We Can Turn This Around

Many of us are experiencing fear and uncertainty to do with this economic climate.

Here in the UK, the government is bringing in measures that will lead to the loss of a milllion jobs in the private and public sectors. Our communities will be some of the hardest hit.

I am sure similar things are happening in the U.S.A. and other countries as well. People are losing their jobs and their homes.

You may already be experiencing some of the effects of this in your business or at your workplace.

But.

We can turn this around.

The more of us who know how to bring about positive change through working with our thoughts and emotions, the more we can change our lives.

And this will mean we can influence those around us in positive ways. We can influence our families, communities and loved ones. So everyone benefits.

To read more, see: 12 Ways to Be Successful.

Also, check out my book: Success Strategies for Black People.

In London, I am leading workshops in Finding Creative Solutions. I hope you will join us.

Here's to your success!

Do You Want to Have a Successful Career?

Do you want to have a successful career in
- business?
- the corporate world?
- the media?
- politics?
- healthcare?

Are you willing to learn from the experts?

In Black Success Stories Volume 1, I have interviewed experts in all of these fields, and they have given steps on how to achieve your goals.

If you are a parent, teacher, educator or mentor, you want this book.

Black Success Stories is a brilliant gift for Xmas and Kwanzaa. Click here to order your copies now.

Click here for my free report on 4 Steps to Finding the Job You Want.

Click here for lots more jobsearch resources.

Black History Film: 500 Years Later

I far preferred this film to Motherland.

500 Years Later explores the importance of history for us as people of African heritage.

Using a series of talking heads as well as powerful and disturbing images, music and sound recordings of Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X, this film examines the legacy of self-hatred and low self-esteem which we have inherited due to the slavery experience, and the need for self-love, self-determination and self-reliance among people of the African Diaspora.

I explore these themes further in Why We Need to Heal.

In my book, Black Success Stories, the late Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives, describes the steps we need to take in order to research our history. Click here to buy it.

A Call to Action: Obama Exhibit in Oslo

A current exhibition in Oslo, Norway, "President Barack Obama, A Call to Action", examines President Obama's record as a Nobel Laureate and how the President meets Alfred Nobel's three criteria for being a Nobel Laureate.

Check out this video on the Black Women in Europe blog.

See also: Celebrating Barack Obama.

Black People 26 Times More Likely to Be Stopped by Police

Saw comic Stephen K Amos on The Wright Stuff on Monday reveal the recent report that Black people are 26 times more likely to be stopped by the police than members of other groups.

26 times!!!!

TWENTY-SIX TIMES!!!

We’re not even one percent of the population!

I knew we were more likely to be stopped, but, say it with me:
TWENTY-SIX TIMES!!!

Is this really the best use of police resources????

Plus, I have recently seen Matthew Wright question why there has been so much coverage of the police’s shooting of barrister Mark Saunders when shootings of Black people are substantially more frequent, yet barely get a mention.

In fact, I’ve heard him say it twice!

Well done, Matthew. Right on. You have obviously learned something.

What a pity Henry Bonsu has disappeared from your shows after being a regular panelist for so long. To read more about this, see my interview with Henry in Black Success Stories.

Africans in Colonial New York: Educators' Workshop

This workshop is being held today at the Schomburg Center in New York.

Teachers are invited to join Schomburg scholars and park rangers from the New York African Burial Ground National Monument for this workshop about the history and cultural contributions of New York City's early African population.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world.

For details of this and other events at the Schomburg, including The Sacred in the Secular Classroom: A Panel Discussion for Educators, see Black History International.

Motherland Film Screenings

The documentary Motherland was described by The Sowetan as "The Best Documentary on Africa". Directed by the makers of 500 Years Later, Motherland will be screened in London tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. Click here for details of these and other BHM events.

Black History Show from Radio Nottingham

I've just been listening online to a very interesting show from Bea Udeh at Radio Nottingham. She asks, is Black History Month still relevant in the UK in 2010? What are the origins of BHM UK? She also has white guests expressing their disapproval of BHM.

Click here to listen.

Click here for lots more BHM UK events. I will keep adding to the list, so please keep coming back.

Positive Black Role Models

The More Black Success free ebooks celebrate the achievements and contributions of people of African heritage. Hot off the press: Volume 8 focuses on Black-owned businesses.

In MBS 8, Coach Kevin communicates a constant message of hope and inspiration, and talks about his book From Ghetto to Greatness.

Click here for your free copies of More Black Success.

Why Do We Need Positive Role Models?

In The Miseducation of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson argued in 1933 that Black children were being indoctrinated by the education system to view themselves as inferior. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, this is often still the case. In addition, powerful mass media reinforce negative stereotypes.

To read more, see: Do You Think Like a Success?

Wordpower Literature Festival 2010

Centerprise Bookshop is holding events throughout the month of October as part of the Wordpower International Black Literature Festival. We will be interviewing Emmanuel Amevor from Centerprise today on my radio show, What U Need to Know, at 7 p.m. UK time, 2 p.m. EDT. Click here to listen .

If you miss the live broadcast, click here to listen to the recording

We will be broadcasting live from the NAACP march on Washington for Jobs, Justice and Education.

Our other guest will be Jamaican writer Yvonne Archer, author of Life According to Maas Roy. I hope you will join us.

Click here for more BHM events.

