Did you know that only six percent of traditionally published books among U.S. authors are written by black people?
I didn’t either until one of the organizers of the BLACK WORD MAGIC Authors, Illustrators and Publishers Fair made me aware of this fact during a lengthy telephone conversation in early August 2023. For the longest time, I thought this percentage was much higher, largely due to the success achieved by authors like Alice Walker (The Color Purple) and Terry McMillan (Waiting to Exhale), as well as the late E. Lynn Harris (Invisible Life) and Eric Jerome Dickey (Milk in My Coffee) during the 1990s and early 2000s.
While I had no reason to doubt the BLACK WORD MAGIC organizer’s report, I had to uncover these facts for myself. That’s when I came across an online article, written by Dimitrije Curcic (May 12, 2023), titled Black Author Statistics.
Curcic writes that while the number of black authors among U.S. authors stands at 6.28 percent, the share of black authors among all U.S. authors increased by 19.29 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. “With this huge jump occurring in 2020,” Curcic writes, “black authors were able to recover their 2014 numbers when it came to their share among all authors in the country.”
So, does this mean traditional publishers are more willing than not to publish books written by black authors?
Maybe.
When I continued my reading of Curcic’s online article, I learned that:
Over 10,727 black authors and writers are currently in the US as of 2020.
2020 was great for black authors, as their number jumped by 20.38% compared to 2019.
This was also the first year in US history with over 10,000 black authors officially registered in the government database.
Before 2020, the number of registered black authors remained stagnant, hovering around 8,900 for several years.
Overall, since 2014, the number of black authors has increased by 21.88%, but it’s important to point out that basically all of these gains occurred solely during 2020.
The first question we black authors must ask ourselves is, “What costs must we pay to become published authors?” After this question has been answered, we must then determine if the black author-written books currently being sold are written in such a way as to not make white people feel uncomfortable. Knowing the latter will let us know whether the publishing industry continues to allow white prejudice, racism, discrimination and bias to determine which titles are worthy of traditional publication.
The Big Five Publishers – Penguin/Random House, Hachette Book Group, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster and Macmillan – are not oblivious to the well-funded movement among white American conservatives calling for the banning of books promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. They also aren’t oblivious to this assertion by white American conservatives that American teachers are teaching Critical Race Theory when they reference history specific to black Americans’ struggle for freedom, equal rights and protections under the law. I write this because the publishing industry, just like the Oscars, has always been so white, seemingly suppressing black narratives so members of the white majority won’t be offended.
But know this: white audiences want to read these black narratives. The enlightened members of the white majority want to understand our struggle so they can work with us Blacks to right their white ancestors’ wrongs. More than anything, at least two-thirds of them want to stop the practice of harboring prejudice and bias toward us Blacks, for they know a focus on others (Blacks and other nonwhites) rather than themselves, their racial group, is the key to helping the American union become more perfect.
That’s why the banning of black books and the censorship of Black History are wrong. We Blacks did not achieve victories during Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s to see a small group of unenlightened, white American conservatives cry foul about how these books and this history make K-12 children and adolescents hate their country. Truly concerned white adults recognize these statements for what they are – lies – and should want their children to read black books and learn Black History so their children can get in touch with their selfless selves. The selfless self demands that one do unto others as he or she would have others do unto themselves. In the words of singer Aretha Franklin, all we Blacks want is a little respect, public displays of sacrificial affection.
But as I sat at my vendor booth at the BLACK WORD MAGIC Fair, watching avid readers of all racial hues flip through the pages of their next great black reads, I concluded that more work needs to be done to get black books into the hands of a diverse group of readers, including Whites. While we black authors have an obligation to write stories that speak to black people’s experiences in America, the fact still remains that many of us black authors just want to produce content that entertains, educates and enlightens.
There are a number of black-owned and operated publishing houses. I found 191 of them on Troy Johnson’s African American Literature Book Club site. Johnson didn’t apply a ranking system to these entries (he organized them in alphabetical order), but ever since I started writing professionally, the ones that I have been hearing about the most are Third World Press, Just Us Books and Triple Crown Publications.
