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World Mourns Mandela, Icon for Justice by Hazel Trice Edney

Dec. 5, 2013

POSTED DEC. 5.  UPDATED TUESDAY, DEC. 10

World Mourns Mandela, Icon for Justice
By Hazel Trice Edney

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(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Legendary former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, reverred around the world for his decades of activism and ultimate presidential leadership for a free South Africa, is dead at 95. President Barack Obama has order U. S. flags to be flown at half staff during 10 days of mourning in his honor as memorial services are set for this week and Sunday.

"Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa - and moved all of us.  His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings - and countries - can change for the better," President Barack Obama said in a special statement from the White House Press Room Dec. 5. "His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives.  And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable.  As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

Only moments earlier, South Africa President Jacob Zuma had announced the death of the country's beloved "Madiba", Mandela's trible name. The announcement was carried live on many stations in the U. S.

"Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss," Zuma said. "His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family."

The people of South Africa poured into the streets dancing and singing in celebration of the life of their hero as they learned of his death that occurred at 8:50 p.m., Dec. 5. Mandela died at his Johannesburg home surrounded by his wife, Graca Machel, and family. He had suffered a lengthy illness that doctors identified as a chronic respiratory infection. He had lived in a remote village in the Eastern Cape area since retiring from public life two years ago after South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

An official day of mourning and prayers on Sunday, Dec. 8 started a week of official memorial services. On Tuesday, about 90,000 South Africans were expected to be joined by foreign dignitaries and at least 90 heads of state - including President and First Lady Obama at a national memorial in a World Cup soccer stadium near Soweto. The body of Mandela was to then lie in state for three days at the Union Building in Pretoria. 

The official memorials are set to end Sunday, Dec. 15 with a state funeral in Qunu, Mandela’s childhood village. 

Tuesday's official memorial service will not only host heads of state, but activists from around the world, including from the U. S. where protests calling for Mandela's freedom from prison became synonimous with protests for a free South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s until his release on Feb. 11, 1990.

Mandela reached world fame as he served 27 years in prison for his opposition to the racist apartheid rule that once divided the country between Whites, Coloreds and Blacks. Millions of American activists, celebrities and politicians joined activitists around the world in decades of protests for his freedom. Released on Feb. 11, 1990, he became South Africa's first Black president in 1994 and served for five years.

Initial reactions to the death of this Nobel Peace Prize winner, an iconic figure to millions, poured in from American civil rights leaders.

"Nelson Mandela was truly a transformative force in the history of South Africa and the world. My heart weighs heavy today, but his life was full and the imprint he left on our world is everlasting," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. "Every now and then a soul of rare vintage comes our way.   That by circumstances, sacrifice and suffering, finds its way into the soul of our global culture, the family of man, and calls our better angels to fly.  Such a soul is Nelson Mandela."

Reflections continued.

“President Mandela was humanity’s greatest living hero. His unwavering sense of justice and peace transformed a nation and inspired the world,” said Lorraine Miller, interim president/CEO of the NAACP.

"He changed human history and taught activists around the world that in order to legitimately further what is noble, you must actually be a noble person," said Rev. Al Sharpton, president/CEO of the National Action Network.

"There are few men or women who leave such an indelible imprint and impact on the world that they are remembered, honored and celebrated by nations near and far for centuries after they depart," said Marc Morial, President/CEO of the National Urban League. "There are few people for whom even all the words in every language fail to convey the magnitude and meaning of their lives.  Without a doubt in mind or heart, I know that Nelson Mandela is one among a very select few."

National Civil Rights Support Mounting for Marissa Alexander by Hazel Trice Edney

Dec. 1, 2013

National Civil Rights Support Mounting for Marissa Alexander
Unequal Justice in Court Case Illuminated by George Zimmerman Verdict

By Hazel Trice Edney

alexander marissa

Marissa Alexander before going to prison and inside of prison. PHOTO: Courtesy, Afro-American Newspaper.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – National civil rights leaders are mounting support behind a 33-year-old mother who received 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot into the wall of a garage in response to threats of bodily harm from her husband. She is now free on bail while awaiting a new trial.

Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville, Fla., is quickly becoming a household name as her case has confounded people across the nation. With a new trial now set for March 31, 2014, millions will watch to see whether justice prevails.

“The members of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women are outraged at the sentencing of Marissa Alexander to a 20-year prison term for discharging her firearm in an effort to protect herself from an abusive partner,” says Michele McNeill Emery, NCBW national president in a statement. “There must be an equitable and comprehensive judicial review in the case of Marissa Alexander.”

The First District Court of Appeals agreed in September, overturning the verdict and granting her a new trial. Released on bail since Nov. 27, Alexander will likely spend Christmas with her infant and other two children. Support from civil rights organizations are lining up with hopes that she will never have to go back.

The announcement of the new trial is a “welcome development in a case that represents the double standards in our justice system,” stated outgoing NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “From the streets to the court house, race continues to influence the judicial process, and it certainly seemed to have played a role here.”

The new trial has been a long time coming. Alexander has spent nearly two years in prison already for the August 1,  2010 incident. She was convicted by a jury in only 12 minutes in May 2012, sending shockwaves through the civil rights community and among women’s advocacy groups. In July last year, hundreds attended an NAACP rally in Jacksonville in support of her.

Illuminating the injustice is the clear comparison in the “stand your ground” case of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted after he shot and killed unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin.

"The Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander cases put Stand Your Ground laws under the microscope,” said a statement from the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.  “The cases brought to light the inequalities that lie within its interpretation and the fact that it is in place in a majority of states underscores that we must fight to repeal the laws.  Gun violence has been an issue in low-income communities for years, but the Sandy Hook tragedy created an urgency to address gun laws.  While Congress failed to act on sensible gun legislation, we must continue to demand action.”

Alexander was not allowed to use the “Stand Your Ground” law as her defense because prosecutors successfully convinced the court that she did not act in self-defense. Meanwhile the Marissa Alexander story is being recounted with increasing passion:

“The prosecutor in this case, Angela Corey, is the same one who only reluctantly charged George Zimmerman in the massacre of Trayvon Martin, the same prosecutor who assembled a flawed legal team, the same prosecutor who believes in the Stand Your Ground laws.  That is, except for Marissa Alexander, who stood her ground against an abusive husband and hurt no one,” wrote columnist Julianne Malveaux. “Her conviction has been thrown out because a judge ruled that the prosecution, not the defense, has the burden of proof.”

Alexander was erroneously asked to prove that she had been beaten, leading to an illegal jury instruction. That instruction is the reason the appellate court is allowing Alexander another chance at justice.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. took to radio with an appeal for her support. “This is such a classic expression of how subjective the Stand Your Ground laws are. One guy murders a man in cold blood and he’s walking free; (a) woman shoots to defend herself from an aggressive husband …and she’s serving 20 years in jail,” he said on the Joe Madison radio show. He encouraged the audience to get involved with the movement, including making an appeal to Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Alexander’s case grew nationally after she was sentenced to a mandatory 20 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Because she fired the shot during the incident, the case fell under Florida's "10-20-life" law, which mandates a 20-year sentence for the use of a firearm during certain crimes.

Alexander’s husband, Rico Gray, told members of the media that his wife first punched him “after he confronted her about texts she had sent to her ex-husband,” the Associated Press reported.

However, in court depositions, Gray admits to having threatened her.

“If my kids wouldn’t have been there, I probably would have put my hand on her,” he said in court depositions. “Probably hit her. I got five baby mammas and I put my hands on every last one of them except for one.”

Alexander is being represented pro bono by former assistant U. S. Attorney Bruce Zimmet of Fort Lauderdale attorney and Mike Dowd, a New York-based attorney, known for his work in the battered women’s movement.

Despite her husband’s version of the story, the court of public opinion appears to be winning, mainly because of the documented court records of his repeated abuse of Alexander.

