here is a NY Times article about the matter.

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An accelerating exodus of American-born blacks, coupled with slight declines in birthrates and a slowing influx of Caribbean and African immigrants, have produced a decline in New York City’s black population for the first time since the draft riots during the Civil War, according to preliminary census estimates.

press ‘more’ to read the rest here. or see the original piece @ the nytimes.com (more…)

this clipping is from a cleveland newspaper and reposted courtesy trula mama. it’s a few years old and contains some inspiring comments from Gordon Parks, widely accomplished photojournalist, writer, and filmmaker.

all we can think, when elders pass over with the frequency that we’ve seen of late, is of that quote from frantz fanon: “each generation must, out of relative obscurity, define its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.”

This weekend, our server was hacked and certain sections of exittheapple were lost. Applesauce was among them. We logged in Friday night to add the newest installment of poetry edited by L. N. Diggs, only to find an impenetrable set of coded gibberish. In english, we believe the code read: start over from scratch, suckas!
This makes us sad.

But we are blessed with perspective right now since this weekend also marked the passing of SciFi giant Octavia Butler. There is little we could say to convey the sense of loss we feel at the silencing of her powerful voice and ruthless social imagination. In the face of this elder’s sudden journey, our database problems seem a touch more manageable. We look forward to building up our zine again and reinstalling our archives. Smile. Rebirth is the stuff of life.

Rest in peace, ms. butler; your legacy is cherished and your work has been well loved.

The first thing Chappelle wants is to dispel rumors—that he’s got a drug problem, that he’s checked into a mental institution in Durban—that have been flying around the U.S. for the past week. He says he is staying with a friend, Salim, and not in a mental institution, as has been widely reported in America. Chappelle says he is in South Africa to find “a quiet place” for a while. “Let me tell you the things I can do here which I can’t at home: think, eat, sleep, laugh. I’m an introspective dude. I enjoy my own thoughts sometimes. And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking here.”

On the Beach With Dave Chappelle
In South Africa, TIME’s Simon Robinson talks with the comic about his sudden disappearance from Chappelle’s Show

In this week’s TIME, Christopher John Farley reveals why Dave Chappelle decided to leave his hit show and what he’s been up to since he disappeared to South Africa two weeks ago. Last Friday night, TIME Johannesburg bureau chief Simon Robinson met with the comic at uShaka Marine World on the beach in the South African port of Durban. In a ninety minute conversation, Chappelle was eager to set the record straight on why he suddenly left the U.S. and what he’s doing in South Africa. Here’s Robinson’s account: (more…)

DEF POERY JAM REVIEW

byLATASH N NEVADA DIGGS
so yeah…this girl said “he fucked me like brooklyn” at a recent taping for
Def Poetry Jam’s fourth session.

so what’s in it for me?

(I) am the voyeur who needs to be viewed w/ parameters. a (hy)brid
mix master of hermit & camera hog. harlem/chicago
cage dancer & green thumb
good days. sour months. wick wick wack poems. analog prose.

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