lewis - Blogs - TheBlackList Pub2024-03-29T11:58:03Zhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/lewisSimulTV and BlogWorld Expo – Something Great to Write Home Abouthttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/simultv-and-blogworld-expo-something-great-to-write-home-about2012-06-12T17:30:00.000Z2012-06-12T17:30:00.000ZGloria Dulan-Wilsonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/GloriaDulanWilson<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10697937958373924179" target="_blank"><img alt="My Photo" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9HiRqRhD2pk/S5rhtBSaC9I/AAAAAAAAAC8/AUlXfdUVyGo/S220/Gloria+Dulan-Wilson" height="60" width="80" /></a></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>by Gloria Dulan-Wilson ~<br /> <br /> Regardless of what the cynics say, there is always something new under the sun, and that was definitely the case at the recently held <span style="font-style:italic;"><b>Blogworld and New Media Expo</b></span> at Jacob Javits Center. <br /> <br /> Being a newly minted blogger – just entering my 3rd year in the realm of <span style="font-style:italic;">bloggerdom</span>, but a veteran journalist, I was interested in finding out what was going on in the rest of the blog world. Needless to say, I was totally overwhelmed at how much there is to learn and do as a “blogger.” Which is a polite way of saying that I have barely scratched the surface of what started out for me to be a way to get around slow editors who have the tendency to either sit on, or dismiss what I consider essential information to the Black community.<br /> <br /> Of course, each blogger thinks his or her blog is God's gift to the readership. We each hope we have found resonance in a niche that will continue to follow us for decades to come. Some blog for serious profit. Some blog for fun. I admit that the profit side of the equation has definitely eluded me. Though I'd like to realize some ducats from this endeavor – I also have to admit, that since writing is a labor of love for me, I'll probably do it whether or not anyone ever advertises with me. It's like my other passions – talking, reading, dancing, sewing – I do them because I truly love what I do, and I think I'm pretty good at it. <br /> <br /> That said, there was so much happening at the <b><span style="font-style:italic;">BlogWorld Expo</span></b>, I probably spent more time gawking than anything else. However, the <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV</span> Booth totally blew my mind. I felt it was one of the most blog-worthy and newsworthy breakthroughs on the horizon, so I took the time to do an indepth interview with the principals. So listen up, you guys, because this may well take America and the world where Steve Jobs left off:<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV</span> is a social TV protocol that is prepped to launch a beta version soon. They presented at BlogWorld to provide a glimpse into the future. This revolutionary technology allows viewers to interface with their favorite video entertainment incorporating traditional TV with social interaction, With <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV</span> friends and family can simultaneously share video streamed content while at the same time communicating through a picture-in picture video chat format. It's as though the individuals are in the same room, watching the same show, and at the same time through the PiP format, can see each other, talk to each other, share comments, concerns, etc, far exceeding the current method of online chatting. Wow!<br /> <br /> In speaking with one of the key investors about why he chose to back <span style="font-weight:bold;">Steve Turner</span>, the inventor and genius behind this concept, he stated that the first time he heard about it, he was as incredulous as I was. However, after having an opportunity to test it out for himself, he decided to become involved in providing the funds necessary to get the project off the ground. It's just a little over a year old, and was just launched last week, June 5th at the BlogWorld and New Media Expo.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Wesley Linzy</span>, a tall, affable African American brother, who is COO of Virginia-based <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Interconnect Media Network Systems (IMN)</span>,</span> stated that he had come across the company as an outside sales rep. “IMN specializes in video ingestion and encoding, as well as HD and SD transcoding and delivery using adaptive bitrate streaming. IMN has both hardware and cloud based services as well as a full line of products that will seamlessly integrate with your current broadcast workflow.” (This is technical stuff, you guys; I don't pretend to understand it at all, but I totally realize that it is a cut above what we currently have). <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> Mr. Linzy,</span> who is completing a Masters in Business and Entrepreneurship, continued: “I have a sales background. I deal mainly with computer hardware and software. One day I was just calling people, and I noticed this interesting system there. And I asked what is it that you do? And he said we simultaneously videochat while watching live TV at the same time. I said that's interesting, how many people do you have working on this? He said, 'not a whole lot. We need some more help, if you want to do that.' At that time I was working on my graduate degree, so I asked if we could use it for a business plan. He said 'sure, go for it!' I've been involved since about 2009, 2010. And here we are today.”