."
To submit, poets should visit www.litnoirepublishing.com for guidelines. Deadline
for submission is March 30, 2006. Publication for Check the Rhyme is set for publication in Fall 2006.
Lit Noire Publishing seeks to promote writers of color (i.e., African American, Caribbean, African, Hispanic), those in our society who are typically "under-published" if you will, yet have quality literature to offer a community of writers and readers. Lit Noire Publishing, P.O. 26183, Brooklyn, NY 11202.
Harlem Arts Salon Writers Workshop in Guadeloupe
Writers Workshop in Guadeloupe. Harlem Arts Salon offers a 2-week summer fiction and poetry workshop from June 4-10, 2006 (fiction) and from June 11-17, 2006 (poetry). Faculty includes acclaimed-novelist Maryse Condé and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott. Program includes workshops, lectures, one-on-one critiques, public readings by faculty, continental breakfast, seaside lodgings. 15 participants per session.
Submit 8 poems or 15 pages of prose with a $35 application fee by October 30, 2005. Harlem Arts Salon, Margaret Porter Troupe, Director, 1925 7th Ave., Ste.
7L, New York, NY 10026. Phone: (212) 749-7771. Fax: (212) 749-7772.
Email: mptroupe@yahoo.com or visit: www.harlemartssalon.com
BILLBOARD AND mtvU PARTNER TO DISCOVER THE NEXT GREAT MUSIC JOURNALISTS
“Student Voice” Contest Gives College Students a Chance to be Published in
Billboard and on mtvU.com
New mtvU and Billboard “Student Eye” Column to Exclusively Feature College Writers
New York, NY (November 21, 2005) – Billboard, the world’s most trusted source of music, video and digital entertainment news, charts, reviews and analysis, and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, announced today a partnership to give college students – who may now write for school papers, blogs or just recreationally – a chance to be published in Billboard magazine, as well as on mtvU.com and Billboard.com.
As part of mtvU and Billboard’s Student Voice contest, college students nationwide are encouraged to respond to three music-related questions posted on mtvU.com by January 30, 2006. Writers that submit the most insightful answers will be invited to participate in an ongoing Finalist Competition Term, where their essays will be published on mtvU.com and Billboard.com. The burgeoning writers’ works will be judged by top industry insiders, and winners will be selected to write an installment of the co-branded mtvU and Billboard “Student Eye” column, a new feature debuting in the March 2006 issue of Billboard. Tamara Conniff, co-executive editor of Billboard magazine, and Christina Norman, President of MTV Networks, are two of the high-profile judges confirmed to participate in the Student Voice contest. Additional judges are to be announced.
“We’re looking forward to offering some of today’s most promising college writers a presence in Billboard and on the newly re-launched Billboard.com, as well as serving as “virtual mentors,” helping the students to further hone their music journalism skills,” said Conniff. “The Student Eye column will be a wonderful complement to the host of new features we’re offering music fans.”
“mtvU was designed as a platform where college students can have their talents and accomplishments recognized on a national level, and we’re excited to extend that platform all the way into one of the world’s premiere music publications,” said Stephen Friedman, GM, mtvU. “College students are prophesying the future of music today, and through this partnership with Billboard, we’ll be able to help unearth and cultivate some of tomorrow’s top music writers.”
To enter the Student Voice Contest, visit Billboard.com or mtvU.com. In addition to being published on mtvU.com and Billboard.com, finalists will also receive a one-year subscription to Billboard magazine. Submissions will be accepted through January 30, 2006 and finalists will be alerted by February 11th.
About Billboard:
Now in its 111th year, Billboard is the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events and brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends. Billboard is the flagship property for the Billboard Information Group, which also consists of Billboard.biz, Billboard.com, Billboard Chart Alert, Billboard Information Network (BIN), Billboard Directories, Billboard Books, Billboard Licensing & Events and Billboard Radio Monitor. Billboard’s many strategic partners include Fox-TV, Microsoft, mForma, Reuters, Sirius Satellite Radio, Telemundo, Univision Radio, ABC Radio Networks, Azteca America and Billboard sister companies Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. These partnerships leverage Billboard’s proprietary data, charts and information resources to develop broadcast entertainment, digital and mobile platforms and contextual commerce applications that expand Billboard’s franchise and consumer reach.
About mtvU
Broadcasting to over 730 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over 6.8 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they hang out, through a three pronged approach -- on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music programming, news, student life features, events, pro-social initiatives and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvu.com.
mtvU Über makes mtvU the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety via broadband, streaming 24/7 and on demand, featuring all of mtvU plus exclusive new music, original shows and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere. mtvU and mtvU Über are part of the Viacom International Inc. family which also owns the MTV Networks programming services MTV, MTV2, VH1, Nickelodeon / Nick at Nite, TV Land, Spike TV, CMT and others.
# # #
For further information, please contact:
Billboard
Mary Ann Kim
646-654-4644
mkim@billboard.com mtvU
Jason Rzepka
212-654-9198
jason.rzepka@mtvstaff.com
MTV/ MTV2/ mtvU
Ariana Urbont
310-752-8079
Ariana.urbont@mtvstaff.com
The Race Museum Looking To Commission Five New Works of Art
The Race Museum is going on tour in Spring 2006
We'd like you to be a part.
Do you believe that race is a social construction that gives white people power and control in our society and preferences white cultural values and norms over all others?
Are you an artist experienced with interactive art that involves the viewer as a participant or even co-creator?
The Race Museum is commissioning 5 new works to become part of its permanent collection and would like you to submit a detailed proposal by December 15th.
Successful submissions will confront the concept of white supremacy, its stories of creation, its links with other oppressions and/or tell stories of resistance to white supremacy. Symbols of “diversity,” e.g. black and white shaking hands, will not be considered.
COMMISSION AWARD: Five artists will be awarded $1000 for each piece paid on receipt of the artwork.
EXHIBITION: As a traveling show, The Race Museum will visit Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and St. Louis in the spring of 2006. Each show will take place over a weekend and accompanied by speakers and workshops that explore issues of race and oppression in our society. The goal of the traveling show is to bring greater awareness to the presence and power of white supremacy in our culture, its intricacies and nuances and how to confront it.
ELIGIBILITY: The exhibition is open to all artists, national and international, working in all media.
All works MUST have some form of audience participation. Paintings/photographs, by themselves, are NOT eligible.
•
All proposals must be received by December 15th, 2005
•
All works should fit within a 10’ x 10’ space (including the room needed for the audience to interact with it) and should be no smaller than 2’ x 2’
•
Proposals will include a sketch (or image) of the proposed installation and a detailed summary explaining the impact, effect and intention of the work.
IMAGE PRESENTATION: Digital files (TIF or JPEG no larger than 15MB) submitted on a CD are the preferred format, but 35mm slides will also be accepted. Include a reference sheet with the title, media and dimensions of the work. Each CD or slide must be numbered and labeled with the artist’s name.
