Posted on December 10, 2008

Blackbird Web Browser: Because Firefox Is Too Navajo for Black Web Surfers

Adrian Covert, Gizmodo, December 9 2008

Wait, why do I need a special web browser? I mean, I get there’s been a long standing digital divide between black America and the technological world (controlled by The Man). But do I really need a repackaged piece of software whose name evokes the Jim Crow era?

Last time I checked, I don’t physically browse the internet any different than anyone else—evidenced by the fact that Blackbird UI looks exactly like Firefox (both are based around Mozilla), except, you know, with a black color scheme. And great, it comes preloaded with a bunch of bookmarks that might be of interest to the black community. But I’m pretty sure the same thing can be accomplished with an effectively marketed website (black people DO know how to use Google, after all. Shocker!).

Maybe 40A, Inc. meant well with Blackbird, but it comes off as a lazy marketing ploy that plays on the emotions of people who are (admittedly) still marginalized when it comes to the online world. And playing along with the notion that blacks and whites (or anyone, for that matter) can’t enjoy any of the same things, is the same retarded line of antiquated, ethno-centric thinking that the internet is supposed to destroy. Blah.