Do Black Men Need to Man Up?

Check out this blog from Very Smart Brothas: Do Black Men Need to Man Up?

There are LOTS of responses to this one. You can read them, and/or add your own.

Some of my thoughts:

Who is responsible for the crime and violence in the ghetto? My answer: white men.

Who is to blame for Black men behaving irresponsibly?

Does strong Black female leadership require Black men to be weak - or absent?

What we need is a new kind of strength - the kind that takes account of feelings, needs, the whole person. Click here for my article on Strong Black Woman Syndrome.

As I said, lots more has been said. So click here to check it out.

Historic Victory for Kenyans/The Mau Mau

Four Kenyan ex-members of the so-called Mau Mau resistance have won the right to sue the British government.

The British invaded Kenya in the early 20th century and committed atrocities against the Kenyan people for decades. After many years of nonviolent resistance, many Kenyans felt they had to resort to violent action - similar to what happened on South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The British named the resistance movement "Mau Mau" in order to make them sound foreign and exotic - they called themselves the Land Freedom Army.

In a test case, four elderly Kenyans have now been granted the right to sue the UK government. I shall be blogging more about this soon. Click here to read more about this historic victory.

I have personally seen documentary footage of some of the atrocities committed by the British in Kenya - just one of the many African countries which were invaded by European countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Click here to read more about the British colonial presence in Kenya.

President Obama's Kenyan grandfather was one of the many who loyally served in the British army during the Second World War - only to be imprisoned and tortured when he later expressed support for the resistance movement.

This legal decision means the fight for justice can now be taken to the next stage.

One Isley Brother's Daughter

Every day, we are hit with new revelations about the News International phone hacking scandal. It's even being discussed in Parliament.

On What U Need to Know on Saturday, we interviewed Elizabeth Isley Barkley, author of One Isley Brother's Daughter

One of her nmain themes is the effect of celebrity on personal life - not just on that of the person in the public eye, but that of his or her family as well.

She argues that things are even worse now than they were when the Isley Brothers were at the height of their popularity in the 1970s.

To listen to the interview, click here for What U Need to Know, or click here to hear it on Success Strategies for Black People on Facebook.

Fire in Babylon

Even if, like me, you know nothing about cricket, you need to see this film.

As depicted in Fire in Babylon, in the early 1970s, the West Indian cricket team was an international joke. They were referred to as "calypso cricketers" and were seen as entertainers, not as winners.

When they travelled to Australia in 1975, the Australian team humiliated them and the "fast bowlers" physically assaulted them with the ball. So the West Indies team decided to fight back.

This was a matter of pride. Having gained independence from the British, they felt, by the 1970s, like they had something to prove.

The team captain, Clive Lloyd, travelled around the Caribbean islands in search of fast bowlers - and he found some. These guys just did not quit. Some of them could bowl the ball at 90 mph. When they got on the field, they could do serious damage, not just to the other players' bodies in the form of bruises and broken bones, but to their pride.

Fire in Babylon features interviews with many members of the West Indies team during that period.

Up until then, the captains of the West Indies team had always been white. But in the 1970s, there was a new, revolutionary spirit about, partly inspired by Bob Marley's music. The film contains some great clips of Marley in performance, singing "Get Up, Stand Up".

At the same time the West Indies team were rising, Black people in Britain were coming under increasing pressure from racism. When the West Indies team played in England and beat the England team in 1976, people in the stands - both Black and white - were cheering them on.

The players from the Caribbean also felt a connection with Black people fighting apartheid in South Africa.

The West Indies team defeated Australia, considered the best cricket team in the world, after which they dominated world cricket - they never lost a test series from 1975 to 1990. (For those who don't know, a test series is the highest level of international cricket - I think.)

Fire in Babylon was an incredibly uplifting, inspiring and moving film. Just one of many wonderful events hosted by Black History Studies.

See also: Next Black History Events.

A Great Way to Reach Teachers and Students

If you want to reach school pupils, teachers and educators with your work, Squidoo is a highly effective way to do so.

Get started now so that you will be up and running by the time school starts again in September.

My Black history lenses (articles) are my most popular articles on Squidoo. Sometimes they get hundreds of hits in a month. This is because people are interested in reading and learning about Black history, and Squidoo lenses are an excellent place to begin or expand their research.

Some of my Black history lenses include:

Black History International – This one contains Black history polls and links to other lenses.

London Black History Walks – focus on Black British history

Naij - A Film History of Nigeria

News and Views: ANC Welcomes Ruling - this lens includes reviews of films made in secret under apartheid in South Africa.

I have quite a few more.

Squidoo is one of the online resources people use when seeking information. If your lenses are "G" rated, people of any age can read them.

Squidoo lenses (articles) are highly targetted. This means the only people who visit them are the ones who are interested in your subject.