Celebrating Black History

Happy Black History Month! I prefer to call it African Heritage Month.

Black History Month in the UK was originally set up to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of people of African heritage worldwide.

This month, the What U Need to Know radio show celebrates Black history. Actually, we talk about history, heritage and healing every month.

Click here to listen. The show goes out live at 2 p.m. UK time, 7 p.m. EDT, on Saturday 2nd October. If you miss the show, you can still listen to the recording here.

We will be broadcasting live from the NAACP March on Washington.

Our guests will include Yvonne Archer, author of Life Acccording to Maas Roy

Celebrating Nappturality (2)

Further to my previous post on Celebrating Nappturality, I have just seen this great article: Paying Tribute to The Black Hair Conversation. This article explores our obsession with the Black hair thing from an historical and political perspective.

Celebrating and enjoying our natural hair is part of learning to love ourselves as African people. For more about this, see The Key to Confidence.

Have a great day!

Black Spitfire Pilots

The recent massive media coverage of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain gave the impression that it was an all-white affair. The fact is that not only were there Black and Asian Spitfire and Hurricane pilots but there was an extensive African/Caribbean civilian population resident in Britain throughout the war which is to say before the 1948 arrival of the Windrush.

To read more, see London Black History Walks.

For the Black History Month UK edition of What U Need to Know on Saturday 2nd October, join us for the broadcast at What U Need to Know.

Honouring Your Deepest Values

What is the most important thing in your life?

Is it your relationships?

Having genuine heart connections with people?

Spending time with those you love?

Fun and excitement?

Having a healthy, fit body?

Creative expression?

Education and learning?

The opportunity to learn and grow spiritually?

Whatever you most value, make sure you structure your life around it, rather than trying to fit it into your life.

To read more, see 12 Ways to Be Successful.

Click here for my free 3-Step Success Formula.

Here's to your success!

Finding Creative Solutions - New Workshops

I hope you will join us for my next workshop on Finding Creative Solutions, which will be held in London on Saturday 11th September 2-4 p.m.

- If you have been working on a problem or issue for awhile, and are not happy with the results

- If you have tried different methods

- If you feel worried, stressed or anxious about

money and finances

your job/career

your relationships

your health

any other area of your life

This workshop can help you.

Click here for more information and to book.

Click here for the next workshop for the Black community.

Click here for my Amazon Author Profile.

Here's to your success!

Beautiful Beautiful Zion

I've been meaning to blog about this for awhile.

The V&A held a Rastafari event on 20th August, which tied in with the museum's exhibition of Sacred Art from Ethiopia.

Beautiful Beautiful Zion within the Heart of the Lion featured dub poetry from Levi Tafari, and a sound system from Mikey Dread and MC Ras Kayleb of Channel One Sound Systems.

The musical and verbal stylings of the Ras Messengers resounded through the building. A line of brothas beat 'pon dem drum like a heartbeat pulsing through all of us assembled there.

The community had truly turned out to bless and be blessed by them. All ages were represented, from the eldest to the youngest.

We often speak of peace, love and unity and that night, we truly expressed and experienced these qualities.

As was correctly stated, the sacred objects were stolen from Africa and need to be returned to their home.

Having said that, we, who were also stolen from Africa, were given the opportunity to draw on some of their energy, which had built up through sacred rituals over many years. So the museum has done us some service.

Waiting at the bus stop afterwards, I had a lively discussion with half a dozen people who had attended the event. Not my usual bus stop experience.

Make sure you are at the next one.

Reminder: Education - What U Need to Know Tomorrow (Saturday)

As September means back to school for many people, we are looking at education. What can Black parents do to ensure their children get the best from the education system? And what kinds of educational resources are available?

This show is presented by two sistas across the Atlantic - my colleague, Joan E. Gosier of HBCU Kidz, author of Cotton Pickin' Paycheck, and myself.

Click here to listen.

Click here for more details and to listen to recordings of previous shows.

To join us, phone 001 (347) 637-1099 or login to the chatroom.

Click here for my Amazon Author Profile.

Education: What U Need to Know

Click here to listen to What U Need to Know Saturday 4th September 2:00 p.m. EDT.

As September means back to school for many people, we are looking at education. What can Black parents do to ensure their children get the best from the education system? And what kinds of educational resources are available?

This show is presented by two sistas across the Atlantic - my colleague, Joan E. Gosier of HBCU Kidz, author of Cotton Pickin' Paycheck, and myself.

Please phone in at 001 (347) 637 1099 or join us in the chatroom to share your views on education.

You may know that Google is now offering free phonecalls from the UK and the U.S.A.

If you miss the broadcast, you can still listen to the recording here.

Larry Beacham on Video Marketing

Stonecold Millionaire Larry Beacham says video marketing is the hottest, most effective way to market online.

Larry talks through all the basics of how to make and edit a video to promote your products. Lighting, location – he breaks it all down for you.

Click here to watch.

To read an article by Larry Beacham on The Uncovered Diamond That Creates Extraordinary Results In Lead Generation For
Every Network Marketer, get your free copy of More Black Success Volume 6.

Racism and White Privilege on the Liberal-Left

I've just seen this article by Tim Wise which contains an excellent analysis on racism amongst white liberal, left-wing thinkers and activists.

Among the issues covered are:

- The attitude that "Barack Obama is not like other Black people".