“In the case of Ms. Alexander, it is public record that she had been victim to repeated incidences of domestic violence and critical injury by this person,” says Emery of NCBW. “Even at the time of this incident per public record she was recovering from a severe physical beating at the hands of the same perpetrator that required hospitalization and resulted in the early birth of her child. It is also public record that Ms. Alexander had asked for protection from abuse from law enforcement from this person. At the time of this incident we think it is no doubt she was afraid and not in the best frame of mind given her history of repeated abuse.”

The NCBW quotes statistics from the Washington, D.C.-based Violence Policy Center.  “The data indicates that Black women were disproportionately murdered at a rate two and a half times higher than Black males at 2.61 percent per 100,000 versus 0.99 per 100,000.The report states that compared to a Black male; a Black female is far more likely to be killed by her spouse or an acquaintance,” NCBW recounts the study titled, “When Men Murder Women, a 2011 Analysis of Homicide Data”. It concludes, “Eighty three percent of black females homicides studied were killed by a black male during the course of an argument.”

Alexander, who had no previous criminal record, rejected a plea deal to take three years in prison, opting for the jury trial instead.

NAACP Florida State Conference President Adora Obi Nweze, says the Alexander case has become a symbol for many injustices. “We have so many cases of injustice in Florida, and while we only hear about one or two, there are so many more that go unreported. We will continue fighting for all the other Marissa Alexanders out there.”










Rev. T.J. Jemison, Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 95

Dec. 1, 2013

Rev. T.J. Jemison, Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 95

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Rev. T. J. Jemison

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from The Louisiana Weekly

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The Rev. T. J. Jemison, a longtime Louisiana pastor, pioneering civil rights leader and founder of one of the nation’s met effective faith-based civil rights organizations, has died. The contributions of the 95-year-old were felt from the grassroots community to the White House.

"Michelle and I were saddened to hear about the passing of Reverend T. J. Jemison. With visionary spirit and charisma, he led the country’s first boycott of segregated seating on public buses 60 years ago, and he went on to help eradicate legal segregation and improve voting rights laws for disenfranchised Americans. As a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and former president of the National Baptist Convention, he inspired Americans across our country with the courage of his convictions and the depth of his faith," said President Barack Obama in a statement. "As we mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice, we remember the legacy of trailblazers like T.J. Jemison, and commit ourselves to carrying that legacy forward in the years to come.  Our nation is a better place because of Reverend Jemison’s struggle and sacrifice, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and loved ones."

Rev. Raymond Brown, a New Orleans-based community activist and president of National Action Now, told The Louisiana Weekly, “A lot of young people may not know much about Rev. Jemison, but all of the freedom fighters and anyone who is serious about learning the history of the Civil Rights Movement know exactly who he was and what he contributed to the struggle...He stuck his neck out there and was on the front lines of the struggle for civil rights two years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He opened a lot of doors for a lot of people and forever changed the course of American history.”

Jemison’s son, Ted Jemison, told The Associated Press that his father, who once served as president of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., died Friday evening, Nov., 15, of natural causes at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.

Theodore Judson Jemison was born in 1918 in Selma, Alabama where his father, the Rev. David V. Jemison, was the pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church. He came from a family of prominent ministers and strong churchgoing women. He attended local segregated schools.

Jemison earned a bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University, a historically Black institution, where he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the same fraternity Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a member of. Jemison earned a divinity degree at Virginia Union University to prepare for the ministry, and later enrolled in graduate courses at New York University.

In 1953, while serving as pastor of Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., a post he held for 54 years, Jemison helped lead the first civil rights boycott of segregated seating on public buses. The organization of free rides, coordinated by churches, was a model used later in 1955-1956 by the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama. Jemison was one of the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957.

Although the critical role Rev. Jemison played in laying the foundation for King’s successful boycott are still not widely known or celebrated, in 2003, the city of Baton Rouge commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Baton Rouge bus boycott.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sought Rev. Jemison’s advice when organizing the famous bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., two years later, Ted Jemison said of his father.

