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Modified: January 20, 2008
OUR ARTICLES
"Campbell
Soup Don't Advertise to Black People"
By
Norm Bond
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It is time to seize the day.
“Campbell Soup Don’t Advertise to Black People!” Yeah, I know many of you have
seen Donovan McNabb and the soup – but that’s a NFL promotion. This company did
$7.5 billion in sales in 2005 and spent $1.4 billion in marketing and
advertising. The corporate headquarters are located in Camden, NJ, a
city that
is overwhelmingly Black. We have “95% penetration into Black households” boasted
one of their senior marketing executives to me in a phone call, but our spend
towards African American consumers is zero. Although he told me this two years
ago, today the situation has not changed. When you’re trying to get a company to
advertise or sponsor an event that is important to Black consumers, what do you
say to that one? And as a Black consumer, how does that make you feel?
Well it didn’t make me feel too good either. In the words of Orange Juice
Jones “my first impulse was to do a Rambo ...But instead, I chilled.” Until now!
According to their research most of us buy their products in the fall and
winter. Surprise them.
Don’t get it twisted. I am not calling for an ALL OUT NATIONAL BOYCOTT of
CAMPBELL SOUP products -- at this time. I’m not saying call their
switchboard at (856) 342-8400 and ask “why doesn’t your company advertise to
Black consumers?” But if you decide not to spend any new money with them – and
re-direct your spending to another company, I think that’s wise. Besides, have
you checked the sodium count on a can of Campbell’s tomato soup recently?
The Transfer of World Powers
By
Ezrah Aharone
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As the Republic of Ghana pioneers Africa with its 50th anniversary of independence this year, it makes you wonder how and why the whole African continent could be under colonial rule for so long. Up until the slave trade, West Africa had experienced centuries of contiguous development. Afterwards came the dawn of a rapidly declining Africa and a rapidly accelerating Europe with lust cravings for wealth and power. As Africa faltered Europe went on to become a collective group of world powers.
Contrary to revisionist history, when Europeans first arrived in West Africa, they encountered many well-educated, culturally aggrandized people whom they learned from, enslaved and colonized. The general notion of Africa being a "dark continent" with people living in the wild, swinging from tree to tree, is just as ridiculous as thinking that everybody in America is rich.
The rise and fall of
nations and the subsequent "Transfer of World Powers" can be an interesting
phenomenon. Ruling nations often appear too strong to be surpassed or defeated.
When world
powers like Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome were at their zeniths, it seemed
they could never be replaced. Few would have wagered on their demise. And the
same holds true today with the seeming invincibility of the West. Based ont he
present world structure, can you envision the world without America being a
central power, or with Mali for instance becoming a central power?
Get Your Money and Mind Right
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Have you ever received money
from a Chinese person for anything other than them making change
for you? No, is the answer I have been receiving when asking
this question as part of an informal survey to Black People.
The follow up question is, "Have you ever given money to a
Chinese person?" The answer invariably is yes. This imbalance of
give and take is reflective of the consciousness of Black people
and consequently our relationship with ourselves and others.
There is a reason why every Black Ghetto has a Chinese food
restaurant, but there are no Soul Food restaurants in Chinatown.
In fact, the most popular Soul Food restaurant in Harlem, New
York on 135th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard is owned and
operated by a Chinese family. Again, there are no Soul Food
restaurants in Chinatown and there certainly is no Chinese Food
restaurant in Chinatown owned and operated by a Black family. If
a Black person tried, the business would be shut down, before it
started. Why? Economic Violence.
Will
We Ever Support Quality Programming?
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How many of you have heard of or had access to the Black Family Channel (BFC) via your local cable franchise? Probably not too many of you based on recent developments. If a cable channel is unable to gain access to distribution and viewers via the major cable systems in big city markets it is highly unlikely the channel will be profitable or survive. This is what happened to Black Family Channel. The Atlanta based Black-owned company was founded eight years ago by attorney Willie Gary, entertainer Marlon Jackson, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, former baseball star Cecil Fielder and media man Alvin James. BFC offered African American-targeted, family-friendly programming, overseen by actor/producer Robert Townsend. However, in spite of all this “star power” the company recently announced that it was ceasing operations due to its inability to gain access into the major cable markets. The BFC also had sixteen million subscribers but was not able to penetrate into all the major markets or attract the type of advertisers that would catapult it into the black.
It’s cruelly ironic that while Negroes were
making a big issue over shock jock Don Imus and Gangsta Rap promoters like
Russell Simmons who earn a lot of money for white corporate fat cats, a Black
owned cable programming company whose goal and mission was to produce and
provide family oriented programming, was being forced
off the air, because it could not gain enough exposure
and access to attract viewers and advertisers to turn a profit. When BFC was
launched it was touted as a programming alternative to the minstrelsy of Robert
Johnson’s BET. Actor/Director Robert Townsend, long a proponent of quality
programming was hired to take charge of the channel’s production and
programming. Their goal according to Gary was to provide programming that was
family oriented, informative and entertaining.
