This week, I was in the space of social media outlaws! Facebook banned me from using the platform for 30 days because I posted an article in which the title got me into some trouble. The article was a factual element of black history involving a game called “Hit the coon” that was played at many state fairs across the country. In this game, whites would line up and pay money for the chance to throw baseballs at the head of a black boy and make him fall into the water. We discuss this game in the film, “Hidden Colors 4.”
The Facebook ban reminded me of the fact that African-Americans tend to receive a “double attack” from white institutions when it comes to the series of holocausts we’ve endured in this country: Our people are punished with the initial racial trauma, and then we are punished again for mentioning the traumatic experience in public. Facebook should review this policy, since it is fully reflective of the kind of systematic racism we endure throughout society, where whites often force us to “sit down and shut up” when it comes to talk about the past. I had the same issue when a federal prison refused to allow me to visit someone, with the reason for their rejection being based solely on the fact that I teach black people their economic, legal and human rights.
Since I plan to keep sharing black history (which isn’t being taught correctly in public school), I am sure that I will be 100% banned from Facebook at some point in the very near future. No matter what the consequence, I’ll never stop teaching. Perhaps our best tech minds in the black community can create an alternative to Facebook that allows us to tell the truth about racism and the history of this country.
For the record, I am not bitter. This experience is yet another reminder of the importance of us understanding the vulnerability that comes with depending on others to give us our platforms, our jobs, our media, our education, etc. There won’t come a day in the next 100 years where we are allowed to speak freely in public on any media outlet about the experiences we’ve had in this country. In fact, this is why I refused to accept any corporate or political sponsorship for The All Black National Convention, set to take place again this year in Louisville, KY on September 29th.
But onto more productive issues:
If you want to understand how the stock market works, it’s still not too late to sign up for my course on “How to invest in the stock market.” The recording of the first lecture from last week is available, and students are LOVING THIS PROGRAM. This is the same information I taught my students at Syracuse University for 13 years, many of whom are now wealthy experts on Wall Street. You can join the program by visiting BlackMoney102.com.
Until we meet again, please stay strong, be blessed and be educated.
Sincerely,
Dr Boyce Watkins
Black Westchester
Black Westchester - News With The Black Point Of View is an online news magazine for people of color for Westchester and the Tri- State area of New York at every economic level. Our mission is to promote the concept of “community” through media.
