I actually do not remember when I first heard
about Black Commentator.com. There was a buzz that started about
it in progressive Black circles. There were few centers for
progressive Black thought so its rise was noticeable. Slowly
BC began to gain traction.
I had a meeting with BC publisher, Peter
Gamble, and the then-Executive Editor where they discussed with
me what they were attempting to do with BC. I was intrigued
and prepared to support this effort. I saw in BC a badly
needed voice suggesting that Black America neither had to capitulate
to neo-conservatism, nor simply espouse warmed-over traditional
liberalism. In other words, there were new, progressive politics
that needed an institutional voice which were relevant to the
21st century Black American experience.
In the last 18 months there have been important
and exciting changes underway in BC. We have moved to
establish an editorial board (and regular commentary contributors)
that represents a diverse, yet progressive spectrum of opinion
from within Black America. Just take the Obama controversy.
We have had on our site those who supported the candidacy from
the beginning without reservation; those who offer it critical
support; and those who adamantly oppose it. Yet with these diverse
opinions we have found a means to collaborate and not tear one
another down. This is an important achievement.
As I travel around the USA I come across more and more people who regularly
read the Black Commentator. I get positive feedback on
the articles and debates. Yet there is something very important
missing: financial support. There is a tendency for many people
to believe that operating an on-line magazine can be done for
free, or nearly so. I wish it were so, and perhaps someday it
will, but not today. To keep BC going, we need YOUR support.
Perhaps you can offer an annual contribution; perhaps you can
offer a weekly contribution. In either case it is your call
and it will be appreciated. We need YOU to be an advocate and
publicist for the Black Commentator.
In addition to sending your friends and colleagues
to www.blackcommentator.com we absolutely
need you to suggest that they offer a financial contribution
to keep us going. There is this saying that an army travels
on its stomach. Well, it is just as true that an on-line magazine
must travel on the contributions of people like you, or it does
not travel at all.
It is a pleasure and an honor to be associated
with BC, particularly as it reaches the age of 6. It
is equally an honor to hear from you, the readers, expressing
your concerns, doubts, disagreements, and enthusiasm, but most
especially your support for BC and those who keep it
running.
Happy birthday, Black Commentator!
Bill Fletcher,
Jr. is Executive Editor of The Black Commentator. He
is also a Senior Scholar with the Institute
for Policy Studies and the immediate past president of TransAfrica
Forum. Click
here to contact Mr. Fletcher.