Join Alex at Black Web Fest 2018 on 4/14 in NYC

Greetings. Alex is doing a thing. Join him on Saturday, April 14, during Day 2 of Black Web Fest 2018, which celebrates Black media makers and digital content. There shall be a wine tasting, panels, film screenings, networking, and more.

Alex is speaking on a panel about the rise of Black podcasts on Day 2 at 5PM. Get more information here and your passes for day two here.

WHERE: National Black Theatre. 2031 5th Ave. New York, NY 10035, USA

Extraordinary Women Making History: Eunique Jones Gibson (of Because of Them We Can)

Today's Extraordinary Woman describes herself as a "creative powerhouse for good." Chocolate enthusiast, Blackness advocate, speaker, and creative director Eunique Jones Gibson works to promote the beauty, accomplishments, potential, and greatness of Black folks from the past and future. As founder of the multimedia campaign Because of Them We Can, Gibson aims to "share our rich history and promising future through images that would refute stereotypes and build the esteem of our children." 

The initiative began as a way to inspire her sons and provide a counter-narrative to the endless outpouring of demeaning, traumatizing, unflattering portrayals of Black folks in the media.

This year, she launched Dream Village in Hyattsville, Maryland to allow creators and innovators to a space to connect with other winners and thrive in a welcoming, nourishing environment.

Eunique at Dream Village (photo: Black Enterprise)

On what she envisions for her newest venture, she told Blavity:

"I hope Dream Village will provide a space where we can see a visual representation of our connection to one another and our ability to accomplish more, together. I believe that it will bring a network of people, resources and experiences that will help us grow and thrive individually and collectively. More than a co-working or shared working space. It’s about creating spaces where we can build and help one another launch ideas and dreams because we understand the impact our success can have on our community. And the plan is to have these all over."

For more from Eunique, check out Dream Village, follow her on Twitter, or get into Because of Them We Can here.

Under The Influence: The Media's Silent War Against Black America

(Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2014 as an installment of our popular "Across the Aisle" collaborative series. But as you'll soon find out, this subject is still very much relevant today.)

In the ensuing days since Michael Brown’s execution, his hometown of Ferguson, Mo., descended into chaos. More so as a byproduct of overreaction from a militarized police force than from any destructive provocation from its citizens, but how did it get to this point in the first place?

Some would point to the disproportionate ratio in Ferguson’s racial demographic, which is 63% Black, yet somehow responsible for 86% of its police stops, versus those who constitute its police force (95% White), a disparity that has manifested into some disturbing results. Others have taken it upon themselves to lament their role, intentional or otherwise, in the escalation of racial tensions and ubiquitous implications that “Black victims are to blame for their own deaths”. Their words, not mine.

So with media outlets publicly taking themselves and their methodologies to task, one can’t help but to inquire: What if the roles were reversed? What if Black suspects and victims were portrayed in the same light as their White counterparts? And what if White suspects and victims had their perceptions manipulated in the same manner that befalls their Black contemporaries?

So sponsored in part by Huffington Post’s sobering glance at the mirror, what you are about to read is an exercise in that exact scenario. EVERYTHING YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS 100% FACTUAL, excerpts culled from their original news sources and related material, but repurposed to demonstrate the alarming stranglehold the media has on public perception.

Homicidal Biology Professor Murdered Brother, Then Colleagues

HUNTSVILLE, AL. – Three members of the University of Alabama in Huntsville faculty were gunned down early this morning in what the Huntsville Police Department is describing as “calculated carnage”.

The sole suspect, Biology professor Amy Bishop, has been taken into custody while three other faculty members remained hospitalized as a result of her rampage on campus.

Criminal records indicate that this was not her first brush with the law, nor with gun violence, as Bishop had previously shot and killed her younger brother Seth with a 12-gauge pump action shotgun in 1986. Subsequent charges include assault plus disorderly conduct in 2002, in addition to suspicions concerning her involvement in a pair of pipe bombs mailed to a children’s hospital.

Criminal records indicate that this was not her first brush with the law, nor with gun violence, as Bishop had previously shot and killed her younger brother Seth with a 12-gauge pump action shotgun in 1986. Subsequent charges include assault plus disorderly conduct in 2002, in addition to suspicions concerning her involvement in a pair of pipe bombs mailed to a children’s hospital.

Original article: “Ala. suspect brilliant, but social misfit”

‘Deeply Religious’ Marine gunned down in front of daughters for ‘acting oddly’

ORANGE COUNTY, CA. – Decorated Marine Sgt. Manuel Loggins, Jr., was executed by an unnamed sheriff’s deputy who deemed his behavior odd before fatally shooting the father of two as his daughters, nine and fourteen, looked on from his SUV’s backseat. 

When not reading the bible with his wife and children on their predawn “prayer walks,” Loggins volunteered at nursing homes and a Big Brother’s group. He was looking forward to earning his bachelor’s degree in nursing. 

Loggins’ supervisor, Major Christopher Cox told the LA Times, "He was a mentor, somewhat of a father figure, to a number of the Marines. He was very soft-spoken, very nonconfrontational — very, very respectful. He was just the epitome of respect."

Original article: “Deputy killed Marine out of fear for children’s safety, officials say”

Racist, Misogynist Virgin Murders Six, Wounds 13 in Shooting Rampage

SANTA BARBARA, CA. – After years of unrequited affection and sexual advances, a deranged 22-year-old, Elliot Rodger, embarked on a murderous joy ride near the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

The self-hating bastion of privilege cooked up a dastardly plan to punish those who had rebuffed his cries for acceptance and sexual satisfaction. Fueled by “loneliness, rejection, and unfulfilled desires,” Rodger announced via a chilling Youtube rant his plans to seek revenge on those unimpressed by his privilege, cheekbones, or BMW. 

