Expanded and revised edition of the first book devoted solely to black fraternity hazing. Are black men naturally violent? Do they define manhood in the same way as their counterparts across lines of race? Are black Greek-letter fraternities among the most dangerous student organizations on American college and university campuses? Can their often-dangerous initiation processes be stopped or even modified and, if not, what should be done about them? In this second edition of Black Haze, Ricky L. Jones takes on these questions and more. The first edition was an enlightening and sometimes disturbing examination of American men’s quest for acceptance, comfort, reaffirmation, and manhood in a world where their footing is often unstable. In this new edition Jones not only provides masterful philosophical and ethical analyses but he also forces the engagement of a terrifying real world process that damages and kills students with all too frequent regularity. With a revealing new preface and stunning afterword, Jones immerses the reader in an intriguing and dark world marked by hypermasculinity, unapologetic brutality, and sometimes death. He offers a compelling book that ranges well beyond the subject of hazing—one that yields perplexing questions and demands difficult choices as we move forward in addressing issues surrounding fraternities, violent hazing, black men, and American society. “Black Haze is a landmark study on hazing culture within black Greek-letter organizations. With an insider’s eye and scholar’s touch, Jones masterfully captures the emic contours, complexities, and contradictions of black fraternity hazing as ritual act and cultural practice. This text is at once rigorous and accessible, theoretical and practical, classic and urgent. Anyone interested in understanding hazing, masculinity, BGLOs, or black cultural practice must read this book!” — Marc Lamont Hill, coauthor of The Classroom and the Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America “Black Haze is a compelling survey of black Greek-letter organizations, their history, purpose, and their most damning traditions. This is an examination of how the virtues of brotherhood and civic service coexist with brutal violence and cruelty within some of the oldest organizations in black America. Professor Jones has produced a vital contribution about a crucial and enduring problem.” — William Jelani Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress “Ricky Jones’s Black Haze is an important study of black male identity development. By examining black men’s relationship with fraternities, he uncovers larger and brilliantly penetrating insights into issues of masculinity and political identity among African American males in the post-civil rights era.” — Peniel E. Joseph, author of Waiting ’Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America “Black Haze is a riveting coup de grâce against ritualized violence in black fraternities. The second edition of Black Haze is the most penetrating, illuminating, and articulate sociopolitical and cultural analysis of the chilling legacy of violence in black Greek-letter fraternities. As one of the world’s leading authorities on black masculinity and organizations, Ricky Jones intelligently confronts traditional verities, social norms, and myths that seek to justify and continue ritualized violence in black fraternities through the courageous prism of a reformed insider dedicated to the preservation of black dignity and life.” — Jeremy I. Levitt, author of Black Women and International Law: Deliberate Interactions, Movements and Actions Praise for the First Edition “ provides valuable insights into the reasoning behind hazing, a practice that extends into the realms of sports and even high school, and is relevant for not only fraternity members and officials, but the general public as well.” — The Griot “ an important contribution because of the skillful manner in which Jones incorporates and critically analyzes relevant literature and other related scholarly writings Jones, himself a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, offers personal observations as well as first-hand views and perceptions of hazing.” — Journal of College Student Development

Are black men naturally violent? Do they define manhood in the same way as their counterparts across lines of race? Are black Greek-letter fraternities among the most dangerous student organizations on American college and university campuses? Can their often-dangerous initiation processes be stopped or even modified and, if not, what should be done about them? In this second edition of Black Haze, Ricky L. Jones takes on these questions and more. The first edition was an enlightening and sometimes disturbing examination of American men's quest for acceptance, comfort, reaffirmation, and manhood in a world where their footing is often unstable. In this new edition Jones not only provides masterful philosophical and ethical analyses but he also forces the engagement of a terrifying real world process that damages and kills students with all too frequent regularity. With a revealing new preface and stunning afterword, Jones immerses the reader in an intriguing and dark world marked by hypermasculinity, unapologetic brutality, and sometimes death. He offers a compelling book that ranges well beyond the subject of hazing—one that yields perplexing questions and demands difficult choices as we move forward in addressing issues surrounding fraternities, violent hazing, black men, and American society.