- The failure to address racism amongst other movements including the women's movement and LGBT activism.

- Does President Obama make white people feel good about themselves?

- And is San Francisco really more racist than places like Jackson, Miss?

I am so tired of hearing white women say that women did not work outside the home until the 1970s. My grandmother had a career well into her 70s (in the 1970s) and my mother started her second career after retirement in her early 60s. To paraphrase Sojourner Truth, ain't they women?

He also rightly points out that the Summer of Love was not that meaningful for lots of African American people, as they were being targeted by the police in Oakland. In my article Celebrating the Legend that Is Motown, I also talk about the fact that 1967 saw major race riots in Detroit.

Tim Wise is the author of Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity.

Very clear analysis. My question is: what is he doing to change the situation?

I strongly recommend this article. Check it out: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Glenn Beck? Racism and White Privilege on the Liberal-Left.

African Remembrance Day Film: Poto Mitan

On Saturday, the BFI screened “Pto Mitan” as part of its African Remembrance Day programme. This documentary depicts the lives of five Haitian women living in abject poverty in urban Haiti. Each woman tells her own story.

Remember, this film was made before the earthquake disaster. The situation now is even worse.

In traditional Haitian religion, Poto Mitan is a pole around which all activity centers. The film makes the point that in Haitian society, everything rests on the women.

In Haiti, the majority of families are single-parent families with female heads of households. So when women are struggling, the whole of the family and thus the whole of the society struggles.

To read more about this striking documentary, see: Two Films about Haiti.

Click here for the African Remembrance Day show on What U Need to Know.

See also: Jamaica for Sale.

Modern-Day Slavery: Jamaica for Sale

Today, 23rd of August, is African Remembrance Day, which celebrates the Haitian Revolution.

On Saturday, the BFI screened “Jamaica for Sale” as part of its African Remembrance Day programme. This documentary by Esther Figueroa explores the way the hotels and tourism industry in Jamaica is destroying the island’s coastline and with it, its wildlife, and a whole way of life for many people.

Large sections of Jamaica’s coast have been sold off to private developers who build vast hotel complexes, restricting access to the beaches where people used to rest and relax.

The construction workers work 12-hours days, for which they are paid a pittance. Their working conditions are often unsafe, and accidents have led to injuries and deaths. The workers often have to wait weeks to be paid at all. Then, they spend up to a third of their wages transport to and from work.

This is modern-day slavery.

Meanwhile, the hotels are exempt from paying taxes for up to 15 years, which means that their profits are not benefiting the local economy.

The lack of access to the beaches is impacting on the fishing industry. Not that this matters, as the fish are dying off. The coral reefs are dying, so the fish have nowhere to breed. The trees are cut down to make way for the hotels, which means that birds have nowhere to nest. We see a shot of a pelican picking its way around debris in the sea.

The images in this film will shock and disturb you. The combination of greed, short-sightedness and wanton disregard both for the people of Jamaica and for the environment leaves me speechless (for once).

There are trade unions, as well as people organising locally around the environmental issues. The film raises many questions but provides no answers and, unfortunately, at the screening I attended, no answers were forthcoming. But you need to see this film.

Click here for the African Remembrance Day show on What U Need to Know.

See also:
Two Films about Haiti
Jamaica: Paradise Lost
Jamaica for Sale on Facebook

Ian Wright 'axed from Live From Studio Five'

Presenter and former footballer Ian Wright is claiming he was fired from Live at Studio Five. I reckon he was the best thing about that show.

Click here to read more.

This reminds me of when Henry Bonsu was sacked from the BBC because he was "too intellectual". He talks about this in Black Success Stories. He was also a regular panellist on Five's The Wright Stuff at the time, but soon disappeared from that show as well.

Moira Stuart was later sacked by the BBC reportedly for being "too old".

Ludovic Kennedy once said there were too many Black people on TV - looks like Five are doing something about it.

Making a Quantum Leap (Part 2)

When Levi Roots was approached by a researcher to appear on the TV show Dragons' Den, his children told him not to do it. But he went ahead and did it anyway.

Dragons' Den gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch to "dragons" - business leaders who may invest in their businesses. This investment will lead to the entrepreneur being able to develop a product and/or expand his or her business.

Jamaican-born Levi had been known and respected as a reggae musician and singer for many years. In 2006, he decided to explore other avenues, as he needed to earn more money, he was deep in debt and was struggling financially. So he started promoting his Reggae Reggae Sauce more widely. He is not a trained chef; his food products are based on family recipes.

He appeared on Dragons' Den playing the guitar and singing about his spicy sauce.

He was willing to take a risk. This is crucial to making your quantum leap. You will feel scared and unsure, but if you take a risk, you are on your way to making a quantum leap and achieving amazing results. To read more about this, see The Higher Self.

Taking that risk has led to Levi becoming a millionaire. He still performs music, and emphasises the importance of doing what you love, and are passionate about.

Over 10 million bottles of Reggae Reggae Sauce have now been sold, and Levi Roots's company has produced many other products, including chutneys and relishes. But says, "It's not just about my brand. It's about exposing Caribbean food. It's a great cuisine".

Click here for Part 1 of How to Make a Quantum Leap.

Click here for my Amazon Author Profile.

Wyclef Jean for President of Haiti + What U Need to Know

This week, Wyclef Jean announced his plans to run for President of Haiti in the forthcoming election.