That’s why I’m a fan of the African American Literature Book Club. Johnson created aalbc.com as a place where readers can go to discover books written by both traditionally published and independently published black authors.
The administrators of the Black Writers Collective are committed to helping us members share and help each other become published authors through a mutual exchange of resources, insights, and sharing of experiences from which we grow.
Founded in 1990 by author Marita Golden and cultural activist Clyde McElvene, the Hurston/Wright Foundation offers in-person summer workshops, virtual courses and award ceremonies that celebrate and amplify black literary voices. Named after esteemed authors Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, both Golden and McElvene believed more needed to be done to promote and honor African American authors.
But the black-owned and operated company that has been most responsible for helping me get the word out about my books is BlackPR.com. Founded by business entrepreneur Dante Lee nearly 25 years ago, BlackPR.com offers the most extensive press release distribution to the Black media that I have seen, and has served over 5,000 clients.
That being said, while it is true only six percent of traditionally published books among U.S. authors are written by black people, the fact remains that we black people are never going to stop writing, sharing our individual and collective truths. If we have the audacity to call ourselves creative writers, our intent is to produce written works that entertain, educate and enlighten. Once our written works have been produced, it is our hope there will be readers standing at the ready to support our efforts with their dollars.
Clint Smith’s book How the Word Is Passed bids readers to reckon with the history of slavery across America, but after I read it, I concluded that it does so much more. In an era in which white American conservatives are championing campaigns to suppress black American history and stymie contemporary black American progress, it is a gut-check reminder that Black Americans’ struggle for life, liberty and happiness is far from over. If anything, it’s only the beginning.
Smith trope’s is important to remembering the treacherous road we Americans have traversed just to get to a place where we can even consider the importance of treating each other with decency and respect, regardless of skin color. While it is true that white Americans subjugated black Americans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the post-Reconstruction Jim Crow era, and the governmental leaders of these bygone eras tried to make amends for this original sin through the passage of legislation, the fact still remains that too many contemporary white Americans believe that enough has been done to correct their white American ancestors’ original sin.
What Clint Smith makes clear in How the Word Is Passed is that today’s unenlightened segment of the white American majority is committed to perpetrating campaigns designed to suppress inconvenient truths about the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the passage of post-Reconstruction Jim Crow laws. This historical suppression is in line with the conservative Republican Party’s voter suppression in states controlled by Republican governors and legislatures. And they’re using the removal of Confederate statues in places like Richmond and Charlottesville to condition white Americans to rally around whiteness by falsely telling them that the removal of these statues is an affront to what their white American ancestors have built, these United States of America.
But if they would start taking this line of thinking a few steps further, and understand what Clint Smith is getting at when he explains to us how the word is passed, they would recognize that the true change-makers and entrepreneurs were the enslaved Blacks whose uncompensated labor laid the foundation for what this nation is becoming, a more perfect union. In other words, the United States of America was built on the backs of enslaved black Americans. And the only way to truly perfect this union is to acknowledge their white American ancestors’ crimes against other human beings (black Africans), offer contemporary black Americans an apology for their white American ancestors’ crimes against other human beings (black Africans), and compensate the descendants of enslaved black Africans for the next 400 years through reparations. More importantly, though, contemporary white Americans must believe wholeheartedly that all men, humans really, “are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Know this, the word that my black African ancestors passed to members of the contemporary Black American Diaspora is that we should use our righteous words and deeds to light the way to the kind of enlightenment that allows all of us to become a reconciled nation of equals.
By now, many of you are probably wondering why I decided to create a blog titled The Culture Code. The title has a lot to do with the name of my company, Culturally Coded Content. Through this company, I have been able to independently publish three books, Adinkrahene: Fear of a Black Planet, Real Men Raise CHAMPIONS: Unleashing Your Inner COACH and Young Achiever Playbook: Planning to Achieve.