RETURN OF MERCHANDISE: A Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) must be included with sufficient postage for the return of the materials. Proposals without a properly stamped SASE will not be returned. Do not send original artwork.
NOTIFICATION: Artists will be notified of acceptance or non-acceptance no later than January 15th, 2006. Notification will be made by mail or email, whatever is the preference of the artist. Finished works must be received by March 20th. All awards will be granted on receipt of artwork, except in certain cases.
ENTRY FEE: There is no entry fee. Many people will enter as a result, so please make sure you understand our guidelines.
In lieu of an entry fee each proposal must include a summary of the work that answers the following questions.
1 How does this work explore a story of race/white supremacy or a story of resistance to white supremacy
2 How is the work interactive? How does the viewer become a participant with the art and the experience?
3 What is the intention of the work? How does it help people have an encounter with their identities?
The summary should be no less than one page and no more than three pages. Proposals without a summary will not be eligible.
DEADLINE: The final postmarked deadline is December 15th, 2005.
ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFORMATION: Please send all proposals to:
Ian White Maher
PO Box 7578
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116
Inquiries and questions can be sent to info@racemuseum.org
Getting Our Youth to Read: New Anthology and Essay Contest
***New Young Adult Anthology and Essay Contest Designed to Get Our Youth to Read***
Open the Unusual Door: True Life Stories of Adventure, Challenge, and Success by Black Americans
Edited and with an introduction by Barbara Summers
Graphia/Houghton Mifflin, November 28, 2005
Young Adult (13+) Grade Range: Grades 7+
www.opentheunusualdoor.com
An inspiring collection of autobiographical essays that teaches us how to recognize the right door, open it, and find the strength to walk through it.
Derek Jeter * Queen Latifah * Susan Fales-Hill * Colin Powell * Sister Souljah * bell hooks
Dexter Scott King * Antwone Fisher * Lynne Duke * Whoopi Goldberg * Neil de Grasse Tyson
E. Lynn Harris * Michael Cottman * Peter Westbrook * Russell Simmons * Chamique Holdsclaw
For more information, or to schedule an interview or appearance, please contact Felicia Pride, 917.453.0826 or Contact_info@opentheunusualdoor.com.
Early in his career, baseball great, Derek Jeter questioned if he had what it took to become a major sports figure. Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, was a C-average student raised by Jamaican immigrant parents in the Bronx. Lynne Duke, a former Johannesburg bureau chief for The Washington Post, risked her life to detail the horrors of war in the Congo. At a peak in her career, Queen Latifah, rapper, actress, and spokesperson, had to learn how to deal with grief after the loss of her brother. Yet each and every one of these high achievers was able to take advantage of the hand they were dealt to continue on a path towards success.
Barbara Summers, educator, former Ford model, and author of Black and Beautiful: How Women of Color Changed the Fashion Industry, culled sixteen autobiographical essays from a diverse group of African Americans—some famous and others perhaps less well known but equally well respected in their fields—and collected them in this inspirational and thought-provoking anthology that demonstrates how to recognize the many faces of opportunity.
Perfectly sized and packaged for young adults, Open the Unusual Door is a wonderful representation of how others, just like them, turned chance into triumph, made a comeback, or in some cases, learned how to survive. From reading these true life stories, teens will find the power within to recognize that when one door closes, another one opens.
OPEN THE UNUSUAL DOOR ESSAY CONTEST
To harvest literary excitement among teens and emphasize the vital connection between reading and writing, author and educator Barbara Summers, in association with Graphia, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin, is sponsoring the Open the Unusual Door Essay Contest. “Nothing is more fascinating than true life stories”, says Barbara Summers, “what's yours?”
A first, second and third prize of $500, $300, and $200, respectively, will be awarded to the most compelling and best written essays by young people, ages 13 to 18.
Guidelines:
The contest is open to teens ages 13-18. Entrants should read Open the Unusual Door: True Life Stories of Challenge, Adventure, and Success by Black Americans edited by Barbara Summers, to help inform their essay. Entrants should respond to one of the following questions:
1) What essay in Open the Unusual Door interested you the most, and why?
2) How has someone you know opened the unusual door of challenge, adventure or success?
Entries must be typed, double-spaced and a maximum of 750 words. Entries must include the entrant’s name, age, grade, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (if applicable). Entries will not be returned. Mail entries to:
Open the Unusual Door Essay Contest
Park West Station
PO BOX 21044
New York, NY 10025
Deadline:
Entries must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2006. The final winners will be selected by Barbara Summers. The winners will be announced in May 2006.
Open the Unusual Door: True Life Stories of Challenge, Adventure, and Success by Black Americans
ISBN: 0618585311
$7.99 Pb 224 pages 5 x 7
Age Range: Young Adult (13+) Grade Range: Grades 7+
Discounts available for bulk purchases, nonprofits and organizations.
TV Chef Needed
The producers of The National Body Challenge, a Discovery Health
Channel program, are looking for a chef who specializes in healthy
Cajun and Southern cuisine who would also be willing to give one or
more on-camera cooking lessons to a particular family from Southern
California. The National Body Challenge is a nationwide program to
teach Americans to eat more healthily and exercise more.
The challenge will kick off on January 15 & 16, 2006 with a 4-hour
special that follows families as they try to transform their lives and lose
weight. On a weekly basis, cameras will document the journey of
selected families as they learn a new & healthy lifestyle.
Info:
Melissa Tallerine
LMNO Productions
15821 Ventura Blvd., Suite 320
Encino, CA 91436
818-382-4313
IN NEED OF HIPHOP FILMS & MUSIC VIDEOS:
Creative Circle Entertainment announces the 2nd Atlanta HipHop Film Festival taking place April 28-30, 2006. The three-day festival grants awards to films influenced by HipHop culture as well as prominent HipHop musicians who have transitioned from music to film. Creative Circle Entertainment welcomes filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad to submit their work for consideration. Last year, the festival had notables: Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, Jason Weaver, Lazy Bone, ReignDrop, Lil Scrappy, Rasheeda, Xstacy of Whodini, Atlanta Falcon’s TJ Duckett, Ralph Farquhar, Jessica Care Moore, to Dylon formerly of Da Band who participated, in addition to seeing award recipients, Ludacris and Mos Def recorded acceptance speeches and a very special live performance of BONE Crusher. Currently accepting all Feature Films, Short Films, Documentaries and Music Videos that celebrate HipHop culture via plot, music and/or characters. Awards will be presented for Best HipHop Feature, Best HipHop Short, Best HipHop Documentary, Best Music Video, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Score, Best HipHop Throwback and Best HipHop Futuristic. Winners will receive an award and gift bag of prizes courtesy of the festival's sponsors. Visit www.AtlHipHopFilmFest.com to download a Film Submission Form. All entries should be mailed to Creative Circle Entertainment, 8200 Mall Parkway Ste. 135-227, Lithonia, GA. 30058. Entries can be submitted prior to December 9, 2005 for an early entry fee of $15. Entries submitted after December 9, 2005 will be a submission fee of $25 up until the deadline of January 13, 2006.
