The "Power of Community" Essay Contest, sponsored by Hill Motor Corporation, is available to: 1. Graduating High School Seniors 2. Undergraduate College Students 3. Graduate College Students Scholarship Rules:You must write an essay that is at least 500 words addressing the following points(Remember, the more you can say with the fewest words, the better): 1. Why is it important for Black Americans to re-build a sense of community that transcends socio-economic boundaries? 2. What can be done to connect the fragmentations we have allowed to divide our race?3. What are some of the characteristics of a growing and thriving community?3. How can on-line social networking platforms such as HBCU Connect, Facebook and My Space best serve to aid in establishing the community that closely mimics the natural communities to which we were accustomed to growing up? Deadline For Essays:* June 1st, 2007 Scholarship Payout:* Winners will be contacted no later than September 15, 2007 * $1,000.00 * Must prove enrollment in a college or university in the United States prior to award Submitting Your Essay:First create a user account: http://forums.hbcuconnect.com/register.phpAll essays need to be submitted as NEW THREADS here in the HBCUCONNECT user forums under the "Essay Contest Forum". You can edit your submission as many times as necessary before the deadline... All essays will be made readable only by you until our deadline for submissions has been met. Once the deadline has been met, we will open up all threads for PUBLIC viewing while we select finalists. Once finalists are selected we will post a poll to allow for public voting for winners. Winning submissions to this contest will be posted on www.hillmotorcorp.comIn order to manage your submission you will need to create a user account and post your essay using the following link: http://forums.hbcuconnect.com/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=53(Report Obscene Photo)
It seems like after Martin Luther King’s death Black Americans lost their purpose. His leadership and influence was gone and we began riots in the streets. Organizations turned into gangs and we became the most common criminal. Dr. King showed us how to turn **** thoughts into peaceful protest. I don’t think one person can do that again. A community can give more support than just one person. Some Black Americans leave the community and forget about it. They think the community hasn’t given anything to them so why should they give anything back. We are all struggling but we have yet to promote Black Nationalism.
If we can reestablish the Black community we can reestablish Black Power. At this time we think it’s good to live off the government because we messed up in high school and we can’t go no farther without a school diploma. What happened to our sense of pride? The reason that pride is gone is because we have no one to encourage us to look out side the box. Friends can encourage people to do things they feel unsure about it. What if that same encouragement was behind a community? If one person falls there are 10 or 20 others to pick that person up and keep moving.
We need to get rid of our lack of generosity and our habits of backstabbing. We don’t need to step on each other to get on top. We could teach the tradition of boost and pull. Meaning if I give you a boost, you have to pull me up. We try to do this but we are either impatient waiting for the pull up or overwhelmed by the new heights. This makes us feel like we’ve been betrayed by one another. After that, the tension between the two just grows. To eliminate that problem we must remember the word sacrifice. We are the first to preach the word of God but we seem to forget that word.
The first thing we need to sacrifice for is family. At the core a community is nothing more than a bunch of families who join together with the goal of better living. That is why a community always has the sense of family. We can take that key aspect out and work on it individually. A family member splits from the family hating it because there is no there for them. They think they have to fend on their own. After a while they began to believe that trusting anyone else but their selves would lead to their down fall. We need strong families because if we can’t keep a family together there is no hope for a community.
When a community grows you see trust, motivation, determination, and understanding. The trust is the first to develop. This community will trust each other to provide anything they may need. If their needs can’t be fulfill they will understand why and the trust will not be lost because of the feeling of being betrayed. On thing the community will give is motivation. With this push this community will produce children who have the determination to succeed. When they leave the nest they will have an impact on the world and everyone will what to know where this person comes from. When they watch that community they will notice how good it’s doing and their thoughts about it will change. They may even want to join this community. Also, since that successful child has a love for this community, he will give back to it to make it grown even faster.
Good friendships often develop into family. Social networking platforms allowed those families to grow across religious and physical boundaries. They rarely have people who hate each other on them. In this way the online community grows faster. What we could do is try to establish the ideal community throughout these networks. Trust is not hard to gain but it’s the motivation that is easily forgotten. One person can’t give this motivation by himself. If a person receives a bunch of reasons why he should do something, more than likely that person is going to do it. Why not throw some motivation in there and see what develops.
