from AverageBro.com

My job as a socially responsible blogger is to sometimes say sht that hurts, with intentions of waking people up and steering them in the right direction. One thing that continues to hold black folks back is bassackwards self-limiting behavior that’s best evidenced in some of the Negro Talking Points that many of us utilize on the regular. Until we eliminate these phrases from our collective vocabularies, we will stay losin’. And I don’t want us to stay losin’, I want us to start winnin’. In that vein, I present to you, a quintet of things Black people need to stop saying, as of today.

1. “My Baby Got Good Hurrrr” - Black people, for the last time: there is no such thing as “good” hair Black hair comes in all grades, colors, thicknesses, and varying degrees of waviness. Ask any brother who has succumbed to male pattern baldness, or any woman with one of those hideous Vivica A. Foxx hairlines, and they’ll tell you: they’d much rather have their own full head of hair back, regardless of how “good” or “bad” it originally was.

2. “I’m An Independent Black Woman” - Ahhh, the mythical “Independent black woman”, a shopworn cliché just as tired as that lame Lil’ Boosie song. Ladies, let’s face it: if being able to pay your own bills without the help of a man makes you “Independent”, then you probably have some Daddy issues that have lead to your dramatically lowered sense of self. How about we just substitute the term “self sufficient” or “able bodied”? I’ve yet to hear the term “Independent” applied to a black man who is able to knock out the bills without mooching off some chick. The true litmus test of being independent is not having to announce it to anyone. Why the double standard? And BTW, in any marriage that has a chance, there’s got to be some level of interdependence. Is all I’m sayin’.

Read More: 5 Phrases Black People Must Abolish If We Are Ever To Get Ahead

Johnson Chapel A.M.E.
by Dexter Harper

Johnson Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church celebrated Founders Day Sunday evening (February 14, 2010).  It was 250 years ago that Richard Allen the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was born. The theme of the celebration “We Are More Than Conquerors Through Him That Loved Us” was taken from Romans.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39

God’s messenger for the occasion was Rev. Sonja Beaty Scott of Bethel A.M.E Church, Lubbock, Texas.

Guest churches were Carter Chapel CME, Carter Primitive Baptist, Church of the Living God, Emmanuel Church of Amarillo Emmanuel C.O.G.I.C., Grace Community United Methodist, Grater Love Community, Grater Mount Olive Baptist, Jenkins Chapel Baptist, Lagnston Memorial C.O.G.I.C., Love Fellowship C.O.G.I.C., Mount of Blessing Seventh Day Adventist, Mount Olive Missionary Baptist, Mount Zion Baptist, New Birth Bible Fellowship, New Covenant Missionary Baptist, New Hope Baptist, New Light Ministries, New Zion Primitive Baptist, North Heights Church of Christ, Prayer Temple C.O.G.I.C., Pentecostal C.O.G.I.C., Shiloh Cathedral of Praise, St. John Baptist and Bethel A.M.E. of Lubbock, Texas.

Guest choirs were Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, New Light Ministries and Bethel A.M.E. of Lubbock, Texas.

by Kami Ashley

My Black History Month Person of the day is Jupiter Hammon. Not many people have heard of Mr. Jupiter Hammon before today, not even me, so let me tell a little about Mr. Hammon. The first known African American to publish literature, Hammon was a lifelong slave of four generations of the Lloyd family on Long Island. His parents were both slaves. His father, called Opium, had a reputation for frequent escape attempts; his mother was named Rose. Hammon was allowed to attend school, and unlike most slaves could read and write. He was a favorite servant who was a clerk in the family business, a farmhand, and an artisan. Hammon was allowed to attend school and was a fervent Christian, as were the Lloyds. His first published poem was written on Christmas Day, 1760. An Evening Thought. Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries: Composed by Jupiter Hammon, a Negro belonging to Mr. Lloyd of Queen’s Village, on Long Island, the 25th of December, 1760 appeared as a broadside in 1761. Three other poems and three sermon essays followed. In 1786 Hammon gave a speech, An Address to the Negroes of New York, to the African Society, in which he said that while he personally had no wish to be free, he did wish others, especially “the young Negroes, were free.” On September 24, 1786, He expressed his views on slavery when he delivered his “Address to the Negroes of the State of New York”, also known as the “Hammon Address”, before the African Society. Hammon wrote the speech at age seventy-six after a lifetime of slavery. It contains his famous words, “If we should ever get to Heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us for being black, or for being slaves.”

An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penetential Cries
by Jupiter Hammon

Salvation comes by Christ alone,
The only Son of God;
Redemption now to every one,
That love his holy Word.

Dear Jesus, we would fly to Thee,
And leave off every Sin,
Thy tender Mercy well agree;
Salvation from our King.

Salvation comes now from the Lord,
Our victorious King.
His holy Name be well ador’d,
Salvation surely bring.

Dear Jesus, give thy Spirit now,
Thy Grace to every Nation,
That han’t the Lord to whom we bow,
The Author of Salvation.

Dear Jesus, unto Thee we cry,
Give us the Preparation;
Turn not away thy tender Eye;
We seek thy true Salvation.