While my company was created primarily to produce written projects that educate, entertain and enlighten, I know who I am, a Black man with strong thoughts and feelings – opinions – about the issues of the day. Consequently, I knew I couldn’t remain silent as I watched dark, evil forces suppress full expressions of the spiritual fruit, i.e., love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I found myself becoming upset at the news media for ignoring the message of peaceful protestors boldly proclaiming, “Black Lives Matter,” preferring to sensationalize the antics of looters and rioters instead. Like many of you, I know members of the news media are being used by these dark, evil forces to spread messages of hate, injustice and chaos. But what they don’t seem to fully comprehend is the lengths these dark, evil forces will go to discredit the Black Lives Matter Movement specifically, the Civil Rights Movement generally. The dark, evil forces seem to have initiated a well-funded and coordinated campaign to cast their agents as the good guys, peaceful protestors as evil.
But we all know how this story ends. When all is said and done, good will always prevail over evil. Good prevails because harboring hatred for one’s neighbor gets old after a while. We humans were created by God the Father, in his image, to be in relationship with each other. He has also gifted us with the ability to be compassionate for earthly brothers and sisters who are being mistreated for just living in the skin they’re in. But the tone that is being set by these dark, evil forces is changing the temperature in the room, causing us to be less compassionate. Instead of creating a more perfect union, some of us want to dredge up the same selfish sentiments from sixty years ago to make America great again.
But why? Why are so many U.S.. citizens allowing the dark, evil forces to lead them down a rabbit hole? I believe it has a lot to do with changing demographics wrought by the browning of America.
Conservative Republicans are seemingly losing their minds because of it, believing they will never win another presidential election due to their apparent disdain for votes from Black Americans and other persons of color. And after voters elected Barack Obama, a Black American man, as the Leader of the Free World for two presidential terms, they thought their fates were sealed. They were, but the darkest, most evil agents in their ranks weren’t about to go down without a fight. They seemingly are in the midst of a last-ditch effort to rig the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government for themselves. By inserting their people in high-ranking government positions, some of them being lifetime appointments, they could at least ensure their futures are a little more hopeful.
Unbeknownst to them, their calculated crimes against humanity are going to be costly.
Right now, we have a generation of children and adolescents who are being victimized by these dark, evil forces. As these young people watch the six o’clock news with, or without, their parents, they listen to the dark, evil forces’ champion talk about “dominating the streets” in an effort to deny U.S. citizens their First Amendment Right to free speech. They listen as the dark, evil forces’ champion says, “It is what it is,” when answering questions about how he feels about the more than 150,000 COVID-19 deaths that have occurred on his watch, not Barack Obama’s, George W. Bush’s, Bill Clinton’s, George H.W. Bush’s, Ronald Reagan’s or Jimmy Carter’s. And they watch as the dark, evil forces’ champion walks around in public spaces without a face covering or regard for his proximity to others. In their minds, if he can behave this way as a 74-year-old Caucasian male, they should be able to do the same.
I still want to entertain, educate and enlighten, so I guess my The Culture Code blog can be seen as a much-needed addition to my portfolio. Just know, my intent is to promote love not hate, justice not injustice, peace not war. We have to be more sensitive to the wrongs that are occurring in our culture, acknowledge how the dark, evil forces want us to fuss and fight rather than kiss and hug. I don’t know about you, but COVID-19 has shown me just how much I took these kisses and hugs for granted. When I am once again able to kiss and hug my loved ones, there’s no doubt I will be more appreciative.
Know this, though. At the end of the day, we are family, a human one, united for all eternity by the Blood of Christ if we have love for God and neighbor in our hearts.
During last year’s presidential debates, I was rooting for Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) in her quest to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for the United States Presidency. Her sharp criticism of The Other Guy’s failings resonated with me.. A gifted attorney and prosecutor, she made Attorney General Bill Barr and Supreme Court Justice Brent Kavanaugh squirm in their seats when they were being vetted by the Senate. And now that she has been named as former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate in the upcoming election, I am ecstatic about what lies ahead for a country that has been struggling under the leadership of The Other Guy in its efforts to create a more perfect union. If elected this November, Kamala Harris will become the first Black and South Asian woman to occupy a presidential office.