Introduction The year is 2060, a time after the world had fallen; a time when half the population had disappeared suddenly. Some call it the apocalypse; Christians call this phenomena "The Rapture." These rumors beheld the ones who witnessed the disappearances with their own eyes. Most people were skeptical however, because of what they see now in this present. Computers have evolved into copycats of humans, and the "eye in the sky" is this future's judge, jury, and executioner. The "Order," known as the Bureaucracy of the United Government (BUG) has become the "One World Government" to control this chaos. But, to do so, they've enslaved mankind to his own domain. Dr Curt, an employee of "The Order" has just discovered a secret file in his employer's mainframe computer database, which shocks the doctor's equilibrium to its center core. He is now a fugitive on the run with the classified materials he stole... Ex Police Officer Destyne is also on the run when she tried to assist her longtime colleague and mentor (ignorant to the Doc's cause)... Both their intentions are to get themselves and family off the island before it's too late. But, are intentions enough? Will they make it? The countdown has already begun. Both their fates dangle on the string of life and death. Insights Many people may not know this but the inspiration for this book came from a dream I had one morning before this whole pandemic with the Covid-19 versus vaccines blew up. Call it a premonition or revelation... you be the judge. The stories in this book's timeline are around the futuristic year of 2060, and based upon Eschatology... the way things are going in this world today... the year 2060 and its technologies are approaching very quickly. There are many factors and experiences from my own personal life that conjured the stories on its pages. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Book two is coming soon... To visit this book's official page, search for it on https://knightvision.ink

At the turn of the twentieth century, black fraternities and sororities, also known as Black Greek-Letter Organizations (BGLOs), were an integral part of what W.E.B. Du Bois called the “talented tenth.” This was the top ten percent of the black community that would serve as a cadre of educated, upper-class, motivated individuals who acquired the professional credentials, skills, and capital to assist the race to attain socioeconomic parity. Today, however, BGLOs struggle to find their place and direction in a world drastically different from the one that witnessed their genesis. In recent years, there has been a growing body of scholarship on BGLOs. This collection of essays seeks to push those who think about BGLOs to engage in more critically and empirically based analysis. This book also seeks to move BGLO members and those who work with them beyond conclusions based on hunches, conventional wisdom, intuition, and personal experience. In addition to a rich range of scholars, this volume includes a kind of call and response feature between scholars and prominent members of the BGLO community.

Morose claims to have been rescued by a mermaid. Morose bestows a precious gift to Lavender and then she uncharacteristically runs off with him. John has to travel the world to discover the reason his true love has left him for Morose with the help of Paully and his reformed daughter Nan Fey.

Smoke is a collection of poems written over the course fo two years. It is portrait of grief and the courage it takes to sit with it. Smoke is an account of what it feels like to be intimate with sadness and loneliness. It is a portrait of healing. Smoke is documentation of growth and its grueling processes. Smoke begins in grief and ends in joy. It is a book where the black girl rescues herself. Smoke includes popular poems such as "For Colored Girls who Don't Need Katy Perry when Missy Elliott is Enough" and "hymn."

NINTH IN THE "CONTINUOUSLY SURPRISING AND DEVIOUSLY WRITEN" SERIES Genetically engineered interstellar surgeon Dr. Cherijo Torin, her husband Duncan Reever, and a handpicked crew journey to the planet oKia to locate a strange black mineral that is the source of an intergalactic epidemic. When one of the crew members becomes infected, his body slowly begins to crystallize. While Cherijo races to save the crew member, mercenaries arrive in the oKia system, wanting Cherijo's genes-and her near immortality. It will take all of her abilities to elude the mercenaries and discover the black crystal's secrets before it's too late.