If you want to become established as an expert in your field, Squidoo is a great way to get started.

Plus, if you have products or services to sell, you can link to them from your Squidoo pages.

Click here to get started for free by building a Squidoo lens.

Click here if you are looking for ideas for things to write about. See also: Write Your Book in Two Days (you can use this for writing articles, essays or blogs).

Click here for more suggestions about how to make your lenses interesting and keep people coming back.

Here’s to your success!

Financial Independence: What U Need to Know Preview

As the U.S.A. just celebrated Independence Day, we thought this would be a good time to talk about financial independence.

So many people are facing economic uncertainty these days. We need some strategies. You can listen to a preview below.

Plus, click below for more info on how to attract the money you want. We can achieve financial success.

Click here to listen to What U Need to Know this Saturday, 2 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. UK time.

Listen to internet radio with Zhana21 on Blog Talk Radio

Focus the Power of the Universe

My new, free ebook The Power of Affirmations, helps you to focus the power of the universe to improve your

- money and finances
- health
- work and career

or any area of your life.

If you have ever had problems using affirmations, or even if you haven't, if you have been using affirmations for years or if you are a complete novice, The Power of Affirmations can help you. Click here to download it now.

Click here for more free ebooks and reports.

Here's to your success!

Free Reports and Ebooks for Health, Wealth and Success

In addition to the More Black Success ebooks, I have a number of free reports I would like to share with you, which I created myself, including:

Achieving Success with your 3-Step Success Formula

4 Steps to Finding the Job You Want

and Raising Money through Sponsorship.

Feel free to download them, use them and enjoy them.

Click here for my free job search consultations.

Click here for more about More Black Success.

Here's to your success!

Learn from the Experts

If you have not already seen it, click here to read the latest on Black News: Learn from the Experts: More Black Success.

I have compiled these ebooks to give you the benefit of advice from experts with some of the best information - about business success and much more. Click here to get your free copies of More Black Success now.

Here's to your success!

Breaking into Britain

I saw this documentary on the BBC last week. "Breaking into Britain" tracks people travelling into Britain from two parts of the world: Afghanistan and Nigeria.

They are people who would not be able to enter the UK legally, so they have to find various means, dealing with shady people, journeying through war zones, and doing whatever they can to get here.

The documentary depicted the ordeal they go through.

People leaving Afghanistan may have to pay a people smuggler several thousand pounds to get them here. The journalist, himself from an Afghan background, met fellow Afghans everywhere he went. They often have to travel via Iran and Turkey, sometimes taking serious risks. Some have no money and no food. Many, having made it into Europe, find themselves stranded in Athens, sleeping rough and relying on charities to feed them and their children.

I guess they did not realise that Greece was in economic meltdown.

Those coming from Nigeria may have started their journeys anywhere on the continent. They travel through the desert to get to Morocco, where they try to get into Italy.

The documentary did not really explain or depict the reasons why these people are so desperate to get into Britain. It mentioned that Afghanistan has been at war for over 30 years, so life is difficult there. And seeing the risks they take shows us how determined they are to get into Britain.

People smugglers often demand sex from the women relying on them to help them get into Europe. A woman from the Congo described how she was raped at knife-point by a smuggler in the middle of the desert.

African people often travel via Niger. The journey through the Sahara is so dangerous that they have to travel in armed convoys.

Again, the documentary did not mention why Niger is so dangerous, although, coming from Congo, the woman, like many others, is seeking to escape an area of conflict.

People travel via overcrowded buses, lorries and boats; climb over fences, and cling to the bottom of lorries. They dodge the authorities and meet with hostility from from locals.

They are looking to find a better life for themselves and their children.

Some of them, however, once reality strikes, just wish they had enough money to go home.

Mirror Boy: New Nigeria Cinema

The Nollywood movement has produced many thousands of films, and Nigeria now has the second-largest film industry in the world, after Bollywood.

But frequently, quality is sacrificed in order to achieve quick results.

In the wake of this financial success, a new wave of Nigerian film directors and producers has arisen. They aim to produce high-quality films for international distribution. Mirror Boy is one of these.

Click here for a video report on Mirror Boy.

100 Black Men Convention Panelists Urge Black Businesses to Go International

Interesting to note that 100 Black Men agree with me - if you are a Black business owner, you need to consider going international. Click here for my blog on International Networking.

See also: 100 Black Men Convention Panelists Urge Black Businesses to Go International.

Here's to your success!

Wikileaks: U.S. Government Conspired to Keep Haitian Wages Low

I have recently been viewing videos about Wikileaks information which states that the U.S. government and international corporations conspired to keep wages low for Haitian workers. They state that the workers wanted to increase their wages from $3 to $5 per day. Check it out:

Wikileaks: US Lobbies for Low Haiti Wages

US Helped Keep Low Minimum Wage in Haiti to Protect US Corporations.

