When free men of color John Russwurm and
Rev. Samuel E. Cornish of New York launched Freedom's Journal in 1827 they did
not do so under the delusion or handicap of trying to be "objective" or
present "balanced and fair" material. Nor did they hesitate to speak the truth
for fear advertisers wouldn't support them or from anxiety that the white
community wouldn't like, validate or accept them. Russwurm and Cornish seeing
their mandate entitled their first editorial, "We Wish to Plead Our Own
Cause". Their goal was to be self-determined self-supporting advocates for
their enslaved brethren toiling under the abuse, rigors and debasement of
chattel slavery. In a culture seeped with the blood, torture and horror of the
slaughter of millions of Native Americans and kidnaped Africans, Russwurm and
Cornish could not rely on white advertising support for a paper that railed
against the psychopathology that propped up the AmeriKKKan culture, so they
did the best they could with the meager resources at their disposal. Sadly
many publishers and media owners today have lost the verve and vigor of people
like Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm, Henry Highland Garnett, Frederick
Douglas, Ida B Wells Barnett, William Monroe Trotter and others. Much of the
Negro media ownership of today is a pathetic caricature of the advocacy press
of the Freedom's Journal. The North Star, Chicago Defender and a crass
betrayal of papers like Marcus Garvey's Negro World of the early 1900's, the
NOI's Muhammad Speaks of the 1960's or the Black Panther Party's weekly
newspaper of the 1970's. The siren song of capitalist profits and assimilation
have driven many publishers and media outlet owners totally mad. Drunk with
the "wine of the world", an assimilationist mentality and the desire for
riches these deluded media moguls have abandoned the activist and advocacy
legacy of Cornish and Russwurm, Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X having sold their
souls for a mess of Eurocentric porridge and thirty pieces of silver.
Last year Negro "journalists" even allowed themselves to be used and duped
into being "embedded" with the invading US troops as Uncle Sam's ravenous
imperial war machine rolled through Iraq. These zombies mindlessly and
shamelessly beat the propaganda drum on behalf of Bush and Co.'s illegal
invasion of a defenseless sovereign nation. I wonder if they can they sleep at
night or look themselves in the mirror without vomiting at the image
reflecting back at them?! Russwurm, Cornish and Ida B Wells Barnett are
probably turning over in their graves at the ignominy these gutless sycophants
have given to the legacy of the black press. That is the bad news, the good
news is that there are countless fearless brothers and sistahs rumbling on
behalf of African people.
These brave souls refuse to cower in the face
of fascism or compromise their integrity for a few dollars more. While the
mass media is being consolidated into the hands of a few conglomerates run by
individuals with a White supremacist mind set, there are new weapons being
launched against Eurocentric cultural imperialism and color domination (or
more correctly lack of color domination). A year ago I wrote about the
relatively new medium of Internet radio. I am proud to announce two new
Internet radio stations have joined
www.Libradio.com and
www.Blakeradio.com to provide conscious raising programming, infotainment
and thought provoking material via the World Wide Web. I am thrilled to report
the venues also carry my live Internet radio program
The Digital Underground on Sundays
from 12 Noon to 2 PM Eastern time as well as their own freedom oriented
programming. Minister General Ahmed is holding down the fort on
www.WBBRadio.org Sundays from 10 AM to 3
PM Eastern time. Check him out. Also check out
www.BlackMicRadio and
www.Harambeeradio.com for an
eclectic mix of music, spoken word and serious talk programming.
The Talking Drum Collective, the creators
of www.BlackMic.com recently launched
PanAfrican.tv which streams serious
pro-African liberation oriented audio and video educational material. Do
yourself a favor and log onto these powerful sites to aid your mental
deprogramming and decolonization. In addition to these sites that stream audio
there are dynamic Websites rumbling against Eurocentric cultural domination
that provide pro-African material. Check out
www.DaGhettotimez.com a serious
site, Chuck D's Rapstation.com
www.ChatAfrik.com
www.Stewartsynopsis.com. Also
www.ChatAfrik.com offers unique African
Internet portal designed to link Africans throughout the Diaspora. I recommend
you visit
www.theMarcusGarveybbs.com
www.Afrikan.net and the brand new
www.PositivelyBlack.net.
We are rumbling on all fronts, there is a serious guerilla media movement
going on. Please visit these sites and support these brothers and sistahs
fighting to free our minds from white supremacist menticide and lay the
foundation for our total liberation.
Junious Ricardo Stanton produce and host a Internet radio programs titled The Digital Underground which airs live on Sundays from 12 pm- 2 pm eastern standard time on NewBlackCity.com Junious is also featured on Blakeradio.com with the program titled The Cyberspace Sanctuary A Safe House For Your Mind Harambee Radio.com and BlackMic Radio Relays The Digital Underground on Sundays tune into these powerful broadcasts and continue to support those who support you!!