Power of Community EssayFred D. Richardson IV – Sr. HS, Class of 20075/20/07.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.In spite of a century and a half having passed since emancipation, Black Americans still fall below most all immigrating ethnic groups regarding wealth development and retention. To use the term “re-build” presumes the prior existence of the “Black American community.” To become the powerful socioeconomic force that Black America should be we need to first develop a strong definition of community. And, if we accept the notion that some ideal microcosm may have previously existed, then Black Americans will thrive again, in manner that transcends socio-economic boundaries when we redefine “Black American”.Black is the color at one extreme end of the scale, absorbing all light and colors within light incident upon it. So too, “Black Americans” is a title that absorbs all light and dark shades and hues of colored people. Americans of color have been through a number of generation-lead changes in labeling. And now, with the browning of America via so many inter-ethnic progeny, it is difficult to determine who should be rightfully classified as Black Americans. We will build a sense of community when we define criteria for inclusion into the community. With such variegated siblings, we cannot rely on appearance and DNA pedigrees as the right of passage. “Black American” must evolve into a concept. It must become a set of values, a shared religion (e.g., Judaism for Jews), and shared appreciation for a common set of social constructs that is distinct from color. It may evolve with time, with slightly different value sets, but we must know from where we evolved. We must know you to be a Black American not by the color of your skin, but by the value of your words, by the deeds of your hands, by the strengths of your convictions, the nature of your personal relationships and the mannerisms of your children.We can be whole by being willing to be fragmented. We have allowed historians to define us by color, and hair texture and body features. We will retain our wholeness by not defining ourselves by appearance but by values. We will no longer be able to hate a man because at a hundred yards we can already tell that he looks unlike us. We will need to speak with him to know if he is our brother. Growing, thriving communities maintain that which is old and build for the future. The growing and thriving community assures that each succeeding generation is at least as well skilled and educated as the previous. The growing and thriving community sees new investment capital willing to stay home because of opportunities for growth in the community.Where should the redefinition of “Black American” begin? It should start right where we are. We have the means to send messages and promote dialogue. We need locations where the glib and effervescent can mix with the meek and mild, both reaching the microphone with equal frequency. We need locations that can be accessed by the loquacious scholar and the equally opinionated homespun poet. Minds need to meld, merge and emerge from plethoric opportunities to interact that we wrap around ourselves every day via phones, televisions, computers, print media, music, talk radio, conversations with family, classmates, co-workers, parishioners and the person on the bus next to us. Via some media we do not need to re-invent the wheel, such as with on-line social networking formats such as HBCU Connect, Facebook and MySpace that are already in the mix as platforms for progress.
ECONOMIC MATTERSIn order to plow marginalized status and strongly compete with larger society, it is very important for Black Americans to communally and adequately overcome socio-economic boundaries by taking advantage of all available resources. This has to be done with the ambition of communal progression, of course.The pervasive and disproportionate working-class status of Black Americans creates a cyclical system of marginalization. Communities unable to transcend socio-economic boundaries fall into a regressive state. In other words, communities unable to provide the necessary resources to its people fall behind other communities that are able to meet, and in many cases, surpass the demands of its inhabitants. As a result, a “gap” is created or a community has a far greater social advantage over another.Having the upper hand in society also creates a system of dominance, which brings about more problems for the marginalized. Speaking specifically, Black Americans are immensely underrepresented in higher education, high positions in the workforce, and in government. Without enough of us in decision-making positions to speak on the behalf of Black communities, the politics and issues unique to our communities will continue to go largely unnoticed and unresolved. Therefore, dominance, as we see it, will remain in tact unless adequate resources are utilized to get our people into more authoritative fields.WORKING UNITEDWith that said, a communal effort cannot be carried out if there is no communal solidarity. In order to connect the fragmentations we have allowed to divide our race, we must educate ourselves, enlighten others, and cease to tolerate any further fragmenting—this is not to say that every person of color should strive be a representation of their whole race. There is an abundance of honorable books, articles, and dissertations—both historic and contemporary—which specifically focus on topics covering society and communities of color. All it takes is a question and a search engine or local library.If that does not sound like a pleasurable route, then analyze your everyday. Has anyone accused you, your