He has outlined his plans to support farming in the impoverished nation which was hit by a devastating earthquake early this year.

He plans to encourage people to move out of the capital of Port au Prince and take up farming. Click here to read more.

We will be discussing African Remembrance Day, which celebrates the Haitian Revolution, on the What U Need to Know radio show tonight.

This is the third show in our series on Freedom, Independence and Liberation.

Haiti's problems date back to the time of the revolution, which was seen as a major threat to slavery by the European powers including Britain, Spain and France. Toussaint L'Ouverture's government signed a treaty agreeing to pay reparations to Napoleon for freeing themselves from slavery. These reparations crippled the country economically for the next 200 years. For more information, see Two Films about Haiti.

Click here to join us for What U Need to Know. If you miss the live broadcast, you can still listen to the recording here.

African Remembrance - The Haitian Revolution

African Remembrance Day celebrates the Haitian Revolution. Click here to join us for our radio show What U Need to Know tomorrow, Saturday 7th August at 2 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. UK time.

What is the significance of the Haitian Revolution? What does this mean in relation to the recent Haitian earthquake and the history of Haiti? Please feel free to phone in at 001 (347) 637-1099 or join us in the chatroom.

This is the third show in our series on Freedom, Independence and Liberation.

If you miss the show, click here to listen to the recording.

For more about the history of Haiti, see Two Films about Haiti.

Making a Quantum Leap

A quantum leap is not the same thing as making small, gradual changes. A quantum leap is a major leap forward.

To make a quantum leap in your business, your career, or any area of your life, you have to take a leap of faith. Know that if you put in the effort, if you take action, you will get the rewards you seek.

You need to take massive action. And that action will be based on what you have achieved in the past.

To read more, see Allowing Success.

See also: Success Strategies for Black People.

Escape from Relationship Hell

I’ve been listening to this audio - Stop Marrying Mistakes – in the series on Escape from Relationship Hell. Click here to listen.

Often, our relationship problems and challenges are based on deep-seated patterns of thought and behaviour.

In order to bring about changes at a deep level, we need to uncover these patterns and change them.

The power is in your hands. To read more, see my ebook What They Don’t Want Us to Know. You can now download it for just $3.99. This is a summer special, so get it while it’s hot!

Click here for What They Don't Want Us to Know.

Plus, click here to download the free chapter on Achieving Success.

Des O'Connor is holding an event where 50 single Black women will get to meet and talk to 50 single Black men, after three hours of life coaching. To read more, see Why Can't Successful Black Women Find Good Black Men?

Click here for my Amazon Author Profile.

Here’s to your success!

Summer Special - Get It While It's Hot!

You can now download my ebook What They Don’t Want Us to Know for just $3.99. This represents massive savings on the normal price of $39.00.

This is a summer special, so get it while it’s hot!

Do you just want to keep doing the same things in the same way, and getting the same results?

If you are ready to make positive changes to your health, wealth and success, you need this book!

Click here to download What They Don't Want Us to Know.

Click here to download the free chapter on Achieving Success.

Click here for Zhana's Amazon Author Profile.

Here’s to your success!

The Best, Most Highly Effective Strategies for Black People (Part 3)

Part 3

Part 2 is about the three stages of successfully manifesting what we want. Click here to read it.

Strategy 4 - Learn from Positive Role Models.

History has given us many, many Black achievers. And there are more and more Black people achieving success every day.

For example, Diane Abbott, MP, the first African Caribbean woman to be elected to the House of Commons, is now in the running for the Labour Party leadership. To read my interview with her, see Black Success Stories.

Often, we don't know about Black achievement. These stories are not readily available. We need to seek them out.

Read about successful Black people. Learn about what they achieved and how they achieved it. Study their lives and apply this knowledge to your own life.

To read more, see Do You Think Like a Success?

See also, the free More Black Success ebooks.

What do you think of this blog? Please leave a comment below.

Click here for the Success Strategies fan page.

Click here for my Amazon Author Profile.

Freedom, Independence and Liberty

On our What U Need to Know show Saturday, we continued the theme of freedom, independence and liberty.

What does the 4th of July mean to you as an African American?

Are African people truly free?

Click here to listen.

One thing I didn't know was that Crispus Attucks was a community organiser, just like Barack Obama and Diane Abbott MP. We talked again about the importance of researching the truth about our history and not just accepting what we are told.

Click here to listen.

Click here for my Amazon Author Profile.

Median Wealth for Single Black Women $5

I read recently that single African American women's median assets total £5. That's FIVE DOLLARS.

That means some single sistas have more than that, and some have less. That's right, LESS than the £5 average.

Click here to read more.

This is one of the reasons why I wrote Success Strategies for Black People.

Here's another one:

African American unemployment sits at almost double the rate of the nation average at 16.5 percent, and black males that are between the ages of 20 to 24 have a 34.9 percent chance of being unemployed

Click here to read more.

In tough economic times, there's all the more reason why we need strategies that work for us. This book is about overcoming our mental habits and patterns that hold us back, so that we can achieve our unlimited possibilities.

Click here for Zhana's Amazon Author Profile.

"Slave Museum" to Be Built in Ghana

Plans are underway to build a "slave museum" in Ghana, to serve as a monument to the Transnational Slave Trade. I don't think this is the first one, as has been reported, as there is a "slave museum" in Dakar, Senegal, and I believe there is oe in the Caribbean as well. Very possibly, there are others.

