Black Salvage

A couple of months ago, we ran a piece on the relevance of historically black colleges and universities . With all the disproportionately negative press these schools receive, it’s important that positives stories, like the one I am about to bring you, get out. With that said; I present to you our first ever Black Salvage Spotlight- allow me to introduce to Mr. Ke’Shawn Forbes. Here’s a snapshot of Forbes- He’s a junior, majoring in Social Work at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD, and currently has a 3.1 grade point average. Outside his studies he mentors, tutors and serves as a host for different university events. Did I mention he’s in school on a “full ride” through academic scholarships. Forbes has a nickname, “Flexxa”, which is Caribbean, he tells the Black Salvage. “down there you get a nickname for what your good at. It comes from flexibility and being multiple places at once- and being a people magnet.” People magnet is an understatement, given that Forbes just won th...

As a white man, how in the hell were you able to become a photographer for the Black Panther Party(BPP)? The exact question I asked world renown photographer Stephen Shames ( I highly encourage you to visit his site). Looking at me with a condescending smile-he began to speak-but, before he could answer, an announcer called him to the podium, to present a lecture on his experiences as a photographer for social and cultural awareness. Knowing that I was unable to stay the entire lecture, he began first, by answering my question. After hearing his in depth explanation of how the BPP's intentions were social reform, and not racial division, I suddenly realized the lack of knowledge I have on the black liberation movement of the sixties. My false impressions of anti-white, pro violence, and racial demagoguery were all thrown out the window. Feeling like a misinformed asshole, I stood frozen for two minutes, drowning in a pool of my own ignorance. Walking out the lecture hall-with a sa...

BET, MTV, VH1; not at this moment-instead, try focusing your attention on PBS-there you will find a phenomenal television series, African American Lives 2 . Executive produced and hosted by Harvard professor Louis Gates Jr, genealogical research and investigations are done on the ancestry of black celebrities. Trust me, what the researchers discover, will motivate you to research your family's history. Celebrities such as Chris Rock, Morgan Freeman, and Don Cheadle show expressions of disbelief, as they discover unknown truths about their ancestry. Below is a clip from AA Lives 2 ; observe the look on Chris Rock's face, as he learns about his great-great grandfather: Knowing ones history is knowing ones self. I am sickened at how undervalued and overlooked black people are in history. Our history has been so distorted, that we lose sight of how important we are, not just to history, but, every aspect of society. Since our involvement in history remains unappreciated, it is our...

So, I'm going scouring CNN this morning and I come across a video entitled, "Senate Apologizes to Native Americans". I was taken aback, if only for comical reasons. I'm sorry, but if it takes this long to apologize for genocide, it can't really be taken seriously. And that's not to say that an apology shouldn't be made- I just think that those making this. . . admission of guilt need understand that it's an apology merely out of principle. Mass grave in Wound Knee, South Dakota The bill in play here is S.J.RES.4 , which was introduced by Arkansas Senator Sam Brownback(R). The page for the bill describes it as "a joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States." All this comes only about two weeks after Austrailia apologized to it's own aboriginal popula...