While Senator Harris’ multicultural background is appealing to voters like me, I believe her gender will be a more significant draw. After what happened to Hillary Clinton in 2016, when she was vilified by the Republican Party for using a private server to send emails, it’s going to feel good to see an equally capable woman in the limelight again. But I predict The Other Guy and the Republican Party are going to have a difficult time disparaging Senator Harris’ record and reputation. Truth be told, it is shameful that The Other Guy’s go-to play is “finding dirt” on his Democratic opponents anyway. But I guess that’s the play – “make them focus on the dirt so I won’t look stupid talking about the issues.”
Because this statement is undoubtedly true, my hope is the Biden/Harris ticket will shift the conversation back to the issues. Joe Biden has already demonstrated his willingness to focus on the issues during his many television interviews, social media posts and virtual town hall meetings. He has spoken directly to the citizenry about the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, chastising The Other Guy for his failure to retain the services of the Pandemic Taskforce that his predecessor, Barack Obama, left for him, along with an 86-page pandemic playbook. He has also spoken eloquently about the social unrest sparked more fervently in recent days because of the senseless murder of George Floyd at the hands of a rogue Minneapolis police officer. Joe Biden shows us daily why he is fit to be the Leader of the Free World on day one of his presidency.
Selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate shows Joe Biden’s intent is to surround himself with morally decent and highly competent leaders. With this selection, he is also telegraphing to The Other Guy, and The Other Guy’s Little Guy, that their greatest fears are about to come true. The Democratic Party-controlled House of Representatives impeached The Other Guy, but the Republican Party-controlled Senate acquitted him, refusing to remove him from office. But in the months leading up to the election, I predict that the Biden/Harris surrogates will reintroduce US voters to the Steele Dossier, the Mueller Report, the firings of James Comey and Andrew McCabe, the Ukraine Shakedown, as well as those Other Guy associates who have either been shamed, indicted, convicted or jailed. More importantly, the Biden/Harris ticket will show they can walk and chew gum at the same time by offering up practical solutions that allow the USA to build back better.
There are some Other Guy supporters who falsely believe The Other Guy hasn’t been able to achieve any major legislative victories because of Democratic Party obstructionism. They cite the impeachment hearing before the House and the trial before the Senate as culprits. And, of course, the “China Virus” is what derailed his “thriving economy.” The Other Guy has been in office for almost four years, and he spent a majority of his time undoing all the good wrought by the Obama Administration. But like he said a few days ago, when asked if he is troubled by the number of COVID-19 deaths, The Other Guy responded, “It is what it is.”
When I vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris before or on Tuesday, November 3rd, I will know they care because their actions have been speaking louder than their words. And when they win this presidential election, and pave the way for down ballot Democratic Party victories, the US citizenry will once again be able to celebrate another great day, one not seen since Barack Obama’s victories in 2008 and 2012.
On Friday, August 7, 2020, Congress failed to extend payroll protection payments for thousands of U.S. citizens who are at risk of losing their jobs through no fault of their own. Prior to our appointed Congressional leaders’ failure to lead, many of their employers were receiving weekly payments of $600 just to make ends meet for themselves and their families while weathering the storms wrought by the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.
Under the old plan, the $600 weekly payments equated to $2,400 per month, or $28,800 per year. Because there is so much noise out there, perpetuated by #TheOtherGuy and Republican legislators in both the House and Senate, most people failed to recognize that the $28,800 per year payment exceeds Federal poverty guidelines for a family of two ($16,910), a family of three ($21,300), and a family of four (25,750). So, when Republican legislators proposed $200 during their negotiations, all I could do was scratch my head. They actually wanted to lower the payment to $200 per week, or $800 per month, $9,600 per year. That would have been a pay decrease of $19,200.
But we all knew #TheOtherGuy was going to try and step forward to make us think he is making America great again. He reportedly signed an Executive Order stating that the weekly payroll protection payments should be set at $400. While this amount is an improvement on his own party’s opening salvo, it still only gives at-risk workers annual payments of $19,200, which exceeds the Federal poverty guidelines for a family of two (+ $2,290) but falls well short for a family of three (- $2,100) and a family of four (- $6,550).
