The Miracles of Melanin
The very pigment that gives Black people their skin complexion is the source of many miraculous health benefits. Melanin provides incredible protection against the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation, neutralizes harmful effects of others forms of radiation, fights off signs of aging and so much more. Perhaps even more astounding is melanin’s unique ability to absorb certain energy sources such as light and sound waves, and convert them into reusable energy.
We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.
Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.
The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.
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