<br /> <br /> In launching the Beta Test, according to Linzy, the first 30-day roll out will be free, and will probably be up and running within the next week. They are expecting a large sign up. Once they tweak the system, they are looking to roll out full steam ahead in late August or early September of 2012. They already have 40 channels, of which 10 are exclusive to SimulTV. The ones they can currently verify are <span style="font-style:italic;">Home Shopping Network (HSN</span>); <span style="font-style:italic;">LCN</span> out of Louisiana – they're pretty much landlocked, and want to go global; One World Sports. <br /> <br /> Linzy also indicated an interest in working with other affiliates: “We're looking for people who produce content. Just spoke with some African American artists who do a comedy skit, and are looking to bring them on. Have another African American based company that is looking to do their own channel about helping fallen superstar athletes recover from problems and retake their lives. They are looking to use us to help connect with their fans via video chatting – there might be someone out there that can help.” <br /> <br /> Those individuals who are interested in providing <span style="font-style:italic;">QUALITY</span> content, can definitely contact <span style="font-weight:bold;">Wesley Linzy</span> with proposals, concepts, ideas, services – he will be more than happy to talk with you. Their next move of course, once they've completed the Beta Test and have calibrated their results, will be to "go global with it," working with a broad variety of people across the spectrum.<br /> <br /> Linzy continued, “We will wind up needing really good help. But for me, personally, if you have some great talent out there, and you're African American, I will be more than willing to help you out. Or, if they are just interested in talking with someone in this position (Chief Operating Officer)- I didn't have that mentor myself - they can always contact me. We're looking to reach out to the community as much as possible and give help.”<br /> <br /> Linzy also stated <span style="font-weight:bold;">his own personal goal and vision</span> is to be able to turn 70% to 80% of the profits back to at-risk communities, with the proviso that they pay it forward in some significant way: "They will work within the program. I will help them fix their houses, help pay bills, feed them and stuff like that. But they are going to have to go through our financial seminars and other training and education programs in order to qualify. If they don't do that, they can't participate. If they go through the program, they have to pay it forward by helping others, and keep it going," he concluded. <br /> <br /> While IMN is looking for investors, they are clear that they want people who see their vision and really want to work with them in fulfilling it; not those who would try to cannibalize the program, and turn it into just another mindless mishmosh of mindless, mediocre, over stimulating misinformation. <br /> <br /> It is clear that the thrust of <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV</span> is family oriented, which is why content and control are of primary concern to both Linzy and Turner. Per Linzy, “We truly want to help people, and not just make a quick buck.” This principle of doing well by doing good is a rare quality, and one that should be nurtured, respected and promulgated. Particularly in light of the recent debacle that has turned the US and the rest of the world on its ear – greed, avarice, insensitivity, and depraved disrespect for human beings – perhaps this is the progenitor of what TV can really be about, given the right programming, and higher minded principles. <br /> <br /> Getting an interview with <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV's</span> inventor and CEO, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Steven Turner</span> - a soft spoken, well thought out (read – intense) guy, was sort of like wading through a throng of fans at a rock concert – but well worth the wait. <br /> <br /> When he was finally available for interview, I asked, “What is this and how you started it?” He responded enthusiastically: “Well, basically, what this is is <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV</span> – being able to take live cable television on demand, over the internet, and around the world, over any device, over any platform, so you can also integrate your social media – like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn – and reach out to everybody that's connected to you socially through all these social villages, simultaneously around the world. But on top of that we also incorporate a <span style="font-style:italic;">picture-in-picture</span> conferencing system, where you can invite someone to do a video conference with you, while you're watching a live, or on-demand product; and you can have a virtual living room, no matter where they are in the world. So you can connect with your family and friends, where ever they might be, with our busy schedules; and see them, and talk to them, and share a movie and have the family unite. Just like you used to when you were a child. Now, with today's busy lifestyle, it's not as easy!” {Mind you, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Steven Turner</span> said all this in one breath - with the intensity and enthusiasm of a man on fire, who knows he is about to provide something wonderful to the world – and indeed, he is!