Still, this is a positive move.

The plan to build the museum is being discussed between city experts in Liverpool, England and some local Ghanaian chiefs. Click here to read more.

Click here for my list of Black museums. This is very much a work in progress.

Click here to read my interviews with artists about bicentenary of the end of the Transatlantic trade.

Why Can't Successful Black Women Find Good Black Men? (Part 3)

Click here for Part 1.

Click here for Part 2.

Des has some excellent videos on his website, featuring Hill Harper.

We know Hill Harper as an actor from CSI New York. He is also the author of several books, including The Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships.

To read more, see Black Men, Women, Relationships

One point Hill makes is that Black men talk to each other, Black women talk to each other, but the sistas and the brothas are not communicating with each other. Des and the panellists at his event made the same point.

Des's work is all about building lasting relationships. His work is not for those who are just grazing, cruising or looking for short-term romance. If you are serious about building a lasting relationship with a partner, click here to check out his site.

Des will be holding a singles event in which you are guaranteed to meet at least 50 Black men and chat to all of them in the course of the evening. Click here for info and to book.

Click here for the Success Strategies fan page.

To find out about future events for the Black community, click here to join Nurture Success.

African Nations Have Not Used the World Cup to Brand Themselves

I saw this article today. Why are wooden figures being made in Indonesia for export to South Africa?

Click here to read more.

Click here for my list of Black museums (a work in progress).

Click here for my article on how to build a strong black business community.

Why Can't Successful Black Women Find Good Black Men? (Part 2)

Whenever we start to move towards our goals, whenever we start to move forward in a positive direction, we become more aware of what is getting in the way. As I say in Success Strategies for Black People, "Love always brings up its opposite for healing".

That is one reason why people don't come to this type of event. They allow their fears to get in the way.

If their friends and family members are saying, "What are you doing that for?", it just means those people's fears are being triggered.

If you think your fears, doubts and worries are getting in your way, come to my Relaxation Workshop in London on Saturday. I'll show you how to overcome them.

The Why Can't Successful Black Women Find Good Black Men? event was very stimulating. Click here to read more.

I disagreed with one of the brothas on the panel. He kept saying, "You are all competing for the same men.

"There are so many men who are married, so many are in prison, so many are dating exclusively outside the race. You are all competing for the ones that are left."

That is scarcity thinking. Scarcity thinking creates scarcity. Abundance thinking attracts abundance.

Click here to read about Changing Scarcity to Abundance.

One sista in the audience said, "I met my partner EIGHT HOURS after I finished with the previous one, and we are on our way to getting married".

She also said, "If you can't find a man here, travel. There's a whole world out there". Excellent advice, in my opinion.

If you want to learn about how to attract what you want, wherever you are, come to my Relaxation Workshop this Saturday.

Des is going to be holding a singles event where you are guaranteed to meet and talk to 50 Black men at the after-party. Click here for more info and to book.

Click here for the Success Strategies fan page.

To find out about future events for the Black community, click here to join Nurture Success.

Here's to your success!

Why Can't Successful Black Women Find Good Black Men?

I went to a great event on Saturday night called Why Can’t Successful Black Women Find Good Black Men?

I don’t agree with the basic premise. We can attract the partners we want, we just need to find the strategies to do so. More about this below.

It was a very lively event. There was a panel of four – two brothas and two sistas – who expressed their views on a range of topics, such as

- the reasons why people don’t come to these events
- self-development and empowerment
- are Black women too independent?
- are Black men intimidated by women who ear more than they do?

And lots more.

The people on the panel and in the audience were being very real. I was pleasantly surprised, as I have heard about similar events being held in the ‘90s in which the sistas were very angry (with good reason) and basically slagged off the brothas. Everyone had intelligent points to make, although I didn’t agree with everything that was said.

I highly recommend these events. Click here to find out more.

Strategies

Des O’Connor (no, not that Des O’Connor), who presented the event, was highly skilled. He suggested several strategies for meeting the kind of man you want to meet.

For example, during the World Cup, go to a sports bar when one of the African teams is playing. There will be plenty of men there.

I think that’s a brilliant strategy. Having said that, I can teach you ladies how to attract a man wherever you are. And I can teach you fellas how to attract a woman. If you want a same-sex partner, I can help with that, too.

To find out how to do this, come to my Relaxation Workshop in London on Saturday. Click here for details.

Relaxation is a big part of attraction. Our emotions influence our ability to attract what we want. This is Law of Attraction stuff.

I will be blogging more about last Saturday’s event. Des will be holding a singles event in which you are guaranteed to meet at least 50 Black men and chat to all of them in the course of the evening. Click here for info and to book.

Click here for the Success Strategies fan page.

To find out about future events for the Black community, click here to join Nurture Success.

The Best, Most Highly Effective Strategies for Black People (2)

In Part 1, I blogged about why Black people are not achieving our full potential, and the need to understand the problem. This is the first step towards finding a solution. Know your history, and learn the lessons of history.

Click here to read that blog.

Strategy 3 – Move from the Negative to the Positive

Success is a matter of moving from the negative to the positive.

The three stages of manifestation are:

• clearing out the negative;
• attracting the positive; and
• opening to the universe.