Friday, October 07, 2005
African-American Magazine Summit Draws More Than 100 Publishers, Ad Execs
Target Market News
(November 16, 2005) Target Market News' third annual African-American Magazine Summit attracted a capacity audience at the Time & Life Building in New York this week. The event was co-sponsored by Time Warner, Essence Communications and Magazine Publishers of America. More than 100 publishers and marketing executives heard presentations and panels offer insights on the latest trends in black magazine publishing.
Special Report: The African-American Magazine Summit

More than 100 publishing and marketing executives attended this third annual conference produced by Target Market News, and co-sponsored by MPA, Time Inc. and Essence. The full-day event, which took place November 15 at the Time-Life Building in Manhattan, examined the latest research, trends and opportunities for African-American magazine publishers and advertisers. Following are selected coverage of the event. Click here to view the African-American Magazine Summit photo gallery.
The African-American Magazine Market: Interpreting the Latest Trends and Research Data

Aiesha Powell, Research Director of Johnson Publishing Co., publisher of Ebony and JET, presented the latest research that examines the relationship between black consumers and magazines.
Citing MPA research, Powell stated that 18 consumer magazines targeting the black/ethnic community launched in 2004, a 63% increase over the previous year. She noted that there substantial opportunity in this market, referring to the wide breadth of publications addressing the evolving needs and passions of African-American consumers.
“African-Americans have a passion for print that other racial/ethnic groups cannot rival,” said Powell.
She revealed that African-Americans spend 30 more minutes a week reading magazines than non-Blacks; that nearly half of them have read a magazine the previous day; that in a typical week, an African-American adult will read approximately 4 magazines—reading more magazines that Non-Hispanic Whites, Asian/Other Races, Hispanics or all U.S. adults; and that in a typical month, African-American adults read about 15 magazines, nearly 30% more than the national average. A number of other studies done by Mediamark Research Inc. reinforce the fact that African-Americans are avid consumers of magazines.
African-Americans are also heavy consumers of other media, including TV, newspapers and radio. Powell remarked that many times, advertisers feel that by executing a media plan comprised only of TV, newspapers and radio, they are in fact already over-delivering the African-American population. Powell warned that while from a data standpoint that assessment is accurate, the media plan actually delivers “exposure” rather than “effect.”
Powell pointed to the unique relationship African-Americans share with their magazines. “Our biggest and greatest opportunity lies in our ability to prove to advertisers that there is a difference between “reaching” and “selling,” she said. Consumers’ trust in a magazine enhances the value of media exposure, which in turn leads them to take action.
Powell then presented new research from the MPA-commissioned Northwestern University Magazine Reader Experience Study, which illustrates the intimate connection between African-American readers and their magazines. The study shows that the top experiences that motivate them to read magazines are: “I build relationships by talking about and sharing it”; “I’m touched”; and “It grabs me visually.”
The Relationship Between Editorial Excellence and Business Success

(l-r) Angela Burt Murray, Essence; Derek Dingle, Black Enterprise; and Sheryl Tucker, MONEY
In a panel moderated by Target Market News President Ken Smikle, Black Enterprise VP, Executive Director Derek Dingle, MONEY Executive Editor Sheryl Tucker, and Essence Editor-in-Chief Angela Burt Murray discussed financial coverage in their magazines, brand longevity and hiring African-American talent.
Tucker shared that a few years ago, MONEY did a lot of investing coverage, but when the market started to crash, people were no longer as interested in the financial world. MONEY then had to reevaluate the needs of their readers. “We found there are two kinds of people: those who believe in planning, and those who don’t,” said Tucker. MONEY is a magazine for the former, and the editorial focus has since shifted to stories that address their readers’ financial well-being.
Dingle described the evolution of Black Enterprise from a magazine for entrepreneurs and African-Americans in corporate America to what it is today, a magazine focused on the accumulation of Black wealth. “Our end game is to build multi-generational wealth,” stated Dingle. In light of this, the magazine has lately increased its coverage of investments and home ownership. And, Black Enterprise has expanded beyond the magazine to a radio program, TV program, Internet portal and events, all of which are driven by the magazine’s editorial mission to be “the ultimate guide for financial empowerment.”
Murray said that they are also increasing financial coverage at Essence, as women are starting their own businesses in record rates, and are buying homes—and even second homes. This however, is not the publication’s primary emphasis. According to Murray, Essence uses fashion and beauty to tell the world the story of the African-American woman.
In terms of brand longevity, Tucker believes while not all brands offer a lifestyle component or foster an emotional connection, it’s still vital to the success of a brand to be personally relevant. “Without [that], a magazine is going to die,” she warned.
Murray, on the subject of African-American talent, stated, “Companies should be held accountable for holding them in the ranks.” She remarked that recruiting and retaining top talent is critical to success.
Dingle also expressed the need for more African-American talent, especially writers, in the magazine industry. At Black Enterprise, they are working on creating a pipeline by teaching the younger talent about business. Dingle also encourages publishers to share talent to grow their pool of talent.
Grabbing the Internet Dollars and Other Ways to Leverage Your Brand for Cash

(l-r) Tariq Muhammad, Black Enterprise, and Roy S. Johnson, Sports Illustrated
Tariq Muhammad, Director-Interactive Media, Black Enterprise, and Roy S. Johnson, Assistant Managing Editor, Sports Illustrated, were bullish on economic prospects of migrating hard copy brands to digital platforms.
“We help our readers 24/7,” said Muhammad. “That’s the mantra of our site.”
Johnson stated, “Right now, most of my efforts are focused on creating broadband content for SI.com. It’s become a huge profit center for us.”
As an example, he pointed to the “Inside the NFL” three-minute video program on SI.com, featuring Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King. The segment is edited from the HBO program of the same name. While HBO does not sell ads, the feature on SI.com was sold, according to Johnson, for a six-figure sponsorship deal. “It was new money that was just found,” he said.
Johnson also urged Summit attendees to create new products even at the risk of cannibalization of the hard copy magazine. He said photo galleries were popular, and he advised enhancing them with audio content. After Rosa Parks died, Johnson called friends at Essence and suggested that they create a photo gallery with audio on the magazine’s website about the civil rights pioneer.
Muhammad advised Summit attendees to analyze their web traffic and pay particular attention to interactive functionality on their sites. “The community tells you what they want to read,” he observed.
Muhammad also said that magazine executives did not necessarily need any specialized training to become more deeply involved in the digital side of publishing.
