bring back THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK

From back in the day, circa mid- 1980's, there was a buzz on the streets of New York City about "THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK."

"The Little Black Book" was  approximately 5"x 5",  had 17 pages and could fit neatly in a shirt or pants pocket.  The booklet was written by Carol Taylor, R.N.

Now in case you didn't know, or don't know, Carol Taylor, R.N. became the first Black airline flight attendant in the United States when she joined Mohawk Airlines in 1958. The company was interested in hiring a minority candidate.Taylor was hired from among 800 applicants.

Prior to that milestone in  her career, Carol Taylor, who attended Elmira College in upstate New York, had also graduated, in 1955, from the Bellevue School of Nursing as a registered nurse, hence the designation, R.N.

But this is not about her being a pioneer in Black History, or aviation. This is also not about her being a pioneer in nursing, where she founded the first professional nursing journal in Barbados in the 1960"s, nor is it about her being a journalist, or civil rights activist in the 1970"s, where Carol Taylor co-founded the Institute for Inter Racial Harmony,  This is about "The Little Black Book" that Taylor wrote in 1985.

"The Little Black Book" was originally written as a survival guide to help young Black men succeed in a racist society. According to Taylor, "I started writing out rules of survival for my son...and I suddenly thought...why not write out directions for all Black Males living in America?"

Carol Taylor eventually penned a total of 30 rules that young Black men should follow to ensure  they do not become an endangered species in American society.

The object of this Survival Manual was to save lives, the lives of Black males.

I ran into Carol Taylor one day in the late 1980's on Court Street in downtown Brooklyn, New York, where I purchased a copy of "The Little Black Book"  for myself, so  I could instruct my young sons. We chatted and she autographed my copy of the booklet.

But now in 2015, I have young daughters , who need to be schooled on how to conduct themselves around authority figures, because they are now targets, as well as Black males.

So there is a need for "The Little Black Book"  to resurface and to be revised to include survival techniques for Black females. As a matter of fact, Black females  are  now being constantly violated by the authorities that are supposed to be serving and helping them.

We all need to know that Black females matter too! Without Black females, there would be no Black males.


I am calling on Carol Taylor, R.N. to revise her manual to include women and girls!




To read more on Carol Taylor, GOOGLE her name.