Salvation comes from God we know,
The true and only One;
It’s well agreed and certain true,
He gave his only Son.

Lord, hear our penetential Cry:
Salvation from above;
It is the Lord that doth supply,
With his Redeeming Love.

Dear Jesus, by thy precious Blood,
The World Redemption have:
Salvation now comes from the Lord,
He being thy captive slave.

Dear Jesus, let the Nations cry,
And all the People say,
Salvation comes from Christ on high,
Haste on Tribunal Day.

We cry as Sinners to the Lord,
Salvation to obtain;
It is firmly fixed, his holy Word,
Ye shall not cry in vain.

Dear Jesus, unto Thee we cry,
And make our Lamentation:
O let our Prayers ascend on high;
We felt thy Salvation.

Lord, turn our dark benighted Souls;
Give us a true Motion,
And let the Hearts of all the World,
Make Christ their Salvation.

Ten Thousand Angels cry to Thee,
Yea, louder than the Ocean.
Thou art the Lord, we plainly see;
Thou art the true Salvation.

Now is the Day, excepted Time;
The Day of the Salvation;
Increase your Faith, do not repine:
Awake ye, every Nation.

Lord, unto whom now shall we go,
Or seek a safe abode?
Thou has the Word Salvation Too,
The only Son of God.

Ho! every one that hunger hath,
Or pineth after me,
Salvation be thy leading Staff,
To set the Sinner free.

Dear Jesus, unto Thee we fly;
Depart, depart from Sin,
Salvation doth at length supply,
The Glory of our King.

Come, ye Blessed of the Lord,
Salvation greatly given;
O turn your Hearts, accept the Word,
Your Souls are fit for Heaven.

Dear Jesus, we now turn to Thee,
Salvation to obtain;
Our Hearts and Souls do meet again,
To magnify thy Name.

Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove,
The Object of our Care;
Salvation doth increase our Love;
Our Hearts hath felt they fear.

Now Glory be to God on High,
Salvation high and low;
And thus the Soul on Christ rely,
To Heaven surely go.

Come, Blessed Jesus, Heavenly Dove,
Accept Repentance here;
Salvation give, with tender Love;
Let us with Angels share.Finis.

Copyright 2010 - Kami Ashley. All rights Reserved. No part of this commentary may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

Should Failure Be an Option?
by L. Arthalia Cravin

I have seen posters that say, “Failure Is Not An Option” plastered on many local school hallway walls. I wonder if these type posters should be there. Former President Bill Clinton said during one of his many interviews that he learned more from his failures than he ever did from his successes. So why are today’s youngsters insulated from failure—and should they be?

I understand that across the nation some high schools, colleges, and universities are starting to shy away from giving students letters grades such A, B, C, D, F. Instead students are given a simple “passing,” or some variation of it. I understand that some public schools are making it almost impossible for students to fail by arranging for repeated testing, retesting, and more testing until they “get it right.” Is this fair? Is this the real world? Recently I had a long conversation with a middle school music teacher who said that a nearby university had set aside full four-year scholarships, including books and room and board to get students to pursue music. About 20 students entered the program, only one graduated. The reason? Too many students came out of high school thoroughly crippled by teachers and administrators who refused to tell them to their faces, “you are failing.” Instead, these students were babied, mollycoddled, spoon-fed, cajoled, honeyed, and pat on the head until they somehow get a “passing” grade sufficient to move on and to keep moving on until they left high school. Then, as they say, “the rubber meets the road.” Poor preparation and outright ignorance run head-on with world of reality—the world of “if you don’t perform adequately or meet certain standards of proficiency you will fail.”

Read more »

by Kami Ashley

Since we have a Black / African American president, I just though that every Black/African American young person would get it together and attempt to be someone who nobody has ever expected. I haven’t been seeing any changes as of yet. At my community college I am barely seeing any other black people, but when I do see them they are all above the age of 25, and it has me wondering, “Where Have All The Young Black Students Gone?” “Why Aren’t There Any Going To College To Get An Education?”

As young black people we should be trying to work harder in this world because as we all know from history and current life, life is not particularly easy or problem free for Black/African American peoples. We had to struggle to get where we are today even if it is in a difficult spot and it seems to me that our people are so ready to give up because it seems to be the easiest solution to put our difficulties, problems, and important issues on hold. Life isn’t going to change itself. We as young Black/African american peoples need to be getting an education so that we can outsmart the system and statistics so that we are better and greater than society wishes us to be.

Step 1 in this change should be getting an EDUCATION.
Step 2 should be getting a JOB.
Step 3 should be BECOMING RESPONSIBLE.
Step 4 should be REACHING BACK TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY.
Step 5 should be ENCOURAGING OTHERS.
Step 6 should be SPREADING THE MESSAGE.

Read more »

1866 cookbook oldest of its kind
by Janelle Stecklein | amarillo.com

It was wrapped in greasy, worn brown paper and shoved inside a box full of cookbooks, gathering dust for more than 100 years.

No one realized the historic importance of the 39-page book until a few years ago. It’s much more than a collection of old recipes. It tells the story of a woman’s struggle to survive in an era dominated by discrimination, slavery and prejudice.