“My technical background comes from Captain Kirk and ‘Deep Space Nine,’” he joked.
Click here to view more photos from the African-American Magazine Summit.
(November 16, 2005) Target Market News' third annual African-American Magazine Summit attracted a capacity audience at the Time & Life Building in New York this week. The event was co-sponsored by Time Warner, Essence Communications and Magazine Publishers of America. More than 100 publishers and marketing executives heard presentations and panels offer insights on the latest trends in black magazine publishing.
Special Report: The African-American Magazine Summit

More than 100 publishing and marketing executives attended this third annual conference produced by Target Market News, and co-sponsored by MPA, Time Inc. and Essence. The full-day event, which took place November 15 at the Time-Life Building in Manhattan, examined the latest research, trends and opportunities for African-American magazine publishers and advertisers. Following are selected coverage of the event. Click here to view the African-American Magazine Summit photo gallery.
The African-American Magazine Market: Interpreting the Latest Trends and Research Data

Aiesha Powell, Research Director of Johnson Publishing Co., publisher of Ebony and JET, presented the latest research that examines the relationship between black consumers and magazines.
Citing MPA research, Powell stated that 18 consumer magazines targeting the black/ethnic community launched in 2004, a 63% increase over the previous year. She noted that there substantial opportunity in this market, referring to the wide breadth of publications addressing the evolving needs and passions of African-American consumers.
“African-Americans have a passion for print that other racial/ethnic groups cannot rival,” said Powell.
She revealed that African-Americans spend 30 more minutes a week reading magazines than non-Blacks; that nearly half of them have read a magazine the previous day; that in a typical week, an African-American adult will read approximately 4 magazines—reading more magazines that Non-Hispanic Whites, Asian/Other Races, Hispanics or all U.S. adults; and that in a typical month, African-American adults read about 15 magazines, nearly 30% more than the national average. A number of other studies done by Mediamark Research Inc. reinforce the fact that African-Americans are avid consumers of magazines.
African-Americans are also heavy consumers of other media, including TV, newspapers and radio. Powell remarked that many times, advertisers feel that by executing a media plan comprised only of TV, newspapers and radio, they are in fact already over-delivering the African-American population. Powell warned that while from a data standpoint that assessment is accurate, the media plan actually delivers “exposure” rather than “effect.”
Powell pointed to the unique relationship African-Americans share with their magazines. “Our biggest and greatest opportunity lies in our ability to prove to advertisers that there is a difference between “reaching” and “selling,” she said. Consumers’ trust in a magazine enhances the value of media exposure, which in turn leads them to take action.
Powell then presented new research from the MPA-commissioned Northwestern University Magazine Reader Experience Study, which illustrates the intimate connection between African-American readers and their magazines. The study shows that the top experiences that motivate them to read magazines are: “I build relationships by talking about and sharing it”; “I’m touched”; and “It grabs me visually.”
The Relationship Between Editorial Excellence and Business Success

(l-r) Angela Burt Murray, Essence; Derek Dingle, Black Enterprise; and Sheryl Tucker, MONEY
In a panel moderated by Target Market News President Ken Smikle, Black Enterprise VP, Executive Director Derek Dingle, MONEY Executive Editor Sheryl Tucker, and Essence Editor-in-Chief Angela Burt Murray discussed financial coverage in their magazines, brand longevity and hiring African-American talent.
Tucker shared that a few years ago, MONEY did a lot of investing coverage, but when the market started to crash, people were no longer as interested in the financial world. MONEY then had to reevaluate the needs of their readers. “We found there are two kinds of people: those who believe in planning, and those who don’t,” said Tucker. MONEY is a magazine for the former, and the editorial focus has since shifted to stories that address their readers’ financial well-being.
Dingle described the evolution of Black Enterprise from a magazine for entrepreneurs and African-Americans in corporate America to what it is today, a magazine focused on the accumulation of Black wealth. “Our end game is to build multi-generational wealth,” stated Dingle. In light of this, the magazine has lately increased its coverage of investments and home ownership. And, Black Enterprise has expanded beyond the magazine to a radio program, TV program, Internet portal and events, all of which are driven by the magazine’s editorial mission to be “the ultimate guide for financial empowerment.”
Murray said that they are also increasing financial coverage at Essence, as women are starting their own businesses in record rates, and are buying homes—and even second homes. This however, is not the publication’s primary emphasis. According to Murray, Essence uses fashion and beauty to tell the world the story of the African-American woman.
In terms of brand longevity, Tucker believes while not all brands offer a lifestyle component or foster an emotional connection, it’s still vital to the success of a brand to be personally relevant. “Without [that], a magazine is going to die,” she warned.
Murray, on the subject of African-American talent, stated, “Companies should be held accountable for holding them in the ranks.” She remarked that recruiting and retaining top talent is critical to success.
Dingle also expressed the need for more African-American talent, especially writers, in the magazine industry. At Black Enterprise, they are working on creating a pipeline by teaching the younger talent about business. Dingle also encourages publishers to share talent to grow their pool of talent.
Grabbing the Internet Dollars and Other Ways to Leverage Your Brand for Cash

(l-r) Tariq Muhammad, Black Enterprise, and Roy S. Johnson, Sports Illustrated
Tariq Muhammad, Director-Interactive Media, Black Enterprise, and Roy S. Johnson, Assistant Managing Editor, Sports Illustrated, were bullish on economic prospects of migrating hard copy brands to digital platforms.
“We help our readers 24/7,” said Muhammad. “That’s the mantra of our site.”
Johnson stated, “Right now, most of my efforts are focused on creating broadband content for SI.com. It’s become a huge profit center for us.”
As an example, he pointed to the “Inside the NFL” three-minute video program on SI.com, featuring Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King. The segment is edited from the HBO program of the same name. While HBO does not sell ads, the feature on SI.com was sold, according to Johnson, for a six-figure sponsorship deal. “It was new money that was just found,” he said.
Johnson also urged Summit attendees to create new products even at the risk of cannibalization of the hard copy magazine. He said photo galleries were popular, and he advised enhancing them with audio content. After Rosa Parks died, Johnson called friends at Essence and suggested that they create a photo gallery with audio on the magazine’s website about the civil rights pioneer.
Muhammad advised Summit attendees to analyze their web traffic and pay particular attention to interactive functionality on their sites. “The community tells you what they want to read,” he observed.
Muhammad also said that magazine executives did not necessarily need any specialized training to become more deeply involved in the digital side of publishing.
“My technical background comes from Captain Kirk and ‘Deep Space Nine,’” he joked.
Click here to view more photos from the African-American Magazine Summit.
HEARST, CONDE NAST TO LAUNCH NEW MAGAZINES
Greenlight Given for 'Weekend' and 'Men’s Vogue'
By Nat Ives
AdAge.com
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a show of confidence in what’s proved to be a challenging time for publishers, two major magazine companies have given the green light to titles that launched as tests this year.