lifestyle, or actions as not “being Black enough?” Have you been teased by your friends because of your light or dark skin color? If you were able to answer “yes” to any of these questions, or not, I recommend research on Willie Lynch, a former **** owner who was hired to teach **** owning methods. A few of his titles include, “Let’s Make a ****” and “The Breaking Process of the African Women.” I specifically bring up Lynch because I have observed a lot of his fragmenting schemes working within our communities daily, especially among our youth.COMMUNAL FLOURISHINGEvidence of a growing and thriving community, Black or otherwise, is pretty synonymous. It includes provisions such as adequate schooling, quick responding emergency units, the appearance of new commercial and residential zones, etc. Idealistically, these provisions would be adequately available in every community, but unfortunately this is not the case because there is some sort of imbalance going on. A growing and thriving community consists of people who care about it on the in- and outside. The people inside of a community have to initially and incessantly do what they can in order to make their area a model place to live, raise families, and do business. Where the community is limited, outside assistance can and should be requested. People outside of the community—including, but not limiting to elected officials in higher office (e.g. Congress, Senate)—must have a profound insight about a particular community’s needs and the will to suit those needs. But, if the community lacks solidarity, which brings growth to a halt, outside interest in that community will plummet. Once this balance is appropriated, the community will begin and continue to thrive, but the initial step is with those who are at the community level. Although it is cliché, most of our parents or guardians told us, “If you don’t take care of yourself, then no one will.” The same saying holds true at the community level.TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPLEMENTSSubstantial societal evolutions continue to emerge thanks to hi-tech advances such as the Internet. Online social networking platforms, such as HBCU Connect, have specifically served to aid the communities in which we live; the world’s interconnectedness continues to drastically increase as information transfers and communication become available where it once was not before. When using online social platforms, communication with someone who is very geographically distant from one’s self can seem so close—this could explain the number of intimate relationships that begin online. People can make connections that they otherwise may not have made, we can access a plethora of resources (scholarship, job, and internship postings, among other utilities), businesses and vendors can capitalize on advertising by reaching an incredible amount of potential customers, and it is nearly impossible for first-year college students to arrive at school without having previous contact with their schoolmates.Thus, online social networking platforms greatly supplement the communities in which we live. We are no longer confined to what our local neighborhood communities offer because we now have broad access and choice from the comfort of our own homes.
When it come to the question of whether or not community plays a big role in raising a better society, I think we can all say yes. If we look at the way our society has changed over the years, I'm sure we could find some good points where it has. But, there are many negative as well. Over the past decades, the norms of society have changed tremendously to where no one wants to help another in different life circumstances. If we see or know of a neighbor that is sick and may need help to the doctor or buying groceries, we act as if we don't know and do nothing. And, if we see someone that's being robbed you'd think we'd call the cop's, but that doesn't happen. This is an example of where our society has fallen as a community. These days we are more apt to party with our neighbors and community than to be sociable with them on a daily basis. Back in the day, Neighbors new one another by name, the visited one another and helped where the could if someone was sick. Neighbors watched out for each others children and chastened them when they did wrong; If that happened today you'd end up in jail. This change in our community reflects what we see today. How there is no respect among each other in the communities, and you see from this type of attitude a break down in communities. When you have communities that that come together as wiith any group, you have power, your communities thrive and people excel. Power happens when we stop trying to do things on an individual basis, and learn to work together as one unit. We need our communities to go back to the old ways. I think it's very clear that our parents new better than we did. Omegeia O Hara
