Black Men Launch #SpendBlack Campaign With an Innovative Twist

MIAMI, Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in response to the heart-wrenching and racially-charged shootings in July, black men in the BMe Community have launched a coordinated #spendblack campaign that has three innovative twists – it's visually inspiring, easy to join and asks people of all races to #spendblack. The visual inspiration comes from a beautiful photo-wall of those who have joined the campaign at www.Pictition.com/SpendBlack

You'll already find notable faces there, including Benjamin Jealous, former head of NAACP, "Greenleaf" co-star Lamman Rucker, and crowdfunding pioneer Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org.

#Spendblack's central message is, "We can all show support for black lives by simply supporting black livelihood."

Organizers estimate that if Americans spent just 2% more of their income in the 2.6-million black-owned businesses, it would create 1-million more jobs.

#Spendblack began with Detroiters Jason Wilson, Shawn Blanchard and Teferi Brent who are all leaders in BMe Community, a national network of inspired black men who have dedicated their lives to creating hope and opportunity. Through BMe, Jealous, Rucker, Best and two dozen BMe Leaders in Akron, Baltimore, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh joined them immediately.

"In order for there to be true change in our communities we've got to increase the economic power of the black-owned businesses that truly care about our community," says Jason Wilson, well-known for his inspiring videos teaching black boys lessons in manhood.

Unlike most hashtag campaigns, #spendblack provides resources and ongoing motivation to help you actually spend black.

Everyone who signs up at www.Pictition.com/SpendBlack is told where to download a mobile app that works like Yelp for black-owned food, clothing, and furniture stores, as well as entertainment and professional services that you may not have known where to find.

Participants are encouraged to keep the visual fun going by taking pictures of themselves spending black and posting them on Instagram and Twitter with "#spendblack."

BMe Community, the network supporting the campaign, is known for its 2015 New York Times bestseller "REACH: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading and Succeeding", and for funding over 160 BMe Leaders who directly serve over 500,000 people annually by creating businesses, educating children and protect human rights in 6 cities.

BMe is backed by private donations and leading philanthropies including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Campaign for Black Male Achievement, The Heinz Endowments, and The William R. Keenan Jr. Charitable Trust. Visit www.BMeCommunity.org or contact Media@BMeCommunity.org for more information.

6 Ways Donald Trump Shows He Doesn't Want The Black Vote.

by George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com EMAIL

A recent NY Times article states that the G.O.P is urging Donald Trump to broaden his outreach to black voters The G.O.P which itself has no significant record of outreach to black voters should really be asking Trump not to increase but to begin outreach to black voters.

It should be no surprise that despite Donald Trump's rhetoric that "the blacks love him" polls show he will only get 2% of black voters in November's presidential election. The man has done done everything possible not to get the black vote.

In my belief the only reason Trump is polling so low with black voters is because he doesn't care about black voters or want their votes. Here are six reasons why I believe that to be so.

1. Donald Trump has refused to speak to African American organizations such as the NAACP and the National Urban League unlike John McCain, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush. These civil rights organizations are the end all be all when it comes to getting the black vote but not speaking to them says volumes.

2. Donald Trump has refused tp speak with black media, radio, newspapers, television, etc. Listeners of know the Joe Madison radio show know that there is an open invitation for Trump to show up and discuss his political viewpoints, all he has to do is have someone pick up the phone and call in. People who watch Roland Martin on NewsOne know that there is a similar invitation for Trump to go on that show. Both shows reach millions of black voters, but both shows have host who call people on their BS so that may be why Trump avoids them.

3. Donald Trump has not made visits to black neighborhoods. I don't mean flying into a city on his private jet to make a speech and then high-tailing it home. I mean going to black churches, barbershops, and restaurants where black voters are. I guess he's scared he may have to kiss some black babies.

4. When Donald Trump does decide to reach out to black voters he for some reason thought he could do it through black pastors who preach the prosperity gospel. Yup, the genius thought that a bunch of pimps in the pulpit could sway black voters.

5. He picked a former reality show star, Omarosa Manigault to be head of his outreach to African American voters. That one is self-explanatory.

6. Donald Trump just learned 3 or 4 months ago to stop calling African American's "the blacks" cause it's kinda sorta racist. Hell he just learned the term African American.

