|
NAM Round Table
The NAM Round Table consists of news, insights, visions, ramblings and rants from the writers at New America Media.
Blogs written by African Americans with an emphasis on politics in the black community are a very important contingent in the blogosphere community. In an election where we may elect the first black president of the United States, these online forums have become even more significant. Although Barack Obama is expected to take a majority of the black vote, it is crucial that the black community takes action in such an unprecedented time in history. Blogs have been an outlet for the black community to do this. The Democratic National Convention has made tremendous strides to allow access to bloggers who are interested in covering the convention. Offering credentials to bloggers, the Convention will truly follow Obama’s 50-state plan by allowing political, niche and video bloggers from each of the 56 states and territories to attend. Adrianna George is an award winning blogger from the blog Black Women in Europe, which covers the lives and social issues of black women living in Europe. George is going to the Convention in Denver and was “naturally excited but also honored and moved to tears” at the possibility of her involvement. She calls this Convention “without question the most important political event of my generation.” Another blog that was given credentials to attend the Convention, African American Political Pundit, sites its owner as “an old school brother who gives his thoughts, opinions and insights on political and social issues of the day.” The blog is shared with various other contributors who write about social issues affecting their community. The Repulican National Convention has also given credentials to bloggers, those who are independent as well as those associated with traditional media outlets. Frances Rice, an attorney in Sarasota, FL became politically active in 1982 and recently became a Chairman of the National Black Republican Association. Her blog, Black Republican, focuses on political issues. With 68% of African Americans online, it is not surprising that they have taken a keen interest in blogging. Writing about everything from John McCain not knowing how many homes he owns to the reported eight million blacks not registered to vote, there is a clear forum present for blacks to express their political opinions on the web. Many are writing open letters to Obama and reporting on media stories with a perspective on what matters to the black community, something mainstream news rarely covers. As the Conventions have given unprecedented coverage to bloggers and the DNCC has made strides to finally include ethnic media, the opinions of the typical American are becoming more widespread than ever. Related NAM Stories comments |
|
Be sure to follow me on Twitter during the convention:
http://twitter.com/bwie
The Black Women in Europe blog will have numerous posts about the Convention.
By Adrianne · Posted on Aug 20, 07:38 PMThank you for this positive article about the afrosphere and the Black Republicans in the blogosphere. As you noted,
“Blogs written by African Americans with an emphasis on politics in the black community are a very important contingent in the blogosphere community.”
Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has yet to understand this, and the picture is not so rosy as you present it with respect to Black blogger representation at the Democratic National Convention. In fact, the State Blog Corps that will cover the floor of the Convention is approximately 98% white, having rejected the participation of members of the the Black blogger group AfroSpear who sought to participate. In addition, of the 125 bloggers accredited to cover the Convention, only 7% are Black, while others’ participation was rejected.
D. Yobachi Boswell, Coordinator of the Afrosphere Action Coalition and owner of the AfroSpear’s BlackPerspective.Net blog, who helped to organize the Jena March which you referenced above, applied to participate as a blogger at the DNC Convention, but was rejected.
Apparently, whatever bloggers can contribute by educating and mobilizing voters, the Democratic Party doesn’t want Black bloggers to be a part of that. In fact, had we not issued press releases and had coverage in the Dallas Morning News Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and other national media about the lack of Black bloggers credentialed to cover the conference, there might not have been even the 7% who were eventually accepted. And those accepted will not have equal access to the floor of the conference.
So, although some little progress has been made, there is more blog Jim Crow separatism and blog apartheid at the Democratic National Convention than there is inclusivity. The numbers speak for themselves. 97% of the State Blog Corp is white and only 7% of the General Pool is Black. My good friend, colleague and fellow AfroSpear members L.N. Rock, Shawn Williams, Jill Tubman, Baratunde Thurston and Adrianne G. George will be at the Convention, covering if for Black America and the international Black Diaspora. However, MOST US States with large Black populations will not have a single Black blogger their to cover the states’ Black delegations, even though Black bloggers were eager to do so.
We’ve knocked on the doors, and we’ve battered these closed doors in the national media. So far, the DNC would rather have Black bloggers out instead of in.
Francis L. Holland Blog.
By Francis L. Holland, Esq · Posted on Aug 21, 04:33 AM