Black in London

I was privileged to be a guest on Adrian X's "Just My 2 Cents" show on Blogtalk last week - and a very great privilege it was. The topic for discussion was "What Is It Like to Be Black in London?"  Scroll down to listen to it.  

We were joined by Adrian's panel and guests including Nia Imara of the National Association of Black Supplementary Schools (NABSS).  

There was a lot of common ground - which is something I have said repeatedly over the years.  African people all over the world are facing a lot of the same challenges.  We have economic difficulties.  Our children are denied the best-quality education.  

Our communities, and particularly our men and boys, are targets for violence, including state-sponsored violence.  

Another issue we almost always face is internalised racism - the particular kind of self-hatred with which we were indoctrinated during the enslavement era.  Nia made the point that, although slavery has ended, mental slavery continues. And we see it everywhere.  It is in all of us.  

In order to combat mental enslavement, we first have to acknowledge that we have it.  Mental enslavement is like a disease, and we have all been infected.  In order to cure ourselves of it, we first need to acknowledge the problem.  

Harriet Tubman said, "I freed a thousand slaves.  I could have freed a thousand more, if only they knew they were slaves". 

A lot of the origins of mental enslavement were depicted in the BAFTA award-winning film 12 Years a Slave, and I shall be writing more about this soon.  

Nia made the point that the film did not depict Black people banding together to fight their oppressors, and this is a fair criticism.  However, we need to remember that this was one man's story.  What 12 Years a Slave showed very clearly were the reasons why some Black people, in some situations, did not fight back, at least not overtly.  Because of the daily brutality they experienced, they were too beaten down, physically and mentally, to fight back. 

Click here for Samuel L. Jackson's comments on 12 Years a Slave.  

You can listen to the show below.  Please post your comments below.  Thanks.  

More Politics Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Adrian X Just My 2 Cents on BlogTalkRadio

Samuel L. Jackson Says "12 Years A Slave" Is Proof That Hollywood Still Isn't Ready To Deal with Racism

Samuel L. Jackson is quoted as saying that 12 Years a Slave is proof that Hollywood only wants to deal with the past - not the present.  

I have to disagree.  12 Years a Slave is not just about the past.  There are a lot of lessons in this film about the roots of modern-day racism.  This is one reason I am so glad the film was made, and why I think everyone should see it.  In order to understand the present, we need to have knowledge of the past. 

Jackson went on to say, "I'm glad 12 Years got made and it's wonderful that people are seeing it and there is another view of what happened in America".  But this is missing the point - it's not just what happened in America.  Similar things happened in Africa and the Caribbean, and we are still dealing with the consequences of this now.  Click here to read more of Jackson's comments.  

Click here for my analysis of 12 Years a Slave.   The brutalization inflicted on Black peple during slavery still has implications and still affects us today. 

Click here to read my review of The Black Jacobins, C.L.R. James's classic study of slavery and revolution in the French Caribbean.  

You want a context for what happened to Trayvon?  Read The Black Jacobins, an analysis of the Haitian Revolution, and see 12 Years a Slave.   

Want to know why a reporter confused Samuel L. Jackson with Lawrence Fishburne?  There is a scene that relates directly to this in 12 Years a Slave. 

As African people, we need to get over this tribalistic view of the world.  We are facing similar challenges, wherever we are, and we share a common history.  This Black History Month/ African Heritage Month, let us remember our common history and work towards our common goals. 

Is Diversity Good for Business?

The Gherkin, London

The Voice Online reports that the Lord Mayor of London warned that the city risks falling behind its competitors if it fails to embrace diversity in its business culture.  

Click here to read her comments.  Apparently, Fiona  Woolf is only the second female Lord Mayor since 1189.  She was speaking at the launch of the Power of Diversity programme.

So remember that the next time you sit through a presentation by a team made up entirely of white men - as I did last night.  There is a business case for diversity.  Or, to put it another way, diversity is good for business.  

What do you think?  Is there enough diversity in London and UK businesses?  If not, why not?  And is there a business case for increasing diversity?  Please leave your comments below.  

And click here for my Black Success audios.  Click here for more advice from Black business experts.  Because positive representation is important to me.