}<br /> <br /> Truly, in this day and age of modern technological breakthroughs, there are no lack of geniuses. However, it's rare to have the opportunity of speaking with the possible next Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs, face to face, right at the beginning of their climb, before the world beats that proverbial path to his door. I must admit, I do feel that there are times when I am in a privileged space. <br /> <br /> “What inspired you to do this? What was the genesis behind this?” was my next query, to which he responded: “Well, I'm an inventor. I like to tinker around with things. I don't claim to be a genius by no means; I'm just – I'm creative. In a past life, like right out of high school, I was under the <span style="font-style:italic;">Disney Internship,</span> and I was an artist. I had a scholarship to Columbus College of Art and Design. The scholarship ran out, so did I. So I never got to finish. I went free lance for a while, and then I got into technology. I just still look at things as an artist. I create. I don't look at it like an engineer – where they think more inside the box. I don't see a box. You know, like, “It does this, why can't I do this with it. And I figure out how to do it.”<br /> <br /> Turner went on to say that <span style="font-weight:bold;">Walt Disney</span> was one of his idols, as well as <span style="font-weight:bold;">Nikola Tesla,</span> the great inventor. And I admit, unabashedly, that I am a total Disney admirer as well (however, paralleling Tesla, were two other heroes of mine, who were his contemporaries – <span style="font-weight:bold;">Granville T. Woods,</span> and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Lewis Latimer</span> – both of whom were African Americans of major influence in bringing about the birth of the modern age of electricity and communication. In fact, without <span style="font-weight:bold;">Latimer's</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">famous tungsten filament,</span> the light bulb would have never worked – but that's another story). <br /> <br /> Walt Disney alone stands out as one who transformed nothing into something just through the sheer dint of his imagination – I mean, how many people do you know could not only make a line (drawing) walk, but talk? And create an entire empire and industry around it that employs millions, and is loved by millions worldwide? Talk about the transformative power of imagination – or <span style="font-style:italic;">imagineering</span>, as the Disney people call it. <b>Steven Turner</b> is now embarking on a similar path.<br /> <br /> In reference to the <span style="font-style:italic;">“beta test</span>”, <b>Turner</b> stated, “we are going to let people log on, sign up for it; and we'll send out invites in the next few days and weeks. We're going to allow them to play around with a few channels, just a handful, right now; a few features, because we're developing user experience, and want feedback. Say what you like and what you don't like about it, and we'll roll out new builds every week or two. And, as we figure out how everybody likes to see the system, I want the consumers to design this. That way, it's what they want. The idea behind this is to give the consumer the power they've always needed and deserved; and they should have. So this way, we'll roll this out add features to it over the few weeks, add more channels, and around August we'll launch the final version, with all forty channels – maybe more. I've got <span style="font-style:italic;">5,000 VOD</span> right now, for about $9.99 a month – the introductory price. We're going to be launching it, and you can subscribe to it, take it worldwide, and invite everybody.”<br /> <br /> The way it comes through on a TV is via a “Smart TV with a web browser connected to it. You would go to the web site, sign up, create an account. If you don't you can connect a device to it, like a game console, or a smart phone, tablet or PC; whatever can connect to the internet and stream video, can use our system. With our picture-in-picture technology, they're data independent, which also allows you to browse, while watching TV, if you are not video conferencing. You can reshape the channels, re-size them, do a word document; search the internet, vote for your favorite reality show. Whatever you want to do, you can do with the picture-in-picture, and you can do more than one! You can have web video on one; you can have, word documents in another; you can have channels; you can video conferences – as many as you want, only relying on your band width.” <br /> <br /> All this is possible with <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV.</span> WOW!<br /> <br /> In reference to their programming objectives, according to Turner – whose wife and adorable three year old daughter were helping out by sharing bags of freshly popped pop corn with passersby - <span style="font-style:italic;">“It's a family-friendly service.