Since the recent publicized killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, Unheard Voices Facebook has been getting relatively new attention on the stories that we cover and previously covered.

New and old articles of ours are starting to circulate the web as people look for significant dialogues on race relations. Rest assure, Unheard Voices is definitely a place where you can find such informative articles.

This past week, I shared a photo of a man that changed his Starbucks app to say #blacklivesmatter. For those of you who know Starbucks, whenever the barista finishes your order, they yell out your name to let you know the order is ready. So every time Lex Cross orders, the barista has no other choice to say Black Lives Matter.

Cross started this post, in what I grasp, to highlight the recent killings of non-threatening Black men.  So this is why I shared it. I thought it was interesting that Cross did this.

The post started to receive likes immediately. One commenter, who will remain nameless, proceeded to say “this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen”, followed by laughing emoji’s. I knew what he was implying, but I simply just asked him why. Nothing more. I wanted to engage in a dialogue with him, but in turn he would spew out a hateful and malicious message against an outlet and a person he doesn’t know.

I knew it was coming. I’ve watched debates online about the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. They are followed by arguments that all lives matter. The argument that blue lives matter. And the argument that whites are killed more than Black people by police, so why are people in protesting over black lives. When someone says that, what they mean is, are blacks truly over sensationalizing what’s happening to them? No, they are not. But these are the arguments I see on a daily when someone uses the hashtag #blacklivesmatter.

Without truly knowing or understanding the post, this person managed to say that Unheard Voices was a part of some media propaganda to separate this country and divide it.  I was more than disappointed. It was a personal attack. But I also read deep into his message and realized that he was actually saying matters like these need not to be talked about. As he states, “just because you go through something doesn’t mean you have to talk about it.” As a minority himself he said, he’s been through things and just rolls with the punches.

Probably, the most saddest thing you could do is just “roll with the punches”. My father was constantly harassed by the police for driving a brand new Mercedes Benz. At the time, he was a computer scientist and college professor. He and his CPA wife bought the Mercedes with their hard earned money. Yet, they were constantly reminded by the police their success didn’t matter simply because of the color of his skin. Had my father decided to “roll with the punches” (because that’s life), Unheard Voices would have not existed today.

I went full in. I gave him statistics about white vs blacks being killed. It seemed from his argument that he was trying to shut down that black lives don’t matter because white lives are killed more. But he vehemently overlooked the fact that 14.4% of the population is Black and 77% is white. Black and Latino’s are statistically stopped more during routine traffic stops.

He failed to take into account that a high number of cases where black people were killed by police were unarmed. He also further failed to look at disproportionate disadvantages that black Americans face and the stigmas that are put on them simply because of the color of their skin. Later on after I gave them these facts, he agreed they were valid.

But it wasn’t that statement from him that struck me, it was the personal attack on this so-called media agenda that he claims media outlets, particularly Unheard Voices outlets, are spewing. Some of the stuff he said was actually factual that some mainstream outlets are only posting because it helps them make money. But he put us into that category. I was flattered he thought we were some giant like NBC, but offended at the same time because he didn’t even know Unheard Voices or how we got started.

He failed to realize that progressive black outlets were started to tell stories of black people. Just like we have HBCUs. Just like we have Black banks. Just like we Black organizations. We have Black media outlets. Because no one will tell our stories CORRECLTY, but US.

What disturbed me completely was after telling him my experience, he said it wasn’t my obligation to speak on it.  His silence mentality struck a nerve. I never had the chance to say to him because I blocked him from the page, but I wanted to explain the Martin Luther King Jr. philosophy.

Martin Luther King Jr. and the freedom fighters did not believe in the words silence. It was the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s which enacted laws to make a person of color like him to live freely today. If they were silent on those issues that mattered, I am almost certain none of those policy changes and laws would have happened. It takes a movement.

In one of my graduate studies class, I wrote a paper entitled Black Violence : The Language of the Unheard. I spoke about how rioting led to significant changes and manifested the Black Power Movement that was a positive influence within black communities.

It was African American newspapers in the 50s and 60s that were circulated that told the positive stories of black Americans, not just only the afflictions.

It was boycotting and marching that lead to the Civil Rights Act and Voting Act of 1964 and 1965. If, during those times, people were silent on Jim Crow laws, segregation issues, things would have certainly been swept under the rug. Silence will never resolve problems. Silence lets it continue to germinate.

The theory of staying silent is the root of all problems today. For some reason, a majority of Americans have the “it doesn’t concern me” mentality and dare not talk about race relations. If you do talk about it, you are a “racist” and spreading some “hidden propaganda”.

Unfortunately, through a systemic racist system that obviously did not develop overnight, this country has never truly been integrated or “equal”. So how can media outlets, especially smaller managed ones, create a divide on a country that was never fully equal in the first place? Yes, some headlines are condescending saying “a black man was killed by a white police officer” instead of saying “a man was killed by a police officer”. But what is critically important is the comments that follow. That is not propaganda but true feelings that a lot of Americans share. A lot of those comments are hateful towards minorities. And that is something the media did not create by posting stories on police shootings. Just like Trump did not create racists. They were always there, just like America’s systematic racism. What I mean is, just because you fellowship with Black people, live among Black people, work with Black people, and see Black people in positions of power, did not suddenly makes things in America equal. There is still much work to do.