To read more about this, read What They Don’t Want Us to Know. You can download a free chapter on Achieving Success here.

Want to learn more about the three stages of manifestation? Come to my Relaxation Workshop in London on Saturday 26th June.

What do you think of this blog? Please leave a comment on the Success Strategies fan page.

Click here for the Success Strategies fan page.

Stay tuned for Part 3.

Juneteenth Celebration

We were joined on the first edition of the What U Need to Know Radio Show by members of the African Cultural Arts Council of the Bowers Museum, who gave us lots of fascinating information about Juneteenth. Click here to listen.

Sorry about the technical difficulties. There is lots of great stuff on the show, so be patient.

Their Juneteenth celebration will be tomorrow, Saturday 19th June 2010. See below for details.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday honouring African-American heritage, culture, and history. The festivities commemorate the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas in 1865.

Celebrated on June 19th, the term is an amalgamation of “June” and “nineteenth” and is recognized as a state holiday in 35 states in the U.S.

Join them and meet the Buffalo Soldiers, listen to great music and choir performances, and a special theatrical presentation by A.I.M. (Art in Ministry). Share a day of entertainment, with vendors, a silent auction, raffles, and a kids’ corner!

A.I.M. Productions will be presenting "Bits and Pieces of a Past"

Including a sneak preview of excerpts of a new production called

"Legacy of our Leaders and Legends".

Bowers Museum, 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706 www.bowers.org

Saturday, June 19th 2010 12-3 p.m.

Norma Kershaw Auditorium, John M. Lee Court

Free admission does not include museum admission.

Sponsored by the African Cultural Arts Council and the Orange County NAACP..

The Best, Most Highly Effective Strategies for Black People

This is Part 1 of a series.

I am going to cover some of the most effective, most powrful strategies we can use as people of African heritage.

(1) Know the power of your mind.

The human mind is incredibly powerful.

Black people have been brainwashed to believe that we don't have power - that all power rests in the hands of the white man, the white woman, the government, other people, etc.

You might think economic power lies in the hands of the banks, the stock market, or even the Bingo and lottery people. To read more about this, see: The Key to Financial Prosperity.

Yet, even when we deny our power, we still have it. You have the power to transform your life.

(2) Honour your history, your heritage and your ancestry.

When Europeans wanted to deny us our power, the first thing they did was to deny our history. Lies were told about our history and achievements. For example, white historians said that Great Zimbabwe must have been built by interplanetary travellers!

Malidoma Some was forced to speak French, forbidden to speak his own language, and never shown a map of his own country (Burkina Faso). He was one of the young people in the seminary being prepared for leadership. When he finally managed to escape, he could not even ask for directions to his home village. To read more, see Of Water and the Spirit.

He makes the point that all African leaders were educated in the same way.

This accounts for a lot of the corruption that is perpetrated by African politicians.

The second half of the book describes how he healed himself of his early experiences by reclaiming his traditions.

When you understand what was done to Black people, and the damage we have suffered, you begin to understand why we are not achieving our full potential.

We are the only ones who can repair the damage, and we have the power toheal ourselfs.

For more about this, see Success Strategies for Black People.

See also: Why We Need to Heal.

Learn the lessons of history. There are many Black history posts on this blog - please read them to learn more.

What do you think of this blog? Please comment below.

Click here for the Success Strategies fan page.

Here's to your success!

Black Man Buys Gatwick Airport

You heard it here first. Nigerian-born Adebayo Ogunlesi is set to buy Gatwick Airport. Now that's what I call Black success!

He wants to work with the airlines to significantly improve passengers' experience of using the airport.

Click here for Black Success Stories.

Click here for More Black Success.

Capitalism, A Love Story

I watched “Capitalism, a Love Story”, the excellent Michael Moore film the other day.

Moore talked about the plight of inner-city areas such as Detroit and Chicago, and how greedy corporations shut down factories, and put hundreds and thousands of people out of work, in order to increase their profits and pay higher salaries to their senior executives.

He contrasted this with a bakery in which every worker had an equal vote in decisions made by the company. Moore termed this “democracy”. Yet, I would argue, this is another form of capitalism, one without corporate greed. It’s still about running a business for a profit – and what’s wrong with that?

In this bakery, workers on the assembly line earn £60,000 a year. I want to work there myself. I could bake some bread.

What Moore does not reveal in the film is whether his own production company operates along similar lines.

To read more about the demise of Detroit, click here for Celebrating the Legend that is Motown.

Republic Windows and Doors

Workers at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago staged a sit-in. They refused to leave the premises after being laid off.

They had been fired without notice, denied vacation and severance pay, and had their medical benefits cut off. They refused to leave until they were paid what they were owed.

Their spokesperson stated that he realised some bad business decisions had been made but, as he said, “We don’t make business decisions. We make windows and doors”. He reasoned that the Bank of America, which financed the company, had been given bail-out money, so why shouldn’t the bank give some of the money to the workers?

Bishop James Wolkowski, son of a Chicago steel-worker, visited them. He told them that they were teaching people that it is jut to challenge what is unfair. He had seen at first hand what happened when the steel works closed down, and the effect this had had on local families and communities.


Click here to read about President Obama’s support for the strikers.

After six days, the bank and the company agreed to all of the workers’ demands.

Moore’s grandstanding is always entertaining to watch. In this film, he makes several attempts to arrest senior executives at investment banks for their corporate crimes. Failing at this, he surrounds the buildings with police crime- scene tape.