Immigration Harms Black People
By
Dr. Claud Anderson, The Harvest
Institute
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“Immigration’s impact on native Blacks and their communities is
disproportionate, direct and devastating,” said. Dr. Claud Anderson, president
of The Harvest
Institute, a Black-focused research, policy and education
organization. Anderson said that the hidden national unemployment rate of Blacks
is 35%. In cities like Baltimore, Detroit and Pittsburgh, Black unemployment
is well over 45%. In New York, unemployment for Black men tops 51% and the
national youth unemployment figure is nearly 80%. In the 1930s, government
declared a national emergency when total unemployment reached 25%. Native Blacks
are a labor class that the government and private industry are allowing to
become obsolete while they reach out to foreign born immigrants to fill
shrinking employment opportunities. The Harvest Institute opposes amnesty for
illegal immigrant aliens, guest worker programs, and supports increased
restrictions on illegal and legal immigration until the nation first lifts the
legacies of slavery and Jim Crow on native Black American. Dr. Anderson said,
“Most civil rights groups and elected officials turn a blind eye to the fact
that current immigration laws and public policies advantage new immigrants above
Blacks and bestow benefits and rights to foreign born that native Blacks still
strive to acquire but have never enjoyed.”
NAMD Legends in the National Spotlight
By
Paula Ralph, Ralph
Communications
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What does it mean to be a living legend?
Just ask James "Bud" Ward, former Marriott executive now chairman and chief
executive officer of Symbiont, Inc., and former Exxon executive James S. Avery.
Ward and Avery, both long-time board members and influential national leaders in
NAMD, were
honored with fellow corporate pioneers Lee Archer (General Foods), Darwin Davis
(Equitable), George Lewis (Philip Morris), and Clifton R. Wharton, Jr.
(TIAA-CREFF) at the Jackie Robinson Foundation's annual awards dinner hosted by
renowned entertainer, Dr. Bill Cosby, on March 6, 2006, at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel in New York.
When Did Shopping Become a Sport? By
Dr. Julianne
Malveaux
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We claim to be a nation of sports fans--we
love baseball, basketball, hockey, football, and tennis. But I think America's
favorite sport is shopping. No matter how we feel, we manage to fit it in,
almost as if the urge to shop were our default emotion.
When we feel good, we buy. When we feel bad, we buy. When we get a new job, we
have to buy new clothes for our new job. When we lose our job, we want to buy
casual clothes for our new idle state. When we enter a new relationship, we want
new clothes for the new man; and then, when the relationship busts up, we need
new clothes to cheer ourselves up (and because our old clothes remind us of that
old man). No matter how we feel, we buy.
Arms, Africa, and America’s Inmate Industry By Ezrah Aharone
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What do Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms have in common? Well, to start with, they have a clear connection to crime and violence, which is why the U.S. government ATF bureau exists. Beyond that, all three were primary commodities of the Triangular Trade for slaves. In addition, all three have since remained chief factors that inordinately affect the health and lives of Black people across the globe.
No other metal
product of the Triangular Trade was more significant, cruel, and lasting in
impact than guns. Firearms were mass-produced in America according to standards
of that day, and Africa was the primary export destination. What began as
modest tinkering in small metal shops, with enslaved African expert-blacksmiths,
was fused with Euro-American greed and aggressiveness. The end product evolved
into what is today’s high-tech multitrillion-dollar U.S. arms industry.
WHY AREN'T YOU
RICH?
By
John Raye
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In his classic work,
“The Science Of Getting Rich”, W.D. Wattles advances the notion that all riches,
all success is a mental function, a function of the mind. He asserts that to get
rich, you must, first and foremost, think about getting rich. This is the major
point of the entire book, you must think about getting rich!
The same line of thinking can
be found in Napoleon Hill’s 1937 classic, “Think And Grow Rich”, where he
presents a six-step formula for people who desire to become rich. Obviously,
it’s a plan that works because Dr. Hill’s book remains a perennial best-seller.
It has remained in continuous publication since 1937 and without the benefit of
mass media advertising. The book receives no publicity whatsoever but continues
to be a best seller, more than half a century after its initial publication.
"Black
is Back!! Continuous Need for Black Activism"
By
Norm Bond
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Amidst a mounting hail of attacks from
within the group and without, questions as to its
relevance and even its need to exist in today’s world, “BLACK” has emerged, and
appears to be attempting a grand return. Bigger, Badder and BLACKER than
ever BLACK is now making cameo appearances and even earning a few starring roles
in a variety of events and activities. These include Black economic summits, to
Black community development, to Black education, to Black politics and yes, even
Black consumer education and Black marketing efforts. It’s far too early to
predict the lasting impact and we know previous efforts have been de-railed, de-rided
and de-vastated but the sleeping giant is being prodded by many sides. We
certainly intend to do all within our power to continue to sound the wake-up
alarm and urge our readers to do the same. It’s not a day too soon and hopefully
not a day too late. This time BLACK promises to be BIGGER, BADDER and BLACKER
than ever.
Mental and Military Battlegrounds By Ezrah Aharone
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Instead of saying something typical
like, “testing 1-2-3,” to check his microphone for a radio broadcast, Ronald
Reagan once jokingly said, he had “Signed legislation that will outlaw Russia
forever … We begin bombing in five minutes.” Humor reveals elements of truth.