Hearst Magazines said it will publish five issues of Weekend in 2006. Weekend, a lifestyle tome that published twice in 2005, is considered by some an imitation of Time Inc.’s wildly successful Real Simple, not least because both had Susan Wyland as founding editor in chief.
Weekend will have a rate base -- the paid circulation guaranteed to advertisers -- of 300,000 and a cover price of $3.99. (Despite any resemblance between Weekend and Real Simple, the similarities do not extend to rate bases; Real Simple, established in 2000, now has a rate base of 1.8 million.)
Men’s Vogue
Separately, Conde Nast Publications said it will proceed with its foray into a Vogue for George Clooney types everywhere. Men’s Vogue, whose single September issue sold an estimated 150,000 copies on the newsstand and contained 164 ad pages, will publish one spring issue next year, go bi-monthly next fall and print 10 issues during 2007. It will have a rate base of 300,000 and a cover price of $4.95.
William Li was named publisher; he had been associate publisher at Conde Nast sibling The New Yorker since April 2004. Mr. Li will report to Thomas A. Florio, who was named publishing director of Men’s Vogue in addition to his position as VP-publisher for Vogue.
Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue, continues as editorial director of Men’s Vogue. Jay Fielden, editor in chief of the September debut, will continue in that role; he had previously been arts editor at Vogue.
By Nat Ives
AdAge.com
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a show of confidence in what’s proved to be a challenging time for publishers, two major magazine companies have given the green light to titles that launched as tests this year.
Hearst Magazines said it will publish five issues of Weekend in 2006. Weekend, a lifestyle tome that published twice in 2005, is considered by some an imitation of Time Inc.’s wildly successful Real Simple, not least because both had Susan Wyland as founding editor in chief.
Weekend will have a rate base -- the paid circulation guaranteed to advertisers -- of 300,000 and a cover price of $3.99. (Despite any resemblance between Weekend and Real Simple, the similarities do not extend to rate bases; Real Simple, established in 2000, now has a rate base of 1.8 million.)
Men’s Vogue
Separately, Conde Nast Publications said it will proceed with its foray into a Vogue for George Clooney types everywhere. Men’s Vogue, whose single September issue sold an estimated 150,000 copies on the newsstand and contained 164 ad pages, will publish one spring issue next year, go bi-monthly next fall and print 10 issues during 2007. It will have a rate base of 300,000 and a cover price of $4.95.
William Li was named publisher; he had been associate publisher at Conde Nast sibling The New Yorker since April 2004. Mr. Li will report to Thomas A. Florio, who was named publishing director of Men’s Vogue in addition to his position as VP-publisher for Vogue.
Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue, continues as editorial director of Men’s Vogue. Jay Fielden, editor in chief of the September debut, will continue in that role; he had previously been arts editor at Vogue.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
The Re-Launch
My people, my people....The JJ is back - as a blog! Been holding onto some stories for a minute and they're towards the end. Newer items are at the top. Will be updating periodically. Don't forget to scroll to the end and check out the job opportunties.....enjoyceinglife, JD
IN THIS ISSUE...
BET Books Purchased by Harlequin
Target Market News
Vampire Huntress Author LA Banks To Pen Scarface's Early Life
AG Interactive, Def Jam launch Def Connect mobile phone video channel
Target Market News
Fulani Down, But Not Out
Village Voice Blogs
Post-Suede (Mag) Silver Lining
STAYING TOGETHER: The sad story of Suede magazine now has a happy postscript.
Beauty and the Bleach
Los Angeles Times
Please, Save Us From the Pimps
SeeingBlack.com
Blacks Pin Hope on DNA to Fill Slavery's Gaps in Family Trees
New York Times
Atlanta's John Smith Elected Chair of Black Newspaper Publishers
Press Release
The Africa Channel Signs Deal With Cox Communications for U.S. Cable Carriage
Target Market News
What is Right in America - All of Our Young People Are Not Lost
Joseph C. Phillips Column
Real Women Seek Dates, Must Love Technology
New York Times
New York Jails Banning Forced Gynecological Exams for Female Inmates
Black America Web
Christian Retailers Hammered By Price-Cutting Giants (Wal-Mart, Costco, Target)
Ad Age
All Rock, No Action - An African Criticizes Those Trying to Help Africans
New York Times
Racial Disparity Found in Ex-Convict Job Opportunities
Democracy Now!
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
THE SHAMELESS PLUG
PowerFlow Media - Where the Power of Public Relations Meets the Flow of Marketing
Third Quarter 2005: Events featuring PowerFlow Media clients author and journalist Farai Chideya (NPR's News & Notes with Ed Gordon, PopandPolitics.com), ArtsTalk, Call To Womanhood, Heart & Soul Editorial Director Yanick Rice Lamb (Rise and Fly: Tall Tales and Mostly True Rules of Bid Whist), Lori Robinson (I Will Survive: The African-American Guide to Healing from Sexual Assault and Abuse), Moore Black Press (More Than An Athlete by Etan Thomas, The Subtle Art of Breathing by asha bandele), Audra Woodard (Dear Diary Letters From Lana) Fortune Writer Cora Daniels (Black Power Inc: The New Voice of Success), and Evelyn Coleman (Born In Sin).
PowerFlow Pop Quiz: Be the first with the right answer to the question at www.powerflowmedia.com and win a prize!
IN THIS ISSUE...
BET Books Purchased by Harlequin
Target Market News
Vampire Huntress Author LA Banks To Pen Scarface's Early Life
AG Interactive, Def Jam launch Def Connect mobile phone video channel
Target Market News
Fulani Down, But Not Out
Village Voice Blogs
Post-Suede (Mag) Silver Lining
STAYING TOGETHER: The sad story of Suede magazine now has a happy postscript.
Beauty and the Bleach
Los Angeles Times
Please, Save Us From the Pimps
SeeingBlack.com
Blacks Pin Hope on DNA to Fill Slavery's Gaps in Family Trees
New York Times
Atlanta's John Smith Elected Chair of Black Newspaper Publishers
Press Release
The Africa Channel Signs Deal With Cox Communications for U.S. Cable Carriage
Target Market News
What is Right in America - All of Our Young People Are Not Lost
Joseph C. Phillips Column
Real Women Seek Dates, Must Love Technology
New York Times
New York Jails Banning Forced Gynecological Exams for Female Inmates
Black America Web
Christian Retailers Hammered By Price-Cutting Giants (Wal-Mart, Costco, Target)
Ad Age
All Rock, No Action - An African Criticizes Those Trying to Help Africans
New York Times
Racial Disparity Found in Ex-Convict Job Opportunities
Democracy Now!