Here's to your success! 

Social Media Strategy: Revamp Your Online Marketing

Melinda Emerson is someone who is always hot on ways to build your business.  For my interview with her, see below.  

In Tonya R. Taylor's latest blog, Tonya shares valuable tips and powerful social media strategy ideas.  Did you know that you can use social media to research a product or niche?

Click here to read more.

Plus click here for my interview with Tonya R. Taylor.

And for more social media strategies, see How to Get 16,000+ Twitter Followers.  Find out how Melinda Emerson tweeted her way to a bestselling book.

Here's to your success!

Soul Survivors: Slave Narratives

In the light of 12 Years a Slave, I have re-purposed this blog.  

Soul Survivors is a collection of what are commonly termed "slave narratives".  

Like Solomon Northrup, the author of 12 Years a Slave, many of the authors were descended from people who had been born free in the United States but kidnapped and sold into enslavement; and several had been freed by their owners but still found themselves enslaved and sold.  

One woman even took her owner to court to sue for her freedom and won. 

What is unique about this collection, edited by Marcia Williams, is that it contains only narratives by women.

The stories in Soul Survivors cover a wide historical range, from the Revolutionary War in 1776 to the end of the American Civil War in 1865 and beyond.

This collection also contains Incidents from the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs, which many of us have already read as a separate volume. This is one of the rare texts which portray the sexual harassment and abuse which enslaved African women and young people must have commonly experienced.
 
Click here for details of, and a short film based on, my choreopoem, Harriet, which examines the life of Harriet Jacobs.

Jacobs shares her own experiences as a way of depicting the immorality that was inflicted upon enslaved women, and to which they were often forced to submit. I can't help thinking that many women probably did not write of these experiences, either because of embarassment or because they feared being labelled "immoral" or "loose" themselves.

African American women, during and after enslavement, were often at pains to prove that they were not sexually "immoral" because our women were commonly labelled as such by their enslavers, who used this as a justification for raping or prostituting African American girls and women.

Jacobs describes having to hide in a small attic for seven years to escape from her libidinous 'owner' who was so obsessed with her that he scoured the country trying to track her down. She also depicts how, prior to her escape, her white mistress heaped scorn and abuse on her and other enslaved women because of her husband's licentious behaviour and her own intense sexual jealousy.

Many of the women describe the horrendous physical abuse, including beatings, whippings and heavy labour, that they continually experienced.  Many of these personal histories were recorded in order to support the abolitionist cause.

In fact, one of the authors, Mary Prince from the Caribbean, states, "I am often much vexed and I feel great sorrow when I hear some people say that slaves ... do not need better usage and do not want to be free. They believe the foreign people who deceive them and say slaves are happy". She continues, "There is no modesty or decency shown by the owner to his slaves".

The authors all describe their great sorrow and grief at having been sold away from their own children, partners, parents, brothers and sisters, and their attempts to reunite with their family members. They also relate the enslaved African people's constant attempts to gain their freedom by any means necessary, either through escape or through purchasing their own or their children's freedom, sometimes saving up for years in order to do so. 

My one criticism of this collection is that it could have done with better editing. There are no historical or bibliographic notes or indications as to the sources of these narratives. The table of contents does not even contain page numbers. The narratives sometimes jump around in time and I found this confusing. 

Having said that, Soul Survivors is an important addition to any collection of African diasporic history. 

Click here to order Soul Survivors.

Black Success: How to Grow Your Customer Base

Richelle Shaw 

Richelle Shaw is a brilliant African American business expert who built a million-dollar business partly by using her existing customers to build her customer base.  

Richelle is the author of The Million Dollar Equation.  In the audio below, I talk about some of the things I learned from Richelle Shaw, and about how you can grow your customer base.  

If you would like to ask me a question, please post it in the comments section below.  

Success Strategies for Black People  

Success Strategies for Black People on Facebook 

Click here for details of how how you can win a free business consultation with Zhana. 

Click here for more Black Success audios with Zhana. 