But based on the news reports that I’ve seen and read, #TheOtherGuy’s Executive Orders are nothing burgers, resulting from the fact he has no control over how the nation spends its money. This control sits squarely in the hands of Congress. So, what he did is more of a distraction than a solution. Therefore, Congressional leaders need to return to the table to hash out a deal that at least lets at-risk workers know they care. But they won’t. Why? Because Republican legislators have shown from the outset of these negotiations that their loyalty is not with their constituents, it’s with #TheOtherGuy. To me, that’s a heart issue that the Republican Party refuses to acknowledge as a problem, and shows they lack the moral fortitude to address it.
But I acknowledge it. Why allow the wants and needs of one man to supersede the wants and needs of your constituents, which includes Republican, Democratic and Independent voters? We can only hope that more members of the Republican Party acknowledge their erroneous decisions to make a 180 degree turn and do what is right for all of the people. For it will be these moral and decent legislators that allow us to change the tone, enable us to become less selfish and more selfless.
Truth be told, we must applaud the efforts of our Congressional leaders from the Democratic Party. Their staunch support for the continuation of, and, in some instances, increase to, the $600 weekly payments is further evidence they have never stopped fighting for all U.S. citizens. Yes, we U.S. citizens have our differences of opinion, but the thing we have in common is our love for life, liberty and happiness.
Like many of you, I am tired of one man and one party trying to manipulate my thoughts around these common values. As long as they are promulgating hate rather than love, division rather unity, nothing they say or do will ever resonate with me. We have to get out of the business of stepping on our neighbors, or disparaging them even, to advance self interest. In short, we can’t allow one man and one party to become the thermostat that sets a room temperature designed to suppress the expression of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
In the months leading up to Election Day, November 3, 2020, the Republican Party has already shown it will cheat to win, with some of its members either directly or indirectly expressing an openness to accepting foreign assistance from the Russian Federation. And very few of them, if any, said anything when the leader of their party sent Federal troops to Portland, Oregon to trample the First Amendment Rights of peaceful protesters.
What is becoming increasingly apparent, though, is supporters of right-wing extremism are committing crimes under the guise of Black Lives Matter to undermine not just the Black Lives Matter Movement, but the Civil Rights Movement as well. By marching alongside Black Americans they don’t know, and have no empathy for, they give #TheOtherGuy the cover he needs to further criminalize Black bodies. He is also able to bamboozle Independent voters into believing excessive or deadly force is always warranted during encounters with Black Americans.
And this takes us back to where we started, Congress’s failure to extend payroll protection that allows a family of four to live above the Federal poverty level. When we cast our votes in the lead up to Election Day, we have to remember how the Republican Party mistreated U.S. citizens during a global pandemic. They didn’t think it was important enough to give U.S. workers a livable wage. They also displayed a tone deafness that prevented them from saying or doing anything that shows they believe #BlackLivesMatter too.
Those, my friends, are offenses that are not rooted in love, justice and peace.
My name is J. A. Faulkerson, and I’m the author of Young Achiever Playbook: Planning to Achieve. I released this book in early 2019 in hopes of giving adolescents and young adults some of the tools they will need to lay firmer foundations for prosperous living.
Today’s topic is Nurturing, the first of four pillars of prosperity. The other three pillars are Learning, Working and Leading. Nurturing is based on the belief that people should grow up to fall in love, get married, and provide parental warmth to their children. To move toward greatness as a Nurturer, it is my belief that we must master three distinct roles, that of Reliable Friend, Present Spouse and Active Parent. I will share my insights about what it means to become a Present Spouse and Active Parent in future presentations. However, I would like to take some time now to answer questions related to becoming a Reliable Friend.
I believe a Reliable Friend is someone you can count on to provide meaningful advice, guidance, support, love and companionship. But in order for me to be receptive to these provisions, I must trust the person delivering them. I need to know that the person who wants to become my friend is not out to hurt me through the improper use of their words or deeds.