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
THE SHAMELESS PLUG
PowerFlow Media - Where the Power of Public Relations Meets the Flow of Marketing
Third Quarter 2005: Events featuring PowerFlow Media clients author and journalist Farai Chideya (NPR's News & Notes with Ed Gordon, PopandPolitics.com), ArtsTalk, Call To Womanhood, Heart & Soul Editorial Director Yanick Rice Lamb (Rise and Fly: Tall Tales and Mostly True Rules of Bid Whist), Lori Robinson (I Will Survive: The African-American Guide to Healing from Sexual Assault and Abuse), Moore Black Press (More Than An Athlete by Etan Thomas, The Subtle Art of Breathing by asha bandele), Audra Woodard (Dear Diary Letters From Lana) Fortune Writer Cora Daniels (Black Power Inc: The New Voice of Success), and Evelyn Coleman (Born In Sin).
PowerFlow Pop Quiz: Be the first with the right answer to the question at www.powerflowmedia.com and win a prize!
BET Books Purchased by Harlequin
Target Market News
BET Books being sold to leading romance novel publisher Harlequin
Linda Gill joins company as general manager
(October 6, 2005) BET Books, the publishing arm of Black Entertainment Television, has announced the sale of its book publishing assets to Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. The new ownership deal, expected to close November 30, 2005, positions the imprints Arabesque, Sepia and New Spirit to take full advantage of the world’s largest publisher of women’s fiction; and strategically position itself for growth within the U.S. and around the world.
Company officials say the acquisition will realize a positive gain for all parties, particularly the authors. “This acquisition will fast track a key strategic initiative for Harlequin by offering greater breadth in publishing niches which have the opportunity of creating future growth for the overall Harlequin franchise,” said Donna Hayes, Harlequin Publisher and CEO. “The BET editorial strategy dovetails perfectly with that of Harlequin – romance, women’s fiction and inspirational publishing.”
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 25 languages and sold in 94 international markets. The company produces over 115 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,300 authors from around the world.
“We are excited about the opportunities ahead,” said Linda Gill (above), BET Books Vice President and Publisher who will join Harlequin and retain the position of General Manager. “Merging the publishing programs of our highly acclaimed three imprints with the nascent African-American program at Harlequin is a wonderful challenge which I welcome along with the unparalleled contributions of our authors, outstanding editors and staff.”
Publishing 86 titles in 2005, an increase of 25% since its first full production year in 1999, BET Books has garnered literary praise as the leading publisher of African-American romances with the strong brand Arabesque; and forays into new genres with Sepia, particularly the African-American inspirational fiction imprint New Spirit.
BET Books was formed in 1998 with the acquisition of Arabesque, and the BET cable network developed 13 made-for-television movies based on Arabesque novels which are now available on DVD and VHS. “BET Books has consistently grown during its tenure at BET, and we’re proud of the new authors who have launched their literary careers with us, as well as the best-selling authors who were able to see their characters come to life on the small screen,” said Scott Mills, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BET. “We wish everyone well in this new opportunity with one of the publishing industry’s most strategic companies.”
Kensington Publishing, which has previously provided sales, distribution and management services will continue to solicit orders for BET Books through November 30, 2005.
BET Books being sold to leading romance novel publisher Harlequin
Linda Gill joins company as general manager
(October 6, 2005) BET Books, the publishing arm of Black Entertainment Television, has announced the sale of its book publishing assets to Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. The new ownership deal, expected to close November 30, 2005, positions the imprints Arabesque, Sepia and New Spirit to take full advantage of the world’s largest publisher of women’s fiction; and strategically position itself for growth within the U.S. and around the world.
Company officials say the acquisition will realize a positive gain for all parties, particularly the authors. “This acquisition will fast track a key strategic initiative for Harlequin by offering greater breadth in publishing niches which have the opportunity of creating future growth for the overall Harlequin franchise,” said Donna Hayes, Harlequin Publisher and CEO. “The BET editorial strategy dovetails perfectly with that of Harlequin – romance, women’s fiction and inspirational publishing.”
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 25 languages and sold in 94 international markets. The company produces over 115 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,300 authors from around the world.
“We are excited about the opportunities ahead,” said Linda Gill (above), BET Books Vice President and Publisher who will join Harlequin and retain the position of General Manager. “Merging the publishing programs of our highly acclaimed three imprints with the nascent African-American program at Harlequin is a wonderful challenge which I welcome along with the unparalleled contributions of our authors, outstanding editors and staff.”
Publishing 86 titles in 2005, an increase of 25% since its first full production year in 1999, BET Books has garnered literary praise as the leading publisher of African-American romances with the strong brand Arabesque; and forays into new genres with Sepia, particularly the African-American inspirational fiction imprint New Spirit.
BET Books was formed in 1998 with the acquisition of Arabesque, and the BET cable network developed 13 made-for-television movies based on Arabesque novels which are now available on DVD and VHS. “BET Books has consistently grown during its tenure at BET, and we’re proud of the new authors who have launched their literary careers with us, as well as the best-selling authors who were able to see their characters come to life on the small screen,” said Scott Mills, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BET. “We wish everyone well in this new opportunity with one of the publishing industry’s most strategic companies.”
Kensington Publishing, which has previously provided sales, distribution and management services will continue to solicit orders for BET Books through November 30, 2005.
Vampire Huntress Author LA Banks To Pen Scarface's Early Life
L.A. BANKS
INKS NEW DEAL WITH
DARK HORSE PUBLISHING
St. Martin's Press Best-selling Vampire Huntress
Legends Author, L.A. Banks, who also writes the hot,
four-book 'white-collar crime' series, "Betrayal of
the Trust" for Kensington/Dafina as, Leslie Esdaile
Banks, and numerous romance titles under pen name,
Leslie Esdaile, has just inked another deal!
L.A. Banks has been contracted to write the
novelization of the Universal Studios classic movie,
Scarface, by Dark Horse Publishing. Banks' project
is scheduled for release in 2006, and will focus on
the character Tony Montana's life two years before
he came to America during his early rise to kingpin
status.
This current deal is her second foray into turning
classics that have been represented on the big and
little screens into novels. Her first project was
creating original novels based upon the famed cable
television series, Soul Food, by Paramount Studios,
with the novels published by Simon and
Schuster/Pocketbooks. The Scarface project will
utilize her adept handling of crime characters and
her ability to develop dark, psychological profiles
found in her Vampire Huntress Legends.
To learn more about the full breadth and depth of
Banks' works, visit her website at
www.LeslieEsdaileBanks.com
INKS NEW DEAL WITH
DARK HORSE PUBLISHING
St. Martin's Press Best-selling Vampire Huntress
Legends Author, L.A. Banks, who also writes the hot,
four-book 'white-collar crime' series, "Betrayal of
the Trust" for Kensington/Dafina as, Leslie Esdaile
Banks, and numerous romance titles under pen name,
Leslie Esdaile, has just inked another deal!