New Books Internet Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Film Review: Long Walk to Freedom

Idris Elba as Mandela

I recently saw the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, loosely based on Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Mandela was obviously a world-renowned figure, but there was a time when he was all but forgotten. In the wake of Mandela's recent passing, this film celebrates his life and his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle.  

Long Walk to Freedom is a true African story of the heartbreak and devastation caused by the apartheid system, two people caught up in the fight against apartheid, and Mandela's long struggle which ended in triumph. 

Black Success: How to Build a Successful Online Business

Tonya R, Taylor

How can you start and build a successful online business?  
How can you tell if your social media strategy is working for you?   

How can Black business owners get fast results in creating an online presence?  

I was joined by online business specialist Tonya R. Taylor, founder of SavvyBizBuilder.com

Tonya is known as the “Savvy Online Business Builder” for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners who need more time to focus on running their six figure business and want fast, proven results ensuring potential customers can find them online. She believes without traffic, what’s the point of having a website to begin with!  

Listen to the audio below for Tonya's suggestions about how to build a successful online business.  

SavvyBizBuilder.com 

Click here for more Black Success audios.

Plus click here for details of how you can win a FREE Black business consultation with Zhana worth $300 (£200).  

Discover Books Internet Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Win a FREE Black Business Consultation

Are you a Black business owner?  Are you a start-up, a budding entrepreneur and/or in need of help or advice on growing your business?  If so, you could win a FREE business consultation worth $300 (£200). 

Click here for details of how to enter the competition to win a FREE consultation on how to grow your Black-owned business.  

Black Success: How to Attract a Steady Stream of Customers

There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of customers who want and need what your business is offering. 

We often get distracted by silly things.  But when we focus, we can come up with a never-ending stream of creative ideas and strategies to have customers banging on our doors. 

Please listen to the short audio below to find ways to grow your business.   

If you would like to ask me a question about how to grow your business, please post it in the comments section below.   

Click here for more Black Success audios.  

Current Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

12 Hot, High-Paying Jobs to Look Forward To In 2014

The new year can be a great time to look for work.  

Want to find a new job or a new career?  Click here for my Online Jobsearch Resources.  I have links to loads of articles and other resources, including 


12 Hot, High-Paying Jobs to Look Forward To In 2014.  

Plus click here for lots more help with your job search. 

Here's to your success!  

Orin's Worldwide Abundance Meditation

If you have been reading my articles and blogs, you will know that I have used and recommended the work of Orin and DaBen for many years.

They have recently posted new guided meditations, including this one for abundance. Click here to download it now.  

This audio helps us to open up to receive new ideas, creativity, and energies of abundance.  

We can use the energies of the universe to eliminate blocks and obstacles, and bring us new inspiration which we can share with anyone on the planet who is ready for it.

Click here for information on Orin and DaBen, and lots more free downloads.

See also:  Change Scarcity to Abundance.

Please share this with your networks, and leave your comments below.  Thanks. 

Here's to your success!

Kwanaa Events 2013

I am currently listing 2013 Kwanzaa events.  Click here for my 2013 Kwanzaa event listings.  

Plus click here for lots of places where you can buy Black. 

Have you ever wondered why Kwanzaa starts on the 26th of December?  Click here to find out about the timing of Kwanzaa.  Remember, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to Buy Black. 

Do you know of a Kwanzaa event I have not listed?  If so, please post a comment below with the details of the event.  

Happy Kwanzaa!  

 

A Light Has Gone Out

Nelson Mandela is dead. A light has gone out from the world. 

Mandela was imprisoned by the apartheid regime in South Africa for 27 years, because of his fight against apartheid. He became a symbol of hope and the fight for freedom for South African people and for people all over the world.

After his release from prison, Mandela became South Africa's first democratically-elected President. He accomplished the seemingly impossible – a bloodless revolution. Under Mandela, apartheid came to an end without the shedding of blood.

His wisdom has inspired millions of people. Mandela is now an ancestor. May he long continue to guide us.

Clickhere to read more about the life of Nelson Mandela.

Clickhere to read about the fight against apartheid.

"Harriet, a Choreopoem" Now in the British Library

I am pleased to announce that "Harriet, a Choreopoem" is now available from the British Library in Euston Road, London. 