There’s a verse in the Christian bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, that describes qualities mostly associated with love. But I’m here to tell you that these qualities should also be present in our friends. A Reliable Friend is:
Patient and kind
Doesn’t envy, doesn’t boast, isn’t proud
Doesn’t dishonor you, and isn’t self-seeking or easily angered
Keeps no record or wrongs, always protects you, trusts you, and hopes for the best for you
It is my belief that a person develops a desire to be reliable by getting in touch with his/her Selfless Self. If you’re anything like my younger self, your default response when interacting with others is to focus on your needs while ignoring the needs of others. But after many years of being focused on my own needs (i.e., acts of selfishness), I started considering other people’s needs, circumstances. And it was this consideration that caused me to conclude that the thing we all need most are opportunities to live our best lives now while belonging to someone, or something, special. Reliable friends care deeply about the people they befriend, and are committed to forging shared experiences that enrich the whole not just the parts.
Becoming a Reliable Friend has many benefits. I’m about to list three here.
The first benefit is that you know your friendships are based on unconditional love, admiration and respect. Reliable friends don’t care about you because you do X, Y and Z; they care about you because your words and deeds show you’re a decent person, one who is worthy of their love, admiration and respect. If they did say they care about you because of X, Y and Z, I would consider that the beginning of a toxic relationship. You don’t need any toxicity in your life, you need more tonic.
The second benefit is that you gain an appreciation for why it is so important to give of your time, talent, testimony and treasure. Most of the time, when someone references the four T’s, we think they’re talking about philanthropy, the act of selflessly giving of your time, talent, testimony and treasure. But we gift these things to our friends as well. The conversations we have, the athletic events that we attend, the vacations that we take are shared experiences that will be with us throughout our lives.
The third benefit is that you set the stage for positive interactions with your spouse and children. I will offer additional insights about these interactions in future presentations, but the important thing to note here is that we give selflessly to our spouses and children because they are us and we are them. We create fulfilling lives with our spouses, and we help our children find fulfillment in the lives they are destined to lead.
To access purchase links to my book Young Achiever Playbook: Planning To Achieve, please visit my website, jafaulkerson.wordpress.com/store.
During last year’s presidential debates, I was rooting for Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) in her quest to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for the United States Presidency. Her sharp criticism of The Other Guy’s failings resonated with me.. A gifted attorney and prosecutor, she made Attorney General Bill Barr and Supreme Court Justice Brent Kavanaugh squirm in their seats when they were being vetted by the Senate. And now that she has been named as former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate in the upcoming election, I am ecstatic about what lies ahead for a country that has been struggling under the leadership of The Other Guy in its efforts to create a more perfect union. If elected this November, Kamala Harris will become the first Black and South Asian woman to occupy a presidential office.
While Senator Harris’ multicultural background is appealing to voters like me, I believe her gender will be a more significant draw. After what happened to Hillary Clinton in 2016, when she was vilified by the Republican Party for using a private server to send emails, it’s going to feel good to see an equally capable woman in the limelight again. But I predict The Other Guy and the Republican Party are going to have a difficult time disparaging Senator Harris’ record and reputation. Truth be told, it is shameful that The Other Guy’s go-to play is “finding dirt” on his Democratic opponents anyway. But I guess that’s the play – “make them focus on the dirt so I won’t look stupid talking about the issues.”
Selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate shows Joe Biden’s intent is to surround himself with morally decent and highly competent leaders. With this selection, he is also telegraphing to The Other Guy, and The Other Guy’s Little Guy, that their greatest fears are about to come true. The Democratic Party-controlled House of Representatives impeached The Other Guy, but the Republican Party-controlled Senate acquitted him, refusing to remove him from office. But in the months leading up to the election, I predict that the Biden/Harris surrogates will reintroduce US voters to the Steele Dossier, the Mueller Report, the firings of James Comey and Andrew McCabe, the Ukraine Shakedown, as well as those Other Guy associates who have either been shamed, indicted, convicted or jailed. More importantly, the Biden/Harris ticket will show they can walk and chew gum at the same time by offering up practical solutions that allow the USA to build back better.