Interview with Rick Marx, Head Editor.
Q: How can I get home delivery of The Colored Folks Times-Dispatch?
Good luck with that. You can’t. We’re online only.
Q: Okay. So are subscriptions available?
No, anyone can read for free for as long as they wish. There’s no paywall. Lack of access to crucial information has made Americans less informed — even dumber, some would say.
Some corporate media graciously let consumers read just 10 articles a month. Most Internet surfers consume that much in less than one hour. So we’re doing what we can. We support the masses — the 99%.
Q: What’s up with the name? Isn’t it racist?
It would be extremely difficult for anyone to find something racist about colored folks. But anything is possible in America. Nonetheless, there are colored folks all over the world — in all corners of the worlds.
Particularly in South Africa, I think it’s still an official designation for a class of people. So I wouldn’t consider it an odd name. In fact colored folks make up a majority of the world’s population.
Q: Okay. But what does that have to do with the United States?
Well, same thing over here. The United States had colored folks until around 1965 or at least the late 1960s. Then they all turned black. Or perhaps disappeared. It’s still unclear now what happened.
Q: Okay. I think I got that. So what’s the main goal for this news-gathering site, if you’ll allow me to call it that?
Sure, no problem. Our primary goal is to report news about colored folks. That simple. Although in the United States the soup du jour is the term people of color, as an editor I strive for brevity and elimination of prepositions whenever possible in copy and speech.
Q: Do you know of any other, if you will, colored people media in the United States?
Sure I will. Nope. And that’s precisely the point. We’re the only news source specifically dedicated to covering news about colored folks.
Q: So the first one ever, huh?
No, not the first. Again, that’s precisely the point. My research shows that there’s not been a newspaper or magazine about colored folks since around 1960-ish. Then about that time, colored folks disappeared or some became black, whatever.
Q: So why not Black Folks Times-Dispatch or African-American Times-Dispatch?
Well, as I alluded to before, around 1970 blacks became in vogue. And around the early 1980s African Americans took over. So since the 1960s, those groups have had media tailored to them. Even Afro Americans had their own media sources. So those groups have been covered, if you will. And since that time, they’ve left colored folks out of the game, if you know what I mean.
Q: Well, okay, I think I know what you mean. Sounds like you have a personal stake in the name?
Yes, indeed. My birth certificate lists my race as colored, so I’m sticking with that. It’s neutral.
Q: Besides no paywall, what’s another feature that distinguishes this site from other online news sites?
We believe in free speech for all, so we make commenting easy. No registration is required. And commenters don’t have to use their real name. Just put something down and express yourself.
Q: Why is that so special?
The Internet is a creepy place — well, there are a lot of creeps, trolls, and malcontents on the Internet. We don’t want to possibly endanger a reader who makes a comment that another commenter disagrees with and then that person shows up in their neighborhood looking for them with the intent of causing harm.
That’s why we don’t use the Facebook comment system because we care about our readers’ safety and security.
Q: What is the most important thing that readers should know about this site?
Well, we’re just glad to be able to produce content for colored folks, and we hope they start coming back around, at least to check out our content.