"Harriet" depicts an imaginary meeting between Harriet Tubman and Harriet Jacobs, author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.  

Click here to read more and view a short film based on "Harriet".  

How Violence Becomes Attractive

I recently viewed this video of Marshall Rosenberg talking about making requests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWe71d-cjLY

I find requests to be the hardest part of Nonviolent Commuication (NVC), and I really appreciate Marshall's clarity.

NVC teaches us that we can transform situations – including violent situations – by using language. The way we communicate can be transformative.

Of course, violence occurs in all communities. But Black people, people of African heritage,  have systematically been abused and subjected to extreme violence for centures, and this has had an effect on us which must be healed.

Marshall makes the point that we often make requests in terms of what we don't want, rather than what we want. He gives the example of trying to stop children from breaking windows. “How can we stop children from breaking windows? Kill them. Research has shown that dead children break no windows”.

Of course this is an extreme example, but there are loads of real-life examples to rival this. Like this one involving a pastor or this one involving the son of a hip-hop mogul.  When you read these, think about  how, when we think in terms of what we don't want, violence becomes attractive.  

When I read blogs and articles like these, my heart sinks. There are always real-life stories about the level of violence in Black communities in the States, in Britain and in many different places in the world. However, we can change this.  

When we think in terms of how to stop someone from doing something, violence becomes attractive.  

Why do we want someone to do what we want - because of fear of violence, intimidation or punishment?  Or because they want to, to meet their own needs as well as ours?  What are our motives?   

To read more about NVC, see: Improving Communication/ImprovingRelationships,  See also: Getting Past the Hate, to Have More Love. 

Chances Are, You Won’t Be Able to Afford College

I recently saw this interesting article on Black Enterprise:  Chances Are,You Won’t Be Able to Afford College. 

It seems folks are now paying FOUR TIMES what they paid for a degree 20 years ago, yet having a degree is no guarantee of a job, let alone a good one.  It never has been for African Americans. 

However, a university education enriches our lives in many ways that cannot necessarily be measured.  A good education is priceless (many universities are doing their best to put a price on it, though). 

In Britain, the Head of Oxford University wants to put up the tuition fee to a level higher than the £9,000 ($13,500) limit currently set by the government.  And bear in mind, the new limit is THREE TIMES the previous limit set by the New Labour government. 

In this way, Britain is becoming more like the U.S., and this is a bad thing.  More and more people are being priced out of education.   This is something I feel very strongly about, and that is why I have devoted a lot of time and effort to finding a solution.  

Hundreds of people have found an alternative way to raise the funds they need to finance their education.  For more information, click here for Shaking the Money Tree and to download my free report. 

Education should be available for all, not just for the privileged few.  

Black Film: 83 Days

At a recent African Odysseys film event, we were privileged to view the trailer for 83 Days. 

George Stinney Jr. was a 14-year-old boy who was accused of murdering two white girls in South Carolina in 1944.  They had asked him where they could pick flowers and he had given them directions. 

A number of people were rounded up once the girls’ bodies were found, but they were all let go after George admitted he had seen the girls and given them  directions. 

George’s family were first taken out of the County, then out of the State.  So there he was, all alone, with no one to support or advise him.

The officials said he had confessed to the murder of these two girls, but they did not produce a confession.  When he was put on trial, his court-appointed lawyer was a tax attorney with no trial experience, who offered no defense.  There was no evidence against George, but he was convicted.   To this day, there is no transcript of the trial. 

So, at the age of 14, George Stinney Jr. became the youngest-ever person to be executed in the United States.  (However, we are still imprisoning children.) 

The producer, Ray Brown, said they had come up against opposition while researching this film.  As a result of their efforts,  George Stinney Jr. has now been pardoned.  

This is a story that needs to be told, and I am glad the film will be released next year.  Unfortunately, we need to remember that this was just one of a long line of State-sponsored murders of people of African heritage – and not just in the U.S.A. 

 Click here for more details of 83 Days. 

“I Can’t Hire You Because You’re Black”

Jim Crow

"I Can’t Hire You Because You’re Black” and Would “Scare Away the Customers”.  Uh-huh.  Yeah, right.  

