ONE VOICE / ONE SOUND
A SAGA CONTINUED ...
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The Words of a Survivor
As I sat trying to figure out how I would begin writing this, the memory came to mind of an African-American, Wisconsin Magazine Publisher whom I was referred to some time ago (and became intrigued by when I got the impression that she was in the business of promoting U.N.I.T.Y. among our people through her magazine - or so I thought).
Upon contacting this woman and assuring her that I was willing to do whatever it took to get our fight for the lives of our children covered in her magazine in particular (Lord knows my statement was so close to the “truth” that I could “taste” it), I was told by her to send a copy of my Biography, Book, and Current Photo - and that she would cover me in her next issue - which meant that we would have been in print on January 2006 - plain and simple. I followed her request to the letter, and waited ... And waited. And waited some more ...
Christmas came and went, along with the New Year Holiday Celebration. The January issue of her Magazine came to my Associates' Office who referred me to her (even though she had never subscribed to the Magazine), February’s issue arrived, and the March issued followed. Still, no coverage. When I finally decided that it “mattered”, I called and caught this Magazine Publisher in her “office” one afternoon. Here's what followed:
After approximately Thirty Nine (39) minutes of listening over the phone while she and her one employee rummaged through her basement office “room” looking for the Priority / Confirmation Delivery Envelope that I had sent the material in via the United States Postal Service, she picked up her phone receiver, cleared her throat and then declared that she did not like the photo that I had sent her (which is the one that you see at the beginning of this Website). I flipped my handset around from my ear to my eyes and looked at it, trying to ascertain that the words that I heard “did” come out of the receiver, all in “total” disbelief - for the “problem” that she had conjured up with covering us her magazine could have been solved with a simple phone call to me. When I stated such, she then added the line, “… and you don’t live anywhere near me ... ” (Like I needed to, for her to bring Awareness of this Epidemic or our Fight for our Children to the state of Wisconsin!)
At that point, I demanded that she return the materials to me in the same order which I sent them to her (which she did at lighting speed, just to quell the situation). From that day on, we left her “magazines” in the waste can in the Mailroom whenever they came, as opposed to bringing them into our office; After all, we didn’t need her "Aura". (She clearly had money to burn, because she continued sending this unsolicited / un-paid for magazine to our office for the entire year.)
I get a lot of this type of thing from the local Newspaper / Magazine publishers right here in
One female, African American publisher in Baltimore, Maryland stated to me on her way to Church one Sunday morning via my cell phone, that she had “not” received the materials that she had requested to review from me; yet, she called me on my cell phone number (which was the "only" number that I had "only" placed in those materials that she requested) , to tell me that she had not received it. Another Publisher whose “family” owned the publication she now operates, simply “never” returned my phone call after she got the materials. When I contacted her and asked her why she had not done so after almost six months, she neither had nor gave a suitable explanation.
I have to tell you Family - I have done all that I possibly can to dispel the "Statement" that those who are connected with the "Media" at any level are in fact in an elite “Club” amongst themselves, who will take you as close to the point of “no return” as humanly possible referencing placing a Notification about this work in their media , and then “kick you to the curb” without an after thought - particularly when it comes to them covering something created by an African-American which is designed to help our people.
I have nothing left to do “but” believe - with it being no fault of my own, that they all seem to cover only what they want to cover, which is seemingly when they can “benefit” from their "coverage" somehow, when covering their friends in "higher places" per se, their family members who will get them "paid" or have gotten then a "hook-up" of some sort (like those that will ignore our request for exposure in their paper, but will cover their buddies' affairs or their Churches' activities continuously without cost, no doubt thinking that this will definitely serve (or so they think) to get them a little closer to Gods’ “Good side" ... or something like that.
