Oana

When I started this series of interviews many cautioned me that black people would not want to talk to me. Wrong. As a matter of fact, after I started sending out emails, expressing my intentions to write about these issues, the positive response was overwhelming. To be honest, people of color talked to me a long time ago, in various workplace settings. I remember vividly one lady who was a nurse and who told me -- wiping her tears -- that she was refused work because some would not accept a black woman as a caregiver. Or, when we were showing puppies, I was asked by a visibly embarrassed woman if her biracial child was allowed to play with them. Many similar scenarios have haunted me for years. Black people talk to me every day, sometimes expressing themselves non-verbally. Actually, some of this “everyday” stuff is so heavy that I wonder how others can “overlook” it and carry on with their existence peacefully and undisturbed.  Perhaps because this stuff is considered “invisible.” It is my personal belief that racism and discrimination are still here; becoming more subtle and equally dangerous. The primitive weapons of the past have now turned into more sophisticated ones, targeting conscience and identity. I admit I have a problem with the “If I could I would” attitude. The truth is each of us can do something, but most choose not to, perhaps because we underestimate our power. We seem to feel invincible and entitled when it comes to...

Interview with Quentin J. Tyson – Author and Documentary Filmmaker Quentin J. Tyson age 36 aka Qwest Allah of the Nation of Gods & Earths.  First born in the year of Born Understanding & disciple of Timothy Muhammad of Medina (Brooklyn NY).  Quentin or Qwest (NGE) is a New Orleans native who attended NGE & NOI classes in New Orleans East as a teenager to find a way to safely separate himself from the drug culture.  While in college he found himself deeply immersed in the some of the deepest aspects of the criminal culture as a night club manager.  He joined the Navy at 24.  While serving in the Navy, he experienced first hand how narcotics are imported to North America as a Deck Seaman/ RHIB Boat technician on 3 Counter Drug Operation Deployments in Central and South America. He was awarded for his hard work and attention to detail.  Quentin is also featured in the Navy’s first Homeland Security Film for Master-At-Arms.  He was honorably discharged from active duty in 2004 then wrote his first novel “The American Way” based on real Black Gangsterism in New Orleans.  In 2005 he wrote “To Tell the Truth”, a novel based on prosecutor Eddie Jordan and the dons of New Orleans.  He decided that he may in the future self publish his works due to shady industry practices he experienced.   Quentin attended five institutions of higher training with majors in Criminal Justice, and Film Production.  After witnessing absolutely no foundation of Afrocentrism...

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” “Beauty without virtue is like a rose without scent.” “When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with another.” The bread and lily one is, supposedly, a Chinese import of wisdom. Chinese or not, it prompts me to ask myself and other women a simple question: what would you spend your penny on? Assuming that you will go for bread and beauty like most of us, simple females, it all depends on your culture and…hmmm… race. To make your choices easier there are instructions on achieving beauty carefully crafted for YOU. I grew up in Europe, in the 70’s when the tanning craze was in full swing. My city was fairly close to the Black Sea, so almost every summer my mom her girlfriends and I would go to the seaside resorts to enjoy the beauty of the beach. I was only a few years old. To most kids, yoghurt is their yummy morning snack that sometimes contains fruit. To me it was the white cold stuff we put on our wounds when we got sunburns. I did not get life-threatening sunburns until I was a teenager. But as a child I watched the ladies around me sitting in the sun for hours hoping to get “that sexy tan.” None of them ever entered the water; perhaps they needed a respite from that horrendous sun. They were there on a...

Quentin, I read your article on Eurocentrism. I hope others will read it as well, and will share their thoughts with us. I am sure that many wonder why you are so aggressively fighting Eurocentrism here in the United States. I admit I asked myself this question, and my first reaction was to think your article dealt with it from a racial perspective, although you use the term “non-Europeans” and that confused me. Yet the more I thought of it, the more I came to realize that the picture is bigger than we think and it does not only affect black people. It’s not even limited to the United States. I agree that European white supremacy is a business, but is it, ultimately, about color? And who in Europe is the creator of Eurocentrism? I don’t know how much it is known here about the part of the world where I am from – I was born in southern Romania, which is part of the Balkan region.(See http://eurodialogue.org/balkan-countries-map) Allow me to introduce you to the Balkans, home of violent history, wars, slavery and ethnic cleansings, foreign domination, and what not. Actually, my people don’t even remember to be “free,” perhaps with few short-lived exceptions. Starting with the rise of the Ottoman Empire in 13th century, Ottomans came by, filled their harems with our women, took male kids (it was called “the blood tax”) raised them by their law and make them Janissaries (soldiers) in the Ottoman army, only to send them...

Interview with Anthony Pathfinder – Author, proofreader, poet, reviewer and contributing writer for the Urban Book Source The image of the aggressive-looking African American male, who cannot spell his name, has a limited vocabulary and has trouble keeping a job has become -- sadly! – common in the media. However, there isn’t too much said about those who not only speak proper English, but are committed servants of the written word, being an inspiration for us all. I must say that finding a successful African American author was not hard at all. Making the decision as to who would be my first guest was difficult, because there are many talented writers out there. I met Anthony Pathfinder over a year ago while working on a radio show project with Author Monica Brinkman. I was pleasantly surprised by his honesty and openness on various issues. I knew right away that I would love to talk to him again. Let me introduce him to you. The Pathfinder is a writer, author, proofreader, poet, reviewer and contributing writer for the Urban Book Source. An avid reader, he developed a love of writing, and authored over 200 poems before parlaying his interest in writing into a passion for story-telling. He currently has four novels available, three written under the moniker Pathfinder (Fair Game, False Pretense and Deadly Consequences and New Blood written under his given name, Karl Anthony. The books are available on Amazon and barnesandnoble.com. He is a graduate of Queens College and resides...