black…MYstory

…sorry…really bad joke.

When I saw this, I mentally filed this under the “1,000,000+ things I should have thought of” category.

Blackbird is a new web browser targeted for the African American web user.  Based on the popular Firefox 3 browser, Blackbird offer tools that help African-Americans locate culturally-specific sites and resources on the web.

Of course, the browser has detractors who label it racist and exclusionary for its targeting of black-centered resources (Editorial comment: Why is it that I only hear these complaints about black-focused content?).  However, as the article states, branded browsers are nothing new:

Indeed, Blackbird’s concept of a browser tailored towards a community is nothing new. The Flock “social browser” (which we’re fans of) offers some appealing integration with social networking and webmail services, and even built-in tools for blogging and photo sharing. A spinoff of Flock, called Gloss, also offers similar custom tools and Blackbird-like content customizations for women. “We call it an ‘identity browser,’” Young explained. “I could make a browser for the lovers of Warcraft. Would that be exclusionary of other people? No, I would just be bringing those people closer to the sites and resources that they are probably interested in.”

In other words, why not?

I, for one, have gotten many emails over the years from people asking about where they can track down African-American-focused content on a variety of subjects but, given my limited reach on the internet, am unable to steer them to a lot.  Perhaps, for those folks, a browser such as Blackbird may fill that need.

I think I might have to download a copy and check it out.  As far as I know, only a Windows version is currently offered (any chance of a Linux version, folks?) but, I’ll try it out anyway.  It sounds promising.

Popularity: 16% [?]

For yet another election cycle, the Democratic National Committee is utilizing the help of bloggers to get the word out.  In this election cycle, the DNC is giving black bloggers a seat at the table.  Well, actually, it’s the card table that the little kids sit at for family dinners.

What black bloggers are finding out is that the “new media” is still as white as the old one and these bloggers are often not on the DNC’s radar.

Thankfully enough, there are black bloggers out there getting organized.  Who knows, maybe soon these bloggers will be able to argue from a position of greater strength so that in the next cycle, the Democrats will have to beat a path to their doors.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Of course, when issues of race rise up in this country, there are people on either side. However, when those on that other side cross the line, there should be some accountability. Case in point - the FBI is currently investigating a white supremacist web site which allegedly listed the addresses of five of the “Jena 6″. In their own words, they posted them “in case anyone wants to deliver justice.”

According to an agency spokeswoman, this action “essentially called for their lynching.”

This site is run by the same idiot, Bill White, who posted the address, telephone number and name of the wife of columnist Leonard Pitts, who derided white supremacists for playing the victim card over a carjacking incident involving black suspects and a white victim.

We need to remember that, in cases like this, there are nutcases who come out the woodwork so, we need to remain vigilant and be prepared. Sadly, we are far from where we need to be on issues of race and this latest twist only further solidifies the fact.

Popularity: 22% [?]