4. From the Browder File: 22 Essays on the African American Experience - Anthony T. Browder

This is a collection of essays published in the Washington Afro-American newspaper by Anthony T. Browder in the '80s. Lots of great information about the amazing technology, literature, etc. that came out of Egypt; also contemporary issues like African Americans and our (often horrible) diet and even Tiger Woods and Michael Jackson.

In my opinion - Tavis Smiley should have read this book before putting together America: I Am. It talks about Masons; the symbolism of the dollar bill; how we've been brainwashed to believe that black is negative and white is positive (did you know that people did not start wearing black at funerals to symbolize death - they wore it because black was a symbol of strength, and the family members of the person who passed on would wear black to try to find strength to deal with the pain of their loss?); etc. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed America: I Am ... but there are so many beautiful and amazing stories that came out of Africa - we are a brilliant people! Slavery isn't the only thing we were good for.

Some interesting selections:
"The term [education] is derived from the Latin educere , meaning to bring out. The process of education is therefore the process of bringing out knowledge which is already inside you. This age-old methodology was first developed and cultivated by our African foreparents in ancient Egypt."

From the essay entitled Television and its Influence on African American Children: "With the increased popularity of 'reality based programming,' music videos, and exploitative shows like Jerry Springer, we can expect our children [and us!] to be turned into 'short-attentioned spanned, socially inept, media junkies.'
Didn't you know that television is addictive? The more you watch the more you need to watch. Didn't you know that television is not benign. The steady stream of radiation, light and sound emanating from the set is absorbed into your body like a sponge. Once it gets outside of your head, the words, images and sounds reconfigure your thoughts and influence your behavior. They don't call the shows programs for nothing."

From the essay Eat, Drink and Be Merry ... "Many people don't know it, but the worst possible food you can put into your body is meat. The human digestive tract is not designed to process meat. Any food which stays in your body for more than 8 hours is going to cause problems. It takes meat an average of 90 hours to be digested. During that time, undigested pieces of meat will remain in the colon and rot, sending toxins into the body, which slowly kill you." [Browder's recommendation: eat organic chicken and fish.]