Black America today must regain the lost sense of community that incorporated blacks from different social and economic backgrounds because of the simple fact that we are oppressed by the white American society. There is no need to deny it: today we are still marginalized and second-class citizens. The only difference that exists between today and the time of the previous black generations is that other minorities are leaving us behind as they reap the benefits offered in this society and narrow the gap between whites and them. Today, only between 10-10.3% of all Asians are below the poverty line compared with 24.1% for blacks. How have they accomplished this, you may ask? One sure factor of their success is their unification in the American society. For minorities such as the Chinese, all you have to do is look towards their communities to see signs of this unification. Ethnic Chinese neighborhoods, or Chinatowns, are a source of Chinese culture, food, tradition, and an anchor for Chinese people not living in those Chinatowns. Those who live in the Chinatowns have a strong sense of unity with their own people and Chinatowns ensure that Chinese money is concentrated in the community which they reside. In other words, their money is used to empower their own communities. Because the Chinese-Americans are able to be unified, we see them today in high positions in the workforce and, statistically, they are better off than Black Americans. To achieve this success, we must overlook previous divisions in our race and rebuild our sense of community and cooperation. Rifts appear in all races, even in the white race, but for Black America, these divisions are far more deadly simply because we are the oppressed people. Imagine if the Greeks did not unify against the Persian emperor Xerxes in the movie 300. Would the US even exist if the 13 colonies never crossed the divide and put aside their egos and differences to fight Britain? If these people were not unified against their opposition, you would have imagined an unhappy ending for all these people. Like these examples, we, too, will reach an unhappy ending in this society unless we learn to adapt and rely on each other, regardless of economic or social standing, for support and strength to get more respect, more jobs, and to get paid. I want to see all my people paid. But for this to happen, we must unite, and this necessity is greater for us than other ethnic groups. Black America must find other sources of common ground to unite on, quickly, and in any way possible. If not, we will be left behind in this race for success in the US.To achieve this unity and sense of community needed, blacks must first transcend the deep rifts which have divided our race. Until we do this, we will not be able to build a strong, unified community like we once did in the past. One reason we cannot accomplish this is because of the many divisions in our race created and manipulated by the white man. These divisions are obviously not new and began once our black forefathers stepped their shackled feet on this land. To enforce control over the **** population, **** owners used **** and divide and conquer tactics. To divide the slaves, masters purposefully kept some slaves out in the fields and others inside, creating the concept of the field **** and the house or kitchen “******”. Although slavery ended, this concept was instilled in the black minds of a new generation and, with the passing years, manifested itself into the several forms we see in the black community daily in many forms. One of dangerous form is the distinguishing between the more-educated and less-educated blacks. You may find a very educated black man looking down on a lesser-educated black man as an ignorant black person. And that lesser-educated black man may look at the more-educated one as a sell-out, an oreo. Another dangerous one today is black America’s distinguishing and, often, discriminating between the native born Black Americans and those whose parents or grandparents were born in other nations besides the US. Many African-Americans don’t identify themselves as aligned with those who are directly descended from an African ancestor and even chose to advocate intolerance towards those people. But can a black discriminate against another black individual? These divisions, as stated before, were perpetrated by the white man to make the black population more manageable and less unified. The only way to reconnect these fragments created by such fragments is psychologically rooted. The black man and woman will first have to understand that much of what they think and how they react towards their own race is influenced by the white majority and its attempts to control and rule over our black people throughout our history in this country. The white man has manipulated and brainwashed us to adapt to his attitudes and behaviors towards our own race, including degrading our own race. We must understand this influence on our behavior towards one another and reevaluate and change that negative behavior. We must also be willing to push aside differences and cooperate with our unique, varied black brothers and sisters. It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or Republican, what matters is whether or not you want to see your people become empowered. Push the differences aside because we have bigger fish to fry.Online social networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook, and HBCU Connect are the most helpful in establishing a sense of community like the ones we grew up in when they manage to connect people with different, unique backgrounds with others who share strong, common interest and when they are used as tools to spread advice, knowledge, activism, and cooperation throughout the black community. When we use these sites specifically to reach out to other black Americans with differences from ourselves, we are creating a diverse community that is strong because the variety of backgrounds offers different viewpoints and perspectives that broaden our views and attitudes towards several topics. For example, a young black political hopeful previously against **** might, on Facebook, connect and speak with a young black female who underwent ****. From that experience, he would interact with both sides of the **** and be more sympathetic towards **** advocates. This meeting may even influence his future policy if he was ever to gain an office. Sites like HBCU Connect and Myspace