 
Thank You For Your Concern...Now Hit Us On The New BlackElectorate.com Voicemail
As many of you are aware of, we experienced a three-day ‘blackout’ at BlackElectorate.com. We apologize to those of you who had your regular routine and information flow disrupted as a result. I am pleased to inform you that the issue affecting the technical side of our website has been corrected.
I am especially grateful to those of you who left messages directly or through intermediaries expressing your concern for not only the website but for myself and our whole team. Some of you, it appears, were ready to send out search parties and the army brigade if we did not resurface soon. And when I learned of the hundreds who on Saturday, came out to protest the police shut down of the popular The Pirate Bay website in Stockholm, Sweden, I thought to myself, “We better hurry and get back up soon before our viewers really start to act up.”
I was very touched by your heartfelt messages, mostly from people I have never met, but who consider this website a home and vital part of their mental food and daily regimen. The connection and feeling is mutual. Although I have never met you either, I do think of you often and try to think of ways that BlackElectorate.com can make a difference in your personal and professional life, your community, and throughout the world.
It is hard to explain the spiritually rewarding experience of meeting some of you randomly and learning that our website is a personal favorite. I will never forget, for example, the night I was at a fight party in Atlanta in 2004 watching the Bernard Hopkins- Oscar De LaHoya bout, and in a ‘chance’ conversation met individuals who not only informed me they visit BlackElectorate.com but who could also run back topics and articles we had covered and written on ‘chapter and verse,’ it seemed
Just two Sundays ago in D.C. I ran into a Brother who I knew in the faith but who I never knew visited the website. Sure enough he started to run down recent headlines and articles we had featured. I was amazed at his attention to detail. We had a great conversation while waiting inline for coffee. I shared with him as much as I could of my heart in relation to why we maintain this website.
Encounters like these happen every so often, and I am always overwhelmed by the effect and impact that our work is credited with having in the lives of others.
So, I felt terrible at times, on Thursday and Friday, in particular, realizing that we were not delivering what you all have come to rely on and expect. And as I watched the news, listened to satellite radio, and surfed the Net I felt worse – recognizing stories that I desired for us to cover but which we were unable to. I am sure that our team felt the same way.
I told a friend of mine the only short term benefit of the website going down was that it allowed our news editor, Andy, to sleep in one day. That was all I could come up with and feel good about.
For the first time, ever, I imagined what people do without BlackElectorate.com. I felt like we had let all of you down. You see, some of us don’t feel we need a written contract and compensation in order to have an obligation and duty that we feel we must keep.
So in addition to appreciating your concern, I also want to make it clear that I appreciate the privileged position we sit in every day as a witness to the world who has earned your trust the hard way and who will never do anything intentionally to destroy it.
We missed you and our work as much as you missed us – maybe more, if that is possible.
It is an honor to serve you each and every day. You are the most beautiful, intelligent, and hillarious group any website could wish for. I wish you all could meet one another in a stadium somewhere.
So once again, we are fine, and on our jobs as we end our first Semester of BEEU, and move into our second Semester, inspired as ever to help you better understand yourself, your community and world.
Nothing satisfies us more than keeping you informed, educated and motivated for action in pursuit of an enlightened self-interest
And nothing hurts more than when we are not able to do that.
So I got to thinking about ways we can hear from more of you all and vice-versa and we decided that today we would unveil a new feature - the BlackElectorate.com voicemail. The number is (856)-964-4664. You can leave a voicemail on any subject pertaining to what you are reading on the website or would like to see more of; your thoughts on an ediorial; well-wishes, constructive criticism and, even, a good humorous 'ethnic' story or two.
This is a way for some of you regulars to help us put a voice to those e-mail missives.
The usual rules and standards apply - no solicitation, shallow rhetoric, or long speeches.
Be mindful you are being recorded and we may play your message at BlackElectorate.com in the future.
I and the team will be checking messages all week, and looking forward to responding to as many as possible, so leave a call back number as well as your e-mail on the voicemail.
We're back.
Sincerely,
Cedric Muhammad
Publisher
BlackElectorate.com
http://www.blackelectorate.com
Cedric Muhammad Monday, June 5, 2006 To discuss this article further enter The Deeper Look Dialogue Room
The views and opinions expressed herein by the author do not necessarily represent the opinions or position of BlackElectorate.com or Black Electorate Communications.
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