“We need the historian and philosopher to give us with trenchant pen, the story of our forefathers, and let our soul and body, with phosphorescent light, brighten the chasm that separates us. We should cling to them just as blood is thicker than water.” Legendary historian and archivist Arturo Schomburg–also a Kappa Man!
As I look back on life’s vicissitudes in 2017-18, truly my best professional accomplishment–even more than the vast number of not guilty verdicts I have won for clients in serious felony trials–was my launching Hobbservation Point one year ago today.
The funny thing is that the website was developed while I served my sixth lengthy Facebook suspension over a political post that I had written; kudos to my FAMU Rattler Brother, journalist Peter McKay, for quickly putting the website together to prevent me from ever having to have my ideas “locked up.”
Yes, being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Commentary by “The Hill” in 2017 was cool, and seeing my work published on major media sites like the New York Times, Florida Times-Union, The Grio or the Miami Herald, to name a few, always is a blessing. But trust me when I say that the beauty in media ownership is never having to ask “may I,” or having to deal with an associate editor who rejects a piece because they lack courage to print inconvenient truths or simply do not share my philosophical bent.
As a writer, I never concern myself with how a piece will be received while writing it–I just start writing after my spirit receives a “jolt” that something needs to be addressed. Still, it is always fascinating to go back and look at which pieces were viewed or shared the most and this past year, two articles, one about Lavar Ball and his basketball playing sons, and the other about black suicide rates, were the most viewed and shared articles on the site. In full disclosure, my favorite articles to write are ones that allow me to mix my two loves, history and politics, while showing the cyclical nature of events both past and current. To that end, do expect much more in 2018 and beyond as I realize that truth tellers often are unpopular–but the truth, still must be told!
So, in celebration of year one of this blog, I thank each of you who are among the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Hobbservation Point and I assure you that you will always get the real–not “fake”–news and analysis from Ol’ Hobbs!