can help to create strong communities because the different black Americans who connect with one another on the site bring a large range of solutions, knowledge, and experiences which are always vital to our struggle for prosperity and respect today in the USA. These websites not only provide ways for black Americans from different walks of life to come together and build strong senses of community, but they also serve as tools for spreading advice and knowledge to black America. On the website Blackplanet, HIV/**** awareness is advertised on the pages several times each year. On the HBCU Connect webpage, I learned a lot from black students and educators from schools like UAPB and Howard about what I have to expect when I leave to college next fall. Once websites like Myspace and Facebook are actually and regularly used to spread information relevant to the black community such as HIV prevention or to focus on certain business trends harmful to blacks, they create a stronger black sense of community. These websites, along with active participation from all black Americans and shedding of **** mentality, can help to create a thriving, black community. But what are some characteristics of such a community?By utilizing tools such as Myspace and Facebook, we as a black community can become a more vibrant, thriving community. When this happens, these will be some of our community’s characteristics. In a thriving community, you will always find self-respect and respect for everyone in that community. That means that for our community to succeed, it must end its self-slurring, which is holding back our race in its pursuit of equality, respect, and success. How can we gain respect from other races when we are constantly portrayed in the media and in daily life referring to ourselves in a derogatory term created by whites to degrade us? Another characteristic of a thriving successful community is the obviously its possession of its own wealth. Again, take a look at the Chinatowns in the US. These communities are very self-sufficient, providing much of their own necessities and ensuring that money flows back into their communities and Asians like to stay in their communities. The black community today can learn a great deal from these Asian communities and can start at a small level. For instance, instead of teenagers saving up money and spending it at a mall 5 miles away in a white neighborhood, use the money at a mall positioned in a black neighborhood. Another characteristic of a healthy community is that everyone communicates and cooperates with one another. An unhealthy community has no forums for debate or discussion relating to any problems it faces. A thriving community must always have that communication available to continue to grow because problems will always be available. Like the saying goes, a family that prays together stays together. Strong communities have constant forums for debate and use places such as the church or the school to voice them. Today, many black communities have this as well. What we need to do is make these cooperation centers larger and involve more people in the communities. No one must be left out as we try to get our due respect. For without positive communication, how can a community stand together and learn from its own mistakes?
The question of why minorities should address political, cultural, communication and community is a fairly easy one. There is a old say that there is strength in numbers. If we stick together and work for a common we can accomplish alot more than as indiciduals. "A kingdom that is divided will not stand" is a saying i've heard my pastor say numerous times.
What can be done to strengthen the relationship between African american and Hispanic communities in the United states? This is a little bit tougher than the above question. Everyone is different in intellect and in interactions no matter what culture they are. If I were to say something that implemented hispanic beliefs with African American beliefs I believe all i would be doing is telling a fib. To improve relationships you must get to know the individuals on a personal basis then work on a solution from there on. You can help someone who you know nothing about.
Historically black colleges and universities need to continue to support Americas' minorities so that we can have more colored individuals in high ranking postions (doctors, senators, etc.). A education is a essential tool for today's society. It makes it so much easier for someone to improve their quality of life. If more African americans and hispanics have a oppurtunity to attend college they will have a greater chance of continueing on to a successful future.
There are many challenges that African- Americans face today. Challenges range anywhere from division within the race and our communities to killing among ourselves. We must once again unify our communities.
The community is the foundation for our families. A successful community is comprised of a thriving economy which includes successful businesses and employment so members may become consumers with the necessary buying power. It is important that the community be strong in order for that our children to be able to grow, learn and prosper. Prosperity is only possible if the community has a strong economic base. If the community has this type of strength it will attract new businesses as well as grants to help the community to improve.
**** is a problem that causes extensive damage to our community. They have the power to destroy families and businesses therefore lowering our prosperity level. We must take a stand against this problem by providing the support needed for those affected by this monster.