“All those girls that I've desired so much, they would have all rejected me and looked down on me as an inferior man if I ever made a sexual advance towards them,” he ranted. “I'll take great pleasure in slaughtering all of you. You will finally see that I am, in truth, the superior one. The true alpha male.” 

The sex-obsessed monster began his killing spree by stabbing his three roommates to death. He then calmly drove to the Alpha Phi sorority house and used three semi-automatic handguns to brutally murder six innocent people and wound 13 others before ending his own life with a gunshot wound to the head when confronted by sheriff’s deputies.

Original article: “Santa Barbara shooting: Suspect was ‘soft-spoken, polite, a gentleman’, ex-principal says”

South Omaha Devastated by Slaying of Popular Benson High School Graduate

SOUTH OMAHA, NE. – Police have identified South Omaha resident Julius B. Vaughn, 19, as the victim in a homicide that has both startled and crippled his community. 

His body was discovered in a parked car Friday night at approximately 9:40pm, next to an apartment building at 23rd and Vinton Street. 

Popular amongst his peers, he will be remembered by his grieving community as “the life of the party” with the charming smile. 

 

Original article: “Shooting victim had many run-ins with law”

Teenage gun nut slaughters classmate, kills self with parents’ assault rifle

TROUTDALE, OR. – If only Jared Michael Padgett’s love of church had stopped him from smuggling an assault rifle and a handgun into Reynolds High School and opening fire.

That’s what friends, family, and classmates are left to ponder in the wake of a murder-suicide that left a popular classmate dead and a teacher injured at the hands of this gun-loving hothead.

Padgett, who supported pages such as Conservative American Military Veterans Against Barack Obama on Facebook, was known by peers to have an unpredictable temper. The week before the shooting, he became enraged in class while giving a presentation on a book about Adolf Hitler. This destructive affection for destruction was cultivated at home with his family in a household where the teen obtained the weapons used in the shooting.

The National Rifle Association has yet to comment on the loss of its future member.

Original article: "Oregon school shooting suspect fascinated with guns, but was a devout Mormon, friends say"

Single mother, drug abuser robs three banks in two days to pay rent

BRIDGEWATER, MA. – An area single mother with a drug history admitted to police that after months of skirting financial responsibility, she robbed a total of three local banks in two days in order to pay her landlord $1,950 in owed rent. 

Failed athlete Kerri Ann Heffernan, short on cash, entered two Brocktons grocery stores and maniacally demanded that the Citizens Bank tellers pass her the hard-earned money of hardworking Americans, casualties in her reign of terror. 

The following week, the desperate Heffernan stormed a third Citizens Bank branch in a flurry of gangsterly pistol waving and note passing. Thankfully, no bank customers were harmed during Hefferman’s thuggish ruggish crime spree. 

Officials have been mum on which drugs were present in Hefferman’s system at the time of the robberies. 

Original article: “Bank robbery suspect was outstanding Blue Hills student” 

Police: Motive behind Thwarted High School Bombing Plot? 'Hatred for Humankind'

FLORENCE, S.C. – After 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate was delivered to their home, Ryan Schallenberger, 18, was arrested Saturday after his parents notified the authorities. As Schallenberger was apprehended, Police Chief Randall Lear revealed that a suspicious journal was recovered as well.“He seemed to hate the world,” Lear said, “He hated people different from him.”This journal, kept for more than a year, contained explicit details of not only intricate maps and layouts of his high school, but lauded the valor of those who enacted the Columbine attacks and detailed his own desire to accomplish a similar suicide massacre. 

Original article: “Straight-A student plots to bomb high school”

Overzealous Vigilante Infiltrates Neighborhood Watch, Murders Promising Aviation Student in Cold Blood

SANFORD, FL. – Sanford residents are overcome with outrage and anguish after learning that Trayvon Martin, 17, was murdered in the housing community of Twin Lakes. 

The suspected shooter, George Michael Zimmerman, 28, is currently in police custody according to Police Chief Bill Lee of the Sanford Police Department.

Celebrated among his teachers and classmates, Martin was a standout football player at Forzano Park in Miramar, where he played for the Wolverines, a team he would later volunteer for at their concession stand after his ambition led him to pursue a future career in aviation. Adept at repairing and assembling dirt bikes, Martin enrolled in a seven week “Experience Aviation” program in Opa-Iocka before attending George T. Baker Aviation School.

Original article: “Trayvon Martin was suspended three times from school”

Alex: As this war unfolds in Ferguson, Missouri, the callous assassination of Michael Brown’s character shouldn’t be a surprise after almost 30 years of Blackness. Unrelated details are extracted from unclear circumstances to string together unfavorable narratives of the lives of people not here to defend themselves. Every time. At this point, it’s a matter of when and how bizarrely rather than if a Black victim will be defamed in the press. The headlines from this homegrown war will continue to generate the very same ignorance and fear mongering that keep our media outlets afloat. This smearing of the voiceless underscores just how far from the mythical Land of Post-Racial Living we truly are.

Republished from "Across The Aisle" on The Colored Boy.

CALLING ALL WOMEN: During the entire month of March, we will be honoring Women's History Month by accepting submissions/pitches related to women. If you have something to say about being a woman, how you embrace women (even when they're different from you), the impact you see women having in the world, or anything else related to womanhood, we want to hear from you!

Please send all pitches/submissions to submissions@theextraordinarynegroes.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!