We need papers like the The Root, The Grio, Amsterdam News, Unheard Voices, Blativity, and even sites like RawStory & CopBlock, to talk about OUR stories. Us, telling our stories, have been around before social media started making black and brown issues go viral. Mainstream media outlets have no choice today to engage in dialogue because now the world is watching. We tend to forget how influential media is. The minute you see something happening whether it is positive or negative, for immediate exposure you go to a media outlet. Why? Because media outlets readership can help get your story heard. Now some of their agendas is another thing, but the meaning of smaller outlets like Unheard Voices is to give out a different perspective. Independent outlets are not controlled by the government. So therefore to say independent outlets are spewing some hidden agenda is really asinine, and it eliminates its influential existence. But I digress.

Like Jesse Williams said, if you don’t have any suggestions on how we can change systematic oppression, then do not try to silence me for telling our stories. You may not care about these issues, but there are a plethora of people who do. Unheard Voices has been here before the cameras started capturing it, and we will be here when it recedes.

I see many of you fighting for social justice through social media commentary. I write this piece for all of you to keep fighting and telling your stories. If you know you are not spewing hate but spreading knowledge toward social justice and change, do not let them silence you.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said :

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter

Should you mind your social media behavior?

You’ve got the perfect cover letter and resume. The employer is impressed by your education and experience. You’ve landed the interview, and the hiring manager is impressed even more. You’ve done your homework and you’ve answered the questions with so much poised you know you’ve nailed that interview.

The company is interested in hiring you and the final step is doing a background check. You know you passed your background check so you’re good to go, or are you? You had the job until they looked at your social media behavior.

Or you’ve landed the job, but later on your social media behavior has become a problem to your employer. After careful consideration, they decide to alleviate you from your position.

It can happen.

Today, employers are no longer looking at your impressive resume and references to see if you are a perfect fit for the position. Hiring managers are now looking at the potential candidate’s social media. Whether you’re applying for a fortune 500 company, or a even a blog as a writer, they are looking.

Best believe, if your social media behavior isn’t right, you are not in the door or you’re out the door.

1. Social Media Can You Get You FIRED!

With the emergence of social media, companies had to reconstruct their policies on how employees should “behave” when it comes to social media.

Many employees found they were not immune to being given the pink slip after what they said on social media. Some public figures have been made examples of what not to do on social media.

Remember Director of Communications of IAC PR Justine Sacco? After complaints and backlash, she was quickly removed from her position after she posted a derogatory statement about Africa and AIDS on her twitter. She and countless others learned the hard way that your social media behavior can get you fired.

2. Bad Social Media Behavior Will Not Get You HIRED!

People still don’t understand that your social media can help you or seriously hurt you. Sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and even Instgram allow the employer to get a glimpse of who you are outside the cover letter, resume, and interview.

Does your social media represent the kind of person someone would want to hire? If you applied for a position today, would a potential employer cringe at your social media accounts?

3. You’re an entrepreneur. So you don’t have to worry about what you post on social media? Wrong. Social media can make you lose potential clients, and current clients.

I cannot count the number of times people have contacted me for potential business, and after looking at their social media behavior I respectfully declined. I have even stopped doing business with clients because of their social media behavior, especially if you’re tying my business to your name. It is a poor representation of you, and most importantly the company you are working with.

Don’t get me wrong, it is okay to show who you are, but don’t show too much. You cannot talk on your public account about how you would like to work with others to build your brand,  and then post inappropriate photos/content on your account.

4. It just doesn’t work like that.

Things you should NEVER post or DO on social media:

1. Internet bully behavior

2. Random ignorant ramblings

3. Immature posts

4. Personal conversations

5. Sharing confidential information about your job or personal opinions about your job

6. Sexual content

7. You doing illegal drugs

The bottom line is, if you choose to post publicly on your social media accounts, make sure it’s working toward your advantage. The information you provide on your background on that cover letter, resume, or proposal should exhibit the same person on your social media.

Mind your social media behavior, and always think before you post.

Black face has no place in society.

The holiday of Halloween can be an exciting time, especially for kids to dress up in fun costumes and receive candy.

It’s also for individials to express another personality.

Unfortunately, this holiday has brewed some ignorant displays as well.

William Filene (L) dressed as Trayvon Martin, Caitlin Cimeno (center) and Greg Cimeno as George Zimmerman. (Photo courtesy of Instagram)

The recent picture of two young men from Florida, one dressed as Trayvon Martin and one as George Zimmerman has caused outrage.

In another incident, Dancing With The Stars celebrity Julianne Hough just apologized for her outfit.

What is going on?

It has no place on Halloween, or anywhere for that matter.

I repeat, you do not have to dress in that face to represent a Black person.

It is in no way traditional or customary, and has no place in our society.

Wearing a Black face is just as a bad as putting a white hoodie on pretending you’re from the Klan.

The history on Black face

Black face is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows during the Jim Crow era in which performers created a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The characters of Black face minstrelsy have played a significant role in displaying racist images, attitudes and perceptions about people of color worldwide.

During this time, White America’s perceptions of Black entertainers were shaped by minstrels mocking Blacks.

For over one hundred years the belief that Blacks were racially and socially inferior was stimulated by legions of both white and black performers.

It has a deep-rooted history that incites painful memories of discrimationary acts that Blacks had to face. It’s not funny, and the phrase “it’s harmless and innocent fun” or “it’s just make up” will simply not cut it.

The truth of the matter is, no one should be dressing in Black face, red face, white face, or yellow face.

When you think of your costume for Halloween, let’s think with a conscience.