One shocking element the film reveals is the practice of taking out “dead peasants’ insurance”, whereby corporations become beneficiaries of their workers’ life insurance policies. In other words, the company profits from the deaths of its workers.

The Effects on Our Families (2)

It is quite striking to note the amount of resources, in terms of time, money and energy,that the South African apartheid regime put into breaking up Black families. To read more about this, and about two films made in secret during apartheid, see: ANC Welcomes Ruling

Winnie Mandela’s story illustrates how apartheid impacted on women in South Africa.

To read more, see: Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

See also: The Effects on Our Families.

You Couldn't Even Try on Shoes

I've heard about this from my parents. When they were young, in the 1920s and '30s, and perhaps even later, Black people were not allowed to try on shoes. They had to buy them. You could not go into a shop and try on a hat - you had to buy it.

To read more about this, see "Dr. Ambedkar, Visionary".

See also: "Black Facts" in Black History International.

This is similar to what Winnie Mandela described as her experience under apartheid in South Africa.

But recently, I have read that a customer would trace his or her feet on a brown paper bag, then bring the drawing to the store to indicate what size of shoes they wanted.

The Effects on Our Families

We often try to deny the effects of what was done to us by slavery and the racist brutality we have suffered.

We say, "I'm okay, I'm all right, we're all right". In other words, we front. This is also known as denial.

This is why I wrote the article "Why We Need to Heal".

When we look at what our ancestors experienced, it is inevitable that this is still having an effect on us, our relationships, our families and our communities.

Sometimes the wounds are so deep, and the pain is so deeply buried, that we don't even realize we are still carrying it. It is unconscious. But it is still there, and it is still having an effect on our lives, our families and our communities.

When we begin to acknowledge this, we can begin to heal it.

For more about how we can begin to heal our relationships, see
How to Get What You Want in Your Relationships, and

Success Strategies for Black People.

The Truth about Article Writing

This blog has moved to my Writers' Secrets blog.

New Radio Show - History, Heritage and Healing - What U Need to KNow

Please join us for my new radio show, What U Need to Know, which I am co-presenting with Joan E. Gosier, author of Cotton Pickin' Paycheck.

This show focuses on history, heritage and healing for people of African heritage.

The first show is tomorrow, Saturday 5th June at 2 p.m. EDT, 7 p.m. UK time.

We will be discussing Juneteenth. This is the first of three shows looking at independence, freedom and liberation.

What is Juneteenth about, and what is the significance of this celebration? Do you celebrate Juneteenth? Please feel free to phone in at (001) (347) 637-1099 or join us in the chatroom to add your questions and comments.

We will be joined by guests from the African Cultural Arts Council of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Orange County, CA.

I hope you will join us. Click here to listen.

If you miss the live broadcast, you can listen to the recording here:

What U Need to Know.

Where Were the Black People at Dunkirk?

The UK is currently commemorating the 70th anniversary of Dunkirk. There will be a celebration in Dunkirk later this week.

In case you are not sure what this refers to, in 1940, during the early days of the Second World War, Britain and France suffered defeat at the hands of Germany, and their troops were stranded on the French beaches at Dunkirk.

More than 900 little ships came from Britain, evacuated the British and French forces and ferried them across the Channel to safety. They were able to rescue thousands of troops over the course of several days. This is often reported as an example of wartime British bravery and comradeship.

What is rarely talked about is the fact that many troops in the French Army were from Africa, and the little ships refused to take the Black soldiers. They left them on the beaches for the Germans to capture, and many ended up in Auschwitz. Senegalese director Sembene Ousmane mentions this in his film Camp Thioroye, which is based on the true story of a massacre of African soldiers by the French Army during the war.

To read more about the experiences and contribution of Black people to the war effort, see: Hidden Histories: Black People in World War II.

See also: London Black History Walks

Black Books I Have Tagged on Amazon

Please help me by tagging my book Success Strategies for Black People on Amazon.

Click here, then Scroll down the page until you come to “Tags Customers Associate with This Book” and click on “add your first tag”. Then add any tags you want to, or just click on the tags that are already there. You need to be signed in to Amazon to do this.

Or just type tt quickly and you can add tags or click on the ones on the screen.

Thanks very much for your help with this.

Here are some books I have recently tagged on Amazon:

Cotton Pickin' Paycheck by Joan E. Gosier

Joan and I will be presenting a new radio show starting in June. Stay tuned for more details.

Nubian Women of West Aswan by Anne M. Jennings

Click here for a video by the author.

How Ya Like Me Now! by Leslie A Morris

Chained and Bound by Allyson Campbell

Your Greater Self by Antwan McLean

Sweetest Revenge by Nahisha McCoy

Situations by Shawnta C. Richard

Please tag their books as well and help improve their Amazon rankings.

To read interviews with some of these authors, get your free copy of More Black Success Volumes 5 and 7.

See also: Books for Truth-Seekers.

Celebrating Nappturality

I have recently discovered this website and these excellent blogs that celebrate natural hair and nappturality.

Nappturality includes advice on styling and transitioning. It also gives you the opportunity to blog.

Holistic Locs contains amazing photos plus uplifting, inspiring and sometimes amusing videos, like "Can I Touch Your Hair?".

