By Journal Publishers

On May 17, 2004 Bill Cosby told a crowd of African Americans that a portion of Black America is not holding up their end of the deal. The deal was that Black Pioneers, educators, lawyers, and even the black press, had opened up doors that gave Black people in this country the rights we have today. He assigned blame for the current spiral, from opportunity to the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, not to White America, but to Black America. Black America is responsible for the increasing school drop out rates, the high crime and high prison rate, the lack of embarrassment at parenting children out of wedlock, and the lack of embarrassment at being an absent father. Last month, in September, 2006, Cosby again made a call to the Black community to step up and take responsibility and do the right thing for ourselves. The state of Black America is worse now than in 2004 when Cosby challenged us, and it continues its downward spiral.

While some whites continue their race based, subjective practices and racist policies which affect Blacks, we can't continue to blame whites where we can step up and do something about it, expose it, and fight it. This week the country will commemorate the one year anniversary of the tragedy of Katrina. Many Blacks agree with Mayor Ray Nagin, even though he is under attack for his words that had Katrina been in White Orange County, the country would have moved with rapid speed to their rescue. And many Blacks also support what Andrew Young said about other cultures coming into our neighborhoods, selling us substandard goods, and putting nothing back into the community. However he, too, is defending himself for statements taken out of context by the white media. Many whites are coming out of their closets with blatant, racist statements, remarks and actions which Blacks must be watchful of. CBS recently announced that it would host a contest show with teams based on race (blacks against whites) for its upcoming season. Last week, a white bus driver in the South ordered Black students to get up and go to the back of the bus to allow white students to sit down. Black America, we must wake up. We must watch and pay attention, or we will find ourselves looking on the outside, and our children will be facing another civil rights struggle.

There is another element which must be brought to our attention: The Economic downfall of Black America. The Black middle class is not holding up their end in how they spend their dollars. Blacks fail to support African American businesses that support the positives in Black communities. This is not the white man's problem. It's Black America's problem because Blacks continue doing business with white controlled businesses and organizations that use Black talent without sharing the wealth with Black communities and businesses. Education, protest and activism are what got Black America where we are today. A little activism against refusing to give Blacks a fair share of the economic pie is today's battle.

Black America, when will we stop allowing ourselves to be pimped as a people? When will we stop chasing the 'white carrot' around in circles after something which we hope whites might dribble on us? When will we start doing for ourselves (like the Asian people and the Latino people do)? As stated before, our's is not a White problem. Our's is a Black problem. By flocking to their stores, their organizations and events, spending our money and participating with them, while they refuse to spend money with our community, we continue to perpetuate the slave syndrome spelled out in this paper each year in the "Willie Lynch Letter." And even worse, Blacks themselves have joined in on pimping themselves by allowing themselves to be used to devise and carry out ways and programs to keep their own people down. Examples are Larry Elder, Clarence Thomas, Ward Connerly, Percy Clark, Rev. Michael Eric Dyson, Harry Jackson, Thomas Sowell, and others too numerous to mention. Blacks even take up white causes against Blacks and work them better than the whites ever would. In the words of Rev. Jesse Jackson, "The struggle continues."

Sadly some of you are just as guilty. You bring in your free announcements which we print for free and then we see your paid ads in the white press. And if you do get "picked up" in the white press, you're in "high cotton." In spite of this, for the past 16 years we have strived against these odds, with few employees and few ads, to promote better education for the you as well as promote Black political power, representation and entrepreneurship. Over the years The Journal has:

1. Publicized the good news of the Black community.

2. Publicized the accomplishments of Black children.

3. Publicized the lives of Black History makers, past and present.

4. Publicized human rights and civil rights leaders.

5. Publicized Black organization events and accomplishments.

6. Publicized the many first of the Black community (such as the 1st Black coach at PCC).

Where else do many of you see yourselves on the front page of a newspaper, unless you've committed a crime?

In Pasadena, August Wilson's play, "Fences," opened to a large Black audience, in spite of the Pasadena Playhouse's snub of local Black press. The Playhouse pays Black producers, actors and artists with dollars you give them, but refuse to spend money with Black P.R. firms, Black caterers, Black accountants, Black lawyers, and Black agents and with advertising dollars in the local Black press. Likewise, the Pasadena Old Town Jazz Fest and the Pasadena Jazz Institute continue playing to crowds of Blacks audiences. They pay Black faces to court Black audiences, and pay their entertainers and artists a pittance, and rake in big bucks without giving anything back to our community. Neither do they advertise in the local Black press. Even Magic Johnson's 24 Hour Fitness, which opened earlier this year in the heart of our community with national record breaking numbers in the community joining the gym, spent hundreds of dollars with the white press and nothing in our local Black press. Blacks continue support their efforts and do the work while they pocket the money.

This is the year of playwright, August Wilson's, death. Wilson wrote of economic oppression of Black people. As you sit in the Playhouse and watch Wilson's play, "Fences," and sit in the theater and festivals and listen to Black artists, and partake in the myth and illusion of inclusion that they're perpetuating on you, remember, by not demanding a fair share of the business end of entertainment, the money makers are laughing all the way to the bank as they oppress you in a sophisticated, subtle manner. How long will we allow ourselves to be pimped?

Black America made progress in the past by campaigns with themes like: "Don't spend your dollars where you don't work," "Don't spend your dollars where your kids can't work," "Don't spend your dollars where your communities and businesses don't benefit," "Don't spend your money where you don't get respect."

When you continue to support events at businesses and organizations that benefit from Black demographics and Black dollars, you contribute to the racism as well as disrespect yourself?

Make the decision today to stop contributing to our downfall, and ask those institutions how long they will continue these practices. We have. The action must begin with Blacks, but first, the action must begin with each of us!