It’s easy to sit back and expect things to simply happen by osmosis. Yet, The Black Commentator (BC) does not exist by mere osmosis. We exist and publish thanks to the love, care, and contributions of our readers.

NOW is the time to step forward and send your dollars to BC. We will not survive otherwise. The Black Commentator should not be struggling to merely survive. It should be thriving. Yes, times are hard, and they will get even harder without the guiding and provocative voice of BC to stimulate us to thought, debate, and action.

BC writers are not paid. All of us, irrespective of our varying perspectives, contribute freely of our time and energies. Nevertheless, the daily operating costs to keep BC functioning are significant.

To those of you who read my ‘Keeping It Real’ column and those of you who prefer other BC columns, I urge you to dig deep down and immediately send your contributions. This is no joke. The Black Commentator needs your immediate help right NOW!

BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Member, Larry Pinkney, is a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and the only American to have successfully self-authored his civil/political rights case to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In connection with his political organizing activities in opposition to voter suppression, etc., Pinkney was interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS NewsHour, formerly known as The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard Zinn]. (Click here to read excerpts from the book). Click here to contact Mr. Pinkney.