L.A. Banks has been contracted to write the
novelization of the Universal Studios classic movie,
Scarface, by Dark Horse Publishing. Banks' project
is scheduled for release in 2006, and will focus on
the character Tony Montana's life two years before
he came to America during his early rise to kingpin
status.
This current deal is her second foray into turning
classics that have been represented on the big and
little screens into novels. Her first project was
creating original novels based upon the famed cable
television series, Soul Food, by Paramount Studios,
with the novels published by Simon and
Schuster/Pocketbooks. The Scarface project will
utilize her adept handling of crime characters and
her ability to develop dark, psychological profiles
found in her Vampire Huntress Legends.
To learn more about the full breadth and depth of
Banks' works, visit her website at
www.LeslieEsdaileBanks.com
AG Interactive, Def Jam launch Def Connect mobile phone video channel
Target Market News Thursday Sept. 22
(Sept. 22, 2005) AG Interactive, the new media subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation and Def Jam Enterprises, today announced Def Connect. The service offers six channels of exclusive, made-for-mobile video content including Comedy, Poetry, Ride With Funkmaster Flex, Entertainers Classic Rucker Park, Ralph McDaniel's Video Music Box, and History Makers.
Def Connect considers itself the most comprehensive Hip Hop video service available for mobile platforms today. AG Interactive and Def Jam Enterprises created hundreds of hours of new video content through exclusive partnerships in media and entertainment, dramatically expanding its Def Jam Mobile portfolio.
"AG Interactive provides the widest range of mobile content to consumers worldwide through the most extensive distribution channels including mobile, instant messenger, and online," stated Bryan Biniak, senior vice president, AG Interactive.
"With Def Connect, we're providing original programming to both entertain as well as merchandise Def Jam Mobile's market-leading portfolio of mobile personalization, games, news, and messaging products."
"The hip hop lifestyle has proven to be a global financial powerhouse," stated Russell Simmons (above), CEO, Rush Communications. "The launch of Def Jam Mobile represents more than music. It represents the entire hip hop lifestyle including games, film, television, video, comedy, sports, fashion, and news."
Def Connect will be distributed through carriers globally on a subscription and pay-per-view basis, launching first on O2 in the United Kingdom. Def Connect takes advantage of the proliferation of rapidly expanding wireless networks which enable consumers to access media and entertainment.
Def Connect will provide new episodes for its six channels on a weekly basis, keeping the content fresh and providing something new for hip hops fans to look forward to.
(Sept. 22, 2005) AG Interactive, the new media subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation and Def Jam Enterprises, today announced Def Connect. The service offers six channels of exclusive, made-for-mobile video content including Comedy, Poetry, Ride With Funkmaster Flex, Entertainers Classic Rucker Park, Ralph McDaniel's Video Music Box, and History Makers.
Def Connect considers itself the most comprehensive Hip Hop video service available for mobile platforms today. AG Interactive and Def Jam Enterprises created hundreds of hours of new video content through exclusive partnerships in media and entertainment, dramatically expanding its Def Jam Mobile portfolio.
"AG Interactive provides the widest range of mobile content to consumers worldwide through the most extensive distribution channels including mobile, instant messenger, and online," stated Bryan Biniak, senior vice president, AG Interactive.
"With Def Connect, we're providing original programming to both entertain as well as merchandise Def Jam Mobile's market-leading portfolio of mobile personalization, games, news, and messaging products."
"The hip hop lifestyle has proven to be a global financial powerhouse," stated Russell Simmons (above), CEO, Rush Communications. "The launch of Def Jam Mobile represents more than music. It represents the entire hip hop lifestyle including games, film, television, video, comedy, sports, fashion, and news."
Def Connect will be distributed through carriers globally on a subscription and pay-per-view basis, launching first on O2 in the United Kingdom. Def Connect takes advantage of the proliferation of rapidly expanding wireless networks which enable consumers to access media and entertainment.
Def Connect will provide new episodes for its six channels on a weekly basis, keeping the content fresh and providing something new for hip hops fans to look forward to.
Fulani Down, But Not Out
Village Voice Blogs
By Tom Robbins | September 19, 2005
Moments after Lenora Fulani and five close allies lost a lop-sided vote booting them from the executive committee of the state's Independence Party yesterday, she was asked what effect it had on the New York City party chapters, where she and her adherents still hold sway.
Fulani held up her right hand, forming a goose-egg sign with her fingers. "Zero," she grinned.
Leaders of the party who engineered Sunday's purge during a five-hour meeting at the Best Western motel near Albany Airport agreed. "We have local autonomy," said state chairman Frank MacKay. "This doesn't affect the county committees."
Fulani's ongoing clout with the city's branch of the party means that Mayor Mike Bloomberg's reelection campaign team will still be dealing directly with her crew, including ace political director Cathy Stewart, and election attorney Harry Kresky, both of whom were voted off the board Sunday.
So far Bloomberg has contributed some $260,000 to the party's city coffers for the 2005 election. More contributions are expected in coming weeks. Bloomberg won the 2001 election with 59,000 votes cast for him on the Independence Party's Row C. The party's line is considered crucial to Bloomberg, a former Democrat, as a means of offering anti-GOP voters an alternative to voting for him on the Republican line in November.
While former Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Golisano, along with Ed Koch, and Al D'Amato, publicly called for Fulani's removal, Bloomberg ducked the debate. On Sunday, he told reporters that since he's not a party member he shouldn't get involved. "I don't think I should be commenting on somebody else's party," said the mayor.
MacKay and several upstate party leaders said the ouster was sparked by Fulani's refusal to separate her party position from allegedly anti-Semitic remarks that have infuriated Jews and others. The Fulani controversy had damaged the organization, said Tony Orsini, an executive committee member from Erie County. "It's starting to affect us in Western New York," he told the meeting.
"This isn't pleasant, but it's been percolating for some time," said Jeffrey Graham, mayor of Watertown in Jefferson County near Lake Ontario. "Upstate, we say enough is enough. We're tired of hearing about it."
Fulani's forces aimed their harshest comments at MacKay, who endured a steady onslaught of hoots, hollers, and personal attacks during the meeting. "Anyone who thinks I'm enojoying myself is out of their minds," MacKay, who lives in Suffolk County, told the gathering. "But trust me, [Fulani's remarks] are offensive to Jewish members, to other groups, to Americans."
In a weighted vote by the party's county chapters, 76 percent of its members voted to remove Fulani, Kresky, and Stewart. Votes against the measure came almost solely from New York City committees that Fulani backers still control. Also ousted were Fulani allies Jessie Fields, a candidate for Manhattan Borough President on the Independence line, attorney Gary Sinawski, and party treasurer Debra Holland.
