Major news events notwithstanding, for my money the most interesting reading on culture and society was not in major newspapers and magazines, but in blogs. We can hear basic information in 1000 different places now, but it’s the wit, out of the box thinking and fun writing throughout the AfroSphere that gives the real perspective on contemporary Black thought.
No awards, fancy trophies or fabulous prizes, but here’s my list of the most intriguing and important posts from Black bloggers in 2007.
*Note: Now before anybody goes fussing about Jena 6 and the power of Black bloggers, it’s not here in this list because I think it would be unfair to lay the credit at the foot of one post or series of posts on any one blog, though certainly Jack and Jill Politics and The Field Negro proved instrumental in the effort. Now, onward…
First two Honorable Mentions from folks who aren’t necessarily Black, but had the right idea on some issues of interest.
Honorable Mentions
1. We’ll start the list with an Honorable Mention (since this is supposed to be a Black list) to the decidely not-Black, Cracked.com, which finally took a real look at the history of twisted racist images in Disney movies.
2. And lots of folks have plenty to say about the “re-branding” of Uncle Ben, put perhaps Racialicious said it best.
The Top Ten (in descending order)
#10. The first thumbs up goes to the blog Bold As Love for its 2007 Roundup of the Best in Black Rock, for no greater reason than somebody has to hold it down for Black folks’ right to free expression and rockin’ out.
#9. Why Black Women Are Angry followed closely the train wreck that was the Juanita Bynum incident in a series of observant posts that showed clearly all was not what it seemed.
#8. We are Respectable Negroes ran an interesting series of posts on the trend of white sexual tourism to Black countries.
#7. The Assimilated Negro hit the mark on his examination of the Michael Vick controversy.
#6. More so than any other blog, Jack and Jill Politics clearly and consistently points out the odd love affair some Black folk have with the Clintons, seeming in inverse relationship to the Clintons’ history of real support of the Black folk that don’t work or play golf with them (meaning the other 39,999,000 of us). This post on Hillary’s drug sentencing policies is only one example.
#5. The Franklin Blog follows the all too familiar plight of the lone Black guy in an all-white office. This simple post on the small daily insults of unexpectedly being reminded of your Blackness is all too real for too many people.
#4. There wasn’t one single post that made Timbuktu Chronicles important, but rather the sum total of its laser focus on Africa as a place where real tech, business and scientific advancements are slowly but surely making the continent a global economic power on the way to reaching its potential. Congrats to Emeka.
#3. MultiCultClassics’ series of posts on General Motors and its bizarre on again/off again announcements about its future relationships with minority media agencies.
#2. From TV writer David Mills and his blog, Undercover Black Man, his series of posts “Attack of the Giant Negroes” deftly followed the historical phenomenon of the white news media’s exaggeration of and fascination with the power and size of Black men, and how that kind of thinking explains so much of black/white relations - particularly in regard to crime. Mills frequently uses the research skills he learned as a former reporter to examine the hypocrisies and inconsistencies of America’s continuing troubles with race. See also his ongoing debates with writer/attorney DeAngelo Starnes on the existence of white supremacy.
#1. It was the title of blogger/journalist Jen Brea’s post “Africans to Bono: For God’s Sake, Please Stop!” that made people around the world take notice and almost single-handedly made people take a new look at the rock star’s pesky habit of painting Africa with the broad brush of poverty and tragedy (though he certainly isn’t the first and won’t be the last). Her frequent looks at the international importance and impact of Africa and investment in Africa is core reading for people who want to understand this new global dynamic. She’s the younger, more cogent and much hotter version of Thomas Friedman.
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