One thing King wanted to know was how the leaders of the Baton Rouge boycott arranged carpool rides for Blacks so they could avoid using the buses, Ted Jemison told The Advocate.

King wrote about the Rev. T.J. Jemison in his book, Stride Toward Freedom.

When King became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was founded in New Orleans, T.J. Jemison was the organization’s first secretary, his son said.

“He came up in a time when there was overt racism, but he always preached togetherness. He also believed that everybody deserves a fair share. I think that’s one of the greatest things about him. He never changed his tune. He believed in a man’s worth, regardless of skin color,” Ted Jemison said Nov. 16 in a telephone interview.

Ted Jemison said his father also was a kind and giving man.

“He made so many people happy by giving up what he had, personally, and he enjoyed doing that,” the son said.

T.J. Jemison also served as president of the National Baptist Convention USA Inc., the largest Black religious organization in the U.S. from 1982 to 1994, and met with seven U.S. presidents during his lifetime, Ted Jemison said.

Jemison is credited with overseeing the building of Baptist World Center in Nashville, Tenn., the headquarters of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., during his tenure as president.

Todd Sterling, a trustee at Mount Zion First Baptist Church, said T.J. Jemison will be remembered as a "visionary leader.”

“The world has lost an icon in the Baptist ministry and the civil rights arena,” Sterling told The Associated Press. “He was a pioneer in race relations.”

While the Baton Rouge boycott is not as well-known and did not last as long as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, it sparked a movement that led to the birth of the modern-day Civil Rights Movement.

The Advocated reported that eats in the front of Baton Rouge city buses were for white riders only. Even if those “white” seats were empty, Black riders had to stand if seats set aside for them in the back of the bus were full.

In a 2003 newspaper story marking the boycott’s 50th anniversary, 84-year-old Freddie Green recalled sitting guard duty with a shotgun on Jemison’s front porch. Green remembered crosses burned in the minister’s yard and at the church.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., one of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s top aides and a longtime friend of Rev, Jemison, said Jemison’s contributions to making life better for those who followed extend far beyond voting and civil rights and into the world of college sports. “When LSU plays Alabama,” Jackson, president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, told The Advocate. “there’s some T.J. Jemison in that. He laid the groundwork for bringing down the Sugarcane Curtain that led to Black players playing” on formerly all-white college football teams.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden remembered Rev. Jemison as an engaging minister with a great sense of humor.

“He had that big hearty laugh,” Holden told The Advocate. “When something really was funny, you would know — you could be in another room — and you would know the big hearty laugh.”

Holden, who considered Rev. Jemison a mentor, said he learned from the affable civil rights minister that nothing of lasting significance could be accomplished without the presence of God. “If more young people, not just in Baton Rouge but throughout the nation, would just take a moment, go back and read the history of this man,” Holden said, “maybe that would get them to turn their lives away from any violence and turn it directly towards reaching out to the community to make it better.”

“He was a trailblazer and … a man that left a mark on our history and really taught many of us as young African Americans the importance of being able to stand up for what you believe in,” Metro Councilwoman Tara Wicker told The Advocate. “Not being afraid, but at the same time doing things in a peaceful manner that allowed for a community to heal.”

“We’re expecting Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, and Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights icons to fly in for the funeral on Saturday,” Ted Jemison, Rev. Jemison’s son, told WAFB 9 News.

Ted Jemison also said  that while Mt. Zion First Baptist Church could only accommodate 1,200 worshippers, it was the only place where his dad’s homegoing services could be held because it was the only house of worship the Rev. T.J. Jemison built.

“[T]here was no other place this celebration could be,” Ted Jemison said.

Rev. Jemison was laid in repose at the State Capitol Rotunda in Baton Rouge on Friday, Nov. 22. His wake was held that evening at Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. His funeral was held Saturday, Nov. 23, also at Mount Zion.