</span> We want to make sure that it's something that anybody can watch. I have a daughter, and I want her to be able to watch it. The vision behind my company, and everything I've created is to change the world for the better. That's what we are doing with this. And a lot of people ask me, how do you do that with TV? Well, TV is your common ground. Everybody either likes or hates something on TV. You like to talk about what you like and what you don't like. With our system, you can share the experience with people.” <br /> <br /> Using <span style="font-style:italic;">Star Trek</span> as an example, <b>Turner</b> stated one could log on and watch an episode “...connect with people you don't know, see them, make the visual connection, and once you make the visual connection, you cross those borders of ethnicities, of religions, and then you don't hate people for no reason. And when you don't hate, you change the world for the better.” I truly hope he's right. <br /> <br /> In the interim, there are several take-aways from this piece that I hope you are grasping: The tremendous opportunity to be on the ground floor of something great. The guiding principle of wanting to make a difference and change the world for the better. The possibility of doing well while doing good. The paradigm shift in content management from the crass, vast wasteland that TV has become, into something that is not only “edutainment” but community building, and barrier dissolving at the same time.<br /> <br /> If you are interested in being part of the beta test of <span style="font-weight:bold;">SimulTV,</span> log on to <a href="http://www.simultv.com/" target="_blank">www.simultv.com</a>. They will in turn reach out and invite you to be a part of the progress. If you have program content you want to recommend, likewise email <u><b style="color:#000099;"><span style="color:#000000;">Mr. Wesley Linzy at</span> <a href="mailto:wlinzy@imnsys.com" target="_blank">wlinzy@imnsys.com</a>.</b></u> <br /> <br /> Frankly, I am looking forward to the launch. With my Mom and brothers in Oklahoma City, my sister in Chicago, my kids in Philly and Virginia, and my Honey in California, this will be a wonderful opportunity to really have some great family nights!<br /> <br /> Stay Blessed &<br /> ECLECTICALLY BLACK<br /> Gloria Dulan-Wilson</div><div><a href="http://gloria-dulan-wilson.blogspot.com/2012/06/simultv-and-blogworld-expo-something.html" target="_blank">SimulTV and BlogWorld Expo – Something Great to Wr...</a></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Michael Vick—From Vick-tim to Vick-toryhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/michael-vickfrom-vicktim-to2010-12-02T06:08:18.000Z2010-12-02T06:08:18.000ZRaynard Jacksonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/RaynardJackson<div><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:14pt;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">Michael Vick—From Vick-tim to Vick-tory</font></font></span></b></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><b><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">December 2, 2010</font></font></font></b></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><b><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">Raynard Jackson</font></font></font></b></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Am I the only one who is sick and tired of the media coverage of NFL quarterback Michael Vick—post incarceration? Last July I wrote a column titled, “Michael Is A Vick-tim.</font><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:14pt;">” </span><font size="3">I discussed Vick’s going to jail for nearly two years for killing a couple of dogs.</font></font></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">He has served his time and is now playing football again in the NFL. He has had a stellar season as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Since leaving jail earlier this year, he has done all the right things and continues to speak out against animal cruelty on behalf of the Humane Society.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">So, you ask, what am I angry about?</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Why is it that every time Vick is interviewed on radio, TV, or newspaper, there has to be some mention of him serving jail time for killing dogs? ENOUGH! Vick has served his time and owes no one anything and he should be free to live his life beyond the shadow of his past.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">As I reflected on Vick’s situation, the first thought I had was that this was because Vick was Black. But, then I thought further and realized that it wasn’t about race.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Ray Lewis, future Hall of Fame linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, was jailed on murder charges in 2000, but was later acquitted. You rarely if ever hear this being mentioned when Lewis is interviewed. He is also Black.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">You never hear the name Monica Lewinsky when Bill Clinton is interviewed (mind you that Bill Clinton was impeached as a result of the Lewinsky affair).</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">You never hear about Donald Trump’s many bankruptcies when he is interviewed.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Allow me to continue.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">Diana Taurasi, an all-star guard of the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, was convicted of DUI in the summer of 2009. I have never heard this mentioned during any of their games on TV. </font></font></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Marv Albert, famed NBA TV announcer, pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery charges (the more serious charge of rape was dropped). He was fired from announcing the games on NBC. But, less than 2 years later, NBC rehired him and you have not heard one word about his conviction since.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Even Tiger Woods messy divorce is no longer discussed when talking about Woods and it’s only been barely over a year since his private life exploded onto the national scene.