Napptural Beauties celebrates sistas with napptural hair.

I remember when someone slammed me on Facebook because I used the word "nappy", which she somehow found offensive.

We need to unlearn all the negative stuff we have been taught about our hair, our appearance and ourselves. We need to celebrate ourselvs in all of our nappiness, naturalness and nappturality. I'm so glad to see these sistas doing that.

See also: The Key to Confidence

Why We Need to Heal

Free Advice for Black Businesses

We have loads of articles about how to build your successful Black-owned business in More Black Success.

For example, MBS 5 contains an article by Mercy Gilbert of Art Connoisseur about how to build your business. She talks about her work as a business advisor. Plus check out the article by Basmatie Littles about how she started and built her Karma Kidz fashion business.

In MBS 3, Shola Arewa talks about how to help and inspire your customers to find the money they need to pay for your services.

To get your free copies, go to More Black Success.

For more information, or If you would like to submit an article, go to Books for Truth-Seekers.

Come Back Africa: Two Early Anti-Apartheid Films

On Saturday, I attended a screening of two erly anti-apartheid films at the BFI.

"Come Back Africa" is an extraordinary film set in Johannesburg and Sophiatown in 1950. It features a cameo by Miriam Makeba.

The documentary "The End of the Dialogue" was made in 1959. We were fortunate to have two of the filmmakers at the screening.

These were the two earliest anti-apartheid films. "Come Back Africa" was made at a time when no one outside of South Africa was interested in apartheid.

Both of these films were made in secrecy and exposed the evils of apartheid to international audiences.

These films broke my heart. They didn't really tell or show me anything I didn't already know about apartheid. But seeing how Black people were treated, the patronising attitudes of the white people, the abuse, the poverty, the sense of helplessness as Black people tried to live normal lives under this appalling system, made this a very strong experience.

One thing that particuarly struck me was the level of resources, in terms of time, money and energy, the apartheid regime was willing to invest in breaking up African families.

These films remind us that not only were we stolen from Africa, Africa was stolen from us.

To read more, see ANC Welcomes Ruling.

To read more about the psychological effects of apartheid, racial discrimination and caste oppression see Dr. Ambedkar, Visionary.

See also: Why We Need to Heal.

Black Film: Babylon

New Black Author Interviews

I am particularly excited about the new More Black Success Volume 7. For the first time, I have devoted the entire volume to interviews with fiction and nonfiction authors.

Allyson Campbell has written a number of books. Her novel Chained and Bound describes what it is like for a woman to survive an abusive relationship.

Antwan McCLean's book Your Greater Self: An A-Z Guide to Becoming the Person You Most Admire encourages people to fulfil their highest potential.

Nahisha McCoy's novel Sweetest Revenge serves as a warning to young women not to let a man or a relationship dominate your life.

Plus loads of resources.

To get your free copy, go to More Black Success.

If you would like to be interviewed, or for more information, go to Books for Truth-Seekers.

Black Film: "Babylon"

I recently attended a screening of "Babylon" at the NFT.

As you probably know, "Babylon" depicts life for young Black men in South London in1980, the year before the Brixton riots.

The film shows Black youth being hunted by their white neighbours and the police, who were eager to brutally beat them.

In "Operation Swamp", the police stopped a thousand Black men in Brixton in three days. Boys were stopped going to school as well as in school, beaten up and taken to jail.

In his novel East of Acre Lane, author Alex Wheatle described his experiences of living in Brixton before and during the riots, being pressured by the police and being thrown into a prison cell. To read more, visit: Alex Wheatle, Brixton Bard

At the same screening, the NFT showed a short film made by a group of Black and white young people called "Some Other Way Forward", about the "stop-and-search" procedure by the police.

Sir Paul Condon, former head of the Metropolitan Police, in 1999 justified the targeting of young Black men with stop-and-search, stating that these are the people most likely to commit street crime.

One thing he failed to mention is that young white men are those most likely to be involved in public order offences.

This fascinating film was made by the young people. It depicted them being stopped, sometimes four or five times a day, by police officers demanding their ID.

What this reminded me of the most were scenes from "Schindler's List" in which the Nazis patrolled the Jewish ghettoes, stopping the inhabitants four or five times a day and demanding their ID. People would be on their way to work or to the shops when they were stopped. They were often then made to perform menial tasis such as shovelling snow.

What most interested me was that, a few weeks earlier, I had attended a discussion about President Obama's success. We were shown film clips about what happened in Philadelphia in the 1970s and '80s, when the police targeted the MOVE organisation. In 1978, the police bombed the home of the MOVE members, killing 11 people including five children, and destroying an African American neighbourhood.

The fire department allowed the fire to burn for hours. The bodies which were recovered afterwards were really just ash. People said they looked like bodies from Beirut. They were also found to have bullets lodged inside of them.

During the discussion, I asked the question, "Is stop and search any different, in practice, from the old 'Sus' laws?"

These laws were used in the 1970s and early '80s to stop - you guessed it - young Black men on suspicion of committing pcrimes and throw them into prison cells. Often, there was no evidence of any crime having been committed.

People in the audience assured me that things are differeent now because you can take down the ID of the officers involved, and report them if necessary. But on the basis of this film, I would have to say, things are not that different now.

One of the very positive things about the NFT screening was the discussion that followed. I will blog more about this soon.

See also: What Are the Police Up To?