But they still get asked the latently racist question, “Where are you from?” Jana Pareigis is familiar with the undercurrents of racism in the western world. When she was a child, the Afro-German TV presenter also thought her skin color was a disadvantage. “When I was young, I wanted to be white,” she says. Parageis takes us on a trip through Germany from its colonial past up to the present day, visiting other dark-skinned Germans to talk about their experiences. They include rapper Samy Deluxe, pro footballer Gerald Asamoah and Theodor Michael, who lived as a black man in the Third Reich. They talk about what it’s like to be black in Germany."

Not to be overly simplistic – but this is a reminder of the need for more Black owned businesses. No, this is not a cure all to being overworked and underpaid. Nor is it a cure all to the historic economic disenfranchisement that Black communities face. HOWEVER, a side business that brings in additional income can be a huge help for families living paycheck to paycheck.

Your business does not have to be a large scale operation. I’m talking about a return/reinvention of small businesses that often sustained Black communities in the past. More at http://OurLegaci.com.

Too often human beings are faced with unhealthy expectations that push us further and further away from our true selves. This outside pressure is especially placed upon the backs of Black communities and communities of African descent.

We are too often expected to be super human, without flaws and suppressed within the confines of boxes that are completely unnatural to us. These boxes usually shrink us, encourage us to run away from our identities, our cultures, our Blackness – while pushing us to the margins of our own lives.

However, one thing I’ve noticed is that we gain strength when ever we embrace ourselves.

- More at OurLegaci.com

This exclusion from the political process is largely due to historic economic and political disenfranchisement of Black communities – that has yet to be dismantled. As a result, even as the Democratic party touts inclusivity – Black women (a stronghold of the party) still have issues with gaining support and getting the financial backing to run for office.

We are consistently locked out of the process of becoming elected officials. There are a few organizations trying to change that but we need more!

I will never forget how the Democratic Party left Donna Edwards out to dry when she ran for the Senate in 2016. It was a tragic loss, highlighting pains that Black women running for office face on a continual basis.

Continue reading at OurLegaci.com.

In this current environment, with increasing racial hostility disguised as politics, we need more national televised platforms that both centralize and elevate Black voices. Televised Black news shows are needed, even if it’s just a thirty minute segment.

Hopefully, TV One or BET will find a way to successfully incorporate news and core community issues within their programming – outside of the realm of scripted series or reality tv shows.

And lets not forget the horrific Harriet Tubman "comedy" sex-tape that his company was shamed into taking down a few years ago.

We have got to stop automatically putting our trust into people simply because they claim to be down for the cause. Russell Simmons is no friend of our community. He's a user, a predator - with a nice guy smile.