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">So, what can we conclude about all this? </font></font></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Well, it seem to me that if you are a celebrity and you commit a crime or violent act against another person—no problem. If you cheat your bankers or file for bankruptcy, no problem. You still will be considered a financial guru by the Wall Street Journal (i.e. Donald Trump).</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">But, God forbid you kill or torture a few animals! You will never be forgiven, nor allowed to move beyond your past; even if your life shows a total change.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">How can a sportscaster laud Michael Vick throwing an acrobatic touchdown pass, but yet somehow find a way to mention that Vick served time in jail?</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">How can Vick have arguably one of the best games in football history (3 weeks ago against the Washington Redskins) and the conversation turns to him abusing animals?</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">Vick has paid his dues to society and no longer owes anyone anything! His life has been the model of redemption. That should be the only relevance of Vick’s past. </font></font></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">But, because Vick’s crime centered around animals, it seems like people are less willing to forgive and let go. Ray Lewis was implicated in the murder of a human, but it seems like he had an easier time moving beyond his transgression than Vick is having.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Donte Stallworth (receiver for the Baltimore Ravens) was convicted of manslaughter. He killed a man while driving drunk. Yet, he is shown more forgiveness than Vick.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">So, Michael, let me offer you my advice as one who works in public relations. First, Michael, stop apologizing. You no longer owe society anything. Second, tell the media you will no longer talk about your past. When you were a child, you spoke as a child, but now that you are a man, you have put those childish things behind you. Finally, Michael, when the media insists that you answer their questions about your past, simply say my life is the only voice that I am now speaking with.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">I am very proud of Michael Vick and the distance he has traveled. I hope he will win a Super Bowl ring before his career is over. What an exclamation point that would add to his life. We all are one bad decision away from doing something stupid. If Vick continues to live his life the way he has since getting out of prison, he will have transformed his life from one of being a “Vick-tim to one of “Vick-tory.”</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="line-height:115%;color:#0000FF;font-size:10pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (</font></span></i><a href="http://www.excellstyle.com/"><i><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:10pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">www.excellstyle.com</font></span></i></a><i><span style="line-height:115%;color:#0000FF;font-size:10pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">) & U.S. Africa Magazine (<a href="http://www.usafricaonline.com">www.usafricaonline.com</a>). </font></span></i></p></div>The Enigmatic N-Wordhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/the-enigmatic-nword2010-08-18T21:30:00.000Z2010-08-18T21:30:00.000ZTheBlackListhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/TheBlackList<div><i><br /></i>
<p style="text-align:left;"><i><img alt="" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3828519210,original{{/staticFileLink}}" /></i></p>
<p><i>By H. Lewis Smith<br /></i></p>
<p></p>
<p>Even though not all black Americans refer to themselves as the pejorative n-word, an alarming proportion of the Black community uses and/or supports use of the term. For instance, ministers invoke the word from their pulpits, and the NAACP, with the wink of the eye, looks the other way when prominent blacks publicly embrace the word. Many black college professors support their students' use of the word. Minister Louis Farrakhan has glowingly utilized the word in some of his speeches. It's liberally promoted in mainstream media, such as in the music of rappers and television shows like The Boondocks. In grassroots black America, many are simply so consumed by the word, that they're unable to survive a 48-hour period without using the term. <br /><br /></p>
<p>In addition, proponents of the n-word offer a myriad of excuses as to why they self-internalize the word. Some of the "justifications" allude to the idea that black users of the word are taking the sting out of the term by using it, as well as they are changing the meaning of the idiom by using it endearingly and changing the suffix on the word from "er" to "a". So what does this all mean one may ask; to black Americans who refuse to succumb to the use and acceptance of the disparaging term, what is supposed to be the problem with the n-word? <br /><br /></p>
<p>To be candid, blacks who refrain from the use of the word are NOT in denial of a 300-year-African American Holocaust. Acknowledging the sinister history of the n-word is not giving power to the word as some claim. However, accepting use of the word does subliminally give it power; even though one doesn't realize it at the surface level, when one is referred to as a "n**ga", all of the memories of contempt, negativity and inferiority courses through one's veins and mental. Just think about it: For almost four centuries some very heinous and terrible atrocities occurred to Black Americans' beloved ancestors in the name of the n-word. It was a term of exclusion, verbal justification for inhumane acts, including slaughtering, butchering, brutal rapes, death and terrorizing. <br /><br /></p>
