ChickenBones has adopted the following three steps
that we hope will allow us to be around
when other
websites have literally "dropped off the screen." We
offer these steps to all
who have set up websites for the
benefit of African people.
This
Year's Review:
The Future of ChickenBones: a
Journal
In the last year, ChickenBones: A Journal has amassed
and published over 100 megs of information--data, literary and
artistic work. Much of the information that provided the base
for the website was not readily accessible. Some of it were
documents, manuscripts, articles published in small journals
or essays presented at conferences or materials related to
Marcus Bruce Christian, Nathaniel Turner of Southampton, black
labor, and the racial repression of the Southern states. Like
many, Christian and Turner were two writers who had problems
getting a fair hearing. Many writers were still in the same
situation as a result of the crass commercialism of publishing.
So at the very beginning we solicited the work of others writers
and artists.
With numerous gifts of writings, photos, images of artwork,
with committed individuals willing to make sacrifices of time,
energy and money, ChickenBones: A Journal has become one
the most popular free, non-commercial, educational websites on
the East Coast, if not in the entire country. This success has
been expedited by the contribution of over 100,000 words
(including essays, poems, interviews, and a play) by
Kalamu ya Salaam. For last November 2002, we had record traffic:
18, 867 visitors and 186, 488 hits. For the year 2002, our total
numbers will be over 90,000 visitors and over 750,000 hits! For
a website that has been in existence only one year we think that
this is a phenomenal showing.
We do not know personally all those who have come to the
site. We know that there have been thousands of visits from
hundreds of universities in the United States, Canada, and the
United Kingdom. We have had visits from over fifty countries --
in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. We have regular
visits from Belize and Mexico, from Seychelles and Egypt, from
Netherlands and France, from Japan and Singapore. ChickenBones:
A Journal is being accessed by personas around the world.
Just recently, ChickenBones entered into a three-year
contract that will keep our site up until the year 2005. We have
done this as part of a three-step strategy that will allow us to
emerge in a stronger position to continue to present new and
current African-American artists and their artistic and
literary themes. When, we started this project we had in mind to
establish a non-commercial website that would serve the needs
and interests of African-Americans. In that such interests are
varied; we have developed a website that reflects a wide
spectrum of topics and concerns. We have thus opened our site to
all writers and artists.
We, at ChickenBones, have looked at the myriad of
African-American organizations that have "survived"
and who have lost their vision of what it means to serve. ChickenBones
is not interested in this kind of survival. We operate under a
different kind of ethical standard. We possess a different
"ethical sensibility" that requires us to think of our
people first and to deal fairly and honestly with all those we
come in contact with. This "ethical sensibility" we
think has been one reason why so many artists have allowed us to
present their work on our site. And, our sense of
responsibility--in doing what is right by and for our people--is
why we think African-American artists will continue to use ChickenBones
as a venue for their works.
ChickenBones has adopted the following three steps
that we hope will allow us to be around when other
websites have literally "dropped off the screen." We
offer these steps to all who have set up websites for the
benefit of African people.
Initiate! We need websites that are dedicated to serving
the needs of children, young adults, students, the elderly;
sites dedicated to learning, economic development, political
education, social welfare, and other issues. This step is
continuous. For we are at heart amateurs in cyberspace. We are
still learning how to get things done.
Institutionalize! Organize websites to serve the
African-American community for years and decades. This means
entering into long term relationships with a web-page provider
or host. But more importantly, it means entering into long-term
reciprocal relationships with the people in your organization
and the people you work with and for. This step also requires
constant modifications to fit vital needs and the time.
Endure! We are in a struggle to serve the broad
interests of our people! There are many African-Americans
who have no practical knowledge of the struggles for civil
rights and the black consciousness movements, and liberation
struggles. There is much work to be done. Undoubtedly, there
will be many obstacles that come with keeping a website up and
running. We say to other young "web masters and
mistresses": Do not become discouraged! With struggle comes
obstacles. Service requires confronting and overcoming
obstacles. They must be accepted as part of the learning
process.
Foremost, we at ChickenBones: A Journal encourage
cooperation among peoples, as well as websites. Our primary
interests are education and the creation of a better world. And,
we hope that whatever progress made by other web organizations
will be posted on their sites for all to share. In the
meanwhile, keep up the struggle. And, if we can help any of you
out there, let us know. After all, cyberspace can be a lonely
place. And without each other, it will remain that way.
The ChickenBones Family hopes all have enjoyed what we
have done so far. We take our responsibility for serving your
needs and interests seriously. We send out our love and
gratitude to all those who have joined us on this journey. We
greatly appreciate your efforts and contributions. We look forward to the coming
year. We hope to look back a year from now and say that our
advances have doubled. We wish all of you, too, enlightenment
and much prosperity.
This "Review" has been presented to
you by members of the ChickenBones Society: Rudolph Lewis,
Chair; Amin Sharif, Vice-Chair; Kinya Kiongozi, Treasurer; and
Yvonne Terry, Secretary.
We served a great audience in 2006: nearly 2 million sessions; over
3.3 million pageviews. In 2007, we still need your active
financial support. ChickenBones is adding and supporting
daily new and established writers, scholars and publishers. We are a
unique and fresh experience in Internet publishing. Our Black
Arts files are growing and including table of contents of
anthologies of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s out of publication and not
on the Internet. We have archival material that is difficult to
access. We have current African writers and a Nigerian audience. We
have religionists of every stripe, including
Turks and atheists,
too. We have articles and materials still on the site published 5
years ago. We have free access. Artists, writers, publishers want to
be on ChickenBones because google and other search engines
put their work in the top ten hits. But they are lax in their
financial support. I cannot accomplish what we do alone: we need
your continuing support. Please send in your donations, today,
encourage your friends, also. Help
Save ChickenBones
Send contributions to:
ChickenBones: A
Journal / 13219 Kientz Road / Jarratt, VA 23867
