So Fresh and So Green

Here on sofreshansogreen.com we’re in the middle of Black History Month Quotes and Jay Smooth Quotes Week. I’m interrupting the latter to bring you the words of Harry Allen as part of my response to comments on my post about Tavis Smiley ending his State of the Black Union address.

I made some glowing remarks about journalist Mr. Allen the Media Assassin in that post. For me, what those panels are missing are voices from persons like Harry Allen, Rosa Clemente and Jay Smooth.

Anyway, I have a lot of respect for Mr. Allen and his intelligence. He’s is considered by some to be the only Hip Hop journalist…ever, cause he’s that dude. So rather than actually posting the love letters to Harry Allen’s brain that I will never send him with some quote, I’ve decided to post this instead and this is why. (more…)

If you like it then you shoulda put a bookmark on it!

Hence, for me, the search for individual racists, and narrow individual acts of racism, is about as useful as the search for a pack of low-fat Oreos.

I guess it helps. Kinda.

We should be proud that in the 21st century we have a black president, the clearest evidence that white supremacy, and white racism, as a system of consumption, has been vanquished. But we should be humbled by the clear evidence that we don’t really understand what we defeated, how we did it, or how it’s legacy haunts us today.

I once thought the curse of not grappling with a system that sent 600,000 men to their deaths would be racial violence. Now, I think that curse might be the habit of sweeping things under the rug. In the case of people, it’s fine.

The old die and the young forget. But I’m not so worried that we don’t get the deeper meanings behind Selma. I’m worried that intellectual laziness is addictive.

We can get away with not understanding slavery; the 99 cent hamburger, not so much. People forgive. They have to. Planets are different. ~Ta-Nehisi Coates

In case you were wondering Ta-Nehisi Coates’s first name is pronounced (more…)

If you like it then you shoulda put a bookmark on it!

Talk show host Tavis Smiley has decided to end his annual State of the Black Union Conference. In 2005 the conference spawned the book “Covenant with Black America,” about issues in black community.

In more recent times the conference took a very critical tone towards President Barack Obama.

“[The State of the Black Union] doesn’t have the premium that it used to have – and that’s a good thing,” Tavis Smiley, The Associated Press.

Seems to me Obama as the first Black president was such a game changer conference regulars weren’t sure how to react. Which is fine because many of us didn’t, but I find their harsh tone is suspicious. As a nightly half-hour talk show host on PBS Smiley has facilitated many conversations about President Obama not being Black enough, acknowledging Black people, and not standing up for Black people enough.

I think the last criticism is valid because (more…)

If you like it then you shoulda put a bookmark on it!