Blackfolk LiveJournal Community
From BluWiki
History/Overview
The LiveJournal community blackfolk was created on January 25, 2002 by Birmingham native toodani. In a nutshell, blackfolk is a place where people hang out and talk about everything that is on the minds of the posters. It just so happens that about 95% of the posting population happens to be black. Like with any general conversation comminuty, topics on blackfolk are broad, running the gamut from tipping, white privilege, hair, and a strange fixation on Beyonce.
What non-black readers of blackfolk tend to find offensive (and surprising) is that the vast majority of the blackfolk community is self-segregating, with no inherent desire to interact with whites or strive towards racial harmony. A large percentage of the posters have either attended or currently matriculate at historically black colleges. Many are vocal about their refusal (or outright refusal) to date or marry outside of the black race. Blatant racism is met with harsh jeering, and ignorance about race relations is rarely overlooked. It's a far cry from the more docile, Linkin Park-loving blacks who "...look to bask in the warm rays of the white man's tender love", as LJer cumaeansibyl once put it, that so many whites (particularly liberal whites) find themselves relating to. The equally educated, articulate, and hard-working posters at blackfolk are a hard bunch to swallow for scores of LJers, particularly non-black ones. Flamewars are common, and until the community went to moderated membership, trolls were as common as sunshine.
Despite all, blackfolk remains a surprisingly drama-free community despite the lack of staff, laissez-faire style of moderating and community size. In blackfolk's four-year history, only three people have ever been banned - and two of them were the same person. Though there has been discussion about whether one person can successfully moderate a community of nearly 1,300 people, toodani remains the sole maintainer of the community. This is unlikely to ever change.