At the party conclave, Fulani's group lost an initial parliamentary procedure motion to hold separate votes on the removal of each of the committee members by the same 3-1 margin. After that loss, the Fulani's forces appeared resigned to the outcome.
While numerous pro-Fulani speakers, many of whom were bused to the meeting in three white vans, took the floor to condemn the removal motion, no further serious tactical moves were made.
Asked why they hadn't fought harder, Kresky responded: "We did everything we could."
But the Fulani group, which follow the teachings of controversial so-called "social therapy" guru Fred Newman, may also be banking that Sunday's vote will create a public perception that they are now effectively removed from the party's entire apparatus, including the city organization, thus allowing people angered by Fulani's remarks to vote on their line in the November election.
That view got a boost from a New York Times account of the vote which said that Fulani's ouster "removes a stumbling block" from Bloomberg's campaign.
By Tom Robbins | September 19, 2005
Moments after Lenora Fulani and five close allies lost a lop-sided vote booting them from the executive committee of the state's Independence Party yesterday, she was asked what effect it had on the New York City party chapters, where she and her adherents still hold sway.
Fulani held up her right hand, forming a goose-egg sign with her fingers. "Zero," she grinned.
Leaders of the party who engineered Sunday's purge during a five-hour meeting at the Best Western motel near Albany Airport agreed. "We have local autonomy," said state chairman Frank MacKay. "This doesn't affect the county committees."
Fulani's ongoing clout with the city's branch of the party means that Mayor Mike Bloomberg's reelection campaign team will still be dealing directly with her crew, including ace political director Cathy Stewart, and election attorney Harry Kresky, both of whom were voted off the board Sunday.
So far Bloomberg has contributed some $260,000 to the party's city coffers for the 2005 election. More contributions are expected in coming weeks. Bloomberg won the 2001 election with 59,000 votes cast for him on the Independence Party's Row C. The party's line is considered crucial to Bloomberg, a former Democrat, as a means of offering anti-GOP voters an alternative to voting for him on the Republican line in November.
While former Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Golisano, along with Ed Koch, and Al D'Amato, publicly called for Fulani's removal, Bloomberg ducked the debate. On Sunday, he told reporters that since he's not a party member he shouldn't get involved. "I don't think I should be commenting on somebody else's party," said the mayor.
MacKay and several upstate party leaders said the ouster was sparked by Fulani's refusal to separate her party position from allegedly anti-Semitic remarks that have infuriated Jews and others. The Fulani controversy had damaged the organization, said Tony Orsini, an executive committee member from Erie County. "It's starting to affect us in Western New York," he told the meeting.
"This isn't pleasant, but it's been percolating for some time," said Jeffrey Graham, mayor of Watertown in Jefferson County near Lake Ontario. "Upstate, we say enough is enough. We're tired of hearing about it."
Fulani's forces aimed their harshest comments at MacKay, who endured a steady onslaught of hoots, hollers, and personal attacks during the meeting. "Anyone who thinks I'm enojoying myself is out of their minds," MacKay, who lives in Suffolk County, told the gathering. "But trust me, [Fulani's remarks] are offensive to Jewish members, to other groups, to Americans."
In a weighted vote by the party's county chapters, 76 percent of its members voted to remove Fulani, Kresky, and Stewart. Votes against the measure came almost solely from New York City committees that Fulani backers still control. Also ousted were Fulani allies Jessie Fields, a candidate for Manhattan Borough President on the Independence line, attorney Gary Sinawski, and party treasurer Debra Holland.
At the party conclave, Fulani's group lost an initial parliamentary procedure motion to hold separate votes on the removal of each of the committee members by the same 3-1 margin. After that loss, the Fulani's forces appeared resigned to the outcome.
While numerous pro-Fulani speakers, many of whom were bused to the meeting in three white vans, took the floor to condemn the removal motion, no further serious tactical moves were made.
Asked why they hadn't fought harder, Kresky responded: "We did everything we could."
But the Fulani group, which follow the teachings of controversial so-called "social therapy" guru Fred Newman, may also be banking that Sunday's vote will create a public perception that they are now effectively removed from the party's entire apparatus, including the city organization, thus allowing people angered by Fulani's remarks to vote on their line in the November election.
That view got a boost from a New York Times account of the vote which said that Fulani's ouster "removes a stumbling block" from Bloomberg's campaign.
Post-Suede (Mag) Silver Lining
STAYING TOGETHER: The sad story of Suede magazine now has a happy postscript.
WWD.com
Many of the designers, photographers and stylists who gave the short-lived urban fashion magazine its distinctive look stuck together after its demise in February, and now they've started a creative agency called Chandelier. Richard Christiansen, the agency's creative director and the group's nucleus, said the name was a term coined during the Suede days to describe a particularly lavish layout. "Chandelier was the total embodiment of decadence — over-the-top, completely outrageous layers of design," he said.
Chandelier's charter clients include Baby Phat, Iceberg and a custom magazine that Christiansen declined to name. "We really want to focus on accounts that love color and pattern and over-the-top design," he said. "There's not many people who are that brave out there."
But the birth of Chandelier is not without its own soupçon of drama. Manhattanites in the media and advertising industries received news of the launch in the form of an oversized brochure that arrived on their desks Thursday. The brochure was filled with examples of Christiansen's team's work, including page after page of images created for Suede. Unfortunately, the copy — "When a fashion magazine closes its doors, what happens to all the great people? They start an agency." — was taken as a snub by some former Suede staffers, who saw it as an attempt by the Chandelier crowd to take credit for all the good parts of the magazine. Christiansen said that was not his intention, and that the wording would be changed: "The press kit was not designed to deflect anyone of credit or recognition."
— J.B.
WWD.com
Many of the designers, photographers and stylists who gave the short-lived urban fashion magazine its distinctive look stuck together after its demise in February, and now they've started a creative agency called Chandelier. Richard Christiansen, the agency's creative director and the group's nucleus, said the name was a term coined during the Suede days to describe a particularly lavish layout. "Chandelier was the total embodiment of decadence — over-the-top, completely outrageous layers of design," he said.
Chandelier's charter clients include Baby Phat, Iceberg and a custom magazine that Christiansen declined to name. "We really want to focus on accounts that love color and pattern and over-the-top design," he said. "There's not many people who are that brave out there."
But the birth of Chandelier is not without its own soupçon of drama. Manhattanites in the media and advertising industries received news of the launch in the form of an oversized brochure that arrived on their desks Thursday. The brochure was filled with examples of Christiansen's team's work, including page after page of images created for Suede. Unfortunately, the copy — "When a fashion magazine closes its doors, what happens to all the great people? They start an agency." — was taken as a snub by some former Suede staffers, who saw it as an attempt by the Chandelier crowd to take credit for all the good parts of the magazine. Christiansen said that was not his intention, and that the wording would be changed: "The press kit was not designed to deflect anyone of credit or recognition."
— J.B.
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