“What approaches are needed to enhance the social and economic functioning of African American families? Unfortunately, many observers wrongly believe that the problems of inner-city families are intractable. Conventional accounts of black families in the news media, for example, devote considerable space to citing many negative statistics to document the severity of the crisis. By blaming the victim–attributing the crisis to internal deficits or weaknesses such as female-headed families and poor work ethic rather than to external constraints such as racism, exodus of industries from inner-cities, and so on–they focus on identifying problems and not on generating solutions.”

The manner in which African Americans are portrayed in the all-mighty news and entertainment media also gives us a chance to understand how we are perceived in mainstream America.  The shift in the nature and characterization of African Americans in entertainment has evolved from “Buckwheat” to “Mammy” (Gone With the Wind), all the way to “Shaft” and “The Mack” to “successful” family-centered entertainment - “The Cosbys” “The Bernie Mack Show, and now, “Everybody Hates Chris”.  An examination of the article “Still Representing Black Families on TV” by Karu F. Daniels of Entertainment Newswire, says, “To the delight of many, this bold and sometimes brazen series follows in the tradition of black families on television dating all the way back to the 1960s when Diahann Carroll made history with ‘Julia.’ While that particular show focused more on her professional career as a nurse, the fact that it depicted a working class, single mother spoke volumes during the turbulent 1960s.”  Karu also notes, “There was no mother figure in ‘Sanford and Son,’ but the 1970s comical send-up depicted a distinctive black father and son dynamic – something that isn’t commonly celebrated in society.”

“Back in the Day”, the ball was either caught or fumbled.  No instant replays, red-flag challenges or calls from “the booth”.  No “Offensive Pass Interference”, no “Encroachment” - it was “offsides”.  No microphones in the on-field player’s helmets (that’s cheating, isn’t it?)

The officials relied on their “eyes”.  It wasn’t, “Was his knee down prior to the ball popping out”, or “Did he have full possession of the ball before it popped out”.  It was plain and simple and they kept it moving.

Now, I’m all for being progressive, but I sure do miss those days!

BlackHistory.com This is a very resource-filled web site for information on black history. It is the largest free interactive African American

JazzyCazz

Even though we share dark skintones, African Americans come from diverse backgrounds and flavors. “Multicultural” does not always mean Black mixed with white. There are varying mixtures and flavors from Anglo-Saxon to American Indian to Hispanic to Caribbean in our culture. But, the bottom line is that no matter our heritage, we are still considered Black. Our ancestry is rich in diversity and enhances our individual character and existence as African Americans assimilating into American culture.
This section is intended to enlighten each of us on this diversity with the goal of increasing understanding and tolerance among our people. It is my sincere hope that this site will be useful to you towards that goal.

JazzyCazz

Whether you are looking for a new job, career change or ways to advance in your current job, BlackFamilyLiving is a great place to start. With career advice, links to employment resources and resume or online portfolio building, you will find our links to services to be effective and efficient.
Check out this excellent resource from “the leaders of diversity recruitment publishing for 35 years”. It features a resume database for minorities - your opportunity to have your résumé sent FREE to major corporations and government agencies. It also features information on career fairs and Diversity Magazines tailored to the career informational needs of people of color.

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This section covers everything about our beautiful children and endeavors to provide advice, tips, and other a wide array of resources to enhance your parental abilities and grow your children into well educated, responsible adults.
To start you out, here is a very interesting piece of work out of a study of African American child rearing, “Impact of Racial Identity on African American Child-Rearing Beliefs”. The author is Anita Jones Thomas from Northeastern Illinois University and is featured from the Journal of Black Psychology. It is a very interesting and useful study that gives great background and insight about African American child rearing views - check it out!

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African Americans - BlackFamilyLiving.com wants to help you cope with workplace issues unique to African Americans and other people of color. Use BlackFamilyLiving.com as your resource for all things impacting and improving your work life.
The work life of the black family has its share of unique challenges. BlackFamilyLiving.com explores and attempts to provide resources to help get you through these challenges and maintain a healthy work lifestyle.
This online resource inspires and empowers people of color to make a difference by offering up-to-date information on finding job opportunities from diversity-sensitive employers, corporate diversity, workplace discrimination, and offers African American professional organizations that address the issues and advance the cause of people of color in the workplace.

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African American - Stay Abreast of the Latest Technology-Get the Newest Gadgets! BlackFamilyLiving.com is your resource for all things impacting and increasing your knowledge of modern technology and how this technology can make life easier for you and your family.
I’ve also found a useful resource that speaks on African Americans in Technology. Their motto is “Making It Happen”. This Organization specializes in mentoring, educating, supporting, and promoting networking between young and old men alike. Check it out!

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African Americans - Information and Resources to Assist in Your Spiritual Growth! BlackFamilyLiving.com is your resource for all things impacting and helping you improve your spiritual being.
Our culture is rich in spiritual belief. I have researched the top resources for spritual edification and The New Black Spirituality, to foster an open discussion of changing spiritual views. These resources offer information on the state of the black church in America, televangelism, religious participation, leadership concepts and a host of other valuable insight. Please feel free to use this information to your advantage!

JazzyCazz

African Americans - Stay In the Know About the Political Climate in Black America BlackFamilyLiving.com is your resource for all things impacting and improving your political knowledge.
Because I strongly believe we can - and have - made an inpact on the political process in America, I have researched the top resources on African Americans in politics. Visit The Political Hot Spot for discussions on the complexities of African American politics, history and society.