This happened in Queens, NYC.  I was born and grew up in Queens.  But this didn't happen back in the 1950s or '60s.  Oh, no, no, no.  This happened TWO YEARS AGO. 

Isn't this what people were marching about 50 years ago - jobs and freedom?  



Click here to read more about this shameful incident.  

Another shameful thing - stuff like this happens every day, but not everybody takes action like this young sista did.  

Looking for work, or know someone who is?  See Black Success:  Finding the Job You Want. 

Click here for more resources for your job search.

Here's to your success!

Aimé Césaire Centennial at the Schomburg

Aimé Césaire

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NYC, in association with Columbia University and Medgar Evers College, will be holding a series of events to commemorate the life and work of Aimé Césaire at the centennial of his birth.  

Aimé Césaire was a noted writer, scholar and political leader from Martinique, who is credited with coining the term Negritude. Césaire is known as the father of Negritude.  

Negritude (which can be translated as "Blackness") was a Francophone African and Caribbean movement of the 1920s, '30s and '40s which stressed the importance of accepting and celebrating Blackness, and understanding Black history and culture.  


Césaire wrote poems, plays and a biography of Toussaint L'Ouverture, hero of the Haitian Revolution.  

Negritude was influenced by Langston Hughes and other writers of the Harlem Renaissance, most notably Claude McKay, another writer of Caribbean origin.  Other members of the Negritude movement included Franz Fanon, Algerian author of Wretched of the Earth and Black Skin, White Masks.  

Events include a screening of A Voice for History, a film by Euzhan Palcy; a live stage performance of Césaire's classic work Notebook of a Return to My Native Land [in English]; and a performance and discussion of Césaire's  A Season in the Congo, which explores Patrice Lumumba's fight to free his country from Belgian colonial rule.  

For details, see:  Black History and Cultural Events.  

Black Scientists and Inventors

It is so important to celebrate Black achievers and role models. Black young people often do not think about careers in the sciences when considering their career options.  

Many of them think studying the sciences is not "cool", and experience peer pressure to avoid studying, as Henry Bonsu pointed out in Black Success Stories. 

Click here to read my new article on Black Scientists and Inventors.  

The article includes an interview with Keith C. Holmes, author of Black Inventors, Crafting Over 200 Years of Success.  

Black Inventors is now available in over 800 national, state, university and public libraries, including museums, research centers and schools as a paperback in 30 countries

Black Success: The Benefits of Meditation

Black Success:  Benefits of Meditation 

The benefits of Buddhist meditation can be enjoyed by anyone. You don’t have to be a Buddhist, or even be interested in Buddhism, to enjoy the benefits of meditation.  

 

People, companies and organisations are constantly making demands on our time.  When you meditate, you are taking time and space for yourself.  Don't let anything intrude on that.  

Listen to the short audio below for more on the benefits of meditation.  

Find Additional Books Podcasts with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Click here for an audio about Inner Harmony.  

Click here for more Black Success audios.  

Click here for Success Strategies for Black People.  

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

Was the March on Washington a Waste of Shoe-Leather?

Is marching a waste of shoe-leather? This is what John Henrik Clarke said about marching.

Before the March on Washington, Malcolm X predicted that African Americans would still be marching 50 years later – check out this video clip.

Malcolm claimed Black people did not have the moral high ground because we did not own our own businesses, and therefore could not employ our own people, as other communities did and still do.

However, his argument was naïve because we know that banks and financial institutions discriminated against Black business owners and would-be entrepreneurs.

And when Black people did set up their own thriving business communities, these communities were sometimes brutally attacked, as was the case with the Black Wall Street.

Still, when we look at the situation today, where Black people often do not patronise businesses in our own communities, but instead rush to spend our money in other communities, we need to remember Brother Malcolm's words. It's up to us to employ our own people, just as other communities do. In order to do this, we need to build a Strong Black Business Community. 

I believe it was important to have a nationwide March on Washington.  It was a significant moment in history and still has an impact today.  But is it still useful to keep on marching?  I don't think so.  What do you think?  Leave your comments below.   

