As a fellow marketer, I am thrilled by Tom Burrell's latest gift to our community,
Brainwashed : Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority. Founder of the renowned African American owned advertising agency, Burrell Communications in Chicago, IL, Tom Burrell has been a pioneer and catalyst in the industry for almost 50 years. One of the champions of target marketing, Burrell made a significant impact on my senior thesis, Images of African Americans in Advertising.
"His award-winning work promoted positive and realistic images of blacks and acknowledged the purchasing power of the African American community. Burrell is the founder of The Resolution Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes intra-racial dialogue and community-based new media “stop the brainwash” campaigns. "
The very premise of this book is the very soul of what gave birth to Chocolate Chip. Our families are much greater than how the media depicts us. As Burrell says we must counter the negativity with "positive propaganda" and change the very definition of who we are, not just for the mass media, but for own communities.
As caregivers and esteem builders for our children, this is an important read for our families. We must undo the brainwashing that exists with this generation so we can finally take off the shackles that bound our ancestors but still entrap some of our minds. Continue on to read the synopsis from Barnesandnoble.com
And from the
Chocolate Chip Archives.... Black History for Young Peoplehttp://chocolatechiponline.blogspot.com/2009/02/black-history-for-young-people.htmlWe've added 2 more titles to the list for 2010:
Ruby Bridges Goes to School:
My True: Ruby Bridges
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ruby-Bridges-Goes-To-School/Ruby-Bridges/e/9780545108553/?itm=1&usri=ruby+bridges+goes+to+school+my+true+storyMy husband felt like a militant when he read this book to Brooke's 1st grade class during Parent Involvement Day:) Ruby Bridges actually visited Fieldston some years ago and shared her story. Our 8 year old neighbor still remembers that memorable afternoon.
Beautiful Ballerina:
Marilyn Nelson, Susan Kuklin (Photographer)
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Beautiful-Ballerina/Marilyn-Nelson/e/9780545089203/?itm=1&usri=beautiful+ballerinaScholastic's recent partnership with the cultural institution , Dance Theatre of Harlem. Brooke and I had the pleasure to meet and be inspired by one of the young featured artist.
Shout of to Hamptonian, Michael Armstrong- VP, DTH Board of Directors
Synopsis: Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority- Tom Burrellhttp://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=brainwashed+challenging+the+myth+of+black+inferiority&box=Brainwas&pos=0“Black people are not dark-skinned white people,” says advertising visionary Tom Burrell. In fact, they are much more. They are survivors of the Middle Passage and centuries of humiliation and deprivation, who have excelled against the odds, constantly making a way out of “No way!” At this pivotal point in history, the idea of black inferiority should have had a “Going-Out-of-Business Sale.” After all, Barack Obama has reached America’s Promised Land.
Yet, as Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority testifies, too many in black America are still wandering in the wilderness. In this powerful examination of “the greatest propaganda campaign of all time”—the masterful marketing of black inferiority, aka the BI Complex—Burrell poses ten disturbing questions that will make black people look in the mirror and ask why, nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, so many blacks still think and act like slaves. Burrell’s acute awareness of the power of words and images to shift, shape, and change the collective consciousness has led him to connect the contemporary and historical dots that have brought us to this crossroads.
Brainwashed is not a reprimand—it is a call to action. It demands that we question our self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. Racism is not the issue; how we respond to media distortions and programmed self-hatred is the issue. It’s time to reverse the BI campaign with a globally based initiative that harnesses the power of new media and the wisdom of intergenerational coalitions. Provocative and powerful, Brainwashed dares to expose the wounds so that we, at last, can heal.
Happy Reading!!!
It's that time of year again! The annual White House Easter Egg Roll!
