Black Social Network

The recent arrest of Harvard professor Henry "Skip" Louis Gates reminds African- Americans that notwithstanding the election of the country's first Black president, a post-racial America remains elusive. Racial profiling continues to dog Blacks regardless of education, profession, or economic class. In fact, and ironically, Black professionals may be more likely to be profiled given their occupancy in environments perceived to be normally reserved for Whites.

African-Americans are responding to racial discrimination by creating offline and online social networks. Black social networks are not merely intended to shatter negative stereotypes and misconceptions. They are also being developed to track, document, and communicate acts of racism; advocate for important social issues in the Black community; organize politically and increase African-American voter registration; and support the economic development of Black-owned businesses.

The emergence of online social networks affords Black professionals and Black organizations the opportunity to collaborate. Black professional organizations such as the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), National Bar Association (NBA), National Medical Association (NMA), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), National Organization of Black Architects, National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Black Public Relations Society (BPRS) stand to benefit from increased networking.

Black civic organizations such as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Urban League (NUL), My Black Networks (MBN), 100 Black Men of America, National Council of Negro Women and National Coalition of 100 Black Women are also taking advantage of online social networks to communicate with their members and fulfill their missions. Similarly, Black fraternities and sororities such as Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Phi, Omega Phi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rohm are using their social networks to raise awareness about causes important to the Black community.

Black social networks are transforming the way members of the African-American community interact with one another and with mainstream America. They are uniting Black small businesses and organizations, Black professionals and Black households with shared economic and socio-cultural needs in order to achieve the common goal of community empowerment.