Federal Judge Halts Publication of Malcolm X's Diary by Frederick H. Lowe

Dec. 1, 2013

Federal Judge Halts Publication of Malcolm X's Diary

Extension of Restraining Order Prevents Distribution

By Frederick H. Lowe

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Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain has extended a temporary restraining order, preventing Chicago-based publisher Third World Press from publishing, distributing and displaying The Diary of Malcolm X, which is coauthored by one of his six daughters.

Judge Swain extended the temporary restraining order on Friday, November 22, until Jan. 31, 2014, when a hearing on a preliminary injunction concerning publication of the book will be held. If successful, that injunction would prevent publication of the book prior to the final determination of the merits of the legal case.

The original temporary restraining order in the case, X Legacy vs Third World Press Inc., was issued on November 8.

X Legacy Created By Malcolm X's Heirs
According to federal court documents, X Legacy, also called Legacy X, was created by Malcolm X's heirs to protect and enhance the value of the property held by his estate, including his diaries.

Although Ilyasah Shabazz, one of Malcolm X's daughters, is co-author of  “The Diary of Malcolm X,” the X Legacy was created to prevent any heir of Malcolm X from acting unilaterally, according to the lawsuit. Herb Boyd, a journalist, is the book's co-author. Haki R. Madhubuti, founder of Third World Press, wrote the book's foreword.

“The Diary of Malcolm X” includes details from Malcolm X journal of his trips to the Middle East and Africa and his 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest Muslim shrine. He traveled abroad after splitting with the Nation of Islam, which is based in Chicago. He later changed his name to El Haij Malik El Shabazz.

On November 8, Legacy X charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that Third World Press illegally infringed on original works written by Malcolm X. The group also alleges in its lawsuit that some family members attempted unsuccessfully to settle the dispute with Third World Press before X Legacy filed the lawsuit.

“On October 26 and 29, 2013, Attallah Shabazz and Qubilah Shabazz [two of Malcolm X's daughters] placed telephone calls to the defendant [Third World Press] to request that the defendant refrain from the publishing the unauthorized book because X Legacy had not given permission for it to do so,” the lawsuit alleged. “Between October 23 and November 4, X Legacy's legal representatives made numerous attempts, by telephone and by email, to obtain a response from Third World Press. Although Third World Press promised that a response would be forthcoming, as of the date of this complaint [November 8], none has been received.”

Third World Press had scheduled book-release parties November 15 and 16 in New York City before the temporary restraining order was issued. Malcolm X's heirs argued successfully that they would be harmed irreparably unless the order was issued. Third World Press also was raising funds over the Internet through crowd funding to publish the book.

Malcolm X's Diaries Donated

In 2003, Malcolm X's family placed his diaries, photographs, letters and other materials on long-term deposit with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library.

Howard Dodson, then the head of the Schomburg Center, told The NorthStar News & Analysis that the documents were on deposit for 75 years.

According to the lawsuit, “Third World Press infringed on X Legacy's exclusive copyrights by copying, publishing, distributing and displaying copies of the diaries in the book without permission from X Legacy and disseminating it publicly.”

The lawsuit charges that Ilyasah Shabazz in 2011 had assigned all of her rights, title and interests in the estate of Malcolm X to X Legacy.

Legacy X intends to publish the diaries on or about the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X in February 2015. Gunmen assassinated him on Feb. 21, 1965.

Special Commentary: Buy Black on “Black Friday” by Dr. Ron Daniels

Nov. 26, 2013

Vantage Point 
Buy Black on “Black Friday”
By Dr. Ron Daniels

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Special Commentary

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - In my most recent article, I called upon the Black Nation and our allies to seize the X-MAS season (the commercialized, corrupted, capitalist version of Christmas) to intensify the Justice for Trayvon Martin, Economic Sanctions/Boycott Florida Campaign.

This call was/is grounded in the conviction that Africans in America have been far too passive in the face of unspeakable acts of indignity heaped upon the race. I am convinced that a rekindled spirit of resistance will result in victories over the oppressive forces that seek to reverse the gains of the historic and heroic Black Freedom Struggle.  Collectively Black people continue to be neglected, disrespected, disregarded and abused because we have become too tame, tolerant and even accepting of our oppression. 

