By James Clingman NNPA Newswire Columnist Black folks in America have been so successfully programmed that many of us are still psychologically enslaved to the point that we truly believe we have “made it” when we have reached a certain financial plateau or when we have attained a certain position or title. Far too many […]
Blackonomics: What the Kaepernick Protest Tells Us about Black Power and Money
By James Clingman NNPA Newswire Columnist Turnabout is fair play. Why can’t more of us see that economics is the key to our freedom and the answer to the problems we talk about all the time? This political year has and continues to bring this fact to light, but the Colin Kaepernick protest illuminates the […]
Blackonomics: Hypocrites, Hucksters, Histrionics and Hype
by James Clingman NNPA News Wire Columnist Aren’t you tired of the rap and clap sessions by political wannabees and their respective contingents? I know I am. The so-called “debates” are downright insulting and embarrassing, especially on the Republican side, reminiscent of a stand-up comedy show, or “throwing shade” as young folks say. Over on […]
Blackonomics: The Silly Season is Upon Us
By James Clingman NNPA News Wire Columnist The “Silly Season,” as many call it, is well under way; and Black people are up to our necks in it. The usual suspects are jockeying for position with certain presidential candidates. They are vying for the Black spokesperson positon, knocking one another down as they rush toward […]
Blackonomics: Hillary and Bernie Discover and Re-Discover Black People
by James Clingman NNPA News Wire Columnist One thing is for sure; Black folks are enjoying this latest political mating dance with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Sanders is discovering Black people in South Carolina and Georgia, and Clinton has reopened the “leading Blacks” vault to rediscover their loyalty and willingness to present her to […]
Blackonomics: The Economics of Water
by James Clingman NNPA News Wire Columnist “Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink.” — Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I can hear the backroom discussion now: “We can save money if we stop taking our drinking water from Lake Huron and start using water from the Flint River […]
Blackonomics: The NAACP is Broken, Members must fix it
By James Clingman NNPA News Wire Columnist Having served the NAACP for ten years in several capacities, including branch president, and having donated money to its causes, I take no pleasure in writing this exposé. But it is our responsibility to clean up our own organizations. For example, President Cornell Brooks sends missives on a […]
Blackonomics: Beyond T-Shirts and Hoodies
By James Clingman NNPA Columnist Recollections of my 1995 article on the business of college athletics danced in my head when I heard the news about the University of Missouri football team’s refusal to play until the President of that University, Tim Wolfe, resigns or is dismissed. The players said, “due to his negligence toward […]
Blackonomics: Watch This Film on Black Friday, Before You Spend Another Dollar
by James Clingman NNPA Columnist When you die, what will you leave behind: bills or benefits? That’s the main question posed by the upcoming documentary film by Ric Mathis, a videographer and filmmaker in Atlanta. The question is applicable on a personal and collective level; one each of us should honestly answer. Mathis has captured […]
Blackonomics: Black Media Ownership is in a Drought
by James Clingman NNPA Columnist In war, one of the first things the enemy does is destroy his adversary’s ability to communicate within its ranks. Chaos likely ensues if a fighting force cannot communicate internally. Individual soldiers end up doing their own thing, left to their own devices; they make decisions based on their individual […]