Is there still any real doubt that Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about African Americans?

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s children end Nobel medal dispute

Martin Luther King Jr.'s heirs have agreed to end their legal fight over who owns the slain civil rights leader's 1964 Nobel Peace Prize medal, according to a court document filed on Monday, but did not disclose if the item will be sold.

A trial to settle the years-long dispute over the medal had been set to start in Atlanta on Monday. It would have pitted King's two sons against his surviving daughter, who were at odds over whether to sell the medal.

The three siblings serve as directors of a corporation formed to manage the estate of King, who had no will when he was assassinated in 1968 by a white supremacist in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King III and Dexter King voted in January 2014 to sell the medal and a Bible their father carried during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Bernice King objected to a sale, calling the heirlooms "sacred" to the family.

Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney had ordered the items to be kept in a court-controlled safe deposit box pending the outcome of the lawsuit.

The judge on Monday signed an order in which the parties asked for the suit to be dismissed and agreed the keys to the box should be given to Martin Luther King III, who serves as chairman of the estate board.

Read more: Martin Luther King Jr.'s heirs end Nobel medal dispute

Book of the Week, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America

Michael Eric Dyson explores the powerful, surprising way the politics of race have shaped Barack Obama’s identity and groundbreaking presidency. How has President Obama dealt publicly with race—as the national traumas of Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Walter Scott have played out during his tenure? What can we learn from Obama's major race speeches about his approach to racial conflict and the black criticism it provokes?

Dyson explores whether Obama’s use of his own biracialism as a radiant symbol has been driven by the president’s desire to avoid a painful moral reckoning on race. And he sheds light on identity issues within the black power structure, telling the fascinating story of how Obama has spurned traditional black power brokers, significantly reducing their leverage.

President Obama’s own voice—from an Oval Office interview granted to Dyson for this book—along with those of Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and Maxine Waters, among others, add unique depth to this profound tour of the nation’s first black presidency.

BUY THE BOOK

KINDLE -------PAPERBACK

To my black brothers & sisters in Milwaukee: Don't destroy your own neighborhoods

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com [EMAIL]

UPDATE 09:50 EST: We now know that the person shot was an 23-year-old African American male named Sylville K. Smith.

Over night there was a shooting of a young man by Milwaukee police. We don't know much about the incident at this time other than the police claimed the deceased was armed. At the time I am writing this post we don't know the race, although I'm sure we all can make an educated guess about the race of the deceased. Some also want to wait to see what the race of the police officer that did the shooting is but those people don't understand that the race of the officer makes little if any difference.

In the aftermath of the shooting protesters took to the streets of Milwaukee to voice their anger. Unfortunately many went further than expressing their anger, they burned down a gas station and several buildings in their own communities.

Again, we don't know much about the shooting but I do know burning down your own neighborhoods is stupid, and that just doesn't pertain to the current situation in Milwaukee.

I would like to ask those young men and women what do they think they are achieving?

I would like to ask them who do they think they are hurting?

We have always been told that violence achieves nothing. Well, that is wrong, it does lead to the destruction of neighborhoods that may never come back. The only people hurt by burning down buildings are those that live in the area now and in the future.

Does anyone really think the powers that be give a damn if black protesters destroy their communities? If you truly believe that there is institutional racism and that there are those that want to hold minorities back then stop helping those forces by destroying your own neighborhoods.

It can take decades for communities to bounce back after riots. It's been over 45 years since riots of the late sixties, and many of those communities have still not recovered. Today in 2016 it's still a big deal when a major retailer wants to open a store, or a developer wants to build housing in Newark NJ, Detroit, or Cleveland.

Riots only keep businesses from coming into our neighborhoods. When those companies don't come it limits access to jobs, fresh foods, medicine, and other goods and services a community needs to thrive. We are taking a bad situation with policing in our communities and making it worse by rioting.

I understand the frustration and anger. Many of us feel it, but we also know that violence is not the answer and that there is no simple or easy answer. I don't have all the answers, but it will take time for the policing situation in minority communities to be corrected. But if we all keep on it and vote in our local elections to get in people that will change things or to put out those that didn't.

I know many of you are tired of hearing about the power of your vote but you should be more sick of the needless destruction of our communities.

We are hurting no one but ourselves.

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com