<p>To embrace and or accept n**ga as a term of endearment that individual is either in a continued state of denial or the word has subconsciously over-powered and brainwashed that individual into his/her "place". Either way, the progress and rejuvenation of the black community is stagnant, and the demise continues. <br /><br /></p>
<p>Each time we call one another n**ga or n**ger as terms of so-called endearment, the memories and spirits of the black forefathers are desecrated and dishonored. Duty is calling and the time is now for ALL blacks to bestow upon ancestors a better and more dignified place in the black race's collective memory than any individual money-hungry rapper, self-centered comedian, or blind revisionist has accorded them to date. <br /><br /></p>
<p>The history of the word n**ger cannot and should not be overlooked. The word is so stigmatized that to attempt to redefine it would suggest that an African-American Holocaust never took place. But the fact is the event did occur. Certainly words change and evolve, and though it can easily be argued that context can change words, the original purpose/intent of the word and its place in history cannot change. <br /><br /></p>
<p>The term acts as an unrelenting daily assault on the Black psyche designed to corrupt Black Americans' sense of racial unity and cohesion. It molds the character of self-hatred, engenders self-doubt, self-loathing, and distrust among the group, thus, pulverizing Black unity and halting Black upward mobility. <br /><br /></p>
<p>There is an 18th century mentality associated with the term: An old woman, an escape slave, in a conversation with a missionary was quoted as saying: "We are n**gers. We always was n**gers and we always shall be. We've got no souls. We's animals. We's black and so is the Evil One." <br /><br /></p>
<p>The Bible doesn't say the devil is black, protested the missionary. "Well," the old woman said, "white folks say so and we's bound to believe them, cause we's nothing but animals and n**gers. Yes, we's n**gers! N**gers! N**gers!" <br /><br /></p>
<p>This 18th century mentality is alive and well throughout the 21st century black community. To be succinct, the true and ONLY reason blacks refer to themselves as the n-word is because white folks said to do so...where else did the programming, conditioning and the word n**ger originate? <br /><br /></p>
<p>The word n**ger is as much a part of American history as slavery, the Civil War, and the Boston Tea Party, and it would be naivety to assume that it can be made to disappear. It is just as naïve to assume that the term's satanical history is some sort of illusion, however, the word can be made to vanish, banned, abolished from the speech of all Black Americans as it should be. Thinking like helpless and hopeless victims, users of the word see a task such as eradicating the use of the word from their vocabulary as impossible. Such an attitude is unlike that of the 60s when the indomitable spirit of Black America rejected the terms of Negro and Colored choosing instead to adopt the terms of Black and African American. <br /><br /></p>
<p>They chose to define themselves as opposed to being defined. Just as that spirit of determination and striving toward self-respect and progress reigned throughout the ‘60's, blacks of today can infuse that same spirit into defining themselves in a positive light rather than being defined by some past idea of inferiority. It is time to leave all remnants of the past in the past, and move forward with a clear head and [self-definition] founded on personal integrity, cultural and individual respect. <br /><br /></p>
<p><strong><em>H. Lewis Smith is the founder and president of UVCC, the United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc.</em></strong> <a href="http://www.theunitedvoices.com" target="_blank"><strong><em>www.theunitedvoices.com</em></strong></a><strong><em>, a writer for the New England Informer Online; and author of "Bury that Sucka: A Scandalous Love Affair with the N-Word". Follow H. Lewis Smith on Twitter:</em></strong> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thescoop1" target="_blank"><strong><em>www.twitter.com/thescoop1</em></strong></a></p>
<p><br /><font size="2">Distributed through</font> <a href="http://BlackPR.com" target="_blank"><font color="#0000FF" size="2">BlackPR.com</font></a> <font size="2">and</font> <a href="http://BlackNews.com" target="_blank"><font color="#0000FF" size="2">BlackNews.com</font></a> <br /></p></div>The Rest of the YouTube Links for Brother Dr. Arthur Lewis and URURU Timeshttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/2055350-BlogPost-36412008-05-11T05:50:48.000Z2008-05-11T05:50:48.000ZBLACKWATCH - Dr. Brother Raheru Ptah Sun of Asaruhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/BLACKWATCHDrBrotherRaheruPtahSunofAsaru<div><object width="425" height="355" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/XlrO0E8lcUU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never" ></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="internal" ></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XlrO0E8lcUU&hl=en" ></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent" ></param><embed wmode="opaque" 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