Click here to remember the 1963 March on Washington in words and pictures.  

 

Black Success: Take Action NOW

Struggling and Juggling Financially?  

It was announced a few days ago that most people in Britain are struggling with money and finances.  Most people are juggling their finances.

In London there is a 55% unemployment rate among Black youth. 

That’s just in Britain.  In some parts of the European Union, things are even worse.  And in the States, there are plenty of people who are struggling and juggling, too.  

You can make profound changes in your own life, and in the lives of your family and your community. Listen to the audio below to find out more.

Check Out Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Click here for more Black Success audios. 

If you find this audio useful, please share it with your networks.  Please also leave a comment below.  

Thanks.   

Financial Independence Strategy

What does financial independence mean to you? Have you achieved it?  If not,what is getting in  your way?  Please listen to the audio below.  

Listen to internet radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

The 3-Step Success Formula is a strategy which can help you to achieve any goal you want to achieve.  To read it, click here to download my free ebook, "Achieving Success".

Click here for more information.  

"Achieving Success" is a sample chapter from my ebook, What They Don't Want Us to Know.  For a limited time, you can download What They Don't Want Us to Know for just $1.52.  Click here to download it now.  

If you have found this useful, please share this blog post with your networks.   

Click here for more Black Success audios.  

Here's to your success!  

Are You Open to Receive?

In order to experience financial abundance, and abundance in every area of our lives, we need to open to receive.  

There are many people in this world who need to learn to give.  I would argue there are many millions who need to learn to receive.  

If you are not achieving the results you want, this means you are blocking yourself.  Somewhere, you have a block to receiving, be it physical, emotional or psychological.  

Three of the things that can block us from receiving include:   

• anger at old incidents that wounded and scarred you
• deeply buried anger, resentment, hatred and pain 
• the desire to blame yourself or others 

There are many more. 

To read more about this, and to find out what you can do to improve your results, click here to download my free ebook, "Achieving Success", which contains the 3-Step Success Formula.  

Click here for more information.  

If you value this information, please share this with your networks.   

And for a limited time, you can download What They Don't Want Us to Know for just $1.52. 

You can open to receive the abundance of the universe.  Here's to your success!  

 

Orin: Aligning with Star Energies

Orin Aligning with Star Energies

Aligning with Star Energies is a beautiful audio meditation from Orin which you can download for free - see below for details.  

I have listened to this audio many times and it is just so relaxing and inspiring.  I am delighted to be able to share this with you.  

Simply thinking of these energies begins to open the channel to these wonderful, positive, loving sources of light and transformation.

You can bring the energies of the stars into your body to heal and rejuvenate all of your cells. 

You can use star energies to transform any area of your life  - money, finances, work, career, relationships or health. 

Click here to read about Orin and DaBen and download free audios.  (See the Resources section.) 

Plus click here for my audio:  Experience Peace.  

And click here for my newly updated free ebook, "Achieving Success".  

From Limitation to Manifestation

In a recent audio on Manifest Everything Now, entitled "Manifest the Life You Want - by Removing What is REALLY in Your Way", Esperanza Universal shared how to move from lack and limitation to abundance. She also shared her

4 Steps to Transformation:

1) Be aware of your pure feelings (emotions). Sadness, anger, whatever is there. If you bury your feelings, they will continue to run you. [This is one of the things I have been saying in the Black Success audios.]

2) Slightly trace the feeling to an origin. Do not dwell on it. Do not build your life on it. Do not base your life on feelings. They are not your essence. But they are a human experience.

3) Bring it to the present moment. Who am I today? I am a loving being. I am powerful. I am a divine being. I am whole. 

4) Your essence is love, peace, joy and freedom. The part of you that experiences lack and fear and limitation is really just belief systems that you have put in your way. Your essence is a divine essence.  

She also spoke about how to move from limitation, lack and debt to manifestation.  

As always, I do not profit financially from sharing this.   

This was a brilliant audio and I am very happy to be able to share this information with you. To read more, click here to join Nurture Success. 

If you enjoy this blog post, please share it with your networks.  Thank you.