Social media can be poison to happiness. There is a cure though.

The quick answer to that is: spend little to know time on there. (less than 5-10minutes a day)

Shout outs to everyone that’s on my page, and to all the new people that I will connect with later this week. I’m taking a fast from social media and working on building my life and helping to build with the community—talk is cheap right?

I’ve been researching social media and its addictions and side-effects. It creates a lot of outrage. There are algorithms related to steering narratives of popular opinion, and even what’s spoken about behind closed doors, and even what we post about. 

So, I've been gone and not posting for 30 days. More energetic, ecstatic and happy. What have I been reading:

What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap by Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity Insight Center for Community Economic Development.

Link:https://socialequity.duke.edu/sites/socialequity.duke.edu/files/site-images/FINAL%20COMPLETE%20REPORT_.pdf

Here's a description written by Antonio Moore: In this report, we address ten common myths about the racial wealth gap in the United States, debunking ideas that are frequently lifted up as “solutions” to the problem, including: greater educational attainment, harder work, better investments, or other changes in habits and practices on the part of blacks. These commonly held notions support a point of view that identifies dysfunctional black behaviors as the basic cause of persistent racial inequality. We systematically demonstrate here that the narrative that places the onus of the racial wealth gap on black defectiveness is false in all of its permutations.

What I'm up to this week: 

I’ll be attending a forum to network with veterans and the community to get involved with creating a discussion, how to connect and find out about job opportunities. I’m interested in networking, creating awareness of the racial wealth gap in America. Far too often as black people we slip from the wet floor of life. There were no signs posted or warning—we’re unaware that our lack of wealth and racism has a direct relationship to us being prey to political violence. From criminal disparity, to lack of jobs and opportunity. 

Meanwhile no other people shopping in our communities, building up our businesses, we barely own any. Far too often be are attempting to fellowship with others, only to be followed around in beauty supply stores, mistreated in nail-shops, and pay inflated prices, to receive basic groceries in the neighborhood. 

My primary goal is to build healthy relationships with blacks, and great allies with other races/cultures. I promote for the peace for everyone. The great Fred Hampton spoke of importance of political education. In pursuit of that I'm reading many books, right now it’s: “How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther”. Check that out at your local library or audible. Such a brilliant community leader, engaged with the people, with charm, focus and dedication—charging all ears in the room. The narrative that’s positioned in the mainstream media is pro-black means anti-white, which is very wrong. The failure of Respectability Politics is that: it doesn’t matter how well you speak, how polite, or how well you’re dressed. At the end of the day you are still black, and you cannot run from blackness. I need you to embrace who you are and accept it. God bless everyone, God bless you if you’re reading this. Power to the people.

Feel free to email me your favorite book. Send a screenshot of it with your hand holding the book to Johnreadstoomuch@gmail.com

Check out my website and let's get engaged. Learn from me, as I learn from you. This is an exchange. God Bless. 

Johnreadstoomuch.com