This is not to say that there is no fight-back or resistance.  The problem is that we lack a “critical mass,” a much larger number of Black people, who are sufficiently enraged and outraged, to act decisively to promote and protect/defend our interests and aspirations.  This is the challenge we must overcome.

The X-MAS season provides an excellent opportunity for Africans in America to engage in a season of resistance.  The corporate retail establishment in this country is heavily dependent upon this season for consumers to participate in a frenzy of buying to buttress their bottom line. The unofficial kick-off of the “shop until you drop” season is the Friday after Thanksgiving  -- which has popularly come to be known as “Black Friday” – the day when the corporate retail giants begin an all out effort to induce, seduce, bribe and otherwise “persuade” consumers to buy enough goods to enable companies to “break into the black” – achieve profitability for the year!

Unfortunately, the sons and daughters of formerly enslaved Africans in America, who complain about the oppressive conditions of stop-and-frisk, joblessness, the War on Drugs, crime, violence, fratricide  and the murder of unarmed Black men like Trayvon Martin are not immune to the seductive appeal of the X-MAS season.  On Black Friday, Black consumers will lineup with liberated White folks in the reckless race to give our hard earned/precious dollars to the oppressor!  We are addicted.  We must educate and organize to kick the habit.

Black Friday should mark a critical point of resistance for Black people, a time when Black consumers utilize the billions of dollars in our hands as a weapon to advance the Black Freedom Struggle. I have often said if Black people would commit to “keeping Christ in Christmas,” focus on the spiritual and family aspects of the season and consciously refuse to participate in the senseless buying frenzy, the White Corporate establishment would come running, asking what concessions they should make to end the economic sanctions.  Black people have more than 1 trillion dollars of consumer buying power in our hands.  The question is whether we have the consciousness, commitment and discipline to use it to promote and defend Black interests.

There is no better time to renew a spirit of resistance than the present.  Black people all across the nation should resolve to Buy Black on “Black Friday.” At a minimum, Black people should seek out Black businesses and purchase as many gifts as possible from them to bolster the Black economy. Veteran activists like Bob Law have long advocated Support Black Business Days to encourage Black consumers to shop at Black stores.

He is advocating a similar campaign this year. In addition, Black communities can organize Black Expos on Black Friday where scores of Black vendors and businesses can be assembled under one roof to display their wares for sale. For example, in New York, under the visionary leadership of Rev. Dennis Dillon, the Emancipation 2013 Freedom Coalition is organizing a two day Black Friday Expo November 29th and 30th at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan. 

This kind of Expo could become a model for Black communities nationwide.  The Support Black Business Days and Black Expo events exemplify the first principle of the utilization of Black consumer power – Black dollars should be used to support Black businesses and entrepreneurs as a means of building a strong economic infrastructure to employ Black people.

The second principle of the utilization of Black consumer power is that companies/corporations that depend on Black dollars must be compelled to reinvest in Black communities!   Black dollars should be used as leverage with businesses and corporations that depend on Black consumer dollars.  It is reasonable to expect and demand that businesses and corporations that we patronize reinvest dollars back into the Black community in the form of jobs, advertisement in Black media, sponsorships and contributions to worthy causes.  And, we should not accept peanuts or chump change in exchange for the massive dollars we spend, enriching businesses and corporations owned by interests external to the Black community.  Our inner-city neighborhoods are dying for lack of jobs and investment. Therefore, we absolutely cannot permit businesses to grow fat off our dollars without demanding reinvestment in our communities.  Those who refuse to do so must face the wrath of economic sanctions – and there is no better time to target offending businesses/corporations than the X-MAS season when their profitability depends on Black dollars!

As the corporate retail establishment prepares to launch the X-MAS season, let us transform it into a season of resistance - Remember Trayvon Martin: Boycott Florida...Buy Black on “Black Friday!”

Dr. Ron Daniels is President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and Distinguished Lecturer at York College City University of New York. To send a message, arrange media interviews or speaking engagements, Dr. Daniels can be reached via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

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