Trust that while I am content to let the media have their own, I am still blown away by my African - American “Sisters and Brothers” who are not only concerning themselves with how much I am “Getting’ Paid", if I am "Makin’ Paper, Ballin’, Rollin' Shot Callin' or Bling-Blingin'" behind this effort to save the lives of our Children, but that they will actually fake interest in my work long enough to try to score a "Free Copy" of the Autobiography that is for sale here on the website (which takes the proceeds from the book away from the Children, since these proceeds go directly to them), or try and get us to donate our non-solicited, heart-felt funds to " their" business without us ever receiving as much as "Written Support" from them on our Guestbook or in the form of a letter, which is all that we ever ask for.
And as much as I would like to, I can't leave out those so-called "Players" who like to "come-out-of-a-bag" on me, when I refuse them Partnership with this project. " Ah, Yes" - we end up going there with some African-American Brother on the average of once a month, and a Sister on the average of once a year, when they run across us during on Online Search or on "Online Networks", figuring that with a Partnership with us, their organization would become something "believable" or another. They possess the attitude of "Since we seem to be doing to well, that we are probably drawing in a lot of donations (what with such a nice site and all) and therefore wouldn't think anything of: A.) Adding their name as a Partner, B.) Helping them get some non-compliant organization of theirs set up for Financial Gain, or C.) Taking care of a debt or two for them simply because they "Compliment" our site. Trust that an entire Catalog of "Supposed" Motivational Speakers, Magazine Owners, Internet Radio Hosts and Illegal Immigrant men and women claiming to be "Pastors" and Owners of their own (Home Basement) Churches about as long as a roll of Packaging Tape, has been retained over the years in our records that have come at us with that stuff. (One even had the audacity to make a "Video" and place it on his webpage, attesting to the fury he felt when we rejected a Partnership with him and his wife. We figure that someone cornered him, and assured him that his behavior was not befitting his "Bishop Costume" eventually.)
You can believe that all the preparation in the world would not have readied me for this one, people: Just three days from the 2007 New Year, I got what had to be "the" most off-the-wall request ever from an African-American female: The Founder and Director of the Aria Club of Greater Washington D.C. - who, claimed that while looking at the emails belonging to "someone else", saw that they had received an email with the link to our Website, summoned up what "she" considered to be "common sense", then contacted me through my associate and requested that no notifications about this Website be sent to her "Friends". She claimed that she saw the email and became "Concerned" - choosing to be concerned about the information about our work being " sent" to her "Friends", as opposed to being concerned that it would "not" get to them.
And don't get us started on the supposedly "Prestigious" Listener-Supported Radio Station right here in our own Nations' Capitol, whose staff member from their "Jazz Broadcast" ordered a "Review Only" copy of our Autobiography under the ruse that they were planning to have us as Guests on their show via Radio, only to never come through with the interview and never even offer to pay for the book on the same note. When they were contacted about this for the 3rd time recently, we were threatened instead by the individual now handling the Broadcast with a contact from their lawyer, who feared their name being revealed to the public, as opposed to sending us a letter of apology, or even payment for the book, particularly after being told that all proceeds from this book go to help our African-American Children. (I made sure they understood that they may never visit our website and see their name, that they can rest assured that it is being shared every chance we get, because we are not the only ones aware of their actions. We were "reminded" by the other parties.)
I reckon that the “Brotherly Love” that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King preached about so reverently only comes into play when someone from the "media" sees a chance to benefit financially through our work (which truly is a waste of time trying, if you are planning to hang out around us).
Silence can be “Golden” all day long - but as a "People", we truly need to come CORRECT about this, because no way on earth in any shape, style fashion or form is the deaths of our Children due to Child Abuse a thing that will go away as time goes on, nor is it a trend, nor a joking matter. You all know where I have come from with this message, and where it could go - but I am going to short cut this short in the words Luther Vandross -”Here and Now", because I personally would like for you to get through the remainder of our website, enjoy the music and get to the Guestbook, which is the "last" tab on our site.
May the Lord who “Truly” knows your heart keep you, your little ones and those little one that are around you safe. They may need our help one day, whether for themselves, their little ones or the little ones of someone they know, and we intend to be here for them. Here at One Voice / One Sound , I and the children who managed and still manage somehow to survive this Epidemic, thank you whole heartedly for your Support.
And now, the rest of this website awaits you.
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C.J. Brooks