Is this what Toussaint fought for?

See also: Poto Mitan - The Strength of Haitian Women.

Juneteenth: What U Need to Know

Juneteenth has been called the oldest celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

As legend has it, in 1865, two years after Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, the enslaved African American people of Texas still did not know that slavery had ended. The white slavemasters had kept the news from them until, on the 19th of June, troops marhed into Galveston, Texas, liberating the enslaved poeople there. Thus, Juneteenth was born.

Growing up in New York City, I knew nothing of Juneteenth, but people all over the world are learning about it. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery and stands alongside Watch Night, African Remembrance Day and many other celebrations of African liberation.

Our show tonight on What U Need to Know celebrates our one-year anniversary, and we will be discussing Juneteenth. I hope you will join us. Click here to listen to the show. If you miss it, you can still listen to the recording.

Black People: Telling Our Own Stories

This video, The Danger of the Single Story (see below), is saying the same thing we said in our May broadcast of What U Need to Know. If we are told the same story over and over again, we begin to believe it - even if the story is about ourselves. Click here to listen to a recap of What U Need to Know: African Networking.

But many of us are telling our own stories. To read stories by and about Black people, see More Black Success.

Scroll down for more.


Below is a recording of me being interviewed by Diana Broomfield about Black people telling our own stories.

Listen to internet radio with Ladee16 on Blog Talk Radio

Do We Need to Learn from White People?

A few years ago, someone wrote a book in which he said that in order to be successful, we need to think like white people. I strongly disagree. We don’t need to think like white people, we need to think like successful Black people. Like London-based PR guru, Mavis Amankwah, pictured, whom I interviewed in MBS 10.

Recently, on my radio show, What U Need to Know, a brother called in and was talking about books where we can learn about how to be successful in business. He talked about Think and Grow Rich and he also mentioned Robert Kiyosaki. I said, it’s fine to read those books, we can learn from anybody. And there are plenty of successful Black people who we can learn from. That is why I publish Black Success Stories and the More Black Success free ebooks.

We have many, many successful people we can learn from in our own community, who reflect us culturally. We need to learn from the experts.

Click here to order your of copies of More Black Success now - remember, they are free.

Plus, if you are a parent,teacher or educator, or you work with young people, remember to share them with others. For more information, see Inspiration and Motivation.

Click here to listen to an audio interview with me on Interviews with Black Entrepreneurs.

Please leave your comments below. Thanks.

Inspiration and Motivation

The More Black Success free ebooks are inspiring and motivating. If you are a parent or teacher, or you work with parents, or young people, you will want to share your copies. Click here to read more. Click here to order your copies.

Click here to listen to an interview with me with Interviews with Black Entrepreneurs, about Black Success Stories and More Black Success.

What Is the Value of International Networking for People of African Heritage?

I am an African American woman based in London, and I meet people from all over the world. Many of us are facing similar difficulties and challenges. We have a shared history as African people and we have a great deal we can learn from each other.

In my More Black Success free ebooks and the What U Need to Know radio show which I co-present, our emphasis is on networking internationally as people of African heritage.

We profile successful Black people all over the world.

For more about this, see: International Networking.

Historically, Black people have been taught to hate and mistrust each other as a way of controlling us. We need to overcome these barriers. We are all African people.

We are much stronger and more effective when we work together, for our common interests as African people.

Click here for a great way to grow your business internatinally.

Click here to listen to a short audio recap on African Networking.

A Great Graduation Gift

If you know a young person who is about to graduate from high school, college or university, Success Strategies for Black People makes an excellent gift. This book can help you to achieve your goals and realise your unlimited possibilities.

Plus, I am offering free jobsearch consultations. Click here for more info. If you know a young Black person who is leaving school or college and looking for work, please share this with him or her. I can help them get results.

Chocolate Naomi + N-Word Ben

I actually agreed with Anne Diamond on the Wright Stuff today. Just goes to show you anything is possible.

She strongly insisted that the Cadbury's Bliss chocolate bar ad that states "Move over Naomi, there's new diva in town" is racist as it refers to Black people as "chocolate". Anne, you have really changed. The Wright Stuff never ceases to surprise me. As a Buddhist, I believe people are capable of changing, and this just proves that it is true.

Of course, the other two white people on the panel insisted that it's not racist - and so did Hardeep Singh. I attended an event during the Bicentenary in 2007 in which a white woman on the panel said "White people are always saying we are not racist. But Black people know that everything we say and do proves that we are". Too right.

Anne Diamond about also reported on an incident at the Baftas which has been reported in the Times, in which a "leading figure" in the fashion world verbally abused the TV presenter Ben Douglas, repeated calling him the "N-word". Twitter has named this abusive person.

Ben reckons the guy was "bonding with him" by using this term. Click here to read more.