Build The Dream Blog

On Black Voices And Being Heard

Two somewhat similar themes to the items below.

A blogger at All About Race has been recruited to write for an AOL-linked service that focuses on issues from a black perspective:

I am so excited to invite you to join me Monday through Friday at my second gig as a news/racial issues blogger for AOL’s Black Voices Blackspin blog. It’s a lot of fun already and the community is very interactive as far as comments go.

I love to hear what you all have to say, so please stop by and have a read and comment away. Here’s the link - please add me to your bookmarks:

http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/category/blackspin-black-news-headlines/

Meanwhile the San Francisco Chronicle has an item up dealing with the issue of black bloggers feeling they are not being heard within the progressive blogging community.

With its power-to-the-individual approach, the new media world promises anyone with a laptop the possibility of a publishing empire. But, as some black bloggers are finding out, the new media world is a lot like the old one: racially segregated, with many prominent black voices still fighting to be heard.

Some bloggers felt insulted this month when the Democratic National Committee selected 55 state-oriented blogs to cover its convention in Denver; critics said few featured African American voices. The DNC said race wasn't considered in its selection from 400 applicants. Officials were more interested in the sites' audience size and how much chatter about local issues appeared on them. The DNC answered critics Thursday by adding several sites led by African Americans to its general blogger pool.

Black Bloggers Upset With DNC

Many black bloggers believe the list of state bloggers who will be blogging from the Democratic convention is seriously lacking in diversity.

Black bloggers do not share Daughtry’s excitement. They are outraged over the lack of diversity. BTW, Daughtry is the daughter of the Rev. Herbert Daughtry of House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn. A longtime community leader, Rev. Daughtry was arrested during the recent pray-in for justice for Sean Bell.

Francis L. Holland of the Afrospear is leading the charge. Disclosure: I’m a member of the Afrospear but I don’t have a dog in the fight for two reasons.

The Reach Of New Media

A little insight into blogging as new media for readers who may be new to blogs. They actually do get noticed.

Take Jack and Jill Politics, for example.

There's a post up today pointing to their appearance on NPR's News and Notes. They'll be discussing Al Sharpton, Sean Bell, the Democratic Primary and Mildred Loving with other bloggers they link to.

You can also see from their "In The News" archive, they have made several media appearances - including CNN, NPR and other outlets.

Blogging allow everyone to be heard. And major media is looking to it more and more as a source for content.

From The Blog Roll

We maintain a list of other blogs you might enjoy within the sidebar on the left - just scroll down. I try to keep an eye on as many as I can for anything unique, or potentially of interest. Here's a general blog you might enjoy from there. It has a variety of timely items for your enjoyment.

Among other items, I was surprised to read that a Snoop Dog Rap song has apparently been modified to teach Math in at least one class. Given the original song lyrics, that could be controversial.

Is Wright Audacious?

Black blogger and Citizen Journalist Faye Anderson weighs in on Rev. Wright. Check out the site and side links. You might find something else of interest. I don't know Ms. Anderson. But she seems to gear her blog to both citizen journalism and the Black community.

I don’t have a church home at present, but I frequently attend service at churches of various denominations. In all my church visits, I never encountered a pastor like Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Black Blogger Feels Marginalized

Apparently a reasonably well-known black, female blogger feels her material was lifted by a prominent Feminist blogger for an article and other bloggers are pointing to it as another example of the marginalization of black women.

Is that the case? It isn't our call to make. But there certainly does seem to be an increasing tension between different interests groups these days, perhaps due to the Democratic primary battle that seems like it will never end.

Blogging For Civic Action

With blogging becoming a more significant medium for communication everyday, one might wonder if Dr. King would have taken advantage of the medium to directly reach an even broader and perhaps more diverse audience had it existed in his day.

Here's but one example of blogging being enlisted in a call for contemporary civic action as part of a larger effort by the National Women's Law Center. Bloggers can enlist to participate via the link.

Women in the United States are still paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.

And for women of color, the numbers are even worse. African-American women earn 63 cents and Latinas earn 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men.*

It’s time to take action.

A bill awaiting a vote in Congress would help women fight for fair pay. Advocates are pushing for the Senate to vote by the end of April, to commemorate Equal Pay Day on April 18.

Raise your voice in support! Sign up to post to your blog on Friday, April 18, about the importance of fair pay for women. Please also ask your readers to urge their Senators to support the Fair Pay Restoration Act. We’ll send you a reminder as the date gets closer.