But the historical connection between “bombing” and “signed legislation,”
reveals a violent and dangerous trait of the U.S. government that has proven far
more fatal than funny.
Ever since 1776 when the 56 founders signed their declaration and bombed their
way into independence, Euro-Americans have established a systematic pattern of
violence where they spare no human, material, or military expense when it comes
to controlling land, labor, and resources. Even their national anthem which was
inspired by the War of 1812, sensationalizes violence and bombs – “The perilous
fight,” “ramparts gallantly streaming,” “rockets’ red glare,” and “bombs
bursting in air!”
How Women Can Take
Control of Their Money
Tips for getting started right
By Valerie V. Gay
Are men and women equal? Absolutely
not --- at least concerning their finances and investments. The National Center for Women and Retirement reports that:
women earn less than men (on average, a woman earns 74 cents for every
dollar a man earns). For every year a woman stays home to care for a child,
she must work 5 extra years to recover lost income, pension coverage, and career
promotion. And yet women are the ones who often face an up-hill struggle to
provide financially for their families and themselves.
Privatized Prisons Are Big Business By Junious Ricardo Stanton
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The United States of AmeriKKKa
imprisons more of its citizens than any other nation on the planet.
Currently almost two and a quarter million persons languish in local, county,
state and federal prisons. Looking at the AmeriKKKan gulag we see some very
disturbing trends aside from the disproportionate incarceration of people of
color. Investments in the prison industrial complex, prison construction,
privatization of prisons and public policies that encourage incarceration over
intervention and treatment are fueling the rise of prison construction and
incarceration at a time when even according to FBI statistics major crimes are
decreasing! Nothing occurs in a vacuum.
Globalization and the Making of Third
World USA
By
Junious Ric Stanton
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“With the emergence of China, India and Eastern Europe, the dam of Socialism that held back two billion workers has been removed. If two swimming pools are joined, the water level will eventually equalize. That is what is happening with globalization. Manufacturing has already been placed in competition across countries, with dire consequences for manufacturing workers. The internet promises to do the same for previously un-tradable services, and higher-paid knowledge workers will start feeling similar effects. Not since the industrial revolution has there been a transformation of this magnitude, and that revolution took one hundred and fifty years to complete. By comparison the new revolution is a mere 25 years old. These developments have a significance that goes far beyond the currency manipulation and WTO rules violations that have been the focus of trade deficit policy discussions. There is no reason to think the end is in sight, and American workers can look forward to the international economy exerting downward pressure on wages and work conditions for the next several decades. As is so often the case, workers have understood the new reality long before economists and policymakers.”- Labor Threat Thomas Palley
The media
disseminated images of poor stranded black folks on tops of roofs attempting
to survive amidst squalid condition during Hurricane Katrina alarmed many
AmeriKKKans and people around the world. Many in their indignation and shock
compared what they saw to “third world countries”. Well I have more alarming
news for you. The horrific conditions of poverty and marginalization
Hurricane Katrina revealed are going to get worse! As the US economy
unravels from the deliberate globalization policies that have been foisted
upon the AmeriKKKan people by elected officials who have sold their souls to
the multi-national capitalist class more and more folks are going to
experience a drop in their living standards.
4 Steps to Revolutionize the Black
Economy
By
Anthony Quiñones
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It has been 140 years since slavery was legally abolished; 40 years since the
Civil Rights movement began, yet our economic state has changed very little, if
at all. Once we get past the façades of movements and causes, we must realize
that we are and have always been in an economic war. Remember, blacks were
allowed to ride at the front of the bus in Birmingham, Alabama due to the
economic effect of the Rosa Parks-inspired bus boycott – not the newfound
sympathy for people of color. Don’t get it twisted. While the Black community has many important causes to
fight for, the state of the black economy is the most important because
everything revolves around it. Here are four ways we can revolutionize that
state of our economy.
Buy Black.
Hurricane
Looting Not Over Yet
By Jesse L. Jackson,
Sr.
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The victims have been dispersed to states
across the country. Many still sleep on cots in arenas, desperately trying to
locate family members separated in the furies of Katrina. They are struggling
with a staggering psychological toll—destruction of homes, loss of jobs,
suffering, abandonment, displacement to a new city, prospects unclear, past
literally under water.
But while the victims are simply trying to get their bearings, the barracudas
are circling. Naomi Klein, who witnessed this in Iraq, calls it "disaster
capitalism." Congress has appropriated $62 billion already. Hundreds of billions
more will be spent on reclaiming the Gulf Coast, rebuilding and relocation. The
feeding frenzy has begun.
Grandmother Held on Looting Charge Freed
A
73-year-old diabetic grandmother and church elder who ended
up in prison for more than two-weeks after authorities accused her of looting
was released from jail on Friday evening. Merlene Maten said the first thing she
wanted to do was visit her 80-year-old husband. "I think God this ordeal is
over" she said, after being released from the parish jail. "I did nothing
wrong."
Lomax
"Integration Is Killing Black Folks"