Bling Bling Brings Poverty Not Wealth

Too often people in our community are confusing flaunting materialism with actual wealth. Being obsessed with bling bling can actually bring about poverty and doesn't equal wealth. Having wealth is a lot about having assets.

An asset is something that makes money for you as passively as possible even while you sleep like real estate, stocks & bonds, and these days e-commerce or ad enabled websites and blogs. Even ebooks can be assets for you generating significant income or money.

While you may work on a job to make money, on the other hand, an asset will work hard for you to make money.

Too many people of humble beginnings get a little money and get caught up with the symbols of success but not the substance of wealth.  I think even with the so called "prosperity gospel" too often people focus on nice cars, jets, and homes rather than commercial or business investments or assets that can make them money for the long term.

Furthermore complicating wealth creation for blacks due to redlining, less access to capital and credit, and getting less value for their real estate we to a large extent have fewer resources to create substantial assets. Moreover, the average black family makes less money than the average white family.

Blacks on average make less than $20,000 a year than white families.  And all of this income disparity cannot be linked to lack of work related skills in the black community or education.  Forbes reported that Black students with degrees have about the same chance of being hired as white high school dropouts. A recent study revealed that the average black woman makes 64 cents for every dollar a white male makes in the same profession.

This alone contributes to a great wealth gap in the Black community.  $20,000 dollars more a year pay to white families at just 6% yearly compound interest over a 40 year work career is almost a whooping 3.5 million dollars!  No wonder there is such a wealth disparity between whites and blacks in this country.

Sobering financially factors like these are no doubt demoralizing to many in the Black community and far too many resort to images of being well to do like "bling bling" jewelry or status designer clothes or flashy cars rather than actually looking to create viable assets.

We can see the consequences of this in the flashy wears of the secularized hip hop culture and on the other end of the spectrum in the spiritualized interpretation of the "prosperity gospel" adopted more recently by the black church influenced by southern television preachers.

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There is some good news for those looking to build more tangible assets without a lot of money or credit. Even if you can't afford real estate, stocks, or bonds you can invest in building digital assets online.

I've had websites with Google ads and ebooks generate as much passive income 24/7 as people who owned actual real estate.  If you learn how to drive traffic to a site monetized with ads, products, ebooks, apps or other software people are willing to pay for you can generate considerable income and on AUTOpilot. 

When you have a viable business and want to know how to turn a website or blog into an asset inbox me for more info.  These days virtual assets can actually bring in as much money as traditional assets like real estate in terms of cash flow if set up properly. Don't just settle for flashy bling when you can bring in real income with digital assets.

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Kamau is a popular Blogger, Writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online. If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Kamau's Qu!ps reaches over 30,000 web users a month through it's Blog and Social Media Promotions. For Advertising Opportunities visit Search Engine Plan.com

Is the Black Church Misleading Black Women and Keeping them Single?

Is the Black Church Misleading Black Women and Keeping them Single? Some Christians and other observers to the high singleness rate women in the Black Church claim this is the case. Checkout the video above by Ms. April Mason to see her take on the issue. It is worth checking out.   

I'm feel sad the need to stick to Biblical literalism and Christian Fundamentalism too often is making the Black Church less relevant and effective in addressing the needs of Black women in regards to being married. It is reported 70% of the women in the Black Church are single.

This is such a provocative and complex topic I wish I had time to begin to go in on it. I could opine a week on this and just scratch the surface.

But to cut to the chase, I feel the present Church leadership especially Black Church leaders are creating a condition where large numbers of Black women will be single and or divorced. I hear Christian divorce is one of the highest in the country at like 65%.

Many single Black women in the Church tell me they are focusing on their children and don't have time to explore a relationship with man. Many go decades without dating focusing on their children until they're grown.

But is this wise or prudent?  And shouldn't Black ministers be warning against this type of behavior. Or should they just counsel them to wait?

I've heard a Jewish marriage counselor state that making children the primary focus of our lives creates self centered children. I concur with that outlook because children need to see us taking time to care for ourselves and our relationships.

I constantly here Christian women say their role is to "wait on the Lord" to send them a man. But they wouldn't just "wait on the Lord" for a job right?

Black Christian women prepare themselves for a good job by working hard and getting an education. Why do they metaphorically always say "wait on the Lord" to send them a man.

I'm not a marriage counselor but I think it is fair to say seeing countless women in churches for decades without husbands or dates isn't ideal even for our children to see. I mean when I go to the laundry my daughter even tries to hook me up with dates for Pete's Sake. LOL! SMH!

She wants to see her dad dating and happy. Yep, Ms. Missy makes friends with gregarious women in the laundry and asks me "dad why don't you get her number?" Awkward. LOL!

My Daughter Tries to Hook Me Up with Women LOL!

So it is important for our children to see us living a balanced life in relationships with others. Especially if we expect them to have a balanced and fulfilling life.