“No one suspected that would have been a cookbook written by a black woman during the Civil War,” said Leigh Cravin, an Amarillo attorney.

“A Domestic Cookbook Containing A Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen,” by Malinda Russell, is the oldest known cookbook written by an African-American.

Cravin spoke to a group of residents Saturday afternoon at the United Citizen’s Forum about Russell’s story and how her cookbook, published in 1866, has helped change typical soul food stereotypes. The presentation also highlighted the national theme of this year’s Black History Month, “The History of Black Economic Empowerment.”

As the former chairwoman of the Anderson County Historical Commission, Cravin long has been interested in the past.

She found out about the book after reading an article published in the New York Times in 2007. Enthralled by the tale, Cravin obtained one of 100 reproductions and started researching Russell.

Little is known of Russell, who seems to have vanished from historical records after a Michigan newspaper agreed to publish the cookbook.

“We lost her in history,” Cravin said. “We don’t know what happened to her. But she leaves this little 39-page cookbook. A fascinating story of a woman lost in time.”

Read more »

Pay As You Go
by The White House

The President, having just signed the “Pay As You Go” law, discusses the importance of this fundamental rule to getting budget deficits in check. Ensuring that new spending and tax cuts are offset was a important factor in creating the budget surplus of the late 1990’s.

Watch the address below:

by Fransetta Crow

The Month of Feburary is a very special Month and many people and events are recognized during this Month. I remember Feburary for BLACK HISTORY MONTH . I will address the celebration in another column later on , but to day I want to speak on the celebration of  VALENTINE DAY and what the day really represents . Most people will agree that this day is to express your love to someone who is special in your life and heart.

The word LOVE is what my message is about and I want to define love . The word means : A strong affection or liking for someone or something. The object of much affection. A passion for one of the opposite sex. This definition is what most people consider LOVE ! Most of the time it’s really lust and therefore misleading and causes confusion and hurt and harm to many people.

There are many types of love and each type has a separate signifigance that applies individually . Lets look at some of the types: Love of Self, Love of Family, Love of Friends, Love of Materials , Love of  Money, Love of Food , Love of Nature , Love of Music, Love of Power , and on and on I could list.

Out of all the different forms of Love I wanted to save the best for last.This type of Love is as old as ancient time, is unlimited , is free to all, and accessible to anyone. This Love is not based on your Race, Age, Sex, or your monetary value , for the poor as well as the rich, the weak as well as the strong. It is for those that are un-educated and the intelligent.

Many will ask what type of Love is this and I simply say it’s called AGAPE LOVE . This love is an unconditional Love that we are told to have and live by with our fellow man. The 13th chapter of Corinthains in the Bible gives a good definition of this type Love. I invite you to read it and see if you are applying it in your daily lives with your spouse, family, neighbors, church members, on your job, and business matters. Now that’s is really  what it’s all about and if we would apply this type of Love to each other, the world would be a better place to live. I Challenge you to try it. It can start with you and spread like wildfire and change the course of mankind. TRY IT YOU MIGHT LIKE IT!!!

Now that you have learned what real love is you won’t get caught up in the wrong meaning and you will appreciate the special day set aside to just simply say I LOVE YOU !! HAPPY VALENTINE DAY!

Frankly Fran

Copyright 2010 - Fransetta Crow. All rights Reserved. No part of this commentary may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

by Dexter Harper

The Amarillo Family YMCA Writer’s Voice Program sponsored a preview and book signing of ‘History of African Americans in Amarillo’. The books authors Dr. Jean Stuntz and Claudia Stuart gave the history of the making of their publication and participated in a question and answer after their presentation.

The authors described African Americans in Amarillo as a pictorial history of African Americans in the region from1887 when merchants opened stores to cater to railroad workers.

Dr. Jean A. Stuntz is an Associate Professor of History at West Texas A&M and Claudia D. Stuart is an instructor of Criminal Justice and Sociology at West Texas A&M University.

The night’s events also included a panel discussion moderated by Justice of the Peace Thomas Jones. The topic of discussion was ‘What African American youth can learn from past community leaders”.

The Amarillo Family YMCA Writer’s Voice Program includes writing circles, creative writing instruction to all ages, and book talks by local and nationally recognized artists. For more information on Writer’s Voice and other arts programs at the Amarillo Family YMCA, please go online to www.amarilloymca.org or call Jenna Hodges at 806-373-1811.

Christiona Nichole Moore, 6-month-old daughter of Alica Moore of Amarillo, died Sunday, February 7, 2010, in Dallas.

Celebration of life services were at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 13, 2010 in St. John Baptist Church with the Rev. Ed Demerson, minister of the church, officiating. Burial in Llano Cemetery East by Rector Funeral Home, 2800 S. Osage St.

Christiona was born July 10, 2009, in Amarillo to Alica Moore. After a long struggle, Christiona went to be with our Lord on February 7, 2010.

Survivors include her mother; her grandparents, Gerry and Lenora Moore of Amarillo; a brother, Montavious McClendon of Amarillo; and a host of other relatives, who loved her dearly.

She is now our little angel in heaven, where I will reunite with her someday.

Love,
Mom