Churches and schools should be the centers of our community. These two places will give the community members places in which to voice their opinions, feel safe and be unified. There may be differences among us, but we must not alienate ourselves from each other. We must rely upon faith for ourselves, children and the community. In addition to faith, education is the key. An educated community is a progressive community. Educational levels can make the difference as to whether new people and businesses enter the community and also whether old members remain. We must take pride in our community as our predecessors did back in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
During these times the community members stood as one. The older generation supported the younger generations as children were raised by the entire community and disrespect was unheard of. Black Americans are killing each other everyday and this must cease. Each time we lose one of our members, we lose some of our unity, power and possibilities. A sense of respect must be widespread. Differences must be settled in a nonviolent manner.
As a single mother, it is my belief that others like me will benefit from the wisdom of older generations. I have always had the support of my mother and grandmother and it is through their wisdom I have prospered. Older generations are the backbone of our communities and we must learn from them.
Online communities such as Myspace and HBCU Connect can provide us a model as to how a community can prosper. These communities are based on their members. The pride the communities have in their communities are apparent in these online communities as they strive to improve the sites and their personal pages. Acceptance is apparent as many different types of groups exist for members to express their individuality. The community is a central location for the members to educate themselves and others. It is important to keep the website exciting so that new members will come to the community and the existing members will remained. It is also important to attract sponsors as well as advertisers which will help the website to be successful. There is a unity amongst members as well as trust. The members are provided a safe haven in which to network and improve themselves.
Black Americans need the support of members of a community whether it be online or offline. We should be supportive of each other in sharing ideas and being respective of each other. If the members of our communities can be as tolerant and accepting as an online communities, there can be less division amongst us.
I think of large movements in the Black American community and I’m reminded of the Harlem Renaissance and the Hip Hop Renaissance. This makes me wonder can that be recreated on-line? I haven’t spoken to anyone today. Not a soul. But I have applied for 45 different scholarships. Is that helping us or hurting us? Whenever I think of a community in it’s most visceral sense it includes movement, art, sound, vibrant colors, and strong words. I’m sure we can get that all online nowadays with peoples streaming videos and splattering of words and pictures throughout their myspace page. Then I realize you still need something for that. Something that excludes you from the human experience; a computer. All you need for go-go music is a bucket and all you needed for breakdancing was a piece of cardboard. This I think was an important element in the growth of these movements because everyone could play. All I used to need to write was a pen and paper but the other day I found myself stopping to shake out the kinks in my wrist before I could move onto the next paragraph. I think the computer is great when we have large daunting tasks ahead of us like to compute tons of numbers, write legibly for a larger audience, but to mimic a community that I was accustomed to growing up…I find that hard to do without including the toxic fumes of Vietnamese run nail shops sprinkled with the salty scent of Mc Donalds french fries, the booming sounds coming from a jeep driven by a white guy going to get a mocha frappucino something the words, “Play that Funk Music Whiteboy” trailing behind him. However, now I was able to get a point across to you without the interruption of a cell phone ringing, “Hello Moto”. Or was I? Are you even still reading this or have you moved on to other things scolding your dog, or son, or neighbor, or drug dealer? Because let’s face it our attention is not what it used to be. I almost felt like cheating and hoping to win this whole essay contest by posting up a half nude picture of myself. That will get everyone’s attention! I thought but then I was reminded of a song Jill Scott sang where she drones out “Look at me…. I got all my clothes on…. And I can still siiiinnnnggg” Laughter love relief filled the air. The idea that maybe we can all go back to the bare essentials (excuse the pun) and people will still show up, still listen. I recently read an article about new websites called such things as Second Life where in cyberspace those that feel fed up with this one try again online. They can recreate their experience give themselves a name, a profession, they can even go into cyber realty and sell plots of cyber land, or better yet go into cyber/real debt!! Again! So if you don’t like failing once why not try it again? Will there be cyber gangsters, cyber car-jackers, cyber racially and economically biased educational performance tests? Will the cyber minorities feel just