However, many Black Churches emphatically expect their members to attend Church a few times a week.  But is it wise to center your life around church attendance in this way if you have children or want to be in a loving relationship? 

It would be hard to be in a relationship, marriage, or just keep up on your child's homework up to date going to church a few times a week. I think a lot of this crosses issues like the Church's interests, idealized expectations, disingenuous hermeneutics, biology, psychology, etc. But I've read a lot of Black women recently who are saying similar things: http://survivingdating.com

For instance many Church women point out Biblical stories about men searching for a wives and take this as a divine eternal truth - that women wait for men to find them.  However, in Biblical times they had arranged marriages for the most part and that was the social traditions of the time.  Does that mean we take examples of social or cultural traditions in Biblical times and make them divine paradigms or Biblical doctrines on marriage or other issues?

Would it be wrong for a woman to see a nice guy and say hello and introduce themselves because it is at odds with Biblical stories where men usually searched for wives?  Maybe the guy wouldn't see a woman unless she made herself known.

I for one know there are plenty of nice, intelligent, and loving women in Black Churches and would love to see them married more and dating. I'd like to see more Spiritual sistas happy.

So these are questions that I think Church congregants need to start asking themselves. With almost 70% of Black women in the Church single and 65% divorced it is time to start to ask hard questions and to look for new answers like Deborrah Cooper and Dr. Boyce Watkins are doing in the video below. It is worth checking it out. 

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Kamau is a popular Blogger, Writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online. If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Kamau's Qu!ps reaches over 30,000 web users a month through it's Blog and Social Media Promotions. For Advertising Opportunities visit Search Engine Plan.com

Business Profiles: Celebrity Caterer Cooks Up Fresh Food for the Soul

New York, New York, July, 18th 2014, Mischelle Leathers was busy preparing to cater the annual BBQ/Fish Fry of 600+ attendees for the Historic Abyssinian Baptist Church.  In September, she will be catering another event of over 1,500 guests. Given her growing success catering for celebrities like Jennifer Hudson, Harry Belafonte, Bill Clinton, Mos Def, Chris Tucker and many more she can’t help but reflect on her humble beginnings.

Starting at the age of four, Ms. Leathers began learning the art of cooking delicious soul food with a penchant for using the freshest ingredients. Her perspective on garnishing and preparing soul food using the freshest meats, poultry, and vegetables was driven home for her especially in the summers when visiting her birthplace of Durham, North Carolina. There she experienced, up close and personal, the difference fresh ingredients contribute to creating exceptionally delicious meals.

Her relatives in Durham had gardens filled with fresh produce; they raised poultry and hogs; and had a pond where they caught fresh fish.  Mischelle was always attentive and became acquainted with the cooking techniques of her southern relatives. By the time Mischelle was a teenager, she was able to prepare full-course meals and contribute to cooking for large family reunions, fish fries and barbecues. Inspired by her rural beginnings, today Mischelle insists on only the freshest ingredients for her catering business named appropriately of course: Mischelle's Catering.

With such an exclusive insistence on the freshest, tastiest ingredients possible, Mischelle exhibits an untiring work ethic when cooking for events of 500+ guests.  Her work ethic and love of cooking is a trait passed down from her Mother, Mary Johnson and her grandmother, Ossilean Ellis who were at times were known to hold three full-time jobs, simultaneously, in order to support  the family.

Ms. Leathers would later attend NYU and also work as an event planner for the large and prestigious public relations firm Burson-Marsteller (B-M).  For over twenty-years, Mischelle was employed by the public relations giant. B-M employees are known world-wide providing their clients with unrivalled strategic thinking, program execution and gold-star communications services.
For years, Mischelle was regarded as Burson-Marstellar’s exclusive in-house conference and event planner.  She was responsible for the strategic planning, coordination and administration of world-wide executive board meetings, employee-training sessions and social events.  Her duties also included event site selection and creating menus for all off-site and internal events.

With her love of cooking fresh, well-presented, and delicious soul food combined with her expertise and aplomb with professional event planning, Mischelle Leathers has become the go to caterer for cultural cuisine that will exceed your expectations and is sure to make your taste buds smile. For more info on Mischelle Leathers Catering company Click Here

New Paradigms of Community to Support Black Business.

The National Black United Front (NBUF) is addressing the need to recycle the buying power of the Black dollar. It is claimed that the Black dollar only circulates 1 time before leaving the community while other ethnic groups recycle money in their community up to 7 times. 

The thing that will hold this back is most blacks don't wanna own neighborhood businesses so the dollar can circulate. Local businesses aren't ideal. In fact with few exceptions I wouldn't suggest for blacks to open neighborhood businesses.

Truth be told most local businesses have high overhead, low profit margins, long hours, spoilage, shrinkage, and are dangerous to run. This is why the most successful Black businesses service the corporate sector and government.

