You Think What?

“If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight.” Tommie Smith U.S. Track and Field Olympian Mexico City, 1968

It was October 16, 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico City where John Carlos and Tommie Smith, along with white Australian Silver medalist Peter Norman, who wore a human rights badge on the podium in solidarity of the Americans’ protest, made headlines around the world. (more…)

“…As an active worker for civil rights, she has been a steady and forceful advocate on the national, state, and municipal scene, reminding people everywhere that freedoms are won not only by idealism but by persistence and will over a long time…”
~Excerpt from citation the University Of Pennsylvania honorary degree of Doctor of Laws conferred in 1974 upon Dr. Sadie T.M. Alexander

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, a Philadelphian born in 1898 was a trailblazing female scholar and lawyer. Named Sarah at birth she was known as Sadie throughout her life.

She was born into a family of accomplished individuals. Her maternal grandfather, Benjamin Tucker Tanner, was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Sadie’s father, Aaron Albert Mossell, was a graduate of Lincoln University and the first African American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1888. (more…)

Our favorite political cartoonist, Mark Fiore has his say about the relief efforts for the survivors of last month’s Haitian earthquake disaster. Take a look and be sure to help….

“Failure is not a word I accept”~ John H. Johnson, Publisher

John H. Johnson was an American businessman, founder of the Johnson Publishing Company. He was the chairman of Johnson Publishing Company and he also chaired the Fashion Fair Cosmetics Company, a company created by his wife Eunice Walker Johnson.

Under his leadership both Jet and Ebony Magazines flourished. Readership and circulation grew every year from 1945 the year in which they were first published.

The magazines were named by his wife Eunice and the start-up money came from a $500 loan  from his mother. She allowed Johnson to use her furniture as collateral for the loan.

His business success is nothing short of meteoric. He rose from the depths of poverty, spending a short time on the welfare rolls to becoming the first Black African American to be included in the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. (more…)

If you are one of those who uses Twitter to tell the whole entire planet what you are doing every minute of the day, where you are, who you are with, when you are home and when you are not– we have a word of caution for you and a web site you have got to see.

The word of warning is DON’T! Do Not share everything about your life on the Internet…as fascinating as you may find it, or you believe others may find it so, some nefarious individuals may find it even more so…

We advise what is private must remain private.

It is said a word to the wise is sufficient and if you happen to be unwise then a picture is worth at least a thousand words…

Nina Simone the High Priestess of Soul, composer of more than 500 songs, the creator of a musical narrative for a generation for an era of Civil Rights demonstrations, is the featured artist celebrant  in Clark Dark’s Black History Month Entertainment Spotlight.

Celebrate Black History Month 2010

Eunice Walker Johnson had been since 1961 the producer and director of America’s most well known fashion show The Ebony Fashion Fair. (more…)

“We use the ability to lower the armrests as the gauge, as the armrests are truly the definitive boundary between each seat.”

Blanche Africa Reilly Dark has her say about Southwest Airlines and movie director Kevin Smith.

Over the past weekend the Internet was all a buzz with news a young fat movie director was ejected in a manner he considers inappropriate whether he is a well known fat dude flying the people’s airline or just one of the unknown people who fly affordable air transportation. I should add right here I agree with Smith. The disrespect and humiliation demonstrated toward him was absolutely unacceptable! It’s unsatisfactory to be rude to any paying customer in any industry. (more…)

“We are the world, we are the children…”
Lionel Richie

In March of 1985 forty-five American singing stars gathered at the A&M music studio to record a song composed by the late Michael Jackson and lyricist Lionel Richie. The featured singers from several genres of music joined to make a record that would be sold to raise money for the charity USA For Africa. They raised over $30 million to help the less fortunate overseas.

On February 1, 2010 a new generation of celebrities, count’em 80, singers, actors, and the like–joined by some old school participants from the first recording, have gathered to do a remake of the original song We Are The World. This time money raised will go the benefit the survivors of last month’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. The organization is We Are The World 25 For Haiti. (more…)

“There’s a choice we’re making.
We’re saving our own lives…”-Lionel Richie

Nearly twenty-five years after the initial recording of the song created by the late Michael Jackson with lyrics by Lionel Richie, a new generation of Hollywood celebrities, singers, actors, models and people just known for being known, gathered to record a remake of the song that raised in 1985 more than $30 million for the charity USA For Africa.

This new crop of celebrities met on February 1, 2010, almost 25 years after the first gathering headed by music producer Quincy Jones, to record the cover to raise money for the survivors of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti.

We’ve decided to revisit the original recording from 1985: (more…)