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.