In fact most neighborhood businesses are run by immigrants because they wouldn't fit as well into corporate America in that English may not be their native language. Immigrants run these businesses for survival or by default. Plus a lot of Blacks jump in cars and go shop in malls and downtown areas and not in their community any way.

I wonder given these factors and dynamics if we could recycle our money under a new paradigm of community. Could we create marketing epicenters or clusters online to support Black business in virtual types of communities and recycle that way? Hhmmmmm?

Short Guys Get No Respect! Except...

Anyone under 6ft these days gets no respect. Last night I was walking with my daughter and a well dressed guy walks by but he's only 5'3" and she whispers (but not quietly enough) "Daddy look there's a really, really, short man over there."

I said to her "I'm sure he heard you and you've just made his day." SMH I can only imagine what he goes through.

I mean I'm about 5'10" and women say to me all the time "You need to grow up!"  But I stopped at 16. LOL!

But if you are rich and famous "SIZE doesn't Matter!"  Yeah hot chicks will still date you even with their stilettos on if you're a baller shot caller like my man Kevin Hart. Do you Kevin do You. LOL!

Is the Devil Trying to Destroy Black People?

In a YouTube Video I recently watched on Facebook Television Preacher Jesse Duplantis, made some very interesting statements about Black people to say the least. I think he meant well however his statements were too allegorical to make a real impact on the plight of Black people. But listen to the video yourself above and form your own opinion.

It's interesting. I think as another Facebook user Crystal Gaines stated "there's SO much more to be said and DONE than just singing Amazing Grace." I also know he's using Amazing Grace as a metaphor for putting our trust in God again.

However,  we have to remember we sung Amazing Grace but also ran the Underground Railroad, had uprising and rebellions, started our on business and religious institutions, boycotted, protested, and fought in the Civil War. And I say this being a Christian.

I can take some more than others but I'm not a big fan of tele-evangelist and preachers especially their perspective on religious application on social issues. Their opinion seems to be glib at best.

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Kamau is a popular Blogger, Writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online. If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Kamau's Qu!ps reaches over 30,000 web users a month through it's Blog and Social Media Promotions. For Advertising Opportunities visit Search Engine Plan.com

Black Man sent to Prison Even After Overpaying His Child Support

Clifford Hall photo Courtesy Fox 26

There has been a popular media controversy about Clifford Hall a Black man who has been sent to jail for six months due to a issue with his child support payments. Due to clerical or administrative errors on his job his child support payments where in arrears.

Mr. Hall subsequently paid all his child support payments and then some from what was reported in the media but still was sent to jail for 6 months.  To be honest this is a cloudy civil court case. I I don't know all the details.

But this much I do know. The legal system was obviously abusive to Clifford Hall. I can't help but feel the prison industrial complex is behind moves like these to put more black men behind bars.

A lot of people are going to jail for situations like this. It's a way to justify putting Black men in jail is all I can see. It makes no sense.

He will be charged with paying Child Support while in prison. So when he gets out of prison he will have lost his job and be in arrears again.So technically speaking they can put him in jail again. They're setting him up to fail.

The Prison Industrial complex has a way to send functioning Black men to jail. They know black men are last hired and first fired so if you can't always pay on time they send you to prison.

If you survive prison you now have a record so it's even harder to find a job so you fall behind again. It's a Catch 22.  So now they don't just have thugs and felons as slave labor in prisons they have the working class and middle class guys struggling to be fathers in jail too.

What is great about this strategy is Child Support is a wedge issue between Black men and women. So Black women will most likely not speak out or support Black men who go to prison for this type of mishap. It will cause further division in the Black family and community.

It is quite a racket Texas and other states have going on. I hope people can work together to solve child support cases on their own without going through the legal process.

The courts and the legal system isn't doing what's in the best interest for families and children by locking fathers up who are working hard to be in their children's lives. This trend is a disgrace.

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Kamau is a popular Blogger, Writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online. If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Kamau's Qu!ps reaches over 30,000 web users a month through it's Blog and Social Media Promotions. For Advertising Opportunities visit Search Engine Plan.com 

Kamau's Thoughts of the Day

Should America Help Africa. People are wondering if America can help Africa and if our intentions are genuine? Is American genuinely concerned with Africa or is its concerns really neocolonialist in nature?

This is how I feel about the issue. Yes, Africa has resources and promise. But let's face it Africa has a lot of problems too.

Many Blacks in the US would like to help Africa and they lobby and put pressure on the US to help. So it is a complex issue.

Africa is a huge continent. Some of the nations are doing well others are languishing. People of good will of all colors are going to want to see less disease, hunger, and drought in Africa. So in my humble opinion we should advocate for Africa but also keep our eyes open to people trying neocolonialist efforts to control the continent.

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Kamau is a popular Blogger, Writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online. If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Kamau's Qu!ps reaches over 30,000 web users a month through it's Blog and Social Media Promotions. For Advertising Opportunities visit Search Engine Plan.com