as discriminated against as the real life minorities even without the history? Will real life white people posing as cyber African-Americans demand cyber reparations? Malcolm X stated, even within the height of his observance of Islam that he could tell how developed a country was based on the treatment of their women. I would think a thriving community would do the same, treat their women well, have easy access to the things we love, the things that make us think, ideally large sidewalks and skinny roads encouraging walking discouraging driving, it would make room for everyone and not be exclusive. I think on-line communities are missing a healthy balance of actual human interaction and on-line interaction. I am so grateful for the chance to be able to showcase my most intimate work from my living room, or the opportunity to apply to 45 scholarships in my pajamas, but then there’s the downside. I used to be a community organizer which always brought us to a time where eventually we would have to hit the pavement, while I got thousands of kids to sign up online I found I was lucky if four people would show up. People begin to maintain their interest but maybe suffer from social anxiety maybe they really aren’t 5’5 with brown eyes. I would love a space on these internet websites where people can showcase their work, their creativity what they love most and then maybe these sites would actually be linked to a physical address in the neighborhood you and I grew up in, a working class neighborhood that allowed kids of all socio-economic backgrounds to access the computers to do live performances, that is part of what your advertising money can buy-because in real life we have no commercial breaks. I can see it now, “Come see HBCU Connect’s Contest Winner perform LIVE!!!!-Melissa Chadburn with ALL her clothes on!!” The runners up can perform too… we can all get together in a safe public place and meet those we’ve chatted with online!! Now in my manic moment of too much caffeine and florescent lighting I’m missing it… the applause, the snapping, the laughter.. that’s what I miss the most. There is no fame at home with my pajamas, lazy dog, and needy cat. In the end I’m left with… the revolution will not be televised!
[That was amazing] Blackstar1828
My Scholarship Essay We, as Black Americans have become divided for good reasons. The number one reason that we have divided is a difference in personality. In America, there is no such thing as a typical or average Black person. A Black person can like rap or rock, pink or blue, tofu or a big steak. We can be as different as night and day, but we are still Black and this will give us an internal and eternal linkage. This linkage is what makes it unique. No matter how different two Black people may be, we will always have something in common. “Oh! You know how Black people don’t tan, we just get darker.” Things like this apply to all of us. We will ALWAYS have something inside that ties us to one another. The most prevalent is the history of our people. We know that in the 1600s, the African **** trade began to bloom. This is one of the reasons for the widespread distribution of the world’s Black population. It is the number one reason that there are so many Black people in America today. Our ancestors were dragged over here and worked hard. Then, once they were freed, they worked even harder for rights and equality. Tears and blood have marked our path and here we are today. However, despite these commonalities, many of us have trouble accepting these differences in our people. But we must understand that we are all people. We are and cannot be expected to be the same. One example is U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. Most people wrongfully assume that all Black people are Democrats and will vote accordingly, but Rice is a perfect example. She is a conservative Republican. We are not “the Black vote” we are Black voters who will vote how we please, because this is America! We cannot let our differences get the best of us. We are different people, just as expected of any random population. According to “science”, in a random population, the personal responses of any individual cannot be accurately predicted. Difference is normal and is the only thing that we can be expected to portray. What must be done is overcoming the differences. We must do so by following the rule of the “talented tenth” of WEB DuBois. This is evidence that we, as a people, need to become more educated, because with knowledge comes wisdom and understanding. We must learn tolerance and acceptance from one another and we must rise up above our limitations. We need to increase that “talented tenth” so that it is the “talented total”. We must create a new Black community: one that thrives on success and unity. We must expand our minds, so that change can come and do the good that is needed. This new community must be a “new-age” modern community. One that sees diversity, recognizes it and embraces it. We are all different and we will never all be the same. But we have to accept that. Internet networking systems, such as HBCU Connect, Myspace, and Facebook, can help us to form this new community by creating, not just a local group, but a worldwide community. It is important to understand that this world is becoming increasingly global and less confined. In order to keep up with the changes, we must expand our goals and move with the changes, roll with the punches and go with the flow. I hope I did this right
